Okay, a word to any new readers -- I wrote this just before the holidays last year, so the next few follow the holiday calendar...and of course, since their first date was late October, the holidays provided some really handy plot devices... :)
On a cold day in mid-November, Jennifer was in the main Archaeology lab. Her time in this lab helped her clear her head for the more intense naquadriah experiments that they were running up in Major Carter's lab. Colonel Taylor had given her clearance to begin artifact collection when she was not in search of the two n-stuffs, as the SG teams called them.
She was now deep in her own study on the items she had retrieved. Her respect for Daniel's theories and the things that he had taught her grew; the items she had found looked as if they would definitively bear out his most recent declarations. She was careful about this analysis; she knew she could not let her crush on him color the results.
Suddenly, the telephone in the main lab rang, interrupting her thought process. She looked at the door to Daniel's office; usually the telephone jolted him out of his reverie and he would answer it. When he had not appeared at the door after two rings, she called out, "I'll get it."
As she moved towards the ringing telephone, Daniel appeared. "No, don't answer it," he said quickly.
She looked at him quizzically. The telephone continued to ring, then stopped, having been passed over to voicemail.
She started back towards her desk and he to his, when it rang again. Now she stood and looked at him, arms crossed, waiting to see what would happen next. He walked back towards his office, not offering an explanation.
She shrugged. She found herself curious about why he seemed so reluctant to answer it. Whatever it is, it's not my business, she reminded herself, irritated by the fact that she was thinking about it.
The telephone rang a third time; after it had stopped, she heard the cell phone in his office ring. She heard him switch it off, cursing gently as he did so.
Maybe some woman's stalking him, she thought. No, that would be you, Jennifer, she told herself dryly. The pattern of her thoughts bothered her; it was another confounding reminder of her struggle with her feelings for him, alternately wanting to get to know him better and fearing what that would be like.
Curiosity having finally gotten the better of her, she walked over to the door of his office. "Dr. Jackson, is somebody bothering you?" she asked quietly, though she couldn't imagine who would want to.
He sighed. "No, nothing's wrong. It'll stop now," he said resignedly, not looking up from the stack of papers on his desk.
"Okay," she said quietly, trying to keep the note of hurt out of her voice. Whatever it is, he obviously doesn't want to talk about it, and you already knew it was none of your business she chided herself, walking back to her desk. She attacked her analysis task with even greater fervor, determined to get control over her thoughts.
As involved as he was in trying not to think about the caller, and trying to concentrate on his work, he heard the note of hurt in her voice even though she tried to conceal it. He sighed again. She doesn't deserve that, he scolded himself, she's only trying to help.
He got up from the desk and walked out into the lab, where she was deep in study. The telephone rang again. She looked up. He sighed and sat down on the stool next to hers at the lab table.
"It's Catherine," he stated. "She's calling to invite me for Thanksgiving dinner, and she won't give up until she's spoken to me and I say yes," he said with a note of quiet resignation in his voice.
She was touched that he had opted to tell her the truth of the matter; she knew he did not share his feelings easily. "Well, I'm glad to hear it's not some mad stalker," she said with a smile, the warm, friendly one he liked so much with just a hint of teasing in her tone.
"She and Ernest have sort of adopted me to some degree," he added. "I guess they're grateful to me for bringing them back together, and she's sort of had me under her wing since this whole thing started," he continued, with a wave at the lab around them. "Every year she invites me for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and every year, I waltz around it and finally give in," he said with an air of futility, as if he were somehow beaten into submission on these events.
Jennifer looked at him. "Is it really so bad, going over there?" she asked seriously.
"No, no, not at all, I really enjoy it, actually," he said, somewhat amazed at what he was hearing himself say. "It's just that, well…."
He looked at her. He'd asked her to trust him on more than one occasion with her feelings; it was only fair that he should trust her with his own. He took a deep breath. "I guess, it's just that, by accepting the invitation, it's another reminder that I don't have my own family to spend the holiday with. It's another time when I face that, instead of running away from it like I have so many times," he stated, intrigued by his own frankness in the matter. He'd never really thought about the truth behind it until he heard himself telling her.
"After so many years, you'd think I'd be okay with it, but…" he trailed off. He looked at her, her dark eyes registering the same understanding he'd felt that night in the jazz café. "You're right, though, I know I'm going to accept, I should just do it." He looked at her again, a light dawning in the back of his brain. "Hey, would you go with me, if I go? You'd get a real kick out of Ernest – I know you've read all the mission reports probably a hundred times – and I know Catherine would enjoy meeting you," he finished with a slight air of excitement, enthusiasm for this new plan gaining momentum.
Jennifer smiled at him, a shy, quiet smile. She hadn't made any plans at that point, either; her own voicemail full with offers she wasn't yet sure how or why to decline. She understood all too well the conundrum he had described.
"I'd like that," she said. She hadn't anticipated an invitation from him; like him, she usually ended up at the house of someone who felt a bit sorry for her. She was pleasantly surprised at this turn of events. Going with someone to a house even if the hosts felt a little sorry for you wasn't the same as showing up alone, giving them yet another reason to take pity on you. Or worse, she grimaced inwardly, when they try to resolve your aloneness with a blind date for the day, this last thought causing recollections of past holidays to swarm into her brain. She shook her head, banishing these awkward memories.
He smiled back at her, relaxing a bit now. "I have the same problem at Christmas," he said thoughtfully, looking down at the table, then up at her.
She was nodding her head in agreement. "Yeah, the nice thing about being military on these occasions is that you can usually count on grabbing a couple of extra guard duty shifts on those days. It's usually light, except for drunk people, so the time passes pretty quickly and they pay double for those shifts. I usually try to grab one for each one of the holidays, but I think they got wise to that plan. They would only let me take Christmas and New Year's Eve this year," she said with a sigh.
"I usually end up at the local theater, with any luck they'll be playing 'It's a Wonderful Life' there this year. That really works for me, that whole concept of the guy being down and out and downtrodden his whole life, then he sticks up for something that's completely not his fault and risks jail and losing his family, but it all works out in the end because he's just such a good guy," Daniel finished with an air of enthusiasm. Then he noticed the quizzical look on her face. He grinned wickedly.
"You've never heard of it, have you?" he said with an air of amusement and arrogance.
She glowered at him. "Of course I've heard of it, I've just never seen it," she said with a note of annoyance at his assumption.
"Good, I was just afraid my age was showing again," he said with a hint of apology. She smiled then, indicating her hint of forgiveness.
The telephone rang again. They both looked at it. "I'll get it, it's probably for me," he said dryly, reaching over and picking up the receiver. "Hi Catherine. Yes, I just got back, I was in the other lab," he fibbed into the telephone. "Yes, thank you, I'd love to come over for dinner. Can I bring something?" He looked over at Jennifer. "Well, how about if I bring some one?" he asked. "Yes, actually, it is a girl, Catherine," he said, looking down at the floor now. Jennifer thought she saw him blushing slightly. "Okay, that sounds great. Great, we'll see you at 1:00, then," he finished and hung up.
He turned to Jennifer. "So, can I pick you up at 12:00 that day? It takes a little while to get to their place."
"Sure, that'll work," she said with a smile. She looked past him at the clock on the wall. "Oh, wow, I was hoping to finish this before I went upstairs," she said, turning back to her analysis.
He was charmed by her dedication to the work they were doing, and returned to his own desk, the recent turn of events having brightened his day.
It was a beautiful day, but cold – the sky was brilliantly clear. Daniel parked in his usual spot in front of the barracks and watched as she came down the steps towards him, smiling.
Today she had chosen a cream-colored cashmere sweater that clung to her small frame in all the right places, Daniel noticed. The sweater was on top of a wrap around brown leather skirt, fringed with fake fur that gave away to stylish brown leather boots. Her favorite brown leather bomber jacket, given to her by her father when she was accepted to the academy, topped it all off.
Daniel himself had opted for a blue sweater over dark brown slacks, the blue perfectly offsetting his eyes, she noticed. He had on the black leather jacket that he preferred for most occasions; it really works on him, she decided again.
As she got closer to the car, he opened the passenger door. "You look nice," he said, smiling appreciatively at her.
"So do you," she said, smiling back as she got into the car, grateful again for his gentlemanly manners.
They chatted casually on the way, listening to the public radio station and its annual replay of 'Alice's Restaurant' by Woody Guthrie. It was a beautiful day for a ride in the Colorado country-side.
Catherine met them at the door, giving Daniel a hug and greeting Jennifer warmly. As she took them both into the living room, Ernest rose to greet them.
"Ernest, this is Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey," Catherine graciously introduced them.
Ernest smiled at her, grasping her hand firmly, his blue eyes warm. "Lieutenant, eh?" he said raising an eyebrow and looking questioningly at Catherine.
"She's a member of the SGC, Ernest," Catherine added, a proud note in her voice. As a pioneer for women in the armed forces, it always pleased her to meet contemporary military women, especially those involved with the SGC, her pet project.
"Well, it certainly seems that the recruiters have improved their taste over the years," Ernest said with a smile.
Jennifer blushed a bit. "I've read about your experience with the Stargate and your discoveries with linguistics," she said appreciatively. I'd love to know more about…" Jennifer began asking him all kinds of questions about all of the things she had read about that mission.
Dinner went well and was enjoyed by all; the conversation was rampant with debate on the various things that had been discovered and the things that they had each experienced. Jennifer was rapt listening to the stories of getting the gate program started and the things that Ernest had experienced; Daniel watched her, impressed that she had learned so much and pleased that she was obviously enjoying herself.
She looked at him across the dinner table, as he debated some point on the importance of the goa'uld symbols in the derivation of ancient linguistics with Ernest. She felt a warm glow come over her; she couldn't remember a recent time she had enjoyed this much, not least with someone she liked this much.
Too soon the sun went down and it got dark. Daniel and Jennifer looked at each other; they wanted to be certain not to overstay their welcome with their gracious hosts. They bade them goodbye, Jennifer stating that she would love to return and discuss more of Ernest's thoughts on ancient linguistics and ponder the role of women in the SGC with Catherine.
As Daniel drove through downtown Colorado Springs, he noticed the lights at the center square. He had heard about the ice skating rink and had forgotten that it was opening that evening. Although it was dark, he wasn't anxious to end the evening early; he was enjoying the company.
"Hey, have you ever been ice skating?" he asked Jennifer.
"We didn't get much of a chance to ice skate in Oklahoma," she said evenly. She'd often thought it would be fun, but she didn't want to admit that she didn't know how.
"I could teach you," Daniel offered.
He was always teaching her things; she felt awkward always being in the student position, like a dumb kid, she thought. She looked at him, the look in his eyes was telling her that she could trust him, and the tone of his voice contained that same note of eagerness he'd had when he offered to take her over to the Taylors to explain the bike accident.
She took a deep breath; she knew she was going to go out on this limb as well as she knew her own name.
"Okay, sounds like fun" she replied, smiling at him, determined to keep the fear of her feelings at bay and just enjoy this.
The rink was not crowded, but there were several families and couples enjoying the night on the ice. There was a mix of ability in the crowd, first timers and those who looked as if they were between Olympic appearances. Everyone seemed to be having fun.
They rented their skates and set about the process of lacing them up and getting ready to go. Daniel seemed excited; Jennifer found herself eager to try this. He turned towards her as they stepped towards the ice. "Ready?" he asked with a smile. He held out his hand to her; she gladly accepted it as she stepped tentatively on to the slick surface.
As they moved along the ice, Daniel skated backwards, now taking both of her hands in his own. This really is fun, she thought, smiling, as they glided down the length of the frozen square.
Daniel watched her; she was a quick learner and no doubt had the athletic skills to do this well. "Hey, you're doing great," he smiled at her as he pulled her along.
Heeding his gentle suggestions about the footwork that would allow her to do this without his guiding hands, Jennifer began to move of her own volition, using her arms to keep her balance. His kindness in teaching her things always helped ease her discomfort at being 'the student' with him; he doesn't judge me because I know less than he does, she realized in that instant. Her fondness of him deepened at this thought.
Across the ice, Jonas skated to a stop at the bench and sat down to retie his skates. His athletic prowess and lightning quick reflexes (a common characteristic among the Kelownans, his own being honed by his pursuit of mastering the martial arts) helped him to learn this fast, but Cassie had been so excited about teaching him this new activity that he was having much more fun pretending he didn't know how.
He looked across the ice, his keen eyes noticing the couple right away: Dr. Daniel Jackson and Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey. This was the man who had given his life to save that of Jonas' colleagues; whose actions had inspired him to forsake his own planet and everything on it simply to do the right thing. Watching him here, enjoying himself in the company of a person he obviously liked, whether he would admit it or not, Jonas smiled to himself thinking that Daniel had done enough in life; he deserved this happiness.
He turned his eyes then to where Cassie and Janet were skating a few rounds on the ice. He thought about how much they meant to him; their presence in his life had made his own actions seem not so much a sacrifice of life as he knew it as the first step in understanding all that his life could really be.
It was nice, too, he thought, to see Lieutenant Hailey enjoying herself. Jonas knew from conversations with Teal'c that she was every inch the fighter that she had presented herself as during training runs at the SGC. "A truly formidable warrior," Teal'c had called her, a respectful smile on his usually stoic face. On more than one occasion, when she had accompanied SG missions with Teal'c, she had taken out several hostile Jaffa and was often responsible for ensuring that the teams made it back to Earth, he had reported to SGC, putting herself at great risk to guarantee that no one was left behind. Her natural abilities as a soldier led those in the upper ranks to think of her first when it came to missions where hostiles might be involved, although her inclination to do the right thing despite dictated military protocol often interfered with the respect she deserved for these actions.
Hard to believe, he thought to himself, watching the smiling young woman as she skated somewhat hesitantly but still graceful, hand in hand with the compassionate archaeologist. He was pondering this seeming conundrum of personalities, when he realized that Janet and Cassie were skating on a direct collision course with them, none of them exactly paying attention to where they were going.
"Hey, you two, look out!" Jonas called with a note of caution in his voice.
They all looked in the direction of the voice, realizing that Jonas was speaking to them, but too late to take heed of his words. Jonas cringed as the four collided and fell to the ice. He skated over, stopping a few feet away so as not to end up on the pile himself.
He reached down one hand each to Janet and Cassie. "Are you all right?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice, though their laughter belied any serious injury that might have occurred, he thought. They each took one of his strong hands as they got to their feet, trying not to lose their footing on the ice a second time.
Jennifer started giggling at the sudden impact of bodies and ice; Daniel couldn't help but start chuckling, too. They righted themselves, leaning on each other, coming close to falling again, together, giggling harder now as they tried to stay upright.
"Hey Jen!" Cassie said excitedly, as she realized who it was. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to learn how to skate," Jen answered her young friend with a grin and the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice. "What are you doing here?" she queried in a friendly tone.
"Trying to teach Dad here how to skate," Cassie said, proudly. It made her feel good to think that she could teach him anything; he and Janet seemed to know so much about everything. Everything except each other, Cassie amended the thought. Being in her teenage years, though, she would never openly admit that she thought they knew much about anything.
"Yeah, beautiful, when's my next lesson?" Jonas grinned broadly at the girl. He still had her hand in his from helping her up.
"Come on, then, I'll teach you both at the same time," Cassie said excitedly, reaching for Jennifer's hand with her own free one and skating away, pulling the two of them along. Caught off guard by the sudden motion, they struggled to stay upright, laughing, catching on and gliding smoothly behind her as she smilingly and confidently skated along with them in tow.
Janet and Daniel watched, enjoying this sight. She turned to Daniel.
"Well, Daniel, my doctor's intuition tells me that those three would appreciate a nice hot drink and I could stand for another cup of coffee myself. What do you say?" Janet asked jovially, motioning towards the stand at the end of the makeshift rink.
"Sure, sounds like a good idea," Daniel replied casually, skating slowly with Janet to the end of the rink and easily disembarking from the ice. He held out a hand to Janet who accepted it graciously as she stepped onto the padding that surrounded the skating area.
They watched the three skating, laughing, and having a good time as they themselves stood in line. There were a couple of close calls with some of the other, younger, faster skaters, but they all managed to keep their balance.
"So, Daniel, what are you doing here?" Janet asked.
He recognized that tone of voice; there was more than just passing curiosity in her question. Her years of taking care of him through the various things he had run afoul of on this world and off had decreed her some license to be concerned for him at all times; he knew this was another one of those times.
He watched Jennifer on the ice with Jonas and Cassie, truly enjoying herself, the spare few moments when she was at peace with the world and happy just to be alive. It wasn't a time that either of them had been able to hang onto for long stretches; it made him feel good to be part of that with her.
He smiled as he responded to Janet without taking his eyes off the trio. "Y'know, Doc, I think I'm finally getting a life," he said, a note of surprise in his voice.
The doctor watched him with amusement. It was good to see him happy, even if it were only for a few brief moments at a time. "She's right up your alley, Daniel," Janet said knowingly.
Daniel turned his full attention to her now, his blue eyes looking directly at her. "What about you, Janet?" he asked, more than a passing curiosity in his voice, too.
Janet chuckled. "Oh my, I don't have time for one," she said. Daniel watched her as she looked across the ice; in that moment, Jonas was looking right at her, giving her one of those secretive smiles that always made her blush, as if he had some intimate secret about her that she herself didn't even know.
Daniel watched her blush at the exchange and grinned. "Y'know, it would be okay if you had a life, too, Janet," he said in a semi serious voice.
She looked at him. "Oh, come on, Daniel, he's my patient," she said in protest.
Daniel looked at her, still blushing from the look Jonas had given her; his mind resisting the urge to wonder if they were playing doctor there in the pleasant split level the three of them called home.
"Oh, of course, sure," Daniel said wryly. "And Lieutenant Hailey's just a student," he said slowly, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
"Daniel," Janet said with a hint of admonishment in her tone. She knew the true nature of their feelings for each other, regardless of how carefully they try to guard the secret from each other and the rest of the world right now, she thought.
"Besides, Janet," Daniel continued, with an air of authority "do you really think you could find any guy here on Earth who could understand your situation like he does?" he added with a note of triumph as if he'd scored a point in a debate. "You know he's probably the perfect father for Cassie," Daniel added matter-of-factly.
Janet watched the two people in her immediate world across the ice. Who's really hiding what from whom, here, Janet Fraiser, she asked herself, reflecting back on a couple of occasions that might have provided Jonas with good reason to look at her in that way. The memories of the impetuous, passionate kisses that they had shared – once, right here in the square, after an impromptu turn to the sounds of a corner jazz band, she recalled – sent a tingle up her spine. She brushed the memory away as the cashier handed them their drinks and their change, the moment gone, but not forgotten.
They returned to the now winded trio with hot coffee, cider and chocolate all around.
With the boundless energy of youth, Cassie launched into a new subject. "Hey, Mom, if we're going to get our tree tonight, we should probably get going," she said, with the anxious note in her voice that often accompanies teenage excitement and anticipation.
"Yeah, Doc, we did talk about that earlier," Jonas chimed in with a grin.
Janet looked at her watch. "Well, then, we really had better get a move on," she said in her authoritative tone.
Cassie turned to Jennifer and Daniel. "Hey, why don't you come with us?" she asked nonchalantly.
Jennifer and Daniel looked at each other, taken aback by the sudden invitation, more so by the concept of getting a Christmas tree.
"Oh, that's a nice thought, but I certainly can't have one in the barracks," Jennifer said quickly.
"Well, Dr. Jackson, aren't you going to get a tree?" Cassie asked in a matter of fact tone of voice.
Daniel looked at the group. He'd never been a Christmas tree kind of guy; he couldn't remember having had one since he was a kid, before his parents had died. "Um, uh, well…" he stuttered.
Janet smiled at him. "Come on Daniel, it'll be fun," she said. She glanced over at Jonas; he was smiling that knowing smile of his, the one that always reassured her she was on the right path, and she turned to look at the pair. "I'm sure Jennifer can help you decorate it."
Now it was Jennifer's turn to stutter a bit. "Uh, well…" she looked at Daniel for assistance, not wanting to agree to something for his apartment that he hadn't suggested.
"Hey, Mom, we can give them a couple of the boxes of lights and stuff that we bought – you said so yourself that we probably don't need any more decorations," Cassie interrupted excitedly.
Janet laughed. "That's true, we do have a fair number already." She turned to look at the pair. "So, what do you say?"
Jennifer and Daniel looked at each other, still at a bit of a loss. Since he could not think of a really good reason not to go with them, Daniel finally stammered, "Uh, sure, why not, sounds like fun."
As they got in the car to follow them to the tree lot, Jennifer looked at Daniel. "Are you sure you don't mind this?" she said with a wondering tone.
Daniel pondered this for a second before responding. "Actually, no, I don't mind; it might be kind of nice," he said thoughtfully, once again realizing the truth of what he was saying as it was coming out of his mouth. He glanced over at her. "Are you sure you don't mind helping me with it?"
"No, not at all," she replied quickly. "I think it will be nice," she smiled at him. "I haven't decorated a tree since before my Dad died," she said, a note of wistfulness in her voice. Like that night in the jazz café, Daniel thought.
At the lot, they looked around for only a few minutes before spying a not too tall, somewhat gangly Douglas fir. They looked at each other, smiling, knowing it was just right for Daniel's apartment with its somewhat haphazard décor.
Properly outfitted with an extra box of lights and two boxes of smallish, demure colored glass balls, Jennifer and Daniel said their goodbyes to the other three and got in the Volvo, the tree they had selected secured in the trunk.
Back at the apartment, they unloaded the tree and the ornaments and took off their jackets. The apartment was warm; Daniel lit a few of the candles he had around the living room. He preferred their light to that of the fluorescent desk lamps scattered about.
He poured them each a glass of Bordeaux; she had expertly secured the tree in the corner, covering the stand with an old blanket that Janet had given them with the ornaments.
In a few minutes, they had laid on the lights and the bulbs in a bright, attractive fashion. The little gangly tree was now a beautiful testament to the season, coming into its own as an acceptable Christmas icon.
Daniel stood back and admired their handiwork, as Jennifer adjusted a light. Suddenly, she went over to the coat rack behind the door, and from the collar of her jacket, she removed something. She turned back to the tree and set her SGC shield pin on the top as a star.
"There, perfect," she said. She turned and looked at Daniel, giving him one of those smiles.
He looked at her. "Yeah, perfect," he said with a smile of his own.
They finished their wine sitting on the couch. Daniel casually put his arm around Jennifer, as they giggled about the sudden turn of events that resulted in them sitting there, admiring the little Christmas tree. It had been a nice Thanksgiving.