For those in the crowd who have questioned the age difference...and for those of us who have seen "It's a Wonderful Life" 57 times and can recite the dialogue from memory, driving all of our relatives batty at holiday time....
He parked in his usual spot in front of the barracks and got out of the car, just as she was proceeding down the walk. Black is a really good color for her, he thought, as she came closer, though on second thought he realized that he liked her in every color he'd seen her in thus far.
She was wearing a pair of fitted, stylish black pants, topped off with a form fitting black wool sweater and a fashionable pair of black leather boots; the kind that look nice but are functional as well, given the Colorado winters. She'd traded in her bomber jacket for a slim, mid thigh black wool coat.
He was wearing the same blue sweater he'd had on at Thanksgiving, with a pair of jeans and his workman's boots. That blue always brings out his eyes, she thought appreciatively.
As before, they parked the car in the garage at the Victorian. On a whim, he reached over and took her hand as they walked to the theater, snow starting to fall lightly. There had been a huge snowstorm forecast for that day, but it had held off and they both knew Colorado weather could turn on a dime, for better or worse.
Having seen the movie already several times, Daniel was happy to have someone to watch it with; it was the type of movie that was best shared and was particularly nice to share with someone for the first time. Sarah had never particularly cared for it, and, well, for obvious reasons this was never an event that would have fit into his and Sha're's lifestyle.
Jennifer found herself completely charmed by the black and white wartime movie, fascinated by the military references and inclusions, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks as George Bailey determines that he really does have a good life.
Daniel enjoyed this immensely, her ability to be touched by what some consider a smarmy old movie. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly; she squeezed back, grateful to him for his appreciation of her more vulnerable side. She knew from experience that other men would have found this unusual and might have ridiculed her for it; a tough as nails Air Force soldier sobbing uncontrollably through a movie scene.
As the lights came up, he kept her hand in his, waiting quietly until she smiled at him to get up from his seat. "I'm glad you liked it," he said, squeezing gently again.
"Thanks, yeah, I really did," she said sincerely, returning the squeeze a little, a few stray tears still in her eyes.
He slid his arm comfortably around her as they were leaving the theater. They were greeted by the accurate predictions of the weatherman; the snowstorm that had been forecast had arrived. The light snow that had been falling when they entered had turned into heavy, wet snow; a few inches of which had already accumulated on top of everything outside of the theater.
"Well, here we go again," Daniel said sardonically. He turned to her. "You want to do the 100 yard dash again or get a cab?" he said with a gleam in his eye.
She smiled. "Well, I don't know about the 100 yard dash, but I don't mind walking; it's just snow," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.
He knew how much she enjoyed the snow, not having been around it much growing up.
"Okay, let's hoof it, then," he said with a grin. Instinctively he took her hand again, they would need to be careful on the way back.
They proceeded to walk as quickly as conditions would allow, the snow coming down around them, but thanks to the previous snowfall freezing underneath, it was quite slippery, and they both felt their feet betraying them more than once, alternately falling towards and away from each other and accidentally pulling the other off balance.
Jennifer started giggling as they haphazardly made their way along, Daniel found the giggle contagious, and for all of his gentlemanly efforts, the last block of the walk he fell rather ungraciously, knocking her down and landing on top of her in the process, directly in to a bank of the sloppy stuff in front of his building, both of them openly laughing now at the whole event.
Despite the fog the weather had given his glasses, he could see her clearly, and he suddenly kissed her, passionately, the two of them still giggling from their walk back.
In front of the Victorian now, they shook off the snow.
"Wow, it's really coming down," Daniel said, looking around. "Would you like to come in? I'm not sure how long it's going to be until the weather clears and driving you home in this might be treacherous. Besides, Catherine and Ernest sent leftovers from Christmas dinner; they said that you probably wouldn't have gotten a chance to eat anything proper if you were on duty today," he added, a hopeful note to his voice.
She smiled; being with him like this kept the overwhelmed feelings at bay, and, it was Christmas night. "I'd like that," she said.
In the cozy flat, they shed their outdoor clothing and boots; Daniel turned on the tree lights and the stereo and lit a few of the candles.
Jennifer realized that she was pretty hungry. She strode over to the kitchen and efficiently set about reheating the leftovers. Daniel poured them both a glass of wine and settled on the couch. She sat opposite him in one of the armchairs while she ate.
"Sure beats the heck out of Gibson's mission cooking," she said, downing the generous victuals. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."
He chuckled, watching her, liking the fact that she was not afraid to eat heartily in front of him. He reclined in a corner of the couch, his feet up on the coffee table, relaxed.
She finished her meal and put her dishes in the kitchen, making quick work of the cleanup. Returning to the living room, she curled up opposite him on the couch. From here she could see out the window; the snow was still coming down thick and heavy.
He noticed the slight frown on her face. "What is it?"
"It's still snowing pretty hard," she said with a slightly annoyed tone to her voice.
He turned to follow her gaze out the window. "Yeah, I guess it is," he said with a note of finality. He turned back to face her. "Well, I certainly don't mind if you stay," he said in a matter of fact tone of voice.
She bit her lip. She didn't mind staying, either, and she thought it would be an imposition to ask him to take her back in this weather. But, as her feelings for him deepened, staying over in his apartment seemed trickier; her urge to run away conflicting mightily with her desire to spend more time with him and discover where that might lead.
He noticed the look of doubt as it passed over her face. "If you're not comfortable, I understand," he said in a voice that didn't convince her. "Besides," he added, "I'm grateful to you for spending the holidays with me and I don't want to wear out my welcome with you," he added dryly, wondering briefly if she'd just tired of his company.
She smiled at him, the sudden insecurity in his statement charmed her and yet bothered her; she needed to be honest with him, but she didn't know where to start.
"I appreciate your invitations," she stated carefully. "I've really enjoyed spending the holidays with you, too," she added, taking a deep drink of her wine, her voice telling him that it was something else.
The wine had emboldened him a bit. "But…" he said, waiting for her to fill in the blank. He might as well get to the truth.
She fidgeted now, not sure what to say. She sighed, closed her eyes and opened her mouth, hoping for the best. "But, I think I'm beginning to like this too much," she said, opening her eyes, not looking directly at him, preferring instead to focus her gaze on the little tree that they had decorated on Thanksgiving. Well, that's closer to the truth, she thought, not exactly sure herself how to explain it. The overwhelmed feeling came back.
Daniel sat up. "I like you too much, too," he said.
She looked at him sharply, that was an even braver admission than her own, and the truth behind his words gave her a warm feeling, emanating out in a shy smile.
The actual choice of words he had used suddenly struck him. "Uh, I mean, well, that is, I, uh…" he stammered. Like so many other times, what he really meant had just come tumbling out of his mouth, without any thought as to how it would be received.
"I really like you, too, Daniel," she said, cutting through his stuttering, with one of her knowing smiles. "I really have enjoyed spending the holidays with you," she added reassuringly.
"You're not just keeping a geeky old archaeologist company as part of some community service sentence or something," he deadpanned, in a more relaxed tone.
She giggled at his joke. "No," she said with the slightest hint of outrage at the assumption. She sat up, a gleam in her eyes; feeling braver based on their mutual admission and the effects of the wine they were drinking. "In fact, why don't we make it three out of three – what are you doing on New Year's?" she asked. "I have duty until 10:00, but nothing fun happens until midnight, anyway," she said.
He looked at her, the sudden invitation caught him off guard, but she could see that he was obviously pleased. "Yeah, I'd like that," he said. He sat back, his arm draped casually across the back of the couch, a serious look on his face. "I really hate spending it alone." He looked at her. "It'll be late; you'd be welcome to stay that night, too," he said.
Jennifer nodded at him, feeling more relaxed now. "Okay," she said, "It's a date."
He looked at her, a sly grin on his face. "You sure you won't mind spending it with a geeky old archaeologist," he said, looking over the top of his glasses at her.
She grinned wickedly back at him. "I told you, I don't think you're geeky," she said with a slightly superior tone.
"Oh, but you do think I'm old," he said, a teasing note in his voice.
She looked at him, that serious look she got that scared him. "I don't think you're old, either," she said.
Daniel thought about this for a minute. "I am a fair bit older than you are, though," he said seriously.
She shook her head. "That's just chronological," she replied emphatically. "It doesn't really matter how long you've been alive; it's how you act and how you feel," she continued.
"So, it doesn't bother you," he said in that tone he had when he was stating the obvious.
She giggled again. "No, it doesn't bother me." She was quiet for a minute. "What about you? Does it ever bother you that I'm a fair bit younger than you?"
"Well, I wish the cops would stop looking at me funny when we're together, but other than that…" he deadpanned as he emptied his wine glass, now a bit more relaxed. He got up from his corner of the couch. "Would you like some more wine?"
"I don't know, if I have any more of that I might lose control," she said jovially.
He brought the bottle over, pouring himself another half glass, sitting down in the middle of the couch this time, a devilish look on his face. "I might like to see that," he said in a saucy tone.
She fixed him with a stern look at the comment, but there was laughter and something else he couldn't quite distinguish in her eyes.
"Now, now, Dr. Jackson," she said in a mock admonishing tone. The tone of his voice had given her that same tingling sensation that his kisses gave her, all of her senses were on alert now.
The DJ came on the radio then. "And the National Weather Service is promising that the snow will continue until sometime around dawn; if you can avoid it don't go out in this mess tonight; we'd like to have you all back in one piece tomorrow," the smooth voice continued.
Jennifer and Daniel looked at each other. "Well, that settles that question," he said dryly, taking a deep drink of his wine and setting the glass on the coffee table.
As he leaned forward, Jennifer couldn't help but notice the hint of curly brown hair visible from the top of his shirt. The sight sent another tingle through her senses; his physical presence closer to her now and the nature of their true feelings slowly being revealed was creating a rush of a kind she hadn't felt in a long time.
She realized how much she had missed this. She liked the way it made her feel, alive in every sense of the word. A bit too much, maybe, she thought to herself, a bit overwhelmed now by both the physical and emotional feelings in the matter at hand.
"This time I'll sleep on the couch," she said suddenly. "I can watch the tree lights until I fall asleep," she said with a merry tone to her voice, not quite belying the sudden awkwardness she felt at her reactions to their situation.
Her statement gave direction to the evening. Probably safer than where my thoughts were headed, Daniel thought. The note of awkwardness had not completely escaped him, reminding him that she was indeed younger than he was.
He thought about this for another moment; her youth really didn't bother him. He enjoyed teaching and showing her things; she delighted in learning, as he did but on a fresh, new level. He learned a lot from her in the process about how much fun life could still be, reminded again how wonderful it was to learn and discover, even things about one's self, he thought.
He looked at her then, curled up in the corner of his couch, smiling and relaxed, to a point, he thought. He would have to tread lightly with her, he knew. Although he wouldn't have told her so, he suspected that the Jameson incident was still impacting her in some ways. This thought bothered him, and he felt a sense of protectiveness stepping in where his other thoughts had just been.
He smiled at her, feeling relaxed and comfortable now. It was one of the nicer Christmas evenings he could remember in quite some time. The wine was catching up with him, reminding him he wasn't as young as he used to be; he felt his eyelids getting heavy.
She smiled at him, endeared by his sleepiness. Well, that settles that question, she thought to herself, not wanting to admit a small sense of relief from the rush she had been experiencing only a few minutes prior.
"Well, I suppose I might as well admit I'm tired and go to bed," he said.
He got up off the couch, as he passed her, he reached over and stroked her hair, his hand coming around and gently caressing her face. She reached up and gently grasped his hand with her own, turning her face into his palm, gently kissing it. He cupped her chin, leaned down and kissed her warmly.
"Merry Christmas, Jennifer," he said with a soft tone to his voice.
"Merry Christmas, Daniel," she replied, smiling, a warm tone in her own voice.
She woke early the next morning, as the sun was coming out. She padded over to the kitchen window; the snow had stopped and the plows were coming through as evidenced by the large snow bank now covering the driveway in front of the Victorian. She knew that it might take a while to clear all the snow, she decided it would be best to try and walk downtown and grab a cab. She had another guard duty shift to contend with today.
She tidied up the living room and wrote him a quick note, then pulled her boots on and went quietly out the door.
When he woke up, Daniel went out into the living room. The table was cleaned off, the wine glasses had been washed and the bottle put away. She was gone.
There was a note on the coffee table. Daniel – didn't want to wake you. Had to get back to get ready for another shift this afternoon. See you on New Year's around 10:30 – Thanks for a wonderful life – Christmas. Jennifer.
He noticed with a chuckle that she'd inadvertently written the word life first, then crossed it out and written in Christmas; he smiled to himself, hoping that it was a Freudian slip.