Chapter Three
She pushed her curls almost inaudibly over her left shoulder and her eyes filled with remorse and sorrow as she watched the man a few feet from her. She was standing in the doorway to his office, which he had torn apart moments before in his grief, anger, and most likely guilt for the part he had played in the most recent tragedy: the hijacking of his ex-girlfriend's body by a Goa'uld.
The Q stepped cautiously into the room and slid carefully onto the now bare table, stopping just short of the man's glasses, which lay precariously on the edge by his right arm. He sat in the only remaining upright stool in the room, his face buried in his arms that were resting on the cold tabletop upon which was now seated someone who was unaffected by its temperature. Gently she placed a comforting hand on his arm, causing him to jump slightly.
Raising his head, his blue eyes narrowed on her face, squinting to see without his glasses. When it finally registered who was seated next to him, he lowered his head back onto his arms and asked sourly, "What do you want?"
"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now, but I wanted to talk with you."
"About what?"
"I wanted to apologize."
Surprise flitted across his face as he jerked his head up to give her a look of disbelief, "You're admitting to doing something wrong?"
She nodded sadly, her eyes darting from his face to the objects that lined the shelves nervously as she answered softly, "I'm not a hero, Daniel. I don't have the courage to do what it takes. Even though it kills me to admit it, I'm too afraid of what the Continuum will do to me to do what's right."
Daniel shook his head and sat up straight, giving Nicole his full attention. "I think you're wrong. I think you can be a hero if you really want to be." He shrugged. "Five years ago I would never have dreamed I would be doing half the things I do now."
"So it takes time?"
He nodded and patted her leg comfortingly. "Time and effort. Maybe you should spend more time with us," he joked, finally smiling at his visitor.
Immediately distracted, Nicole's vision locked on the place where he had touched her leg, her cheeks flushing slightly. Her reaction went completely unnoticed by the man who was currently slipping his glasses into place on his face. Clearing her throat and finally tearing her eyes away from her leg, Nicole whispered, "Can I ask you something?"
Daniel nodded as his eyes began surveying the damage he had done to his office. "Sure," he answered, but she could tell his attention was divided.
"That woman – Sarah – you used to date her?"
Apparently this was not a question he had been expecting, for he swiveled around on his stool and nearly toppled sideways. After steadying himself, he answered the now grinning woman, "Yeah, years and years ago. Why do you ask?"
She shrugged and hopped off the table, leaning over to pick up a file and its contents of pictures that had been strewn all over the floor in the earlier commotion. "Just curious. I've never done that."
"What, dated a woman?" the archeologist asked in a teasing tone as he joined her in picking up the disorganized pictures that were now all over the floor. "And you don't have to do this."
She smiled and replied softly, "I don't mind," before placing the pictures in her hand on the table. Leaning against it, she continued in the same hushed tone, her smile having disappeared, "I meant I've never dated before – man or woman. But I'm not attracted to women, so it's not surprising I've never dated one."
The man picking up the pictures on the floor stopped in the middle of reaching for the last photograph and turned to give Nicole a surprised look before sitting onto the floor and looking up at her. "You mean to tell me you've never dated before?"
"Yes," she said, wrapping her arms around her body self-consciously and not making eye contact. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other before continuing, "I have never stayed in one place long enough to get to know anyone well enough to date them – and Q men are not ones I would even slightly consider for any kind of long term relationship."
"So you've never even been on a casual date? I mean, you're very attractive, I assume men would jump at the chance to take you out."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I've gone out once or twice with nice men, but it never went anywhere. I guess I've just never found one I felt that deeply for – and considering I'm turning one hundred and eighteen next week, I'd say I've done my share of looking."
Daniel blinked as his brain picked up the last piece of information she had thrown his way. When it finally registered, he asked, dumb-founded, "A hundred and eighteen years?"
Giggling, Nicole nodded and let herself slid onto the floor, her back supported by the table, across from the man who looked as if he had just received the shock of his life. "We can choose how old we look physically. I haven't changed my appearance since I turned twenty-five."
"I was just going to say you don't look a day over twenty-five," Daniel commented, flashing her a grin.
"It doesn't matter how old I look," the woman answered with a shake of her head. "It isn't easy being the sibling who's never been kissed when your sister is sleeping with a different guy each week and your brother has been married for over a century."
"A century, huh? I wonder what anniversary that would be. . ."
This comment was rewarded with a soft kick in the calf, the only part of him she could reach with her short leg. "Hardly the point," she replied with a small smile, "But if you must know, I haven't seen them since they told me they were getting married. They eloped."
"Qs can elope?" the archeologist asked, intrigued by this new insight into another culture. "How? Don't the elders know where they are?"
Nicole shook her head. "They don't use their abilities enough to be noticed. Don't ask me how they do it."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Daniel studying the woman across from him while she pretended not to notice by keeping her eyes fixed on an artifact that lay in pieces on the floor not to far from them. Finally the man broke the silence with a simple question, "You're really never been kissed before?"
She blushed again, her face beginning to match the color of her hair. She picked at her jeans and nodded. "Yeah. Do you think that's pathetic?"
He shook his head and responded softly, "No," as he moved slightly so that he was resting evenly on his knees. She thought he was preparing to stand up until he moved closer to her and reached out a hand to cup her face tenderly.
"What are you doing?" she asked hoarsely, her eyes wide and her breath catching in her throat.
"Giving you an early birthday present," Daniel whispered in a low voice before he covered the distance between them and pressed his lips tenderly onto hers. She closed her eyes, relishing the experience, her hands finding the man's shoulders and resting there lightly, afraid that if she held too tightly he would realize what he was doing and pull away. His hands tangled in her hair, remaining there even after he broke the short, sweet kiss. Their eyes fluttered open, their faces mere inches apart. He whispered, his breath hot against her mouth, "Happy birthday."
She responded with a smile and didn't waste any time before once again closing the distance between them by snaking her hands behind his neck and pulling him to her. This resulted in a much more passionate kiss, which only ended when Daniel pulled away forcefully, catching his breath and putting some distance between them.
"Wait," he breathed heavily, holding up a hand to her. "You've waited a long time to have a relationship. I don't want to go rushing into anything too fast and ruin whatever we could have had." She nodded, unable to respond, still reeling from the effect of their last kiss. Shaking his head, he continued, "Are you sure you want to get involved with me? I mean, we haven't known each other that long."
"I know you," she replied hoarsely, her eyes watering just a little. "I don't know why, but I know I can trust you. You're a good man. And you're showing that right now."
He smiled at her and reached over, his fingers sliding between hers. "I want to do right by you. It's hard to be the first boyfriend."
"Is that what you are? My boyfriend?"
He avoided the question. "How about I take you out to dinner on your birthday?"
"Like a date?"
He laughed and nodded. "Yeah, we'll even call it a date."
"Okay."
"Going somewhere?" Jack asked as he found his way through the open door of Daniel's office. Both men were clad in normal civilian clothes, signifying the end of the work day and time to go home.
Smiling, the archeologist shoved a few more things into his duffel bag and zippered it shut enthusiastically. "Yup," he answered before moving past his friend, deliberately not giving away any details.
"Anywhere important?" The Air Force Colonel asked, following Daniel from the room, obviously not willing to let the subject die that quickly.
"Yup," Daniel answered, pressing the button to the elevator and waiting patiently for it to arrive, all the while grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Jack's eyebrows shot up as he moved to stand next to his friend and stare at him incredulously. "And you don't feel like sharing?"
Daniel considered this for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth in mock concentration. Just as his gaze returned to rest on the man standing beside him, the elevator doors opened and the two of them stepped inside. The doors slid quietly shut behind them and the younger man turned slightly to the older one and answered with a smile, "No, I don't really feel like sharing."
SG1's leader opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the doors slid open again, revealing Major Samantha Carter on the other side. She smiled at her friends and stepped into the elevator, her presence causing the distraction Daniel had hoped for. Jack hadn't taken his eyes off his second in command since the doors had opened, her civilian clothes consisting of a usual leather jacket and tight jeans, which hugged her in all the right places. It was just the perfect thing to cause Jack to forget everything else on his mind.
When the elevator finally stopped, Daniel stepped out and said a hurried good-bye to his friends, rushing to his car. "Well, that was odd," Jack commented as he fell into step beside Sam, as always fighting the urge to walk closer than was really necessary.
"What was?" Sam asked as she pulled out her keys, the fact that they had passed his truck not escaping her notice.
"Daniel's being awfully secretive about what he's in such a hurry to get to."
The blonde smiled and shook her head, reaching down to unlock her car, keeping her mind focused on the conversation and getting into her car and not dwelling on how close to her he was standing. "He has a date," she informed her CO as if it was common knowledge.
"With who?" Jack asked, his eyes following the SUV leaving the base parking lot rather than the woman who was at the moment pulling open her car door and sitting down into the driver's seat.
"Don't know. He wouldn't tell me," Sam replied before shutting the car door. When he didn't move, she lowered her window and asked in a concerned tone, "Are you okay?"
His gaze finally shifted to her face, the pain clearly evident in his dark eyes. She swallowed hard and looked away, trying to pretend as they always did that there was nothing wrong. When she turned her head back, he was gone, headed for his truck and once again they avoided the impending conversation. But as she rolled her window back up and pulled out of the parking space, she knew they would have to tackle the issue eventually.
Sam stepped into her house and shed her coat, placing it on one of the hooks near the door. Leafing through the mail, she made her way into the kitchen, threading one of her hands through her hair absentmindedly. Once arriving in the kitchen, she tossed the unopened mail onto the counter and pulled open the refrigerator door. As she decided what she wanted to eat, her thoughts wandered as she considered for a moment just how little of a social life she actually had. Sighing, she shut the refrigerator and pulled a cup out of a cupboard and filled it with tap water.
Turning around, she was a little startled at the bright light that appeared on the other side of the island table but not at all surprised when it left a red haired woman in its wake. "Hello, Nicole," she greeted the woman nonchalantly before taking a sip of the lukewarm water.
"I need your help," the younger woman quipped in a fairly agitated tone, her eyes shifting back and forth nervously.
Sam's eyebrows furrowed as she regarded the woman carefully, noticing the slightly anxious air about the redhead. It was this observation that kept Sam's usual irritated response at Nicole's demands at bay. Instead she answered in a slightly teasing tone, "Let me get this straight. You need my help?"
Rolling her eyes and leaning forward on the back of a chair, Nicole responded in an exasperated tone, "Seriously, Sam, I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my whole life – and that's a long time."
"What's there to be nervous about?" Sam asked with a slight tilt of her head.
Glancing down, the redhead moved a little and sat down on the chair she had been leaning on. Not making eye contact, she answered slowly, "I have a date tonight, which I know probably isn't a big deal to someone like you, but I don't date a lot . . . and I really like him."
The blonde took a sip of water and sat down herself. "I don't date a lot, either. Don't know how much help I can be."
"But you would know what to wear better than me. He said to wear something nice, like a dress."
Sam's eyebrows rose suspiciously. "Are you saying your date is happening in this century?"
The redhead shot her friend a strange look. "Yes. Tonight. Here in Colorado Springs. Wouldn't have come to you for help with twenty-fourth century space fashion. I'm a little smarter than that, Sam."
"Is this date with anyone I know?"
The corners of Nicole's lips tugged upward uncontrollably, the only answer Sam really needed, but the Q answered slyly, "Maybe," and left it at that.
Shaking her head, the astrophysicist checked her watch and told the redhead informatively, "I don't think there's enough time to go shopping for a dress – and, sorry to say, I don't think you'll fit into one of mine."
Nicole nodded. "Well, there's always the internet," she commented and was rewarded with a strange look from Sam. Smiling, the Q flashed a full smile and explained, "If I want to try a dress on, I could just snap it on." To demonstrate, the woman snapped her fingers and a bright light surrounding her, replacing her jeans and t-shirt with a long, white Greek robe, probably the same one she had worn before. "Not that this is appropriate in this century unless we're going to a toga party."
The blonde nodded. "Well, then, let's go see what there is to find on the internet."
Later that night, a certain brown haired man with glasses was tightening his blue silk tie and he heard the familiar sound of a Q flash behind him. Smiling to himself, he turned and picked up the single red rose lying on the bed. When his eyes, the same color as his tie, lifted and he took in the sight of the red haired woman a few feet from him, his body froze as he stared transfixed at his girlfriend.
She smiled self-consciously and blushed, her cheeks turning almost the same color as her hair. Smoothing the dark green material of her dress, which was strapless and stopped just short of her knees, she shuffled nervously from one foot to the other. "Do you not like the dress? Sam helped me pick it out."
Shaking his head and stuttering a little, Daniel backed up and replied with a grin, "No, no, I love the dress. You look beautiful."
Her emerald eyes darted to the floor shyly. "Thanks," she whispered without meeting his blue eyes.
He stepped closer and held out the flower to her. "Shall we go?"
After drinks, dinner, and a shared dessert, Daniel and Nicole were in his car, neither one aware of what time it was or anything else but the other person. All she knew was that his lips were on hers, and his arms were wrapped tightly around her smaller form, causing a feeling of elation she had never known before. In the commotion of heated breathing, lips on lips and hands tangled in hair, it was hard for the Q to know which way was up.
In the midst of the fogginess, a familiar female voice called to her rather harshly, "So this is how I have to find out about your love life now? You couldn't even give me a simple heads-up?"
Green eyes snapped open as Nicole pushed away from Daniel in shock, her head turning to the back seat, where a woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, a strapless top and tight mini-skirt sat with a huge grin on her lips. Smacking her gum rudely, her eyes raked up and down Daniel's body with interest. Nicole's eyes narrowed on her sister's face as she spat angrily, "Was there something you wanted, Teeny?"
Teeny's eyebrows shot up in surprise as her gaze switched from the man in the driver's seat to her older sister. "What? I can't come visit my big sister if I want to?"
"Sister?" Daniel asked, his eyes darting from one woman to the other. "The one you've told me about?"
"It's nice to be mentioned," the younger sister replied with a smile.
Daniel and Nicole exchanged a look and smiles, remembering the redhead's statement about her sister the previous week just before their first kiss. Teeny failed to notice this glance for she was too busy checking out her nails. Nicole rolled her eyes and addressed her sister once again, "Was there a reason you had to interrupt what was a perfectly wonderful evening for me?"
The blonde faked a hurt expression. "Are you saying you don't like seeing me?"
"Well, I think I'd be pretty much pissed at anyone who would put a stop to me kissing my boyfriend."
Teeny's eyebrows shot up dramatically as she leaned forward. "He's your boyfriend? Now I really am hurt that you didn't tell me about him sooner. Is this how you treat your best friend?"
Nicole sighed and ran her hand over her boyfriend's cheek, remorse running over her features. "I'm sorry, Daniel, but I think this is going to take a while." Turning to her sister, she barked harshly, "You, out of the car. Now."
Blue eyes rolled in annoyance, but the younger sister regrettably followed her older one out of the car. The red head slammed her door shut behind her and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Okay, if I'm going to have a boyfriend, there's got to be some rules between you and me."
"Oh, so there are rules now? I don't know if I like this too much."
Nicole sighed. "Teeny, you are still my best friend, and I will gladly talk to you about my love life. But this was just so new, and I didn't know if we were talking about it yet. This is my first real relationship. I don't want to screw it up."
This seemed to soften Teeny a little bit. "Okay, sorry, I didn't mean to cause a freak-out."
"You didn't. Just do me a favor and don't interrupt us from now on, please?"
The blonde held up her hands in the sign of surrender. "Don't particularly want to. Just thought I'd pop in this once to get your attention."
"Well, please don't do it again."
"Sure thing, Nic." Teeny glanced in the car at the man waiting patiently behind the steering wheel for his girlfriend to return. "He's kind of hot. Didn't know you had such good taste in men, sister of mine."
"You stay away from him," Nicole warned, her eyes once again narrowing on her sister's face. "This one is mine, and I will not give him up easily."
"I would never do that to you."
"No, of course not," the red head retorted before yanking the car door open and stepping inside. Before closing the door, she looked up and smiled a little at her younger sister. "We'll talk later, okay?" Teeny nodded and snapped her fingers, vanishing in a flash of bright light.
Shaking her head, Nicole turned to her boyfriend, prepared to apologize for the intrusion. Instead, she found his lips on hers briefly before he pulled away and asked with a smile, "So that's your sister, huh?"
