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Chapter 3

Brass Ring

Sneaks away from Daniel while he's conversing with Dr. Weir about the Ancients, about the system put in place for them to spy without offering any real help. Feels like there are no real conversations anymore, that the majority of their speech is devoted to missions and the SGC. Even a casual dinner around a commissary table turned into a secondary debriefing despite Mitchell, Samantha, and Dr. McKay being successful on their mission.

For the sake of her ears and her soul, she needs just a moment away to settle.

Only manages to round the corner before realizing that all the hallways appear too similar for her to currently navigate.

In the mountain she's able to slip around relatively unnoticed, knows which hallways connect with which, and can have herself in areas that require the highest of clearances within the blink of her eye. But here, she doesn't know what she's looking for, aside from some solitary time and a conversation that doesn't reek of all business and no pleasure.

Hears Daniel's voice echo down the corridor as he bellows her name. Her shoulders hunching instinctively, and her back pressing against the wall, lest he find her. But, with a huff of irritation, he returns to Dr. Weir's office to most likely continue talking about Merlin and Morgan Le Fay.

Would continue her casual trek down the hallway—perhaps to find that dashing Lieutenant Colonel who offered her a dance—but is weighed down by the guilt of knowing that if she feels this tired after a day of watching Daniel interact with an Ancient, then he must be even more exhausted.

Reluctantly, she ignores the random Atlantean personnel who have obvious places to be and no universes to currently save and drags herself back to the mouth of Dr. Weir's office.

"Is there anyway you can put out an APB for her?" Daniel shrugs his jacket on, his movements a little stiff as he stands between the two chairs he and she previously occupied.

Dr. Weir reaches, snatching up the cradle of the phone. "I could make an announcement for her to meet you in the conference room. Would that help?"

"No." He shakes his head, and although it confuses her, he doesn't seem to be upset by her antics. "She probably wouldn't listen anyway."

"Daniel," Dr. Weir's laugh is a little punctuated, "don't take this the wrong way, but she's not usually the type of person you'd give the time of day to."

His head bobs as he nods in agreement, and there's a little sting in her chest, because she knew she was inadequate, but she didn't know she was that malignant. "Oh, I know."

"Sam told me you were the one who fought to get her on the team."

Daniel nods again, his forthrightness refreshing, but also indicative of just how much he's missed Dr. Weir's point. "So?"

"So," Dr. Weir grabs her own jacket from the back of her desk chair. "Why put all that time and effort into someone who just annoys you."

"Because as much as she annoys me, she challenges me." The way he says it, with a straight back and even voice makes her think it's a truth. "She's smart, maybe not in conventional ways, but she adds a crucial perspective in a lot of matters—" by now he's starting to run out of breath, his answer turning more into a ramble "—I don't think anyone's ever offered her the chance to help before without wanting something back from her, so she's still learning."

"Then she deserves that chance—"

Fears the conversation will somehow turn sour if she dallies any longer, so, with a heaving breath to control emotions ignited by Daniel's kind words, she walks casually back into the room, effectively halting the dialogue.

"Are you two finally done speaking of Ancients and ascensions?"

"Yeah, I think we can call it a night." Daniel glances to Dr. Weir, and then back to her, while fixing the collar of his shirt. "You want to see what the city looks like at night?"