A/N: Needless to say it's been awhile. I have been working on this story and three others and my brain just got over loaded. I needed a break but now I'm trying to get back to this story and make some head way. This chapter is just part of John's and Danielle's conversation. I'm working on part two and hope to have it up in the next few days. Take care. Happy Holidays and Happy Reading.
Twenty minutes had gone by and neither John or Danielle said anything to each other. They both just looked straight ahead. Each wishing they were somewhere else with someone else.
Finally John couldn't take the silence any more and decided to just get the ball rolling.
"Look Campbell, I hate awkward silences. I know this isn't easy for either one of us. So why don't we try and find something to talk about." John said.
"You mean like an ice breaker?" Danielle asked.
"Exactly. We can learn things about each other that we didn't know before. How about we start with something easy like...sports? You watch football?" John said.
"Sports is fine with me. I love football." Danielle said.
"Great. I like the Cowboys." John said.
"Oh." Danielle said trying very hard to hide her obvious dislike for the team from her voice.
It didn't work. John picked up on it right away.
"Not a fan I take it." John said.
"Nope. I'm a Giants fan." Danielle said.
"Ok. Footballs out. How about Basketball? I like the Celtics." John said.
"I'm a Lakers fan." Danielle said.
"Since we are batting a thousand, lets switch to Baseball then. I like the Red Sox." John said.
"I like the Yankees." Danielle said.
"New Topic. This time you pick." John said slightly irritated.
"Music?" Danielle asked.
"Good one. What do you listen to?" John asked.
"I like R&B and Hip/Hop. I'm a huge fan of Mary J Blige, LL Cool J, Jay Z and Alicia Keys. " Danielle said.
"Hip Hop? I have to say I never much cared for it. I can't understand what most of those rap guys are saying. I'm more of a Johnny Cash fan." John said.
"Johnny Cash?" Danielle asked.
"Oh c'mon Campbell. Don't tell you've never heard of him. ?"John asked in disbelief.
"I think I've heard of him. He's the guy they call the man in black right?" Danielle said.
"That's him." John said with a smile.
"Yeah. Not a fan. Every time I hear his music I have to ask myself did the guy ever have a good day in his life? I mean really his music is as dark as his suits." Danielle said.
"Ok! New Topic!" John said stopping Danielle before she said another word against his hero.
This was not working out the way John had pictured it. The more they talked, the more John found out they didn't have anything in common, except that they hated what every the other person liked.
They weren't even an hour into their trip and John felt like throwing Danielle out of the transport. The only things stopping him was his promise to Teyla and he didn't think Lorne would be too pleased with him either.
For several more minutes they sat in silence looking straight ahead not talking to each other. Now the silence was begining to grate on Danielle's nerves. It made the space feel like it was closing in on her. So, she decided to take one more stab at playing nice.
"I like fast cars, funnel cakes, and Ferris wheels." she said.
John was so busy trying not to talk that he almost missed what Danielle said.
"What did you say Major?" John asked.
"I said, I like fast cars, funnel cakes, and Ferris Wheels." Danielle said.
Finally! John thought. Now we are getting somewhere.
"I like fast cars and Ferris wheels too. Funnel cakes? I have to say I never had one before." John said.
"You've never had a funnel cake before sir?" Danielle asked turning in her seat towards John.
"Nope. I assume you have from the look on your face." John said.
"Oh yes sir! Besides the Ferris Wheel, it's one of the only reasons why I would go to the fair or an amusement park. If you like fried dough with a boat load of sugar on it, then that's the food for you. Now, what about you and Ferris Wheels? Where is your favorite?" Danielle said.
John thought about it for moment. He tried to recall one that stood out for him. When one didn't he answered honestly.
"I don't really have a favorite one. I mean, I love them all." John said.
"Well since you love them all, what was the best ride you ever had on one?" Danielle asked.
A smile crept up on John's face because that was an easy one.
"My best ride on a Ferris Wheel was my first. It was the only one with my dad." John said.
"You always remember your first." Danielle joked.
"True. This was pretty special for me because when I was a kid I didn't get along with my dad. We were never really close. Still aren't actually. We always butted heads. Usually over something stupid. He always thought I did everything on purpose to piss him off." John said.
"And did you?" Danielle asked with a raised eyebrow.
John smirked.
"Well... sometimes. Mom used to encourage us to get along. And my dad and I would put forth some effort, just, not a whole lot of effort. On a scale of one to ten it was more like negative 10. My mom tried everything to bring us together but it never worked. Things always ended badly with either my dad yelling at me, or me yelling at him, which always caused me to be sent to my room without dinner. Then my mom had this brilliant idea. That all my father and I needed was a father son moment. Something so memorable that it would close the gap between us before it got any bigger. And where did my mother want this life changing event to occur? The one place my father avoided like the plague every year. The Church Fall Fair." John said.
"Let me guess, didn't go well huh?" Danielle said.
"You are correct Major. It was pure hell." John said. "My dad didn't want to do anything that even remotely smelled like fun. Kept saying "No self respecting business man would be caught dead riding a roller coast or playing two bit carney games that are rigged".
"Did your mom feel the same way?" Danielle asked.
"No. She was more then willing to ruin her good name by riding the roller coaster and play two bit carney games with my brother Dave and I. She was awesome at them. Especially the game where you had to knock down the three bottles. Mom had an arm on her like you wouldn't believe. She knocked those bottles into next week." John said.
"Did she win you guys anything?" Danielle asked.
"Sure did. She won Dave a huge teddy bear and I got a toy airplane. After all that excitement my dad had had enough and wanted to go home. The rest of us wanted to stay longer but my dad wouldn't hear it. Mom was able to whittle him down to letting us go on one more ride before we left. He finally agreed and before he could pick the ride my mother told me to choose. I picked the Ferris Wheel. I had never gone on one before and there was something about that wheel going round and round that called to me. My brother smacked me in the back of the head for it. Saying that I should have picked something more fun like the roller coaster. Mom disagreed and thought that it was a great idea. I remember standing in line waiting for my turn and feeling the butterflies in my stomach from all the anticipation. Finally it was my turn and I wanted to go with my mom but she insisted that my dad go with me for that father son moment. I almost got off the ride because he was the last person I wanted to ride with and vice-versa. My father almost backed out and was about to give the ol' no business man being caught dead on a Ferris Wheel speach when my mother for the first time in my life raised her voice to my dad. She told him "To sit his business man ass down in that seat before she really makes a scene." My father was speechless. So where Dave and I. " John said.
"So did your father go with you?" Danielle asked.
"You bet your ass he did. My mom was never one to be trifled with and my father knew it so, he sat down and off we went. At first my dad started to complain about the stopping of the Ferris wheel to allow people to get on and off the ride but after the fourth or fifth time it happened, he figured there was nothing you can do when you more then thirty feet off the ground and with my mom glaring at him from the next car he decided it was best to just shut up and sit back. Once we were all loaded the ride started and I was in seventh heaven. I looked over to my dad and even he was having a good time. Then after going around a couple of times the ride started to slowly stop to let people off and on again. I was starting to get a little sad that the ride was coming to the end. My dad looked at me and asked me what was wrong and I told him that I didn't want the ride to end. He laughed and I asked what was so funny about that? He told me the ride wasn't over yet. We still hadn't gotten to the best part of being on a Ferris Wheel. I asked him what else was there and told when we get to the top I'll see. I had no idea what he was talking about until it was our car's turn to stop at the top." John said
"What did you see?" Danielle asked.
"What didn't I see. I saw everything. I saw my town, the trees,and everything beyond that. I was in awe. My dad leaned over to me and smiled. He then pointed towards the horizon and told me to take a good look at it caused that's where I'm headed. I asked him what was past the horizon and he said the world John. The world was passed the horizon and that if I wanted to see the world I would have to always head towards it and never look back, always move forward. I asked my dad if he thought I would make it? He smiled and kissed the top of my head and told me of course I could because I was his son. Then he surprised me with the only hug I ever got from him. I wanted that moment to last forever but then we started to head back down and the spell was broken. When it was time to get off I asked if I could ride just one more time. My mother this time was the one to say it was time to go home but out of no where my dad said I could ride one more time and that I could go by myself. This time it was mother who was left speechless. My dad winked at me and told me to have a good time. When I made it back to the top, I looked out at the horizon and started to think about what was beyond. It's funny because now that I think about... that's when I first decided I wanted to be a pilot. I wanted to chase that horizon and the world beyond it and see where it would take me." John said.
"And look where it took you." Danielle said.
"And look where it took me. My dad always hated the fact that I wanted to be a pilot. He never once realized that he put the idea in my head. I never really thanked my old man for much but I will thank him for that. Listen to me talking up all the air time. I think it's your turn now to tell what was your favorite Ferris Wheel moment." John said.
"Well it wasn't as life changing as yours but it was a good memory." Danielle said with a smile.
John laughed.
"What? What's so funny?"Danielle asked
"From the look on your face and that smile of yours I can tell that the memory involves a boy. And a kiss perhaps?" John teased.
"You're right on both counts. Since you figured it out, there's really no need to tell the story." Danielle said.
"Oh no Major. You don't get off that easy. I spilled my guts now it's your turn. Out with it. That's an order." John said.
"Since your ordering me sir, I will spill it." Danielle said.
"Finally! I get you to follow an order with out protest." John said.
"I only follows the ones I like sir." Danielle said.
"Ha ha Major. Now go on." John said.
"My story is kinda like Cinderella meets female mud wrestling."Danielle said.
"That's an interesting combo. You got my attention now." John said.
"Yeah my life's full of those. Interesting combos I mean. Although to be fair Cinderella's not a real good example. I don't have a step mom. My mom's a saint and my dad is a my rock. The only thing the story and I have in common is the Prince. My Prince Charming's name was James Tennison." Danielle said.
"Let me guess. He was a jock?" John asked.
"Uh huh. Captain and Quarterback of the Football team. I used to tutor him in history. God he was hot. One look from him could set your soul on fire. Every girl in the school wanted him but he already had a girlfriend. Mandy Evers." Danielle said
"Cheerleader?" John asked.
"Not just a cheerleader. She was the cheerleader. Pretty, blond,blue-eyed, and stuck up. Man was she bitch. She made my life a living hell back then. Always teased me because I never wore the right clothes or make up and because my grades were much better than hers. She also used to make fun of me because of my last name." Danielle said.
"Your last name? Campbell's a pretty common name." John said.
"Yes, but does every common name have a soup of the same name. I used to love Campbell's Soup. Chicken Noodle Soup with Stars was my favorite. That was until Mandy started calling me Campbell Sucks. She would yell "Hey there goes Campbell Sucks. Wanna know what she sucks?" Danielle said.
"I hate this girl already." John said.
"Yeah, she was peach to go through High School with. I got into a lot of almost fights with her that caused me to be in the principals office more than my parents liked. The principal always took Mandy's side and told me to stay away from her. I tried but she always knew how to get under my skin. My only saving grace was James. He used to tell Mandy to back off and leave me alone. I never understood why at the time he would do that for me. I wasn't anyone special. Just another screw up trying to keep her head down and out of trouble. Danielle said.
"One day Mandy was pushing my buttons really bad and James finally had enough. In front of everyone in the cafeteria he called her spoiled bratty bitch and told her they were threw. I later saw James at a tutoring session. At first we were kinda quiet towards each other but the silence got kinda awkward so I broke it." Danielle said.
"You were unable to keep quiet?" John joked
"I know. I know. So unlike me." Danielle said.
"Go on Major." John said.
"Anyway, I didn't want thing to be to weird between after the arguement so I told him I was sorry about him breaking up with Mandy. He smiled and told me there was nothing to be sorry about. It was time for them to break up and he was tired of her always getting on my case. After a couple of minute we started talking and that's when he told me that he liked me and had for a long time. By the end of our talk I had a new boyfriend and a date to the Spring Carnival. Boy, did that piss Mandy off when she heard I was going with James." Danielle said.
"And now we fast forward to the Spring Carnival." John said.
"James and I had been together for three weeks when the Spring Carnival arrived. I was so nervous when he picked me up. I bought this really pretty yellow strapless dress. Saved up for months to buy that dress. I didn't think we would make it out of my house because my dad and brother were asking James a million questions like they were playing good cop, bad cop and my mom just kept saying "I need to take one more picture". After James received my parents seal of approval and my dad's speech about knowing fifty ways to kill a man we were finally able to leave." Danielle said.
"I remember getting that talk from a couple of fathers in my time. One dad scared me so bad I didn't even touch the girl without checking behind me to see if he was there. " John said.
"That's funny. James, I'm glad to say didn't heed my dad's warning. I got a kiss on the cheek and told I looked pretty before we even made it off my stoop. I didn't think the moment could get any better until I saw what James arrived in." Danielle said.
""What kinda car was it?" John asked.
"A 1966 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider." Danielle said.
"Whoa! That's a sweet ride." John said.
"Mm hmm. James' parents had money and his dad loved antique cars. He told me he begged his dad for weeks to lend him the car for our date. He kept saying no but his mother had helped change his dad's mind. Apparently she liked me better than Mandy." Danielle said.
"I'll bet. So tell me about this car." John said.
"It was a cherry red two door convertible with black leather interior. It had a six-cylinder engine with twin overhead camshafts." Danielle said.
John whistled. "Must of been a sight." John said.
"It was. That car was a thing of beauty. When we arrived at the fair everyone kept coming up to us saying how nice we looked together and that I was a big improvement over Mandy. We walked around for a while. Got on some rides, shared a funnel cake, which I made sure not to get any sugar on my dress or my face. Then we want to the games. I saw this huge panda bear with a bow on it at the ring toss. "One ring to win" is what the guy kept saying to James like he was taunting him. I told James he didn't have to play but he told me that he was not leaving until he won me that bear." Danielle thought about that ring toss and started to laugh.
"You would think as Captain of the Football team and Quarterback it would be easy for him to hit those rings right?"Danielle said.
"That bad?" John asked.
"Oh, he was missing horribly. I had to stifle a laugh as he got frustrated from hearing the constant sound of the rings clanking off the bottles. Those rings flew everywhere expect their intended target. He had one ring left and when he turned and saw the smirk on my face. He gave the ring to me telling me to give it a try if I thought it was so easy. I smiled and took the ring from him, stood there for a couple of minutes looking at the bottles. Once I saw the bottle I wanted I closed my eyes and threw the ring. When I didn't hear that clanking sound I opened my eyes and to my surprise the ring was around the top of the bottle. I had to pick James' jaw up off the ground as the man handed me my panda bear. After winning my bear, James asked if I and my bear would like to go on the Ferris Wheel. I told him we would love too." Danielle said.
"Please tell me you didn't take the bear with you on the ride?" John asked.
"No. The guy who collected our tickets was kind enough to watch my bear. When we got on the ride James held my hand as we went round and round. It was nice. Then as we stopped at the top he kissed me. We had kissed before. Little pecks here and there but that was our first real kiss. And it was a good kiss. I felt like time had stopped. I had never experienced anything like it before. As soon as our lips parted the spell was over and time started back up again." Danielle said.
"So where does the Mud wrestling come into this?" John asked.
"Right now. When we got off the ride it started raining really hard. James and I start running for cover and just as we rounded the corner a fist comes out of no where and sent me flying into a huge mud puddle." Danielle said.
"Holy crap! Who punched you?" John asked.
"You mean who sucker punched me? It was Mandy. She had been following us all night and she waited for the right moment to get me. I under estimated her. For a cheerleader she threw a pretty mean right hook. It made a cut over my right eye. I was dazed as James helped me up out of the mud. My dress was completely ruined. I was covered in mud and blood. I was pissed and seeing all kinds of red as she stood there laughing at me. It took a few seconds for me to pull it together but once I did it was on. I charged at her and we both went flying and landed in an even bigger mud puddle. Fist were flying and so were the f-words. It was crazy." Danielle said.
"Well, did you win?" John asked.
"Not really. I got pulled off of her by James. While Mandy was dragged away by her friends. She did however leave with a bloody lip, and two black eyes." Danielle said.
"So you did win." John said
"At the time I didn't think so. Looking back now, I guess I did." Danielle said with a smile.
"You had one heck of night Major. I can see why it would be so memorable for you."John said.
"Yeah, it was definitely that." Danielle.
A comfortable silence settled in after that between them. Neither one feeling like they needed to say anything more than what they just exchanged. It was nice for the both of them. John felt bad that he had to ruin this peaceful moment.
"Major...at the risk of crashing can I ask you something?" John said.
"Crashing? Are we ok?"Danielle asked excitedly.
"We're fine Major. I'm about to use a trigger word for you and I need to know that you won't go all Exorcist on me." John said.
"Trigger word?" Danielle asked not understand.
"The IV bag Major?" John asked.
It took Danielle a second then she remembered what John was talking about and knew where he was about to go. She could already feel things starting to stir inside of her. Her heart started to race and she could feel herself starting to slip away.
John saw the look on Danielle's face when she finally put it together about what he wanted to talk about and knew something was wrong.
"You ok?" John asked.
Danielle didn't answer.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea John thought.
"On second thought,maybe we should wait." John said.
Danielle still had her eyes closed and John could see that she looked like she was concentrating really hard on stopping what ever was happening now. His eyes drifted down to her hands. Danielle had such a tight grip on the arms of the chair that her knuckles were white.
Beads of sweat started to appear on her forehead and her face started to pale. John knew he needed to do something quick before things got worse.
"Major."John called.
Danielle still didn't answer. She then let out a small cry then bald up her fist as she fought to remain in control.
John felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to rise. He could feel the energy in the air as the ship start to shake from all the energy building up.
"Major!" John yelled trying to get her attention.
Seeing that nothing he tried was working John decided to take a different approach. He leaned over taking one hand off the controls of the Transport and reached over to Danielle. He grabbed Danielle's fist and took it in his hand.
As soon as John's hand touched Danielle's he felt a small shock. He ignored the tingling sensation in his fingers it caused and held on hoping that maybe the connection would bring Danielle back.
The ship shook a little less and the color in Danielle's face returned some. John knew he had to do something quick before she shook the whole damn ship apart. Before he could even think of something his instincts took over and he blurted out the first thing that came to him.
"Major... Danielle, Woolsey's not here. It's just me and you. You can trust me." John said.
"You hate me." Danielle said.
"I don't hate you Major." John said.
"Yes you do. I've heard you say it before."Danielle said.
John couldn't help but wince at that. He had said it before and on more than one occasion. It wasn't until now, when the words came of Danielle's mouth did he realize how bad it was.
"I don't hate you. I hate the Wraith and the Genii, but I don't hate you."John said.
"What would you call it then?" Danielle asked.
"A very strong dislike. But there is a good reason. Wanna hear it?" John said.
Danielle didn't say anything. She just nodded her head.
"I'll tell you, but you have to calm down, and stop making the ship shake. Ok?" John said.
"Not sure I can do that." Danielle said.
"Sure you can. Just take a deep breath in then out and listen to my voice. In and out." John said softly.
Danielle listened to John's voice telling her to breathe in and out. The more she listened to him the calmer she felt. She started to feel herself regaining control. If the situation weren't so serious she would probably laugh. Normally Danielle did everything she could to avoid hearing Sheppard's voice. How ironic that it was the one things keeping her composed.
John watched Danielle's breathing start to even out and her body started to loosen up from the tense state it was just in.
After a few moments the ship stopped shaking and John felt the energy in the air start to lessen.
"See. Told you, you could do it. Now that you held up your end of the bargain, I'll tell you my reason, but you can't interrupt unless I ask you a question. Agreed?" John asked.
Danielle nodded.
Then John began his story on what caused the rift between them.