Stargate SG-1. Prompt 075. Just Breathe.
Title: One Day At a Time
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Daniel
Prompt: Prompt 075 - Just Breathe
Word Count: 724
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for Season 3, episode 10 - Forever In A Day, and for Stargate: The Movie
Summary: Daniel deals with yet another loss...
Author's note: This is my first attempt at an SG-1 fanfic. I know this is an often-covered subject, but it seemed to fit the song fairly well. This fic is also unbeta'd. I do apologize for this, but it's been so long since I've done any writing that I don't have any beta readers to tap right now.
Prompt Table is here.
With a soft sigh, Daniel lifted his head from where his hands cradled it and got to his feet. A quick glance at the clock told him he should have been in bed long ago, but he couldn't sleep. How could he sleep?
She was gone.
She was never coming back.
His Sha'uri.
He took a deep breath and tried to focus on it. The inhalation and exhalation was rhythmic, soothing. But it couldn't distract him from his thoughts.
How could he go on without her?
Crossing over to his desk, he picked up his journal and a pen. With another sigh, he sat down to write. But rather than writing anything coherent, he began tracing out hieroglyphs. It wasn't until he had several of them on the page that he realized he was reliving a memory. These were the first words that Sha'uri and he had exchanged and understood. The words she recognized and then corrected his pronunciation for.
The pen clattered to the desk as he buried his face in his hands again. He hadn't thought he had any tears left to shed, but they fell from between his fingers none the less. Spattered across the pages of his journal, smearing the ink slightly. The door to Daniel's office opened silently, and his own sobs were so loud in his ears that he didn't hear footsteps coming towards him. All he knew was that suddenly there was a pair of arms around him, another hand on his shoulder and he felt the presence of his teammates.
* * * * *
Sam pulled Daniel gently against her shoulder and let him cry. He had shut them out for days; since he had been cleared to leave the infirmary, he'd shut himself into his office and they barely saw him. They couldn't get him to eat or sleep, he simply ignored their presence whenever they knocked on his door. Shutting them out.
But still, they worried. All of them. Jack, with a mirrored pain in his expression every time Daniel's name was mentioned. Teal'c's expression was controlled as always, but those who knew him could sense the aura of concern and see traces of guilt deep in his eyes. He held himself back from touching Daniel, though he would not absent himself willingly.
Sam herself whispered to Daniel that it was okay to cry, and her own tears joined his. And Daniel clung to her, to Jack, to the team he had tried so hard to shut away. Daniel's life had been full of loss; they all knew that. She could only thank God that the ties of friendship their team had formed were strong enough to bypass the walls that Daniel had tried to put up.
* * * * *
At long last, Daniel's tears subsided. He took one deep breath, and then another. He looked up from Sam's shoulder and flushed, embarrassed to have broken down where his teammates could find him. And yet, at the same time... he couldn't help but be glad that they had.
He didn't have to be alone. It was difficult to convince his subconscious of that, and sometimes even his conscious mind couldn't quite believe it. But it was true.
SG-1 was his family.
And so he looked up at them all and gave them a teary smile. Sam smiled back and wiped her own eyes. Jack gave him one of his trademark quirky grins. And Teal'c... still held himself back. Daniel frowned, wondering why... and then the proverbial lightbulb flashed and he remembered.
One hand reached out to Teal'c and beckoned him closer. Wordlessly, his friend stepped forward and Daniel caught his hand. "Thank you," Daniel whispered. "Thank you for being here for me. All of you. I don't... I don't quite know how I'm going to go on. She's gone, and I can't," he paused for a moment, eyes closed in grief. "I can't think beyond that right now. I'm sorry. I just..." he trailed off and then sighed.
"You go on one day at a time, Danny," Jack answered softly. "You don't have to be sorry. Just remember we're here. Take it one day at a time. And remember to breathe."
Daniel took another deep breath, then nodded his acceptance. He would try. He still had his team.
He wasn't alone.
_________________
Cross-posted
Fandom: Stargate SG-1
Characters: Daniel
Prompt: Prompt 075 - Just Breathe
Word Count: 724
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for Season 3, episode 10 - Forever In A Day, and for Stargate: The Movie
Summary: Daniel deals with yet another loss...
Author's note: This is my first attempt at an SG-1 fanfic. I know this is an often-covered subject, but it seemed to fit the song fairly well. This fic is also unbeta'd. I do apologize for this, but it's been so long since I've done any writing that I don't have any beta readers to tap right now.
Prompt Table is here.
With a soft sigh, Daniel lifted his head from where his hands cradled it and got to his feet. A quick glance at the clock told him he should have been in bed long ago, but he couldn't sleep. How could he sleep?
She was gone.
She was never coming back.
His Sha'uri.
He took a deep breath and tried to focus on it. The inhalation and exhalation was rhythmic, soothing. But it couldn't distract him from his thoughts.
How could he go on without her?
Crossing over to his desk, he picked up his journal and a pen. With another sigh, he sat down to write. But rather than writing anything coherent, he began tracing out hieroglyphs. It wasn't until he had several of them on the page that he realized he was reliving a memory. These were the first words that Sha'uri and he had exchanged and understood. The words she recognized and then corrected his pronunciation for.
The pen clattered to the desk as he buried his face in his hands again. He hadn't thought he had any tears left to shed, but they fell from between his fingers none the less. Spattered across the pages of his journal, smearing the ink slightly. The door to Daniel's office opened silently, and his own sobs were so loud in his ears that he didn't hear footsteps coming towards him. All he knew was that suddenly there was a pair of arms around him, another hand on his shoulder and he felt the presence of his teammates.
* * * * *
Sam pulled Daniel gently against her shoulder and let him cry. He had shut them out for days; since he had been cleared to leave the infirmary, he'd shut himself into his office and they barely saw him. They couldn't get him to eat or sleep, he simply ignored their presence whenever they knocked on his door. Shutting them out.
But still, they worried. All of them. Jack, with a mirrored pain in his expression every time Daniel's name was mentioned. Teal'c's expression was controlled as always, but those who knew him could sense the aura of concern and see traces of guilt deep in his eyes. He held himself back from touching Daniel, though he would not absent himself willingly.
Sam herself whispered to Daniel that it was okay to cry, and her own tears joined his. And Daniel clung to her, to Jack, to the team he had tried so hard to shut away. Daniel's life had been full of loss; they all knew that. She could only thank God that the ties of friendship their team had formed were strong enough to bypass the walls that Daniel had tried to put up.
* * * * *
At long last, Daniel's tears subsided. He took one deep breath, and then another. He looked up from Sam's shoulder and flushed, embarrassed to have broken down where his teammates could find him. And yet, at the same time... he couldn't help but be glad that they had.
He didn't have to be alone. It was difficult to convince his subconscious of that, and sometimes even his conscious mind couldn't quite believe it. But it was true.
SG-1 was his family.
And so he looked up at them all and gave them a teary smile. Sam smiled back and wiped her own eyes. Jack gave him one of his trademark quirky grins. And Teal'c... still held himself back. Daniel frowned, wondering why... and then the proverbial lightbulb flashed and he remembered.
One hand reached out to Teal'c and beckoned him closer. Wordlessly, his friend stepped forward and Daniel caught his hand. "Thank you," Daniel whispered. "Thank you for being here for me. All of you. I don't... I don't quite know how I'm going to go on. She's gone, and I can't," he paused for a moment, eyes closed in grief. "I can't think beyond that right now. I'm sorry. I just..." he trailed off and then sighed.
"You go on one day at a time, Danny," Jack answered softly. "You don't have to be sorry. Just remember we're here. Take it one day at a time. And remember to breathe."
Daniel took another deep breath, then nodded his acceptance. He would try. He still had his team.
He wasn't alone.
_________________
Cross-posted