Fic 5: Acceptance 5/4
Seven Years Later:
"Dr. Jackson?" Sam's son appeared at Daniel's door with an armful of old textbooks and a crooked smile, not unlike his father's.
"Hey, I thought your parents weren't leaving until tomorrow." Daniel tossed a notebook to the side and swiveled in his chair.
"They aren't. I asked if we could come in today. I like it here. You have more books than I do," he explained with a chuckle. "Oh," he added gesturing to his payload, "I brought back the ones I borrowed last week." Maneuvering his way to the back of the office, he tried to find a clear space on the shelves.
The archeologist smiled and pointed at the boy with his pen, "I actually found something else you might like…" he started, leaving his desk to sift through piles of loose-leaf paper until he uncovered a weakly bound book. "Siphra Dtzenioutha, or loosely translated: 'The Book of Concealed Mystery' from the Zohar. Your mom said you've been trying Aramaic, thought you might like an original, untranslated copy."
"Original…as in…?" His eyes were wide with surprise.
"Yeah, one of a kind, so no reading-and-eating like Jack does."
He shook his head in agreement.
"Did your brothers come in with you?" Daniel wondered, returning to his notes.
"Yeah, they're around here somewhere. Probably looking for Teal'c."
"No doubt," Daniel agreed. "And your parents?"
He looked unconcerned, "Eh, who knows. Mom said she wanted to work more on that weird technology SG-32 picked up in Pegasus. Dad's probably in his quarters watching the game."
"Ah. Well, you can help me then." Daniel dug around for a few pens, scribbled in the margins until he found one that worked, then tossed it to the kid. "Note anything that needs to be corrected. I have to get this back to the survey crew before they head out tomorrow with your parents."
"Okay. The usual?"
"Yup, mark it up."
Daniel appreciated the help, especially when it was Sam's youngest. He was a hard worker and did so without the incessant chattering-well, bickering-his brothers were prone to. He was also well read in Daniel's current projects and therefore rarely made mistakes.
In a few years he'd be finished with high school and his undergraduate work and Daniel couldn't wait until graduate research would allow him a more thorough education in the field. They'd spoken often of him studying at the SGC on one of the archeology teams or under Daniel himself. Daniel remembered the exact moment when that news made it back to Jack and the rather undignified screech that carried through the corridor to his door. The reaction was predictable and surprisingly subdued for an upset Jack: No way in hell, Danny.
Come to think of it, it'd been a while since then and without any further conversation. He assumed Sam was able to talk Jack down.
"Do you mind if I run to the commissary to grab a soda before I get started on this?" he asked pulling Daniel back to the present.
"What? Oh, no, of course not." He wondered how any progeny of Jack O'Neill could be this polite. Come to think of it, all three boys were very well behaved considering. He supposed it had more to do with their mother, Jack notwithstanding. Just another reason Daniel was thankful for a Sam in this reality.
"Would you like something while I'm up there?"
"Actually, I think I'll tag along. Need to stretch my legs," he was saying but the kid didn't buy it.
"You think that pretty Airman is working this shift?" the boy asked with a roguish smile.
"Huh?" he croaked distractedly, doubling back to grab his jacket. "Uh, no, well I don't know. I mean…I've been working for six hours straight…getting numb…"
"…Right."
"You know, I could lock you down in the-"
He was shaking his head, a sly smile forming on his lips.
"What? You don't know what I was going to say," Daniel protested.
"Doesn't matter. I already memorized all the security protocols and escape routes," he revealed.
The older man's brow scrunched. "Why would you do that?" he wondered, amused.
The boy shrugged, "I was bored. Mom was working on breech simulations and had the schematics pulled up. Then Idiot number One crashed the go-kart and Mom and Dad went to the ER."
Daniel chuckled, "Yeah, I remember that. Last summer, right? Jack came in with the x-rays and Sam almost-"
"I almost what, Daniel?" Suddenly she was there, a hint of feigned disdain across her face.
Daniel reflexively spun around, "Oh, hey Sam. Didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah. What are you guys up to?"
"Just going up to grab some snacks," the boy told his mother.
Then Jack appeared, "Do you pay him to do your job, Daniel?" That was not good. Jack was bad enough on his own, but the whole clan ganging up on him? That just wasn't fair.
"Uh, no?"
"Whatcha doin'?" he wanted to know a second later.
Daniel glanced at their son. He was smiling too. "We were just discussing the possibility of any future translations of the Siphra Dtzenioutha from the Kabbalah. Other than the widely excepted Mather's translation. That is assuming, of course-"
"Fine. I'll go." Jack begrudged, and added, "Could've just said this was a private party."
Sam smirked and caught his elbow. "They're going up to the commissary and they were just about to invite us."
"No we weren't," the boy said. Daniel shrugged and nodded.
"Too bad, kiddo," Jack replied. "Hey, Danny. Doesn't that redheaded Airman work-"
"Are we going, or not?" Daniel asked quickly. Really, not fair. He was the only one not laughing.
"I already tried that one, Dad."
"Nothin', huh?"
"Nope."
"I'm standing right here, guys."
The two turned to the petulant linguist and shrugged. Sam clapped her friend on the shoulder and followed her men to the elevator. Seriously, Daniel thought, it was like an O'Neill's only club whose dues were paid by the number of insults and/or goading events made at his expense.
"Wait up!" he called, sprinting after them, a notebook in one hand, his jacket in the other.
As he rounded the corner he overheard, "Jack, please don't carry him like that," then a muffled, "Sorry," and from the young one, "We should get her number for him."
Maybe he should've stayed behind…
"Dr. Jackson?" Sam's son appeared at Daniel's door with an armful of old textbooks and a crooked smile, not unlike his father's.
"Hey, I thought your parents weren't leaving until tomorrow." Daniel tossed a notebook to the side and swiveled in his chair.
"They aren't. I asked if we could come in today. I like it here. You have more books than I do," he explained with a chuckle. "Oh," he added gesturing to his payload, "I brought back the ones I borrowed last week." Maneuvering his way to the back of the office, he tried to find a clear space on the shelves.
The archeologist smiled and pointed at the boy with his pen, "I actually found something else you might like…" he started, leaving his desk to sift through piles of loose-leaf paper until he uncovered a weakly bound book. "Siphra Dtzenioutha, or loosely translated: 'The Book of Concealed Mystery' from the Zohar. Your mom said you've been trying Aramaic, thought you might like an original, untranslated copy."
"Original…as in…?" His eyes were wide with surprise.
"Yeah, one of a kind, so no reading-and-eating like Jack does."
He shook his head in agreement.
"Did your brothers come in with you?" Daniel wondered, returning to his notes.
"Yeah, they're around here somewhere. Probably looking for Teal'c."
"No doubt," Daniel agreed. "And your parents?"
He looked unconcerned, "Eh, who knows. Mom said she wanted to work more on that weird technology SG-32 picked up in Pegasus. Dad's probably in his quarters watching the game."
"Ah. Well, you can help me then." Daniel dug around for a few pens, scribbled in the margins until he found one that worked, then tossed it to the kid. "Note anything that needs to be corrected. I have to get this back to the survey crew before they head out tomorrow with your parents."
"Okay. The usual?"
"Yup, mark it up."
Daniel appreciated the help, especially when it was Sam's youngest. He was a hard worker and did so without the incessant chattering-well, bickering-his brothers were prone to. He was also well read in Daniel's current projects and therefore rarely made mistakes.
In a few years he'd be finished with high school and his undergraduate work and Daniel couldn't wait until graduate research would allow him a more thorough education in the field. They'd spoken often of him studying at the SGC on one of the archeology teams or under Daniel himself. Daniel remembered the exact moment when that news made it back to Jack and the rather undignified screech that carried through the corridor to his door. The reaction was predictable and surprisingly subdued for an upset Jack: No way in hell, Danny.
Come to think of it, it'd been a while since then and without any further conversation. He assumed Sam was able to talk Jack down.
"Do you mind if I run to the commissary to grab a soda before I get started on this?" he asked pulling Daniel back to the present.
"What? Oh, no, of course not." He wondered how any progeny of Jack O'Neill could be this polite. Come to think of it, all three boys were very well behaved considering. He supposed it had more to do with their mother, Jack notwithstanding. Just another reason Daniel was thankful for a Sam in this reality.
"Would you like something while I'm up there?"
"Actually, I think I'll tag along. Need to stretch my legs," he was saying but the kid didn't buy it.
"You think that pretty Airman is working this shift?" the boy asked with a roguish smile.
"Huh?" he croaked distractedly, doubling back to grab his jacket. "Uh, no, well I don't know. I mean…I've been working for six hours straight…getting numb…"
"…Right."
"You know, I could lock you down in the-"
He was shaking his head, a sly smile forming on his lips.
"What? You don't know what I was going to say," Daniel protested.
"Doesn't matter. I already memorized all the security protocols and escape routes," he revealed.
The older man's brow scrunched. "Why would you do that?" he wondered, amused.
The boy shrugged, "I was bored. Mom was working on breech simulations and had the schematics pulled up. Then Idiot number One crashed the go-kart and Mom and Dad went to the ER."
Daniel chuckled, "Yeah, I remember that. Last summer, right? Jack came in with the x-rays and Sam almost-"
"I almost what, Daniel?" Suddenly she was there, a hint of feigned disdain across her face.
Daniel reflexively spun around, "Oh, hey Sam. Didn't hear you come in."
"Yeah. What are you guys up to?"
"Just going up to grab some snacks," the boy told his mother.
Then Jack appeared, "Do you pay him to do your job, Daniel?" That was not good. Jack was bad enough on his own, but the whole clan ganging up on him? That just wasn't fair.
"Uh, no?"
"Whatcha doin'?" he wanted to know a second later.
Daniel glanced at their son. He was smiling too. "We were just discussing the possibility of any future translations of the Siphra Dtzenioutha from the Kabbalah. Other than the widely excepted Mather's translation. That is assuming, of course-"
"Fine. I'll go." Jack begrudged, and added, "Could've just said this was a private party."
Sam smirked and caught his elbow. "They're going up to the commissary and they were just about to invite us."
"No we weren't," the boy said. Daniel shrugged and nodded.
"Too bad, kiddo," Jack replied. "Hey, Danny. Doesn't that redheaded Airman work-"
"Are we going, or not?" Daniel asked quickly. Really, not fair. He was the only one not laughing.
"I already tried that one, Dad."
"Nothin', huh?"
"Nope."
"I'm standing right here, guys."
The two turned to the petulant linguist and shrugged. Sam clapped her friend on the shoulder and followed her men to the elevator. Seriously, Daniel thought, it was like an O'Neill's only club whose dues were paid by the number of insults and/or goading events made at his expense.
"Wait up!" he called, sprinting after them, a notebook in one hand, his jacket in the other.
As he rounded the corner he overheard, "Jack, please don't carry him like that," then a muffled, "Sorry," and from the young one, "We should get her number for him."
Maybe he should've stayed behind…