(no subject)
This is another Death Valley thing. Ascended Daniel on Serenity, not really a story, just me getting my idea down into words. It's never going to get more written than this, though I think the idea is kinda cool.
Daniel was just the type of passenger they all liked to have on board- quiet, and no trouble at all. Mal cast a few suspicious glances his way, of course, because nothing ever stayed quiet for long on Serenity, but Daniel seemed to genuinely have no interest in anything on board. He wanted to go from point A to point B, and Serenity was the way he chose to get there. The end.
He did come up to the cockpit sometimes, and sat in the copilot’s chair while River flew. The first time, he said, “It reminds me of someone I once knew,” and she said, “You loved him,” and he said “yes.”
The second time, she said, “You’re kind of glowy,” and he said, “Yeah, I noticed that,” and she said, “Okay.”
After that, they didn’t say anything at all.
For some reason, Daniel seemed to like Jayne a little, too, though no one knew why but River. “He’s rude,” she tried to explain, but no one got it. Simon got a melancholy smile when he went off into doctor-speak, but was otherwise ignored. Kaylee got a real smile all the time, but then she got a smile out of everyone. Zoë stayed out of his way and he stayed out of hers, right up until the day Mal stumbled in on them sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. He thought they were nuts. River said it was a warrior thing. Mal knew she was nuts.
Daniel never even so much as looked at Inara. “Sha’re,” River said mournfully, shaking her head, and refused to explain.
When they got to Daniel’s point B, there was a bit of an uprising on the planet. Daniel just offered more credit, said he’d stay until it ran out, if they didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he had anyplace better to be.
It was a sure bet that he knew about the smuggling, but he didn’t seem to care. He didn’t seem to care about anything, except for those rare moments when he connected with one of the crew, or when he sat with River and they’d stare at each other for hours, unblinking, never saying a word, having worlds full of conversations.
Then came the day when they got contracted to carry a crate full of medical supplies. Mal thought it looked suspiciously coffin-shaped, but it wasn’t his business. He took the job.
Daniel, who hadn’t shown a lick of interest in a damn thing they’d brought on board the entire time he’d been traveling with them, took one look at the box and practically went berserk. He went for the crate and started to pull at the slats, and when Mal and Jayne went to pry him off they found themselves lashed with bolts of electricity and lying stunned on the floor. After that everyone stayed back and just watched as he ripped the crate apart with his bare hands.
There was a coffin inside- or some sort of cryo pod, more like. Daniel fell to his knees next to it, tracing the hard bubble of the lid over the upper section with helpless, shaking fingers.
“Jack,” he whispered.
“Sleeping Beauty,” River said from the catwalk above his head, and he nodded grimly at her and touched the lid again, his fingertips glowing slightly. The casing melted away, and the man inside, gray-haired and dressed in some sort of uniform, sat up with a shocked gasp.
“Easy,” Daniel soothed, and touched him, running soothing hands over his shoulders, his arms, his chest and back, finally sliding up to his face. “I’ll make it all better.”
“Amo, amavi, amabo,” the man whispered, and then Daniel’s hands went insubstantial, glowing, and he slid them up the man’s chest and through his temple into his head. There was a choked gasp from someone, and then Daniel removed his hands, solid once more, and Jack opened his eyes.
“Heya, Danny,” he whispered, and Daniel laughed out loud and clutched him to his chest.
“Jack,” he said, hugging him tight. “God, all this time. I finally fucking found you.”
“Been a while, then,” Jack said, and sat up, still leaning against Daniel. “How long?”
“We’re on a ship in another galaxy, colonized by Earth.”
“So, a long time,” Jack said, and then winced. “Don’t tell me. You Ascended again.”
“They’re all gone now, Jack. Not just our friends, but the Ancients. This isn’t the same galaxy anymore. It’s just me.”
“Daniel Jackson, intergalactic superhero,” Jack said with a grin, and then abruptly sobered when Daniel squeezed him tight.
“Don’t you dare fucking joke,” he said. “It’s been a long damn time, for me.”
“I know, Danny,” Jack said seriously, reaching up to touch Daniel’s face. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “We’ve got a lot left to do, you and me.”
“I’m done saving the universe,” Jack said. “Seriously. No more.”
“Not what I meant,” Daniel said, and his grin was suddenly so wickedly cheerful that everyone started in surprise. They’d rarely seen him anything but grim.
“Now, that I can get behind,” Jack said, his expression mirroring Daniel’s. “How soon can we get started?”
“Just one last thing,” Daniel said, and looked up, where River was standing, watching him. “You know,” he said.
“So long, and thanks for all the fish,” she grinned, and blew him a kiss. Daniel grinned back, and looked down at Jack.
“Alright,” he said. “Ready?”
“Always,” Jack said, and then Daniel was glowing, and they were both glowing, and then they were gone.
Everyone stood frozen. Surprisingly, it was Kaylee who went over to River’s side, to ask the question on everyone’s minds.
“What is it that you know, exactly?” she asked, and River grinned a pirate’s grin.
“Everything,” she said. “I know everything.”
Daniel was just the type of passenger they all liked to have on board- quiet, and no trouble at all. Mal cast a few suspicious glances his way, of course, because nothing ever stayed quiet for long on Serenity, but Daniel seemed to genuinely have no interest in anything on board. He wanted to go from point A to point B, and Serenity was the way he chose to get there. The end.
He did come up to the cockpit sometimes, and sat in the copilot’s chair while River flew. The first time, he said, “It reminds me of someone I once knew,” and she said, “You loved him,” and he said “yes.”
The second time, she said, “You’re kind of glowy,” and he said, “Yeah, I noticed that,” and she said, “Okay.”
After that, they didn’t say anything at all.
For some reason, Daniel seemed to like Jayne a little, too, though no one knew why but River. “He’s rude,” she tried to explain, but no one got it. Simon got a melancholy smile when he went off into doctor-speak, but was otherwise ignored. Kaylee got a real smile all the time, but then she got a smile out of everyone. Zoë stayed out of his way and he stayed out of hers, right up until the day Mal stumbled in on them sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating. He thought they were nuts. River said it was a warrior thing. Mal knew she was nuts.
Daniel never even so much as looked at Inara. “Sha’re,” River said mournfully, shaking her head, and refused to explain.
When they got to Daniel’s point B, there was a bit of an uprising on the planet. Daniel just offered more credit, said he’d stay until it ran out, if they didn’t mind. It wasn’t like he had anyplace better to be.
It was a sure bet that he knew about the smuggling, but he didn’t seem to care. He didn’t seem to care about anything, except for those rare moments when he connected with one of the crew, or when he sat with River and they’d stare at each other for hours, unblinking, never saying a word, having worlds full of conversations.
Then came the day when they got contracted to carry a crate full of medical supplies. Mal thought it looked suspiciously coffin-shaped, but it wasn’t his business. He took the job.
Daniel, who hadn’t shown a lick of interest in a damn thing they’d brought on board the entire time he’d been traveling with them, took one look at the box and practically went berserk. He went for the crate and started to pull at the slats, and when Mal and Jayne went to pry him off they found themselves lashed with bolts of electricity and lying stunned on the floor. After that everyone stayed back and just watched as he ripped the crate apart with his bare hands.
There was a coffin inside- or some sort of cryo pod, more like. Daniel fell to his knees next to it, tracing the hard bubble of the lid over the upper section with helpless, shaking fingers.
“Jack,” he whispered.
“Sleeping Beauty,” River said from the catwalk above his head, and he nodded grimly at her and touched the lid again, his fingertips glowing slightly. The casing melted away, and the man inside, gray-haired and dressed in some sort of uniform, sat up with a shocked gasp.
“Easy,” Daniel soothed, and touched him, running soothing hands over his shoulders, his arms, his chest and back, finally sliding up to his face. “I’ll make it all better.”
“Amo, amavi, amabo,” the man whispered, and then Daniel’s hands went insubstantial, glowing, and he slid them up the man’s chest and through his temple into his head. There was a choked gasp from someone, and then Daniel removed his hands, solid once more, and Jack opened his eyes.
“Heya, Danny,” he whispered, and Daniel laughed out loud and clutched him to his chest.
“Jack,” he said, hugging him tight. “God, all this time. I finally fucking found you.”
“Been a while, then,” Jack said, and sat up, still leaning against Daniel. “How long?”
“We’re on a ship in another galaxy, colonized by Earth.”
“So, a long time,” Jack said, and then winced. “Don’t tell me. You Ascended again.”
“They’re all gone now, Jack. Not just our friends, but the Ancients. This isn’t the same galaxy anymore. It’s just me.”
“Daniel Jackson, intergalactic superhero,” Jack said with a grin, and then abruptly sobered when Daniel squeezed him tight.
“Don’t you dare fucking joke,” he said. “It’s been a long damn time, for me.”
“I know, Danny,” Jack said seriously, reaching up to touch Daniel’s face. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “We’ve got a lot left to do, you and me.”
“I’m done saving the universe,” Jack said. “Seriously. No more.”
“Not what I meant,” Daniel said, and his grin was suddenly so wickedly cheerful that everyone started in surprise. They’d rarely seen him anything but grim.
“Now, that I can get behind,” Jack said, his expression mirroring Daniel’s. “How soon can we get started?”
“Just one last thing,” Daniel said, and looked up, where River was standing, watching him. “You know,” he said.
“So long, and thanks for all the fish,” she grinned, and blew him a kiss. Daniel grinned back, and looked down at Jack.
“Alright,” he said. “Ready?”
“Always,” Jack said, and then Daniel was glowing, and they were both glowing, and then they were gone.
Everyone stood frozen. Surprisingly, it was Kaylee who went over to River’s side, to ask the question on everyone’s minds.
“What is it that you know, exactly?” she asked, and River grinned a pirate’s grin.
“Everything,” she said. “I know everything.”