Gate + 'Lantis fic!
Title: "Waning December"
Author: Ari
Fandom: Stargate SG-1 x Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: Daniel/Weir
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Through "New Order" and for "Rising."
Summary: Daniel goes to Atlantis; these are the reasons why.
Notes: Backup fic for medie for sg1flashfic2. She requested Daniel/Elizabeth Weir (AU or Crossover). Thanks to sage_theory for the super beta. Sorry it took so long to get this to you. Also very sorry for the *cough* subtext *cough* for other pairings that might have crept in here.
Waning December
The Last Day of School
Jack didn't want to let Daniel go. The more he thought about it, the more he really didn't want to let Daniel go. It hurt his teeth, crossed his eyes, made him want to hit something. "Davis!" he said, and there was Walter, clipboard in hand, looking scared, like a good subordinate should. Obedient. Not going anywhere. Not going to Atlantis.
"Sir?"
"Where's Daniel? I want to talk to him."
"Dr. Jackson is still in Washington, sir. He'll be back in a few hours."
"When he gets here, send him in."
"Yes sir."
Jack could have summoned Dr. Weir. It made him feel better, some days, yelling at her, refusing to give her any SGC resources if she was going to insist on taking the best resource they had. But this morning, he just couldn't face her subtle gloating, the way she smiled at him happily, brimming with excitement as she filled his facility with her people, preparing for her expedition.
He didn't admit that he was counting the days until Daniel left. That they were so much a part of him that he could see the number whenever he closed his eyes. Three days left. He wasn't looking forward to it, of course, but in a way, he would be glad when he could stop dreading it and start getting used to living without Daniel. Again.
He blamed Weir, which wasn't fair, but he didn't want to think about the fact that Daniel wanted to go. That Daniel would rather leave behind the SGC, SG-1, a lifetime of adventure, to go on the adventure of a lifetime. That Daniel was willing to leave him. So better to focus on Weir, the hours she'd spent on the phone with the President, explaining how essential Daniel would be when it came to translating, and not on the hours Daniel had put in, hours Daniel typically spent doing archeology stuff, not diplomacy.
He took an aspirin and considered sending for Weir after all, but in the end, he just hurled another sheaf of absolutely essential paperwork into the circular file. He felt a little better for a minute.
One Shopping Day Till
Daniel got back into Colorado Springs late at night. There were thirteen messages on his machine. Ten from Jack, two from Sam, and one rather confused one from Teal'c, who still enjoyed pretending that he didn't understand Tau'ri technology. Elizabeth hadn't called, then. He frowned. A wiser man might think there was something to be learned from this about his relative merit to Earth and to Atlantis, but he thought of miles of text, years' worth of translation. This could be his life's work, what he'd been waiting for since they rescued Ernest: a planet of his own, where he could sit and translate and interpret and think for the rest of his life.
He erased all the messages and tried to finish packing. There wasn't much he needed; his artifacts had a better home here on Earth than he could give them on Atlantis, and his photograph of Sha're had long ago been designated as the only personal item he would ever need. Stacks of absolutely essential books had already been sent over to the SGC, and were waiting near the Gateroom with the rest of their supplies. So perhaps packing was an overstatement. Still, he felt like he ought to be doing something with his belongings other than leaving them to collect dust.
He'd wanted to pack everything up again, to leave it at the SGC, but Jack had insisted that he just leave his home open, appreciating in value and ready for him when they found a way to get home from Atlantis.
Daniel hadn't even mentioned to Jack that he wasn't sure he'd want to come home, even if he could. It was easier to nod. Not that being around Jack these days was ever easy, regardless of what Daniel did or didn't say about going home.
There were, of course, people he was supposed to tell. He'd solemnly sworn to Catherine that if he ever went away, he'd tell her. But he hadn't told her about his ascension, and she'd only found out that he was alive again from Sam, in her yearly Christmas letter. Well, she could find out from Sam again. He wasn't telling Catherine. It would be awkward. And Sam could tell Cassie, too, for that matter.
He hadn't seen Sam since he'd gotten officially assigned to the Atlantis mission. There'd been too much to work out, trips to Washington and to Antarctica, training sessions he'd run for scientific recruits who needed First Aid and some basic weapons training. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Sam; her messages had sounded frantic.
He considered going to bed, thinking that in the next couple of days, there'd be so much to do. And then it occurred to him that he might have to sleep on Atlantis, to lay down the books and the tools and the knowledge, to close his eyes and perhaps to dream -- it terrified him so much that he wondered how he'll possibly get to sleep now that he'd had that thought.
In the end, he spent the night staring at his switched-off television, thinking that if Jack were coming with him, he wouldn't be able to survive without television, wondering what Sam's personal item would be, considering how many contraband chocolate bars he'd be able to sneak through the 'Gate, and imagining the speech Elizabeth will give in just two days to see them off.
Hanging The Stockings
Elizabeth Weir spent her last day on Earth wondering how much Simon was going to hate her and searching the SGC for people who were willing to help her prepare. She knew General O'Neill was about ready to kill her, and she knew why, but she wasn't going to think about that. Sam Carter and Rodney were taking a last look at the ZPM, and she was sure Rodney was taking a last look at Sam. She smiled. Wished she could talk to General O'Neill, have his blessing at least, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.
So she thought about Simon, tried to imagine his reaction when he heard where she'd gone. She wondered if this was the part where she was supposed to feel guilt. Because she didn't. Her heart was thudding hard, her fingers kept on clenching and unclenching, and her stomach hurt with mingled fear and excitement, but there was no guilt over leaving Simon. Simon was homefires and a place to go back to, a warm body and a gentle caress. Simon was home, but Atlantis was out there, and Elizabeth could not wait to be out there herself, away from home, as eager to leave as she had been when she went off to Sarah Lawrence at the age of eighteen, not bothering to hug her parents goodbye because her head was full of course catalogues and her heart full of adventure.
The whole base was buzzing with the same feelings of adventure. When she encountered Daniel in the hallway near his office--the office he was abandoning to come with them, to come with her--they shared an excited smile. When Rodney emerged from the bowels of the SGC, he was wearing a pained grin that was certainly his version of happiness, and Elizabeth smiled back with matching grimness.
It felt like the night before Christmas, and she was getting the whole universe wrapped in a big shiny package the next morning.
That night, she hardly slept, and whenever she woke up, she thought she could see smiling faces all around her. If she strained, she could hear voices far in the distance, lab techs who'd stayed too late, wellwishers there to see the expedition off.
She wondered if any of them were able to sleep. Maybe Major Sheppard.
Christmas Morning
Sam kisses Daniel on the cheek, winks at McKay, and runs out of the gateroom. She's done her part and doesn't need to be here for this.
While Weir delivers her speech, Rodney and Daniel gaze at her from the control room, their faces steady. Jack has a quip ready about the speech, but he's too busy looking stoic to open his mouth, so Daniel and Rodney stare straight ahead, pretending they aren't on the balls of their feet, ready to jump up and perhaps never come down again.
To be fair, Elizabeth is bouncing on the inside, too, and she's having difficulty keeping her voice low and steady. She's had years of public speaking, and she still can't really stop herself from squealing. Luckily, everyone is too caught up in his own excitement to notice anyone else's embarrassments.
Jack has a speech all prepared, one that will convince not only Daniel but possibly every (now former) SG team member on the expedition that they should stay behind, but of course he forgets the whole damn thing the minute Dr. Weir starts talking. There's definitely something sinister about a woman who can convince a reasonable man like Daniel to travel halfway across the universe chasing a star that might well burn him alive.
Rodney runs down to the gateroom as soon as the gate opens, and Daniel takes a last look at Jack before following him. Elizabeth has a huge smile on her face, like the one they shared yesterday, and Jack thinks it might be something they've drunk, that's making them act this way.
Walking through the Gate for the first time makes Rodney want to throw up, but the thought of Sam Carter somewhere in the SGC, crying her heart out because he's leaving, gives him courage enough.
Only Daniel and Elizabeth walk through without trepidation. Although they are leaving the most behind, they will miss Earth the least.
Neither of them is surprised when Jack O'Neill sends a surprise through the 'Gate after them, a bottle of champagne, and a box of tissues. "For me?" asks Rodney, and Elizabeth smiles at him, but Daniel picks up the box and stares at it for a long time.
It simply says, "Thanks."
Boxing Day
Daniel thinks there are entirely too many boxes in this room, and in the next room, and yes, he knows that half of the baggage they've brought is his, but those books are necessary, not like the food and medicines that are taking up so much space. He wants to be out there, having adventures, but Elizabeth said no. That puzzles him, and he mulls over it for a good minute.
But then he is sidetracked by an inscription that he thinks looks more Greek than Latin, and he unpacks one of his books and sits down on the floor to attempt translation. He's still sitting there when Elizabeth rushes past with a very angry look on her face. Somewhere, klaxons blare, only he knows they aren't klaxons, since that's an Earth thing.
There's a memorial service he doesn't miss, and sometimes it's lights out, and sometimes Rodney hurries through the room where Daniel is working and frowns. He'll nod at Daniel, who will smile absently back. Occasionally, it occurs to him that they've divvied up base personnel into teams, and that he's not part of one, but that's okay.
One day, Elizabeth wants to talk to him. She has a long, Elizabeth-style lecture on pulling one's weight and why it is important that Daniel try to find something useful in the middle of all his exciting Ancient-related research. Daniel looks at her, wide-eyed but unabashed.
"Do you remember the day I first came to the SGC?" she asks.
Daniel swallows hard and remembers.
"You told me that if only I could see what it was like out there, I wouldn't be able to push it aside, wouldn't be able to gloss over it. That I'd have to fight."
"I know."
"Do you understand what the Wraith are? Have you gone to see the one we're keeping prisoner? Do you understand that these -- these things -- are far worse than the Goa'uld were?"
She mispronounces Goa'uld, and Daniel corrects her, and thinks for a long minute. Finally he says, "I understand. I just... I can't."
Elizabeth looks at him hard, her brow creased, her fingertips touching. He knows that she's not looking for a lie or an excuse.
"When I came here, I was looking for scientific curiosities. And for a way to save my planet, my friends. For a way to save my galaxy."
"And here's a whole new galaxy for you to save." Her voice is even.
Daniel summons the image of a pillar he's been studying. In his mind's eye, it is smooth, with clearly defined symbols, easy to translate, easy to interpret. He cannot recall the difficult patches, where age has smoothed letters to illegibility. "I know," he says.
Elizabeth waits.
"Do you know what happens to things I care about?"
"I've read your file," she says, which is not an answer, but is enough.
Daniel is practically begging her, don't. Don't make me do this thing, don't make me care, don't let me care. One galaxy is enough, but she either isn't listening or is listening way too closely.
"Why don't I put you on an exploration team? Not Major Sheppard's, but something low-key. I think it would be good for you to get offworld once in awhile."
Daniel thinks about the freedom of stepping through the Gate onto a new planet, into a new civilization, of holding shards of history in his bare hands.
"Okay," he says.
Elizabeth smiles. "One more favor?"
"Yes?" he says, a bit skeptically.
"Would you eat lunch with Rodney and me tomorrow?"
Daniel's face relaxes into an almost-smile. "Why not?"
A Day No One Celebrates
McKay glares at Daniel and edges closer to Elizabeth, his movement possessive, and Daniel takes a seat awkwardly. Elizabeth smiles at both of them and unwraps a military issue meal. Rodney is hungry, and the food is good, but he feels awkward eating in front of Daniel the way he would if just with Elizabeth, hunched over, famished, unmannered. So he takes dainty bites and looks at Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye. She's watching both of them. Daniel looks like he isn't hungry. Rodney isn't about to ask him to share his food.
"Are you looking forward to going offworld tomorrow?" asks Elizabeth. "Anything promising?"
"Yes," he says. "And not really, but Teyla says it would be a good idea, diplomatically speaking, if we didn't spend all our time seeking out new technologies to burglarize and exploit. Not sure I see her point, personally, but she's helping set mission parameters."
Elizabeth knows all this, but she listens patiently. Daniel seems to be thinking about something else. Rodney wants to clap his hands together, to attract Daniel's attention somehow, to make him look at him. Elizabeth seems to agree with Rodney, because she says, "Daniel, what do you think?" and Daniel tells them, in a slightly condescending monologue, how they prioritized missions at the SGC.
Rodney wishes horribly, desperately, for the first time in his life, that he had been allowed to serve on SG-1. Even if he would have gotten killed his first time out. Even if it would have gotten the Earth destroyed. Even though no one has mentioned Colonel Carter, he misses her tremendously all of a sudden.
"Well, are we all done?" he says. "I'm probably needed somewhere else."
"Sure," says Elizabeth, smiling. "Daniel, you'd better get back to work, too."
Rodney isn't sure why he's glad that they aren't going to eat dessert without him.
And A Happy New Year
Daniel announces that it's the Atlantean New Year tomorrow. Elizabeth has no idea how he knows this, but he insists that it's true, and he's consulted with Rodney, who took it to some of the other scientists, and they all agree: tomorrow is the New Year.
It is Major Sheppard who realizes this means tonight is New Year's Eve, which means they need to celebrate, but only Elizabeth can authorize the celebration. Which she does, because she can't resist the Major's innocently conniving smile.
The Athosians have never celebrated a new year, but they do know about parties, and they bring wine, and stronger liquor, and something that Elizabeth doesn't recognize but is pretty sure wouldn't be legal in the US. Since Atlantis is an international community, she doesn't press the issue. Her people need to relax. They have begun to dance, and someone who brought a portable CD player is trying to figure out if anyone brought a CD that doesn't have encrypted government secrets on it.
She's not exactly sure how they'll know when it's the equivalent of midnight, but Rodney has assured her that it will be entirely doable, and is trying to rig some sort of bell to peal in the new year.
She tries to think of some resolutions, in case Major Sheppard decides they need to share, but the only one she can come up with is try to forget about Simon, which she doesn't want to share with anyone else.
Someone is standing behind her. She turns around slowly. Daniel.
"I used to hate the parties at the SGC."
"Why?"
Daniel shrugs. "Too much socializing. Too much alcohol. People got pretty weird." He is lost in his own memories for a minute.
"It's probably good for some of these people to get loose once in awhile." She smiles to herself at the irony that it is she who is saying this, and elicits a chuckle from Daniel.
"Make any resolutions?" he asks, somewhat awkwardly.
Elizabeth looks at him for minute, can almost sense the pain hiding in his eyes. He's been much less reserved since he's started going on expeditions once in awhile. A man like Daniel needs archeology, needs grit between his fingernails, needs contact with people. If not ten years ago, this is who he is now. He runs a hand through his hair. "Yes," she said. "I did."
"Yeah," says Daniel. "It's a fascinating custom, isn't it?"
If Major Sheppard were standing here, he would speculate about the rest of his team's resolutions, or try to get hers out of her. Daniel doesn't think to do those things, stands next to her looking shell-shocked, yet also like he belongs here, like he's used to standing by someone's side, watching the goings-on.
The first shirt has flown up over the first woman's face; the first shocked squeal of delight rises from the partygoers. It's hard to believe that out there somewhere, not too far away, a vampiric race is ready to devour all of this, all of them. Elizabeth isn't used to living with that contradiction; she knows, without even asking, that Daniel has been living it for the past decade.
No wonder he looks haunted.
Together, they stare at the crowd, and almost in unison, with she perhaps half a step behind him, they turn away. Elizabeth knows why she can't be part of this. It was part of the deal, agreeing to be a leader. A leader is not one of the people. The leader doesn't have the luxury of relaxing.
But Daniel... Daniel is different. Daniel wasn't given a chance to choose, but she suspects that if he had, this would still have been his choice, standing on the edge. Something about the new year is inspiring faux insight, and as their world slowly orbits their sun, Elizabeth realizes that her resolution isn't really fair.
Her world and Simon's are moving apart faster than the speed of light, and there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong, she tells herself, as she and Daniel leave the party behind, a drunken voice shouting off the countdown to midnight. Nothing wrong with wanting Atlantis, nothing wrong with being a strong woman in control of her destiny. Nothing wrong with working so hard that she can't imagine the pain in Simon's eyes when he watched the tape.
Elizabeth follows Daniel out of the room, down a hallway, through a maze of corridors that both of them know as well as they've ever known any home they lived in. He must realize that she's coming with him, but he doesn't object, just slows his pace when she seems to be lagging behind.
Neither of them have any idea where they're going. Daniel finally stops outside one of the rooms they've designated a common area, and Elizabeth stands next to him. Neither of them says anything, and she's beginning to think that she has made all sorts of horrific mistakes, but then Daniel turns and smiles at her, a genuine smile, and says, "You know why I really came to Atlantis?" She doesn't wait for an answer, although she has a thousand guesses.
When they kiss for the first time, Elizabeth knows that her new year has been a long time coming.
Author: Ari
Fandom: Stargate SG-1 x Stargate Atlantis
Pairing: Daniel/Weir
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Through "New Order" and for "Rising."
Summary: Daniel goes to Atlantis; these are the reasons why.
Notes: Backup fic for medie for sg1flashfic2. She requested Daniel/Elizabeth Weir (AU or Crossover). Thanks to sage_theory for the super beta. Sorry it took so long to get this to you. Also very sorry for the *cough* subtext *cough* for other pairings that might have crept in here.
Waning December
The Last Day of School
Jack didn't want to let Daniel go. The more he thought about it, the more he really didn't want to let Daniel go. It hurt his teeth, crossed his eyes, made him want to hit something. "Davis!" he said, and there was Walter, clipboard in hand, looking scared, like a good subordinate should. Obedient. Not going anywhere. Not going to Atlantis.
"Sir?"
"Where's Daniel? I want to talk to him."
"Dr. Jackson is still in Washington, sir. He'll be back in a few hours."
"When he gets here, send him in."
"Yes sir."
Jack could have summoned Dr. Weir. It made him feel better, some days, yelling at her, refusing to give her any SGC resources if she was going to insist on taking the best resource they had. But this morning, he just couldn't face her subtle gloating, the way she smiled at him happily, brimming with excitement as she filled his facility with her people, preparing for her expedition.
He didn't admit that he was counting the days until Daniel left. That they were so much a part of him that he could see the number whenever he closed his eyes. Three days left. He wasn't looking forward to it, of course, but in a way, he would be glad when he could stop dreading it and start getting used to living without Daniel. Again.
He blamed Weir, which wasn't fair, but he didn't want to think about the fact that Daniel wanted to go. That Daniel would rather leave behind the SGC, SG-1, a lifetime of adventure, to go on the adventure of a lifetime. That Daniel was willing to leave him. So better to focus on Weir, the hours she'd spent on the phone with the President, explaining how essential Daniel would be when it came to translating, and not on the hours Daniel had put in, hours Daniel typically spent doing archeology stuff, not diplomacy.
He took an aspirin and considered sending for Weir after all, but in the end, he just hurled another sheaf of absolutely essential paperwork into the circular file. He felt a little better for a minute.
One Shopping Day Till
Daniel got back into Colorado Springs late at night. There were thirteen messages on his machine. Ten from Jack, two from Sam, and one rather confused one from Teal'c, who still enjoyed pretending that he didn't understand Tau'ri technology. Elizabeth hadn't called, then. He frowned. A wiser man might think there was something to be learned from this about his relative merit to Earth and to Atlantis, but he thought of miles of text, years' worth of translation. This could be his life's work, what he'd been waiting for since they rescued Ernest: a planet of his own, where he could sit and translate and interpret and think for the rest of his life.
He erased all the messages and tried to finish packing. There wasn't much he needed; his artifacts had a better home here on Earth than he could give them on Atlantis, and his photograph of Sha're had long ago been designated as the only personal item he would ever need. Stacks of absolutely essential books had already been sent over to the SGC, and were waiting near the Gateroom with the rest of their supplies. So perhaps packing was an overstatement. Still, he felt like he ought to be doing something with his belongings other than leaving them to collect dust.
He'd wanted to pack everything up again, to leave it at the SGC, but Jack had insisted that he just leave his home open, appreciating in value and ready for him when they found a way to get home from Atlantis.
Daniel hadn't even mentioned to Jack that he wasn't sure he'd want to come home, even if he could. It was easier to nod. Not that being around Jack these days was ever easy, regardless of what Daniel did or didn't say about going home.
There were, of course, people he was supposed to tell. He'd solemnly sworn to Catherine that if he ever went away, he'd tell her. But he hadn't told her about his ascension, and she'd only found out that he was alive again from Sam, in her yearly Christmas letter. Well, she could find out from Sam again. He wasn't telling Catherine. It would be awkward. And Sam could tell Cassie, too, for that matter.
He hadn't seen Sam since he'd gotten officially assigned to the Atlantis mission. There'd been too much to work out, trips to Washington and to Antarctica, training sessions he'd run for scientific recruits who needed First Aid and some basic weapons training. He wasn't looking forward to seeing Sam; her messages had sounded frantic.
He considered going to bed, thinking that in the next couple of days, there'd be so much to do. And then it occurred to him that he might have to sleep on Atlantis, to lay down the books and the tools and the knowledge, to close his eyes and perhaps to dream -- it terrified him so much that he wondered how he'll possibly get to sleep now that he'd had that thought.
In the end, he spent the night staring at his switched-off television, thinking that if Jack were coming with him, he wouldn't be able to survive without television, wondering what Sam's personal item would be, considering how many contraband chocolate bars he'd be able to sneak through the 'Gate, and imagining the speech Elizabeth will give in just two days to see them off.
Hanging The Stockings
Elizabeth Weir spent her last day on Earth wondering how much Simon was going to hate her and searching the SGC for people who were willing to help her prepare. She knew General O'Neill was about ready to kill her, and she knew why, but she wasn't going to think about that. Sam Carter and Rodney were taking a last look at the ZPM, and she was sure Rodney was taking a last look at Sam. She smiled. Wished she could talk to General O'Neill, have his blessing at least, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.
So she thought about Simon, tried to imagine his reaction when he heard where she'd gone. She wondered if this was the part where she was supposed to feel guilt. Because she didn't. Her heart was thudding hard, her fingers kept on clenching and unclenching, and her stomach hurt with mingled fear and excitement, but there was no guilt over leaving Simon. Simon was homefires and a place to go back to, a warm body and a gentle caress. Simon was home, but Atlantis was out there, and Elizabeth could not wait to be out there herself, away from home, as eager to leave as she had been when she went off to Sarah Lawrence at the age of eighteen, not bothering to hug her parents goodbye because her head was full of course catalogues and her heart full of adventure.
The whole base was buzzing with the same feelings of adventure. When she encountered Daniel in the hallway near his office--the office he was abandoning to come with them, to come with her--they shared an excited smile. When Rodney emerged from the bowels of the SGC, he was wearing a pained grin that was certainly his version of happiness, and Elizabeth smiled back with matching grimness.
It felt like the night before Christmas, and she was getting the whole universe wrapped in a big shiny package the next morning.
That night, she hardly slept, and whenever she woke up, she thought she could see smiling faces all around her. If she strained, she could hear voices far in the distance, lab techs who'd stayed too late, wellwishers there to see the expedition off.
She wondered if any of them were able to sleep. Maybe Major Sheppard.
Christmas Morning
Sam kisses Daniel on the cheek, winks at McKay, and runs out of the gateroom. She's done her part and doesn't need to be here for this.
While Weir delivers her speech, Rodney and Daniel gaze at her from the control room, their faces steady. Jack has a quip ready about the speech, but he's too busy looking stoic to open his mouth, so Daniel and Rodney stare straight ahead, pretending they aren't on the balls of their feet, ready to jump up and perhaps never come down again.
To be fair, Elizabeth is bouncing on the inside, too, and she's having difficulty keeping her voice low and steady. She's had years of public speaking, and she still can't really stop herself from squealing. Luckily, everyone is too caught up in his own excitement to notice anyone else's embarrassments.
Jack has a speech all prepared, one that will convince not only Daniel but possibly every (now former) SG team member on the expedition that they should stay behind, but of course he forgets the whole damn thing the minute Dr. Weir starts talking. There's definitely something sinister about a woman who can convince a reasonable man like Daniel to travel halfway across the universe chasing a star that might well burn him alive.
Rodney runs down to the gateroom as soon as the gate opens, and Daniel takes a last look at Jack before following him. Elizabeth has a huge smile on her face, like the one they shared yesterday, and Jack thinks it might be something they've drunk, that's making them act this way.
Walking through the Gate for the first time makes Rodney want to throw up, but the thought of Sam Carter somewhere in the SGC, crying her heart out because he's leaving, gives him courage enough.
Only Daniel and Elizabeth walk through without trepidation. Although they are leaving the most behind, they will miss Earth the least.
Neither of them is surprised when Jack O'Neill sends a surprise through the 'Gate after them, a bottle of champagne, and a box of tissues. "For me?" asks Rodney, and Elizabeth smiles at him, but Daniel picks up the box and stares at it for a long time.
It simply says, "Thanks."
Boxing Day
Daniel thinks there are entirely too many boxes in this room, and in the next room, and yes, he knows that half of the baggage they've brought is his, but those books are necessary, not like the food and medicines that are taking up so much space. He wants to be out there, having adventures, but Elizabeth said no. That puzzles him, and he mulls over it for a good minute.
But then he is sidetracked by an inscription that he thinks looks more Greek than Latin, and he unpacks one of his books and sits down on the floor to attempt translation. He's still sitting there when Elizabeth rushes past with a very angry look on her face. Somewhere, klaxons blare, only he knows they aren't klaxons, since that's an Earth thing.
There's a memorial service he doesn't miss, and sometimes it's lights out, and sometimes Rodney hurries through the room where Daniel is working and frowns. He'll nod at Daniel, who will smile absently back. Occasionally, it occurs to him that they've divvied up base personnel into teams, and that he's not part of one, but that's okay.
One day, Elizabeth wants to talk to him. She has a long, Elizabeth-style lecture on pulling one's weight and why it is important that Daniel try to find something useful in the middle of all his exciting Ancient-related research. Daniel looks at her, wide-eyed but unabashed.
"Do you remember the day I first came to the SGC?" she asks.
Daniel swallows hard and remembers.
"You told me that if only I could see what it was like out there, I wouldn't be able to push it aside, wouldn't be able to gloss over it. That I'd have to fight."
"I know."
"Do you understand what the Wraith are? Have you gone to see the one we're keeping prisoner? Do you understand that these -- these things -- are far worse than the Goa'uld were?"
She mispronounces Goa'uld, and Daniel corrects her, and thinks for a long minute. Finally he says, "I understand. I just... I can't."
Elizabeth looks at him hard, her brow creased, her fingertips touching. He knows that she's not looking for a lie or an excuse.
"When I came here, I was looking for scientific curiosities. And for a way to save my planet, my friends. For a way to save my galaxy."
"And here's a whole new galaxy for you to save." Her voice is even.
Daniel summons the image of a pillar he's been studying. In his mind's eye, it is smooth, with clearly defined symbols, easy to translate, easy to interpret. He cannot recall the difficult patches, where age has smoothed letters to illegibility. "I know," he says.
Elizabeth waits.
"Do you know what happens to things I care about?"
"I've read your file," she says, which is not an answer, but is enough.
Daniel is practically begging her, don't. Don't make me do this thing, don't make me care, don't let me care. One galaxy is enough, but she either isn't listening or is listening way too closely.
"Why don't I put you on an exploration team? Not Major Sheppard's, but something low-key. I think it would be good for you to get offworld once in awhile."
Daniel thinks about the freedom of stepping through the Gate onto a new planet, into a new civilization, of holding shards of history in his bare hands.
"Okay," he says.
Elizabeth smiles. "One more favor?"
"Yes?" he says, a bit skeptically.
"Would you eat lunch with Rodney and me tomorrow?"
Daniel's face relaxes into an almost-smile. "Why not?"
A Day No One Celebrates
McKay glares at Daniel and edges closer to Elizabeth, his movement possessive, and Daniel takes a seat awkwardly. Elizabeth smiles at both of them and unwraps a military issue meal. Rodney is hungry, and the food is good, but he feels awkward eating in front of Daniel the way he would if just with Elizabeth, hunched over, famished, unmannered. So he takes dainty bites and looks at Elizabeth out of the corner of his eye. She's watching both of them. Daniel looks like he isn't hungry. Rodney isn't about to ask him to share his food.
"Are you looking forward to going offworld tomorrow?" asks Elizabeth. "Anything promising?"
"Yes," he says. "And not really, but Teyla says it would be a good idea, diplomatically speaking, if we didn't spend all our time seeking out new technologies to burglarize and exploit. Not sure I see her point, personally, but she's helping set mission parameters."
Elizabeth knows all this, but she listens patiently. Daniel seems to be thinking about something else. Rodney wants to clap his hands together, to attract Daniel's attention somehow, to make him look at him. Elizabeth seems to agree with Rodney, because she says, "Daniel, what do you think?" and Daniel tells them, in a slightly condescending monologue, how they prioritized missions at the SGC.
Rodney wishes horribly, desperately, for the first time in his life, that he had been allowed to serve on SG-1. Even if he would have gotten killed his first time out. Even if it would have gotten the Earth destroyed. Even though no one has mentioned Colonel Carter, he misses her tremendously all of a sudden.
"Well, are we all done?" he says. "I'm probably needed somewhere else."
"Sure," says Elizabeth, smiling. "Daniel, you'd better get back to work, too."
Rodney isn't sure why he's glad that they aren't going to eat dessert without him.
And A Happy New Year
Daniel announces that it's the Atlantean New Year tomorrow. Elizabeth has no idea how he knows this, but he insists that it's true, and he's consulted with Rodney, who took it to some of the other scientists, and they all agree: tomorrow is the New Year.
It is Major Sheppard who realizes this means tonight is New Year's Eve, which means they need to celebrate, but only Elizabeth can authorize the celebration. Which she does, because she can't resist the Major's innocently conniving smile.
The Athosians have never celebrated a new year, but they do know about parties, and they bring wine, and stronger liquor, and something that Elizabeth doesn't recognize but is pretty sure wouldn't be legal in the US. Since Atlantis is an international community, she doesn't press the issue. Her people need to relax. They have begun to dance, and someone who brought a portable CD player is trying to figure out if anyone brought a CD that doesn't have encrypted government secrets on it.
She's not exactly sure how they'll know when it's the equivalent of midnight, but Rodney has assured her that it will be entirely doable, and is trying to rig some sort of bell to peal in the new year.
She tries to think of some resolutions, in case Major Sheppard decides they need to share, but the only one she can come up with is try to forget about Simon, which she doesn't want to share with anyone else.
Someone is standing behind her. She turns around slowly. Daniel.
"I used to hate the parties at the SGC."
"Why?"
Daniel shrugs. "Too much socializing. Too much alcohol. People got pretty weird." He is lost in his own memories for a minute.
"It's probably good for some of these people to get loose once in awhile." She smiles to herself at the irony that it is she who is saying this, and elicits a chuckle from Daniel.
"Make any resolutions?" he asks, somewhat awkwardly.
Elizabeth looks at him for minute, can almost sense the pain hiding in his eyes. He's been much less reserved since he's started going on expeditions once in awhile. A man like Daniel needs archeology, needs grit between his fingernails, needs contact with people. If not ten years ago, this is who he is now. He runs a hand through his hair. "Yes," she said. "I did."
"Yeah," says Daniel. "It's a fascinating custom, isn't it?"
If Major Sheppard were standing here, he would speculate about the rest of his team's resolutions, or try to get hers out of her. Daniel doesn't think to do those things, stands next to her looking shell-shocked, yet also like he belongs here, like he's used to standing by someone's side, watching the goings-on.
The first shirt has flown up over the first woman's face; the first shocked squeal of delight rises from the partygoers. It's hard to believe that out there somewhere, not too far away, a vampiric race is ready to devour all of this, all of them. Elizabeth isn't used to living with that contradiction; she knows, without even asking, that Daniel has been living it for the past decade.
No wonder he looks haunted.
Together, they stare at the crowd, and almost in unison, with she perhaps half a step behind him, they turn away. Elizabeth knows why she can't be part of this. It was part of the deal, agreeing to be a leader. A leader is not one of the people. The leader doesn't have the luxury of relaxing.
But Daniel... Daniel is different. Daniel wasn't given a chance to choose, but she suspects that if he had, this would still have been his choice, standing on the edge. Something about the new year is inspiring faux insight, and as their world slowly orbits their sun, Elizabeth realizes that her resolution isn't really fair.
Her world and Simon's are moving apart faster than the speed of light, and there is nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong, she tells herself, as she and Daniel leave the party behind, a drunken voice shouting off the countdown to midnight. Nothing wrong with wanting Atlantis, nothing wrong with being a strong woman in control of her destiny. Nothing wrong with working so hard that she can't imagine the pain in Simon's eyes when he watched the tape.
Elizabeth follows Daniel out of the room, down a hallway, through a maze of corridors that both of them know as well as they've ever known any home they lived in. He must realize that she's coming with him, but he doesn't object, just slows his pace when she seems to be lagging behind.
Neither of them have any idea where they're going. Daniel finally stops outside one of the rooms they've designated a common area, and Elizabeth stands next to him. Neither of them says anything, and she's beginning to think that she has made all sorts of horrific mistakes, but then Daniel turns and smiles at her, a genuine smile, and says, "You know why I really came to Atlantis?" She doesn't wait for an answer, although she has a thousand guesses.
When they kiss for the first time, Elizabeth knows that her new year has been a long time coming.