Ficlet request: With All Due Respect (G)

[fignewton]

Because George Hammond rocks, today will cover both Hammond prompts. This one is for abyssinia4077, who wanted Daniel and Hammond while Daniel was still trying to retrieve his memories after "Fallen." Moonshayde's will go up later today.

Word count: ~660. My brain has apparently not yet wrapped itself around the concept of snippet, but I'll keep trying... :)

With All Due Respect

Arrom – no, they said his name was Daniel – swung his feet aimlessly as he sat sideways on the uncomfortable bed. He wished he felt a little more confident about his decision to follow the strangers back through the Stargate.

 

Oh, he wasn’t questioning that he really did know these people. The emotions he’d felt when he met them had been too overwhelming for that; his heart clearly remembered them, even if his mind did not. After the initial shock, he’d tried to sort the welter of confused sentiment into some semblance of order.

 

First there was Samantha Carter – Sam, she’d called herself. He’d felt comfortable with her, but there was also that wave of intense affection that had almost startled him with its intensity. He’d assumed those feelings were romantic ones, but her honest surprise at his question told him otherwise. The idea that he could be so close to a person – to all of them, actually – on a purely platonic level was intoxicating. That was what had really tipped the balance in his decision to go with them.

 

Jack O’Neill had taken a little longer, because he kept feeling something was off – he was missing important cues, or perhaps he was misreading the man’s body language. O’Neill had clearly been disappointed that whatever he was expecting didn’t seem to happen. But the awkward dissonance only highlighted the unquestionable connection between them, and that was something he wanted to pursue and examine and find again. He wanted to hear the noiseless click of synchronization that he knew was somewhere just beneath the surface.

 

He wasn’t quite sure what to make of Teal’c. He’d heard stories of Jaffa from Shamda’s people, and the odd, subconscious well of knowledge that persisted despite his amnesia had easily identified Teal’c’s forehead tattoo as belonging to Apep, or Apophis. But in Arrom’s – Daniel’s – mind, Teal’c wasn’t intimidating; he was strength, and courage, and support, and trust. The dichotomy intrigued him, and he wanted to discover what history they’d shared to inspire such emotion.

 

But now he was here, in a dreary, gray world of concrete and metal, much more than a wormhole away from the bright skies and fresh air of Vis Uban. And this was a place under siege: soldiers stationed in nearly every doorway, the slightly smothering feel of hunkering down to weather the storm. Bare pipes and heavy doors and strident sirens...

 

He hunched his shoulders. Yes, he belonged with Samantha Carter and Jack O’Neill and Teal’c. And even the healer had sparked an emotional reaction, one of reassurance and warmth. But this place was another question entirely. How could he possibly fit within this structure of stark lines and tension?

 

Then another man came into the room, and Daniel focused on those mild blue eyes, the stocky figure, the economy of movement. O’Neill had identified him when they’d first arrived, he remembered – just after he claimed that Daniel owed him “fifty bucks,” whatever that meant.

 

“That man? He’s General Hammond. He’s the commander of this facility.”

 

Now, Daniel watched Hammond, and felt a wave of reassurance flood his senses.

 

Because if Samantha Carter was affection, and Jack O’Neill was friendship, and Teal’c was trust, and the little doctor was safety...

 

General Hammond was respect.

 

This man commanded here. The bleakness and grimness and tension and menace were all under his direction. And the Daniel Jackson whose memories were still blocked had unquestionably respected General Hammond, and accepted his guidance and leadership. He didn’t know what Hammond had done to earn that respect, but the feeling was unmistakable.

 

If this man was in charge, Daniel suddenly knew, then he was safe here. And, yes, he belonged.

 

Daniel straightened his posture as the commander of the SGC approached, feeling his own mouth curve into a smile to match General Hammond’s own.

 

“Doctor Jackson,” the man said with a genial nod. “Doctor Frasier tells me that you’ve gotten a clean bill of health. Is there anything I can do for you, son?”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Daniel replied. The honorific came easily, unbidden. “But I think you already have.”

Comments

[dknightshade.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is beautiful. I really like how you have his heart recognizing everyone even though his head doesn't yet. And I love the emotions he feels when seeing Teal'c. Perfect.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I don't think Ancient-inflicted amnesia affected his emotions - after all, he was guilt tripping less than five minutes after he landed, so he was certainly himself in that respect! :) I'm glad it worked for you.

beautiful indeed

[(Anonymous)]

I love how Daniel feels each friend represents something to him.

Re: beautiful indeed

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you, whoever you are. :)

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

Aw, yay! I love Daniel's exploration of his reactions towards his friends - recognising the emotions they evoke, even before he can comprehend the history that goes into creating that emotion. And the connection of General Hammond with the SGC - yeah. It's very much Hammond's place, isn't it?

Very nice. (And I for one I'm glad you're writing more than snippets. *g*)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oooh, definitely. Much as I love Jack, the SGC just wasn't the same without George at the helm. (And don't even get me started on Landry...)

And yes, I really do think Daniel felt his friends before he knew them, because why else would he agree to go with them?

Glad you liked the ficlet. Or snippet. Or whatever you call it when it's a LOT more than the promised 100 words. :)

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Very nice! Yes, George is special.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And three cheers for George, who rocks in any universe. :)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Aw!

I love Daniel's feeling out where he belongs and how he feels about the team (and YES on the awkwardness with Jack in those episodes because, just, YES) and how the SGC feels so stark and cold and off and YAY HAMMOND!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. Jack seemed to want to slip back into joking and their scarily unique shorthand, and poor Daniel just kept coming up short.

But SAM! And HAMMOND! :) :)

Glad you liked it!

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Oh, I have So Many Theories with Jack and Daniel in Fallen....

Because, see, Jack's the one who let Daniel go in Meridian, right? And then he shut down (not saying Daniel is a direct parallel to Charlie, but it's there, and Jack deals with grief by not-dealing - by forgetting as hard as he could. And I think after Charlie he wasn't going to let anyone in far enough to hurt him again, but he accidentally did with SG-1 and then Daniel left and Jack closed off.)

And then Ba'al happened and I have strong theories that Jack talked about Abyss as little as possible with as few people as possible (again, stick your fingers in your ears and hum really loudly and pretend to forget. And Daniel was there, but not, but now Daniel is here in the flesh and I think part of Jack was really scared Daniel would remember and would remember Jack wanting to die (because Jack I don't think is okay with anyone seeing him broken).

So I think Jack in Fallen was way freaked out because he was excited to have Daniel back but, first off, this wasn't Daniel, and second off, the whole idea terrified him - of letting Daniel back in and the Ba'al thing to boot.

And then there's the scene where Jack takes Arrom to the VIP quarters and it's such a strong parallel to COTG and yet, there is so much contrast. In COTG he's warm and taking Daniel home with him and open to talking, where in Fallen he's leaving Daniel there and seems like he can't get away quick enough.

And then there's the briefing where, yes, I think Jack is trying to slip, but I think he's slipping farther than usual - a tad over to the mean side, as a protective shield of sorts

And I've thought about this too much :)

But yes to all of them!

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Yes and yes and YES. And that is why Random's Numerology is on my list of Five Fics That I Will Take With Me If I Can Only Have Five For Some Reason. Because Jack had a year to deal without Daniel, and want to get Daniel back, and then - WHAM! Not!quite!Daniel, and I do think that Daniel never really went back to what he was (and that Jack suffered similarly from his two downloads). And the bit in the briefing always makes me cringe a little, because that's Jack in full steam mode and Daniel just stares at him, utterly at a loss as to how he should respond.

I love 'em all. And Hammond. Who rocks. :)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Yep :)

I'm not sure Jack ever quite dealt, but he was learning to move on by the end of the year, I think. He spent most of the year more cranky and cantankerous than usual, and I don't think he ever returned to who he was, ever let down all the walls he'd built up again.

and, very yes, Daniel wasn't the same either. I've tried playing with that bit in fic, but so much of it is so hard to put your finger on (it's almost about motivation. He started the show with very personal motivations - Sha're and then Shifu - for what he was doing, even if along the way he found all sorts of temporary motivations for saving various people/worlds. Then when Shifu didn't need him, he was aimless until he went where he thought he could do the most good and when he came back, he realized what he could do, but also sortof...resigned himself that it wasn't about him anymore)

YES on the briefing room. Because I think for a minute Arrom/Daniel really isn't sure that Jack isn't going to just pull out a gun and shoot him or something.

*sigh*
I could watch those episodes over and over and over and over...

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I still haven't watched most of S6, but that seems to be the consensus from what I have seen and read and meta-absorbed.

I don't know if it's so much different motivations as different characterization entirely. I do agree that Daniel spent the last bit of S4 and most of S5 struggling to find purpose when the SGC was moving away from what he believed it to be - and that's why Menace so utterly crushed him, because he tried and tried and tried to do it the way he believed was right and he failed. But when he came back - it's not that I don't want him confidence and at peace. But in the later seasons, I find myself chasing after glimpses of Daniel and getting all excited at those little bits, rather than sitting back and enjoying the character ep by ep.

So Daniel didn't really need Jack to be so... Jack-like. Good think he waited for that "click." :)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Well, it depends on how much characterization is built on what drives a character, I suppose. That motivation will affect how he acts and how he interacts with those around him and sees the world.

I agree sometimes he felt really different, and yet at the same time I could almost always trace and understand how those differences came to be (for which I have to give kudos to Michael Shanks and the writers/directors/producers for letting the character change).

Plus there's the question of, after 5(?) deaths, 2 ascensions, personality downloads, Prior-izing, Goa'uld hand-devicing, mind wipes, etc how much of Daniel is still Daniel (since the brain is a bunch of chemical and electrical processes and impulses and any and all of those could disrupt and change those impulses....)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

It was never a question of thinking his evolution to be unrealistic; it's more a sad regret that the writers took his storyline in that direction, so that I'm chasing after the Daniel that was instead of really liking the Daniel that is. Some of that, of course, might be the company he's keeping... ;)

there's the question of, after 5(?) deaths, 2 ascensions, personality downloads, Prior-izing, Goa'uld hand-devicing, mind wipes, etc how much of Daniel is still Daniel

Oh dear me yes. That he's even vaguely still Daniel-like is a testament to his strength of mind.

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Excellent. What was it Nareem said? "What the mind doesn't know the heart fills in"?

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Something along those lines, yes. :) If Daniel hadn't felt that connection, I hardly think he would have agreed to go along with all those weapon-wielding people who kept babbling that he used to be dead...

Glad you liked it!

[tejas.livejournal.com]

all those weapon-wielding people who kept babbling that he used to be dead...


Either that or Daniel really is as nuts as some have claimed. ;-)

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

I fail to see why the two theories are mutually exclusive. ;)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Good point! :-)

[ladyoflisquill.livejournal.com]

Oh lovely, and all the more poignant today.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Oh, he will be missed.

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

This is the line I love best "He wanted to hear the noiseless click of synchronization that he knew was somewhere just beneath the surface." That, to me, is the core of Jack/Daniel, and I love that it takes until the end of Lifeboat for them to really be back in synch (that Jack's not really trusting it, and neither is Daniel, but they can't not ease back to where they were)--but the click is instant with Sam and Daniel (like always).

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) I liked that line, too. Interesting that you feel it took into Lifeboat, and not their little exchange at the end of Homecoming.

And yes - the Wonder Twins don't take time. Then again, their click isn't the same thing, is it?

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

Don't know if you know music, but to me Daniel and Jack are synchopation--it's the jazz beat where the hit falls between counts. It's pure magic, but also easy to fall off. Daniel and Sam are on the same counts--easy to stay on, but doesn't give you that complex rhythym going. So, yes, very different click.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

::grins:: I follow music enough to follow the metaphor. And I suppose Teal'c is the steady drumbeat that weaves the whole song together?

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

Teal'c's more like the base line -- drums are too steady, and he can riff off on his own (more like a base). Hammond provides the beat overall--he's the drums.

There was some AU fic that had them as musicians and it did a really good job of picking up who would take what line (I seem to recall that Daniel had a sitar he riffed on, while Sam had synthezier, but I've always thought of Sam more like a jazz violin player--something amplified that ranges freely over sound).

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

::grins::

Now fit Janet in there somewhere, please!

[randomfreshink.livejournal.com]

If we're going to keep to music for the metaphore, then she'd have to be someone who sits in for jam sessions--not a regular, but she provides accents for certain pieces, which you'd get from a wind instrument. Flute or Obo or even harmonica. She wouldn't carry the melody line, but would provide harmony.

If we're going for a band metaphore, she'd be the manager, front office, who keeps everything running.