Friday Night Fic Challenge #4 – Part I, Many Happy Returns
by elfin
Birthday Boy? Or Birthday Blues?
Pushing his finger up under his glasses, Daniel wiped away a tear.
Leaning forward, he blew out the single candle stuck in the fairy cake that
was perched on his kitchen counter.
Another birthday spent alone. No real surprise, but this year he’d
imagined that maybe, just maybe….
He should have known better than to hope.
They’d been off-world all day on a routine fact-finding mission to a planet
covered in trees. Or at least the part they’d stepped into had been.
Once back, Jack had disappeared somewhere with Sam and Teal’c had vanished
completely. Daniel had come home, back to his lonely apartment to blow
out his single candle just as he had done every year since he’d been able
to get a hold of matches.
Behind him, the coffee maker spluttered out the last of the water over the
rich beans.
This was his birthday treat – cake and coffee before bedtime.
Sniffing once, wiping an escaped tear from his cheek, he turned to take
a mug from the cupboard.
He almost dropped it when someone rapped hard on his front door.
Freezing, absolutely still, his heart thudded once in his chest. He
waited, and a few seconds later came more knocks.
Hope began to trickle through the depression. He forced himself to
put the mug down on the surface and walk through to the hallway.
More knocking before Daniel’s shaking hand went to the lock and turned it.
Jack burst into the apartment, bottle of champagne in one hand, large Chinese
take-out bag in the other, both of which he handed to Daniel. Flashing
a wonderful smile before disappearing again.
Assuming he’d be back, Daniel took the bottle and bag into the kitchen.
His heart was racing.
Coffee forgotten, he peered into the bag and sniffed the amazing aromas.
He had chopsticks somewhere in the apartment, he knew.
He heard Jack return a couple of minutes later. He put something in
the living room and then left again.
Tip-toeing out of the kitchen, Daniel stared wide-eyed at the presents on
the couch. He was still staring when the front door slammed closed and
Jack carefully dumped another armful of presents along side the others.
Straightening, Jack met Daniel’s stare and smiled. Then he stepped
around the coffee table to stand in front of his friend.
“Happy Birthday, Daniel.”
Shy eyes slipped away from Jack’s and a smile shaped the gentle features.
“I thought….”
“I know. And I wanted to do this earlier, but George needed me to
do some political stuff and I couldn’t get away. Sorry.”
Daniel shook his head. He glanced at the gifts. “From you?”
“From everyone, Danny.” Reaching out, Jack brushed the back of his
thumb over Daniel’s stubbled cheek. “You want to open them before we
eat?”
He was tempted, but the food would get cold and the presents would still
be there in half an hour, Daniel wasn’t going to take his eyes off them it
seemed.
Jack laughed. “I’ll get the Chinese and the glasses, I’ll assume you
have a bottle opener around here somewhere. You stand guard.”
Daniel nodded vaguely and dropped into his armchair. He hadn’t seen
so many gifts for him since the Christmas before his parents had died.
A wave of grief flowed over him, edged with almost blinding happiness.
He could hear Jack in the kitchen, and for a few minutes, he simply sat,
eyes fixed on his presents, and loved the thought of his friend making himself
at home in the apartment.
Maybe tonight he’d be able to unwrap more than just the gifts Jack had brought.
fin
elfin