Remember Orlin
by elfin

He’s dying.  I know that.

That kid’s telling me that his way is the only way.  That I have to let my Daniel go, let Shifu save his life.

The last thing I want is for Daniel to die.  God… the very last thing.

He looks so pale now.  His skin’s almost white, dark around his eyes and mouth.

They have him wired and tubed, hooked to every damn machine in the infirmary and nothing’s doing any good.

The only way to save him is to take him from me.

And I don’t want that.

I don’t want to give him up.

Not now.  Not ever.

I lean over, drop a kiss to his lips and his forehead.  Tell him one last time, in a soft whisper, that I love him.

Then I step back.

“Save him.  Please.”  I can barely get the words out, but as the kid steps closer to the bed, I move back.  I have to let him go.

There was no flash, no bright lights.  Daniel’s just… died.  Passed on from us.

At least, his body has.
 

But I can see him!   He’s rising!  Freed, released from the physical to embrace another form of existence, I guess.  Don’t know where that came from.  Too much hanging around Dan….

I think I’m losing it.

He coming to… stand in front of me.  A spirit.  A white shadow of himself.  He raises his hand, and I reach up to touch the ghostly digits that were his fingers, my shaking hand pressing against his.

I can barely believe that I can feel him, that I don’t pass straight through him.

“I love you, Daniel.”

Whatever the expressions on the faces of my friends and colleagues, whatever they think at this moment, I need to tell him, so he knows, so he can take that certainty with him to where ever it was that he was going.

“I love you too, Jack.”   His same, soft voice.  “I’ll never leave you.”

I can feel tears pricking my eyes and I just let them flow.  “You are doing.”  I thought he’d say something like, ‘I’ll watch over you’.  But he doesn’t.  He just… smiles.  Then he leans forward and kisses me.

I close my eyes, part my lips under his.

He tastes like Daniel – like he’s always tasted.

He has to break the contact, because I can’t.  I… I don’t want him to go.

“Please, stay.  Danny….”

I crack my eyes open.

And look at him.

“Daniel….”

He’s there!  My God, he’s smiling.  He’s human.

What the hell…?

He’s beautiful.  Sexy.  Edible.  Everything he’s always been to me and more, more because I never thought I would see him like this again.  Skin lightly tanned from all the suns on all those planets, eyes sparking blue, hair golden brown.

My mouth opens and closes.  I’m no good in situations like this.

Finally, after many goldfish impressions, I get out a single word.  “What?”

He smiles, like he knows me so well, and leans in, puts his lips next to my ear and murmurs.  “Remember Orlin?”

I nod like a dumbass, unable to get any words passed my lips.

“I can stay with you, Jack.  If you can get to grips with me being… made of energy.”  He shrugs, suddenly uncertain of himself.

And I also laugh.  I’d accept him made of anything!  “Accept….”  My smile feels like it’s cutting my face open.  “Danny….”

And I don’t care anymore.  I kiss him, hard and deep.

What can I say?  I love him, thought I’d lost him and here he is.

The future’s gonna be a little weird for a bit.  I’ve never made love to a being of energy and light before.  Or maybe I have.  Maybe that’s always what Daniel’s been.

I slide my arm around his waist and holding him close, I thank Shifu for returning my beloved archaeologist to me.

Then I turn to the others.  Sam who’s crying and isn’t ashamed to be, Hammond who’s crying and trying not to show it.  Even Teal’c’s shedding a tear.

Explanations can come later.  For now, all I can feel is joy.
 

fin
elfin
Jan 7 02