Work Text:
Birthday Fic Challenge: “Some Things Were Just Meant to Be” by Debbie
Rating: Gen
Pre-Stargate
Warnings: Maybe a tissue warning. Plus some minor swear words from Jack... of course there would be. LOL!
Involves a nearly ten year old Daniel Jackson.
Disclaimer: Oh, you know I don't own them.
All mistakes are courtesy of moi.
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Watching the other children playing catch off in a field near the orphanage where he lived, Daniel was by himself on the swing set. He enjoyed his solitude away from all the chatter of the other kids and adults who kept pestering him to join them in their activities... he just wanted to be left alone.
He was soul weary, if truth be known. Tired of being pushed from one foster home to another in the short years he'd been at the orphanage. He's heard it all, from being too quiet... too studious... to not enjoying sports and being a picky eater. The list went on and on. One thing he always wondered about was why none of his foster parents ever asked him what his favorite foods were. Growing up in Egypt, his tastes ran toward the more spicy varieties. Ever since coming to the states, things have tasted rather bland for him. No matter how you cut it, there was always something about him that disappointed the people who tried to foster him.
At least he had a place to come back to when things didn't work out, even if it was just the orphanage. It was some place to lay his head, plus it was familiar to him like an old pair of comfortable shoes. Better here than facing another bitter disappointment.
In a few months his birthday would be upon him. Another disappointment in a long line of them. They weren't big on birthday celebrations here. Probably because they lacked the necessary funding. It never really mattered to him about not having a birthday cake, presents and all that goes with this special day. The best present he could have ever wished for wouldn't be possible anyway - Daniel wished the accident never happened leaving him all alone. Especially since Nick didn't want anything to do with him.
The sounds of joyous laughter brought him back to the present and he re-focused his attention back toward the field. Squinting his eyes against the sun, Daniel thought he recognized the tall, lanky body of the man throwing the ball; despite the many times he had visited the orphanage, he never did learn what his name was. It seemed to be a regular routine for this guy to stop by on a semi-weekly basis and entertain the children.
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Tired of throwing and catching, Jack handed his ball and glove over to Caleb who gave him a toothy grin in thanks.
He never knew what made his head turn around to spot the kid on the swing. Deciding to give his arms a break, he strolled over to his unsuspecting victim.
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Becoming easily bored watching the game, Daniel lost himself in his own thoughts once more. So much so, that he was taken totally by surprise when the stranger sat in the opposite swing beside him.
"Nice day," Jack remarked. The silence that greeted him was deafening. "Come here often, do ya?" Seeing this was going nowhere fast, he tried to figure out another way to break the iceberg. "Uh, hi. I'm Jack by the way." The kid was not in the least encouraging he thought. Not wanting to make an ass out of himself, he wondered if the boy had a physical defect that prevented him from talking or acknowledging him.
Daniel didn't understand why this man was pushing so hard, but he finally relented. "Daniel’s mine.”
"Ah! He speaks," Jack seemed happy, as if he caught a prize catch. "So, what's your story?" Receiving a blank look, he rephrased his question. "All the kids usually end up telling me the reason they're here."
"I'm not all the kids," Daniel clammed up after that.
Oh boy! Jack thought. He really put his foot in the doo doo now. Yes siree bub! He blew it.
Seeing the jacket the older man had slung over his shoulder, Daniel noticed the strange insignias all over it, and his ever curious mind got the better of him. "What do those represent?"
The question hit him out of nowhere and took Jack by surprise. He glanced down at the patches on his jacket that the kid pointed too. "Well, the blue and silver logo shows that I belong to the United States Air Force."
"What's the one with the eagle and stars on it?"
"That's the Air Force flag."
"And the one with the wings and star?"
"That's our Army Air Corp Shield logo."
"What's the last one?"
"Signifies that I'm a Major now."
"Oh! That's nice, I guess."
Jack now knew the kid could ask questions, lots of questions once his curiosity was aroused it seemed. Chuckling lightly, he teased the boy gently. "You're underwhelmed I can tell." Instantly he knew Daniel took his remark the wrong way as he could see his face close up again. "Hell, kid! I'm just joshing ya." Boy, this was one sensitive kid.
"Sorry, it's hard to judge sometimes when someone's joking or not," Daniel hung his head down while scuffing his sneakers in the dirt.
"How long ya been here anyway, kiddo?"
"Nearly two years," Daniel still hadn’t lifted his head up, "off and on."
"No adoption in your future?" Jack felt badly for the boy. Most of the children here were a lot younger. “What? You've gotta be nearly ten or thereabouts."
"I’m nine, almost ten, and my grandfather won't let anyone adopt me," Daniel shrugged. "It's no big deal. I never stay with one family long enough for them to want me anyway."
Once more, Jack wondered what brought the kid to this place and why. Daniel had the look of an old soul, one whose seen too many battles and came out the worse for it. If the boy had no parents, didn’t the grandfather want him? “Tell ya what, I try to come here on my time off every couple of weeks. How about next time I teach you how to throw a curve?”
Making a face, Daniel didn't seem too happy about that suggestion. “I’ve never played any kind of sports.”
“Get out of town!” Jack eyed the kid skeptically, thinking Daniel was lying to him. “Tryin’ to pull a fast one on me?”
His blue eyes widened with sincerity and his voice was adamant as he replied. “No, sir!”
“Damn! Didn’t think there was a kid in America that didn’t like or play some type of athletics."
“I was born in Egypt.”
That announcement put a stop to Jack’s train of thought. “Not American then?”
“Yes I am, just born and raised most of my life in Egypt.”
He knew there was a story there and Jack hoped that he’d learn more of Daniel’s interesting past with time. Getting up from the swing, he stretched his muscles. Winking at the boy, he ruffled Daniel’s blond hair. “Don’t forget we gotta date.”
Patting his mussed up hair back in place, Daniel scowled at the adult’s back as he sauntered away.
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Two weeks later, back at the orphanage
Arriving armed with a worn bat, baseball and glove, Jack played with the other children again; he made sure however that there was enough time put aside to tutor Daniel in one of America’s favorite pastimes.
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this,” Daniel’s voice was subdued as he ducked while another ball whizzed past his head. He heard groaning in the background and figured Jack probably regretted his decision to teach him. He was hopeless at this game and it showed.
"That made three strikes, Daniel." Jack was amazed at how poorly coordinated the kid was. “Maybe hockey’s more your thing,” Jack admitted with a wince. That youngster couldn’t hit worth a lick. Still, he gave him an encouraging thumbs up.
Puzzled that he even mentioned hockey, Daniel shook his head. "Ummmm, well, there's no ice in Egypt."
“Ah!” Scratching that idea for the moment, Jack decided that he’d come a week earlier and get permission to take Daniel out to a real live baseball game. He needed to broaden the kid’s horizons.
Little by little, the more Jack hung around the orphanage, he got the full story of how Daniel came to be there. Hearing the sad tale, he thought it a miracle that the boy hadn’t lost his sanity as he watched his parents die right in front of him. And what with his grandfather not taking him in… it was a tragedy for the boy all the way around.
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The next couple of months flew by as Jack got to know the real Daniel and in turn the youngster got to understand about the older man’s life.
Somehow, and Jack didn’t even begin to understand it, they rubbed along well together, and he recognized the strong connection that grew between him and the kid. After having a long talk with the people in charge at the orphanage and his own superiors at the base, Jack had several strings pulled for what he had in mind. You could say that the government of the United States owed him a few favors. Boy, did he have a surprise for the Danny boy!
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The day of Daniel’s birthday dawned bright and early. But for him, it was a typical day like any other.
After breakfast, he was wished happy birthday from the staff and most of the other children. Later that day, Jack even dropped by with a present for him.
Holding the slim, brightly wrapped package in his hands, Daniel shook it. “What’s in it?”
“Danny, it’s supposed to be a surprise, forcryinoutloud! Open it up already!”
Slowly, meticulously, Daniel unwrapped his gift. The box held a single sheet of paper. But it was the words that were written on it, done up in fancy red script, that made tears instantly appear in his eyes to slide down his cheeks.
Looking up at Jack with all the hope in the world in his young face, Daniel was at a loss for words. Though they eventually managed to find their way out. “You really want me to come live with you?”
“Yeahsureyabetcha! I had a few markers owed me and collected on them, kiddo.” He held his arms out wide. “That is if you want to come stay with this flyboy.”
Dropping the paper, Daniel ran into Jack’s arms and hugged him tightly like he’d never let him go.
“We’ll start out by fostering like normal and if you think you can put up with me... how would you like to become my son?”
Mouth hanging open at what Jack just asked him, Daniel couldn’t believe his ears. But he knew one obstacle stood in his path of happiness. “What about Nick?”
“Didn’t I just say that I pulled some strings?” Looking down at the blond head nearly buried in his chest, he murmured quietly, “Happy Birthday, Danny."
The slip of paper on the floor was the only witness to the tears that fell that day. The simple words on it spelled out a happy future. It read… Property of one Major Jack O’Neill.”
Some things were just meant to be.
The End