(no subject)

[diehard_daniel]

The hand that's not clutched in Eris' closes the door behind them as Daniel follows the goddess into his apartment. The place is empty except for his fish, and if they're surprised to see a beautiful blonde precede him into the living room, it's impossible to tell from their faces.

"Uh, this is my apartment...kitchen, living room, dining room of sorts...bathroom..." Daniel points out all the rooms as he speaks their name, then blushes faintly, pointing behind them. "And that would be my bedroom we just came out of, if it wasn't the bar instead."

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[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

Her smile widens.

"Good morning, Daniel. At least you remembered eventually. How did you sleep?"

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel's answering smile is decidely sheepish. "I don't do very well before I have coffee...I slept pretty well, actually, thanks for asking." He looks around, then back at her. "Did you...what did you do all night?"

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She chuckles quietly. "I'm glad you slept well. Mostly... mostly I read. And learned a new language."

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel looks interested by this; despite the early hour, scholastic achievement is always a source of fascination to him. "Really? Which language is that?"

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

"Abydonian... from the handbound books? It's a beautiful language. It's been a long time since I've had one to learn."

She stands up, slowly, stretching a little, and gathers the books up.

"I hope you don't mind my going through your library like that."

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel freezes up a little at the mention of Abydonian. "Yes...it was a beautiful language."

She's a goddess, she should notice the tense change.

"Of course I don't mind. It's fine." Daniel tries to smile at her, and manages a little. "Are you hungry? Do you eat at all?"

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She walks over to him slowly, setting the books carefully on the kitchen table. "Are you offering to cook? Because you probably do a better job than I do, if you are."

She reaches over and takes his hand for a moment, squeezing it lightly and then dropping it.

"What happened to the people who spoke Abydonian, Daniel?"

[diehard_daniel]

"Yes, I can cook." Daniel grins at her. "I don't spread it around because my friends would be coming over asking for food all the time...but if you'd like something, I'd be happy to make you breakfast."

His grin turns into a sad smile at the question. "The entire planet was destroyed last year."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She blinks, a little, processing the two very different bits of news. "I... don't think anyone's ever offered to cook me breakfast before, actually... heh."

She smiles up at him a little, shyly, then looks away again, glancing at the books.

"Was it those alien parasites you fight, the ones that pretend to be gods?"

[diehard_daniel]

"Then it's past time. Do you eat?" Daniel turns to the refrigerator, opening the door. "I have food without fur, for a change."

He doesn't look away from the refrigerator when he answers. "No. Well...sort of. It was one, but he wasn't...it's...uhm, complicated."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She grins, a little.

"Yes... I eat, Daniel. I can eat anything you can, and maybe a few things you can't, although I might not want to. Family characteristic, really. Most everything humans can do, and a few other things besides."

She sinks onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table, to watch him cook while probably not being completely in his way.

"I like complicated stories... tell me?"

[diehard_daniel]

"OK then."

Daniel starts getting things out, while trying to decide where exactly to tell this story. Eventually, he settles on, "I told you about the Stargate, right?"

From there he tells her about the Ancients, how they were wiped out by a plague and some of them learned to Ascend. He tells her about Shifu, his wife's son, and how Oma Desala took the boy in. Then, as the eggs are just starting to make that pleasant sizzly noise, he says, almost calmly, "Two years ago I died."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She blinks.

"For someone not currently at Milliways, you seem remarkably alive for all of that."

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel chuckles softly. "Yes, well. Oma helped me Ascend. Or at least, that's what everybody says. I don't remember."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

"You don't remember? What happened, that you do remember?"

[diehard_daniel]

"The last thing I remember is asking them to stop trying to heal me, so I could Ascend. Then there's a year-long blank spot, and then I remember waking up naked on a planet I'd never been to and not remembering anything. It seems I tried to save Abydos while I was Ascended, and as punishment, I was forced back into human form with all my memories taken away from me. Mind, that's just conjecture, but it's the most logical explanation any of us could think up. The other Ascended didn't take well to my interfering with human affairs."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She blinks, and then smiles about three seconds later.

"Well, it looks like you got most of your memories back, at least... and I understand what it's like to have the others yelling at me for meddling with human affairs, as you say." She ducks her head, chuckling a little.

"Go on with your story, Daniel..."

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel smiles back, a bit wryly. "Yeah, eventually, though when my friends found me, for the first few days I was calling Jack 'Jim'."

He tells her about Anubis, then. About the Goa'uld somehow learning to Ascend, the Others trying to force him out. That's all he knows for himself, really; the rest he has to piece together from mission reports, Anubis' search for the Eye of Ra, the attack on Abydos, and then - and this is the part that makes him feel like maybe breakfast is a bad plan - the deal he apparently tried to make with Anubis which led to the planet's destruction.

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She stands, then, walking over to join him at the stove, and turns off the heat, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, wordlessly.

[diehard_daniel]

And Daniel leans into her arms, resting his forehead on her shoulder, because he really, really needs a hug right now.

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She presses a kiss to his cheek, softly, reaching one hand up to stroke his hair, and leads him out of the kitchen and back to the sofa, murmering quiet words of comfort.

[diehard_daniel]

Daniel's face is buried in his hands, and he's shaking. Thank heavens she turned off the stove, because he would never have remembered to. "I got them all killed. I don't even remember it, but I got them all killed. I would sooner have died. I almost wish I had."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She pulls him to her shoulder again, stroking his hair, and her voice completely contradicts her posture. She speaks drily, if softly. "Daniel... I find myself compelled to point out that, in fact, you did die. And your friends... they did survive, in a way."

[diehard_daniel]

"I know that. I know that. But it doesn't help. I wish I remembered, at least. I wish I really knew what happened...what really happened, not just what my friends saw..."

[to-the-fairest1.livejournal.com]

She presses a light kiss to his temple, still holding him.

"You will, Daniel. Someday. If I have to go find this Oma and talk to her myself, you will remember, if you truly want to. I promise you that."