Dance!

by Riantiata

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asr/riantiata/dance.php
Summary: Backstory for a favorite character. Daniel remembers an old wound

Jack turned off the TV. The game had been good but he didn't feel like watching any more reruns.

Daniel blinked as the sudden quiet brought him back from the daydream he always fell into whenever Jack watched hockey.

"Nothing else on?" he asked.

Jack shook his head

"Only reruns – seen most of 'em a million times. Roll on next season."

He picked up his empty beer bottle and moved to the table "I'm switching" he said as he reached for the malt Scotch, "want some?"

Without seeing Daniel's answering nod he poured for them both. It amused him that Daniel would sit with a half empty beer all evening without asking for something else. Unless offered an alternative he would accept beer though Jack knew he didn't like it. He took the bottle from Daniel and passed him a glass. Daniel took a gulp

"Thanks. That's good." He smiled in appreciation.

Jack slid a CD into the player slot

"Let's have some music" he sat on the couch beside Daniel as the music began to play.

"So" he said, sipping his whisky "How're the muscles?"

Daniel grinned

"Still a bit sore."

Jack snorted

"Not surprising. Some of those moves were really stretching it. Thought it was some kind of yoga to music – if that was music."

"Oh, it was music, Jack. It had an internal beat – you just had to feel it."

Jack chuckled

"You felt it all right. Picked up the rhythm in no time. Thought you weren't gonna stop."

"Mm." Daniel took another drink "Didn't want to. It was like yoga – very spiritual. A mind – body - spirit - type of thing. Their way of communing with nature – with their spirit world. The moves were very easy; they just used muscles we don't usually use. That's why I'm stiff. You and the others could have joined in easily."

Jack shook his head

"You're the meet-and-greet man. You play nice with the natives and we watch your back..."

"They were friendly." Daniel protested.

"Yeah. I know. Nice change. We have met the other kind though. I can't take chances."

Daniel sighed

"I know. It's just that I hate us being suspicious before we have reason."

"And I can't afford to relax in case the reason bites us in the ass."

This was an old argument so they smiled and raised glasses to each other.

"You did us a good deal with those mineral rights. Carter was delighted. It was worth a few pulled muscles."

The planet their mission had taken them to, had a slower revolution than Earth and their business had taken longer than expected, as the natives had prepared a feast for them. So it was that, though they weren't at all hungry, they were shaking off the adrenalin that a new planet always gave them; winding down to sleep. They drank quietly, just relaxing after the long day, listening to the music. Outside it was cold and dark, inside, with the thick curtains closed, it was, Daniel thought, like a warm, softly lit cave. He loved Jack's living room, it was comfortable and spacious - so different from his own which was overfilled with artefacts.

A Latin-american tune started playing and Jack got up. He made a few circuits of the room in time to the music.

"You see, Jack." Daniel commented, lazily "You are just as much a terpsichorean as me."

"Goes better without a P90." Jack reached down, placed Daniel's glass on the coffee table and pulled him to his feet "Dance with me."

Without waiting for an answer he took Daniel in his arms and began to move. Daniel gave a huff of protest then concentrated on following Jack's steps and eased into the rhythm. When it finished Jack asked

"Something you want to tell me?"

Daniel looked his surprise.

"I mean you are following me here" Jack explained "Now I know I have my own version of dancing. I've been told" he grinned "usually after I'd wrong footed my partner. Took Sara a hell of a time to catch up to my style. So what's with the Gene Kelly moves?"

Daniel smiled

"Oh, that. The girl I shacked up with in college..."

As the music started again Jack moved smoothly, saying

"Shacked up? Daniel! You dog. I sense a story of your wild youth. Tell all!"

He cuddled Daniel closer and did a series of turns that left them both breathless.

Daniel pulled away, sat at the end of the couch and retrieved his drink.

"I'm not dancing and talking."

"No good at multi-tasking?" Jack teased collapsing back on the couch "Come on, spill. Who was she? What was she like and what did you do?" He saw a flicker of something like sorrow pass over his friend's face – not a happy memory then, he thought.

"She was beautiful." Daniel said, slowly, and sipped his drink.

"Goes without saying, Daniel. Sarah, Sha're – even the aliens you've been unfortunately involved with. All beautiful. You've got good taste."

Daniel shook his head

"No. I didn't mean physically beautiful. Very attractive, yes – but she was beautiful in herself. Her name was Mel - Melanie. We met at college on a business studies course."

Jack's eyebrows raised

"Business studies?" What on earth did an archaeologist/linguist need with business studies?"

Daniel smiled ruefully

"Logistics, to answer the question I can see lurking. I needed another half credit and it occurred to me that this course would be useful. Fieldwork involves high levels of planning – choosing equipment, personnel, food and transport. Everything has to go to, mostly, remote sites. You rarely find an unexplored dig in a populated area - so no amenities."

He paused, and Jack took the opportunity to refill their empty glasses. He came back to sit at the other end of the couch wanting to see his friend's face as he spoke. He felt there was something sad about this tale and decided to cut it short if it looked like Daniel was upset.

"The digs I went on when I was on vacation were organised by whoever was in charge. In my later years, when I could organise my own digs, those studies enabled me to deal administratively - especially the financial side. They will give you a grant with one hand and hold out the other for the accounting of every cent – in triplicate."

Jack sighed

"Ah, yes. Paperwork. My favorite occupation – not."

"Anyway – Mel ran a dancing academy and was doing the same course."

"Ah! Love at first sight?" Jack kept his voice light – not wanting to tease as his friend was being serious.

"No. Nothing like that. She was a friend – a good friend."

"So how come the shacking?"

"We used to eat in the student common room. The others would go to the bar but it was so noisy. We liked to be quiet – discuss our studies. One day she noticed I was extra quiet..." he hesitated

Jack said softy

"You don't have to tell me anything that's painful."

He was amazed that Daniel was even talking about his past life. In the five years he'd known him, Daniel had offered very little information about his early years. Being a private man himself, Jack had early recognised the polite evasion in Daniel's dealings with his team mates' curiosity.

Daniel had recovered from his diffidence

"It's a long time ago" his shadowed eyes belied his voice "Mel asked me what was wrong and I was so choked up I couldn't tell her. She grabbed my hand and hauled me out into the park. She said later that my face frightened her – she thought I would have a heart attack. She got me out into the fresh air."

Jack nodded

"One of your panic attacks – where you forget to breathe." He'd dealt with those on more than one occasion, when his friend had hyperventilated.

Daniel shrugged

"Something like that. I told her I was having trouble with my room- mate. Somehow she knew what I meant..."

So did Jack and his lips tightened. Daniel was not looking at him showing an intense interest in his glass. Jack merely said

"Trouble?"

"Mm. He – er – kept coming on to me. Climbed in my bed a couple of times – then beat me when I wouldn't put out. Seemed to think he had the right. I'd had enough of that in the foster homes – I thought college would be different. Silly me! Anyway Mel had a spare room and she dragged me and my stuff back there and insisted I stay."

"Good for her!" Jack approved of this young lady – thank God someone was there for Daniel. He hadn't missed the foster home reference; he flinched for his friend's younger self and filed it away in his mental Daniel folder

"So... you and Mel?"

Daniel gave a small smile

"There wasn't a me and Mel. I only said 'shacking up' to get a rise out of you."

"To leave me hanging with curiosity?"

"No. An honest question deserves an honest answer, and I can't really tell you about my dancing without some background."

"You don't have to tell me any more." Jack said quietly. "You've told me about the academy - I can guess the rest."

"No, you can't. There's a lot more and, for once, I don't mind talking – not to you. If you want to listen, of course."

Jack smiled. Just try to stop him, he'd sit here all night if that's what it took.

"Dutch courage?" he asked, and, at Daniel's nod, he got up, freshened their drinks and sat back on the couch.

"Go on with your story. I'm interested."

"It does resemble a story. It's a bit like the ones they put in those women's magazines. Mel had some, she wrote stories for them."

Jack frowned

"Along with the academy and college? Busy lady."

"Never still. But her most important role was to look after her partner." He looked up into Jack's eyes "They were gay..." he paused waiting for the look of distaste to come – when it didn't, he was encouraged, by Jack's nod, to continue.

"Micki had MS. By the time I joined them she was wheelchair bound and nearly helpless, only her hands were still mobile. Mel had to do everything for her."

The CD ran to its close and the silence was tangible. Jack raised enquiring eyebrows and Daniel responded

"Put some more on. It helps."

Jack loaded the player and turned the lamps down lower.

"Micki – Michelle, actually – and Mel, had been dancers, a double act. Very good they were too. Micki had me play a video of them, one day when Mel was out. Micki didn't mind watching herself, she was philosophical about the MS. Mel raged against it – the unfairness – she would speak to me with great bitterness. She never showed her anger to Micki, was always tender and caring, cracking jokes to make her laugh, but Micki knew. Her worry was that Mel would eventually find it too much . That they would be parted; neither could live without the other. They were closer than any two people I have ever known."

He paused to take a drink, his eyes lost in the memory of his past.

Jack moved to get more comfortable, crossed his legs and asked

"How did Micki deal with your arrival?"

"Oh. She was pleased. Someone to talk to, a fresh face. She couldn't get out much, only when Mel had time to take her to the park, which wasn't often. They had a few friends, of course, but Mel was very possessive, she would look after Micki if it killed her." He dropped his head, a sad expression on his face "But once I was living there she let me take over some of the chores. She felt she could trust me."

Of course she did, thought Jack, the most trustworthy person on the planet. Mothers would leave their babies in Daniel's care given his focussed integrity. He smile inwardly at the thought of Daniel surrounded by babies – bewildered but he would cope.

"Mel wouldn't take any money from me, which was just as well as my student grant barely covered my books. When she found out I could drive, she bought a car – well, an old van really, that would take the wheelchair - so that we could take Micki out. That was my rent paid. It was a good arrangement. In fact my whole time there was great."

"How long were you with them?"

"Two years." he swallowed, and took a quick drink. "I couldn't believe my luck at first, I'd never had a family of my own and that was how it felt, a bit like SG1 is now." He smiled at Jack. "Then... this is where your question comes in, Mel decided to teach me to dance. She said I moved well and she wanted to use me for demonstration at the academy."

Jack remembered the gauche, stumbling youth that had been Daniel when he first arrived at the SGC. Who had known that, under the misshapen uniform, lurked a dancer? Obviously movements made with military control had been unacceptable to the Daniel that was.

"I did a lot of my work in the room with Micki so that I was there if she needed me. My studies were going well, with no hassle or pressure, so I decided a little exercise on the dance floor would do me good. I didn't realise I would learn to love it, especially on my first day. Mel said 'you know that story about Ginger Rogers – that she did everything that Fred did, backwards, and in high heels? Well, you don't get the high heels but I'm going to teach you backwards first. When you can do that I'll teach you the man's steps.'"

He chuckled and Jack nodded his understanding – that would explain Daniel's expertise.

"I like the sound of her. She certainly taught you well."

"She said she considered me an honorary woman." Daniel said flatly, not sure how Jack would react.

Jack's eyebrows soared

"It was a compliment." Defensively.

"I realise that. You obviously made quite an impression – but then you always do."

Daniel flushed, embarrassed

"I didn't on you."

Jack shook his head

"I wasn't myself at the time. You got through later." Boy, didn't you just, he thought. He gave a little 'get on with it' gesture and Daniel continued.

"It was fun, once I'd got my feet sorted out. I'm a quick study with anything I'm interested in so I was soon leading Mel. Then it was demonstration time – Oh, God. Jack. I'd never done anything in front of an audience before. I was petrified."

"You got over that" commented Jack "I've heard you lecture - and what you do in the Briefing Room with your Powerpoint displays and your pointer is pretty much like a three act play." He grinned.

Daniel shook his head

"That's different. That's my job and I'm comfortable with it." He grinned back "You should know by now that I love imparting my knowledge – even to those" he gave Jack a knowing look "who tune me out."

"I always remember the salient facts."

"Yes you do, damn you. Anyway Mel laughed at my fears, told me to stick a smile on my face and not to worry about my feet." He chuckled "We did the whole of the first dance going the wrong way round because once I got started I couldn't stop. At the end Mel said to her class 'that's just to show you how it's not done.'"

Daniel's laughed at the memory

"I had a great two years with them; I had a home with good friends. I didn't do any fieldwork while I was there. It seemed more important to get Micki out. So, at vacation time we'd just pile the wheelchair in and go. While I drove they used to sing to me. Micki's breathing was bad but it didn't stop her. I was mostly into classical music at that time but I got a good grounding from them in all types – folk; jazz; film; show tunes; pop..."

Jack noted the soft smile – not all the memories were bad then. He wished he'd known the younger Daniel. He asked

"No rock and roll?"

"Oh. Yeah. There was this very fast rocking number Mel and I used to do when she wanted to let her hair down on the dance floor. She would really shake loose."

"Dance floor?" Jack queried.

"Yeah. Well, occasionally we would go out to dance – not often, because of Micki. Mel loved to go, but only with me. She got hit on so often, being a very attractive girl, that she'd given up . Said I saved her sanity – I was safe..."

Jack grimaced

"No, Jack. You don't understand. I wanted to be safe. We could have fun – I kept her safe from the predators. She was the sister I'd never had. Much like Sam is now."

"You're the only man I know who has beautiful women – as sisters – for crying out loud. Like I said – good taste – but I'll never understand how it works out like that – for you. So when you and Mel went out, who stayed with Micki? I presume you never left her alone?"

"Never. By the time I was living there she had deteriorated so much that it was dangerous to leave her. We were only able to do that if Mrs. Panetti was available. Neighbor. Italian – large family – inveterate baby sitter, hence her limited availability..." his eyes suddenly darkened and his lips tightened.

Jack quirked his head

"Daniel you've just given me a thumbnail sketch of the good lady. Do I smell trouble in paradise?"

Daniel grimaced

"Not Mrs. Panetti. She was larger than life with a heart to match. She had only one fault – her grandson Franco. She had other grandchildren but he was the youngest – about ten . He was the focus of her attention – her beloved – could do no wrong; and our bete noir. He was disruptive and a nasty little bastard."

Jack was surprised at Daniel's vicious tone.

"The last time we went out we came home to absolute mayhem. There were police and a doctor and Mrs. Panetti in tears. The little bastard laughing his head off at the two paramedics lifting Micki's wheelchair - which was on it's side with a trembling Micki trying to hold on to her dignity."

Jack stayed quiet letting Daniel work through his fury. This memory still had the power to hurt and anger his friend. Finally Daniel resumed his story

"Micki had channelled her artistic tendencies into art. She still had limited use of her hands and she was a competent illustrator. She had been drawing and painting that night – we always made sure she had everything she needed at her table when she indicated that she would like to work. When Mrs. Panetti came in she brought Franco with her – she sometimes did – although we didn't like it. However, she was a good neighbour and we didn't like to make waves. Usually we would give him paper and colored pencils and let him make pictures. This time, though, it wasn't enough. He wanted Micki's paints and he snatched them away from her. His grandmother made him give them back so he grabbed her finished pictures instead. She tried to grab them back and the wheelchair tilted. He climbed on the back and started rocking it, and it went over. "

Jack could visualise the scene and was not longer surprised by Daniel's anger.

"Mrs. Panetti called the police, but they wouldn't pick Micki up in case she was injured. They called Micki's doctor and the paramedics, which was when we got back. Mel was screaming in fury, hugging Micki while the doctor was trying to examine her, I hit the roof and shouted at Mrs. Panetti to take her turd of a grandson away before I hit him. Which I was ready to do."

Daniel sighed

"It was a mess. Micki had to stay in hospital for a week while they sorted her out. Mel went stir crazy, spent most of the time in the hospital. I did what I could, cleaned the place up, even took a couple of the classes that couldn't be cancelled. We never went dancing again. Mrs. Panetti was not asked to sit again. I did it, when Mel needed to go out. We arranged our studies so when one was at college the other was with Micki. She'd had a fright and became rather clinging, but that was understandable. We were never out of earshot."

"Was she hurt?"

"Only a badly sprained knee where the wheelchair had trapped it. Could have been much worse. It did seem to make her deteriorate quicker. I didn't say anything to Mel, she was convinced that Micki was getting better although she knew it wasn't something you recover from."

"No. It's not. It just gets progressively worse."

Daniel looked at Jack with surprise

"A favorite aunt of mine had it. We always hoped it was the benign kind that just causes a little weakness. There are many different types but unfortunately she was like your friend. Pretty helpless in the end."

"Yeah. That's what happened to Micki. Mel had always insisted that we put Micki in their bed at night although I think she secretly wanted to stay in the chair. Mel wanted to be able to hold her, big and lumpy though she had got. It didn't matter to Mel, she was still her love. The morning that I was awoken by a scream from Mel; I knew what had happened. Micki had died in the night, quietly, with no fuss. Mel was inconsolable. Funnily enough after the first reaction she went quiet. Didn't cry, hardly spoke. Just sat and rocked herself. I organised the funeral, disposed of the wheelchair and medical equipment. Cancelled the classes for the foreseeable future; Mel was in no state to take them and I didn't have the time."

Jack picked up the whisky bottle. There wasn't much left so he shared it between their glasses. He had a feeling that Daniel was coming to the end of his story and, considering it was one o'clock in the morning, thought that was just as well. They both needed sleep.

"Go on, Daniel." He said quietly

"The funeral surprised me – it was attended by quite a few show business people. Mel and Micki had been very popular in their day, and many took the time to come and pay their last respects. One actor even flew in from Hollywood. Mel was very calm at the funeral. I had laid on a decent buffet at the house, and she presided over it with a quiet desperation that had me worried. She was glad to see all her erstwhile friends but I could see she was eager to be elsewhere."

He turned the glass around in is hand, then took a gulp. Jack was used to Daniel sipping his drinks so the revelations were not over.

"The day after the funeral she asked me to come with her to see her solicitor. I didn't even know she had one but it seemed reasonable with the academy, and the writing and illustrating that both of them had done. She had obviously been in touch with the solicitor because he had all sorts of papers for her, and me, to sign. It seems she wanted to go away for a while, and she had made me responsible for the house – to pay the bills and generally take care of her affairs. I asked her where she was going and how long she would be gone – she was going home, or at least to her hometown where she and Micki had grown up. It was on the Florida coast. I asked if she wanted me to drive her there, but she said no, she would catch the Greyhound bus.

It was all very low-key and I guessed she just wanted to be off by herself."

Jack guessed what was coming and his heart ached for his friend

Daniel's voice was low

"She went off the next day and that was the last I saw of her. She had arrived at her destination and just walked into the sea. They found her body the next morning on the incoming tide. I went down and brought her back; she's buried beside Micki."

He was quiet for a few minutes then turned to Jack

"I didn't mean to pour all of this out. I just couldn't stop. It was unrolling in front of my eyes as if it were happening now instead of years ago. I haven't been able to let go. Maybe now I will. Thank you Jack."

"Thank you, Danny, for sharing." Jack finished his drink "What happened next? Were you able to get on with your studies?" He desperately hoped that the trauma had not been a turnoff for his team mate.

"After the second funeral I had a call from the solicitor. Mel hadn't left me in charge of things while she was gone. She had signed everything over to me, to do with as I wished. In her will she wished me well in my career and hoped that the bequest, that was a laugh – she had left me everything – would help me financially with the things I wanted to do. It did. I stayed in the house while I finished my studies. Then sold it and tucked the money away so that I would be able to finance my own dig one day. I kept very little from those days except the one thing that I now can't find. It probably went the way of all things after you cleared me out. After the Nem debacle."

"A lot of your things were given back" protested Jack "We didn't have the heart to throw much away – remember we were almost sure you weren't dead."

"Ah, well, this was wrapped in an old blanket so it wouldn't have looked like much. My second Christmas with Mel and Micki they bought me this incredble book on Egyptology. The text is not the greatest but the pictures are fabulous. You've seen it, that big blue and gold tome. Well it came in an equally impressive blue and gold box – God knows what that present must have cost, because the box was almost as grand as the book. I kept it and put in it all the photos and stuff I wanted to keep, after I cleared out the house. Then because the box was so beautiful I wrapped it in an old grey blanket to keep it from harm." He shook his head sadly "That was all I had of them."

Jack stared at him, his mind racing. Did he remember? It was four years ago after all. He excused himself and left Daniel sipping the last of his whisky.

Daniel was sleepily turning over in his mind all that he had said this night. He had really opened himself up to Jack, had unloaded a lot of baggage – he just hoped Jack hadn't been bored. Too many whiskies he told himself.

Just then Jack came in, covered in cobwebs; with a big grin on his face. In his arms he held an equally cobwebby grey blanket. Daniel's eyes focussed immediately and he held his breath.

"In the loft. Thought I remembered. Breathe Daniel!" as his friend started to gasp. He unwrapped the blanket - and - there was the box, glowing in glorious blue and gold in the lamp light.

"Oh. Jack. You kept it. I didn't know, I thought it was gone."

He took it from Jack's hands and opened it.

"Look, Jack. That's them." He passed a photo to Jack, who looked at it in amazement. Only Daniel, he thought , if it's not thousands of years old with some fabulous history then 'attractive' will do. Two beautiful girls who could have graced any Hollywood film or New York stage – rare girls. He was eager to watch the video he could see peeping out from the box.

"What's this?" he reached in and pulled out a photo of a young Daniel in evening dress accompanying the blonde Mel in a froth of ice blue.

"Oh. That! We had a little trouble with that. It was a competition and we won it, then someone told them that Mel was a performer, so they took the award away. But they gave it back when they realised she wasn't professional any more."

"Is that the award?" asked Jack, pointing to the cup displayed on a table in the photo "I've seen that in the back of your closet." Daniel nodded "Well bring it out and display it, like you do everything else. Let it see daylight. It's yours – be proud of it."

"I will" Daniel's voice was soft with emotion

He was riffling through the photos. A manuscript caught his eye "One of Mel's stories – she had finished it the day before Micki died, it never got sent off; and here is one of Micki's illustrations" he passed it over.

Jack was impressed by the versatility of artistic expression that the two young women had possessed. They seemed to have been incredibly gifted. Song, dance, literature and art.

"They didn't play instruments as well did they?" he asked jocularly

"Didn't I say my piano came from a friend? It was Mel's."

Daniel looked up at him his eyelashes stuck together with unshed tears.

"Thank you, Jack. Thanks aren't good enough for what you've given back to me." He placed everything back in the box, got up and gave Jack an enormous hug.

Jack pulled away, ruffled Daniel's hair and said

"You're welcome, Dannyboy."

Daniel turned away hugging his box and ratty old blanket and disappeared in the direction of the spare bedroom. Jack locked up, turned off the CD centre and lowered the lights.

Some time later when Jack was ready for bed he noticed the spare room light shining under the door. Hoping that Daniel wasn't going to be looking at photos all night he opened the door and peered in. Daniel was fast asleep, lying fully clothed on the bed surrounded by photos. Tears had rolled down his face, leaving marks, but the lips were curved in a little smile.

Nice one - thought Jack, as he turned off the light and closed the door, he'd got something to be thankful for.

He'd made Daniel happy.