|
Disclaimer Page Musings by Moon Light List of Stories by Moon Daniel Jackson Library |
Barters N Garters Library
Here comes the rain again Chapter Five Before retiring for the night Calla insisted on checking on the kids and the babies in the house. In her room Colleen assured her Mother that she Lilly and new baby Brigid were fine. Earlier in the evening she sent down to the nearest open pizza joint and he brought home four large pizzas, leftovers were in the fridge. “And they include a whole bacon, tomato and garlic, just for you, ok Mom?” Colleen smiled at her stung out Mother then looked up at Daniel. “I don’t think she can hear me.” “I hear you,” Calla whispered absently. “I was trying to think,” her voice trailed off and she stood there staring blankly down at Coley. “Thank….you.” Calla smiled a proud grin as if to say ‘those are the words I was looking for’. “You’re welcome, Dad will heat you up some.” She looked over to her Father. “There’s a sausage, mushroom and onion for you.” “Ooo, thanks.” Daniel replied and realized he was starving. “Get some sleep, Mom. I’ll keep an eye on the babies tonight.” Brigid was next to Colleen’s bed in the bassinet. “Good night.” Daniel lead her out of Colleen’s room and into the nursery where Lilly was happily cooing herself to sleep watching the lighted mobile go around. “See she’s fine too. Let’s go to our room.” He coached and watched her lean into the crib, cover and kiss Lilly before turning back to him. “I’m tired, you will check on the house?” “I will,” he said softly, “just as soon as I get you into bed, I’ll even heat you up some of that pizza while I’m down there.” “And….and…” “The cocoa, I know.” Putting his arm around her tiny waist Daniel lead her out of Lilly’s room. In the bedroom Calla stumbled to the bed and readily pulled back the covers. “Don’t you want to get undressed first?” Daniel asked. “Oopps,” she tittered and stripped off the heavy gray sweater and blue jeans. He hadn’t started the fire yet and the bedroom was cold, Daniel was able to gather that much information by the instant stiffening of those lovely pink nipples. Daniel rummaged around in her lingerie drawer and came up with a soft warm yellow nightgown it looked as though the white one was probably in the wash. “Put this on. Do you want me to help?” “I….I….can do it.” Calla picked up the nightgown and then put it down again. Stumbling across the room she opened the dresser, pulled out one of his old shirts and then struggled to get it over her head. Daniel struggled not to laugh as he watched her. Finally she managed it and then crawled into the bed while he turned his attention to getting the fire going. Almost the middle of February and it seemed there was no sign of winter letting go its icy grip. Lighting the fire in the bedroom hearth was a snap as it hadn’t actually gone out in months all he had to do was stir up what looked like cold ashes to find red hot embers beneath. Daniel placed a few small pieces of wood onto the grate and poof a roaring fire sprang to life within seconds. Squatting there by the new fire making sure it caught and staring into the fresh flames it seemed to him that heroin she got either wasn’t very pure or wasn’t very much he guessed that because she looked ready to crash and she hadn’t been gone from the house all that long. Then again, he wasn’t really sure just when she left the house. “You stay right here, ok? I’m going to heat up that pizza, get you some cocoa and maybe something cold to drink too. I’ll be back.” “K.” She said with a sigh and snuggled down under the covers just as though nothing ever happened. Daniel bent down and kissed her forehead before he left the room. In the kitchen Nicholas was waiting for him. “What’s wrong with her this time?” “Where were you?” Daniel returned without turning on the light. “I left her here with you.” “I ain’t her babysitter.” Nick snapped. “Besides, like I told you, you got my head all spun up. You got me doubting myself, Dad. That ain’t right.” Nick grumbled. “So instead of checking in on her I just said ‘she’s all right’, spent my time with my wife packing to move into our new home.” “Is that why you married Annie?” Daniel shot through tight lips and looked around to be sure no one was listening to them. “It was a very quick ceremony, Nick. Is that it, you married her so you’d stop thinking about fucking your Mother?” Nick stood up. “I’m gonna say this just once,” he returned through the same thin lips, “I love you, Dad, I love Mom. But if you get in my face like this again we’ll have more than words. Just…leave me alone.” “Or what?” “You don’t understand, you never will.” “Try me.” Daniel dared. Nicholas couldn’t readily thinking of an apt analogy. “What if…..what if you were one of a handful of people like you, your own kind, your own race. What if almost all the others were just like you, male. There was one female among the whole group. Don’t you think you’d wanna make love to her even if she was your sister or your aunt or…” “My Mother?” Daniel asked. “That’s what this is about? Your Olympian Blood?” “I told you…” “I know, you’re different. You and Calla and Cole and Ares, all of you, you’re different.” Daniel hissed. “You live, work and play by different rules than us mere mortals.” “You’ve had almost twenty years so get used to it already. If Mom had stayed in that world…in her world,” Nick stressed, “she’d have more lovers than you could shake a stick at and almost all of ‘em Gods with Olympian Ichor running hot in their veins. You are not mortal any more Dad. Get used to it,” Nick hissed again, “you’re different too. Soon you will live, work and play by different rules, just the rest of us.” Nick got up from the big preparing table. “I’ll promise this much, Dad. I will never do anything she doesn’t want me to. Good enough?” Nick didn’t wait for an answer he just walked out of the kitchen, open the door under the stairs and went down to his wife. Within mere minutes Daniel heard them going at it like rabbits downstairs and wondered if Annie knew that sometimes when Nicholas made love to her he was seeing his Mother’s face. Daniel opened the pizza boxes and took out three slices of each which he popped into the microwave and waited while they heated. Standing in the kitchen leaning against the counter Daniel remembered he promised her cocoa and something cold. In her state she wouldn’t notice if he just poured powered Swiss Miss mix into a cup and….. “Yes she will,” he sighed grabbing a small sauce pan and filling it half way with fresh milk. He set it on the stove on a medium flame and set about gathering and mixing the ingredients for Calla Special Hot Chocolate. It wasn’t hard to make and it was much better than the ready-mix stuff. As he started mixing the ingredient he added more milk to the pan thinking he’d like a cup too. The microwave buzzed and the milk just started bubbling, Daniel poured it in the big mugs and stirred the chocolaty mixture. Along with a cold bottle of Coca-Cola and glass of ice he put everything on a sturdy tray and carried it up stairs remembering that she hadn’t slept in a few nights. On his way to the bedroom Colleen stopped him, “Dad,” she whispered poking her head out of her room and beckoning him over with one finger. “What’s up, pumpkin?” “Mr. MacLeod called, he wants to know if Mom’s all right. I didn’t know what to tell him and I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, if she knew you were calling people to track her down…” “Yeah, she’d blow her top.” Daniel agreed. “I’ll call him after I get her to sleep, I’ll let him know she’s all right. Thanks. Everything all right in there?” “Brigid’s a good baby, I’m sure she and Lilly are going to be very best friends.” That was Cole always doing her best to look on the Bright Side, so much like her Mother. “I’m sure they will.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’m very proud of you, Colleen. You’re a very fine young woman and I’m not just saying that because I’m your Father.” Colleen smiled wide for him and wrapped one arm carefully around his neck so as to hug him without spilling the contents of the tray in his hands. “Thanks Dad, see ya in the morning.” She ducked back inside the room and shut the door. Continuing his way to their bedroom Daniel made one more stop, this time in the communal bathroom in the hallway and found a bottle of over-the-counter sleep aids. It had been so long since she’d gotten a good nights sleep and she really needed one. Once again feeling the slightest bit guilty and grabbing up two gel-caps, Daniel said a little prayer that they wouldn’t horribly collide with the remainder of the heroin in her system, opened them with his thumbs and poured the blue liquid contents into a cup of cocoa. Stirring it well with the end of his toothbrush he brought the tray into her. Leaning up against the sink he realized there was something in the thigh pocket of the cargo pants he was wearing. The sawed off tin can and its contents, he’d forgotten all about that. Daniel took it out and looked inside. Maybe he was right, maybe Calla didn’t boot up as much as he thought. The spook was stuck to the top of the candle, she must have just dropped it on the flame and as the wax cooled it froze the spoon in place. At the bottom of the tin can was a stick half-dried whitish substance. Cooked heroin. She must have let at least half the boot go to waste. Daniel stuffed the can into the wastebasket and covered it with the other trash inside before going down the hall to the bedroom. “Here you go, honey. I want you to eat some of this but mostly I want you to drink the cocoa, ok?” “Um, it smells very good.” Calla sat up in the bed as Daniel settled the tray over her lap and then handed her the cup of cocoa. Without question she took a long drink of the silky smooth liquid and then smiled. “Thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Daniel returned and shut the bedroom door. “Have some more maybe you’ll sleep better tonight.” “I hope so, I’ve hardly slept at all since…well…since whatever it was. We haven’t even spent two consecutive nights together in our bed.” she mumbled taking another long sip of the relaxing chocolate. “You made it my way,” Calla remarked with a smile. “You’re very thoughtful and after I’ve screwed up again so badly.” Getting undressed he thought about what she’d said. It had been just over a week since World War 3 ended—was that all? Just one lousy week?—and if they weren’t off in Avalon for two mortal days with no sleep then he was off in Ares’ cave bargaining for Calla and Brigid and another two days passed. They spent two nights in Scotland but they weren’t exactly consecutive and they were probably the best sleep either of them got over this week. No one had to tell Daniel Jackson that his Wife hated to sleep alone and that she probably hadn’t even tried it. So then it was little wonder she ended up on David’s doorstep, he would always be the closest thing to Daniel. When he wasn’t here, if David was close by, then Daniel could see her going to him more and more if nothing else than a peaceful nights’ sleep. Those sessions with Dr. Willie were looking better and better to him. Looking in the mirror Daniel gazed at her reflection. Calla was just sitting there with the tray on her lap and the big blue mug in her hands. She was staring at the tray as though trying to figure out what it was. “Not hungry?” Daniel’s slacks hit the floor and he draped them over the chair. “Calla,” bottomless, shirtless and reaching for his bathrobe he said her name again, “Calla?” The triangles with the white and red toppings looked very interesting to her. They smelled good as well. For the life of her Calla just couldn’t remember what she was supposed to do with them. They were on the tray and on her lap for a reason so what was it? And what were the red and white triangles called? She should know, she knew damn well that some part of her knew those answers as well as she knew her name but, well, Calla just couldn’t reach that part right now. The side of the bed went down and she looked over to see Daniel sitting there staring at her. “What?” “The pizza,” he pointed to it and prodded her further, “you said you were hungry.” “Pizza,” she sighed. That’s right, it’s pizza with tomatoes, bacon and garlic just the way I like it. It’s pizza and you eat it. How stupid of me. Feeling like an idiot who was out of phase with the rest of the world she put the half empty mug of cocoa onto the nightstand and picked up a slice of the warm thin crust delight. “Pizza,” she said again. “I knew that.” Raising it to her lips the tip of reached her mouth and then she put it down. “What’s wrong with me, Daniel?” “You’re exhausted.” Daniel told her easily and hoped she believed him. It wasn’t that he was lying not at all, she was wiped and so was he. Some time in the near future he was going to make sure they went on a long vacation just the two of them…and probably Brigid. “And,” he tried to find a soothing way to point out the obvious and couldn’t find one, “you’re stoned, Kitty. Your brain doesn’t work well when you’re high on heroin.” She grimace and the pizza fell from her hand back to the plate. “How much did you buy? Enough for one boot or more?” Calla who had been looking at him cast her eyes down at the slice of pizza which left her palms greasy. “Tell me I won’t be angry I just want to know. Did you buy enough for more than one boot?” Biting her lower lips she shook her head and turned her eyes back to him ready to take her knocks for the bad deed she’d done. “I promise, no. I only got a small amount just enough for one.” She held her arms out in his direction rolled up the sleeves and turned them this way and that for his inspection. “You can check….my office, my class…the car.” “Just a little something-something, huh, Kitty?” Daniel took both her hands in one of his. Thinking about how much heroin had gone wasted at the bottom of a sawed off tin can and looking down into those stoned but trusting eyes he had no choice. “I believe you. I should have stayed home a while longer or at least told you about Brigid and where I was going before I left. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t understand what happened, Calla. I never had any designs on Enya, I always kept my distance from her, you must have seen that.” He took a breath while she nodded. “I just wanted to be able to explain it to you before I told you. I wasn’t going to keep it from you and Nick and Cole and even David, they just did what I told them to, that’s all, I told them to keep it secret until I figure it all out.” “Niume said we would have children soon, I guess she was right.” “She told you that?” Daniel was surprised. “Yes, when we took Excalibur back, she looked at my palm and said that we would have at least two more children and it would be sooner than I thought.” She nodded her head and took in a deep sigh. “Much sooner and not what I expected.” “Me either.” He let go of her hands. “Drink the rest of your cocoa before it gets cold.” Daniel reached for his own cup and his stomach let out a very loud rumble which made her snicker. Daniel grabbed a slice of the Heartburn Special as Cole called it and ate it down in three bites. Ares was a good host but Daniel hadn’t eaten much that was offered to him. Bringing the cup to her lips she looked at him from over the rim. “You’re not angry with me?” “I wouldn’t say that.” Daniel disagreed in a polite voice while reaching for another slice. “You slipped, I don’t like it, it doesn’t make me happy and yeah it ticks me off but under the circumstances I can’t really hold it against you either.” Calla let out a sigh and her head dipped down on her shoulders. Daniel had the distinct feeling that was the wrong answer. He should take a harder line with her, he should tell her he was pissed off and that he wouldn’t accept this type of behavior from her. “I saw David today.” While Daniel only sought to remind her of that fact so he could take her in a different direction, strangely enough, the information almost seemed to perk her up a little bit. “Did you bring him his money?” “No, Kitty it’s Sunday the banks are not open today. I’m going to bring it to him tomorrow and then he’ll go away. That is what you want, isn’t it?” “You will stay? You won’t move away.” “We discussed that, I already said I would stay. Isn’t that what you want?” Daniel asked again. “I want to be with you.” The cup was empty now and she put it on the nightstand for the remainder of the night. “Did you fight?” Daniel looked past her to the cup on the nightstand making sure it was empty. “We talked.” “About me?” “Among other things.” “He told you, didn’t he? He told you….” “Nothing happened, you fell asleep and that’s all, yeah he told me.” “And do you believe him?” “I believed you first. I didn’t have to hear it from him.” Oh what a lie! Daniel hoped that she didn’t see it in his eyes or hear it in his voice and from the way she gave him that sleepy little grin he guessed he’d gotten away with it. He should have believed her first and now that minor mistake was just another thing growing, festering and making him feel guilty. “I don’t want you turning to him, do you understand?” “He’s a snake,” she said with a yawn. “I was….I had….” “My gun,” Daniel finished remembering the loaded weapon was still in the Jag, he’d have to bring it in and put it in the safe when she fell asleep which looked like it was going to be relatively soon. “I don’t believe that you would have shot him, Kitty. Why did you bring the gun? Why didn’t you just blast him away with your mind if he got out of hand? I won’t be upset if you happen to kill him in self-defense.” Her eyes were getting heavy it seemed the sleep aid was kicking in, Daniel picked up the tray from the bed and put it on the floor. She hadn’t taken a single bite of her favorite pizza, which had even come from her favorite pizza joint—seemed the kids were noticing their Mother’s lack of appetite as well. Did she eat anything over the two days he was gone? “On the most basic of levels,” she said in a weary voice, “David is you. You are him. One became two.” “Yeah, kinda the definition of identical twins.” Daniel agreed. Calla only nodded and let out another yawn her mind was slipping away again and it was most frustrating. She knew what she wanted to say but couldn’t make the words come out of her mouth. With a great effort she pushed a few garbled words through her lips. “B-basement,” His blood chilled instantly. Daniel hated that basement. Lazily she picked up her right arms and turned her wrist around in front of his eyes, the left one joined it and she hit them together briefly before they fell back to the mattress. Kitty. Daniel didn’t know if he heard her thoughts or if just the motion and that word were enough to bring everything to light in his mind. He should have known the answer, back on the ship David had been able to give her some of his energy just the way Daniel did in fact they held her between them and jump-started her for lack of a better phrase. It gave her enough energy, enough strength to continue on but not indefinitely for as he could plainly see she was growing weaker again by the day. More gray hairs in pretty auburn head today than there were when he left for Ares’ cave. “You can’t, huh?” Daniel brought the covers around her. “Because he’s me and the last time you had to do that, the last time you had to defend yourself from me, you managed it but it took more from you than it did me. But you could shoot him, couldn’t you, Kitty?” “Hmm,” she mumbled and cuddled up next to him, her head on his chest just over his heart, one arm wrapped around him. The same way she always cuddled up to him every night for twenty years and the same way she cuddled up to David last night. “To—morrow you will….tell…me.” “Everything,” he promised. “Tomorrow is the first day of the new semester,” Daniel reminded her trying to give her something to look forward to. “I’m going to bring Brigid in to see one of the pediatricians on the base, just like you wanted me to.” She was almost asleep and he hoped the he 1 wouldn’t get any argument from her and 2 she would remember this tomorrow. “I want you to come in after your last class. You come get me in my office and we’ll go down and see Adams together.” Maybe the Xerinium in her system was what was making her restless and unable to sleep, at the very least it probably wasn’t helping her at all. To his surprise he got no argument, not even a grunt Calla just nodded her head against his skin and finally drifted off to sleep. “I love you, Calla, sleep well.” Forty minutes later Daniel snuck out of the bed stuffing the pillows under, near and around her as did so she would think him still there. Taking the tray down to the kitchen he went out the backdoor to the Jaguar and retrieved his load 9mm which he’d put in the glove compartment on his way home from the Motel 6. Leaving it out here was stupid he should have brought it in before now. It all right, no harm done, it was just where he’d left it and Daniel took it inside. Picking up the cordless phone in the hallway he took it into the darkened living room and noticed it was just after midnight, it would be near 8 or 9am in Italy. Daniel called Duncan and told him that Calla was….home. Then told Duncan the entire sad twisted story in the hopes that he would be able to offer some advice but Duncan didn’t want to talk about Calla and what Daniel should do for her. “When do you want me to come and teach you how to use that sword?” Was the question Duncan MacLeod asked. “I don’t know. Soon maybe. Maybe I won’t have to take him on.” Daniel told Duncan about the deal he struck with Ares and his impending trip to the Underworld. “Are you crazy?” Duncan asked. “Other than the idea that you’re basically peddling kiddie flesh here, Daniel, don’t you think that Hades and Eros and this Kanan are just…..well, they’re just dying….to get their hands on you? You’ll never come out alive and Ares will have what he wants most, Callestah.” In his rush to be rid of his Father in-law and his zeal to keep his marriage in tact, Daniel hadn’t thought about those things. Well, he thought about the kiddie flesh peddler thing and it really did turn his stomach. Surely Ares would wait until she was ready, he wouldn’t just throw the young girl down and…. ….No of course he wouldn’t…. ….Would he?... “She’s slipping away, Duncan.” Daniel felt his heart lighten. Keeping that fear to himself was eating him up. “Little by little day by day she’s wasting away right in front of me. Over this last week I bet she’s lost ten pounds. I have to do something. I can’t let this continue.” Again he felt a weight shift off his heart. Yes, I do have to do something. We can’t just pretend that nothing is wrong and hope it will go away this time. “You’re better off taking him on, he’s not invulnerable, you know.” Duncan reminded him. “You have no guarantee that you’ll ever get out of the Underworld.” “So you think I shouldn’t do this.” “Did you discuss it with her?” “No, not yet.” “Let me know how that conversation goes, won’t you?” Duncan cracked. “Yeah,” Daniel smirked seeing Duncan’s point. She was going to hate this and they both knew it. “I’ll call you later, Duncan.” “Good luck, Daniel. If you need any help just let me know. I’ll do anything for her.” “I know you will.” Daniel hung up and then put the cordless back in its cradle before continuing on up the stairs back to bed. Opening the door the soft glow from the hearth greeted him and so did the sight of Calla sitting up in bed. She was staring straight ahead at the fire, her eyes blank and the covers he’d tucked in around her had fallen away. The shirt—his shirt—covering her was mis-buttoned and one nipple peeked out from the soft red and black cloth to wink at him. “Calla?” He said softly closing the door behind him. “You should sleep, honey.” She didn’t answer him didn’t even turn toward the sound of his voice she just kept staring into the flames. Very carefully he walked around to his side of the bed, her eyes didn’t follow or catch upon him at all. Daniel got into the bed and waved a hand up and down in front of her face. “Calla?” He took her hand, it was cold, so cold and the bedroom was warm. “Kitty?” Daniel whispered in a very concerned voice. On her shoulders her head started to bounce around like a lightly tapped Bobble-Head in a few bounces it turn toward him. “Help me,” she said in a small frighten voice. “Danny, help me.” “Cal?” His other hand reached to take her free one in it. Her eyes were as blank and distant as the voice was tiny and scared. Daniel knew who the speaker was and it wasn’t his Wife or at least not the one currently sitting here with him in their bed. “Callestah?” The mention of her name seemed to bring more life to her. “Danny!” She cried and held tightly to his hands. “They want to hurt me.” “Who?” Those emerald eyes which just a little while ago looked as though they actually witnessed the Dawn of Time were now young and vibrant once more as they darted around the room looking for prying ears and spying eyes. “Tell me who wants to hurt you.” Once again he knew the answer and it was the main reason he agreed to go to the Underworld and retrieve this little girl. She was still innocent there was still time to rescue her from….. “Eros,” she whispered in disbelief and her green eyes welled up with tears. “Why?” She asked gripping his hand as tightly as she could. “Why? Hades and the black man. Please Danny, help me. Don’t let them hurt me.” She begged in a little girls’ voice. “I won’t. You need a find a place to hide and I will come get you...soon Can you do that?” If the choice really was between getting her out of there and handing her over to Ares or leaving her there with Eros, Hades and Kanan, Daniel would take his chances—and hers—with Ares. “Maybe,” she mumbled and her eyes started growing distant again. “Davy knows.” “What, what does David know?” That was all she wrote for the night. Calla was looking around the room and looking at him. “What’s wrong?” She asked looking down at their entwined hands. Gazing at her in the firelight it became clear to Daniel that it wasn’t exactly the Lady Callestah who was keeping Calla up at night but the little girl she used to be, the one reaching out from the Underworld looking for her Danny to rescue her. The Lady Callestah was probably tossing a fit in her head as well but it was the little one who was causing all the trouble. “I want you to listen to me very closely,” Daniel began and then told her everything regarding his visit with Ares and the little girl trapped in the Underworld. “Do you understand what I’ve said? For you and for her and all of us, Cal, I have to go get her.” There were a lot of things about the situation that she understood and a lot she did. Even more that she did not like but Calla couldn’t argue with the logic behind it all except for one minor flaw. “She has no body. This girl has nothing to come back to, even if you succeed in bringing her out….” She squeezed his hands. “The only body she ever had is mine and I’m afraid there are enough us taking up residence here at the moment.” “Ares must have a plan.” Daniel assured her. “David said he drank something, he said it tasted awful but later…..” “He awoke in his own body. David had a body to begin with. Reconstituting it isn’t difficult, not even after decades so long as some of it remains and it has not all turned to dust.” Calla informed him. “What did Psyche do?” Daniel asked. “She didn’t look like you remembered her, that’s how she got away with it.” “She was a Walk-In.” Calla explained and then saw that he didn’t really understand. “Father, as you know, uses her skeleton as a foot rest, they couldn’t take that without him knowing. Once upon a time there was a real woman named Rowan MacNeal but somewhere along the line Rowan gave up on life, she was probably about to commit suicide when Psyche found her. Bodies are precious commodities, Daniel.” She said with a pat of his hand. “If a soul can find a body, a healthy one, whose owner is about to….move out, shall we say? If that soul can get across one of the Rivers they can Walk-In to the body and take control of that persons life, they can live it for as long the body breathes.” “Maybe Ares has one of those in mind.” Calla rolled her eyes and let out a deep grunt. “You don’t believe that, you can’t. Father wants me the way I am supposed to be.” She stressed the last word. “This body, Daniel. This heart, this mind and he will not be satisfied with anything less.” “Are you telling me not to go?” Though she didn’t want to stop and think about it she did anyway. The idea of leaving an innocent little girl, especially the innocent little girl she used to be, in the Underworld for Eros and Kanan to enjoy turned her stomach. If there was a chance to get her out then, “No. Just be careful, Daniel. There’s more to this I know it.” End Chapter Five Of This story and all stories in the Barters N Garters Library are copyrighted to Lisa Beth Darling these stories
may not be transferred outside of this URL in any fashion. |