Halloween 2008
By Joy
Summary: A little Halloween encounter.
7 kb | Unbetaed | PG-rated (sorry)
Sometimes, the fluorescent light in the bathroom was just a bit too bright. Especially after a long day spent in his dimly-lit office. Daniel often wondered why he didn't use the overhead lighting. It was certainly available. But he did like the softer, gentler, perhaps more subterranean, lighting of the lamps he used.
The bathroom, with its cool concrete floors, cold porcelain, and even colder lighting, was a stark contrast. Worse yet, the damn hot water took forever to engage; it was especially annoying when dirty, sticky hands needed cleaning. His always did, and always, he hated waiting for the water to warm enough.
Today, however, was a day he refused to wait. Cold water would have to suffice, and it was irritating. It added to the unpleasant feeling he'd had since morning. There was something off today. He felt like he was being watched, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with the security cameras in the corridors or in his office.
Something was out there.
It wasn't a hard thought. Just something in the back of his mind, always there. It was waiting, too, perhaps. Waiting for something to happen.
The liquid soap from the dispenser was a little gummy. Another side-effect from the cold harshness of the bathroom. Didn't they ever think to heat the place? He rubbed the mass of pearly white substance into his palms, mixed with water, and spread it through his fingers, trying to get the tacky residue from the artifact off the creases underneath.
It was then that his mind wandered. Wasn't hard to do. Handwashing was a mindless task. Except this time, something struck him. It was that odd feeling again. The watched feeling. The something is wrong feeling.
Attention moved to his ears, to the still silence of the bathroom; the only noise was the rush of water through the pipes, into the sink, and down the drain--and the movement of his hands. He slowed their repetitive action and strained to hear more through the dead silence.
Hackles rose on the back of his neck, his head. He should shut off the water, he told himself, but he didn't. He stared into the sink, thinking, Look up!
But what if he wasn't imagining things? He didn't have a weapon. Would he even need one if some nameless horror crept up behind him with an axe, a knife?
Would it be too late, looking up?
Turn around then, said the calmer, colder portion of his mind. The one that matched the floor and the porcelain and the harshness of the lights.
A tingling sensation spread over his skin, his scalp, and he could swear he felt heat from behind.
It was there. It was real. It was ready. It wanted him, wanted his life. Perversely, Daniel wondered what life there was left to give it? Except ... what little there was left was his and why the hell should he give it up to some gormless creature feeding off fear and intent on his destruction?
He rinsed his hands, slowly, carefully, forming a strategy of motion in his head as he waited for the thing to attack. He knew it wasn't his imagination. The hackles were rising higher, the tingling getting worse, and the instinctual need for a fight becoming paramount.
Movement slowed even more as he turned off the water. In the next minute, he would look up for a fraction of a second as he turned to his left. Not his right. He needed to have his right arm ready to rise. After turning, he would grab, he would grimace, and he would defend himself by going on the offensive.
It would be live or die time. And wasn't that what his life was all about these days? Couldn't the universe just sit the fuck down for once?
So. It was time. No more waiting.
He gripped the porcelain edge of the sink, tensing the muscles of his body, building strength, ready to spring and release, and ... now!
He looked up, that split-second thing, and all he saw was a black shape, confirming his knowledge that there really was something there, that his imagination had not failed him and turned to fantasy.
Turning further, his left hand grabbed at the throat, achieving something like wool, while his left foot moved forward to hook and drop the legs of whatever this being was. His right arm rose, hand becoming a fist, and he dropped the masked, cloaked figure.
Fist still raised in warning, he pinned the stealthy being to the cold concrete, and readied to strike.
Eight seconds had passed and in the next two, he struck hard. It howled in fear and pain, and a hand covered the one he used to grip its throat ...
"Daniel! It's me!"
Daniel blinked and froze, arm raised for another strike, then allowed himself to see beyond the cowl and black-faced mask. And into its eyes.
A disgusted, slow-burning anger filled him for several seconds as he reached down and lifted the mask of his attacker's face. "You dumbass."
Jack smirked at him and rubbed his cheek. "Thanks for the bruise, asshole."
"Happy Halloween, Jack," Daniel replied sarcastically.
For a moment, he stared down into the face of his lover and considered smacking him once more just for added punishment, but decided that the moment was lost, as was the justification. He considered a kiss, given that they were alone, but dismissed that, too, since that would only reward the deed, and right now, Daniel was in no mood to be nice. "You couldn't wait till we got home for such shenanigans?"
Jack gave him a wicked smile. "This is a prequel, Daniel."
A warning, Daniel figured, as he backed off and hauled Jack to his feet. "What's he got planned?"
Jack smiled and thought of the chains, the dry ice, and the interesting knife Jason had bought. He allowed himself to briefly think of the black leather, then pushed the thought out of his mind in case Daniel should catch the anticipation in his eyes. "If that's your method of interrogation, it's lame."
Piqued, Daniel shoved him back and walked past, no longer needing to dry off his hands. "Nice try. And if you think you two have plans for me, you haven't seen anything yet."
Jack watched him leave, his grin spreading to an evil smile. He'd fired the first volley and the rest of the day was only going to get more interesting.