Title: Getting Closer
Author: Jemma
Story Status: Complete
Series/Sequel Info: None
Season: Four
Spoilers: Beneath the Surface, Solitudes, In the Line of Duty.
Categories: Friendship, UST/Romance, little bit of angst.
Pairings: Sam and Jack
Rating: K
Content Warnings: None really.
Summary: Answer to Claire's challenge: What if Sam and Jack had got closer in Beneath the Surface?
Archive Permissions: Please ask.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters relating to Stargate. They belong to MGM and any of their associates. I'm just playing around with them for a little while!
Authors Note: Just had to answer this challenge! It wasn't how I intended it to turn out, but oh well!! I hope you all like! Feedback is loved!!!
Date: 21/01/2003

SGSGSGSGSG

After our sudden almost-declaration of feelings, I was left feeling slightly ill at ease. My head was still resting on Jonah's shoulder, the pressure under my cheek a welcome comfort.

There's something about him that makes me feel happy, confused, excited and scared all at the same time, and something inside me knows for certain that if we have had our memories erased, we did know each other before.
Something connects us.
Something strong.

All of a sudden the solid comfort below me disappears. Jonah is standing up in front of me.
"Come on," he says whilst holding out his hand to me.
Slowly I slip mine into his palm and allow him to pull me up. Our fingers entwine as he pulls me off in the direction of the living quarters.
His movements remind me of something called...an...animal I think. A large...cat...thing. I remember they're strong and graceful, just like him.

At this time of day we are the only people who are around this area of the plant. Everyone else is either working or at a meal. Technically we should be working too...but knowing what we know it's hard to find a reason to want to work. What's the point if it's all a lie?

He pulls me all the way through the sleeping area to a storage room at the end of the corridor.
He throws open the door, checks inside then pulls me in behind me, shutting the door quietly. He pulls a cord and the light above us comes on, it's faint but provides enough light to see.
It's then that Jonah lets go of my hand and walks to the back of the small cupboard and over to a shelf on the wall. When he starts to look in and behind various boxes I question him.

"Jonah? What exactly are you doing?"
"I put something here...I just need to...ah! Here we go."
He stops rummaging and turns to me, a small tin in hand.
"What's that?" I ask whilst walking towards him.
"Look," he says, opening the top of the tin for me to see inside.
Inside is the largest amount of biscuits I've ever seen.
"Jonah," I breathe. "Where did you get these?" I ask as I pick one of the items up.
"A foreman I was working we a few months ago gave them to me. When I asked where he got them he said he couldn't say, just for me to keep them a secret cause if anyone found them we'd both be in big trouble."

During his explanation I had taken a ginger bite into one of the biscuits. Compared to our normal meals they were heaven. Sweet and soft, not at all dry.
"Jonah! They're delicious!"
"I know," he replied, picking one out and eating it for himself.
We shared a secretive smile and then leant back to slide down the wall behind us.
"I wanted to bring you here Therra. I wanted to show you this so we wouldn't have any secrets between us. I know it's not much but..."
"Thank you," I say quickly, cutting off his nervous babbling.
Wait. Babbling? That's a strange word...
"I don't want us to have any secrets either," I say quietly to the door opposite us, not daring to look at him as I made my statement.
The air seemed very still in that moment. The tenseness hanging between us like electrical cables, ready to strike us down.

"So! What other dark secrets are you concealing Therra?" he asks suggestively, and as I look at him I see the sparkle in his eye and waggle of his eyebrows.
I laugh despite myself.
"I don't know what you mean Jonah..." I reply coyly. "I think you know everything about me. Well, as much as I know about me anyway, which given the events of today is not a lot."
He gives a deep chuckle at my words.
"Well, we're all in the same boat."
My head spins round to meet his.
"Another saying?" I question.
"Must be," he replies slowly.
"So," I begin. "You afraid of the dark?"
We both laugh out loud, before Jonah covers my mouth with his hand.
"Shh!" he chides whilst still laughing himself. "Someone will hear."
I manage to reduce my laughs to quiet giggles.
"Hey, no giggling."
His hand is still over my mouth as my brow furrows in confusion.
"What?" he asks, slightly concerned by my response.
"I remember that."
"Remember what?" he asks, removing his hand slowing and putting it on my upper arm instead.
"No giggling. I remember that. You saying it, some when...I can't..." I close my eyes, trying to block out all the thoughts my brain is telling me to think and concentrate on the ones I'm trying to find below the lies.
"Take your time," he says slowly.
I squeeze my eyes closed harder. I can feel the memories slowing coming to the surface.

"It was cold," I begin. "Dark, and...I think we were both in pain." I stop abruptly as a memory hits me. I look him straight in the eye. "I was scared."
He looks concerned.
"Why?" he says in a breath.
I lick my lips.
"You were dying. Everything was white, and you were dying. I don't think I'd ever felt worse in my whole life."
I see the lines around his eyes crinkle slightly.
"It's OK," he whispers, bringing his hand from my arm to stroke my hair. "It's just a memory. Over and done."
"I know. It's just...because I'm only just remembering it again, it feels like it just happened, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he replies sadly as his hand moves from my hair to my cheek, his thumb gently stroking.
"What do you remember?"
He breathes out a heavy sigh.
"Just...stuff...you know."
"No, I don't. Tell me," I press.
He removes his hand and turns away from me.
"I remember you. But not you. Something had changed you, and I was scared for you, that you were gonna die. That I wouldn't be able to save you."
"What had changed me?" I asked, turning and sitting on my legs so I could face his side.
"I...something. It was in you, and we didn't know. But when I found out...I thought you were gone, and that was it. That you were never coming back."
"But I did?"
"Yeah, you did."
I smile at his profile. I've never seen Jonah express himself this freely before, and I get the impression he doesn't like doing it much. Maybe another trait from his past?

Suddenly on impulse I move around to sit in front of him. His eyes stare dead ahead into mine. I slide myself onto his lap, wrap my arms around his shoulders, and just hold him. In my slightly higher position I'm able to rest my head on the top of his.
Not even seconds after I had initiated the contact he was responding.
I feel his arms around my waist, holding me in place. I feel his head resting on my chest, the touch more comforting than anything else. I feel his outstretched legs bending upwards and then touch my back, effectively moulding us together.

After a few moments I feel his hands moving up and down my back, my sides, arms, everywhere I can think of.
I sigh into his hair.
"You know," he begins, voice muffled slightly by his face being in my jacket. "We shouldn't do...anything...if we don't know if we did it...before. You know?"
"Yeah, I know," I say softly. "But that's OK. In this place it's just nice to have someone."
I can almost feel his smile forming before he removes his head from its resting place against my chest and looking up at me.
"Yeah. Having someone is good," he says, smiling up at me in a way that makes me feel like we're the only two people on the planet.
I smile back at him whilst I run my hands through the hair at his temples, ruffling it backwards, but putting it back in its rightful place afterwards.
I lean forward and press my lips against his forehead for a long moment, knowing that this is as much contact as we can afford to let ourselves have. At least until we get our real memories back.

As I pull back his eyes are closed, with an expression that I can only describe as pure happiness written all over his face.
"Come on," I say gently. "Back to work."
I run my palm over his face once more before pulling back and standing up in front of him. I reach out my hand in the same way he did for me earlier, and he takes it.
Once both standing we smile, then wordlessly walk back towards the door. Just before I open it his hand slips from mine. I understand why.
I wouldn't want to take this outside of this room either.
It's our little secret.
Our place.
And that's where our moment will stay.

SGSGSGSGSG

That's it!! I've done it!! Finito!! Hope you've enjoyed it, and as always...FEEDBACK me:)