The Wedding by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. Daniel is the Best Man in Jack and Sam's wedding, but not everything is as it seems.
Spoilers: All seasons, including 10.
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.
The Wedding
Chapter 1
When Jack told Daniel he had finally decided to ask Sam to marry him, Daniel was happy for both of them. Though it was one of the few subjects he had never been able to broach with Sam, he had witnessed enough of her relationship with Jack over the years to know there was something there. He knew from Jack that they had never gone beyond the longing looks and the silent encouragement, but he was certain that Sam would welcome the chance to go further, especially if what Jack offered was what she had been looking for all along since the days when she agreed to date Pete: the possibility of having a family of her own, of completing that side of her life that seemed to have been abandoned for so long while the soldier and the scientist matured.
For others, it could seem like a rushed decision to go from looks to marriage, but, when feelings were as deep as the ones that developed inside SG-1, Daniel understood the hurry.
He expected Sam to come running to his office the next day to give him the good news, but nothing happened. Later that day, he dared to call Jack and ask. He was relieved when his friend told him Sam had accepted his proposal and they had even started planning a simple and prompt wedding. He was surprised when Jack added that they would keep it a secret for as long as possible. Daniel understood the desire for secrecy, just not that Sam included him in it.
The problems began later that week when he, at last, admitted to himself that there was something about the whole idea of the wedding that bothered him very deeply. The same way he applied himself to extricate the meaning of obscure hieroglyphs on a tablet, he spent the weekend analyzing his feelings. The conclusion of his self-exam surprised him more than any ancient secret could have. While he was happy that Jack had finally decided to leave his fears behind and try again at having a family, he was not equally happy that he had chosen Sam to do it. The reason behind that thought was even more disconcerting; he would have preferred Sam to still be free and for him to have a chance with her. He had to admit to himself that over the years he had held Sam as the standard to which compare every other woman he had met and none had passed the test. He really wanted the original. The idea that everything was about to change and that he would probably lose the closeness he had with Sam, especially if she moved to Washington, made him experience a kind of fear he had never known.
He recognized it was only his fault and nobody else's that he had missed that opportunity. He had been by Sam's side for years while she was still unattached and when perhaps she could have been open to a different possibility. The fact that she had always been there was one of the reasons why he had not needed to explore his feelings for her. Even during the time when she was dating Pete he had not felt threatened by him; he knew in his heart that Sam would not change what she had at the SGC for him.
For days he chastised himself for having been so blind to his true feelings for Sam, but he concluded there was nothing that could be done now. It was too late. Sam had exactly what she wanted and Jack was going to be happy. He had to be happy for them.
A week later, Sam invited him and Teal'c to dinner and gave them the good news. Teal'c congratulated her in his impassive way, but kept a discreet look on Daniel as his friend showed his enjoyment at the news. Teal'c knew Daniel probably better than anyone else. Jack had been a good friend to Daniel longer, but Teal'c had had the open mind necessary to see beyond the words and expressions of the archeologist. Hours of shared Kel'no'reem and conversations that reached deeply into their thoughts and feelings had taught him everything he needed to know about Daniel. Now, sitting by his side as he smiled at Sam, he could see that Daniel was genuinely happy at her joy, but that there was also a hidden pain he was not willing to share.
After they left Sam's house, Teal'c used the direct approach that had always given him best results and asked Daniel point blank if he had considered the possibility of telling Sam about his feelings for her. Daniel's surprise did not last long; he should have known that Teal'c would have noticed, even when he did not. He carefully explained his reasons for not telling her and, though he disagreed with them, Teal'c consented to keep it to himself.
In the following days Daniel helped Sam carry out most of her wedding plans. Hiding his sadness, he sat through countless hours of dress fittings and bridal registry filling, among many other tasks. He felt that he was as much the Maid of Honor as the Best Man for Sam and Jack, but with Cassie still busy in school, he did not mind filling in for her.
Two more weeks had passed before Daniel noticed for the first time that there was something wrong with Sam. He could not pinpoint exactly what it was, but he knew her too well not to feel her discontent. He tried to probe her to find out the source of her stress, but his own feelings got in the way and he remained clueless.
After Jack flew into town for a weekend, Sam seemed to have solved all her problems and a few days later Daniel received an odd invitation from Sam's brother, Mark, announcing the wedding of his sister but naming no groom. Besides the breach of protocol that the invitation meant, there was also the weird feeling that Jack and Sam were taking the secrecy of their engagement to the extreme.
The day of the wedding, Daniel reluctantly got into the tuxedo Jack had "ordered" him to wear when he accepted the offer to be his Best Man. He looked in the mirror and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Logically they had to be there after he had spent the whole night turning in his bed, unable to sleep. While he was still lost in thought, Vala knocked at the door and entered the room without waiting for a response. She looked radiant in her bridesmaid's dress. Daniel was still surprised that Sam had asked her to be in her wedding party along with Cassie, the Maid of Honor, especially because he had not seen their relationship get that close.
Vala noticed the tired look on Daniel's face immediately and got an array of make-up bottles and tubes from her bag to try to fix his appearance. He complained as much as he could, but, after looking at the mirror again, he realized it would be far easier to hide his frustration with his newly improved face.
When he finally reached the garden, he got his first look at the small group of friends and co-workers who had gathered to witness the wedding. He walked toward the altar holding Cassie by the arm, followed by Teal'c and Vala and Cameron with Carolyn Lam. As he stood waiting for Jack to join them, he tapped into the happiness that it gave him that Sam and Jack were going to get what they wanted and got a smile on his face.
Cam whispered that Mark Carter had been unable to make it to Colorado on time and for that reason Jack had decided to walk directly with Sam to the altar. Though unusual, it was not unheard of bride and groom making their entrance together and, considering how atypical the whole event had been until then, Daniel just smiled again and settled himself to wait for them.
The first thing Daniel noticed when the two finally appeared at the end of the garden aisle, besides Sam's radiant smile, was that Jack was wearing a simple suit, nothing elaborate, no tux. He wondered what had driven Jack to force him to wear one when he was not going to do it himself. He turned around and noticed that Teal'c and Cameron were in suits matching Jack's and he felt perplexed. He had been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he had not noticed before.
Jack guided Sam to her spot in front of the altar and then turned toward Daniel and stretched out his hand.
"Daniel," he said in an inviting tone and with a smile.
Daniel felt disoriented for a second and then decided Jack was asking for the rings he was keeping. He got them out of his jacket pocket and put them in Jack's hand. His friend closed his hand around them while at the same time he grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him towards Sam. Daniel complied, confused as to what was going on. This had not happened in the rehearsal. As soon as he was standing by Sam's side, Jack whispered, "She's all yours. You'd better make her happy, Spacemonkey."
Daniel turned to Sam who was now holding his hand. He asked without a word and she leaned softly toward him and said very quietly, "You told me once that in leap years, women could propose marriage to the men they loved. I know it's not leap year, but you're the man I love, so, would you marry me?"
Daniel opened his mouth as he always did when he could not find words for what he was witnessing. He managed to nod softly and squeezed Sam's hand as he turned around and faced the priest. He would have a long conversation with Jack later, and probably with Teal'c, too, but he was too elated to think about that right then. He just had to enjoy the moment.