Title : The Walk Back
Author : DiBee
Summary : Sequel to 'The walk to the grave'. As the title says, The Walk Back. SamJack. Sam/Daniel friendship. Drama/Romance
Rating : K+
Disclaimer : The characters belong to their rightful owners, no copyright infringement intended.
Author Note : Again, I blame Passionate Cec' for the existence of that fic, but in fact I'm glad she asked, because it was surprisingly easy to write, and calls for more (yeah, I promise you, I will write more. At some point...^^)
I would advise that you read 'The walk to the grave' before this one, as there are some 'details' you might want to know of.
Daniel had been behind her the whole time, from the grave to 'home'. He was barely more than a persistent ghost anymore himself, his hand on the small of her back seemingly the last link to reality. He was a very compassionate friend, and knew the feeling crushing her heart far too well himself. Yet, no matter how good he was, he could not reanimate the house they used to call home. Jack would never again step past the door, in his dress blues and his very O'Neill smile.
Saying his name alone hurt, but the prospect of never hearing it again was far more painful than anything else. She didn't want the man she loved to be just a grave, and a face in a couple pictures. Yet she was not ready to have their child on her own, even with him she had been afraid beyond words.
"We won't let you down, Sam" She only realized she had stopped when she felt his hand press more firmly against her back. No matter the support, she couldn't picture herself as a good mother, especially not without him to conjure the amazing prospect of their little, and bigger family. They had bet on the size of the smile on Cassie's face when they would tell her about the baby to come. Now, as she watched Cassie's face, she could only hope they hadn't buried her smile once and forever with her husband.
She took a deep breath and only realized Daniel was hugging her once her head was tucked against his neck, her arms slowly coming up her sides to hug him back. Suddenly stilled, with no goal but the month-wait before the birth of their child, she felt something inside her break, the first tears streaming down her cheeks. Soon, she found herself gripping Daniel's shirt as hard as her sling allowed her, to keep herself upward. She realized they had sank to the floor when her head hurt the wall harder than it should have, making her wince, Daniel's arms nearly crushing her already injured ribs.
She could feel the other people in the room staring, then another source of warmth on her good side. Cassie, her nose against her cheek, was hugging them both, and Teal'c dropped his chin to his chest, not one for physical contacts when in pain, but still grieving with them.
"I'll be there for you, for you both." Daniel said, not really addressing Cassie. He knew. The road, the walk, would be long, but soon there would be another little human by their side to keep them walking.