Disclaimer:Same as everyone else. I don't own Stargate SG-1. I'm not making any money from this.
AN: This is my first posting of fan fiction. I've written some before but this is the first story I thought that someone else *might* want to read. Please review to let me know if I'm wrong!
"Knock, knock." Daniels warm voice washed over her, offering a welcome distraction from Sam's computer screen. Smiling, she turned her blue eyes to see him offering her a coffee mug, holding another for himself.
"How did you know?" She had just been thinking that a jolt of caffeine was in order, considering that the words of the report she was working on has begun to run together before her eyes.
"Lucky guess." A grin spread across handsome his face as he handed her the warming liquid, coming to rest just behind her shoulder. "Still working on your mission report from M3W-030, I see." Daniel sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, which only barely covered his smirk. "Honestly, it was just a moon, Sam."
Deciding to take his jib in stride, Sam laughed. "What can I say, I'm nothing if not thorough. I guess I just want to be sure the IOA understands how important this piece of technology can be."
"Oh, no, you're not fooling me. You want to bore them to death."
Laughing again, Sam just shook her head at her dear friend and offered him the chair next to her. "What about you? It isn't everyday you find the time to visit me anymore. Or should I say, it isn't often you escape from your adoring fan?"
Daniel hung his head, his cheeks reddening slightly. He knew that, though Sam was teasing him, there was truth in her words. Still, he knew it was best to take her scalding in stride. "Vala is actually out on a date." He looked at Sam then, wanting to gage her reaction. It was exactly as he predicted it would be. Her eyes shot up and her mouth formed a perfect 'o' shape.
"You're kidding?" Yep. Sam was definitely surprised. "With who?"
Daniel smirked again. "Oh, the new Captain that was assigned to SG-13. They met in the infirmary last week. He had 'the most gorgeous eyes,'" Daniel said in a perfect Vala impression. "I think she's trying to make me jealous," he stated.
"Is it working?" Sam smirked.
"Not really," Daniel said. "I don't know how many times I have to tell her that we're just friends and that I don't feel anything more for her than that. In fact, sometimes its downright exhausting." It was a conversation they'd had more than once, but Daniel couldn't ignore the feeling that Sam didn't really believe him. It seemed no one did. He'd hoped over time that she would take him at his word, since she knew him better than anyone else, but it looked as though he'd just have to get used to it.
"I can only imagine," Sam teased. "You must be ready to collapse from the strain of keeping your, ah, I mean, her, hands off you." Despite wanting to be upset, the twinkle of amusement on Sam's face was infectious and Daniel could only return her grin.
"Ha, ha. Very funny. But I guess I walked right into that, didn't I?"
"Yep."
"Still, I will admit that I don't get to see you nearly enough these days. How've you been?" The two slipped easily between friendly jesting and sincere companionship. It was Daniels favorite part of their friendship. They could always detect the mood of the other and respond in kind.
Sighing, Sam drank deeply of the steadying brew. She'd been doing a lot of thinking lately, trying to figure out the answer to that very question. She hadn't come up with much and she decided if anyone could help her see things more clearly, it was the man sitting beside her.
"Well, since you brought it up, I'm not entirely sure." A frown formed on Daniels brow, but he let Sam continue. She smiled, knowing that he would let her talk as much as she needed to. "I've been thinking a lot lately about my life outside of the SGC. Again. You know this comes up every year or so, almost like clockwork. This time it started when I was shopping last week for Cassie's graduation present. Speaking of which, god, can you believe she's old enough to graduate from college?" Sam waited for the answering grimace from Daniel, accompanied by a sound that remotely resembled a grunt. "Anyway, I was on my way to the electronics section, trying to figure out what Cass will need most for med school, and I passed the baby department. I immediately thought that the next time I'll be buying baby cloths will probably be for Cassie, and that the closest I'll ever come to being a grandmother is to her children. That's when I starting thinking about my life, you know, outside of here." Sam gestured to the room at large and took another drink, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I know with the Ori breathing down our necks we've got more important things to worry about, but sometimes I can't help but wonder what I'll have when the dust settles. I know that we don't know if Merlin's weapon worked or if we'll ever find the Ark, and the dust might never settle. But, will all I have left at the end of this, albeit incredible, journey, is a bunch of stories I can never tell to grandchildren that aren't really mine?" Sam stared into her coffee. She'd never expected to bear her soul like that, but it seemed to pour out of her. At least she'd shared it with Daniel. She knew he wouldn't mock her, or throw around trite cliche's like 'don't worry, be happy.' She let the silence linger, knowing that he would speak in his own time.
He was watching her carefully. It was rare that he and Sam shared moments like this these days, and he wanted to let her know it was okay that she had allowed her vulnerability to show. He placed a reassuring arm on her back and gently rubbed, trying to ease the tension he could read in her body. "I know exactly what you mean," he said simply. Sam glanced and him, one corner of her mouth lifted to show her appreciation. "Sometimes I can't help but think of what life would be like if I could have continued my life on Abydos. Surely by now I'd have at least one child, probably more. I wonder what kind of father I'd be, you know. I wonder if I'll ever get the chance to have a child now that Sha're is gone. I know that right now there's nothing else I can do but fight the Ori threat and try to save as many lives as possible, but I also know that to do so means giving up more time I could spend actually living anything resembling a 'normal' life. There are even times when I wonder if the sacrifice is too great." Daniel paused, and for a moment the two sat in quiet reflection, letting the presence of the other bring its own comfort. "But, in the end," Daniel resumed, "I think it will all be worth it. I have to believe that we'll find a way to stop the Ori once and for all, assuming Merlin's weapon didn't work, even if we never find the Ark. And I have to believe that when we do, I will get a chance at a real life. I believe you, will, too."
Sam smiled at her friend and felt some of his optimism seep into her. Talking with Daniel was exactly what she'd needed. "Thanks, Daniel." Sam drained the last of the mugs contents. She noticed that Daniel still looked pensive. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Sam, I have to ask." She sighed and held up a hand, knowing what he was going to say but not wanting to hear the words.
"I can't give you an answer, so don't bother," she said sadly.
"What?" Utter confusion lined Daniels features.
"We haven't spoken in three months. About that... or anything else." Sam tried not to let how sad she was show, but it was no use. Daniel had always been able to read her like a book and tonight was no exception.
"You're joking, right?" The stiffening of her shoulders told him she wasn't. "I can't believe he hasn't called, or anything. I mean, granted, I haven't spoken with him either but I thought that was just because of, you know, all this." Daniel gestured to Sam's laptop where her mission report remained unfinished. "But I assumed that you and he were..." Daniel let the angry words trail off. He couldn't let his frustration get in the way of comforting Sam. "Do you want me to talk to him?"
"No!" The intensity of her remark caught her off guard. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply to reign in the emotions coursing through her. "No, Daniel," she said more gently, "that's okay. After all, I'm a big girl, remember?" Daniel knew Sam's teasing tone and playful smile were forced. Her eyes revealed the deep seated hurt she was really feeling. But he could also see that the soldier in her wanted to do this on her own and for her sake, he decided to let it go.
"Okay, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me."
"Thanks." Standing, Sam stretched. "Oh, wow. I didn't realize it was so late. I should probably head home. I can finish this later." Sam saved her work then shut down her computer, while Daniel grabbed the now empty mugs and carried them over to the sink and rinsed them out. Following her to the elevators, the two fell back into their friendly banter. At their cars, Daniel pulled Sam into a tight hug. She savored the embrace, not for the first time grateful to have such an intuitive best friend.
On the way home, Daniel let his thoughts turn back to the subject that had upset him so deeply earlier. If it wasn't for his promise to Sam, he'd be on the phone right now. The nerve of him! Daniel would give him a week, and if in that time nothing happened, he would take matters into his own hands.