Cassie's Gift by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. Sam and Daniel get a gift and it turns out to be very different than they thought.
Spoilers: All seasons.
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.
Cassie's Gift
Chapter 1
December 26th. (right before noon)
"I can give you that," he said suddenly, without looking at her.
"What do you mean you can give me that?" she asked, confused.
"Think about it." He stood and faced her boldly. "We've shared moments that no others get to share. We know things that would leave any normal person sleepless. We've gone to places and done things that not many on this planet can even imagine. And in spite of it all, we're still here, fighting the battle, with hope for the future, and fairly sane… which in itself is a big accomplishment… And, and this is very important, we're still friends."
"Yes, friends, but-"
"But we've never crossed that line. I've seen it grow thinner sometimes, and back to impenetrable later, but at this time, I almost can't see it. Because here, on this ship, we're only Sam and Daniel. We don't need to save the world or guard our backs. We're normal people. The problem is I'm not sure that we know how to behave normally anymore."
"So what? We should jump in bed together?"
"No. That's not what I mean, but after these two weeks, you'll be back in Atlantis and I'll be back with SG-1, and the chances that both of us will survive the next months will be as slim as usual. I didn't think it could get worse out there, but it's more dangerous now. Every time we beat an enemy, a bigger and better one comes after us." He stopped and looked straight into her eyes. "When was the last time you took a vacation or even a day off? To have two weeks is a miracle. If we decide to do something together during this time, nobody will ever have to know. We probably won't have any chances to follow up either. You know how hard it's been to merely communicate since you left, much less talk about personal stuff. At this point, the way things are, we have no future together, but we can have this present."
She felt very moved, but she wanted to be sure about what he was saying. "I know what I asked for, Daniel, and I see how you could give it to me that way, but what would you get out of this?"
"The truth, Sam? Ever since I lost Sha're, I've felt that I have all this love inside of me, all this affection, passion, tenderness, if you want to call it that, but I don't have anyone to give it to. Sometimes I feel like it's going to choke me. If I can give you any of that, Sam, it would make my soul infinitely lighter, and at this time in my life, I can't think of anyone else I'd want to share that with."
She could not say anything. She stepped closer and hugged him. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Nevertheless, she had never really thought that anything like that could work between the two of them. Deep, deep friendship, certainly, but not more than that. Then, he was not exactly declaring his undying love for her or asking her to marry him. This was different and she needed to think about it.
"It's almost midday and we haven't eaten anything," he broke the embrace. "I'll go hunt for something to eat so that we don't have to go out yet. Why don't you stay and think about this? We can keep on talking later. There's always another port if you still want to go home."
She nodded and he left the cabin. She sat on the edge of the bed and reviewed how she got herself there.
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