Title – Strangest Places
Author – Ash (aka angellemyst)
E-Mail – angellemyst@hotmail.com, feedback and constructive criticism welcome.
Classification – Angst.
Archive – Only at nocturnality.com, anywhere else please ask.
Spoilers – Full Circle, general s6, G.
Summary – Sam attempts to come to terms with losing a best friend, and gaining a Jonas.
Disclaimers – Not mine.

A/N – Originally written for the Livejournal drabble community 'stargate100', but I expanded it into a mini-ficlet.

~~~

'Did I do something wrong?'

She'd been asking that a lot lately.

After returning from the Abydos mission, things around the SGC had calmed down. As much as they were ever calm. SG-1 was, for all intents and purposes, back to normal.

It was as if Daniel hadn't been with them at all. Neither Teal'c nor the Colonel had mentioned him again, hadn't talked with her about him.

Jonas was still Jonas. Still the quirky, weather-loving, brainiac of the SGC. After a year on the team he'd grown on her. Surprising, since she hadn't initially even wanted him on the team. But they had both changed. Daniel's ascension had affected everyone he'd left behind. Jonas wasn't her new best friend, wasn't the person she would stay up all night talking to about anything.

But he was her friend.

She was the one he would come to talk to about things, even if she didn't go to him. The night after the Abydos mission, he had come to talk about Daniel.

***

"Sam, you do know what time it is right?"

He was the only one who called her that around here now.

He'd noticed the tablet they'd brought back, and gestured at it with his hand.

"You find anything on it?"

"Not yet. I'll keep you posted though."

He'd nodded but didn't leave.

"Something you need, Jonas?"

"Are you ok? You seem a little-"

"Tired?"

"I was gonna say 'sad', but yeah, tired too."

Jonas had once told her that he noticed things other people didn't. She understood that now. If anyone else had noticed they hadn't spoken up.

"Just sleepy I guess. Working late a lot."

He knew she wasn't telling him everything, but he wouldn't push her to talk.

"Thanks for stopping by."

His cue to leave.

"No problem."

She'd watched him go through the doorway. He'd made it halfway through before she'd spoken softly.

"I just keep wondering…did I do something wrong?"

She'd frowned, trying to find the words to explain how she felt. Not wanting to dwell on why she was telling him. Why she was telling him.

"He was my best friend, Jonas. I mean, there was always Janet of course, but I was with Daniel nearly every day for 5 years. SG-1 went through everything together, and at the end of it all, there would be Daniel – I would find him most nights just sitting around somewhere with a cup of coffee and a book, looking like the cutest geek in the world."

She'd smiled at the memories. Jonas had sat down, just listening.

"I don't want to sound petulant but...why didn't he ever visit me?"

"He visited the Colonel and Teal'c because they needed his help. He obviously knew you were ok on your own, Sam."

"That makes sense, logically…"

"But you can't help feeling like 'the odd one out'?"

She knew Daniel hadn't visited Jonas either.

Would he ever feel like an actual member of SG-1, rather than the outsider?

"Right. He didn't visit you either, did he?"

"I guess neither of us needed saving."

She'd nodded and he'd left a while later. Returning to his own little space in the SGC he now called home. She really had to talk to the General about letting him live off base. She knew she spent most of her time here, but if she were actually forced to, she'd go nuts.

Kind of explained a lot about Jonas.

Maybe next time Sam would go to him to talk. Maybe sometime soon it wouldn't feel like she was still betraying her best friend.

Sam sighed.

But she doubted it.