Title: At Night, Before Dawn
aka. At Night (revised)
Category: Sam/Daniel romance, friendship
Spoilers: Revisions
Season/Sequel info: Season 7
Content Warnings: none

Summary: Missing scene from Revisions. Takes place when Sam and Daniel are staying the night in the same home. Jack and Teal'c are staying with another family.

Authors Note: This is the revised version of 'At Night'. It's not simply revised for typos, etc. Basically I reread the first and realized that it sucked badly. I think this one is improved to the point where it only sucks mildly. Mostly, I realized that some things I was trying to get across didn't come out right at all. I've decided to leave the original and repost this as being revised because many parts, especially the ending are somewhat different. In case anyone wants to read the original (please don't), it's still available.

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"Why do you take all the fun out of everything?" Daniel teased as he looked into the mirror and removed his glasses. He placed them on the table and turned to face Sam who had just closed the door to the bedroom they'd been given for the night.

"Somebody has to keep you from getting yourself killed, and since the colonel's not here to do it. . ." Sam answered as she casually walked over and plopped down on the large bed.

"Spoil sport." Daniel's mouth turned into a pout as he asked, "What harm could it do?" He knew very well that seemingly harmless alien technology could do plenty of damage. He was partly disappointed that he'd missed out on the chance to instantly gain access to such a vast electronic library, but he was mostly grateful that Sam had been there to prevent him from using the memory device. Sometimes his curiosity got the best of him, and he'd been debating in his mind whether or not to use that device. If Sam hadn't been there, he might have made a bad decision. As usual, he was glad to have one of his friends by his side.

"You know I'm right," she stated matter-of-factly as she removed her boots. She could tell he was kidding, but she also knew the seriousness of the situation. The alien technology could have scrambled his mind, taken control of his body, or flat out killed him. She both adored and hated it when Daniel put his own life at risk in the pursuit of knowledge or for the sake of some stranger. She was relieved to discover that he had become more cautious lately with his own life.

She placed her boots side-by-side next to her bed and watched Daniel walk across the room in his bare feet then sit down across from her on the small sofa that he'd insisted would be his bed. Feeling the need to move around, Sam stood and crossed the room to look at her reflection in the mirror.

Watching her, Daniel couldn't help but wonder whether anyone else could look out for him as well as Sam. Other people, like Jack, certainly tried, but Sam made the biggest impact. Jack had a tendency to demand that he listen, which usually made Daniel balk at least at first. Jack couldn't help it, and Daniel didn't hold it against him; that was just the way he'd always been. Sam's approach was more subtle though, so he listened more closely. "I really don't know what I would do without you."

Sam looked at his reflection in the mirror and saw him leaning forward, elbows against his knees, staring down at his hands. She crossed the room and rubbed his back as she sat next to him. "With any luck, you won't have to find out."

After a second, her smile faded as she thought about what her life had been like without Daniel, about how much she'd missed him. Before it'd happened, she'd already felt like every man she reached out to died. Afterward, she'd begun to think that no man she cared about would escape her curse.

A lesser person would have given up many years ago, escaped the SGC before losing anyone else, but not Sam. She stuffed the pain of her losses down deep inside and carried on each day. She pretended they hadn't happened, but when she lost Daniel, she couldn't pretend anymore. She was reminded every day that one of the best friends she had ever had was gone. One of the three men whom together formed her emotional rock was gone, and she found herself broken. She had seen him everywhere, like a phantom. He was lying in the infirmary bed, drinking coffee in the mess hall, standing beside her in her lab, scribbling in his journal next to the camp fire, hunched over an artifact in what used to be his office, arguing passionately for the greater good at the briefing room table, and whispering a reminder in her ear that the world or rather the galaxy wasn't black and white.

With tears about to escape her eyes, she reached out and grabbed his hand to assure herself that he was real.

Daniel whispered as he gave her hand a squeeze. "I mean it. I don't want to lose you." He hesitated for a second before adding, "And I'm sorry I left."

He noticed her hair glowing softly in the dim light from the lamp behind her. It was slightly disheveled, and he was surprised she hadn't fixed it in the mirror. Without thinking, he reached up with his free hand and brushed it back into place. Instead of dropping back to his side as he'd intended, his hand stayed and began threading its way through her short locks.

Her hair felt so soft and inviting. The familiar scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, and feelings he didn't even know he had began to surface.

Looking into his blue eyes, Sam saw none of the sadness she knew must still be in her own. Instead, she saw something else that she was almost afraid to have interpreted correctly. She looked down at their hands and laced her fingers between his as she told him as cheerfully, and in as friendly and unromantic a tone as she could muster, "I let you get away once. I won't let it happen again." She lifted his hand to her lips and planted a brief kiss on its backside.

Sam tried to get a grasp on what exactly she felt. She'd thought she'd seen longing and desire in her friend's eyes. Yet instead of being terrified by the thought, she found it began to stir some very unexpected emotions. Sitting next to this man she cared about perhaps more than a friend, she found the professionalism she constantly sought to keep in place on missions begin to slip away. The longer she sat beside him, the more she felt herself wanting to be closer to him.

Daniel thought he felt Sam slide closer, but he reconsidered and determined that it'd been wishful thinking. Then he felt her lean into him, and his pulse raced. He decided he had to know for sure. Stifling the impure thoughts that came to mind, he whispered, "Sam?" His attempt failed, and the word came out sounding like a plea to a long lost lover.

Electricity jolted through her as he said her name. She'd never felt this way around her best friend before. The military part of her wanted to get up quickly and run out the door. Another part of her wanted to grab hold of him and never let go. Torn between the two, she sat still as stone, only moving her head to meet his gaze.

Looking into her eyes, Daniel quickly forgot the words he'd planned to say. His heart felt like a thousand horses were charging through his chest. He hoped his view of Sam's feelings wasn't clouded by his own as he leaned toward her and with his hand softly touching her cheek, gently drew her closer. The horses' hooves pounded harder as the fear of rejection washed over him. He had never been so unsure of himself or of how Sam would react. Visions of her punching him in the jaw came to mind, but he ignored them, hoping desperately that he wasn't making a mistake.

He encountered no resistance. Her lips met his and crushed against them. Daniel was relieved, but the horses in his chest still hadn't slowed. He wanted to take hold of her, cover her body with caresses, and make love to her, but he knew that the middle of an off world mission was not the right time nor place. After a few seconds, he decided to stop himself before he lost control, and his lips parted from hers. He drew her into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

They remained that way, with Daniel slowly stroking Sam's hair, for several minutes. To Sam's surprise, he soon whispered, "I'm sorry."

Slightly confused, Sam looked up and asked, "For what?"

"I shouldn't have done that." He felt guilty, because he knew nothing meant more to Sam than her career, but he'd just jeopardized that. Now he was afraid she would come to her senses and become upset with him. "That was completely inappropriate. I'm sorry."

Sam leaned closer and kissed him tenderly. "Don't be," was her only response as she stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers and returned her head to his shoulder.

Once again relieved, Daniel held her tighter, resting his cheek on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a long time, neither wanting to ruin the moment. Then unwanted thoughts began to creep up from the back of Sam's mind, and she considered what would happen if someone walked in on them at that moment. Afraid of the outcome, she pulled away from Daniel to move to her own bed, saying, "We should go to sleep now." Leaving his comforting, strong arms was almost painful, but the Air Force major forced herself to move away.

Daniel stood and grabbed her hand before she had a chance to move very far. Sam turned back and met his eyes. She could tell that he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.

She took a step closer to him and seemed concerned as she spoke. "Daniel?"

He hesitated a moment more, then seemed to find the courage to speak. "Let me stay with you," he whispered almost too softly for her to hear. "I want you next to me, but I may not get another chance to have you this close."

Tomorrow morning they would wake up early and get back to work, becoming all business once again. Tomorrow night, they might be back here alone together, but they could also end up in another home, back at the SGC, or even on another planet. They could never be sure where the next night would find them. They couldn't even be sure they would both make it there alive. Sam had already lost Daniel really lost him once, and it had hurt more than she'd thought possible. She didn't want to think about how she would feel if she lost him again tomorrow and had to live with the fact that she had walked away from him.

Other people's opinions lost all importance as Sam closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his and wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss intensified as Daniel wrapped his strong arms around her back and pulled her tightly into him. After several minutes, Daniel relaxed his grip, and their lips brushed only lightly against each other. They separated for an instant then came back for one final caress.

A radiant smile came over Daniel's face as he pulled away, realizing that she hadn't actually voiced her answer. "So that's a yes?"

"Yes, Daniel." She grinned as she slowly began helping him out of his BDUs. "I would love to spend the night with you."

They proceeded to help each other undress then made their way into the warm and inviting bed. They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, unconcerned about what the morning would bring. Whatever happened, they would face it together.