Pariah
Chapter 2
"Could you check your records again, because I think there must have been some mistake?"
When the concierge gave Daniel the same withering look that he had given him the first time that the archaeologist had queried their accommodation, Sam had to physically bite the inside of her cheek in order not to laugh.
They had been standing at the front of the check in line for more than ten minutes and Daniel looked just as befuddled now as he had when the concierge had first given him their key cards.
"I assure you sir, that this establishment is not in the business of making mistakes. You may have encountered that kind of thing with the lower end of the hospitality market..," the concierge gave Daniel another snide look, this time taking in his dishevelled appearance, most likely deducing from it that the man standing in front of him belonged in the lower end of the market, "but you will not find that here. Accuracy is something that we pride ourselves in at this hotel."
Behind them, the guests still waiting to be checked in began to murmur and fidget, a sure sign that they were getting restless.
Sam decided that it might be time that she stepped in and assumed the role of peacekeeper.
"Ah, Daniel, maybe we should just go up and have a look at the rooms?"
Daniel turned to face her, his eyes red rimmed with fatigue.
Their flight from Denver had been delayed by six hours due to a pretty nasty snow front blowing in from Chicago. When they had eventually boarded the plane and taken off, the flight had turned out to be full of screaming children and fraught parents and even in their first class seats they had had no respite from the cacophony of noise.
There had been a moment when she had pined for the draughty discomfort of a C140.
It was obvious from Daniel's tired expression that all he wanted to do was go to his room and rest, but the confusion over where their rooms actually were was keeping him glued to the reception desk as if he were a barnacle stuck to the side of a ship.
"Sam, these can't be our key cards..." he turned back once more to face the concierge, "...there has to have been some kind of error... they're for the penthouse suite."
The concierge peeked at Daniel from behind his designer glasses, a deep frown creasing his forehead. Sam watched as he bit into his lower lip, obviously biting off the words that he wanted to say. However, his efforts at trying to remain civil seemed to be causing a strange kind of nervous tick to erupt in the corner of his eye.
It was no longer funny anymore, the whole situation was verging on getting out of control. If Daniel kept up his stubborn reluctance to accept the key cards, they might find themselves thrown out of the hotel completely. Add to that, the fact that every convention known to man seemed to be heading for the Hawaiian Islands and the chances of them finding another hotel would be slim to non existent.
"Do you think that you could just check the computer one more time?" Sam smiled sweetly at the poor man behind the desk, taking pity on him, "It's just that the penthouse suite isn't our usual kind of accommodation."
"Obviously."
The concierge's tone had just a tad too much sarcasm for Sam's liking and for the second time since they had left the mountain complex, she had rued not packing her P-90.
However, her sweet natured appeal seemed to do the trick because after a few moments he tapped at a few buttons upon his keyboard and waited for the computer screen to show him the information that he had requested.
"Hey! Do you think you could speed it up a little?" The businessman behind them, stepped closer, until his body was almost sandwiched between theirs, "there's a game starting in twenty minutes and I'd like to be in my room to enjoy it."
There was a slight murmur of agreement from the rest of the clientele waiting to be checked in.
The concierge swivelled his computer screen around so that it faced Sam and Daniel.
"Are you Doctor Samantha Carter?"
Remembering that for the duration of her stay, she had to go by her academic credentials, Sam nodded in agreement.
"Yes."
The concierge turned from her to Daniel.
"And are you..," he consulted his computer screen, his left eyebrow raising sharply indicating that he didn't fully believe what he was reading, "...are you Doctor Daniel Jackson?" His voice was laced with a heavy dose of scepticism regarding the legitimate nature of Daniel's doctorate. Sam wondered how he would react if he knew about the other Phd's that her friend had safely tucked away.
"Yes."
"Then there has been no mistake, these are your key cards."
"But..." Daniel began, but before he could say anything else, Sam grabbed the key cards out of his hand and pushed him toward the elevator.
"Come on, Daniel, let's just go."
"But...Sam... there has to be..."
"Let's just find out shall we."
Sam jabbed at the elevator button and the doors opened. She stepped inside and waited for Daniel to join her.
"Maybe if we just join the back of the queue... we could."
"Daniel!.." She was rapidly losing her patience, "Just get in the damn elevator."
Daniel looked at her warily and she could see that he was debating with himself whether it would be prudent to argue with her. She shifted her stance slightly and glared at him, letting him know with her body language that the subject was no longer up for debate.
Daniel held out his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay, Sam, we'll do it your way."
He stepped into the car and Sam turned away from him, turning her attention toward the floor panel, trying to find a button for the penthouse suite.
"Sam?"
"Hmm."
"Put the key card in the slot above the panel, it'll take us straight to the suite."
Right...why hadn't she thought of that?
She pushed one of the key cards into the slot and the doors closed, the elevator began it's accent and she watched silently as the floor numbers lit up and went out as they passed by. When all the numbers had gone out, the elevator still continued it's accent, until with a soft ding, it came to a halt.
When the doors opened, Sam felt as if she had travelled through the Stargate to a different world.
"Oh my God!"
In front of her was the most incredible view she had ever seen.
And she had seen quite a few.
The view through the penthouse window was truly amazing, she could see the Pacific Ocean spread out before her, the whitecaps small specks upon its surface. The sun was setting, settling itself upon the horizon, bathing the whole room within its rich, warm, amber glow.
It was truly breathtaking.
She stepped further into the room, setting her carryall onto the floor at her feet and just stood there letting her senses take it all in. Suddenly she had an urge to go out onto the balcony, so she moved across the living room and opened the sliding doors that led out onto the deck.
The air around her was filled with the iodine scent of the ocean, interlaced with the fragrance of tropical flowers, she inhaled a deep lungful, letting it infuse her senses and she immediately felt some of the tension in her body begin to ebb away.
"Sam?"
She turned to find Daniel standing at the balcony doorway, his face looking thoughtful as he gazed at her. She beckoned him out onto the deck, but he shook his head.
"Why don't you watch the sunset with me, Daniel?"
He paused at the doorway for a second or two as though he were weighing up her request before hesitantly taking a tentative step out onto the decking.
His cautious approach made Sam realise that he was having trouble with his occasional bouts of vertigo.
"Come on, Daniel," she held her hand out to him, "I promise I won't let you fall." As he reached her, she curled her fingers around his and squeezed them softly. "Try not to think about the strange compulsion that you're being drawn to the edge, try and concentrate on something else...the horizon...the sunset."
At first Daniel stood stiffly, holding her hand as though it were his last link to the world around him, then gradually she felt him begin to relax.
In silence they watched the last shards of sunlight slip over the edge of the horizon.
"Do you remember the sunsets we watched on PN5-797?"
"Yes, it's not every day you get to witness a duel sunset, it's not something I'm likely to forget." He turned to face her, his soft blue eyes holding hers within their penetrating gaze. "I wasn't the only one enthralled by the sheer wonder of it, as I recall."
"It certainly was something to behold."
"Yes it was."
The way that he said the words made Sam think that he wasn't entirely talking about the sunset that they had shared.
Daniel's gaze shifted slightly, slipping across her face, lingering on her lips for a long moment before he drew his eyes back up to meet with hers.
Sam's heartbeat seemed to stutter in her chest as her stomach did a little flip flop. This was a feeling that she was becoming more and more aware of around Daniel, but she refused to let herself dwell upon its meaning.
"I owe the concierge an apology."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did it seemed to break the strange moment that had just happened between them.
Sam pulled back a little and stared at him.
"Sorry?"
Daniel smiled.
"I said I owe the concierge an apology. While you were exploring the wonders of a Pacific sunset, I came across something in the suite. That's what I was coming to tell you about." He tugged on her hand leading her back toward the doorway. When they passed back into the suite, he led her into a small kitchen area.
Upon the marble counter top was a bottle of champagne cooling within a bucket of ice.
Next to it was an envelope.
"When I saw this I thought that they'd got our reservations mixed up, but then I read what was in the envelope."
Daniel handed Sam the envelope and beckoned her to open it, she extracted a single sheet of paper.
'Daniel...
Hank told me about your little forced vacation, I agree with you, it sucks! I tried to find a way to help you, but there was nothing that I could do, so I hope that this goes some way toward making you and Carter feel a little more comfortable with the situation.
I had your rooms upgraded and what do you know... the only upgrade they had available was the penthouse! Think of it as your tax dollars at work, or more importantly as a big honking thank you from the Air Force for all the times that one or other of you have pulled our collective butts out of the fire.
Hey, you're in Hawaii... have fun... and Carter, I hope you had the good sense to pack a bikini."
Enjoy!
Jack.
Sam read the note one more time before placing it on the counter, she looked up at Daniel, a huge grin spreading across her face.
"I guess there'll be no pay rises next year. I think the General just blew most of the budget on our upgrade."
Daniel just shook his head in wry amusement.
"I think Jack and Landry are trying to make this trip as painless as possible for us." The earlier amusement faded away to be replaced by a deepening frown. "At least it'll be painless until we have to meet the others."
Sam watched his face darken, watched as the tension in his body seemed to increase at the thought of having to once more face his detractors.
"Will it really be that bad?"
"Let's put it this way... I'd rather willingly submit to having a larval Goa'uld implanted in me, than face the pack of hyenas that are on that shortlist."
"Ouch!" Sam's hand slipped into Daniel's and she gave it a soft, comforting squeeze.
Daniel looked away from her, slipping his free hand around the neck of the cooling champagne bottle and pulled in out of its ice bucket.
"A '73 Bollinger... Jack really did push the boat out." He twisted the bottle around so that Sam could read the label. "I guess we shouldn't let it go to waste, but I'm way too tired to drink it tonight. Between the flight out here and the scene in the lobby, I'm ready to call it a night."
Sam moved around him, opening some of the various cupboards that adorned the kitchen area. The place was more like an apartment than a hotel room. On her third attempt she found what she had been looking for, one of the cupboards was actually a refrigerator, she felt inside to gauge the temperature, then taking the bottle out of Daniel's hand, she placed it inside and closed the door.
"That's cool enough to keep it at the right temperature. We'll drink it tomorrow, once we know if you have something to celebrate or not."
"I think it's more likely to be a commiseration than a celebration."
"Oh ye of little faith."
"Oh I have plenty of faith in some things, you, Jack and Teal'c for one, but I don't have a lot in this dog and pony show that I'm being forced to attend."
Daniel attempted a smile, but his fatigue level made it look half hearted at best.
"Come on, Daniel, lets find the bedrooms so that you can get bunked down for the night. You look exhausted."
She lead him out of the kitchen and together they began to explore the rest of the penthouse.
When they reached the bathroom, Sam let out a little squeal of pleasure at the sight of the claw foot bath.
"I'm claiming first dibs on that in the morning."
Daniel let out a soft chuckle.
"Sam, I never thought you could be such a girl."
She tried to send a glare in his direction, but it didn't work, she ended up smiling instead. Tugging once more on his hand, they left the bathroom and made their way to one of the two doors that lead off from it.
An enormous bedroom greeted them, with a wall length window that looked out on the ocean beyond. Taking up most of the centre of the room was a huge antique four poster bed.
"Oh my!"
Sam walked over to the bed and placed her palm upon the comforter, it was so soft that it left an indentation when she moved it away. She looked up at the hanging canopy, taking in the intricate patterns on its surface, before focusing her eyes upon the incredibly detailed carvings on the bedposts and headboard.
"I used to dream of a bed like this when I was a little girl, it looks like it's stepped out of a fairy tale."
She hadn't known that Daniel had entered the room until she heard his soft voice beside her.
"I guess you'll be taking first dibs on this as well?"
"We could toss a coin for it?"
Daniel shook his head, smiling.
"I wouldn't want to deprive you of a childhood fantasy," he jerked his head toward the door that led off of the other side of the bathroom, "I'll take that one."
He turned and left the room. Instead of going straight to the other bedroom, he turned and disappeared into the lounge area. A few moments later he returned with both his and Sam's bags. He placed hers just inside the door of her room.
"Goodnight, Sam."
"Nite, Daniel."
Stifling a yawn behind his hand, Sam watched as he turned and headed for the other bedroom.
She crossed to her carryall and picked it up, her mind already thinking about unpacking.
A soft knock on her door interrupted her, she turned to find a concerned looking Daniel in the doorway.
"What's up?"
"It's a closet."
"Sorry?"
"The other bedroom, it's not a bedroom at all, Sam, but a huge walk in closet."
"You're kidding?"
He shook his head dolefully at her.
"I figure it's one of two things... either it's a pretty bad joke on Jack's part or he forgot to check that there were two bedrooms when he upgraded us," Daniel shrugged his shoulders, "anyhow I'm going to bunk down on one of those couches in the living room."
"Wait! You can't do that."
"I don't think I have a choice, there isn't any other rooms available and even if there were I doubt that the concierge would assign me one, not after the fuss I caused in the lobby."
"That's not what I meant. I meant you don't have to sleep on the couch," Sam gestured toward the four poster bed, "you can sleep here."
"No way, Sam! I'm not going to let you sleep on the couch!"
This time Sam did manage a glare in his direction.
"Trust me, Daniel, I have no intention of spending the night on the couch... we'll sleep in the bed together...it's more than big enough."
Daniel's eyes widened to almost saucer like proportions behind his glasses. He glanced toward the bed with a look of trepidation.
"Sleep together?"
"We do it all the time when we go off world. If I ever stop to do the math I would probably figure out that I spend more time sleeping next to you in a sleeping bag than I do in my own bed."
"But we're not off world... and that..." Daniel waved his had in the general direction of the bed, "...is not a sleeping bag."
"It's nice to know that your powers of observation have not been dulled by your fatigue."
"I'll be fine on the couch."
"You'll be better in the bed."
"Sam..."
"Look...what's the problem?" She walked toward him until she was directly looking at him. "Do you really want to argue about this? It's late, we're tired, lets just go to bed."
Daniel's eyes looked over her shoulder toward the bed. She could almost see the mini war taking place in his head as he debated it with himself, could see the moment when his tiredness finally won the battle.
"Okay, we'll share the bed, but in the morning we'll talk with the concierge, see if they have one of those fold up beds that they could let us have."
He turned and left the room, returning with his bag and began to pull t-shirts and underwear from it.
Once the decision had been made, it became amazingly simple to just go with it.
They took turns using the spacious bathroom to change into their night wear. Then they discussed which side of the bed they wanted to sleep on and with that decision made they finally climbed into the sumptuous bed.
The incredibly smooth satin sheets seemed to enfold Sam inside its silky cocoon and she immediately felt the tension of the last few hours begin to fade away.
"So..." Daniel's voice was soft and low, "is it like living out a fantasy from your childhood?"
She didn't answer him, but turned to switch off the light, sending the room into an inky blackness. Even through the glazed windows, she could hear the muffled sounds of the ocean as it hit the shoreline.
"Get some sleep, Daniel, tomorrow's going to be a long day."
He mumbled a sleepy goodnight and rolled onto his side. Sam listened in the darkness as his breathing settled, as he slowly surrendered his body into the awaiting slumberous arms of sleep.
She kept thinking about his question and why she hadn't answered it.
Okay, so it would have been easy enough to have told him that lying in that big four poster bed was fulfilling her childhood fantasy, but it would have been a lie, because at that moment it wasn't a childhood fantasy that she was part fulfilling.
It was another kind of fantasy altogether.
A more adult one, one that she had kept secret and to herself for more years than she cared to admit.
A fantasy that involved Daniel.
Rolling over onto her side, Sam forced herself to think about anything other than the contents of that fantasy.
