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 4

December 26th. (mid-morning)

After the ship started the trip towards the Galapagos Islands, Sam and Daniel decided to sit on one of the decks to enjoy the morning air.

Daniel got two glasses of fresh juice and they sat talking about Cassie and her accomplishments.

They had not been there for more than twenty minutes when a young couple walked by them, hugging and kissing, and simply having fun with each other.

Sam seemed to get upset and stopped talking for a while. Daniel noticed and kept quiet, trying to guess what had troubled her.

A few minutes later Sam restarted the conversation, trying to hide her discomfort. Daniel decided to observe her more closely. When a mature gentleman approached them with a group of roses in his hand and offered one to Sam, she looked prepared to hit him.

The old man smiled at Daniel and said, "You have a beautiful wife, sir."

"I do," Daniel replied. "Thanks."

Sam accepted the rose but refused to look at the man. He simply smiled again at Daniel and continued walking, searching for other recipients for his flowers.

"That was creepy," Sam said.

"He was just trying to be polite, Sam."

She did not answer; she looked at the rose and then stood up. "I can't do this. I'm going home. That's it." She walked resolutely towards the stairs to their deck and Daniel followed her in shock.

After they entered the room, Sam walked directly to the bedroom and started packing the few things she had taken out of the suitcase.

"Sam," Daniel said softly. "What's going on?"

She felt like yelling at him, but there was no reason; he did not know. Her eyes filled with tears and she sat defeated on the edge of the bed. "I can't do this, Daniel. I'm tired of faking and cover stories. The truth is we're not a couple and I'm never going to have a decent relationship. I'm over forty, for goodness sake, and I'm lonelier than a street dog."

Daniel sat on his bed facing her, but kept quiet to let her talk.

She started crying softly. "You know what the weird part is, Daniel? When I'm on a mission or in Atlantis, I feel that I'm on top of the world. I'm confident, happy, satisfied. I know what I'm doing and I like it. There are highs and lows, but it's my world. I love it. But then, I go out into the real world and I feel lost. Every time I spend a holiday with my brother and his family, I feel like the old maiden aunt who's only good to bring presents. I'm never there during the year when it really matters… And then, lately, every time I see a couple hugging or kissing or just holding hands, Daniel, I feel this desolation, this anguish, this pain because I'll never have that again. And I haven't really had it yet either… There's this huge side of my life that is missing," she finished with pain in her voice.

"Sam," he stretched his hand and held one of hers. "I know what you mean; sometimes I feel it, too. I think I don't venture that much into the real world anymore, that's all. Two nights ago I went to a bookstore right before closing time, around eleven, to get a couple of books to bring on this trip. When they closed the doors behind me and I walked alone in the dark parking lot, I felt the loneliness so deeply… I even thought of accepting Vala's always standing proposition-"

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I'm not good with one night stands and because I don't love her enough to get into a relationship with her. It would just be for all the wrong reasons."

"I understand," she said with sorrow. She got some tissues from the nightstand and tried to compose herself. "I need to go home, Daniel. I don't think I can do this for two weeks."

"We can't go home, Sam, it would really hurt Cassie's feelings. We have to try and figure out a way to help you."

"Nobody can help me, Daniel. There's no way to change our lives the way they are now. I've been thinking a lot about this and I think this is why I dated Pete. I wanted all those things that other people have. He was safe and nice and good looking… I wish I could borrow him for another while…"

"You're serious? Would you try again with him?"

"No, that's not what I mean. I wish I had the chance at another relationship like that. It was very good while it lasted. Then he went away and I went back to my world."

"You want to have an affair?" Daniel asked with disbelief.

"I don't know." She sighed. "I know our cover is that we're a couple, but if it weren't, I'd see if I still can make a man look at me, you know." She smiled shyly.

"All the men look at you, Sam. You're a beautiful woman and I have the privilege of knowing that you're also bright and caring."

She smiled at him more openly. "You're always the diplomat, Daniel. You always know what to say at the right time."

"It's the truth," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Now, tell me what you need to have a good time on this trip. If we need to break cover, I'll do it. What can I do?"

"I'm very grateful, Daniel, that you try to help, but what can we do? We can't find someone who suddenly feels attracted to me and wants to spend the rest of the trip with me. In a perfect world I'd have someone to take care of me, to hug me at night and wake me up in the mornings, to share these two weeks with me and then disappear so that I could go back to my world. Without pain or harsh feelings… With maybe some good love-making in the middle…" She sighed noisily. "Crazy dream, eh?"

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