AN: Shout out to dpdp who I realised has reviewed each chapter! Love it!
And to every other person who reads/reviews, again, you're all awesome. This chapter didn't actually exist until about an our ago. Then I had an idea and my fingers did the walking.
The Sacrifices We Make
The base was the quietest it had been in a very long time, with the Hak'tyl and all their horses safely relocated and a small break missions, only a small few remained. Sam relished in the silence as she made her way through the corridors to her lab. With all the chaos of the past week she felt behind on her projects, and planned to spend her free night and following day relaxing in the best way she knew how; with safety glasses donned, immersing herself in technology beyond her understanding. The elevator arrived and as she stepped in, Daniel came running making the elevator moments before the doors shut.
"Hey, Sam."
"Daniel. I thought you'd be off base by now." She grinned at him.
"Are you kidding me? And miss the chance to revel in the rare silence. Did you know it's been over six hours since the Stargate was activated? Walter actually left the control room to get his own coffee, while he was still on shift!"
"By god, it's a miracle!"
There was a long silence between them; Daniel tapped his foot as the elevator made its slow ascent.
"I don't hate you, Sam." Daniel blurted out without warning.
"What?" Sam choked out her surprise. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Reaching out, Daniels hand hit the button to halt the elevator before continuing. "I don't hate you, or your decision to marry Pete."
Sam scoffed. "Well you could've fooled me." She wasn't normally so defensive, but she was tired of fighting all the voices around her telling her that Pete wasn't right, including her own.
"Sam, please. Hear me out on this. When the Hak'tyl were here, I overheard a conversation between a small group of them. Actually, they were commenting on Jack's suitability as a mate. They described you as Jack's 'Kek'"
"Death?" Sam asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"Ah, well, kind of. More like weakness in this case. My point is that I understand how hard the decision to let go is for you. I didn't see it before, I was so caught up in the idea that you were abandoning a chance with Jack to realise that this choice you have to make, the decision to marry Pete... it's just part of this war. It's no different to Teal'c leaving his family behind on Chulak, or saying goodbye to Ishta. It's just one of the sacrifices we make." Daniel finished by reactivating the elevator. "I don't like him, I don't think I will because I don't think he's worthy of you. I do, however, know that you're not making this decision lightly."
"You're telling me this because the Hak'tyl think I'm the General's weakness?"
Daniel laughed softly. "Actually, no. I'm telling you this because you're one of my best friends and you deserve to be able to make your own choices without me being a complete arse about it."
Sam turned to Daniel, tears in her eyes. A part of her had liked Daniel's displeasure with her decision to marry Pete. It had been a reminder of everything she was giving up. This acceptance though... was more than anything she could've asked for. Before she could think she jumped onto Daniel, embracing him tightly, her legs wrapped around her waist and her face buried in the crook of his shoulder and neck. "Thank you," she murmured between her sobs. Daniel supported her, unsure whether to laugh or cry with her. The doors of the elevator opened to reveal a very confused Siler.
Sam came to her senses and released her grip on Daniel, lowering her feet to the ground again. She opened her mouth to issue an explanation but Siler held up his hand. "I don't want to know, I've seen so much worse." He pushed past them into the elevator, pressing the door close button the moment the pair's feet were in the corridor.
Sam broke down in a fit of laughter, not moving from the corridor until General O'Neill rounded the corner. She stood to attention and tried to straighten her face to no avail.
"Do I want to know?" He asked suspiciously when confronted with the site of a composed Daniel and a Colonel he adored on the brink of a total hysterical meltdown.
"Probably not, sir. Though I suggest Siler deserves a bigger Christmas bonus this year."
The General scrunched his nose in confusion. "We don't get Christmas bonuses..."
Daniel voiced his opinion. "Well, then Siler should get his first one this year."
"I'll keep that in mind. Why haven't you two left yet?"
"Enjoying the quiet. Why are you on this level?" Daniel quipped.
"Enjoying the quiet." Actually I was looking for Sam, decided to turn around and avoid Sam. Now I've found Sam.
"Care to join us for a very late dinner? I hear there's cake."
"Cake for dinner, Danny boy, you sure know how to twist my arm."
AN: I just really didn't like Daniel being a butt.
