Disclaimer: I don't own most of the characters here, just the Captain in the beginning and the people on P7X-617. Everything else and the show belongs to those who created it, MGM etc. etc.
A/N #1: Thanks so much for the reviews HAZMOT (As usual, your review was just so fantastic to read, I loved it! I'm so pleased that you liked the flowers, I really like them myself :D. And I wanted to have something that they could take back to Earth to remind them both of Philae and the Princess and the Historian. And I'm glad that you like the idea of them returning to Philae. And I'm glad that you mentioned 'a little time together' I really do :) Thanks so so much for the review again, and I really hope that you'll continue to do so, I appreciate it so much! Hope that you enjoy this chapter!), Ashleod (For starters thanks so much, I didn't even know that you'd reviewed as I didn't get an alert for it! So it was a nice little surprise to see it! And I'm glad that I got something close to how it is on the series, hehe, glad you liked that. You'll have to wait and see about the NID... sorry but I do want you to continue reading this :D Hope that you enjoy this chapter, and I can't wait to see what you think about it!) and CouldItBeMagic (I hope that you find a name that pleases you soon! Anyways, thanks for the review, I was pleased to recieve it! Oh, I'm a little worried at your desire about NID... hmm well, I just hope that what I have in the story you'll like it anyways. I hope you'll like this chapter!). I greatly, greatly appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think.
A/N #2: Please keep reviewing so I know if anyone's interested enough for me to continue posting this up! It's all written out, I'm just waiting for some lovely reviews for the readers out there!
Chapter Twenty-One
Results
SG-1, General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser were gathered around the briefing room table later in the afternoon. After Sam and Daniel had talked to the doctor about their abilities she had immediately begun tests on them; MRIs, CAT scans and everything else she had. Needless to say the two scientists looked a little ragged, and they were both drinking coffee that the doctor had grudgingly agreed they should drink.
"I can tell you first off sir," Janet said after Hammond had asked what she had found. "That Major Carter and Doctor Jackson are in perfect health. There's nothing medically that would point to them having these abilities. Now, I performed another test… not exactly a normal one, but I separated the major and doctor and had Major Carter read something mentally to Doctor Jackson who then wrote it down."
"He got it all right," Jack stated before the doctor could continue.
Janet nodded and then said, "I did the same in reverse, and the major was able to do the same perfectly. Their telepathic ability is very real but they're only able to communicate with each other. I have no idea why that is… and I don't think anyone would be able to figure out how this happened."
"And what about their empathic connection?" Hammond asked.
"Judging by what they told me about what happened on the planet," Janet said. "Their empathic connection doesn't occur unless they're in extreme pain or stress."
"So you can say on your report, with absolute certainty that we can't communicate with anyone else?" Daniel said.
"No General Hammond, I tried to have them speak mentally with me and Jack and Teal'c, trying the same test I did with just the two of them," Janet said. "But there was no success. This ability, and their empathic link, is only between them."
"So… NID really wouldn't have much to learn or benefit from testing them then?" Jack asked. "Since it's just between them and there's no real evidence of what started it…"
"I'll make sure that's noted in my report," Hammond answered. "But whether or not they'll lose interest remains to be seen. You know how stubborn they can be when they want to get their hands on something new. If that's the case though, I can assure you Major Carter, Doctor Jackson, I will do whatever I can to make sure you will not leave the SGC. I can go to the president if I have to. I'm sure I'll be able to convince him that he owes you both a favor."
"Thank you sir," Sam said, nodding her head as Daniel murmured the same.
"Alright, we'll see how things go once the reports are submitted. I'll see you here in a week for your next mission. SG-1 dismissed," Hammond said, standing up.
"So what are you kids going to be up to your week off?" Jack asked once the team had left the room and was headed for the elevator.
"We don't know Jack, we haven't had a chance to talk," Daniel said, smiling to himself at that. Before when Jack had asked that he had been referring to him and Sam separately. It was a nice change, and great to see that Jack seemed to approve of it.
"Well, if you find you've got some time, I have a new movie to show you, and Teal'c here too," Jack said. "I'll get some meat on my grill, have a movie night that we haven't done for…" he trailed off, pretending to think. "For a long time."
"That would be nice," Daniel said after questioning Sam mentally.
"You know it's going to take a while to get used to watching your guys' minds actually meld whenever you do that," Jack commented as the elevator stopped at the floor Daniel's office was on. "Hey, don't work too late Danny, you are on vacation now," he called as the linguist stepped out.
"I'll try not to Jack," Daniel called over his shoulder. 'I'll see you later Sam,' he said to her mentally.
'Right, I'll stop by later on,' Sam replied, smiling slightly.
"Yep, definitely weird," Jack said under his breath though his 2IC heard him. He chuckled at the glare she quickly shot him, and said, "But still pretty neat."
Later that night, nearly eleven, Daniel was still in his office. He had been working on some translations that had come from other SG teams the past few days while he'd been on Philae. Two were from artifacts, while another he was still working on was a rubbing from a chamber in a temple. The translation had been slow going and Sam had had to literally drag him to get dinner as he'd been so wrapped up in it. After they'd eaten with Teal'c; Jack had been working on some paper work amazingly; Daniel had returned to his office, taking the elevator with Sam.
He had noticed that no one was looking at him and Sam as they entered and left rooms and hallways, which was a relief since it meant that the news about their relationship and abilities hadn't leaked to rest of the base yet. Daniel knew though that at some point they would find out, but he was glad for any delay of it for as long as possible.
Yawning, Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes for a moment before he looked down at the rubbing on his desk. He'd managed to finish it and he looked at his watch. He decided then to get Sam and get her to go home since he knew if he didn't she'd remain on base all night. He quickly gathered his things to take home along with a few things that needed to be done he could take with him, and once he had everything he left.
"Damn," Sam swore as she pressed the button on the object she was working on. She let out a small yawn and shook her head to clear away her fatigue that she was finding hard to ignore, having been working for almost seven hours in her lab. But she wanted to try to finish up her analysis of the object from P4T-835 that SG-19 had brought back, a weapon that seemed to freeze the blood of whoever was shot by a tiny metal arrow that came out of it. But it was proving very difficult, and she wasn't sure if she'd be able to figure out how it worked on her own.
'At least I've done more than just sit here working on this thing,' Sam thought to herself as she opened a panel on the left side of the weapon. After she had left the briefing room earlier in the afternoon she'd written her report on what had happened on Philae and sent it to the general. Once that had been done she'd taken a look at a staff weapon that the colonel and Teal'c had brought back from Philae, testing it to figure out how it was able to put out an electrical shock. She herself had been given another staff weapon as a gift before leaving the planet; Daniel had been given another staff as well, matching hers exactly; and they were etched with designs along the side to the trigger. She had been eager to figure out how they worked so she had spent a while working on it. Once she'd finished everything she could with the staff weapon she had moved to the weapon with metal arrows and had worked continuously on it, only taking a break for dinner.
She was looking at the inside of the weapon closely when she sensed someone watching her. Looking up, she saw it was Daniel and smiled at him. "I haven't been working so long it's tomorrow morning is it?" she asked.
"No, it's about five minutes to eleven," Daniel said, looking at his watch. "PM though," he continued, a small smile appearing on his face. "I came to pry you from your lab and get you to go home."
"You don't have to pry me," Sam said, still smiling. She closed up the panel on the machine and put away the tools she had been using. "I'll probably have to send that thing to Area 51," she said as she finished up by grabbing everything she needed to take home and walking over to where Daniel was waiting. "The technology is too advanced for me to even hope figuring out how exactly everything is wired up inside. Plus the poison that covers the darts doesn't even exist on Earth according to my tests."
"Maybe by the time you come back you'll be able to figure it out," Daniel said.
"That would be nice," Sam said. By then they'd entered the elevator and were heading up. Since they were alone she asked quietly, "What were you planning on doing this week besides our movie night with the colonel and Teal'c?"
"Well, I'd like to-" Daniel started to say when they had to move to the other elevator to get out of the base. There was an airman in that one, so he instantly opened his and Sam's link and said slowly, a little nervous, 'I'd like to go out one night Sam. So we can say we've had a date on Earth too.' He looked over at her and saw the corners of her mouth turn up for a moment before she replied.
'I'd love that,' Sam said. 'What were you thinking of doing?'
'Well, I would like to take you to a restaurant,' Daniel said, forming a plan in his mind as he spoke.
'Anything else besides that?' Sam asked, looking at him as the elevator stopped.
Daniel waited to answer her, and didn't speak until they were walking towards their cars, this time he spoke out loud as there was no one in the parking lot. "I'll think of something," he said.
Sam looked over at Daniel, knowing that he already had. But she didn't say anything until they had reached her car. "I'll… um, call you tomorrow," she said, hesitating.
"You can just talk to me," Daniel said, knowing what she was thinking about. "Actually, with this ability we should be able to save on our phone bills."
Laughing, Sam opened the door of her car and put the box she'd brought with her inside. "You do have a point," she said turning to him with a smile on her face. "I'll contact you somehow, but maybe we could have lunch or dinner tomorrow. But I may clean up my house at some point. I hate to think how bad it looks after being away for so long so unexpectedly."
"I'll probably be doing the same," Daniel said. "I'd hate to imagine what my fridge looks like now."
"Then I'll see you for dinner?" Sam asked.
"Sure," Daniel said, smiling. He looked around to see if anyone was in the parking lot then. They were alone so he stepped closer to Sam and wrapped his arms around her. As she leaned against him he lowered his head, and their lips met gently in the middle.
Her heart pounding, Sam almost threw her arms around Daniel and hugged him tightly. The kiss was short though, and she sighed in disappointment as he pulled away from her.
"I'll do better tomorrow when we're out of the way of prying eyes," Daniel said. "Good night Sam."
"Night Daniel," Sam said as they parted. "Sleep well."
Nodding, Daniel stepped back as Sam got into her car and he waved as she left the lot. Walking over to his car, he found that he felt a little lonely, but pushed it aside as he had been feeling that way ever since the night he and Sam had first made love. Instead, he focused his thoughts about the next week, and smiled, knowing that he had some work to do to make his and Sam's date even more special. And as he left the mountain a minute later he felt better, even more eager than usual for his vacation to start.
It was a little after twelve when Sam climbed into her bed. She yawned widely as she turned off the light on her nightstand and laid down. Sighing as her body relaxed she looked up at the ceiling though she couldn't really see it. She was still exhausted from her work that afternoon, but as the minutes went by she found that she couldn't sleep. She tried to change her position a few times but it didn't help. She kept moving then, until finally she gave up and laid on her back as she'd started, looking up but not really seeing what was above her.
She already knew why she was having trouble sleeping; it had occurred ever since the night she and Daniel spent in the forest of Philae. The two nights that she had spent alone afterwards she had taken a long time to fall asleep. It embarrassed her a little, but she couldn't deny it. She had greatly enjoyed being asleep close to Daniel in the forest, and later on the island in his arms. And without him, she felt lonely.
'In such a short amount of time I'm already so used to him,' she thought to herself. She tried to fight a yawn that had built up, but she wasn't able to stop it and she sighed, knowing that she needed to get some sleep if she would be able to enjoy her week off. So she began to let her mind wander a little when she felt the pendant of her necklace roll onto the hollow of her throat. Smiling, she reached up and touched the gem, her memories triggered as she ran her fingers over the pendant.
The morning after their date on the island Sam had been awakened by Daniel's lips all over her neck and when she opened her eyes, he had taken the necklace in his fingers, rubbing the gemstone before she had pulled him on top of her body. Her face began to heat up in the darkness of her room as she recalled the feel of Daniel's arms wrapped around her body as they made love. His lips hungry on her skin. She had to quickly push past that memory, as it was affecting her physically.
When she felt a little calmer, she recalled what had happened after she and Daniel had finally climbed out of bed. They had eaten quickly before going to the library where they would spend as much time as they could looking through at the different scrolls. Actually, she had looked through the scrolls, translating what was on the tags attached to them as Daniel did the same on the other side of the room. When there were five scrolls on the large table in the center of the room they had sat down, dividing them between them; three each after Daniel had added the history of Philae scroll to the pile. They then began to translate, writing quickly on pads of paper that Daniel had brought with him in his pack.
Sam had found herself enjoying that morning even though she had never really worked on translations before. It had been the fact that she and Daniel were working together that had really appealed to her, even though they weren't translating the same scrolls. She had been a little reluctant to stop their work for lunch, but Daniel had insisted which amused her since he too had been working intently on his scroll. But they had stopped and eaten in the gardens that were just outside the library's wide doors. They had started a conversation on what they'd translated so far, ending up speaking Philaen for a few minutes before realizing what they were doing. They had paused, but then continued in the same language, recognizing with surprise they were as comfortable speaking that language as they were English.
After their lunch, Sam and Daniel had continued their translations. Sam had been able to translate a scroll on the mountains where the metal of the staff weapons was found, as well as about the sapphire-like gemstones that were abundant in the same range. After she had finished she had helped Daniel with his scroll since it was so long. As evening fell they reached the end of the first part of the Philaen history scroll, and Sam was waiting for Daniel to take it from her so he could take a turn reading. But he had put down the scroll, and picked her up to her short cry of surprise, kissing her roughly as he carried her over to a divan-type piece of furniture near the doors facing the gardens and ocean.
Sam was blushing again at the memory of Daniel's hands and mouth touching her, pleasuring her then… She shivered as she could almost feel him on her skin, and sighed as she closed her eyes, just remembering. How she had told him, after he'd driven her to the brink of insanity and ecstasy and back, that she had known he was skilled with his hands and mouth; especially his tongue; but never that skilled. A small smile appeared on her face as she recalled the blush on Daniel's face when she'd told him that, and how she'd worked quickly to return the favor for him. After she had finished she'd found she had a very healthy appreciation for Daniel's body, and she had nearly pleasured him a second time; her hands stroking and exploring him again; before he'd taken her hands and rolled her onto her back, his tongue slipping into her mouth as he entered her willing, aching body.
Skipping ahead to what had happened after they'd finished making love, Sam totally relaxed. She soon felt herself falling asleep, the memory of Daniel carrying her up to her bed in the palace to sleep in each others arms the last thing she remembered.
Lying back in his bed, Daniel was wide awake though he had weariness creeping up on him with every second that passed. But he had been unable to stop the loneliness from earlier to return once he'd gotten into bed. He had never realized how large his new bed was until then and he let out a sigh, wondering what Sam was doing at that moment. 'Likely she's sleeping,' he told himself and he sighed again before he turned over onto his side. But he found that he was uncomfortable and flipped over onto his back. He looked above him and felt his eyes droop closed slowly. He felt relieved and let himself drift off, not aware how long it took him, just glad that he was finally falling asleep.
That night though he didn't dream peacefully, instead he was thrown straight into a nightmare. The first thing he saw was Sam being strangled by the Ruler. He looked on in horror as he heard the bones in her neck snap and she was flung to the floor, motionless. He tried to force himself to wake up, but instead the dream shifted and changed and he was back in the room Sam had been at the Ruler's palace. This time the man had Sam on the bed and it was obvious he had just finished raping her. Daniel tried to move, tried to do something as the Ruler beat her savagely then, the impact of his first on Sam's face making him sick. But he was frozen in place as Sam tried to struggle but soon her body went limp.
Before he could really comprehend it, the nightmare grew dark before he was back in the room again. This time Sam ran towards him, fear etched on her face as she cried out for him to help. The Ruler was running right behind her and when Sam stumbled he was on her, grabbing her by the hair and tilting her head back. Daniel tried to look away, to close his eyes but could only watch as the Ruler drew a sword cleanly across Sam's neck, her bruised and bloodied face a mask of horror, her eyes pleading with him for help. "Daniel!" she cried before the sword passed through her vocal cords. Blood spilled as the blade kept pulling back, and the last thing Daniel saw was her head falling to the ground, her cry of his name echoing as he came awake, sitting up in his bed and yelling, "Sam!"
Opening her eyes, Sam felt Daniel's yell echoing over their link and she realized that her heart was beating furiously, and she was panting. But she had just come out of a dreamless sleep, and quickly realized that she was feeling whatever Daniel was from a dream. 'Daniel? Are you okay?' she asked through their link that was still open.
Daniel's head, buried in his hands, shot up at the sound of Sam's voice and he froze, realizing she must have sensed the terror he'd gone through from his nightmare. 'I'm fine Sam. I'm sorry I woke you up,' he answered, her voice having sounded like she was coming off of sleep.
'What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?' Sam then asked, wanting to know why she was feeling such an intense sensation of dread from him.
'It's nothing, I'm fine,' Daniel said quickly. 'You should try and get some more sleep, it's still pretty early,' he then told her, getting up so he could get a glass of water to calm himself down. He'd had many nightmares since he was a child, but this one had him incredibly scared that in some way it would true, he would lose Sam. The thought was horrifying, and he quickly decided that he had to hide what he feared from her. He didn't want her to know that he was scared to lose her because he wouldn't be able to save her in the future.
'I'm not going to be able to go to sleep now Daniel,' Sam replied, getting out of bed. She ran to her closet when she felt him trying to close their link. 'No!' she cried, physically opening the door to her closet as mentally she held their connection open. 'Tell me what's wrong.'
'It's nothing, it doesn't matter,' Daniel said, wondering how she had managed to stop him. He was in his kitchen by then, and he had stopped in the middle of the room as he'd felt her efforts.
'It's not, I can feel its not,' Sam said, the fear and horror coming through the link again, making her scared herself. 'Daniel, I'm coming over there. We need to talk.' And she quickly closed the connection and grabbed a few things from her closet before stuffing them haphazardly into a bag. She didn't really care about the mess that was inside it; she merely zipped it up and ran out to her car. She drove across the city to Daniel's house, still feeling remnants of his nightmare. She arrived quickly and hurried up to the door, using a key that he'd given her a few months before. Inside she saw the house was dark and quiet and she went to the bedroom where she found Daniel sitting up against the headboard of his bed, looking off to the side of the room blankly, appearing pale in the moonlight. "Daniel?" she whispered, taking off her jacket and shoes and sitting next to him.
Daniel remained silent, not wanting to answer her. He kept his gaze fixed on a point in the distance. He knew that if he looked at her, he'd see his nightmare of her dying repeatedly and him powerless to stop it.
"Look at me please," Sam said, worry putting an edge to her voice.
At that Daniel felt a twinge of guilt and he turned his head. He winced when he saw the concern in her voice reflected in her blue eyes and he lowered his head into his hands again, reliving the moment in his nightmare when the Ruler had cut her throat. "Please, go, I can't do this now Sam," he groaned, rubbing his eyes, trying to remove the image from his mind.
"It must have been an incredibly bad nightmare," Sam said, moving so she was perpendicular to him but still at his side. "I had a few of those while I was held in the palace." She paused, hoping he would open up to her, but he remained silent. "Don't do this Daniel, not now," she said, getting on her knees close to him. "Don't push me away." He still didn't answer and she felt a flash of irritation, but it quickly disappeared. She knew what he was trying to do, and when she really thought about it the more she understood the reason. He was afraid of losing her, and losing the happiness he'd found after so many years without any kind of real joy in his life. But she needed him to know that he was not alone in that fear. And that he was simply just not alone.
"Daniel," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands. She made him look up at her and she said, "You're not alone anymore. I want to share your life. Everything Daniel. The good and the bad. Tell me please what you saw in your dream. Then look at me and see that it hasn't come true." She ended in a whisper as Daniel's eyes closed and she felt her heart clench painfully, thinking that he was still not going to let her in, and she felt tears burn the backs of her eyes.
"I dreamt… you were… I lost you Sam," Daniel said, opening his eyes to look at her. "Even before I went to the palace I had those dreams of losing you. I don't want that to happen."
"It won't," Sam said firmly. "The Ruler is dead Daniel, he's gone. And I know you're worried about what might happen on future missions, but I will do everything I can to keep from leaving you. I don't want to lose… us either."
Searching her eyes, Daniel could see how serious Sam was and he took her hands that were on her lap. Pressing them to his mouth and then his heart he said, "I will never leave you."
"I know," Sam said, pleased that he'd opened himself up to her, if only a little. It was a step in the right direction. "And I'll hold you to that one," she said before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him.
It took a second for Daniel to take in the kiss, but as soon as he had he was pulling Sam to him tightly, his tongue running gently over her lower lip before she parted them both. As they were slowly exploring each other then he felt their connection open, and he could sense her happiness for a moment; intense and powerful; and he tried to send what he was feeling, basically the same, to her as he cupped the back of her head with one hand, slightly deepening the kiss.
Sam was a little disappointed when Daniel pulled away a while later but she quickly realized that it was the middle of the night and he was probably exhausted. "Don't hold things back from me anymore," she said then. "You know you can tell me."
"I do, I'm sorry Sam," Daniel replied with a sigh. "And you know the same goes for you too." When she nodded he kissed her lightly and then said, "We should get some sleep. Oh… do you have clothes, things you need?"
"I threw some stuff in a bag before I came," Sam said, getting off the bed and going to where she'd left her bag; setting it on a nearby dresser with her jacket. She went back to the bed where Daniel was laying. She climbed in next to him and wrapped her arms around him, her head resting on his chest. Already the action was second nature, she hadn't really thought about how she was going to lay down, she had just done it. "I guess we'll be getting together sooner than we thought today," she commented. "You don't mind me staying tonight?" she asked when he didn't say anything. She shivered as she felt his lips on her forehead, and she looked up at him. "Daniel?"
"Sorry, I'm just… making absolutely sure that my nightmare was just that," he replied. "I really don't mind you being here, you shouldn't have to ask that. I'm really glad you're okay."
"Hmm," Sam replied, half asleep though she was trying to stay awake.
'Night Sam,' Daniel said with a smile, rubbing her back gently. 'Sweet dreams.'
'You too Daniel,' Sam said seriously, rousing herself for a moment. 'I love you.'
'I love you too,' Daniel replied softly as her breathing grew deep and even. He pressed a kiss to her forehead again, and then relaxed, forgetting all about his nightmare. With the warmth of Sam's body in his arms it took little time for him to fall asleep himself. This time, with her holding on tightly to him, he was able to sleep, no more nightmares disturbing the contentment that was filling them both through their still open link.