Chapter 6: Epilogue (Sam's POV)

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A/N: I've put some posts on Tumblr to illustrate where much of my "prompts" for this story have come from… check me out: blog/hoppingmad-1013

Thank you so much to every person who has taken the time to review. I have hopefully found a beta so in future I can have someone help me with my stories – because there are definitely more to come.

I'm also contemplating finally finishing "The Virus" s/11220327/1/The-Virus my only concern is, is this too close to home right now? Thoughts? Feelings?

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Sam was unsurprised when her best friend Janet Fraiser pulled her aside. SG-1 had showered, changed into fresh clothes and the woman in question had just cleared them for duty. She had been about to head into a briefing with General Hammond but Janet had placed a restraining hand on her arm and the two women watched the infirmary door swing shut behind Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill.

"You seem… different." Janet raised her eyebrows, a little smile on her face. "More… relaxed. Happy even."

"It was just…" but, for the life of her she couldn't find the right words. Part of the trouble was she did want a fellow female to talk to about this, about Colonel O'Neill… but her only friends either worked on base like Janet or were outside of the SGC could not know the truth about what she did for a job.

If those on base even got a hint of something going on between her and her CO she was in big trouble. Despite the fact they had not broken any rules it would just take the wrong person getting wind of there even being the slightest alteration to their working relationship for things to spin out of control. She had already discussed the rumours with the Colonel, Janet was well aware of them too – actually, of anyone on base, she probably knew the most.

"It's the first time I've been forced to do, well, nothing." She decided on the truth, the part that was safe to discuss anyway. She nervously ruffled her hair. "I went fishing." She admitted and she saw Janet's shrewd look at this and chose to ignore it.

"Well, whatever has changed Sam, I'm happy for you. Now, go before you get in trouble for being late." But before she could even put her hand on the door, Janet tugged her over and gave her a quick hug. "And Sam, I'm glad you are okay. Cassie and I have been worried sick."

"Thanks Janet," she touched the doctor's arm before leaving, revelling in the simple touch. She had missed them too.

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She pretended she didn't know Jack had just entered her lab and instead kept her eyes focused on the replicator block beneath her magnifying glass. There was no way he could sneak up on her, she was all too aware of him. He knew it, she knew it… and this was a regular little game of theirs. She could not only recognise his footsteps, but she could almost feel his presence – or was that just her overactive imagination? She definitely felt him touch the back of her chair as he passed. But still, she played the game. When he ducked his head beneath the magnifying glass, she made sure to start slightly, only ruining things slightly when an uncontrollable grin spread across her face.

Nothing had changed. She felt closer to this man than she had ever felt before… but there was nothing untoward about it, nothing scary or dangerous. They were just the same as the people who beamed aboard the Biliskner seven days earlier – the same people but stronger, happier. Their new sense of camaraderie made her feel more confident than she had felt in a really long time.

So, when he asked if she wanted to go fishing with him, and she said no once more… she didn't have an intense swirl of emotions as she had seven days earlier when he had asked. No fear. No hesitation. She didn't feel she needed to explain herself, she knew he would understand her reasoning without a word needing to be shared between them.

She declined with the kind of surety that could only come from their experience on P3X-234… but as he walked away, she remembered their last conversation on the planet, and she couldn't help smiling once more.

'It's enough, for now.'

Yeah, for now. His last words made all the difference. One day she knew they would be in a position to pursue a relationship; it might not be right now… but when that chapter of her life arrived… not even undomesticated equines could not hold her back.

The End.