Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate. I make no money from this fictitious story. Whew. Glad that's out of the way.
A/N: Set during the first season.
Daniel awoke with Sha'uri in his arms that morning. He could smell her. That wonderful, beautiful, perfect scent that filled his whole being. As gently as possible, he extracted his arms from around her and stood up. Then he knelt down over her peaceful body and smelled her hair. He touched it lightly. He looked over her body. His body—she belonged to him. But he belonged to her. No one else. Just her. Always her.
He readjusted the blanket over her so she would stay warm warm; mornings on Abydos were quite cold. Grabbing a hunk of bread and a mug of water, he slipped into the general eating area of the community. There were only a few people there and although they smiled warmly at him and offered him some of their food, they didn't distract him while he set to deciphering some of the glyphs from the temple. He was there only an hour when Sha'uri appeared carrying a bowl of food for her and her husband to share.
"How are you this morning?" she asked as she nuzzled his neck. Some of the older women there smiled knowingly and approvingly. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes and yes." There was little that had ever distracted Daniel from his work as an archeologist. Even a huge sandstorm during an Egyptian dig hadn't kept Daniel from studying. But Sha'uri. Sha'uri only had to exist and she distracted him. He ran a hand through her hair and laid down his paper and pen. "I haven't had a poor nights sleep since you joined me in bed. Did you sleep well?"
She nodded dreamily. "After last night," she whispered, "how could I have slept poorly? You exhausted me!"
"I'm sorry," he replied, although he wasn't that sorry.
"There is nothing to be sorry about, Daniel. It was the best exhaustion I've ever had. I hope there will be more tonight."
Daniel smiled and his eyes twinkled at the thought.
Sha'uri dipped some of the bread Daniel had brought into the bowl and then fed it to her husband. He accepted it greedily, having forgotten to eat when he began studying. If it wasn't for Sha'uri, he would have starved on Abydos. She dipped some more bread and ate it herself, then quickly gave Daniel another piece. When the bread was gone, Sha'uri dipped her finger in the bowl and used it to feed Daniel. Skaara walked up to them.
"Skaara!" Daniel yelled, bolting up and turning red. He was embarrassed to have been caught licking Skaara's sister's finger. To make matters worse, Skaara giggled at Daniel's discomfort. "How are you this morning?" Daniel asked quickly and with a slight choke to his voice.
"I am well. How are you and my sister? Hungry?"
Daniel turned a brighter red, but Sha'uri laughed. She lightly hit Skaara's arm and pulled him down to the floor. She handed him the bowl and he devoured the remaining stew. "Daniel, you are good for my sister. You are a good husband. You make her very happy."
He sat down and put his arm around Sha'uri. "That's all I ever want to do," he murmured, more to Sha'uri than Skaara. "I just want to make her happy." He kissed her lightly and held her close.
*****************************************************************
Daniel awoke with his arm around his pillow. It didn't smell like Sha'uri. He stood up. He went to the bathroom. He got ready for work. He entered his office. He stared at the artifacts. Jack walked into the room.
"Morning," Jack said, laying an envelop on Daniel's highly cluttered desk. Daniel didn't respond. Didn't even look up. Jack stared at his friend for a long time and then sat down in the chair next to him. "I dreamed about Sarah and Charlie last night," he admitted. "Then I woke up and they weren't here. It's like my mind is trying to torment me in my sleep."
Daniel shook his head slowly, looking up to meet Jack's eyes. "I dreamt about Sha'uri last night. It was wonderful. I can still see her in my head. I can still smell her if I try hard enough. If I close my eyes and imagine, I can feel her touch."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Jack," he whispered. "I never get to see my wife. She was the one perfect thing in my life and it tears me to shreds that I don't have her with me. But a dream like that is my opportunity to have her again. It's my moment with her. It's my hope. There isn't a better way for me to start my day out than with Sha'uri. Even if that Sha'uri is only in my head."
Jack cocked his head thoughtfully. He had never thought about it that way. From Daniel's point of view, Jack had just seen his son last night. Except that didn't make the pain go away.
"Will I see you in the meeting?" he asked, standing up. But Daniel's eyes were glazed over again, and in his mind, he could feel Sha'uri's touch.