Paths of Life

Jack sat by Sam's bed looking intently on her face, which seemed troubled even in her sedated state. Dark circles encompassed her eyes and frown lines etched along her forehead. Jack studied her face; his mind casting back over the events they had come through. He had past experience of dealing with this, she had not, somewhere between their escape from the fortress and their arrival at the SGC Sam's mind had given in too the stress, and she had fallen too the wayside. He moved his seat closer too her bedside and took her hand in his. Her palm was cold and as it lay in his hand lightly, he felt a soft tremble shivering along her fingers. His fingers tightened their grip around her hand and he ran his other hand over her forehead flicking her hair back from her face. As his fingers traced over her forehead the lines seemed too drop slightly and her frown started too relax. He continued his soft caress seeing her respond slightly too his touch. He leaned forward over her, his fingers tracing soft lines along her forehead and cheek bones and whispered softly too her.

"Hey Sam, where are you? You're getting us all worried. I don't know if you can hear me but I'm gonna say this anyway. I need you, we all do. You're a special person too us all Sam and we don't want too lose you. So your not allowed too give in to this. Your too strong too let something like this defeat you."

Her fingers twitched slightly in his hand and he took this as a sign that somehow somewhere in that active mind of hers, she was listening too his voice, to his words. A voice deep down inside him told him too continue. He watched her face, her expression, and every slight movement as she breathed softly.

"Tell you what Sam. I'll make you a deal, you wake up and I won't tell Tealc that you fancied him for like the first two years he was with us."

He smiled as her mouth twitched softly. Yeah, she could hear him, it was just a way of leading her back too the surface. He continued offering first soft praises too her and adding small anecdotes and sarcastic remarks.

"Who's gonna talk to your plants if you don't come too? I could explain the Simpson's too them, 300 episodes in the making. And your bike, I never was one for motorbikes myself but hey if your not gonna be using your for a while, or I could let Jonas us it I suppose. I mean I know he isn't a good rider yet but after a few crash tests with your heap of junk I'm sure he'll be much improved"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet stood by the door with Tealc and Jonas and smiled softly as the Colonel leaned over his 2IC and whispered small talk too her. They had slipped in quietly too see how they were both doing too find the Colonel talking over Sam as she lay still in her unconscious state. Janet's fingers had found Tealc's and had softly entwined with them as she watched the Colonel, she had been about too interrupt him, pulling her embrace from Tealc but his hand steadily kept their fingers tightly entwined and had looked down at her with a look of silent content. Her eyes moved back too the Colonels form and she realised maybe he was doing a better job than she could at this moment .All she could do was medically keep Sam in a comfortable stable state. As a friend, she could keep a silent vigil over all of her and her family, being a strength too them as they were too her. The trio had exited as silently as they had entered and Jonas sank into a chair situated in the corridor outside. Janet had ushered him from the chair into the room directly next too Sam's onto the available bed. He had lain down, the moment his head hit the pillow his eyes had shut heavily, and he allowed sleep to overtake him, knowing if anything happened he would be one of the first too know. Janet and Tealc went into Janet's office and sat in the low sofa she had situated by the wall. They held each other in a close embrace and Tealc kept his strong arms around her as sleep also overtook her and she feel asleep in he arms of the man she loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She stopped, a different familiar voice carried along the wind. The scene seemed too change around her like the turning of a page, images swirling in the corner of her eye. She twisted around in her position, luscious fields of green spread for miles, some fields splashed with colours of Mother Nature. She looked back and realised the reason why her walk had been slow and heavy was because she had been climbing slowly up an embankment, but the road ahead was straight and level. She no longer felt afraid of what was behind her and the end of the road seemed that much closer. The voices were still there being carried by the wind, but they were stronger, louder and more familiar. She still did not call out too them but continued her walk once more. She was surprised too see a small bench set off the path and even more surprised that she felt someone was motioning for her too sit and rest. She expected the bench too grew further from her as she walked toward it but it stayed in its solitary stance whispering for her too rest her weary state upon it. She reached it and sat down, stretching her tired feet in front of her and arching her neck back feeling a warm light resting upon her face. She bathed in its warmth for a moment, listening too the whispers on the wind, comforted by the familiarity of the tune it carried, before opening her eyes slowly, feeling a presence nearby.

A man stood by her, looking down on her pose. A smile etched his mouth; his stance was that of someone satisfied with what they saw before him. He stood arms folded, head slightly cocked too the side and his eyes conveyed too her feeling of warmth and encouragement.

"Hey Daniel"

"Hey Sam"

She patted the bench next too her and he took up her invitation and sat by her side. They sat for a moment looking out over the scene before them.

"You've been walking for a long time Sam"

"Yeah"

"You know everyone is worried. They want you back with them Sam"

"I had things too think about"

"What have you been thinking about?"

"Life"

"Life?"

"Yeah Life."

"What about life Sam?"

"We live a strange life Daniel"

"Who does?"

"Me, you, Jack, everyone. Were so caught up in our world of saving people, risking our lives too defeat evil. And yet we never seem too take a chance too stop and think about where life is leading us"

"And what are your thoughts on the matter now that you've had time too think about it?"

"Well at first I thought that we just had too walk the path were put upon, no arguments, no complaints. In the end it's just me and the road."

She looked along the path she had walked too the left of her, and then too her right along the road which would lead her home. Daniel nudged her companionably for her too continue.

"And now?"

"And now I kind realise, it's not just me. All our paths entwine with one another. We can't walk along them by ourselves. We need the people around us. My life is not the SGC, it isn't about figuring our equations or saving the world from the next Gould."

Her eyes were fixed on the embankment, which stretched away from them. She shifted her gaze too look at Daniel. His eyes were fixed upon her face, the smile still upon his lips. She realised their hands had fond each other and she could feel his fingers lightly touching hers.

"My life is Jack and Tealc and Jonas and the General and Janet, and you only you're not there all the time. But you all walk the same path as me and when one of us falls, the others pick us back up and set us on our feet again. Sometimes its only one of us, who can help another, other times we all need too rally round too get our feet in motion again."

Her eyes bore into his, his were filled with a knowing of something. She smiled and nudged him back with her shoulder gently.

"Is this one of those life lessons that you know about, its just us 'lower beings' of un-ascended state who don't quite fully understand and so you give us a test to get the picture?"

Daniel smiled and slipped his hand from hers, sliding an arm around her. She rested her head against his shoulder

"I didn't figure it out till I ascended Sam. Some people have already figured it out, and others need too be shown. Deep down everyone knows they will always need people around them too set them back on their feet. Only some people are too proud too admit too it."

They sat in comfort and silence together. The voices whispering on the wind echoed in their ears.

"They're calling for you Sam. Now it is up too you and them too get back on the right path. They need you as much as you need them remember."

She sat up and looked once more into his eyes. A moment of sadness and longing coming between them.

"You need us too Daniel, and we need you"

"I know Sam, you still have me and your all always there for me."

Her gaze followed the whispers along the path.

"He needs you Sam. He needs too know you are all right. You know that man is stubborn as a mule. He won't recover until he knows you're safe. He loves you Sam and you love him"

"I love you too Daniel"

"I know you do Sam. But our love is something different all the time. We love as friends, as kindred, as kin. As passionate lovers or twisted love of enemies. But you and him. That's a different love. That's something you both want and need. It fills your souls, your longings, your desires your paths are so entwined if he lost you Sam, he would never be the man he is or could be. You're his constant and he is yours."

"It can never be Daniel"

Sam looked at him with tear filled eyes. She knew he was right and a fear of never having what he described troubled her soul. Daniel held her close too him, dropping kisses into her hair.

"Not yet Sam but I promise, you two have a future together. It may seem a long time too come and it won't be in the very near future but you two will be given your chance and you'll grasp on with both hands as you always do."

She hugged him close and took too heart his words. They broke their embrace and stood holding hands for a moment. Daniel smiled and leaned too her, kissing her softly on the lips, pulling back he turned and pulled her gently back onto the path. Their hands broke apart and they walked in silence along the road, the voices became louder and beckoned them forth.

"Ready Sam?"

"Yeah"

"Daniel?"

"Yeah Sam?

"Love You"

"Love you too Sam"

~~~~~TBC~~~~~