Disclaimer: Not mine…don't own anything…yadda…
Procrastination
Chapter 5: Dune
Daniel Jackson was the first to awaken at the more sociable hour of 0700 hours. The first thing he noticed as he placed his glasses on his nose was that his two friends were still sound asleep, curled tightly in each others arms.
The archaeologist smiled quietly to himself, happy that they could steal a few moments of peace with each other, but also a little deflated with the knowledge that until the world changed drastically, there was little chance that they could ever have more.
Shaking himself from his silent reverie Daniel leaned forward, intent on waking the Colonel but grimaced in pain as his neck and shoulders complained vehemently at the sudden movement.
After taking a few deep breaths he tried again. This time slowly and carefully, rotating his shoulders in an attempt to stretch out the kinks and knots in his body. Eventually he managed to lean over and shake Jack's arm.
Colonel O'Neill, once again, woke with a start. His sudden movement rousing Carter from her comfortable sleep and they both groaned in reluctance. Sam was the first to recover and, realising how their sleeping arrangements must have looked to her friend, she sat up very quickly, her cheeks reddening slightly with embarrassment.
Jack took things a little more slowly and propped himself up on one elbow as he studied his 2IC, trying desperately to mask the grin threatening to erupt on his sleep weathered face. "Morning Danny." he turned to look at the archaeologist. "What time is it?"
"Just after seven." Daniel rolled the blanket tightly and threw it at his friend. "Sounds like the storm's stopped. We'd better head off."
Jack nodded in agreement and made a grab for the blanket, but Sam got there first, bundling up the cover before shoving it back in the pack with ruthless force. Both men noticed her violent actions and Daniel looked worriedly at the scowl on her usually serene face. He glanced at Jack in confusion, but the Colonel merely shrugged his shoulders and crawled out from under the tents.
Jack winced at the sudden brightness of the sun as it shone into his eyes, and after taking a moment to adjust to the change he stood up, grimacing as his knees cracked painfully in protest. Daniel followed, seemingly more prepared for the visual onslaught as he quickly donned his sunglasses and stretched his back.
"C'Mon Carter." Jack called, watching in amusement as the material, now without anything to keep it upright, folded in around her figure.
"Just a minute!" she called back irritably, only adding a "Sir." as a reluctant afterthought.
Realising that there was no way she was going to find her way out of the now flattened tents, Daniel took pity on his friend's predicament and made a grab for the material, pulling it away and slowly uncovering her body.
Sam was seething.
"You could have waited until I was out!" she glared at her CO before snatching up the other tent, rolling it efficiently and shoving it inside the pack.
"Now where would be the fun in that?" he replied with a grin before turning his back on her and wandering off in the direction of the Stargate.
"You okay Sam?" Daniel asked as they moved to follow. "Only you seem a little…*tense*."
"I'm fine." Carter regarded her friend for a moment, then sighed in reluctant defeat. "Daniel, about earlier…"
The archaeologist knotted his brows in confusion. "Earlier?"
"Yeah." she continued slowly, choosing her words very carefully. "The way we were…I mean, the Colonel and I…when you woke up."
Daniel grinned, realising suddenly the source of her discomfort and subsequent foul temper. "I'm not gonna say anything Sam."
"I'd appreciate that." she replied quietly. "It's not that anything happened, I mean we would never…it's not as if…"
"Sam!"
Carter stopped walking suddenly and turned to look at her friend in surprise. He was grinning in bemusement. "You don't need to justify anything you do or *don't* do, to me."
"I know." she smiled back, "but I just want you to understand."
Daniel placed a placating hand on her arm. "I do understand." he said quietly. "I know there's something between you and I know that neither of you would ever do anything to jeopardise the team, but…" he continued, his smile fading quickly. "I hope you and Jack both realise what you're giving up in favour of your careers."
Sam paused for a moment, "I do realise." she murmured, almost to herself as she watched her CO wander out of sight. "It's all I think about."
Daniel pulled her into a loose hug as she closed her eyes in frustrated defeat. "Then maybe it's time you stopped thinking." he replied cryptically.
They began walking again. "What do you mean 'stop thinking'?" she asked after a long moment.
"I just mean, maybe you two should just stop worrying about it. You need to accept the fact that you're attracted to each other and just deal with it. At least that way you guys can go back to how it used to be."
"How it used to be?"
"Yeah. You know, before it all got out of hand."
Sam smiled ruefully. "You mean before Anise."
Daniel shrugged. "Before Anise, before Laira, before…"
"Carter, Daniel! Get over here!" The sound of Jack's voice broke their quiet conversation and they both ran over to their CO.
"What is it?" Daniel asked breathlessly, remembering suddenly how difficult it was to run over sand.
Jack was stood at the top of a Dune, peering frustratedly through his binoculars. "Wasn't the Stargate supposed to be around here somewhere?"
Sam pulled out her own set of binoculars and scanned the horizon. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" she asked carefully, fearing the wrath of her CO.
"It's what the compass says." Jack replied as he sat down heavily on the sand.
"The storm!" Daniel's excited voice made both officers look at him in surprise.
"The storm must have buried the gate." he continued by way of an explanation.
Jack nodded. "Of course it did." he muttered sarcastically.
"So what now?" Sam sat down next to the Colonel and passed him her water. "Peace offering." she murmured quietly and touched her knee to his own.
Jack grinned, feeling the tension ebb away from him and took a long drink from the canteen. It always amazed him how she could make him feel so much better with just one word, one smile, he mused as he swallowed the cool aqua.
"So? what now?" Daniel repeated, and the moment was broken.
Jack replaced the cap on the bottle and handed it back to Sam. "I guess we head towards where it *should* be and start digging."
Sam sighed dramatically. "Sweet."
Daniel's head almost spun off his shoulders as he looked at the Major in complete surprise, whilst Jack just grinned like a madman.
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Thanks for all the feedback, and I'm sorry it's taken a little longer to get this one posted.
By way of compensation, I offer a generous package of at least a few more chapters, including the next one wherein clothing will once again be removed (well, it's hot work, digging) and all the ship you can cope with…but only if you continue posting your comments!
Newromantic
Procrastination
Chapter 5: Dune
Daniel Jackson was the first to awaken at the more sociable hour of 0700 hours. The first thing he noticed as he placed his glasses on his nose was that his two friends were still sound asleep, curled tightly in each others arms.
The archaeologist smiled quietly to himself, happy that they could steal a few moments of peace with each other, but also a little deflated with the knowledge that until the world changed drastically, there was little chance that they could ever have more.
Shaking himself from his silent reverie Daniel leaned forward, intent on waking the Colonel but grimaced in pain as his neck and shoulders complained vehemently at the sudden movement.
After taking a few deep breaths he tried again. This time slowly and carefully, rotating his shoulders in an attempt to stretch out the kinks and knots in his body. Eventually he managed to lean over and shake Jack's arm.
Colonel O'Neill, once again, woke with a start. His sudden movement rousing Carter from her comfortable sleep and they both groaned in reluctance. Sam was the first to recover and, realising how their sleeping arrangements must have looked to her friend, she sat up very quickly, her cheeks reddening slightly with embarrassment.
Jack took things a little more slowly and propped himself up on one elbow as he studied his 2IC, trying desperately to mask the grin threatening to erupt on his sleep weathered face. "Morning Danny." he turned to look at the archaeologist. "What time is it?"
"Just after seven." Daniel rolled the blanket tightly and threw it at his friend. "Sounds like the storm's stopped. We'd better head off."
Jack nodded in agreement and made a grab for the blanket, but Sam got there first, bundling up the cover before shoving it back in the pack with ruthless force. Both men noticed her violent actions and Daniel looked worriedly at the scowl on her usually serene face. He glanced at Jack in confusion, but the Colonel merely shrugged his shoulders and crawled out from under the tents.
Jack winced at the sudden brightness of the sun as it shone into his eyes, and after taking a moment to adjust to the change he stood up, grimacing as his knees cracked painfully in protest. Daniel followed, seemingly more prepared for the visual onslaught as he quickly donned his sunglasses and stretched his back.
"C'Mon Carter." Jack called, watching in amusement as the material, now without anything to keep it upright, folded in around her figure.
"Just a minute!" she called back irritably, only adding a "Sir." as a reluctant afterthought.
Realising that there was no way she was going to find her way out of the now flattened tents, Daniel took pity on his friend's predicament and made a grab for the material, pulling it away and slowly uncovering her body.
Sam was seething.
"You could have waited until I was out!" she glared at her CO before snatching up the other tent, rolling it efficiently and shoving it inside the pack.
"Now where would be the fun in that?" he replied with a grin before turning his back on her and wandering off in the direction of the Stargate.
"You okay Sam?" Daniel asked as they moved to follow. "Only you seem a little…*tense*."
"I'm fine." Carter regarded her friend for a moment, then sighed in reluctant defeat. "Daniel, about earlier…"
The archaeologist knotted his brows in confusion. "Earlier?"
"Yeah." she continued slowly, choosing her words very carefully. "The way we were…I mean, the Colonel and I…when you woke up."
Daniel grinned, realising suddenly the source of her discomfort and subsequent foul temper. "I'm not gonna say anything Sam."
"I'd appreciate that." she replied quietly. "It's not that anything happened, I mean we would never…it's not as if…"
"Sam!"
Carter stopped walking suddenly and turned to look at her friend in surprise. He was grinning in bemusement. "You don't need to justify anything you do or *don't* do, to me."
"I know." she smiled back, "but I just want you to understand."
Daniel placed a placating hand on her arm. "I do understand." he said quietly. "I know there's something between you and I know that neither of you would ever do anything to jeopardise the team, but…" he continued, his smile fading quickly. "I hope you and Jack both realise what you're giving up in favour of your careers."
Sam paused for a moment, "I do realise." she murmured, almost to herself as she watched her CO wander out of sight. "It's all I think about."
Daniel pulled her into a loose hug as she closed her eyes in frustrated defeat. "Then maybe it's time you stopped thinking." he replied cryptically.
They began walking again. "What do you mean 'stop thinking'?" she asked after a long moment.
"I just mean, maybe you two should just stop worrying about it. You need to accept the fact that you're attracted to each other and just deal with it. At least that way you guys can go back to how it used to be."
"How it used to be?"
"Yeah. You know, before it all got out of hand."
Sam smiled ruefully. "You mean before Anise."
Daniel shrugged. "Before Anise, before Laira, before…"
"Carter, Daniel! Get over here!" The sound of Jack's voice broke their quiet conversation and they both ran over to their CO.
"What is it?" Daniel asked breathlessly, remembering suddenly how difficult it was to run over sand.
Jack was stood at the top of a Dune, peering frustratedly through his binoculars. "Wasn't the Stargate supposed to be around here somewhere?"
Sam pulled out her own set of binoculars and scanned the horizon. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" she asked carefully, fearing the wrath of her CO.
"It's what the compass says." Jack replied as he sat down heavily on the sand.
"The storm!" Daniel's excited voice made both officers look at him in surprise.
"The storm must have buried the gate." he continued by way of an explanation.
Jack nodded. "Of course it did." he muttered sarcastically.
"So what now?" Sam sat down next to the Colonel and passed him her water. "Peace offering." she murmured quietly and touched her knee to his own.
Jack grinned, feeling the tension ebb away from him and took a long drink from the canteen. It always amazed him how she could make him feel so much better with just one word, one smile, he mused as he swallowed the cool aqua.
"So? what now?" Daniel repeated, and the moment was broken.
Jack replaced the cap on the bottle and handed it back to Sam. "I guess we head towards where it *should* be and start digging."
Sam sighed dramatically. "Sweet."
Daniel's head almost spun off his shoulders as he looked at the Major in complete surprise, whilst Jack just grinned like a madman.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for all the feedback, and I'm sorry it's taken a little longer to get this one posted.
By way of compensation, I offer a generous package of at least a few more chapters, including the next one wherein clothing will once again be removed (well, it's hot work, digging) and all the ship you can cope with…but only if you continue posting your comments!
Newromantic