A/N I can't believe I forgot to put this in earlier, but in case you
haven't figured it out, the ~ indicates telepathic communications. Thanks
to everyone for all the nice feedback! It's really encouraging :-) And a
huge thanks to Jess for the beta, but of course any mistakes remaining are
mine and mine alone...
Anyway, on to chapter 4....
"How do I get in there?" Sam asked, trying to figure out how to get to Daniel. The wall in front of her seemed solid. Where was a trap door when you needed one?
"Sam? Kymar says there should be a lever near the bottom of the wall."
"Who's Kymar?"
"He's the one who helped me tell you how to find me. He's in a room near me; his race is telepathic."
"This looks like it could be a lever." Sam pressed down on the length of rock protruding from the wall. The portion of the wall in front of her began to move.
"Yep, definitely a lever."
Suddenly the wall spun around with high velocity, and Sam found herself thrown into Daniel's arms, while the wall closed up again behind her.
Daniel held onto her as she regained her balance. ~Kymar, why didn't you warn me about the lever?~
~I'm sorry, Daniel, I did not know that would happen.~
"Daniel? Are you 'talking' to this Kymar person?" Sam noticed that he appeared to be concentrating. She also noticed that he hadn't removed his arms from around her, either. Not that she minded, she just wondered why he was still holding her.
"What? Oh, yes, I'm communicating with him. He said he's sorry; he didn't know that would happen when you used the lever."
"Well, I suppose telepathic doesn't equal psychic. So, what do we do now?" She looked up at him, aware of his proximity.
"Um,"Daniel suddenly seemed to realize that he had been holding on to Sam for considerably longer than what was necessary after she regained her balance. He released her and gave her a shy smile. "Sorry, I was glad to see you."
"It's OK, Daniel, I'm glad to see you, too. Some rescuer I turned out to be, eh?"
Daniel gave a small laugh. "Yes, my knight in shining armor."
"Very funny. Have you looked for a way out of here?"
"To be honest, I haven't put much effort into it, since Kymar helped me contact you almost immediately after I got down here. "
"Alright then, let's look around and see what we can find."
They began methodically searching the room, looking for anything that might help them escape.
~Daniel, is there anything I can do to help?~
~Actually, there is. I need to talk to Sam, but it's kind of personal, so can you give me a little privacy?~
~Yes, of course. I hope you are going to tell her how you really feel about her.~
~No offense, Kymar, but I've known you for all of a couple of hours now, and I really don't feel comfortable taking advice on my love life from you.~
~I am sorry, Daniel. I will not attempt to communicate with you until you contact me again.~
Daniel felt bad. He was a bit harsh with Kymar, but Sam was a touchy subject with him at the moment. He had promised himself during his fall that, if given the chance, he would tell her how he really felt about her. Now she was here, and he still hadn't said anything, although holding her had been nice. Oh well, no time like the present.
"Sam?"
"Did you find something, Daniel?" Sam looked up from the section of the floor she was examining.
"No, I, um, I need to talk to you."
She noticed the hesitation in his voice. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything," she said as she stood up.
"I know, but this is different. It's about you, and, um, me."
Sam wondered what it could be that had her best friend, the renowned linguist, struggling with his words. She moved closer to him, concerned that something was wrong. "Daniel, please, just tell me."
"I, well, um, we've known each other for a while now, and you've always been such a good friend to me, and you're so smart, you really understand me, and, well, and you're really an amazing woman, and I think you're beautiful..." Daniel paused for some much-needed air. Sam didn't interrupt and he wasn't sure if she was in shock or just trying to let him finish, so he continued, "...and well, I don't want to risk our friendship but when I fell earlier all I could think about was you, and that I would tell you how I really feel about you, and the truth is, um, I love you, Sam, and when I say love I mean in a more-than-just-friends way," Daniel finished, and anxiously awaited a reply.
Sam stood absolutely still. Did Daniel Jackson really just tell her that he was in love with her? The same Daniel Jackson that she had recently found herself thinking about in a more-than-just-friends way? Realizing that Daniel was expecting a reply, she decided to set his mind at ease. "Daniel, I've been thinking about you a lot lately, you being my best friend and all..."
Daniel interrupted her with a groan. "I knew it; I knew I shouldn't have said anything, you only think of me as a friend."
"No! If you would've let me finish, what I was going to say was that I finally started to realize that my feelings for you are deeper than they should be for a friend."
"Really?" Daniel's expression was hopeful.
"Really." Sam said, a smile spreading across her face.
"So then you won't mind if I do this?" he asked, cupping her chin and then pressing his lips against hers.
She smiled against his lips and murmured, "No, I wouldn't mind at all."
"How do I get in there?" Sam asked, trying to figure out how to get to Daniel. The wall in front of her seemed solid. Where was a trap door when you needed one?
"Sam? Kymar says there should be a lever near the bottom of the wall."
"Who's Kymar?"
"He's the one who helped me tell you how to find me. He's in a room near me; his race is telepathic."
"This looks like it could be a lever." Sam pressed down on the length of rock protruding from the wall. The portion of the wall in front of her began to move.
"Yep, definitely a lever."
Suddenly the wall spun around with high velocity, and Sam found herself thrown into Daniel's arms, while the wall closed up again behind her.
Daniel held onto her as she regained her balance. ~Kymar, why didn't you warn me about the lever?~
~I'm sorry, Daniel, I did not know that would happen.~
"Daniel? Are you 'talking' to this Kymar person?" Sam noticed that he appeared to be concentrating. She also noticed that he hadn't removed his arms from around her, either. Not that she minded, she just wondered why he was still holding her.
"What? Oh, yes, I'm communicating with him. He said he's sorry; he didn't know that would happen when you used the lever."
"Well, I suppose telepathic doesn't equal psychic. So, what do we do now?" She looked up at him, aware of his proximity.
"Um,"Daniel suddenly seemed to realize that he had been holding on to Sam for considerably longer than what was necessary after she regained her balance. He released her and gave her a shy smile. "Sorry, I was glad to see you."
"It's OK, Daniel, I'm glad to see you, too. Some rescuer I turned out to be, eh?"
Daniel gave a small laugh. "Yes, my knight in shining armor."
"Very funny. Have you looked for a way out of here?"
"To be honest, I haven't put much effort into it, since Kymar helped me contact you almost immediately after I got down here. "
"Alright then, let's look around and see what we can find."
They began methodically searching the room, looking for anything that might help them escape.
~Daniel, is there anything I can do to help?~
~Actually, there is. I need to talk to Sam, but it's kind of personal, so can you give me a little privacy?~
~Yes, of course. I hope you are going to tell her how you really feel about her.~
~No offense, Kymar, but I've known you for all of a couple of hours now, and I really don't feel comfortable taking advice on my love life from you.~
~I am sorry, Daniel. I will not attempt to communicate with you until you contact me again.~
Daniel felt bad. He was a bit harsh with Kymar, but Sam was a touchy subject with him at the moment. He had promised himself during his fall that, if given the chance, he would tell her how he really felt about her. Now she was here, and he still hadn't said anything, although holding her had been nice. Oh well, no time like the present.
"Sam?"
"Did you find something, Daniel?" Sam looked up from the section of the floor she was examining.
"No, I, um, I need to talk to you."
She noticed the hesitation in his voice. "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything," she said as she stood up.
"I know, but this is different. It's about you, and, um, me."
Sam wondered what it could be that had her best friend, the renowned linguist, struggling with his words. She moved closer to him, concerned that something was wrong. "Daniel, please, just tell me."
"I, well, um, we've known each other for a while now, and you've always been such a good friend to me, and you're so smart, you really understand me, and, well, and you're really an amazing woman, and I think you're beautiful..." Daniel paused for some much-needed air. Sam didn't interrupt and he wasn't sure if she was in shock or just trying to let him finish, so he continued, "...and well, I don't want to risk our friendship but when I fell earlier all I could think about was you, and that I would tell you how I really feel about you, and the truth is, um, I love you, Sam, and when I say love I mean in a more-than-just-friends way," Daniel finished, and anxiously awaited a reply.
Sam stood absolutely still. Did Daniel Jackson really just tell her that he was in love with her? The same Daniel Jackson that she had recently found herself thinking about in a more-than-just-friends way? Realizing that Daniel was expecting a reply, she decided to set his mind at ease. "Daniel, I've been thinking about you a lot lately, you being my best friend and all..."
Daniel interrupted her with a groan. "I knew it; I knew I shouldn't have said anything, you only think of me as a friend."
"No! If you would've let me finish, what I was going to say was that I finally started to realize that my feelings for you are deeper than they should be for a friend."
"Really?" Daniel's expression was hopeful.
"Really." Sam said, a smile spreading across her face.
"So then you won't mind if I do this?" he asked, cupping her chin and then pressing his lips against hers.
She smiled against his lips and murmured, "No, I wouldn't mind at all."
