Chapter Two

Samantha came to unwillingly, her subconscious mind rallying against the pain that was to come. She slowly opened her eyes, trying to get the blurring images to focus. A figured sat to her side, watching over her. Daniel.

She smiled painfully. She knew he'd be here. That was why she'd woken up despite this pain. That was why she'd left the sanctuary of a cocktail of painkillers to come back to consciousness.

She reached out her hand weakly. " Daniel, " she said softly. Speaking the one word an effort.

He squeezed her hand and placed it gently to her side. " Try not to move, " he instructed. " I imagine you must feel pretty sore. "

Tentatively, Samantha tried to sit up. After a second's effort, she slumped down onto the bed with a painful cry. " You always had to see for yourself, " Daniel said with a playful smile on his face – as playful as you could get watching the love of your life recovering from a brutal beating and rape. Sam, oh Sam, Daniel had asked himself so many times as he'd held vigil by her bed. Why couldn't you just submit? He was going to… have you whatever you did, you may as well have made it easier on yourself.

He knew such thoughts were disloyal. He loved Samantha because she was strong-willed and independent who would fight to the death rather then submit against something she didn't want. He couldn't complain when she acted her typical self-willed self.

Even if she did end up in a coma for three days while her body shut down trying to heal itself.

He had kept a bedside vigil for the last three days, and more then once the contents of his stomach had ended up in the toilet watching the bruises on her face and arms discolour gruesomely. Right now they were at their worse, although Janet said they would start to fade now. And when they'd turned her over to wash her back and he'd seen the ugly welts caused by the whip – Daniel swallowed hard. He was not going to cry or throw up in front of Samantha.

Samantha smiled weakly. " Everything aches, " she said.

" I would tell you next time you come up against a Mongol chieftain with no-one to back you up, just lie down quietly and take it – if I thought you would listen to me. Which I know you won't. " But his voice was filled with affection, even admiration, so Samantha knew he didn't hate her for getting into such trouble.

" Remind me of this time next time I want to be a feminist, " Samantha joked.

" You can bet on it. "

They were both skating around what they really wanted to say. " Daniel, I – " Samantha started. He knew from the tone of her voice the subject she was broaching.

He pressed two fingers against Samantha's mouth. " Shhh, " he said. " We don't need to talk about it. " He trailed his fingers up her face and ran them through her hair.

That meant he didn't want to talk about it. Samantha closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Daniel's fingers through her hair. So protective and masculine – she sighed. " Thanks for being here, " she said.

" Hey, " he said easily. " I said I'd stay, didn't I? "

Samantha opened her eyes, and blue eyes met blue eyes in a connection that sparked. Her body was in pain, and her mind was groggy from the cocktail of painkillers that were taking the edge off the pain, but she felt something through all of that. Something that had been there since she and Daniel had first met but she'd never noticed. Something –

At that moment Doctor Janet Fraiser interrupted their reverie by walking into the infirmary. When she saw Samantha was awake, she hurried over to the injured Captain. " How do you feel? " she asked her.

Samantha gave her the same weak smile she'd given Daniel. " Everything hurts, " she said.

Janet clucked her tongue sympathetically. " You took a pretty bad beating. You could have died. "

Both women noticed the way Daniel flinched when Janet mentioned the possibility of Samantha's death. Janet focused her attention of the archaeologist. " Alright you, " she said firmly. " A deal's a deal. You said you'd have a shower and get some rest when she came to. Now off you go. "

Daniel had made that promise when Janet was threatening to have him committed. " I don't need you down as well as Carter, " had been her words. But she'd seen how devoted he was to Samantha and agreed to let him stay until she woke up. But now that she'd woken up, he wanted to stay with her even more. He couldn't just leave her now that she was awake.

" If I have a shower can I sleep in here? " he asked hopefully.

Janet pondered the request. The truth was, Daniel was absolutely useless while he was worried about Sam – and it seemed to give him some degree of peace of mind when he was close to her. " OK, " she negotiated. " But only if you take a sedative. You will sleep. "

" Deal, " Daniel agreed, and he went off to have a shower.

" He's been here since they brought you in three days ago, " Janet informed Samantha. It had been against regulations, of course, but there wasn't much else he could do while he was so preoccupied and besides, Samantha seemed to sleep more soundly when he was there. It had made Janet ask herself a few questions about the two of them.

It gave Samantha a warm feeling to know Daniel had been here all the time for her. " I made him promise he'd stay with me, " she admitted. " I didn't think he'd take it so seriously. "

Janet smiled ruefully. " He really cares about you, you know. "

" I know. That's why we work so well together. "

" No, I mean as more then just friends. He'll be stoic in front of you, of course, but there were times he got really distressed – but he stayed anyway. " No man did that for a woman he didn't love to distraction. " But how are you feeling? "

" Sore, " Samantha admitted. " So sore… can't remember feeling like this. " Her body felt like it had been ripped apart which, from what she could remember, wasn't that far from the truth. " And so tired… " how could she have slept for three days and still be tired?

" I thought you might be. You've been through a lot, you know. You shouldn't feel bad about needing some time to recuperate. " Janet fixed a unit of strong sedative and fed in it Samantha's IV drip. The effects were almost instantaneous.

" Daniel… " Samantha murmured as she drifted back to sleep.

" He'll be here, " Janet said reassuringly. " I already told you, wild horses couldn't keep him away. "

Daniel returned to the infirmary fifteen minutes later, admittedly feeling refreshed and starting to feel the effects of no sleep for the better part of four days, to be disappointed that Samantha had already gone back to sleep. Janet had restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Instead, she held up a syringe filled with the same sedative she had just give Samantha. Given the exhaustion he must feel, this would knock him out for most of a day.

Daniel immediately started to protest. " I will even let you have the bed next to her, " Janet said. " But you will take this and not complain. You're no good to anyone as tired as you are, especially not to her. " Seeing her logic, Daniel obediently lay down on the bed next to Samantha's and held out his arm. Janet smirked. It was incredible what you could make a man in love do.

Daniel was woken up twenty hours later by the sounds of distressed whimpering coming from the bed next to him, Groggily, he sat up and then stood up. He checked his watch. Christ, he'd been asleep for almost a full day. He did feel rested. He wondered what Janet had given him.

" No… please, don't… please… Daniel, help me…Daniel! " Samantha cried out in her sleep.

Daniel slipped one hand into hers and pressed his free hand into her forehead. " Sam, it's OK, " he whispered soothingly. " Wake up. I'm here. " Slowly her whimpered died down and she opened her eyes.

" Daniel… " she said groggily, relieved. " It was horrible… I was there again… I wanted you. "

He squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her forehead. " I'm sorry, " he said.

Samantha looked at him quizzically through her tears. " For what? " she asked.

" For not being more aware or what could happen. I should have taken more notice of the way Abu looked at you. Someone should have stayed with you, or we should have come home and gone back with a male team, " he said brokenly. Three days was a lot of time to go over all the things you could have done.

Samantha smiled appreciatively. " You couldn't predict everything, " She said forgivingly. " You killed a man for me, Daniel. I think you made up for it. " She gave a short, pained laugh but it was a laugh nonetheless.

There was a silence for a few seconds and then Samantha said, " I did try to submit. I tried… I tried to think of you… " she trailed off, a little embarrassed about her confession.

Daniel knew he shouldn't continue the conversation, given Samantha was only volunteering these details because of the drugs in her system, but he couldn't help himself. " It obviously didn't work, " he said dryly, his eyes running over her battered body. At least her bruises were beginning to face.

" Couldn't fool myself… every time he hit me… reminded me… you wouldn't be like that… you would be… gentle… "

At Samantha's provocative, if drug-induced, words Daniel started to cry. Holding her hand tightly, he leaned over to kiss her forehead. He kept his lips on her skin, his free hand in her hair and then trailing down her face intimately. " I would be, " he agreed, his voice choked with emotion. Regret – love – anger – it was all coursing through his body. " I would be so gentle – I would be whatever you wanted – however you wanted – " his lips trailed down her face to her mouth, pressed against her lips in a closed-mouthed kiss. He made no attempt to open her mouth, just felt the taste of her lips on his, the saltiness of their tears mixed together, the closeness of her body.

Samantha's body shuddered with anticipation at the feel of Daniel's body so close to hers, his lips on hers. She wanted him to kiss her, properly, every fibre of her being ached for it. She wanted to be with him, to have him vanquish memories of Turghan with his kisses, his love. Tentatively, she opened her mouth…

… Daniel pulled away slightly. Their eyes met, and they were both glistening with tears. " Sam, " he murmured resolutely. " Not like this. "

… And the world they had built around them for a few seconds collapsed, and they became painfully aware that they were in the infirmary of the Stargate Command, and that she was here because she had been brutally abused by a Mongol chieftain in a mission gone badly wrong. Her body needed to heal. He mind needed to heal, as much as she hated to admit that her mind wasn't strong enough to endure such an ordeal without sustaining a few injuries of its own. A few moments ago, she had wanted Daniel to vanquish her memories or Turghan. She knew she had to deal with those memories herself before she gave up her body – and her mind – willingly.

Feeling lost, Samantha turned her head away from Daniel. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her body convulsed with sobs. She could feel her broken rib protesting the movement but the pain was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her mind.

Daniel held onto her hand, but he didn't make any attempt to make her face him. If she didn't want to look at him – she had some pretty big issues to deal with, and he was part of that. It was enough for the moment that she was still holding his hand.

After a few minutes of sobbing she said, " I feel so weak for not being able to deal with this. I feel like – it should just be about my body – I've been hurt other times and it was just about dealing with the pain and concentrating on getting better. But this – I feel violated and I feel like I shouldn't. "

It broke Daniel's heart to see Samantha so devastated. He wanted to drag Turghan back from hell and put him through the same thing, see how he liked it. At least he wouldn't be doing it to any other woman. " It's not just about your body, Sam. It's not even about sex. What he did – he just wanted power. You're kind of right about one thing, though. "

Samantha sniffled. " What? "

" It was only about your body – he wanted to control your body – and that's your weakest asset. He was bigger then you, he had goons to help him – he could possess your body, if he wanted it, but he would never possess your mind or your heart – and believe me those things are far more valuable. " He took a ragged breath. " I would never force anything from you – not your mind or heart, and certainly not your body. You know that, don't you? "

At last, Samantha turned her head to face him. She nodded.

" Good. " He squeezed her hand again. " We're going to get through this together. I'll be there for you – whenever you need me. And after – maybe I can take you some place nice – when you're better? " It was a question, not a demand, but he'd be a fool not to know what her answer was.

Ten minutes later Janet came in. She was checking in on them every half hour, and she was sure their subconsciouses had somehow arranged it so they'd get the full time together before she interrupted. It was obvious something pretty heavy had gone on between them. Janet decided it wasn't her place to ask. Samantha had a lot of issues to deal with, and Janet had the feeling it was Daniel, not a phycologist, who was going to be the most help there.

" Since you're awake, we'll get you washed, " Janet said to Samantha. She glanced between Daniel and Samantha, unsure of weather to suggest Daniel stay or go. Samantha wouldn't want Daniel seeing her naked body in its beaten-up state, but he already had when he'd kept his vigil.

Samantha made it easier for her. " If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Janet – just us women, " she said, and Daniel understood. He needed a shower – and a change of clothes – and to eat himself. And Samantha needed some time without Daniel to collect her thoughts.

" What happened to the team? " Samantha asked Janet after a while. In dealing with her own problems, she hadn't thought about the rest of her team – except Daniel, and not in an intergalactic travel sense.

" Jack and Teal'c have been reassigned while you get better, " Janet explained. " Although they came straight here after the last mission, they should be back again in a few hours. Daniel wouldn't leave your side, even threatened to quit – the General wasn't going to take it that far, but when he realised how deeply he cares about you he thought it would be a problem in the future. You know how the military is about relationships. "

" Daniel isn't in the military! " Samantha protested. Technically. " And we're not in a relationship. " She felt her cheeks grow warm at what was best a stretching of the truth. She could still feel her body tingle at the feel of his lips on hers.

" I know – do you think the General's going to let him go just like that? No, he gave Daniel the choice – one of you has to be reassigned to another team. He immediately chose himself, said you'd want to be with men you knew – and besides, I think he's kind of looking forward to being with someone who doesn't belittle his history stuff like Jack does. "

Samantha gave a small laugh. The two men, while they respected each other, had often clashed because of their difference in values – Jack liked weapons, Daniel liked history. She would miss him on the team but she knew it was for the best. She wouldn't want missions compromised because Daniel was worried about her. " Was – was he really here, all the time? " she asked.

Janet nodded. " I always thought you two had something between you, but I didn't realise how much he cares for you until I watched the way he was with you. I don't think he would have known how to go on if you had died. And you were always much calmer when he was there. "

Samantha smiled. She could swear she could remember short periods of anxiety while she was unconscious, like something important was mission – she had thought she'd imagined it.

There was a long silence while Samantha gathered up the courage to confide in Janet. She blurted out, " We almost kissed, before – I wanted to – so badly – but he pulled away. He said – he doesn't want to get involved until I'm – better. "

" Daniel's a wise man, " Janet said sagely. " You've been through a lot, Sam, and quite possibly he's the reason you're not dead. He saved you physically, and until you deal with your issues on your own there's going to be a temptation to let him save you emotionally – and that's no foundation to build a relationship on. "

Samantha knew Janet was right. She wanted so badly to be with Daniel but she knew if the timing wasn't right – you couldn't build a relationship on a physical need, or an emotional void. And she wanted a relationship with Daniel. Eventually.

The weeks passed. Samantha physically recovered swiftly, thanks to her excellent health and will to recover. He rib took a while to heal, as ribs always do, and Janet ordered her to take it easy.

And of course until Samantha was completely recovered, in body and soul, there was no point in trying to get Daniel to do anything other then keep her company. The General didn't mind, although it did deprive the Stargate Command of their best historian/diplomat. Although he would never admit to it, SG-1 was his favourite team, Samantha and Daniel were like his children. It did his heart good to see them together, even if it was because of horrible circumstances.

Samantha had two session a week with a top phycologist, and she spent a lot of time with Daniel – most of their time, actually. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they played endless games of Chess and Monopoly that had nothing to do with SGC, sometimes they hung out in silence. He was easy to talk to, and was always willing to let her talk about what had happened to her.

One day she asked him, " Does it bother you – hearing this stuff? "

Like he always did when he sensed she needed reassuring, he laced his fingers through hers. Like they often were, she was sitting between his legs, her back against his chest with one arm draped loosely across her chest. It was an intimate position, lover-ly, only they were strictly platonic – or at least pretending to be, for the moment. It was an unspoken agreement that it was for the best, although the growing attraction between them was obvious – to themselves and everyone else on the base.

" Kinda, " he admitted. Who really wanted to hear the details of a woman being beaten and raped, let alone when that woman meant as much to you as Samantha did to Daniel? " But I know it makes you feel better, and if it makes you feel better then I can handle it. "

Samantha's heart was filled with love for this man. He was her rock. She kissed his hand and snuggled deeper against his chest.

After a few minutes she broached something that had been on her mind for sometime. " Daniel? " she asked tentatively.

" Yeah? "

" How – how do you feel about Sha're? "

The effect was instantaneous. Daniel immediately tensed up, nervously playing with Samantha's fingers while he searched for the right words to say. Although it was only a few seconds that passed, it felt like eternity for Samantha. She had always felt the spectre of his Goa'uld wife between them, and although she could never be with a man who was in love with another woman, she couldn't stand the thought of not being with Daniel.

Finally he said, " I still love her, " and she felt like her heart was breaking. " I'll always love her, Sam, wherever she is – whatever she is – I can't help that. We had something pretty special and nothing will change that. "

" Had? " Samantha asked.

Daniel sighed. " I know it's a long shot if I ever get her back – and even if I did, I know it wouldn't be the same. Before this happened – " he squeezed both of Samantha's hand to indicate their tentative relationship " – I could see myself going back to her and everything would be as it was. But I've changed, and I don't think it could, even if I didn't have you. I love her, Sam, and I made a promise to her father to find her – which I will keep – but after that – I don't know. I only know I can't go back. I want to be with you. I love you, Sam. "

Painfully, because her rib hadn't quite heals, Samantha twisted around to lock eyes with Daniel. She had always sensed that he loved her, but he'd never said so out loud. She smiled and reached up to kiss him…

… He turned his head away none-too-subtlety. " Sam, " he said firmly. " I told you. Not like this. "

She slumped against his chest, feeling too defeated to move off him. She knew he was right, of course. They had to take things slowly – and carefully. If they got into a relationship for the wrong reasons it would all end badly.

But she so badly wanted to be with him.

The combined ache in her side and the feeling of loss made her start to cry despite herself. She felt like a weak, heartsick fool.

" Hey… " Daniel held her as tightly as he could without hurting her. " It's going to be OK, Sam, everything'll work out. Just be patient. "

But the weeks went by, and it became a month, then two. Their relationship appeared to be at a standstill. Samantha was still seeing a phycologist twice a week but she was cleared, physically and mentally, to go on missions again. The guy Daniel had been traded for, Matt, was nice enough – more military, less of a history nut so he and Jack got along fine – but Samantha felt the team dynamics had been changed for the worse. The four of them got along fine, and Daniel had been right in assuming she would feel more comfortable with Jack and Teal'c then with men she barely knew after her ordeal, but the camaraderie they'd shared just wasn't there. It would take a long time for the four of them to build up the same trust they'd had with Daniel, and sometimes it didn't seem worth it.

Especially since, for all his selflessness in swapping teams so they could be together, she and Daniel weren't together.

They still had a close connection, as friends. When they weren't on missions – and Hammond, God bless him, did his best to make sure their missions coincided so they had the most time together on the base – they were mostly together. It wasn't uncommon to find Samantha and Daniel together, sitting between his legs, her back pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist – tighter and more intimately now that he didn't have a broken rib to worry about – in fact, it had become quite normal to expect to find them in one or the other's quarters. There was a SGC pool going around on how long before they got it on.

Only problem was, Daniel made no attempt to move their relationship along, and subtly – and often not-so-subtly – rebuffed all her attempts to do it herself.

He was deeply frightened of making a move too soon and having it all fall apart. He loved Samantha to distraction, and he was terrified of having her react badly to the intimacy of a relationship. He'd done a lot of research, read countless stories from women who said they'd been intimate before they were ready and always had trouble reconciling sex and lovemaking because of it. He didn't want to move things too quickly and have her switch off because of it. The idea of Samantha letting him have sex with her rather then sharing the experience with him made him sick in the stomach. And he didn't know how to deal with it, so with much restraint, he brought their relationship to a virtual standstill.

One day Jack, who was pissed off because he'd just watch the third date he'd bet on Samantha and Daniel getting together pass him by – along with this third lot of betting money – confronted Samantha with as much lack of subtlety as Daniel had possessed in rejecting her advanced. " So, Carter, when are you and Danny-boy planning to get it on? " he asked mischievously and curiously, wondering if there was any way he could convince her to fix a date so he could cash in.

He had long ago given up on him and Samantha ever getting together. Even if the logistics of them both being high-ranking military weren't a factor, he had to admit, the thing she and Daniel had together was pretty special. He had watched the way he never left her side while she was unconscious, and how she always seemed calmer when he was there, even when she was unconscious, and he'd had to admit that he simply didn't possess that devotion to his Captain.

Now he just wanted to know when Samantha and Daniel were going to get together.

Samantha winced. " I don't know, " she admitted miserably, and it didn't take someone of sensitivity that Jack didn't possess to know she wanted it to happen – but something was stopping it.

" I don't get it. You're hot for him. He's hot for you. He's mad about you, and I can assume you feel the same way about him? " Samantha nodded miserably. " Then what's the problem? "

Samantha felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hated crying, and she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, in secret, over Daniel. " He's not interested, " she admitted. " Everytime the moment's right and I think he's going to kiss me, he pulls away. Everytime I go to kiss him, he pulls away. He turns me down every single time, Jack. I don't know why. "

That was an interesting twist. It couldn't be a lack of attraction. The two of them had enough electricity between them they could just about power the Stargate Command all on their own. And he obviously cared about her, like she did him. Jack, lacking the sensitivity or insight needed for the situation, was at a loss.

" Well, I'm sure he'll come to his senses, " was all Jack could think to say. " He probably just wants to make sure you're completely OK. "

" I am completely OK, " Samantha insisted. " Fraiser, my phyc and Hammond all said I was OK to go on mission again. What more is he waiting for? "

Jack shrugged. Relationships had never been his strong point. " I don't know. Why don't you ask him? "

But Samantha already had some idea as to why Daniel wasn't interested in being more then her friend. Sure, he told her he loved her and early on he'd told her he wanted them to be together, after she got better – but he hadn't been saying much of that lately. In fact, he'd gone decidedly silent on the whole relationship subject.

Which brought Samantha to the conclusion that he no longer wanted to be with her.

Oh, sure, maybe he was physically attracted to her. But that was just lust. That was just about sex. And Daniel would never be stupid enough to complicate things with 'just sex'. It would be hard enough dealing with a proper, committed relationship in this environment, let alone a physical relationship when he didn't want an emotional one. So he let things be and restricted himself to friendship.

He didn't want her because she was damaged goods. He, even more the Janet or her phycologist, knew what she had gone through, both with the rape and beating and the recovery or her mind and body. He'd held her broken body in his arms to delivery her back to safety, and held her hand during her nightmares. He might love her, but there must be a part of him that was repulsed by the experience.

It was the only thing she could think of to explain why he wasn't interested in her.

Daniel had once told her that Sha're had been presented to him as a virgin. Of course, in her culture, that was typical for women – a sign of their 'goodness'. Which wasn't to say he believed it, but the more traditional side of him kind of liked knowing that he was the only man she had been with. At the risk of seeming like a chauvinist, part of her had only ever belonged to him, and always would.

Even if it was unrealistic to expect your partner to be a virgin in this day and age – and planet – didn't that say a lot about Daniel, that he liked his women 'pure' – not raped and beaten within an inch of their lives? Samantha didn't know much about Abydonian culture, but she did know that a lot of patriarchal cultures had a word for women who 'allowed' themselves to be raped – whore.

The idea made her cry the first time she thought of it, and the second, and the third. But like an ugly scab on a painful wound, she couldn't help but picking it, exposing the wound, thinking it was better to have the truth then some pleasant lie, that Daniel was just taking his time.

More then once she had quietly excused herself and escaped to her quarters to cry. She knew Daniel loved her. But he didn't want to be with her, not in the way she wanted to be with him, and that broke her heart every time she thought about it.

Daniel noticed a change in Samantha's behaviour over the next few weeks. She no longer made passes at him, and her demeanour changed. She became more tense around him, more snappy. She didn't let him hold her the way she used to, and he realised how much he had enjoyed holding Samantha close to him. So he tried being more easygoing, ignoring her snappiness, her often bitchy comments about his virginal wife (he knew he shouldn't have told her about that, a modern feminist like Samantha would never get it), tried to get her to talk about it and be her best friend in the hope she would get over whatever was bugging her.

In light of his courteous but platonic behaviour, Samantha became more enraged and more heartsick. Daniel didn't want her. He wanted chaste virgins like Sha're who didn't run around putting themselves in danger by challenging men. Their friendship rapidly deteriorated to a point they couldn't speak without getting into a fight.

One day he ran into her in the lab. He'd been preoccupied, trying to figure out where things had gone so badly between them, that he hadn't seen her until her body had slammed into his. She stepped back quickly, lost her balance and fell to the floor.

He held out his arm to help her up, and she reluctantly accepted his assistance. He hoisted her to her feet, and the force of his pull drew her against him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady himself, and for a moment, they were staring into each other's eyes, physically closer then they had been in weeks. He could smell the combination of soap and shampoo she used (Samantha didn't believe in perfume and he loved her natural, clean smell without any artificial scents added) and he thought seriously about kissing her.

With a glare, Samantha yanked herself from his hold. " Sorry, " she said coolly. " I should have watched where I was going. "

Daniel sighed. " Sam, what the hell is going on with you? " he demanded.

Samantha looked at him incredulously. " What's going on with me? " she asked. " Oh, you are so full of it, Doctor Jackson. " She spat the last two words with as much contempt and hate as she could manage to hide the hurt in her heart.

" Me? " Daniel asked indignantly. " You're the one who's being a bitch! "

She glared at him. " That's so fucking typical of you men, " she hissed. " You don't want me, so I'm a bitch. "

Daniel stared at her, unable to comprehend what she was talking about. " Of course I want you, " he stated the obvious. " You're the one who won't let me near you. "

Because she couldn't think of any other way to express her devastation, she slapped Daniel with all the force a career in the military could provide. She sent him reeling and felt a sense of satisfaction over it. She only wished she could hurt him as badly as he'd hurt her.

" You only want me in bed, " she countered. " You don't want to be in a relationship with me – because I'm damaged goods! " she realised she was beginning to sound hysterical but she didn't care. She approached Daniel with all the fury of a woman scorned. " All that stuff you said about – wanting to take me out – that was CRAP! Why don't you – why don't you go find yourself a simpering virgin and live HAPPILY EVER FUCKING AFTER! "

She reached out to strike him again, but he was prepared this time. Samantha packed an impressive punch, and damned if he was giving her another shot. He intercepted her arm and twisted it around her back, forcing her against his chest. It didn't take much effort for him to do the same with her other arm. He was deceptively strong, and soon he had her pinned against his chest, struggling helplessly.

" I love you, you melodramatic fool, " he declared, not sure weather to be angry at her stupidity and her underestimation of him – like he'd seriously lose interest in her because some chauvinist bastard had gotten the better of her! – or be glad for this breakthrough. At least he knew what was bugging her now. " I was afraid you weren't ready – that you'd switch off. "

Samantha started to cry, not wanting to believe Daniel's words in case it was just a ploy to get her into bed and desperately wanting to believe his words because she couldn't bear the idea of life without him. " You're a man, " she pointed out the obvious in an accusing time. " You must have urges. And you just hung out with me for months and months without doing anything. You wouldn't even kiss me. Do you how that made me feel? Like I was less then a woman, just some whore who let herself be raped, no-one you'd be interested in being wi––"

His lips slammed down on hers, his tongue prising her lips open and exploring her mouth hungrily. He let go over her arms and wrapped his arm around her waist tightly, tighter then he'd held her before, it was hard for her to breath or maybe that was just the hunger in his kiss. She found herself responding – how could she not? She had never been kissed like this before, and some part of her mind that was beyond the reach of her insecurities knew that no man kissed a woman like this when all he wanted from he was sex. Tears streamed down her face as Daniel kissed her hungrily, and she kissed him back, just as hungrily.

He broke away from the kiss momentarily. " I love you, " he asserted, kissing her neck before returning to her mouth. His hands roamed her body freely. He cupped her ass with his hands and hoisted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. He staggered over to her desk and, with one sweep of his arms, swept all Samantha's carefully-organised notes off it. She didn't care. She squealed with delight when Daniel threw her onto her desk and climbed on top of her.

His hands, his mouth were demanding, demanding her complete surrender to him. He was dominating her with a passion that both scared and excited both of him. His hands roamed possessively over her body, under her shirt, grabbing her bare breasts, down her body, squeezing her thighs.

This is going too fast, Samantha realised even in the height of passion. Daniel had said he wouldn't force anything from her, and he wouldn't, but she didn't want their first time to be like this – so dominating. She felt his hard-on between her thighs, his hands heavy on her body, and she realised he'd been right in not wanting to go too fast. Right now he was too horny to be gently. At this very moment Daniel lusted after her too badly to think about anything more then – a quick screw on her desk. She closed her eyes and for a moment Daniel's coveting of her body, whatever his intentions, blended with the memory of Turghan's coveting of her body.

She went rigid, and called his name to stop. He might have an aching hard-on, but he could still tell the moment she stopped being into it. Panting, he looked at her quizzically.

" Danny, " she said. " I'm sorry – I started this. I want to be with you but – not like this, " she echoed the words he'd spoken when they first almost-kissed.

He nodded and moved off her. He understood more then she thought. God, he wanted her so badly like he had never wanted a woman – including Sha're – but more then wanting her body he wanted her heart, and he would never achieve that if he listened to his hormones.

" Right now, " he said ruefully, " I need a cold shower. And then maybe later – we can talk about – going out sometime? " he asked hopefully.

Samantha laced her fingers through his. " I'd like that, " she said softly.

He kissed the top of her head briefly. It was all the contact he could manage and still restrain himself. " I'd like that too. "

Author's Note:

Third and final chapter's fluffier, Daniel and Samantha building on their relationship.