A week later, Samantha got back, and to her delight, Daniel was actually there. She smiled when she was told he had been waiting at the base for her for the last three days. Maybe these three weeks away had really got him thinking. Maybe he was trying to change, make her his first priority.
He was waiting for her in her quarters. When she saw him she realised how much she had missed him. She had tried to keep herself busy, not to think about him, but deep down, she had always been thinking about him.
She ran into his arms, hugging him tightly. " I'm sorry I was so mean before I left, " she said. " I don't want to fight like that again. "
After a few seconds she realised Daniel was stiff against her, where normally he was warm and embraceable. She pushed away from him slightly, looking into his face. He looked troubled. " What wrong? " she asked, concerned.
" I slept with Sarah, " he blurted out. The incident had been troubling him since he'd woken up with Sarah in his arms after a steamy night together. God, she had been so hot for him – and he'd been hot for her. It had been so incredibly right at the time, but in the morning…
Samantha's brow winkled in confusion. " I know, " she said dryly, " that's how she got pregnant. "
" No, you don't understand – I slept with Sarah last week, " Daniel said in a pained voice. A whole week for his conscience to be eating him alive. There were days Daniel could have sworn he felt cramps of guilt racking his body. In fact, everyone at the Stargate Command noticed it, but they chalked it up to him missing Samantha. No-one thought him capable of infidelity.
" I don't understand, " Samantha said, her voice becoming slightly hysterical. " What do you mean, you slept with Sarah? " Like everyone who knew him, she thought Daniel incapable of cheating. Hell, even Hathor had had to use a pretty powerful drug to get him to do the deed with her.
" I MEAN I FUCKED HER! " Daniel yelled, suddenly irritated that Samantha wasn't understanding – or refusal to understand. " How bluntly do I have to put it? I cheated on you. With Sarah. Last week. "
Rage filled Samantha's vision as she pictured Daniel and Sarah in bed together. She knew it, she knew there was something happening between them. She should never have allowed them to spend so much time together.
Daniel. And. Sarah. They had slept together. He had cheated on her.
With a cry of anguish, she lunged at Daniel like a fury. Daniel barely saw it coming before Samantha had pinned him to the floor, fists flying. It was only a pity the airforce regulated nail length or she would have scratched his wandering eyes out. As it was she landed an impressive punch on his nose, and took a great sense of satisfaction out of hearing the sound of bone cracking and his howl of pain. " You… BASTARD! " she screamed. " How… could… you… do… this…to…me? "With every word she drew another ragged breath. She could feel the tears starting in her throat, but she refused to give Daniel to satisfaction of seeing her cry. Instead, she focused on her rage. She wanted him to be hurting as much as she was, although she doubted that was possible.
After a few minutes, the guards heard the ruckus coming from Major Carter's quarters and went to investigated, thinking someone was being murdered. And the scene the came across wasn't fair from the truth. Daniel wasn't a bad match for Samantha in normal circumstances, but she had white-hot rage on her side, and he couldn't complete with that.
It took two guards to pull Samantha off Daniel, who by now was a bruised, bleeding mess with a broken nose. " I hope that hurts, you cheating bastard! " Samantha screamed, struggling to get free from the hold the two guards had on her so she could get in another slug.
Janet Fraiser followed the guards in and was shocked to see the damage Samantha had inflicted to Daniel's body – particularly to his face. It didn't take a genius to see she'd broken his nose. The Doctor in her which strove to heal people was at odds with the part of her who was Samantha's friend. She had heard enough of the conversation to know that Daniel had cheated on Samantha – presumably with Sarah, he had been spending so much time with her lately.
After a few seconds internal debate, the Doctor in Janet won, although she was less then compassionate about the pain he was in. " I don't want to give you any painkillers until I've set the bone, " she said, half telling the truth. That was part of it, the other part being that she wasn't particularly sympathetic towards the pain Daniel was in right now.
And he was in a lot of pain. Apart from his nose, she had knocked out a tooth from a killer punch to the jaw (that didn't seem to be broken, thankgod, and the tooth came out clearly, but it would be hurting for weeks), torn out his hair in places and delivered a dozen bruising punches to his face and upper body. As much as he wanted to be a man about it, he couldn't help but wincing whenever Janet touched him. He noticed she was hardly her usual genial self whenever she touched a sore spot.
" Excuse me if I don't have a lot of sympathy for you right now, " Janet said coolly.
" I swear, I never meant for this to happen, " Daniel said.
" What, you were both naked and she fell on top of you? " Janet asked sarcastically. That excuse had never gone down with Janet well when her ex-husband had used it, it certainly wasn't going to work coming from Daniel.
Daniel cringed, both from the sharpness of Janet's words and the pain when she touched his broken nose. " We've been having problems, " he admitted. " We had a fight before she left and Sarah was sympathetic. I didn't plan for it to happen, it just did, " he finished helplessly.
Janet wanted to slug him herself, but his words about Samantha rang true for her. She could be very career-oriented. Janet had always known her determination not to have children would end up being an issue for her and Daniel – and in had become an issue in the form of Sarah. And it was always a bad idea to leave for a few weeks on a fight – especially in their line of work. A person might not come back… Janet still remembered when Daniel had died. That had taught her the value of telling people how she felt, when she felt it, none of this bottling things up and holding grudges. So she could sympathise just a little with Daniel for the way Samantha had left things.
" I'm not excusing what you did, " Janet started, making it clear that there was no excuse for cheating, only occasionally mitigating circumstances. " But I will agree that sometimes Sam can be a little… committed to her career. She shouldn't have left on the outs with you. But that doesn't excuse you cheating on her. "
" Don't you think I'd take it back if I could? " Daniel asked, and the tone of anguish in his voice was impossible for Janet to resist. " It was one time, Jan, one stupid time, and I've regretted it ever since. "
Janet didn't doubt that. Daniel might slip up once, but being a philanderer wasn't in his nature. She, like every woman on the base, had been touched and a little jealous of his dogged loyalty to Sha're for two and a half years from their separation to her death. Even Hathor, who modelled herself on the Goddess of Love, had needed to drug Daniel to get him to sleep with her. No, Janet didn't doubt that Daniel wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. But still…
" She's my friend, Daniel, I have to do what's best for her. "
" You think I'm not good enough for her? " Daniel asked mournfully, and Janet couldn't confirm that. Daniel was plenty good enough for Samantha. But he had broken her heart about as badly as she had broken his nose.
" Give it some time, " Janet suggested. " I'll talk to her in a few days, but I'm telling you now, I'm not going to talk her into anything. If she doesn't want to give you a second chance – "
" I know, thankyou, " Daniel said gratefully. Anything was better then nothing, and besides, Janet had too much integrity to talk someone into something the didn't want. So did Samantha. It was why he loved them – Janet as a friend, Samantha as a girlfriend – and a future wife.
" In the meantime, I think it's best if you stay off the base for a few days, " Janet suggested. " Hammond will probably be furious with you, and Sam will be out to kill you – and I mean that literally. You need to give her some time to cool off. Then I'll talk to her. "
Daniel nodded in agreement. Right now, he was a little scared of Samantha. He'd seen her angry side before, but never towards him, and never to that degree, and it had been his intention to stay out of her way for a few days. " Tell her I love her? " he begged Janet, his blue eyes reflecting the pain in both his body and his heart.
Janet nodded. " I'll give you some painkillers, too – you'll be needing them. It will take a while for those injuries to heal. "
Daniel grimaced. " I know, " he said, and Janet wasn't sure if he was referring to his body, his ego or his heart.
He didn't know what compelled him to ask Sarah over (he would have gone to her place if he'd been in any condition to drive after the much-welcomed painkillers started to kick in), after all, it was her involvement with her that had gotten him into this mess, but he wanted to see her for a reason he couldn't explain to himself. He knew there would be no hope of reconciliation with Samantha if she found out he'd been with Sarah so soon after, but he figured that chance was pretty slim, and he wanted company. He wanted Sarah's company.
" Ohmigod, what happened to you? " Sarah asked when she saw Daniel's bruised, swollen face. The intervening hours hadn't been kind to his roughed-up faced. He knew he looked terrible. Instinctively, she went to hug Daniel, and he was feeling too heartsore to push her away.
" Come in, " Daniel said. " I could do with some company. "
Sarah stepped inside, her walk a little waddled to compensate for her middle-heaviness. She had very vivid memories of the last time she was here. She blushed at those memories, and the memories of the night a week before. There was no denying she and Daniel had some powerful chemistry.
Over an hour, and a lot of gentle prodding, Daniel told Sarah what had happened. " And she broke your nose? " Sarah asked incredulously. " I would have settled for a few names. "
" Yeah, she called me those, too. " Daniel admitted sadly.
" I'm sorry, " Sarah said. " This is my fault. I should have made you stop. "
" Hey, I kissed you, I'm not going to dump the blame on you, " Daniel said.
" You're determined to take the blame for things we did together, aren't you, Danny? " Sarah asked. " That's not going to get Samantha back. I give you permission to tell her I seduced, I plied you with alcohol until you didn't know what you were doing. "
" I can't do that to you, Sarah, " Daniel said, although he was touched by her offer. " I made the choice, I could have stopped if I wanted to – I'll take anything she sees fit to dish out. "
Sarah touched his face gently so she wouldn't hurt him. " She had no right to do this, " she said, the softness of her voice not masking the vehemence in it. " She has some blame in this, too. She drove you away. If she hadn't been so obsessed with work, so insecure about the baby – "
" Please, " Daniel begged, not wanting to hear anything bad about Samantha – it had been what had made him cheat on her in the first place.
Sarah kept her peace. If Daniel wanted to see only the best in Samantha, that was his problem. " But I'm your friend, Danny, I'll always be here if you need me. Like you've been here for me. "
" Thanks, " Daniel replied, and as deep shit as he was in right now, somehow things seemed a little easier knowing he had Sarah to count on.
Janet tried to talk to Samantha, she really did. But Samantha was determined not to forgive Daniel. As far as she was concerned, what he had done was unforgivable. Maybe if it had been someone else, she could have gotten over that – but for him to sleep with Sarah, that was beyond her ability to forgive.
" He loves you, Sam, and he knows he hurt you. He wouldn't do it again, " Janet argued Daniel's case.
" If you see so many good qualities in him, why don't you date him, " Samantha retorted. " That is, if he can keep his pants on. " Though deep down Samantha knew Daniel wasn't the philandering type, she still couldn't get over the thought of him and Sarah together. Sarah, of all people, knowing how she felt about her! Clearly, he had no respect for her. And this was only the first of years to come with Daniel's relationship with the beautiful woman, that Samantha was sure of. No, she was better off to call things off now, then later, when her heartbreak would be even greater.
So she told herself.
Janet knew Samantha was hurting. And she knew how stubborn her friend could be. It would be just like Samantha to deprive herself of the kind of love that only comes along once in a lifetime because she thought she was in the right. And maybe she was, to some degree. Daniel shouldn't have slept with Sarah, there was no excusing that. But if Samantha didn't forgive him for it, then chances were, she was going to regret it. Not now, maybe not for a while, but she would eventually regret it.
But Samantha's mind was made up. And it stayed made up when Daniel came to see her a few days later to beg for forgiveness. She'd done a real number on him, she realised with a small sense of satisfaction. The swelling was starting to go down and the bruises starting to fade, but he still looked terrible. Served him right. Samantha would bet money on Sarah no longer finding Daniel attractive.
Not that she cared, of course.
" I'm sorry, " was the first thing he said when he saw her. He had been racking his brain for days, trying to work out what to say to her, and in the end, those had been the only two that had come to mind. " I never meant to hurt you, Sam. I was so confused and – "
" And you're thinking clearly now? " Samantha asked sharply.
" Yes. I swear to you, it'll never happen again. "
" I seem to recall you saying something similar before, " she reminded him.
Daniel cringed, feeling very, very small. He was still having trouble forgiving himself for the changeroom thing. It didn't seem appropriate to point out he hadn't done that again, at the moment it seemed like semantics. He had hurt her badly twice now, and both times he truly hadn't meant to.
" I'm sorry, " he said again, helplessly.
" Until you do something selfish again, " Samantha tacked on.
Daniel's eyes went wide at the thought of putting both of them through this hell again, for whatever reason, whatever circumstances. " I would never… " he said, trailing off. He didn't know what to say. He could he reassure he that he would never do something like this again? He had to admit, given his track record, it wasn't the most convincing argument.
" And what about Sarah? " Samantha added during Daniel's silence.
" What about her? "
" Don't play dumb with me, Daniel Jackson. What are you going to do about her? Is she still going to be in your life? "
" Of course she is, Sam, " Daniel said, his brows knotted in confusion. He would walk over hot coals to prove his devotion to her, but she couldn't ask him to give up his child. He wouldn't. " She's having my baby. Am I just supposed to give that up? "
" Well, you've proven you can't be trusted around her, " Samantha said stiffly. " And that's Major Carter to you. "
She had drawn the line in two ways ; firstly, by stating he couldn't be trusted to be alone with Sarah, so it was Sarah or Samantha, and secondly by insisting he call her by her military rank. Daniel wasn't sure if the military rank thing still applied to him, but regardless, he had never called her Major – or Captain – and he wasn't about to start now. " I won't stop seeing Sarah, " he said quietly, firmly.
It broke Samantha's heart, although she would never let him see it. Clearly, he had made his decision – he wouldn't give up Sarah. So she would force him to give up her. " Fine, " she spat. " Go back to your whore then. But you and I are over. "
" Please, Sam – " Daniel begged.
" Major Carter, " she corrected icily.
" Sam, don't do this, please, " Daniel begged, ignoring her demand that she address him by her military rank. " I love you. I need you. "
" You should have thought about that before you fucked her, " Samantha replied coolly. She reached for her gun when Daniel took a step towards her, and although she had no intention of using it on him, the deadly look in her eyes made him stop dead in his tracks. " From now on, you and I are just colleagues, " she informed him coldly. If she didn't keep herself aloof, she might very well throw herself into his arms and forgive him. " I expect you to keep your distance unless absolutely necessary. "
" Sam – " Daniel started, tears forming in his eyes, his words halted when Samantha left the room. He dropped to his knees, feelings his legs wouldn't support him anymore, and he felt the tears running down his face.
Samantha had left him. She wouldn't forgive him. Daniel hadn't realised how much he was relying on Samantha's forgiveness until now, when it was apparent it wouldn't be his. She hated him. She wouldn't forgive him. She wanted nothing more to do with him.
Like she always was, Sarah was there to give him comfort and company. It pained her to see Daniel going through this – if Samantha couldn't see what she had, then she was a fool of the first order. " She'll get over it, she just needs some more time, " Sarah said optimistically.
" You don't know her, " Daniel replied. " The way she looked at me… she hates me. She doesn't want anything to do with me. When Sam gets like that, she doesn't get over it. "
" Well then for what it's worth, she's a fool. And she doesn't deserve you. "
Daniel blew his nose. " Thanks. But it's not worth much, " he added sadly.
Sarah sighed and drew Daniel into her arms in a protective hug. It wasn't fair that Samantha should be so unforgiving over one little slip-up. If she had been more attentive and less career-oriented, he wouldn't have slipped up in the first place. She offered to talk to Samantha herself, but Daniel vetoed that vehemently. " She won't believe you, it'll just make her more angry, " he said.
" Well then she's unreasonable as well as a fool, " Sarah declared, although she could see her words weren't having much of an effect on Daniel. His heart was broken, and all it would take to fix it was time. Sarah only hoped that time eventually would fix it.
Thankgod, as the weeks went by, Daniel got over Samantha. After a week, he was reminded of the fact for all the scale of their love, they had only been together for four months – and after six years of dogged pursuing on his part. The fact was, Samantha had always been maddeningly aloof, she had always been reluctant to get involved with someone, to risk her heart. Daniel had a feeling it had something to do with Jonas Hanson, the man she had been engaged to one, who had gone crazy offworld and declared himself a God. Whatever it was, she had always been aloof, always been reluctant to get involved, always been quick to withdraw from a relationship at the first sign of trouble.
Like she had withdrawn from her relationship with Daniel over one little slip-up. Oh, for sure, he knew infidelity was a pretty big thing, but he also knew a lot of women would be a lot more forgiving. But not Samantha. Samantha wouldn't forgive. Samantha couldn't forgive. Samantha had been a lot more forgiving when they had been just friends – she had less of her heart to risk then – and hopefully, in time, they could be friends again. That was the best Daniel could hope for and, as the days went on, he became less and less hung up on the idea of ending up as more then friends with Samantha again. They had been down their road, and it had been fraught with difficulties. By comparison, being friends seemed like a walk in the park. And God knew, with his new responsibilities, Daniel had better things to do with his time and emotions then waste them on a troubled relationship.
It helped having Sarah around all the time. With Samantha being so cold to him – bordering on antagonistic – it was much more pleasant to be somewhere he was actually wanted – even needed, so he spent most of his time at Sarah's apartment now, even spending most of his nights there – in the spare room. Funnily enough, knowing this made Samantha even more antagonistic towards Daniel, although she denied being jealous.
Despite Sarah's swelling stomach which was making agility more and more elusive, she was great to have around. She was fun, intelligent, and they had a lot in common. Even though he thought he should be taking care of her, she always managed to sense his moods and worked herself around them. Sometimes they stayed up til the early hours of the morning talking, sometimes she helped him with his research – she was a much better research partner then Samantha, he often thought with less and less guilt at such a disloyalty – sometimes they watched DVDs and played board games.
And all the time they went to great lengths to dance around the issue of their growing attraction and affection for one another. Daniel didn't want to get involved with anyone – particularly not Sarah, and all the complications that would bring – until he knew he was over Samantha. And Sarah didn't want to get involved with Daniel – and all the complications that would bring – while there was any lingering doubt that he was harbouring feelings for Samantha. She loved Daniel, but she wasn't going to be his rebound girl.
So the two of them ignored their growing feelings for each other and continued to go on as if nothing was happening. They continued to convince themselves that they were just friends, until the day when it became too much.
Daniel had returned from a mission – he hadn't gone on one since he'd found out Sarah was pregnant, but the initial report had shown remnants of an ancient civilisation that Hammond felt only Daniel's expertise was fit to study – having been preoccupied with Sarah the entire time. The mission made him very aware of his feelings for her – a man couldn't be preoccupied with a woman (and a woman bloated from a five-months-along pregnancy, at that!) when surrounded by his passion, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, if he wasn't in love with her.
He couldn't wait to get back to her, and was visibly antsy at the debriefing until Hammond ordered him to go home and come back when he was ready to get with the program. Privately, Hammond had some idea of what was going on, but he decided not to mention it to anyone – especially not Major Carter, who had been keeping her broken heart behind her iron exterior. But Hammond knew she was heartbroken. He had hoped Daniel and Samantha might be able to reconcile, but that didn't look like it was going to happen now. Pity.
Daniel got to Sarah's apartment to find her just having come out of the shower, smelling of soap and shampoo, her body wrapped up in a beautiful silk robe Daniel had given her. She loved it and wore it all the time, saying it was hard not to feel bloated when wrapped in silk.
She looked beautiful. She kept saying she was ugly and bloated, but she had never looked more beautiful to Daniel. Maybe it was because of, and not in spite of, the fact she was carrying his child, but she had never looked so hot.
" Danny? " Sarah asked hesitantly, seeing the searching look in his eyes. " What's up? Did something happen on the mission? "
" You could say that, " he murmured, closing the gap between him and Sarah, dropping to his knees in front of her so he was facing her swollen stomach. Wordlessly, he pulled at the sash that tied the robe together and it came apart, exposing her naked body.
" Danny…? " Sarah asked, obviously surprised by Daniel's sudden attention, although hardly disappointed.
" You're beautiful, " he murmured, kissing and stroking her stomach. " So beautiful… I can't believe it's taken me this long… "
" Danny! " Sarah gasped when Daniel moved his mouth lower. She groaned when Daniel started to work his magic. Her hands went to the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. " Daniel… " she groaned his name.
Daniel paused for a moment to look up, grinning impishly. " You want me to stop? " he asked.
" Don't tease, " Sarah said. " But let me get on the bed. " She had very fond memories of Daniel going down on her, and she doubted her legs would hold under the delicious onslaught.
Daniel stood up and effortlessly scooped her into his arms and carried her over to her bed – a bed he had never shared with her. Well, that was going to change tonight. Once he had laid Sarah out on the bed, he went back to what he had started. Soon he had Sarah writhing and moaning under his touch. He felt himself becoming hard from the taste of her.
" DANIEL! " Sarah screamed as she climaxed hard, arching her back involuntarily and then slumping back down onto the bed. Daniel crawled next to her and kissed her, smiling.
Panting, Sarah returned the kiss, and her wandering hands confirmed his own arousal. She had been denying her attraction to Daniel for months now, and now the dam was broken and she was overflowing with horniness. " Take your pants off, " she ordered gutturally.
He looked at her, adoration and respect in his eyes. " You sure? " he asked, searching her eyes for any hesitation. " You don't have to do this just to return the favour. "
" I know. I want to, " Sarah replied, her eyes sparkling with adoration. " Now take your pants off. And your shirt, too, " she added impishly.
" If the lady insists… " Daniel said, kissing her as he fumbled with his pants, finally managing to slide them off. " You're beautiful, Sarah, " he said, his eyes sweeping over her naked body.
She smirked. " You're biased, " she protested.
Daniel shrugged. " Nonetheless, you're still beautiful, " he said. He followed Sarah's lead when she turned onto her side, and pressed his chest against her back. He nuzzled the back of her neck, and she groaned. He positioned himself to penetrate her.
" Daniel… " she moaned when he entered her. She pushed her backside against him so he was completely buried inside her. Daniel groaned at the impact.
" Sarah, " he called her name over and over and he thrust in and out of her. " Sarah! "
Afterwards they lay together in bed, spooning. It was a position Sarah preferred – it made her feel uncomfortable to have her bulky stomach pushed up against something, especially when she was trying to enjoy sex. " I can't believe it took me so long, " Daniel murmured, stroking Sarah's hair and kissing her neck intermittently.
Sarah squirmed a little. " What was that about? " he asked Daniel.
He kissed her neck. " I just made love to you, " he replied.
" I know that. I mean… what do you want from me? "
Daniel laughed. " I thought that was pretty obvious. I want you to be my girlfriend. I'm in love with you Sarah, " he said in a quiet voice, afraid of rejection.
Sarah turned so she was lying on her back, and Daniel repositioned himself to lean on his elbow so they could make eye contact. " What about Samantha? " she couldn't help but asking. She had been wanting Daniel to fall in love with her for months, but she didn't want it just because he couldn't have Samantha.
Daniel sighed. He knew this was coming, although it didn't make it any easier. " I still love her, if that's what you mean, " he said. " Like I love Sha're. But I'm not in love with her. I'm over her. "
Sarah smiled. She knew absolutely from the sincerity in Daniel's voice that he was telling the truth. " I've been wanting you to say that for ages, " she admitted shyly. " I didn't want to get hurt. I don't want to be your rebound girl… or your occasional lover. I don't want our child growing up thinking it's perfectly normal for two people to sleep together between relationships with other people. "
Daniel reached out to stroke Sarah's hair, smiling at her adoringly. " I love you, Sarah Gardner, " he said. " I want to be with you, and only you. "
Sarah turned back on her side and Daniel back on his so they were in their former position, hugging. " I love you, Daniel, " she murmured, and they drifted off to sleep, holding each other tightly.
" You look… perky, " Janet noted two days later when Daniel finally showed up for work. " Do I want to know where you've been? "
" Probably not, " Daniel said cheerfully, and Janet could guess what he meant by that.
He had finally worked out the jewel he had waiting for him to get over Samantha. And, oh boy, did he look like he'd gotten over Samantha.
Janet contemplated telling Samantha about it, but decided it was best to hold her tongue for the time being. Samantha was clearly struggling to deal with Daniel's betrayal, despite the aloof front she put up. That was just Samantha's style, and Janet knew her better then that. She knew Samantha was hurting, and she knew Samantha wouldn't appreciate knowing Daniel was shacked up with another woman – particularly when that woman was Sarah Gardner.
The weeks went by. Samantha couldn't help but notice Daniel's general happiness, and that he'd stopped trying to get back with her. That had wounded her ego almost as much as it had wounded her heart. Like she'd always expected Daniel to be there when she wanted him, she had always expected him to be there, waiting to be forgiven until the day came that she did forgive him. She had never expected that day to come, of course, but she had always expected him to be there.
And now that he wasn't, she realised she had forgiven him. She had forgiven him a long time ago, not long after she'd told him it was over. She had just had trouble forgetting it. She had nightmares about it, visions in which Daniel and Sarah were together – in bed, in his car, in his quarters, in all manner of places according to Samantha's fertile imagination – that she couldn't forget. She had thought she'd never get over it.
And now that he seemed to have gotten over her, she had gotten over his betrayal. She wanted him back.
Well, there's no help for it, Samantha told herself grimly. I'll have to grovel a little. Just a little. She wouldn't let Daniel think he'd won, of course, just that she'd changed her mind. He might appear to be over her, but they had a history that went way back, and Samantha would bet that he'd jump at the chance to get back with her. After all, they'd had a great thing going and he'd been devastated when she'd told him it was over.
She made up her mind to drop by his apartment as soon as she was able. She only hoped he wasn't with Sarah, like he seemed to be so much these days. At least she could console herself with the fact Sarah was now six months pregnant – she'd look like a beached whale, no way would he find her attractive. Certainly not compared to Samantha. Samantha blushed when she remembered some of the steamy nights she and Daniel had shared, and felt a familiar tingle in her groin. She imagined make-up sex with Daniel would be absolutely explosive.
As soon as she was given permission to go, Samantha left the underground building. She stopped to have a shower at the compound, but didn't bother to go home first to change – she didn't keep civilian clothes at the base, so Daniel would have to settle for her BDUs. With any luck, she wouldn't be wearing them for long anyway.
Daniel had cranked the music up because the neighbours preferred that to the noise he and Sarah made. He'd been thinking more and more about getting an actual house – it made more sense then him and Sarah maintaining separate places, and they'd need the extra space when the baby came.
Thinking about his child, Daniel automatically slid his hands up Sarah's body from where he was holding her by her hips to her stomach. He never got tired of touching her there. Grunting, he thrust deeply into her from behind and she screamed with delight. It had taken him a while to realise he wasn't hurting her or the baby but now he loved her enthusiastic reactions.
Samantha didn't hear the noise until she was in Daniel's bedroom, partly because of the music and partly because she was lost in her fantasies. " Daniel, I – " she started, walking into Daniel's room, to be greeted by a very naked Daniel and a very naked Sarah having sex without a care in the world.