Samantha woke up with a start, emerging from a horrible nightmare. She was in so much pain, vicious pain tearing through her abdomen, through the rest of her body to the furthermost corners of her heart, and her baby… she screamed.
Sitting next to her, keeping a vigil, Daniel grabbed her hand. " It's OK, " he said. " You're still with us. " Janet had been mainly worried about the loss of blood, but it had been stemmed and she swore Samantha would be OK. Physically, at least. The finest surgeon they'd been able to get hold of had managed to patch Samantha up so there would be no reason in the future that she couldn't conceive again, although he knew that would come as cold comfort to her. It had come as cold comfort to him. He didn't care about any future children, he just wanted the one Captain Sanchez, in her crazed maliciousness, had stolen from them.
Instinctively. Samantha's hand flew to her abdomen, and cried out in pain when a simple touch made her feel like pain was stabbing through her body. Not that not touching made it much less painful. " My baby, " she whispered.
Daniel's eyes filled with tears, despite his promise to be strong for Samantha. " I'm sorry, baby, " he whispered. Although Sanchez hadn't had much time to inflict damage – three stabs in an area that would otherwise have been not much cause for concern, given she wasn't aiming for any organs – it had been enough to execute her crazy revenge.
Guilt wracked him. He felt responsible for Sanchez's actions, although Janet and everyone else kept telling him he wasn't to blame. He tortured himself wondering if there had been anytime he could have made it more obvious he wasn't interested.
She had somehow found out Samantha was pregnant, and convinced herself they were only together because of it. To her demented logic, if she got rid of the baby, she got rid of Samantha, and Daniel would be all hers.
Like he would touch that physco bitch with a ten-foot pole.
If he'd made his disinterest clearer… if he hadn't been so obviously affection with Samantha… his brain came up with a dozen things that he could have done differently, and maybe Samantha would still be pregnant.
Samantha started to cry. So it hadn't been a nightmare. The stabbing pain… Sanchez had attacked her with a steak knife, plunging it in deep, knowing she'd only have a few chances…
Samantha had screamed in agony as blood had poured from the wounds – her blood, and her baby's. Two months old. It hadn't stood a chance.
Daniel stroked her face. " Don't sit up, " he directed when she struggled to get herself into an upright position. " You'll only hurt yourself more. "
Hurt herself more! As if she could hurt more then she already was!
" Why? " she asked hoarsely. Why would anyone do such a horrible thing? How could anyone be so cruel, so indifferent to the suffering of another human being? And Samantha had thought there was nothing worse Sanchez could do to her. How wrong she had been.
" She's crazy, " Daniel said in a ragged voice. " She thought I'd leave you… if there was no baby. "
If there was no baby… Samantha started to cry harder. There was no baby anymore. The baby she had wanted so much, without even realising it… " Where is she? " she asked.
" She's being held for court-martial, " Daniel explained. " She won't be bothering you anymore. " As if that was a consolation. " I'm sorry, " he said.
" It wasn't your fault. " Even in her pain and grief, Samantha knew that. She wanted someone to blame, it made it easier, but she knew Daniel wasn't the person for it. She needed him now more then ever.
" Maybe not. But there must have been something I could have done – "
" Like tell her you weren't interested? Like make it obvious we were together? " Samantha asked. " Don't blame yourself, Daniel. I need you right now. "
He kissed her gently on the forehead. While he'd sat by her side for two days as she lay unconscious, his most troubling thought was that Samantha would be unable to forgive him. If she needed him, that was good enough for him. " I'm here, baby. I love you. "
She smiled weakly through her tears and pain – physical and emotional. " I love you too. " She tried to kiss him back when he planet his lips softly on hers, and winced in pain.
He withdrew quickly. " Are you in pain? Do you want me to get Janet? "
She shook her head .Truth was, the pain was excruciating but she didn't want the dull effects a painkillers would bring to her. She knew if she lost clarity she'd lose her connection with Daniel, and more then anything she needed him with her right now. " Just stay with me, " she pleaded. She flexed her fingers pathetically, searching for his.
Carefully, he threaded his fingers through hers, searching her face for any pain the movement might cause. She gripped them tightly and Daniel responded to her need for a connection by applying more pressure to her hand. For a long while, they sat in silence, not needing words to communicate. Words would come later, but for the moment it was enough for them to just be.
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Janet watched the two unobtrusively. She had thought to go in and give Samantha something for the pain that had to wracking through her body, but in the end decided against it. She trusted Daniel would intervene when it was time, maybe time together was more important then the dull relief a sedative would bring.
Her heart broke for the two of them. Daniel had refused to leave her side for the two day's she'd been unconscious, apart from when it had taken two Marines to pull him of Captain Sanchez. Janet was convinced he would have killed her, given the chance.
For two days he had blamed himself, and nothing anyone told him would convince him otherwise. The truth was, she had slipped under all their radars. It was kind of scary to know that even the background checks as thorough as those the military had access to could fail to pick up someone as disturbed as Sanchez had to be to attack Samantha the way she had. Logically, she supposed it was hard to be suspicious of someone with no priors, not so much as a parking fine, who could do a damn good impersonation of mentally stable, but still… when something like this happened, everyone blamed themselves. But no-one more then Daniel.
Janet sighed. She really hoped they got passed this. It wasn't fair after all they'd been through to be together for this to happen. She knew it was cold comfort to both of them that the attack had caused no permanent damage to her reproductive organs, but maybe, in the future –
" What's up, Doc? " Jack asked, coming up behind her. He saw she was looking at Samantha and Daniel from the shadows. " How are they doing? "
Janet shrugged. " It's hard to say. Physically, she'll be OK but emotionally – that'll take a while. For both of them. But I think – I think they'll be OK. "
Jack couldn't help but wish he and Sara had bonded over Charlie's death the way Daniel and Samantha were doing right now. Maybe they'd still be together. But failing that, he wished the best for Daniel and Samantha, God knew they deserved it. He'd been jacked off at first, that they'd had to be split up, but he saw now how deeply their love ran for each other.
" What'll happen with Sanchez? " Janet asked Jack.
" She's being held for a trial, " Jack said. " At the most, she'll be dishonourably discharged, but if I have my way, she'll be spending a lot of time in jail. "
" I can't believe we didn't pick it up, with all the background tests… " she trailled off helplessly. Everyone who was close to Daniel and Samantha was feeling the same way. Maybe if they'd paid more attention to the general resentment all the women she'd worked with had for the malicious soon-to-be-ex-Captain… it was so easy to contemplate what could have been done in hindsight.
" She won't have anything more to do with them, " Jack said. " At least that's something. "
Janet raised her eyebrows pointedly. " Not much, I think, " she said sadly, looking down at the grieving couple, hoping they'd find a way through this tragedy – together.
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After three days and nights of staying with Samantha, she instead that Daniel go home and get a decent night's sleep in a proper bed. The bunks in the dorms on the base were utilitarian at best, and the beds in the infirmary weren't any better. He wanted to stay, but she wouldn't have a bar of it.
" I'll be fine for a night, " she reassured him. Now that the most intense pain was fading away and she was getting a grip on the worst of her grief, she was noticing Daniel was looking significantly worse for wear. She didn't think he'd showered, let alone shaved since the attack, and he couldn't be getting a good night's sleep, given he spent most of the time keeping an eye on her. " I want you back in the morning, looking like a human being, " she kidded. " And maybe bring some ham and cheese croissants from the bakery near you – you know the ones I like. Hospital food sucks, even in a multi-billion-dollar projects. " She made a face to illustrate her distaste for hospital food.
Daniel laughed in spite of the tragedy that surrounded them. Samantha had to be feeling a little better if she wanted real food. And he could do with a proper night's sleep in a real bed. He was exhausted. The ground on some of the planets they'd gone to were more comfortable to sleep on then the beds on the base.
" Are you sure you'll be OK without me? " he asked. " I'll stay if you want, I don't mind… I want to be there for you, " he admitted shyly.
Samantha raised her chin slightly, a gesture that meant she wanted him to kiss her. " You've been there for me the last three days, and I love you for it, " she said. " What I want is for you to look after yourself. I promise I'll be fine for the night. "
He kissed her forehead. " I love you, " he said. " You need me at all, just call me, I don't care what time it is, I'll come over. "
Samantha smiled. Daniel was so sweet. She was lucky to have someone who loved her so much. " Go home. Get some sleep, " she ordered.
Daniel had to admit, a long, steaming hot shower in a proper bathroom with real tiles – no utilitarian concrete with that concrete smell that permeated everywhere – was heaven. He'd always felt self-conscious showering in front of other people, and had never been able to allow himself the luxury of taking long showers at the base. He liked the sensation of steaming up his bathroom – his bathroom with its clean white tiles and fluffy towels. For five days – two of Samantha being unconscious and three awake – he hadn't slept of showered and barely eaten, he'd been too preoccupied with the woman in front of him to notice. Now that he had taken the time to look after himself, he noticed.
While he wasn't exactly a stranger to accumulating dirt – a hazard of travelling to other planets as a job – he had never liked being dirty, and now he took great pleasure in scrubbing off almost a week's accumulated grime. He scrubbed under his nails, went through almost an entire bar of soap cleaning off the dirty, washed his hair, shaved.
By the time he was finished, he did felt human again. Of course Samantha would know what was best for him. That, and she was probably thoroughly turned off by how bad he had looked, he thought wryly. Well, it would be a pleasant surprise for her tomorrow. That, and the ham and cheese croissants he'd promised her.
He realised just how tired he was ; watching over Samantha had worn him out. He raided his fridge for something to eat just so an empty stomach wouldn't wake him up in the middle of the night, crawled into his comfortable double bed with warm, thick blankets that didn't feel thin or scratchy in a room that had the airconditioning set the way he liked it, and fell into a deep sleep.
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It was easy enough for Sanchez to talk her way out of the room she was being held in – she could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. And it was easy enough for her to find her way to the Cheyenne mountain base, where her arrest and detainment had been kept such a secret that the guards, who were familiar with her didn't know she had been banned from the mountain. So much for top security. She hadn't gotten to be a Captain in the airforce by giving up just because someone told her to.
She made up an excuse about picking up a report she need urgently as a reason for her dropping by the base so late. It wasn't like they cared anyway ; they didn't realise she was considered a threat.
She had chosen late at night because she knew there would be minimal security, at least by the standards of the base. And what was still on she could get around easily. She was trained in covert operations, it was why she'd gotten her position in the Stargate Command in the first place.
Fools, she thought derisively as she easily made her way through the base, stopping occasionally to hide but mostly carrying on her merry way like she had a right to be there. They think they can get the better of me. They have no idea, the lot of them! Especially that bitch Samantha Carter. Sanchez just knew she was gloating over her impending trial. Well, Sanchez still had a few tricks up her sleeve.
For a moment, she fantasised about finishing off Carter while she was here. But, no, that would be ending her misery, and Sanchez wanted her to be miserable. She was sure what she'd been told about Daniel and Samantha still being together was a lie. She shrugged at the thought. It didn't matter if it was true or not. If they were still together, it was because he felt sorry for her, and after tonight, he would have forgotten all about her…
Which was why she was risking being recognised here. She figured she would give Daniel a little encouragement. She had been keeping tabs on Janet's research into the hormone stimulants and fertility treatment she'd managed to extract from Daniel and Samantha's bloodwork after their return from Dorsal, so she knew Janet had a batch of both substances that was theoretically ready to be tested on animals.
Well, tonight it would be tested on an animal – in the sense that it breathed, ate, mated – if not exactly one that Janet had in mind. Well, science was full of plans gone awry.
Breaking into the labs proved to be no more difficult to get past the guards or get this deep into the base. Sanchez wasn't exactly sure the amount she needed so she grabbed most of what was there ; she figured she only had to leave enough for Janet to recreate a new batch. I'll tell you how effective it was, Doctor, I'll be your first guinea pig, she thought to herself, gleeful that so far, everything was going to plan.
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Daniel woke up in the middle of the night with his cock on fire and his hands cuffed above his head to the bedhead. The first was what had woken him up ; the second he worked out when he tried to sit up.
His brain fought sleep deprivation and haziness brought on by the massive amount of hormones he'd been giving to work out what was going on. " Hello, Daniel, " Sanchez cooed beside him, and automatically he turned his head in the direction of her voice.
She was completely naked, and even in the dim light of the bedside lamp she'd turned on, he could see the cold, crazy look in her eyes. " Captain Sanchez! What the hell are you doing? "
She reached out to stroke him, and to his horror he found himself responding. " I would have thought it was quite obvious, sweetheart, " she cooed. She caressed the word 'sweetheart' as if they really were lovers ; it scared Daniel thoroughly. " I'm here to seduce you. "
Daniel stared at her for a split second before he realised she was completely crazy. Not just slightly delusional but totally nuts. He strained at his handcuffs, which did nothing but dig into his skin. " You can't do this, " he hissed. Oh, God, how much had she given him? The crazy horniness he'd felt on Dorsa was back in full force and he was hardly in a position to do anything about it.
Sanchez began to stroke him hard, and he groaned involuntarily at the sensation. He…wanted…to…fuck…and…she…knew…it. " I don't see you stopping me, " she cooed.
" That's because you handcuffed me and shot me full of that stuff, you crazy fucking bitch! " he yelled, straining hard against the metal binding his wrists. He winced when the cuffs dug into his skin again and he knew he wasn't achieving anything but hurting himself but to not to anything – that was unfathomable.
" You know you want it, " she said silkily ; she considered these tactics a means of forcing him to admit to his feelings. She lowered her head to take him in slightly. He groaned louder although his brain screamed against the violation.
" Please, " he begged. " I want you to leave. "
" Make me, " she teased, and she straddled him, taking him inside her.
Daniel shuddered violently as she took him inside her. She must have given him an incredible dose because he'd never reacted this hard… " Forgive me, Sam, " he whispered.
Sanchez responded to his words by cupping his chin roughly, digging her nails into his skin, forcing him to look at her. " Selena! " she yelled angrily, riding him hard.
He spat in her face. " Fuck you! " he yelled back. Never with Samantha had his penis and his brain responded so differently, and he fought against his restraints in earnest until the skin around his wrists was raw and bleeding. He…would…not…give…in…easily… He bit down hard on his lip when he climaxed, refusing to give her the satisfaction of knowing how good a release it was. He tasted blood in his mouth, and wrenched hard against the cuffs. He howled in agony when he felt the bone in his left wrist snap. He slumped down on the bed, choking back whimpers as pain coursed through his lower arm.
Triumphantly, Sanchez climbed off him. " You've got what you wanted, now go away, " Daniel snarled.
Sanchez reached out to stroke his cheek gently, loverly-like. " I'm not finished, " she declared.
He changed tack. " Please, " he begged. " I'm in pain. I think my wrist is broken. "
" You shouldn't have struggled, " she told him, unsympathetic.
When it was clear she had no heart to appeal to, he reverted back to fury. " You… are… crazy! " he yelled. " Why are you doing this? "
" Because we're meant to be together, " she declared. " I'm just making you see that. We just needed to make love. "
She was mental, she was certifiably insane. " You think what you just did to me was making love? " he asked her. " What I do with Sam, that's making love, " he couldn't resist needling her. " What you just did to me, that's rape. "
She caressed his cheek lovingly. Then she slapped him hard. " Don't you ever compare us to that whore, " she hissed. She glanced down towards his groin and began stroking him again.
" Please don't, " he begged. He felt violated to have her near him and everytime he moved the pain from his wrist shot further up his arm. " I swear when this is over, I'm not going to have anything to do with you except have you charged. I will never be in love with you and I will never have sex with you of my own free will. What can you possibly get out of it? "
She leaned over to kiss him full on the mouth, and he felt like throwing up at the taste of her. He couldn't believed he'd ever kissed her of his free will. " You're baby, Daniel, " she whispered seductively, her hand going back to work on him. " I want your baby. "
Over the next five hours, she worked him hard, frustrated by his lack of response. She had read the report on him, devoured every word. She knew on that hormone he could have gone half a dozen times by now.
Between the pain that was steadily working its way through his body – and negating much of the hormone's effects – and his depleted supplies which Janet had warned him about, Daniel was having difficulty performing. When he climaxed for the third time – in the same amount of time he knew he could have done six on Dorsal – he was on the brink of exhaustion, something that had never happened on Dorsal.
By now, the sun was beginning to come up and Sanchez knew people would be looking for them - the military police for her, the Stargate Command for him. She was frustrated by his refusal to co-operated by she was confident she had what she needed.
She gave him a parting kiss – he kept his jaw locked tight – before overpowering him with a chloroform-soaked rag. Like she was going to give him the opportunity to go after her.
Daniel came to about ten minutes later, with his wrists unfettered – at least she'd done that for him. He knew the alternative was that someone from the Stargate Command would eventually track him down and find him naked and handcuffed to his bed. Thankgod for small mercies.
He sat up, and groaned from the pain. His body ached from the pain that had started out in his wrist, and he was exhausted. His body was covered in sweat and… a sticky substance. He cringed and felt shame rush over him.
What Sanchez had done to him was rape, and if he'd been a woman, he could have accepted that. But men weren't supposed to be raped, at least not by women. If you could get it up, how could it be rape?
He rushed to the bathroom to throw up. What he really wanted was a shower, but Janet would never forgive him for washing away perfectly good evidence.
Janet… of everyone he knew, Janet was the person he most trusted. Returning to his room, he reached for the phone and started dialling her number.
" Jan? " he said in a choked whisper when the Doctor answered the phone. " Can you come over please? I need you. "
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" Jesus Christ, Daniel, you look terrible, " Janet exclaimed when she saw her friend. He had sounded terrible over the phone, but he wouldn't say what happened. She had rushed right over, preparing for the worst. " What happened? "
Tearfully, he told her everything, right up to his phone call. As embarrassed as he was, he left nothing out.
She inspected his wrists. She could tell by the angle of his left hand that it was broken, and his skin was badly cut and bruised. " You really put up a fight, " she murmured, impressed. " Sam will be touched. "
Daniel looked at Janet, his face stricken. " You can't tell Sam, " he said. " Not yet. "
He was clearly agitated, and she couldn't blame him. " It's OK, Daniel, " she said. " We can give it some time. Have you had a shower yet? " It was a standard question ; she knew the answer, he still reeked of sex.
He shook his head miserably. " No. I knew you'd give me a lecture about evidence. "
" Yeah, that's me, a regular tyrant, " Janet quipped. " Let me take you to the base. "
" No! " he said vehemently. Samantha was at the base.
" It's the base or the hospital, Daniel, and we'll have less questions to answer at the base, " Janet pointed out. Daniel knew she had a point, so he agreed to let her take him.
She had to help him to the car, he was completely exhausted, he looked ready to pass out. And she could only imagine the pain he must be in over his wrist… not to mention the humiliation of what Sanchez had done to him. If he'd felt bad about not having control on Dorsal…
He let her do a thorough physical on him without saying a word, just staring blankly at some arbitrary spot on the wall. She did an X-ray on his wrist, and wasn't surprised that five hours of being restrained had done more damage then the break itself. " I can set it and it will heal OK, but I can't give you anything for the pain, " she said apologetically. " Part of what makes up the hormone stimulant is something similar to adrenaline – it was why you never felt tired even though you weren't getting any sleep – and I don't want to give you a painkillers, I'm concerned about the effect the combination will have on you. And I think the pain is keeping your urges at bay. "
" Pain is good, " Daniel grunted. It was hard to believe him when he was trembling from head to toe because of it.
She set his wrist, and sent him off to have a shower. Although it wasn't good as his own shower (he didn't think he'd feel safe in his apartment again) it felt good to have the feel of Sanchez off him. He wished he could wash away the icky feeling he felt inside as easily as he could wash away the crap on his skin.
He scrubbed his skin until it was almost as raw as the flesh around his wrists. When he came out wearing fresh BDUs, Janet looked at him in horror, then sympathy. It was a common response from rape victims, and she made the mistake of telling him so.
" Don't, " he said. " Don't… use that word. "
" Rape? What would you call it then? She restrained you and artificially stimulated you. If you were a woman, that would be textbook rape. "
" Well, I'm not a woman, so drop it, " Daniel retorted. He wouldn't meet her eyes and Janet decided it would be best for his already-battered ego to let it go – for the moment. Why did men have to be so stubborn about these things?
" I can't give you anything for the pain, but you should either fall asleep or pass out soon enough, " Janet commented wryly. " Do you want me to stay with you for a while? "
Daniel nodded. He wasn't in the mood to have her probing his thoughts, but to have someone who wouldn't judge him stay with him until he fell asleep.
He looked terrible, Janet saw, even after having a shower. He was exhausted and in a lot of pain. She stayed with him for half an hour, sometimes talking about menial things, sometimes listening to him talk, mostly just sitting with him until he drifted off. Weather he was asleep or passed out, she couldn't tell, but he was breathing fine and he had to be in a more comfortable place.
Mostly he had prattled on about Samantha. He was worried about her reaction, and nothing Janet could say would ease his anxiety. She figured the best thing for it was to talk to Samantha, no matter what he said about the matter. Technically, she was in violation of doctor-patient but she hoped Daniel wouldn't hold it against her.
Samantha was already awake – despite what she'd told Daniel, she didn't sleep as well as when he was with her – when Janet entered her curtained-off section of the infirmary. The infirmary had never been designed for private rooms, and Janet didn't think Samantha was well enough to stay in one of the dorms, so it had been a compromise of sorts.
" Jan, " she said when she saw her friend. " Why the long face? Is something wrong with me? "
Of course, she'd been a full if she'd thought she could just work it into the conversation. Samantha knew her far too well for that. " It's about Daniel, " she said, and since there was no help for it, she related everything Daniel had told her.
Samantha listened in horror and fury, horror that Daniel had been put through such an ordeal and fury at Sanchez – not to mention whoever had let her just walk out of confinement. " How is he? " she asked.
" Physically – his left wrist is broken, exacerbated by being restrained for so long, and he did hurt himself pretty badly struggling. He really put up a fight, in a perverse way you should be touched. The bone will take about six weeks to heal, he needed eighteen stitched for his wrists and that'll be a few weeks before they can come out. Two months and he should be fine. "
" And mentally? "
" Mentally… not so good. He feel guilty for what happened, he won't accept that it was rape. A part of him feels like he cheated on you, and you won't forgive him. "
" That's ridiculous! " Samantha said hotly, her fury mounting that, on top of his physical injuries, Sanchez would make him feel like that. " That woman is mental. She broke into his apartment, restrained him, pumped him full of that crap – how can he possibly thing he's to blame? He knows I know what it was like, if anyone understands, it's me. "
" Not to mention she broke into my labs to get it in the first place, " Janet added. There would be a lot of guilty faces over this. " I was hoping that would be your reaction. He really needs to hear it from you. He's sleeping now, but I know when he wakes up in an hour or two he'd be relieved to know you don't hold it against him. "
An hour and a half later when Daniel woke up, Janet brought Samantha into his dorm in a wheelchair. Samantha shouldn't really be out of bed, she was still in a great deal of pain, but she had been pretty insistent – as Janet had expected her to be. " Hey, " she said softly to Daniel, reaching out to stroke his hair.
He pulled away from her instinctively. He still felt deeply ashamed for what had happened. He looked up at Janet, and glared at her. " I told you not to tell her, " he said accusingly.
" I'll give you some time alone, " Janet suggested, trying not to take offence to Daniel's completely lack of gratitude. " And then we need to get you back into bed, " she said to Samantha, who, if left to her own devices, would be sure to push herself until she collapsed.
Janet shut the door behind her to give them some privacy, and Samantha turned to Daniel, her eyes boring lovingly into his. " Janet told me what happened, and I'm glad she did, if you honestly thought it was best to hide it from me, " she chided him. " Did you really think I wouldn't understand? I was there with you on Dorsal, Danny, I know what that crap was like. If you're not going to call it rape, then at least admit she forced you against you're will. You said no, didn't you? "
" Yes, " Daniel mumbled, knowing exactly where this was going.
" And from what Janet says, you put up quite a fight, " Samantha said, glancing at his heavily-bandaged wrists. " Eighteen stiches and a broken bone's worth. I'm kind of touched that you fought so hard, " she couldn't help but chuckling.
He tried to glare at her, but he couldn't direct any real menace towards her. " I didn't want to have sex with anyone but you, " he said, and he felt tears stinging his eyes.
Samantha reached out to stroke his hair gently and wiped away his tears. " I know that, " she said softly. " Why do you think I'm so touched by this? " she asked, gesturing to his bandaged wrists. " Even when you knew what was coming, you still put up a fight. Most men would have just laid back and enjoyed it. "
" I didn't enjoy it, " he sniffled.
" I know… and I love you for it. There's nothing to forgive, Daniel. I know it wasn't your fault. "
His tears began to flow in earnest now. He had been so worried Samantha wouldn't understand… when of course she would. She was the only other person who appreciated what those hormones did to you… and she loved him even more for the fact he'd tried to stop it… He flexed his right wrist painfully, and wondered if Janet could give him anything for the pain yet. " I love you, " he whispered.
" I love you too. " She ran her fingers intimately down his arm.
There was a silence for a minute before Samantha plunged into something that had been playing on her mind ever since Janet had told her about it. " If she becomes pregnant – " she started, although there wasn't much doubt in either of their minds that it was a matter of when, not if, given how potent the fertility drug was and how much of it she had take, " I want you to sue for custody. "
He looked at her in surprise. " You want my child with her… in your life? " he asked.
" I don't want your child growing up with that mental bitch for a mother, " Samantha corrected.
" And how would you feel… knowing what happened? " Daniel asked.
" You mean would I be an evil stepmother? " Samantha asked. Daniel looked sheepish ; that hadn't been exactly what he meant, but she was on the right track. Would she ever be able to look at the child and not be reminded of Daniel's night with Sanchez? " I could handle it, " she said confidently. She knew it wasn't in her to hold the sins of the mother against an innocent child. " I know how much you wanted our child and… I don't want anything that's yours to be influenced by someone like her. I think I'd be a very good stepmother, like Carol Brady. "
Daniel smirked through his pain. " You hate Carol Brady, " he reminded her. She was always going on about how the woman was an embarrassment to feminism. And she had awful hair. But for his joking, he knew Samantha meant what she said. She wouldn't hold the child responsible for Sanchez's actions ; she would embrace it as if it were her own. " Thankyou, " he said gratefully.
" You're welcome, " she said, just in time for Janet to poke her head around the door. " Yeah, OK, " she grumbled. She would have liked to spend more time with Daniel but they were both tired. " You get some rest, " she directed him. " No arguing with what Janet says. "
" Thankyou, Sam, " Janet said, pleased to have an ally where Daniel was concerned. Their talk had gone well ; she could see her looked relieved, more relaxed, despite his obvious pain. " I'll be back in a minute, " she told Daniel, " after I put Sam back in bed. "
" I take it things went well? " Janet couldn't help asking once Daniel was out of earshot.
" Yeah… I don't think he blames himself, " Samantha said. Then she added, " if she's pregnant, I want him to sue for custody. "
" That sounds like a good idea, " Janet said. " It shouldn't be too hard, either, given her track record. Do you think you could handle that? "
What was it with people questioning her ability to treat Daniel's child like her own? " It's not like he cheated on me, Jan, " she snapped. " I'm not going to look at it and think of Daniel's infidelity everytime. I think it's important that it doesn't grow up with an influence like Sanchez. "
" That's very mature of you, " Janet commented approvingly. " But there's going to be a lot of people who won't understand that attitude, so you should brace yourself. "
Samantha shrugged. If there was one thing she had learnt over the last two months, it was that what other people said didn't matter – only the opinions of people who truly knew her and cared about her, like Daniel and Janet. " I know, " she admitted. " But I know Daniel, and I know myself. "
" Good for you, " Janet said, and she wondered why she had ever doubted Daniel and Samantha's ability to get together, and stay together.
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A month passed, and Daniel and Samantha were married in a civil, low-key ceremony on the base. There was no reception and no honeymoon, primarily because neither of them were yet fully recovered to consummate their marriage, something only a handful of people were aware of. But they had been dancing around the issue for so long and something always got in the way, so they decided to just go for it. Daniel in particular was becoming convinced that if they didn't do it now, they never would.
Daniel moved in Samantha's house, primarily because it was more convenient then having her move into his apartment, and secondly because after his nightmarish night with Sanchez, he would be happy if he never saw the place again. While they weren't yet sleeping together, they had a closeness and intimacy that many people envied.
Samantha had coaxed Daniel into therapy, where he had accepted what had happened with Sanchez wasn't his fault, and came to terms with being raped. He requested that that little bit of information be kept under lock and key, though – he didn't care what Samantha and Janet kept saying, people just didn't understand when a man was raped by a woman. Physiologically, many people deemed it impossible – he must be delusional, or have wanted it. But nonetheless, he moved on with his life, dealing with the traumas both he and Samantha had been through, and enjoying the first few days of married life.
And then the other shoe dropped.
To be fair, Daniel had been expecting it, ever since he'd been told Sanchez had been found, staying at a friend's place, two weeks after her night with Daniel. She'd taken basic precautions such as emptying her bank account and paying for everything in case so as not to leave a paper trail, but she hadn't made that much of an effort to remain undetected, knowing as she did the extent of the military's powers when it came to someone who knew the kind of State Secrets that she did. No, she hadn't been aiming to escape permanently. She had just been buying time until trying to force one of the horrible morning-after pills down her throat would be a lost cause.
Three days after their marriage, a military lawyer knocked on Daniel's office door. Daniel knew what it was about as soon as the man introduced himself – as Captain Sanchez's legal representation. " She has requested your presence, she believes she has something important to tell you, " the man said.
" I have a fair idea what it is, " Daniel said evenly. " Let me get my wife. "
" If you're referring to Major Carter, Captain Sanchez had expressly ordered that she not be present, " the lawyer said. He was surprised to hear that Doctor Jackson was married ; the way Captain Sanchez had spoken, he was single and just needed a little encouragement to the alter.
" She's my wife, whatever it is, I'm going to tell her, " Daniel pointed out, but the lawyer would have none of it. To be fair, he was only executing Sanchez's orders. It didn't really matter – he would tell Samantha everything anyway. " Lead the way, " he said to the lawyer.
Sanchez looked almost sane when he saw her, dressed in her airforce uniform and looking impeccable. But she still had that look in her eyes… " Daniel, " she cooed in that same voice she had used on him the night she had forced him to have sex with her. " So good to see you again. " She had the audacity to kiss him on the cheek. Daniel push her away violently. " That's no way to treat a lover, Daniel, " she drawled.
He glared at her. He had come to terms with what she had done to him, but he wasn't about to let her off the hook anytime soon – especially when she was so convinced there was something between them other then despise on his part. " You and I were never lovers, " he spat. " You raped me. "
She looked hurt. " That's not a very nice thing to say… to the mother of your child, " she protested.
" So now we get to the crux of it, " Daniel declared. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked stony. " What do you want? "
Might as well lay all her cards on the table. Daniel was being very uncooperative about this whole thing. " I want you to marry me, give our child your name. "
He laughed at her. Of all the nerve! Was she that delusional she seriously thought, after all that she done to him, he would marry her? Apparently so, he thought, looking into her eyes and realising she was quite serious. " No, " he said. " I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot poll, let alone marry you. "
" You were going to marry that Carter whore when you knocked her up, " she pointed out viciously. This wasn't exactly going to plan. When he'd gotten Samantha pregnant, he'd done the right thing, been all over her. Where was his honour now?
" I love Samantha, and the fact she was pregnant was incidental, " Daniel informed her icily. " And besides, even if I did want to marry you – which I don't – I can't. I'm already married. Samantha and I got married three days ago. " He held up his right hand – which was where his wedding ring was currently located on the fact his left hand was still bandaged up – and let her take in the wide gold band on his ring finger.
He took the tiniest amount of pleasure in the lost look in her eyes. She had played her hand and lost.
Then she slapped him hard across the face. " You bastard! " she hissed. " Cheating, rotten, no-good bastard! "
" Guess you don't want to marry me after all, " he goaded.
He glared at him hatefully for a few seconds, then the look in her eyes changed to that cold, crazy look that had thoroughly scared Daniel the night she had violated him. He wouldn't marry her, but she still had something major over him – his baby. Daniel was crazy about babies, the way he'd been all over Samantha was proof of that. When she got out, she'd exact her revenge on Carter for ruining her plans like this, but for the moment –
" I need you to get me out of here, " she declared. " I need you and that whore to give glowing victim-impact statements. How she provoked me, how you seduced me that night – I don't care what you say, but I want to get out of here. "
" I suggest if you want the slightest nit of sympathy from me, you restrain from calling my wife a whore, " Daniel suggested. " And what the hell makes you think I would do anything for you, after what you did to us? "
Sanchez's eyes glittered dangerously. " Because I'm carrying your child, " she pointed out. " And everyone knows that men have no rights as far as a feutus is concerned. "
His blood ran cold when the true meaning of her words sank in. " You wouldn't dare, " he said. Not after the lengths she had gone to to get pregnant in the first place. Not after the tentative plans he and Samantha had made for the baby. She couldn't.
She smiled callously. It was good to finally put Daniel in his place. In time, once Carter was taken care of, she was sure she could make him see his place was with her and their child, but in the mean time – " I would, " she declared maliciously. " You get me out of here, Daniel, or I swear I'll have an abortion. "
Mwa-ha-ha, no final chapter until you guys start writing reviews! Yes, I know, I'm evil…