Sorry it's taken so long - writer's block is a bitch! I hope you like it, though I'm kind of iffy on it myself. I am, however, a purponent of constructive criticism, so send it along.
Not mine, yadda, yadda, yadda...
The sun was slowly setting over the lake and Jack was taking full advantage of the view. Behind him, he could hear Daniel and Aeda playing with Bear. He smiled out at the water. It was a beautiful fall day and he was glad that the house had been full of people. It had almost made him reconsider his decision. Almost.
He heard footsteps on the dock and he turned to see Sam walking towards him with a smile and a couple of longnecks. She handed one to him and settled into the deck chair beside him. "I've got to admit that I've never seen a prettier sunset," she said. He nodded but said nothing. "I cleaned up the kitchen, so you're not drowning in dishes. Teal'c is over watching Aeda and Daniel play with Bear and I'm just about ready to go home."
He turned to look at her. "I'm sorry about earlier," he said softly. Their pre-dinner conversation had not gone exactly as planned. He'd told her a little more than he'd intended and they'd…kissed in his kitchen. He'd known it was unprofessional, but at the time, he hadn't really cared. Now, he was just worried it had changed things.
She flushed – he could see it even in the dusk – and shook her head slightly. "Nothing to apologize for, sir."
He flinched a little at the "sir" usage. "Call me Jack, Sam."
If her head had turned any quicker, it would have snapped off. "Did you mean…any of it?"
He laughed, reached out and took her hand. "Do I ever say or do anything that I don't mean?"
"No," she said and squeezed his hand.
"I love you, Sam. If retiring is what it takes, I'm ready for it."
She lifted his hand, kissed it. He held it to her cheek. "I love you, too," she said.
He leaned across their chairs and kissed her. When he pulled away, she was laughing. "What?" he asked.
"Gift of the Magi," she said.
"Sam, I'm basically a stupid person. You're going to have to explain that to me."
She laughed harder. "I asked for a transfer to R and D – I wanted to have the conversation we had before dinner a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't figure out how to do it."
"It's a wonder we haven't made ourselves crazy," he said and kissed her again.
They were interrupted by a Frisbee whizzing past their heads and into the water. Before anyone could stop him, Bear raced after it, running past Jack and Sam and nose-diving into the water. The splash soaked both Jack and Sam, both of whom could hear Aeda and Daniel laughing in the background.
Bear retrieved the Frisbee, bounded out of the water, and returned it to its rightful owner, Aeda. Unfortunately, he waited to shake off until he was standing in front of both Aeda and Daniel.
"Bear, you're my kind of dog," Jack said to the bouncy Boxer. Bear's response was to shake even more, spraying them all with water. Teal'c watched from the porch, an amused smile upon his normally placid features.
"Karma's a bitch, Danny," Jack said and patted Daniel on the shoulder as he and Sam walked up to the house.
Aeda couldn't help but notice that Jack's hand never left Sam's back and that when they walked past the picture window, he kissed her shoulder ever so lightly. It brought a smile to her face.
October came and went with Jack announcing his retirement for the first of the New Year and Sam announcing her transfer to Research and Development shortly thereafter. It didn't really have the surprising effect that they thought it would – apparently, they were the only ones who hadn't yet figured out their emotions for one another.
November was equally uneventful, though the chair of the Physics Department at Harvard contacted her just after Thanksgiving to tell her that Winkenstein was retiring and as such, she could come back from sabbatical after Winterim finished in February. She spoke with Jack about it, who of course urged her to go back.
By the first of December, she had made the decision to return to Harvard, though she hadn't told Daniel. Their relationship had, at some point, extended beyond the boundaries of supervisor and assistant. They were friends, perhaps working towards more, and she was fearful of telling him that she was getting ready to leave in a couple of months. She didn't want to leave him in the lurch – he'd become amenable to the concept of an assistant, and had therefore come to depend upon her – but at the same time, she had a life back in Boston. So, she kept her returna secret.
It was close to Christmas when Daniel met Aeda at the elevators one morning. It wasn't altogether an odd occurrence. Sometimes, he'd meet her with two cups of coffee, sometimes he'd be passing by at the right time. What made that day so out of the ordinary was the huge and goofy smile that was splayed out across his face.
"Why are you smiling like that?" she asked, a little wary.
His grin widened. "Because, I have a very early Christmas present for you waiting in the gate room." He fell into step beside her.
"If it's an ancient tablet from another planet, you really shouldn't have."
He laughed. "It isn't an ancient tablet. It's much, much cooler."
They reached the gate room and he slid his card through the access panel. The doors opened and they stepped inside. Jack was waiting for them with a very large smile on his face.
"Did you all take the same drugs this morning?" she asked as they neared the General.
"And good morning to you, too, Sunshine." He held out his hand. "Your briefcase, please."
She handed it to him hesitantly. "What's going on?" she asked.
As if in response to her question, the Stargate began to dial a set of coordinates. When it wooshed outward, Aeda couldn't help but take a step back. Daniel reached out his hand and steadied her.
"Holy crap," Aeda said and received a round of laughter from those in the gate room. "Does it do that every time?" Jack nodded. "I've never seen it active…"
"Aeda Harrison, as General of this base, I hereby allow you to step through the Stargate." He winked at her. "Sounds so official, doesn't it?" he asked with a grin. "Daniel is going to take you on a little field trip."
Daniel's hand pushed at her back a little and propelled her forward, up the ramp and toward the watery blue surface. "Just to warn you, it's a little disorienting."
Aeda, who had heard Sam's explanation of just what traveling through the gate did to a person, looked over at him. "You think?" she asked sarcastically.
He grinned. "Ready?" he asked.
On impulse, she reached out and grasped his hand. He squeezed it lightly. "Okay," she said. Together, they stepped into the event horizon.
The first sensation Aeda had was of falling. The second was of landing and not being prepared. Her knees buckled and she pitched forward. If it hadn't been for Daniel's arms, she would have landed face first on a stone platform.
"It takes some getting used to," he said. He held onto her until she steadied herself. "Welcome to PX-823, my favorite of the Stargate destinations."
Aeda took a deep breath. The vast expanse of land in front of her seemed to lead endlessly towards a pointed set of mountains far off in the distance. It reminded her of British Columbia, except for one small difference – there were two moons shining, casting a violet twilight over the wooded land. Two purple colored moons, like giant balloons in the sky.
She was speechless.
Daniel was looking at her, obviously waiting for a response, and unfortunately she had nothing to say. It was too beautiful.
"In all this time, I've never seen you speechless," he said with a laugh.
She pointed, her voice returning. "Can we walk…out there?" He nodded and she hesitantly walked down the steps.
He watched her step out onto the ground, her eyes wide with wonder. She stood still, surveying the world around her. When finally she turned back towards him, her face was lit up with a brilliant smile.
"I take back all the mean things I've ever said about you," she said.
He laughed and bounded down the stairs to meet her. He stood next to her and they watched the remainder of the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. As the vibrancy of the moons intensified, she turned to look at him.
"I need to tell you something," she said softly and he turned his face to meet her gaze. "I've been asked to return to Harvard after the Winterim."
His face betrayed nothing, but even in the darkness she could see disappointment in his eyes. "Oh," he said. "When would that be?"
"February," she replied. A sudden shiver cascaded over her and she noticed for the first time just how cold it was without the sun.
He reached out and rubbed the uppers of her arms. "Well, at least we've got two months. We'll just have to make the most of it." He smiled at her.
If asked, she wouldn't be able to put into words her reasoning for her actions that day. She'd only be able to say that it felt right and at the time that was all that mattered.
Aeda Harrison, the logical, rational person that she was, threw caution to wind on PX-823. She grabbed Daniel by the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her level and she kissed him. Imagine her surprise when Daniel Jackson, the logical, rational person that he was, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.