Right Time and Place by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. Jack and SG-1 share a celebration off-world.
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9.
Disclaimer: The Stargate original characters belong to MGM/Showtime, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. This was written strictly for the purpose of entertainment. No attempt at copyright infringement has been made.

Right Time and Place

Chapter 6

They couldn't talk much during the following week. Their mission almost resulted in disaster. Teal'c was injured and they all barely made it back alive the following Sunday. After checking that Teal'c's injuries where not severe enough to land him in the Infirmary for the night, Sam and Daniel were sent home.

On their way out of the Infirmary, Sam suddenly said, "We missed our date!"

"Yeah, I was thinking about that. Perhaps we should reschedule it for next Friday. We're in no shape to try it tonight."

"You're right," Sam said with a smile, looking at her mud-covered boots. "I just need to take a good shower, eat something warm and sleep for the next three days."

"Well, the showers are yours. I'm sure Cam is out already and Teal'c is not here yet. I'll wait for him."

Sam agreed and went to have her shower first. When she was leaving the locker room, she saw Daniel coming in.

"Hey, Sam. I was thinking. Would you like to come home with me tonight? It's closer and I can make something to eat fast, maybe some warm sandwiches. You can have my room and I'll sleep in the sofa bed."

Sam thought about it for a second. It was not unusual for the team to crash all in the same house after a bad mission, especially in times of O'Neill, who would take them all home with him like a mother hen.

"What about Cam and Teal'c?"

"I already asked. They both just want to go to sleep. I need to unwind a little before that. I don't think I can go to bed just yet. Too many things happened this week."

She certainly could relate to that. She had been unable to think of much else during her shower. "Okay. I'll be waiting in my lab. Call me when you're ready."

An hour later they were in Daniel's house. They found Sam clothes to wear to sleep and Daniel prepared his sofa bed in the den. While she was finishing adding pillows and blankets for Daniel, he went to the kitchen and fixed a quick dinner. They sat on the sofa bed and ate silently while they watched a DVD. They were both so tired that they fell asleep during the movie. When Sam woke up the next morning, she was still propped against the pillows, an empty plate by her side. Her neck hurt because of the uncomfortable position she had slept in, so she slid down. From her new position it was easier to look at Daniel, also leaning against the pillows with his glasses still on. She felt the need to touch him, or at least to take his glasses off, but she was afraid to wake him up. She was enjoying the moment and there was something magical about it. She suddenly realized that, if they both shared the same feelings, this could be a permanent arrangement and she would wake up every morning by his side.

She suddenly felt fearful that she was not up to it. She remembered very little about Daniel's wife, Sha're, because he had never talked much about her. Sam knew he talked about her with the general, but she was also certain that it still hurt too much. In any case, what had stuck in Sam's mind had been the possessive and passionate kiss she had given Daniel in front of everybody. What if Sam was not passionate enough for Daniel's taste? What if the years in the military and her chosen profession in the exact sciences had made her cold and dispassionate? He was into social sciences, which imply by definition a relationship with other people, an interest in humanity and society that she had never cultivated until she met him and started going through the gate with him. His enthusiasm had been contagious.

And what if he discovered that she had null home-making abilities, or, actually, no interest in wasting her time in them? She hated the idea that no matter how much she cleaned and fixed her house, by the time she was back from the next mission, everything was covered in dust again. Maybe if they ever had a family of their own and she could spend more time at home, it would be all worth it. The idea of baking cookies had certainly more appeal if you imagined a bunch of kids waiting anxiously for you to finish them. She had felt that need when Cassie had come to the planet. Now she was feeling it again, thinking of the possibility of having children with Daniel. Wow! Having children? That had been a little too fast. They hadn't even managed a couple of decent dates yet.

Right then, Daniel woke up. "Hey, good morning," he said sliding down by her side.

"Does your neck hurt, too?" Sam asked with a smile as he raised a hand to the back of his head.

"Yeah. You slept against the back, too?" She nodded. "Well, we were tired," he said. "Nice change not to be alone in the morning. Feels good to have someone to talk to and not being on the floor in a camp," he said getting up slowly. "I'll take the bathroom first, if you don't mind, and then I'll fix some breakfast while you have it. Or you can use the other one upstairs."

"No, that's fine. Are you sure that you don't want me to try with the breakfast?"

"No," he said as he walked up the stairs. "You're my guest. Besides, I enjoy doing it."

After breakfast, Daniel drove Sam to her house. He went back home and started cleaning up the den; he had refused to let Sam help him with that. While he was picking up, he found a lipstick on the floor that had obviously fallen from Sam's handbag. He sat on the sofa for a minute with the stick in his hand thinking of Sam. It had truly been nice to wake up beside her. He had felt the desire to stretch out his hand and bring her close to him. He would have been content just to be allowed to hold her tight, smelling the shampoo on her hair, and feeling her heartbeat against his chest. When had he started to feel this way about Sam? It certainly had been recent. Probably after Jack had left for D.C. and Sam hadn't followed as many had expected. That had been the moment when he had given himself a chance to look at Sam with new eyes. As for how things were going, it seemed that she was looking in a different way at him, too.