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 7

The following week was far better than the last one had been. Their mission went well and they came back before they expected. Landry, satisfied with their positive results, allowed them to take Friday off. Daniel spent the whole morning shopping. He wanted his dinner for Sam to be even better than the one he had prepared for their first date. Sam spent the morning playing with her hair, trying to make it look different.

"Hey," Sam said as Daniel opened the door to let her in that evening.

"This time you were right, Sam," Daniel said seriously.

"What now?" she asked expecting another joke from him.

"This dress is even better than the black one. You're simply stunning. I should have taken you out to dinner, somewhere where men would have fallen around me, dying of jealousy," he finished with a smile.

"Where do you get those ideas from? I almost thought you were serious this time."

"I am. I'm very serious, Sam. I may have thought it was incorrect to tell you all these years, but I've always thought that you were an extremely beautiful woman, even in fatigues," he said as he guided her to the dining room.

"Thank you, Daniel."

The dinner was as delicious as the first one Daniel had prepared and Sam enjoyed it very much. They talked about everything that had happened in the last few years and they had serious discussions about politics and religion and lighter ones about their friends and colleagues. By the time they finished their desserts, after a long, long dinner, they were both feeling happy and relaxed. They moved to the den to keep talking.

"This is much better than the last time, isn't it?" Daniel suddenly said.

"Yes. I like that I can talk about anything with you. Leaving aside the specifically technical problems, I've always found that talking to you about something that worries me, always helps me make the right decision. Sometimes, even with the technical stuff."

"Good. I feel the same way about you."

"For the last two weeks I've been thinking about us, you know," Sam suddenly said.

"I have, too," Daniel replied. "What have you thought?"

"I like this. I like being with you. I enjoy spending our free time together, but I'm afraid of taking the next step."

"Next as in…?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know. We don't have much left to share, but mostly I'm afraid of the 'daily' thing, the coming home always to each other. What if you get bored with me? What if I'm not up to your expectations? You've been married before; you have a parameter to compare."

"I could never be bored with you. You're one of the brightest minds I've met and you're compassionate and caring. I'd never get tired of being close to you."

"Thank you," she replied with deep emotion in her voice. "That's exactly how I see you. I know Jack has always thought we're crazy when we get into one of our discussions, but I really enjoy them."

"So do I, Sam. I'm sure we'd be fine in that respect. Besides, it's not like we'd have much time to spend outside the base. We don't have it now and it's not getting any better," he sighed.

"Yeah," Sam said and lost herself in thought. "There's one more thing, though," she said after a little while.

"What?"

"The physical part. You and I, you know, we've never had anything in that area," she finished already blushing. "Who knows if it will work out."

"Well, we could try and if it feels too awkward, we just forget about it and keep our friendship as it is."

"Do you promise?"

"What?"

"That if it doesn't work out well, we'll still be friends. I can't afford to lose what we already have."

"I promise. Do you?"

"Yes," she answered very seriously.

"Would you like to try something now or would it make you feel better if we leave it for another day?"

Sam blushed more furiously and had to smile to avoid crying. She really wanted to try it, but she was very afraid of ruining her friendship with Daniel. He was very different from the men she had chosen before. She wasn't sure how he would handle rejection if she didn't enjoy being with him. "Let's get it over with," she finally said.

"That doesn't sound very romantic. Maybe we should leave it for now," Daniel said softly.

"I don't think I'd be less scared," she sighed. "This is so silly. I feel like a teenager that has never been kissed before."

"Sam, if it makes you so uncomfortable, we should let it go, at least for now. It won't be any good to-" He stopped as Sam got up from her armchair and approached him.

"It does feel awkward, Daniel, but I really want to do this right now." She sat by his side on the sofa and faced him. He raised his hands toward her and caressed her face very softly. Sam closed her eyes and tried to relax and enjoy the feeling. She felt Daniel's presence getting closer to her and she shivered in anticipation. He tenderly kissed her forehead and then started kissing the rest of her face. It was like being caressed by his lips. She'd never had anyone be this gentle with her. The few men she'd had in her life had taken a 'fast and furious' approach to their lovemaking. This was completely different and Sam felt all her fears dissipate. She moved closer to Daniel without opening her eyes and put her arms around his neck. He had not kissed her lips yet and she was eagerly looking forward to that moment. She started delicately caressing the nape of his neck and then moved her hands to his hair. The softness of it surprised her and she reveled in its feel. Then Daniel kissed her neck right under her jaw and she shivered more deeply with pleasure. She wasn't expecting to feel this way.

Daniel noticed her shivering and mistook its meaning. "Sam," he said as he stopped kissing her, "you have to tell me if this is making you uncomfortable."

She opened her eyes and looked at his face so close to hers. She moved to feel his cheek against hers and said, "No, please, don't stop. I've never felt this way before. This is delightful."

Daniel hesitated for a second and then went back to his kissing. He was near her shoulder now and Sam suddenly thought that it was terrible that she didn't have her friend Janet anymore. Janet would have been the first one to know what had happened tonight. Janet had always joked about what the nurses imagined Daniel would be like when making love. He was only kissing her and she had already decided that the nurses ideas were not as exaggerated as she had thought. He probably could beat whatever else they had imagined.

All of a sudden Daniel's lips were on top of hers and she slowly opened her mouth to let him in. 'Holy Hannah,' she thought. If he could make her feel like that with a kiss, she couldn't anticipate what would come next.