ANOTHER WORLD – I. The Director's World by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. Daniel wakes up in the wrong place.
Spoilers: All seasons, including 9 and 10.
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.

The Director's World

Chapter 3

Daniel took the mirror to Dr. Lee's lab and Sam started working on it immediately. Daniel watched her as she worked. He felt guilty about making her leave the comfort of her home, but if she wanted her husband back, she was probably his best hope. He also felt a strange sensation as he thought that the baby within her was his son, at least in some way. He was almost happy, as if the idea of being a father, even for the brief time until he found his way back, was intoxicating. He had a strong desire to approach Sam and place his hand on her belly to see if he could feel the baby move. He knew it would be inappropriate, but he could not stop wanting it. Maybe he wanted more than that; for a second he allowed himself to think how it would be to have a family with his Sam.

"Hello, gorgeous," Vala brusquely interrupted his thoughts as she entered the lab. She approached him and put a hand on his hair. "Oh! Oh! Oh! What's this supposed to mean? While I'd normally be thrilled by your assertions of independence, this has gone too far." She pulled a strand of his hair as if measuring it. "Nothing, there's nothing left."

"Nice to see you, too, Vala," Daniel simply said.

"Vala," Sam called from behind the mirror.

"Oh, what are you two up to at this time of the night?"

Sam called her over and briefly explained the situation.

"And you're sure about this cascade failure thing?" Vala asked Sam. She nodded. "Then there's no way we can get Dan back and keep this one, too?" Sam smiled and shook her head. "Oh, well. It would have been nice to have one for each; I'd even be willing to keep the bald one."

"Hey, I'm not bald," Daniel said half-seriously.

Sam smiled and Vala walked back to him. "Don't worry. I like you anyway," she said as she messed with his hair again.

"I just sent a very small probe through the mirror and it crashed against the rocks on the other side. There's no way we can send you there before a path is cleared," Sam said as she sat down behind the workbench.

Daniel lowered his head. He was starting to feel desperate.

"It's late. Why don't you go to your quarters, Sam, and have some rest. Janet said you needed to be in bed as much as you could. I'll take care of our guest for the night." Sam smiled and agreed.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me," Daniel tried.

"Well, we don't exactly know you. We'd better keep an eye on you, just in case," Vala said as she grabbed his hand and lead him out of the lab. Sam asked him to take the mirror with them and then locked the lab.

They took the elevators and when they reached the floor where the private quarters were, they separated. Sam went into her room and Daniel left the mirror with her.

Vala opened the door of another room and waited for Daniel to enter. She followed him and closed the door behind her.

"Well, off with the clothes," she said as she started untying her boots.

"Excuse me?" Daniel asked as he looked at her stunned.

"We may as well have some fun while I have to keep you company," she replied and took a boot off.

"You don't need to keep me company. You can just lock the door and I won't be able to go anywhere."

"That wouldn't be fun, would it?" She took off her other boot and turned around to hug him by the waist. "Oh, come on…"

"I thought you were with Dan. Wouldn't this be like being unfaithful to myself?" Daniel asked exasperated.

"We're not together anymore," Vala said in a sad tone. She let Daniel go and sat on the edge of the bed. "For Sam. He thinks- we both think it's better for her if he's only with her. She's been very understanding, but it was time to let go." She sighed and threw herself backward on the bed.

"Does Sam know?"

"Yep. We told her last week. We really haven't been together since we agreed on it." She sighed again "It sucks." She turned around and lay face down on the bed. "That's fine. It doesn't matter. I thought Sam had said that you weren't married to her and that your Vala was married to someone else. Since we're both free…"

"Vala," Daniel started, but he was not sure how to continue.

"Fine, I get it. You probably have the hots for your Sam and you're keeping the secret." She moved to the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. "You can have the other side."

Daniel was about to deny it, but he gave up. He slowly walked to the other side of the bed and lay on his back. Vala turned off the small lamp on the wall.