One More Try by Betty Bokor
Sam/Daniel. Daniel has a heartbreaking secret and needs to share it with Sam.
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.

One More Try

Chapter 4

On Saturday morning, they went together to pick up Jack at the airport. They drove him straight to Sam's home, talking about the people from the SGC that Jack had not seen for a while. Lunch had been almost ready before they left the house, so it took Daniel only a few minutes to fix the rest. They had a superb meal while still having inconsequential conversation. Right after serving the dessert, Daniel looked at Jack straight in the eyes and said, "We're very glad that you accepted our invitation for this weekend. There's something we want to share with you and we wanted to do it personally."

"Oookay", Jack responded, completely clueless about what the two of them could be into together.

"I've moved in here with Sam because we have decided to have a child together."

Jack choked on the water he just had put in his mouth and, while Sam and Daniel got up and tried to help him, he processed the information. He would have said something sarcastic like "For crying out loud" as was typical for him, but he knew that Daniel was dying and understood that there was something deeper going on. They had not said "We are in love and we want to have a baby" or "We want a baby because we discovered how much we love each other" either. No, the main point was "We have decided to have a child together." In a second he grasped the meaning of it. It was the last attempt of a normal human being –well, it looked like Daniel was a normal human being after all– to achieve his immortality, his own child, his heir. Sam had agreed to it because she cared so much about Daniel that she could not let him down, especially considering that there were no other women in his life.

He thanked them for their concern about his choking and tried to smile. "Well, if that's what you want… then, congratulations to both!" He forced himself to say. He felt some kind of pain knowing that Sam was with Daniel. In retrospective, it was his own fault. If he had ever said anything to Sam about his feelings for her, particularly now that he was not her CO, she surely would be with him and not Daniel. She was in love with him; he knew it. She was doing this for charity, more or less. He proposed a toast and kept smiling but Daniel sensed the tension.

"It's not like we've been having a torrid affair behind your back, Jack," he said and then added, "We're not really together. I'm living in the guest room; we'll have to share tonight. This is just about the baby."

Jack caught a glimpse of disappointment in Sam's face, but she quickly lowered her eyes and took a bite of the dessert she had not even touched before. That confused him, so he tried to ascertain what he had understood. "Don't worry, Daniel. I understand completely and I'm very glad that Sam has agreed to help you out."

He was about to add something else when Sam interrupted him. "I'm not helping Daniel, sir. It was my idea and I begged Daniel to father my baby. I'm delighted that he accepted to share with me the time he…" She could not finish; her eyes filled with tears and she had to get up and run out of the room.

Daniel and Jack stood up instantly, but Daniel touched Jack's arm and whispered, "Finish your dessert, Jack. I know it's your favorite. We'll talk more later. I'll take care of the dishes in a short while. Just give me a couple of minutes to talk to Sam. She has other problems that you don't know about yet."

Jack was dumbfounded. He sat back down and attacked the cake. His mind was rushing from one idea to another. He imagined that was how Daniel's head worked regularly. So, it had been Sam's idea? Why did she want to have a baby with Daniel? Maybe it was pity. Though the way she was looking at Daniel did not show that. There was the admiration and respect she always showed the archeologist and something more. Of course, there was love, too; she loved Daniel very much, as much as she loved Teal'c, but not the way she loved him, right? Now he was not so certain. He would have to dig a little deeper.

Daniel found Sam in her bedroom, crying on top of her bed. He sat by her side and drew her into his arms. He did not stop her from crying. She had been very brave about the contraceptive problem all week; she needed some release. She cried for a little while longer until Daniel's calming presence had its effect on her. She lifted her head and whispered, "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's completely understandable. Because you stopped the hormonal shot, your body is going haywire and I'm only adding to your burden."

"Please, don't say that. You're not a burden to me. If it weren't because I know what's coming, I would tell you that these days we've spent together have been some of the best of my life, probably the best since I lost my mom."

"Thank you, Sam." He brought her back to his chest and kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you take a little nap? This week has been very hard. I'll go for a walk with Jack and, then, we can call Teal'c and Cam and head out for dinner together. All right?"

"That's fine," she answered while he helped her lay on the bed and covered her with a warm blanket. "I'll wake you up when we come back. Get some rest."

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