Disclaimer: My words are mine. The characters/setting is not.
A/N: For the record, I've held conversations in my sleep. So this isn't as improbable as it might sounds. It's like you're in the middle of a dream, and whatever you hear comes out of the mouth of the person in your dream. And if you talk in your sleep, you can actually carry on a conversation like this. That said, it started as kind of angsty and just turned normal. Review, please.
Cling
She was curled up in a ball when he found her. Her covers were thrown off the bed, signs of her restless sleep. When he'd flown in from Washington, he'd come straight here, hoping to spend some time with her before any of the others started including him in all their plans and he lost all free time.
Instead, he'd discovered her door unlocked, which had worried him. He saw now that she'd been too tired and troubled to remember. It made him ache, to see her tossing and turning with a pained look on her face. He dropped his bag on the floor and sat gently on the side of the bed.
"Carter?" No reaction.
"Sam?" She turned towards him, eyes still closed. Unable to stop himself, he reached out a hand and brushed her hair back from her face. "God, you're beautiful." She rolled, curling herself around him. If he hadn't known her so well, he would have thought she was awake, but Sam Carter never clung to anyone voluntarily. The last time he remember the physical cling was when she was Thera, and he was Jonah, and there was no reason to think they couldn't touch.
He sat there for a few minutes, watching her now regular breathing. It was so easy to forget that she not only saved the world all the time, she was probably capable of kicking his ass. His hand tangled in her hair of its own volition, and he frowned down at her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. "What have you been doing to yourself?"
A hand came out and stretched across his lap, wrapping itself around his thigh. "Jeez, Carter..." He tried to dislodge her gently, but she only held tighter.
"Don't go. Not this time." She was still asleep, as far as he could tell.
"I won't." There really wasn't anything else he could think of to say. "I won't leave, you have my word."
"Mmmm..." The corners of her mouth tugged upwards, and her face burrowed between his leg and the sheet. "I love you."
He stroked her hair gently, wishing she were awake and wouldn't think this all a dream when she woke up. "I love you too, Sam. I promise I'm not going anywhere. Just rest..." He made soft, soothing noises and she drifted back into deep, dreamless slumber. Staring down at her pale face, he told himself that it was the least he could do to be there when she woke up, and settled down to watch her sleep.
She looked so perfect in sleep...
A/N: Should I continue? Let me know.
