Chapter 16. The Light
Two weeks. Two weeks in a palace by the beach. Oh god, this was a nightmare. Two weeks stuck sharing a house with both Jack and Daniel. This was beyond torture. This was a recipe for disaster.
At first, she tried to keep busy by studying everything she could of the column of light and the mechanism behind the narcotic effect it had, but when she had pulled it all apart and put it all back together again, she found there was nothing left for her to learn. Failing that, Sam tried to spend as much of her time as possible away from the little palace that they were temporarily occupying. It was difficult, as they couldn't go far from the palace without falling under the effects of withdrawal.
The Colonel had all but taken up residence on the beach, having requested General Hammond to send through his fishing gear. And, once he had studied every last bit of ancient writing and artifacts, Daniel often joined him.
Sam therefore found herself avoiding the beach entirely most days. She wandered around the gardens that surrounded the palace, under the pretence of cataloguing plant species; but in truth, she needed time to think.
She found herself walking a dangerously thin line, and the longer she stayed on the tightrope, the more likely it was that she fell off. She was avoiding Daniel, or maybe he was avoiding her, or maybe he realised but was giving her the space she needed, the considerate bastard. They hadn't slept together since the incident with the armbands, and that should have made things better but somehow it felt much, much worse. She was reminded of it every time he stepped into the room – electrons became charged, her focus more easily broken; whenever he brushed past, her skin tingled like static electricity, and whenever her eyes met his ocean-blue gaze her mouth was suddenly a desert.
She slept restlessly most nights, knowing that he was a mere few feet away, and she thanked God that Jack was here between them, for if it had been just them stuck here alone, she didn't think her self-control would have survived. His presence was like an inferno, and she either needed to run as far away as possible, or let the blaze sweep her off her feet and consume her.
And then there was Jack. Strong, silent, uncomplicated Jack. She'd had conflicting feelings over her commanding officer for a while now, and she was pretty sure he felt strongly about her, though he would never admit such a thing outright. The question was, just how strong were her feelings for him? There were times, when she caught his deep, brown gaze, that she felt a spark of something – something warm and fragile, like a softly glowing ember that could easily be fanned into a raging fire, but could also just as easily be extinguished with the twitch of a finger.
Sam was growing increasingly frustrated with the indecisiveness of her own heart. She felt like she was spiralling, and the more she tried to fight it, the more she tried to claw her way out, the more it sucked her down. It was like she was stuck between two black holes, the opposing gravity slowly pulling her apart, molecule by molecule, unravelling her very DNA, and if she couldn't break away from them both and into open space, they would eventually kill her.
O – O – O – O – O
Sam stood at the palace entrance that overlooked the ocean, cradling a mug of coffee in her hands. It was instant – army standard – and Sam found herself suddenly craving the dark arabica blend that Daniel always kept in his office.
A warm, salty breeze lifted the ends of her hair, and the low drone of insects started their daily hum. The haze on the horizon warned of a scorching summer day, and the boys were preparing accordingly.
With much pleading on Jack's part, General Hammond had relinquished and sent through a bright yellow, blow-up dinghy, and Jack was now sitting in the sand with it across his lap, diligently blowing into the tiny mouthpiece until his face was red.
Daniel was already in the water, diving down to check the traps that Jack had set the night before. He emerged between waves, shirtless and dripping, his shorts clinging to his legs, and Sam suddenly took extra interest in the colour of her coffee.
The breeze carried his voice across the sand; "I told you Jack, this planet probably doesn't even have crustaceans, let alone edible ones."
"Well, it has fish doesn't it?"
"You've caught one fish. One."
"And crabs eat fish, ergo..."
She watched Daniel rub the bridge of his nose, then run a hand through his hair to push the wet strands from his face. Exasperated, he turned away from Jack and spotted her standing on the balcony. He held his arm out from his side then let it drop, as if to say help me with this idiot, will you?
Busted, she made her way down the steps and over to where the two men were frowning at each other. She stopped next to Daniel to watch the Colonel's reddening face as he resumed blowing up the boat. Daniel automatically reached over and took the mug from her hands, taking a big swig and grimacing before handing it back to her.
"Not as good as yours, I know." She pouted, making him chuckle.
"Mine's imported."
She hummed appreciatively, taking another sip of the sub-par coffee anyway.
"Listen, are you two gonna help or just fantasise about coffee all day?"
Sam laughed as Daniel rolled his eyes and plopped down in the sand next to Jack to help him blow.
"If you're this grumpy when we're on the boat I'm pushing you overboard."
They spent half the day drifting just off the shore. They couldn't go too far out, but they had figured out on the first day that the withdrawal range was just under half a mile. Jack, and begrudgingly, Daniel, fished off the side of the boat, and Sam lounged across the end and read her book, her feet dangling over the side.
"Stephen King? What, our lives aren't terrifying enough for you?" Daniel had teased her when she brought it out.
"What? I like the suspense."
As the sun peaked in the sky, the heat started to become unbearable. Despite wearing a light, cotton dress, the material was still sticking to her skin. And being crammed in between two sweaty men wasn't helping.
"I think I'm gonna head back. It's too hot out here."
"Aw, just give it a bit more Carter, I'm getting bites out here!"
"Actually yeah, me too. My skin is delicate, you know." Sam snorted into her book while Jack scowled at them both.
"Fine, you princesses head back. I'll catch our dinner."
"What are you gonna do? Make us swim?" Daniel scoffed.
"Well you said you were hot..." The Colonel smirked, clearly thinking he had won.
Sam huffed, rolling her eyes at the bickering couple. She was too hot for this. "Fine. We will."
She set down her book and leant to peer over the edge of the boat. It was too deep to see the bottom, but the water seemed clear enough. She glanced out to the shore – maybe a hundred yards, no swell; should be easy enough. She stripped off her dress, glad she had worn her bikini today, and wrapped it carefully around her book. She turned back to the boys, who were both looking at her a little stunned.
"Don't get my book wet." She told Jack sternly, shaking a finger at him. Then she crossed her arms over her chest and flipped backward over the side of the boat, headfirst into the water just like she'd been taught at basic.
The water was pleasantly mild and instantly evaporated the sticky heat from her skin. She surfaced, slicking her hair back out of her eyes. Daniel was leaning over the edge, peering down at where she had dived in. She kicked out her foot to splash water at him.
"You coming?" She grinned, then turned on her stomach and started a languid freestyle towards the shore. She was maybe a third of the way when she paused, turning over to float on her back. Daniel had followed her in after all; he was about halfway to her, breaststroking along with his head out of the water, and she pointed her feet down to bob in the water and wait for him to catch up.
Something slippery brushed around her ankle, and she yanked her knees up to her chest in response. She peered down into the blue depths, turning in a slow circle to search all around her, but there were no shadows, no sign of movement.
"What?" Daniel frowned at her when he drew close.
"I think…something just touched my leg."
"Seaweed maybe?" He asked hopefully, but he was also staring nervously down into the dark water.
They exchanged a look. "Well I'm not hanging around to find out." She turned and threw herself into the stroke, kicking hard and fast towards the shore. She glanced over her shoulder at every breath, making sure Daniel was right beside her.
She waded up out of the water panting hard, then turned and plopped down into the sand as Daniel emerged. He collapsed on the sand beside her, flat on his back and gasping for air. She looked over at him and laughed, and couldn't stop laughing, and he quickly joined her, holding the stitch in his side.
She sighed, still grinning, and leant back on her elbows, letting the sun evaporate the salty droplets from her skin.
"I really hope you were right about the seaweed."
He hummed in agreement and she glanced over at him. His eyes were closed, his sandy hands resting on his abdomen. Water droplets made his skin glisten in the sun, and a content smile curved across his lips, his expression so relaxed and open and peaceful and so foreign on Daniel that Sam couldn't help but stare. Is this what he would look like if he stopped carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders? Was this the real Daniel, unburdened and free?
Sam cleared her throat, unsticking her tongue from the roof of her mouth.
"I'm gonna go rinse off." She scrambled to her feet, heat blooming across her cheeks, and quickly flitted back to the palace, leaving a very puzzled Daniel to stare after her.
O – O – O – O – O
Daniel watched her walk away, unable to tear his eyes from the swing of her hips and the sand that coated her backside. A shiver of desire ran through him and he forced himself to turn away, flopping back down on the sand. He closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his skin while he focussed his breath, clearing his mind the way Teal'c had taught him to Kel'no'reem. He needed to harden his heart; it was far too easy for her to get under his skin.
He gave her a good ten minutes, then headed inside, hoping she would be out of the shower by now so he could wash the sand and salt from his skin. He brushed off as much sand as he could before trudging up the stairs, squinting as his eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight; he'd had to leave his glasses on the boat, so everything was a little unfocussed.
He didn't hear the water running, so he made his way into the 'bathroom', if you could call it that. The room had no door, it was only hidden from the main area by a high stone wall. It had large tub with many different coloured taps, and a shower, of sorts, which sprayed water from both sides and when he'd first used it Daniel felt very much like he was going through a human car wash.
Daniel turned the corner to the bathroom, but stopped short when he realised that Sam was actually in the bath.
"Oh, s-sorry. I, uh, thought you were done." He averted his gaze, glad that the bubbles at least afforded her some cover or he'd have an even harder time keeping the blush from his face.
She shrugged, water sloshing as her shoulders rose and fell. "Well, I'm done with the shower."
He hesitated, running a hand through his hair and grimacing when a scattering of sand dusted the floor. "Uh, do you mind if I..." He gestured vaguely towards the shower.
"No, go ahead."
Grabbing his towel from the hook, he stepped around the corner and into the shower section. To the left and right were six jets that spouted water from the walls, and a wooden bench ran along the back wall. Daniel stripped off his shorts and placed his towel down on the bench, turning the two rounded half-domes on the wall that controlled flow and temperature. He stepped between the jets and turned in a slow circle, lathering up his skin and washing the sand from his hair. He closed his eyes, letting the water pelt his body, and tried not to think about the fact that Sam lay only a few feet from him, wet and naked.
He heard splashing, and then her soft, wet footfalls on the stone and the gurgling of draining water. What he didn't expect to hear was her voice, just around the corner.
"Err, Daniel? I left my towel in there before. Could you...?"
"Oh, sure."
He turned off the water and went over to the bench, wrapping his own towel around his hips before grabbing the fluffy yellow one beside it and padding back out of the shower.
He poked his head around the wall that divided the two sections. "Here you go..." His voice faded away when his eyes fell upon her naked form; her arms folded across her chest only pushed her breasts higher, droplets converging and running down her toned body, and her cheeks tinged pink from the heat.
She took the towel from his outstretched hand and her fingers brushed against his, sending bolts of electricity down his spine. She must have felt it too for she paused and met his gaze; twin blue pools reflected back at him.
She held the towel to her chest, covering her front. She was so close that he could feel the heat radiating off her skin; feel her warm breath ghost across his chest when she spoke. "Daniel…we shouldn't..."
She dropped her gaze to the floor, breaking their connection.
She took a step back, wrapping the towel around her body, and Daniel felt air enter his lungs once again.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I forgot about Jack." He shook his head, trying to clear the fog.
She glanced up at him, her brows pulled together. "Oh, yeah, he could be back any second."
"That's not what I meant." He mumbled, tugging at the knot on his towel to make sure it was tight.
Her frown deepened, and she opened her mouth to say something, then abruptly closed it again and glanced away.
Daniel set his jaw and walked past her to go find some clothes, a horrible, twisting feeling unfurling in his chest.
Only four more days to go.