Daniel was about to say something more when they heard a scream from the hall. Sam and Daniel ran to see what it was.
"Cassie!" Daniel said startled. Both he and Sam bent down and picked up the things she had been carrying.
"Are you all right? Pete!" Sam asked then turned to see her boyfriend standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?"
"Dr. Weir, I think that's her name, called me. She told me to come."
"Oh." Sam was surprised that the woman had even known about Pete. She turned back to Cassie and motioned both of them into her lab.
"Pete, ah, you remember Dr. Jackson," she waited till he nodded before continuing, "Well, this is Cassandra Fraiser, the daughter of Dr. Frasier the woman who fixed you after the little incident a few months ago. Cassie, this is Pete Shanahan, my boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you Cassandra. I didn't mean to scare you," Pete held out his hand and the teen shook it.
"It's OK. You just startled me, I can't really see over this box anyway. But is nice to finally meet you," Cassie said. Pete nodded in response.
"I really need to go. I just came to clean out mom's office. I'll see you tonight?" Cassie ended with a question.
"Sure," Sam reluctantly answered since she knew that Pete was probably there to drag her out of the mountain. With that Cassie left.
"I should go to. I'm meeting Sarah for dinner tonight before she goes back home," Daniel said as he turned to leave.
"Why don't you join us for dinner instead?" Pete asked, "We'd love the company, plus it would give me a chance to get to know one of Sam's team mates. How's seven p.m. McMurphy's?"
"Sure," Daniel answered after looking at Sam for approval.
"Daniel, remember what happened last time we went there?" Sam asked.
"Well, yes but that was different."
"What happened?" Pete asked the two with confusion.
"That's need to know," the two answered him.
XXX
Pete and Sam walked into the restaurant and told the hostess that they were meeting someone there. Sam saw Daniel sitting with Sarah and pointed Pete in their direction. When they reached the table Daniel and Sarah stood to welcome them. Pete took one look at Sarah and recognized her as the woman who had shot him when he first started dating Sam.
"Don't worry I won't shoot this time. My name is Sarah Gardener," she said extending her hand.
"Pete Shanahan," the two shook hands for the first time and the group sat down to order.
The dinner seemed to go on without incident. Pete and Sarah seemed to be enjoying the little stories of times when Sam saved the day with one of her crazy plans or some local woman falling for Daniel only for him to return to earth. It wasn't until Daniel mentioned how Sam never gave up when one of the team was missing did things become sour.
"There was this time we were called to the research station in Antarctica when Daniel was Ascended because they found a frozen woman they thought was an ancient," Sam began to tell of their trip. "When she thawed out, it turned out they were right. Only, we all started getting some sort of virus. She was able to heal everyone but Colonel O'Neill before the virus took over her own body."
"What did you do, I mean until recently he was alive?" Pete asked curiously. Sam gave him a look that said, 'what is your problem' before continuing the story.
"We took them back to the SGC where the woman died, much to Jonas's dismay. The Tok'ra offered to give the Colonel a host, but we all knew he would never agree," she said. "I was able to convince him to do it anyway."
"Hmm. Really? You were the one that convinced him?" Pete asked a little agitated.
"Remember when we were on Argos and met the Chosen and Jack began to age? Or how about the time he was trapped on Edora for a hundred days and you wouldn't give up on trying to find a way to save him?" Daniel asked changing the subject.
"Janet kept trying to make me sleep more, but I knew the answer was right there under my nose," Sam answered taking a drink of her diet Coke.
"You felt it necessary not to sleep just because he was stranded on another planet?" Pete asked getting even more agitated at this tale of Sam saving Jack.
"He's my commanding officer Pete. I couldn't just let him die if I knew I could save him," she answered.
"There was also this time when these aliens tried to take over the SGC by putting us in some incubation things and impersonating us with some hologram device," Daniel began trying to get the attention away from Sam saving Jack's life again.
"But because Teal'c and I have Naquadah in our blood they were unable to make the device that allowed them to impersonate us," Sam continued.
"What did you do?" Sarah asked intrigued.
" I was able to escape and get help from Colonel Maybourne of all people," Sam said. "I actually had to shoot their Daniel and Col. O'Neill to convince him I wasn't crazy."
"Jack didn't seem to happy either when you mentioned you shot him." The look on Pete's face was looking more agitated at this.
"What about the time you were addicted to the Sarcophagus because of that princess that wanted to marry you? If I hadn't been able to recall that the Tok'ra don't use one because it takes the good away, we might not have been able to get you back."
"Yeah, I still can't believe I attacked Janet, or how I treated you guys," he said sheepishly.
"The sarcophagus can be highly addictive. I only used it as Osiris a few times, but I can already feel like I want it sometimes," Sarah said in an effort to make him feel better. It was then that the waiter brought their food.
Near the end of the dinner Daniel had just finished telling how Sam had saved Teal'c with Dr. Mckay's minimal help when Pete stood frustrated.
"Enough! I'm sick of this, so I'm just going to ask you. Are you in love with Colonel O'Neill?" he said angrily as he stood.
"What? Where would get an idea like that?" she asked surprised that he would even bring this up, let alone in public. She knew he suspected something, but this wasn't like him.
"Don't play games with me Samantha I heard you and Daniel talking today," he raised his voice even more.
A waiter came over and taped Pete on the shoulder, "Sir, please quite down you're disturbing the other costumers." Pete pushed him off and looked at Sam. He was furious.
"Pete, just calm down I can explain."
"Daniel asked you if you were in love with O'Neill and I want to know the answer!"
Sam stood and looked at him shocked, "You were eavesdropping outside my lab? What right do you have to do that?" She couldn't believe that he would ever do such a thing. Of course, he had followed her to Daniel's house, which is what got him shot in the first place.
"I'm a cop it's my job to investigate things. Why do you think I followed you to his house?" he asked as he pointed to Daniel. "I had to call a friend at the FBI to find out what it is you do, except according to them you've been completely scrubbed!"
"What did I ever see in you?"
"You know what, if you're not going to tell me it's over, you can have your precious Colonel O'Neill for all I care!" He slammed down his napkin and left the restaurant. Sam slumped into her chair and sighed. The waiter who had asked Pete to 'quite down' looked at her.
"I'm sorry about that, it won't happen again."
Daniel quickly paid for the dinners, instead of separately like they had agreed. Then the three left quietly. Sam was still in a state of shock when they reached her house. Daniel got out of his car and went to open Sam's door. She just sat there.
"Sam, we're at your house," he said quietly. Sam slipped out and he walked her to the door. "Get some sleep," he whispered and kissed her on the cheek.
Sam opened her door and walked in. Sitting on the couch was Cassie and her boyfriend, Dominic, watching Star Wars. When she walked in they stopped the movie. Cassie opened her mouth to speak, but Sam put her hand up to stop her. Then she turned and walked down the hallway to her room and closed the door.
"I should go. I'll call you tomorrow," Dominic said as he headed for the door.
Cassie turned off the TV and locked the door before heading down the hall to her own room. She stopped at Sam's door and listened. She could faintly hear the woman crying on the other side. I wonder what happened.
XXX
Sam closed her bedroom door and leaned against it. She began to cry and slowly slipped to the floor. She then buried her face in her hands and let the tears finally come. Why am I so upset? Is Daniel right, do I love the Colonel? God, what am I going to do? I've tried everything. There has to be something I missed.
After the tears began to die down she got up and walked to her dresser to get her pajamas. She looked at a picture sitting on top of it and picked it up. In a metal frame surrounded by stars was a photo of the team. It had been taken just before Daniel died. They were on another planet somewhere in front of a Goa'uld cargo ship. Colonel O'Neill casually had his arm draped over her shoulders while hers was equally casually draped across his back. Next to Sam stood Daniel smiling their arms around the others waist, and Teal'c on the end next to O'Neill looked stoic as ever. She quickly replaced the picture on the dresser and grabbed her pajamas.
Then Sam headed to her bathroom to finish getting ready for bed. The bathroom mirror seemed to mock her reflection. I look awful. I guess that's what I get for not sleeping in over a week. She turned off the light and got into bed not even bothering to set her alarm. As soon as her head hit the pillow Sam was out like a light.
