CHAPTER FIVE
Let it never be said that, when Daniel promised something, he did not follow through. After breakfast was over, he plopped down beside Sam on the couch and asked her what she'd like to do. Despite her insistence that he didn't need to entertain her, he refused to budge, throwing out helpful suggestions until she answered his question. Finally, smiling at his stubbornness, she agreed to a game of Scrabble.
"How about reverse Scrabble?" he suggested.
"Reverse Scrabble?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine made it up. Instead of having to spell out real words with your tiles, you have to create fake words, but they have to sound like real ones. In other words, you can't just slap down a bunch of consonants and call it a word. Oh, and you have to give the definition of the word, too. It's actually quite fun."
Sam grinned. "That does sound like fun. Okay, let's try it."
Daniel got the game, and they set things up.
"Ladies first," he said.
Thus began the most hilarious game of Scrabble that either of them had ever played. The longer they played, the most outrageous became the words they made up. It didn't take long before they were both laughing so much that their sides ached. In the end, neither one of them cared at all who won, which turned out to be Daniel.
They sat back, still chuckling, wiping the moisture from their eyes.
"That was great," Sam said. "I haven't had that much fun in ages."
"Me neither." Daniel grinned. "I wonder how Jack would do at this game."
Sam started laughing again. "Oh, God. Can you imagine the words he'd come up with?"
Daniel chuckled at the thought. Then he suddenly started laughing outright.
"What?" Sam asked.
"I just pictured the look that would be on Teal'c's face as he watched the three of us play."
Sam almost fell off the couch, she started laughing so hard.
The rest of the morning was spent on some household chores and checking email. Over lunch, the two friends chatted almost nonstop, sharing little personal stories from their past.
"So, she just ran up to me, planted a big fat one right on my lips, then ran off again," Daniel said, recounting his first kiss, which had been given to him by the daughter of one of the men working on a dig with his parents.
"And you were how old?"
"Around six, I think." He grinned. "Mom and Dad couldn't stop laughing when they saw the look on my face. I think it was a cross between shock and horror. I avoided that little girl like the plague for the next week or so until I decided that maybe the kiss hadn't been all that bad after all."
Sam smiled. "That is so sweet. I didn't get my first kiss until I was thirteen, and it was from this pimply kid in school who had a crush on me. It was only memorable because it was my first one."
After lunch, they watched a special on the History Channel. After it was over, Sam went into the bedroom to put more antibacterial ointment on her leg. She was just finishing when the doorbell rang.
"Daniel, can you get that?" she called.
The archeologist answered the door . . . and came face to face with Pete Shanahan. Shock filled the cop's face, quickly followed by a look similar to an expression Daniel had seen on Jack's face many times in the past . . . and it was not a pleasant one.
Quickly getting over his surprise and consternation, Daniel cleared his throat. "Um, you must be Pete."
The cop frowned. "Yes. Who are you?" The frown cleared slightly. "Wait a minute. You're Daniel Jackson."
"Yes." Daniel stepped back and let Pete in. "Sam? You've got company," he called over his shoulder.
Sam came out of the bedroom, then froze. "Pete! What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't get away until Saturday."
"I missed you and decided that I couldn't wait that long." He shot Daniel a look that nobody could mistake for anything but territorial.
Sam limped out into the living room.
'Sam, you're limping! What happened?" Pete asked in concern.
"I was injured off-world a few days ago."
"Um, Sam, I'm going to take off for a while," Daniel said, feeling very uncomfortable and knowing that he really needed to get out of there. "I'll be back later, okay?"
"Okay."
Pete watched Daniel leave, then turned back to Sam. "What's going on? Why is he here?"
Sam sighed. This was not going to be fun. She moved over to the couch and sat down. "He's been staying here, helping me out while I recover."
Pete frowned deeply. "Here? You mean in the house with you?"
"Yes. My leg got pretty messed up, and it's painful to walk on. I'm under doctor's orders to stay off my feet as much as possible. Daniel offered to stay with me for a few days. He's been doing the cooking, shopping, household chores, stuff like that. He's been a big help."
"You didn't have a girlfriend you could have called to come stay with you?"
Sam started to get irritated. "No, I didn't."
"Then you should have called me. I'd have taken the time off work and taken care of you."
"Pete, you've been on a big case. You couldn't just drop everything and stay with me for a week. Daniel was nice enough to offer, and I accepted."
Pete shook his head. "I don't like him being here."
Sam's irritation blossomed into anger. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Look, Pete. I have known Daniel for almost seven years. This is not the first time that I've spent a lot of hours alone with him. It's not even the first time I've slept alone under the same roof with him. We're teammates, remember? He also happens to be my best friend, probably the best friend I will ever have. We have been through things together that you can't even imagine, and I trust him with my life. He is a good, honorable, caring human being who would never do anything to hurt me."
Pete stared at her piercingly. "You love him."
"Of course I love him. He is very important to me. Don't you love your friends?"
Pete walked away a few paces. He knew that he was being unreasonable, but he couldn't help it. When the door opened and he saw Daniel standing there, his first reaction was that of a male guarding his territory from a rival. Daniel Jackson in the flesh was even more of a surprise than his picture had been. Guys that smart weren't supposed to look like that. Pete recalled Sam's glowing words of praise for the archeologist. The man was a genius. He had to be if someone as smart as Sam was so impressed by him. Which would be fine if Jackson looked like a dweeb, but he didn't, and that was the problem.
Pete turned back around and sat beside Sam. "I'm sorry for going all caveman on you, Sam. You can't blame me, though, for not liking the idea of another man staying here." He took her hand. "Look. Why don't I call my captain and arrange to take a few days off. Then I can take care of you."
Sam shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because that's just sidestepping the issue. It isn't going to resolve what's going on here. The only thing that getting Daniel out of this house is going to do is make you feel better. It isn't going to change the fact that you don't seem to trust me." She pulled her hand out of his.
"I trust you! It's not you, it's him."
Sam gave a short, humorless laugh and shook her head. "Daniel told me you'd say that. It doesn't surprise me that he was right. He usually is." She gave the cop a hard look. "Listen, Pete. You don't know Daniel like I do. Right from the start, he and I connected. Just in the first couple of months that we were together, I came to see what kind of person he is. I know Daniel, really know him, and I can tell you that I have never met a man of greater integrity. He lost his wife a few years ago. She was taken over by a Goa'uld, and he spent two and a half years trying to save her. In all that time, he never even looked at another woman when he was in full possession of his mental faculties. In the end, he couldn't save her. He was in mourning for her for a very long time after that. I think that a part of him will always mourn her. Except for one brief incident that really didn't go anywhere, I am almost positive that he hasn't had a relationship with a woman since her death." Sam looked at Pete earnestly. "If you could get to know Daniel like I do, you'd see that he is a good, decent, caring person who would never do anything to betray me or my trust in him."
Pete watched Sam closely as she spoke of Daniel. There was a level of passion and intensity on her face and in her voice that showed him something, something he did not like. What she was saying and the way she said it made it obvious that Sam shared a special bond with Daniel, one that he had a feeling he could never have with her. That knowledge made his jealousy grow even stronger, but he was smart enough to know that, if he pushed Sam too far on this, he could lose her. It was clear that she would not let him get in the way of her friendship with Daniel. That thought was a real wake up call for him. Though they were developing what he wanted to believe was a strong and special relationship, he did not possess her heart, not fully. No matter how close they became, there would always be a part of her heart that he would be unable to touch, the part that belonged to Daniel. The question was how big a part was it?
Pete gave a sigh and nodded. "All right, Sam. I still don't like it, but I trust you and your judgment."
Sam smiled in relief. "Thank you. You should stay for a while. When Daniel comes back, you and he can get to know each other a little. I know you'll like him once you talk with him. He really is a great guy."
Pete shook his head. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
Sam frowned. "Why not?"
The cop paused. What could he say, that he was afraid he'd be unable to compete with the great Doctor Jackson, someone Sam clearly loved and admired deeply? "I just think I'd better head back before the captain finds out that I'm playing hooky."
"Oh. Well, okay."
Pete got up, stopping Sam when she made a move to do likewise. "No, don't get up. Just stay there and rest that leg." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you on Saturday."
Sam watched Pete leave, a faint frown knitting her brow. Though the cop had said that he was willing to accept the fact of Daniel staying here, she suspected that he'd only said that to avoid getting into a big fight with her. She also didn't really believe his excuse for leaving so quickly. Why would he have taken the seventy-mile trip if he wasn't planning on staying for a while? In fact, he must have been planning on spending the rest of the day since, if Sam hadn't been on medical leave, she would be working now, and Pete would know that. No, the reason he decided to leave was obviously because of Daniel. He didn't want to stay and get to know the archeologist. But why?
'Because he's jealous, dummy,' Sam's inner voice replied. 'He sees Daniel as a rival for your affections.'
Sam thought about that and knew that she couldn't blame Pete for thinking that way. In a way, it was true, for, no matter how close she and Pete might become, there would always be a big place inside her heart that only Daniel could fill.
Daniel was feeling rather nervous when he entered the house, not knowing what would greet him when he got there. He had been both relieved and worried when he saw that Pete was gone, relieved that he wouldn't have to confront an angry, jealous boyfriend and worried that the fact that Pete's departure might mean that he and Sam had a big argument.
Sam was sitting on the couch, apparently deep in thought. In fact, she didn't even seem aware of his presence. Cautiously, he approached her.
"Hey," he said quietly.
Sam looked up at him in surprise. "Oh. Hi. I didn't hear you come in."
Daniel sat sideways on the couch and studied her face. "Is everything all right, Sam?"
"Um . . . yeah."
"You don't sound so sure."
Sam sighed. "It wasn't pretty at first. He really did not like the idea of you staying with me. He even offered to take time off work and stay with me himself. He didn't understand when I told him no."
"You told him no?" Daniel said, surprised. He'd have thought that Sam would like the idea of having Pete take over for him.
Sam heard the surprise in her friend's voice. "Yes. First of all, all that would have done was treat the symptoms, not cure the problem. Pete needs to accept my relationship with you. Secondly, I really like having you here, Daniel. It's been great spending this time together, and I don't want that ruined."
Daniel smiled brightly, extremely happy to hear Sam say that. He'd been enjoying their time together immensely and hadn't wanted it to end prematurely. He really didn't want it to end at all, but he knew that, in a few days, they'd have to go back to the way it was before, though he hoped that, from now on, they'd be spending more time in each other's company than what they had been over the past few months.
Sam's mood lightened at the sight of seeing the happy smile on Daniel's face. There wasn't much she wouldn't do to make him happy, and it pleased her greatly to know that she was the one who'd put that smile there.
Daniel's smile was short-lived, though, as his concern for Sam resurfaced. "But are you and Pete okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. I explained things to him, tried to make him see that there was nothing for him to worry about. He's still not happy about it, but he accepted the situation. It'll be all right."
Daniel relaxed. "Good. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt, Sam."
She gave him a warm smile. "I know, Daniel, and I know that, if you thought that you needed to leave to make things okay between me and Pete, you would do so in a heartbeat. But I promise that it's not necessary. Pete and I will be fine." She smiled again, though this was a far different type of smile, the one of a woman thinking of her lover. "I'll be sure to pay lots of loving attention to him this weekend."
A surprisingly intense jab of pain struck Daniel's heart, and it took all of his control not to actually wince from it. At her words, he felt the fragile hope he had been nurturing inside him die. He immediately berated himself. 'Come on, Daniel. You knew that she had something good going on with Pete. You knew the chances that she could think of you as more than a friend were pretty remote. Get over it. You still have her friendship, and that's what's most important.' Despite his words to himself, Daniel could not stop the ache inside.
Doing his best to hide what he was feeling, Daniel quickly got up and went into the kitchen for a glass of water.
"Can I get you something?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful. Even to his own ears, the tone sounded false.
Sam frowned at the tone and the sudden change in Daniel's body language. Something was wrong. Before she could ask him about it, he spoke again.
"Um, I was planning on fixing the steaks tonight. I thought I'd marinate them in barbecue sauce, but I need to get some. I should have thought about it earlier when I was out. I'd better do it now." He went into the living room, being careful not to meet Sam's eyes. "Do you need anything from the store?"
"No, not that I can think of." Sam watched him head for the door. "Daniel, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything's fine. I'll be back in a few."
Not giving her a chance to press him further, he quickly escaped.
It took Daniel only a few minutes to get the barbecue sauce, not nearly enough time to get a rein on his emotions. Stopping at a small park, which was nearly deserted, he sat at a picnic table and watched the people and cars go by. He was angry at himself for letting this bother him so much. He'd had all these weeks to get used to the idea that Sam now had a boyfriend, that she was in a romantic relationship with someone, that they were . . . sleeping together.
Daniel closed his eyes tightly, feeling the sting of tears. 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Daniel. You have a lot in your life to be happy about. You've got great friends and an exciting, fulfilling job that really means something. And you have Sam as a friend and teammate. You see her almost every day. Just be happy with that, and stop wanting what you can never have.'
"Daniel?"
Daniel started violently at the sound of his name. He blinked away his tears to see Janet staring down at him in concern.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" He quickly wiped his cheeks, mortified that he'd been crying.
"I was on my way over to see Sam, and I saw you sitting here." The doctor took a seat across from him. "Daniel, what's wrong. Is it Sam? Is there a problem?"
Daniel shook his head. "Sam's fine."
"Well, it's obvious that you're not fine. What's the matter?"
Daniel stared at the grass between his feet. "It's nothing. I'll be all right."
Janet stared at him. "Daniel, I've known you for a long time now, and, not counting when you were in withdrawal from the sarcophagus addiction or when you were in so much pain that you couldn't help it, I have never seen you cry, not even when Sha're died. So don't sit there and tell me that you're all right, because I'm not buying it."
Daniel almost smiled at the stern, no nonsense tone of her voice, the same tone she used on recalcitrant patients.
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I need to get tough with you?"
Daniel became a tad irritated. "It's private," he snapped, a lot more harshly than he'd intended. Immediately sorry, he turned away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off."
Janet stared at him, even more worried now. "Oh my. This really is serious, isn't it."
Daniel gave a choked little laugh. "I'll survive. I always do. I'm really good at that. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. That's me. I'm surprised Jack hasn't labeled me with the nickname Timex Jackson yet." There was no bitterness in his voice, no self-pity, only deep sorrow and weariness. He felt Janet cover his hand with hers.
"Daniel, I'm your doctor, but I am also your friend," she said gently. "And, as a friend, it hurts me to see you suffering. I want to help you. Please let me do that."
Daniel did not speak for a long time. At last, he gave a shuddery little sigh. Staring out across the park he murmured, "Have you ever wanted something you knew that you could never have, wanted it so much that, sometimes, it was all you could think about?"
"Yes, a couple of times."
Daniel's gaze returned to the grass. "It hurts, doesn't it."
"Yes, it does." Janet tried to see his face. "What is it that you want so much, Daniel?"
The silence was so long this time that Janet began to think he was not going to reply.
"Sam," he finally whispered, so low that she almost didn't hear him. "I want Sam."
Janet stared at the archeologist, at a loss for words. Oh dear. So it was true. A few months ago, she had begun to suspect that Daniel cared for Sam as more than a friend. That suspicion had grown as she watched him sit for hours at Sam's bedside after the major was rescued from the Goa'uld supersoldier. Now, it was confirmed.
Daniel finally turned to her, his face a picture of torment. "I'm in love with her, Janet. I've been in love with her for years, though I never knew it until after I descended." He turned away yet again. "And she doesn't feel the same. I know that. I know I have to live with that, but it . . . it hurts. It hurts that she. . . ."
"Has a boyfriend," Janet finished.
"Yeah." He straightened and drew in a deep breath, his expression firming. "But I'll be okay. I can live with it. I've lived with a whole lot worse." He gave her a heartbreakingly sad little smile. "What's a little unrequited love in comparison to all the other crap that's happened in my life?" He got to his feet. "I need to get back. Sam's probably wondering what happened to me."
Janet stood as well and laid her hand on his arm. "Daniel, please don't lock this up inside you. That will only cause you more pain. Maybe you should talk to Sam about it."
"No!" Daniel shouted. "Sam can't know about this. She must never find out." He stared at her, his blue eyes like twin lasers boring into her. "You have to swear to me that you will never breathe a word of this, Janet, not to her or anyone else."
"I won't tell anyone, Daniel. I promise."
The archeologist relaxed. "Thank you."
They both headed over to Sam's house, Janet thinking about what she'd learned and wishing that she could do something for her friend, and Daniel wondering how he was going to survive the rest of his stay with Sam without breaking down and telling her the truth.
