CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning, Daniel was still pretty sore, though his hip didn't feel quite as bad. He was only limping slightly. His arm, however, was still quite painful, and Sam insisted on looking at it. Feeling rather self-conscious, Daniel unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his left arm out.
"Ouch," Sam immediately said in sympathy, seeing the large, colorful bruise adorning the skin. "That looks really painful."
"It's not so bad," Daniel told her.
"I've got some ointment that might make it feel better."
"Sure. I can try it."
Sam went and got it. Daniel held his hand out for the tube, intending to put it on himself.
"Let me do it. It'll be easier," she said.
Very carefully, Sam smoothed the cream onto Daniel's shoulder, massaging gently. Daniel watched her. Despite the pain, he was enjoying the touch . . . way too much, in fact. He was beginning to wish that he'd put the ointment on himself.
As Sam rubbed the cream in, she could not help but notice how firm and well-developed the muscles of Daniel's shoulder were. Seeing him now, it was hard to believe that he was the same man who used to voice objections every time Jack dragged him off to the gym for training. Not that Daniel was ever a wimp. He just hadn't liked the idea of learning how to fight in hand-to-hand combat.
The Daniel of today was very different from that man who had not wanted to learn how to fight. Between what Jack had taught him and what he'd learned from Teal'c, the archeologist had gained a decent amount of hand-to-hand combat skills and could hold his own in a fight, though he was still not near the level that Jack or Teal'c were, nor even Sam. The astrophysicist secretly enjoyed watching him work out with his two male teammates, though she'd never admit that to anyone.
Sam had just finished applying the ointment when the phone rang. She grabbed the receiver and answered the call. It was the SGC again, but, this time, it was for her. A new technological gadget had been discovered by SG-9 and brought back through the gate. Photos had been taken and several tests run, and the young lieutenant who called wanted to know if Sam could take a look at the data since he was supposed to give a report on his findings but really didn't understand what the data was telling him. Sam jumped at the chance to have some work to do and told him to email everything over.
"Sounds like I'm not the only one who's indispensable," Daniel said in amusement after Sam hung up. "I pity that poor guy, though, if Janet finds out he disturbed you while you were on medical leave."
As soon as the data came through, Sam got busy on it. Since she was working, Daniel decided to do likewise and got busy on another translation.
As promised, Jack arrived at around ten with their groceries, including the ones he bought to replace the things that hadn't survived the hours in Daniel's trunk. He and Daniel then took off to go get the younger man's car.
"So, how are you feeling today?" the colonel asked as they headed to the mountain.
"All right. My hip's not bad, only a little sore. The shoulder's still pretty tender."
"I watched the story on the eleven o'clock news. I guess you must have gotten out of there just in time to avoid the reporters. They interviewed the mother and a few of the witnesses. The people who saw it happen said that you were pretty amazing, and the mother went on and on about how grateful she was."
Daniel shrugged. "It wasn't all that spectacular. I just grabbed the little girl and made a flying leap out of the way. We both got lucky."
"Nevertheless, you did good, and you were the only one out of all those people who reacted quickly enough to help."
"Well, I guess all those years of having to dodge out of the way of staff weapon fire came in handy."
Silence fell between them for several minutes.
"So, how are you and Carter getting along living under the same roof?" Jack abruptly asked.
"Just fine. Sam and I always get along great when we spend lots of time in each other's company. Unlike some other people, we don't get on each other's nerves."
Ignoring the last statement, which Jack suspected was aimed at him, Jack responded, "Yeah, but spending a day with each other isn't the same as living together day and night. Has she yelled at you yet for leaving the toilet seat up? Sara used to before she trained me to put it down."
"No, because I don't leave it up. A couple of my foster mothers were very strict about that. They got rather upset if the seat was left up. I got into the habit of putting it down, and it didn't take much to get back in the habit."
"What about whiskers in the bathroom sink after you shave?"
"I always clean up after I shave."
"Leaving dirty clothes on the floor?"
"I never do that."
"Squeezing the tube of toothpaste in the middle?"
"It's my own toothpaste, and it's a flexible tube, so it wouldn't matter anyway."
Jack paused. "Daniel, are you aware that you'd make a dream husband?"
The archeologist flushed. "Well, leaving the toilet seat up, whiskers in the sink and the way I squeezed a tube of toothpaste were never issues on Abydos, so they really weren't deciding factors on how I rated as a husband." He was silent for a moment. "But I guess Sha're was satisfied with how I did . . . that is when I wasn't trying to do 'woman's work'."
There was another long period of silence.
"What about the other stuff?" Jack finally asked.
"What other stuff?"
"Oh, come on, Daniel. You know what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't. Why don't you enlighten me."
"Daniel, Carter's a beautiful woman. You can't tell me that you don't notice that."
The utter silence in the car and the obvious increase in the archeologist's tension level told Jack the answer to his question.
"Ah, so you do notice, perhaps a little too much, huh." More silence. Jack looked over at Daniel, whose jaw was clenched tight. "Is this a problem?"
"Nothing I can't handle," the younger man told him stiffly.
"Are you sure?"
"I've had plenty of practice dealing with it." The instant after Daniel said that, he cursed under his breath. Jack looked at him again and saw that he was now staring fixedly out the side window, his hands clenched into fists. Oh boy. This was not good.
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you known that you have feelings for Carter?"
Daniel didn't answer for several seconds. "Since I descended. Before that, I wasn't aware of it."
'Before that?' "Okay. How long have you had feelings for her?"
The silence was longer this time. "Several . . . years."
Jack silently cursed. How had he not seen this? Now what was he supposed to do? "Daniel . . . I think you know that, at one time, I had . . . feelings, strong feelings, for Sam. Of course, me being her superior officer, I couldn't do anything about it. In time, those feelings faded. She's just a friend and teammate to me now."
Daniel's voice was tight with emotion when he spoke. "So you're telling me that I should just hang in there, and, in time, I won't be in love with her anymore?"
The car swerved slightly as Jack whipped his head around toward Daniel so fast he almost got whiplash. In love with her?! Oh, crap! This had just gone way past bad to totally disastrous.
A choked little laugh slipped out of Daniel. "I guess I shouldn't have said that, huh."
Jack pulled the car off to the side of the road. He needed to focus his full attention on his friend now.
"Daniel—"
"Don't, Jack," the archeologist interrupted. "Don't give me a lecture. I know this is a really bad thing. I know how much of a problem it could cause. I know that falling in love with Sam was just about the stupidest thing I could do. I know!" His voice rose in pitch on the last words. Then it dropped to an unsteady whisper. "But it's not like I had any say in the matter. It just . . . happened."
Jack sighed. "I know, Daniel. I'm sorry." God, the poor guy must be in agony over Sam's boyfriend. Jack cursed silently. The universe must really have it in for Daniel. He just couldn't seem to catch a break. First, he loses his wife to a Goa'uld after only a year of marriage, then, when he finally falls in love again, it's with a teammate and someone who doesn't love him back. Jack thought about that. Or did she? He knew that Sam did love Daniel very deeply as a friend. Was there any chance at all that there was more to it than that? What if there was? Jack had to admit that the idea of two of his teammates being romantically involved with each other did not help his peace of mind, but would it really be all that awful? It wasn't against regulations, and as long as they kept their relationship with each other at home and didn't let their feelings interfere with their job, it would probably be okay. It would just be . . . awkward.
"I'll be fine, Jack," Daniel told him, not really sounding all that convincing. "Like I said, I'm handling it. It's hard sometimes, but I am."
Wondering how it was going to affect his team, Jack made a sudden decision. "What if you don't have to?"
Daniel at last turned to him. "What?"
"What if you and Carter could be together?"
The archeologist turned away. "In case you didn't notice, Jack, Sam has a boyfriend."
"Yeah, I noticed. But that doesn't really mean anything. So she's dating this Pete guy. That doesn't mean she's in love with him, and it doesn't mean you should just give up."
Daniel shook his head and gave a short, humorless laugh. "Jacob said almost the same thing."
"Whoa, wait a minute. Jacob? As in Jacob Carter, Sam's father?"
"Um . . . yeah."
"You're saying that Jacob gave you the green light to date his daughter?"
Daniel squirmed in his seat, feeling excruciatingly uncomfortable, and it had nothing to do with his bruised hip. "Yeah, sort of . . . I guess."
A slow smile spread over Jack's face. "Well, I'll be. The old Jackson charm strikes again."
"Jaaack," Daniel nearly whined, wishing he could disappear.
Jack sobered. "Okay, Daniel. Here's how I see it. You can choose to runaway from this, just give up and never take the chance that you and Sam might have something together, but that's not the Daniel Jackson I know. The man I know would fight for what he wants. He wouldn't give up until he knew it was hopeless."
Daniel shook his head. "I can't fight this time, Jack."
"Why not?"
"Because the risk is too great. I could hurt my friendship with Sam, and that is more important to me than anything. I can live with not having her as a . . . a girlfriend, but I can't live with not having her as a friend. Then there's the fact that, if I openly pursued Sam, deliberately tried to . . . woo her, I'd be intentionally trying to steal her away from Pete, and I'm not that kind of guy."
"For cryin' out loud, Daniel. I'm not telling you to go out and try to seduce Carter. I'm just saying that you shouldn't give up on the possibility that she might feel the same way about you. I've seen you tiptoe around touchy diplomatic situations. Just . . . be subtle, feel her out."
Daniel's head bowed. "I already did, a little, or I started to. It's pointless, Jack. She has Pete now. She's happy with him. I can't get in the way of that." He turned back to the side window.
"Daniel—"
"Jack, please. Just drop it, okay?" Daniel begged, his emotions near the breaking point. "Please."
Jack looked at his friend for several long seconds. He reached over and laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder. Then he started the car and pulled back onto the road. There had to be something he could do about this. He just didn't know what.
Daniel was grateful that Jack let the subject drop. In fact, the colonel said nothing more for the rest of the trip. He took Daniel to his car and said he'd see him on Monday. Daniel's return trip was spent deep in thought. Another person now knew his secret. It would probably only be a matter of time before Teal'c knew as well, that is if he didn't already. The Jaffa could be surprisingly perceptive at times.
He had admitted his love for Sam to three people, and all three of them told him not to give up on a relationship with her. Were they saying that just because they were his friends and wanted him to be happy? Well, maybe that was the case with Janet and Jack, but surely not Jacob.
Regardless of the reasons for their advice, Daniel just couldn't let himself hope anymore, not when it came to matters of love. The last time he did, those hopes had been crushed into the dust in the most terrible of ways. It was far better not to hope. Then he wouldn't suffer the pain of disappointment.
Deciding that he wasn't quite ready to face Sam yet, Daniel went home. He picked up the pile of mail in his mailbox and checked on his fish. The feeder he'd put in the tank still had food in it, but he added more to make sure there was enough to last out the week. There were a few messages on his answering machine, but nothing important.
Standing there in the emptiness of his house, Daniel suddenly felt incredibly lonely. He had gotten used to having the company of another human being. Daniel sat down on the sofa and rested his head in his hands. He felt like he had after Sha're was taken, when he finally got an apartment and was completely alone for the first time in over a year.
How could he have gotten so accustomed to Sam's presence so quickly? How could the thought of ending this time with her and coming back here to live alone be so painful? If he had known that volunteering to stay with her would do this to him, he'd have thought twice about it. Daniel sighed. But he'd still have made the offer. He wouldn't have wanted Sam to suffer because of his selfishness. And, for the most part, this time with her had been wonderful. He would cherish it forever.
Daniel cleared the lump that had formed in his throat and got up. He put some more clothes in a small duffel bag, enough for the extra days he'd be staying with Sam, then left. He picked up some takeout on the way over to her house.
Sam was still hard at work when he returned. He watched her for a long moment, his eyes taking in every detail of her appearance Then he placed her lunch on the desk.
"Thanks," she said distractedly, not removing her gaze from the printout she was reading.
Taking his own food to the dining room table, Daniel fetched his laptop and the artifact he'd been working on that morning and got back to work.
The afternoon passed quietly as the two scientists worked on their individual projects. It was 4:30 when Sam emailed her encrypted report back. She looked over at Daniel to see him slumped over the table, head pillowed on his arms, fast asleep. A tender smile graced her lips, and she quietly walked up to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Daniel?"
The archeologist started slightly, his eyes blinking open. He sat upright, yawning.
"I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep."
"Didn't you get any sleep last night?"
"Um, a little. My shoulder and hip bothered me a bit."
Sam looked over at the couch, thinking that it wouldn't be the most comfortable thing to sleep on even under ordinary circumstances, much less when you were injured. "Maybe you should go take a nap."
Daniel smiled. "I think I was just doing that."
"No, I mean in the bed."
Daniel froze. "Your bed?"
"Well, yes, that is the one I was thinking of since it's the only bed in the house," Sam said teasingly.
"Thanks, but that's not necessary. I'll be fine." There was no way on Earth that he was going to go lay down in the bed that Sam slept in. Not a chance.
"You sure? I can guarantee it will be unoccupied and available for your use for the next several hours."
'Oh, Sam. If you only knew how much I'd like to be in that bed when it is occupied.' He gave a short nod. "Positive."
"Okay." She gave his back a quick rub. "How about some fresh coffee, then?"
"Sounds good."
That night was a TV night. They watched a comedy that, while not the most intelligent of movies, was good for getting their minds off things, which they both needed. Sam had also not slept well last night, but it had nothing to do with her leg. Nightmares had been what disturbed her sleep, nightmares of seeing Daniel's broken, bloodied body beneath the wheels of the car in the parking lot. She awoke in tears, silent sobs shaking her form. She had to keep herself from dashing out into the living room to make sure he was okay. It took a very long time to get back to sleep.
"When do you want to go in the morning?" the subject of her thoughts asked.
"Um, we don't need to make it early. How about around nine?"
"That's fine. Or maybe we could leave earlier and get some breakfast on the way."
"Sure, sounds good."
They both got up from the couch. Sam abruptly turned and put her arms around Daniel's waist. He stilled for a moment, then returned the hug.
"What was that for?" he asked gently, looking at her closely.
"Just . . . because I'm glad that you're here."
Daniel kept looking at her for a while longer, then nodded, having a feeling that Sam wasn't talking about his presence in her house. An impulse of his own hit, and he bent forward, placing a soft kiss on her brow. Sam's breath caught sharply. It was the first time he'd ever kissed her, and it had felt really good.
Daniel dropped his arms from her and took a step back, putting a safe distance between them. That, he told himself, was a big mistake. Just that moment of his lips upon her skin had made the desire within him almost more than he could resist. He really needed to get away from her for a moment.
"If you don't mind, I'll use the bathroom first," he said.
"Uh, no, go ahead."
Sam didn't watch him leave. She was too busy thinking about that kiss. A peck on the forehead should not have made her feel that way. What the hell was going on with her? This was so not good.
Sam escaped into her bedroom and sat on her bed. After all these years, could she actually be developing a sexual attraction to Daniel? Okay, so she'd always found him very attractive, right from the start, but it had been a . . . a peripheral thing. Um, okay, not always peripheral. She'd definitely noticed that moment she first saw him on Abydos. But once Sha're made her entrance, Sam pushed those thoughts into a dark corner of her mind. For the most part, they'd stayed there, that is until Daniel suddenly began spending more time in the gym. Then those thoughts started coming out of hiding more often. However, even then, they hadn't been of a . . . sexual nature. She had just been a woman admiring the physique of a very good-looking man . . . sort of . . . mostly.
When Sam went to the bathroom, she made a point of not looking at the couch, even when Daniel called good night to her and she wished it back to him. She quickly did her business there and returned to the bedroom.
As she crawled under the covers, Sam swore to herself that she was not going to think about this anymore. She was going to put it out of her mind and forget all about it.
Easier said than done.
