CHAPTER TWELVE
Sam and Teal'c both arrived right on time.
"So, any idea yet what we're going to do?" the major asked.
"Well, my original plan for the day was just to stay home, but I'd say that plan has changed," Daniel replied.
Jack looked at him. "Original plan?"
"Yeah, I'd already requested today off."
"And you saw fit not to tell me? I am your C.O., you know."
"Um, no, actually, you're not, not at the moment and not when I requested the time off. Besides, I didn't really get the opportunity to tell you," his lips curled upward, "and you were having too much fun this morning thinking that you'd performed a miracle on the scale of parting the Red Seas when you thought you had talked me into taking a day off."
Sam grinned, seeing the colonel's expression cycle between irritation and sarcasm.
"Okay, so Moses I'm not," he said at last. He turned to the others. "Let's get out of here before I reenact the tenth plague on the Jackson family."
Making a spur-of-the-moment decision, the colonel decided that they should go to Denver. They all piled into his car and took the seventy-mile trip, chatting pleasantly along the way. They spent the day hitting some of the hot spots in the city. Jack even agreed to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which pleased both Daniel and Sam. The major was thrilled at the chance to go to the new Space Odyssey exhibit, and Jack had to admit that he had a good time there, too. Both he and Sam took turns piloting a model space shuttle, attempting to dock it. The colonel also had fun taking the controls of a robotic rover, one of the tiny robots used to explore the surface of Mars. While in the exhibit, Sam often went into one of her scientific spiels, explaining the exhibits in far greater detail than the information the museum had. While Jack, as usual, mostly tuned her out, Daniel listened attentively, even though he did not understand a lot of what she was saying.
Daniel, of course, wanted to go straight to the Egyptian Mummies exhibit. Once there, he launched into his own detailed lecture on everything in the exhibit. This time, Jack made an effort to pay attention and was actually surprised when he learned some things that interested him. Daniel also displayed a great deal of knowledge at the North American Indian Cultures Exhibit.
Throughout the day, Jack noticed that Sam seldom strayed from Daniel's side. She touched him frequently and was constantly smiling at him or laughing about something. Daniel, too, was a lot more tactile than usual and smiled more in two hours than he usually did in two years. There were several times when he grabbed Sam's hand and dragged her off, grinning, to see something. It made Jack feel good to see his "kids" happy.
"They're such a cute couple," a nearby voice said. Jack looked down to see an elderly woman gazing at Daniel and Sam warmly. "It's always easy to spot the ones who are in love."
Jack blinked in shock. "Excuse me?"
The woman looked up at him. "You act surprised." She studied him more closely. "You're not old enough to be the father of one of them. An older brother perhaps?"
"Uh, no, just a friend and . . . coworker."
The elderly lady looked a bit dismayed. "Oh, dear. I hope I didn't get them into trouble. I know that some companies don't like it when coworkers become romantically involved with each other."
"Uhhh, they're not, um . . . they're not involved with each other like that," Jack told her, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"They're not? I'm usually pretty good at spotting things like that. I was certain they were a couple."
Jack turned back to Daniel and Sam and watched them with new eyes. Seeing them together, the way they reacted to each other, the obvious closeness of their relationship, it suddenly dawned on him that they did look like a couple. That thought surprised the hell out of him.
During the rest of their time at the museum, Jack watched Daniel and Sam together. He had known that the two youngest members of his team were very close. They always seemed to get along so well with each other, their brilliant minds seemingly able to connect on a level that Jack would never understand. He remembered times when one of them would leave a sentence unfinished and the other would somehow know what they were saying. And when the two of them put their heads together to discuss something or to solve some problem, it was enough to make Jack feel dizzy. They had very compatible personalities, two passionate workaholics who could still see the world with wide-eyed wonder, despite the horrors they had witnessed and experienced. It stunned Jack to realize that Daniel and Sam would actually make a very good couple. They were perfectly suited for each other.
So, how did he feel about that? If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that his first reaction was jealousy. He had feelings for Sam, feelings that an Air Force officer should not have for someone under his command. He was also pretty sure that those feelings were unrequited. A few years ago, he'd believed differently. Jack had good reason to believe that Sam did have feeling for him, though he didn't know how strong those feelings were. When they went through the Zatark testing the second time, though Sam did confess that she had feelings for Jack that were more than friendship, the word "love" never passed her lips. But then, it never passed his lips either.
A lot had happened since then. Over the past two years or so, Jack had seen no hint that Sam felt anything for him except friendship and respect for a superior officer. He'd kept a tight rein on his own emotions, never letting them show. But the emotions were still there, though he knew that nothing could ever come of them. Even if Sam was interested in him like that, they could never do anything about it, not as long as they were in the same chain of command. He wasn't ready to retire yet, and he certainly was not willing to put in for a transfer. Neither was Sam. So any hope of a relationship between them was pretty much nil, at least for the foreseeable future.
Jack thought about that other Samantha Carter, the one who had been married to the Jack of her reality. That Sam had been a different person, a woman who had never wanted to be in the military, a woman who had made different choices in her life. Jack looked back at Daniel and Sam. And that Sam had never known Doctor Daniel Jackson.
"Are you unwell, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, interrupting the colonel's thoughts. "You have grown quiet and pensive."
"What? Uh, no, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."
Teal'c looked over at the two people Jack had been staring at. "You have at last seen the truth."
"What? Huh? What are you talking about?"
"It came to my attention long ago what is between Daniel Jackson and Major Carter."
Jack gaped at the Jaffa. "You . . . you what?"
"I have watched them over the years and have seen their closeness. I believe there is a phrase used by the Tau'ri that suits them. Their kalesh are mated."
"Kalesh?"
"Souls."
"You mean they're soul mates?"
"Yes."
"Soul mates."
"Do you not think that the term is appropriate, O'Neill?"
"I. . . . To be honest, I don't know. I never thought about it before. I never thought about them like that. I know they're good friends, but. . . ."
"But you did not think that they could be more than that." Teal'c fixed the colonel with a penetrating stare. "Perhaps it is that you did not wish to see it."
Jack was silent for a long moment. "Yeah, maybe you're right, Teal'c."
"Is it against your military's regulations for Daniel Jackson and Major Carter to be more than friends?"
"No. Daniel's a civilian, so there wouldn't be any rules against it, even with them being on the same team. They could even be married. As long as it didn't affect the team dynamics, result in distractions, or cause any other kind of problem, there wouldn't be an issue."
"Would it bother you if such a thing were to occur?"
Jack was saved from answering by the return of the subjects of their conversation.
"Are we ready to go?" Daniel asked. "Sam and I are starving." He looked at Jack more closely. "Are you all right?"
"Uh, yeah, fine. I'm just fine. Let's get out of here."
They left the museum and went to a restaurant. As they waited for their food, Daniel and Sam chatted animatedly about what they'd seen. Jack remained quiet and watched them. Why hadn't he ever seen this before? Had he been blind all these years or was it just easier to see now? Daniel did seem to be more relaxed and happy than the colonel could ever remember seeing him, and Sam appeared to have caught his mood.
"Jaaaack. Earth to Colonel O'Neill. Come in, O'Neill."
Daniel's voice finally penetrated through to Jack's mind. "What?"
"Boy, were you off in La-La Land," Daniel said with a smile. "Do you plan on eating sometime today or are you saving the food for the dog you don't have?"
Startled, Jack looked down and realized that a plate had been placed in from of him. Flustered, he immediately began to eat.
"Are you sure you're okay, Colonel?" Sam asked in concern.
"Yep. I'm fine, Carter. My brain's just cooling off from being overheated by you two."
Daniel and Sam exchanged an amused look, then returned their attention to their meals.
With an effort, Jack got his mind off the subject of Daniel and Sam's relationship and made an effort to join in on the conversation.
The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly. On the drive back, Jack found his thoughts returning to the revelations of the day. About halfway home, he noticed that everything had gone quiet. He glanced into the back seat and saw that Sam had fallen asleep. Her head was resting on Daniel's shoulder. The archeologist was gazing at her, an expression of such love on his face that it almost took Jack's breath way. He quickly returned his attention to the road, not wanting his friend to know that he'd seen that look. The next time he glanced their way, Daniel was asleep as well, his head pillowed on Sam's hair.
The archeologist and astrophysicist woke up as they arrived in Colorado Springs.
"So, how about if we order some pizzas and watch a video?"Jack asked when they got to his place. "I've got plenty of beer."
Daniel and Sam smiled at the colonel's offer, knowing this was the older man's idea of the perfect evening, that is when it wasn't hockey season.
"Sure. Sounds good," Sam replied.
"But only if Sam and I get to choose the movie," Daniel added. "I don't think that either one of us can take another viewing of National Lampoon's Vacation."
"Hey, I've only played it twice," Jack objected.
"You have shown that movie three times, O'Neill," Teal'c informed him. "And each of its sequels more than once."
"Yeah, okay, so I like Chevy Chase."
Daniel and Sam hid their smiles. "Well, this time, we get to pick," Daniel insisted. "We'll go down to the video store while you wait for the pizzas."
"All right, fair enough. But don't come back with one of those mushy romantic comedies."
"Don't worry, Jack. We wouldn't do that to you. I think we both realize that, to you, it would be worse torture than what Ba'al put you through."
"You got that right," Jack shot back. "In fact, if he'd only known, he could have forgotten about the knives, acid and other stuff and just made me watch My Best Friend's Wedding half a dozen times in a row. I'd have caved right in."
Chuckling, Daniel and Sam headed off in the major's car to the video store. They perused the shelves, looking for something that they thought everyone would like. They were in the comedy section when Daniel's gaze fell upon one particular movie. A mischievous grin split his face.
"Hey, Sam. I found just the right one." He showed it to her. A huge smile lit her features.
"Perfect," she agreed.
Video in hand, they returned to Jack's place. The pizzas had arrived, and everyone dug in.
"So, what did you get?" Jack asked.
"A movie Sam and I thought that you and Teal'c would really appreciate," Daniel replied, keeping his face straight.
"Really? What's that?"
The archeologist handed the tape to Jack. "Oh, funny, Daniel. Really funny," he said as he stared at the copy of Groundhog Day.
Teal'c peered at the box cover. "What is the special significance of this movie?"
Daniel and Sam both grinned. "You'll find out," the major replied.
As it turned out, the Jaffa was quite intrigued by the tale of the man who was stuck reliving the same day over and over again, commenting several times about his and Jack's similar experience.
"Well, I need to get home," Sam said after the movie ended. "We've got an early start tomorrow."
"Could you drop me home too, Sam?" Daniel asked. "My car's still at the base."
"You can stay here again tonight, Daniel," Jack offered.
"I don't have another change of clothes here. Um . . . am I going with you on the mission tomorrow?"
"Well, of course you're going with us," the older man responded. "We need to talk to Hammond and get you transferred back to SG-1 first, though."
Daniel smiled and nodded.
"Want me to pick you up in the morning?"
"I can pick him up, sir," Sam said. "He's right on my way to work."
Thanking Jack for the enjoyable day, Daniel and Sam left. On the way to the linguist's house, they were mostly quiet, thinking about the events of the last two days.
As they pulled up to Daniel's place, he asked if Sam would like to come in for a few minutes, and she agreed.
"Would you like something to drink?" Daniel asked.
"No, I'm fine." Sam sat on the couch, and Daniel settled beside her. "This was a nice day."
"Yeah, it was. I honestly can't remember the last time I had that much fun. As much as I hate to admit it, Jack's right. We both really need to get out more."
"Yes, we do." Sam's tone changed. "Life is too short."
Daniel looked at her closely. "You okay, Sam?"
"Sure. I'm fine." Seeing that he didn't believe her, she gave a sigh. "I was just thinking about. . . ."
"About what happened yesterday."
"Yeah. You know, we had so much fun today that I almost forgot. . . ."
"That I died."
Sam nodded wordlessly.
"You want to talk about it?" Daniel asked gently.
Sam was tempted to say no, to just go home and push aside the pain that was still there inside her. But, this time, she decided that she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to hide these emotions from him.
"It hurt, Daniel," she said in a low voice. "It hurt so much. You died. You were gone. I was never going to see you again. When you ascended, it hurt more than I thought anything could, but yesterday was even worse because I knew that you were really gone."
She had begun to cry, and Daniel took her into his arms. "I know, Sam. I know," he whispered soothingly.
Sam clung to him, her tears wetting his shirt. Feeling his body next to hers, so warm, solid and alive, made her tears fall even harder since it reminded her of how close she came to losing this. She loved Daniel so much. He was such an important part of her life. To have gone on without him would have been sheer torture.
After a while, Sam felt tiredness creeping up on her. She knew that she should go home and get some sleep, but it felt good to be here like this, to just let Daniel hold her. She closed her eyes, thinking that she'd let it continue just a little while longer.
The minutes passed as Daniel held onto Sam in silence. After a while, she grew quiet. Shortly after that, he realized that she'd fallen asleep. He gazed at her, smiling softly. When he attempted to move out from under her, she made sounds of protest and held onto him more tightly. Staring at her for a long moment, Daniel made a decision. He shifted both of their positions so that he was lying on the couch with Sam tucked between him and the back of the sofa, her head pillowed on his chest. He removed his glasses and laid them on the coffee table. Then, wrapping his arms around Sam, Daniel closed his eyes and slipped into peaceful, dreamless sleep.
