CHAPTER SEVEN
Daniel was heading for the door, intent on going back over to Sam's, when the phone rang.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hi."
"Sam? Is something wrong?"
"Um, no, not really. I was hoping I'd catch you before you left." There was a pause. "Could we talk?"
"Of course, Sam. You know I'm here for you any time."
"Yeah, I know."
"You want me to come over?"
"Um, actually. . . ."
There was a knock on Daniel's door, and he answered it to find Sam standing there.
"I'm already at your place," he heard both through the phone and from Sam, who was speaking into her cell phone.
They hung up their phones, and Daniel let Sam inside.
"I took the chance that you were still here," she explained as she moved into the living room.
"So, what is it?" Daniel asked. "Do you want to talk about Pete?"
"No." Sam turned to him. "Daniel, when I talked about Pete this morning, there were things that I didn't include because I still wasn't ready to admit them to myself, let alone to you. The reason why I'm so certain that I am not in love with Pete is more than just the fact that I wouldn't leave the SGC for him." Sam looked at Daniel intently. "If I was really in love with him, I wouldn't be feeling the things I have been toward you these past couple of weeks. I wouldn't have felt what I did every time you and I kissed."
Daniel's heart started to beat rapidly, his whole body stilling.
Sam gazed at him intently. "Daniel, I don't know what your feelings are for me, but I need you to know that I think I'm falling in love with you."
Daniel's breath caught in his throat, and, for a moment, he couldn't speak.
"I'm not, Sam," he whispered at last. "I'm not falling in love with you." He touched her cheek. "I'm already there."
Go to version with milder sexual content
A moment after speaking those words, Daniel stepped forward and took her into his arms. Their lips came together, and, all at once, all their concerns didn't matter anymore. Slow and deep they kissed, no reservations, no hesitation, tongues entwining, caressing, delving into the mysteries of each other's mouths. No longer worrying about what they should and should not do, they touched each other everywhere, pushing clothes aside to reach bare skin. One of Daniel's hands found its way to Sam's breast and cupped it gently, eliciting a moan from her. Then his fingers slipped beneath her bra, and the moan transformed to a deep-throated groan. She pressed herself more tightly against him, wanting to be a part of him.
"Sam, I want to make love to you," Daniel breathed against her lips.
"I want that, too," she answered huskily. Then she looked at him. "Make love to me, Daniel."
Their lips and hands never leaving each other, Daniel and Sam made their way to the bedroom. Once there, Daniel very slowly and lovingly removed Sam's clothing, his lips blessing each inch of skin he uncovered. When her bra fell to the floor, Daniel went to his knees and took both breasts in his hands, fingers brushing over the nipples, driving Sam insane with pleasure. His lips then rained kisses upon them, his tongue bathing the smooth skin, then moving on to the hardened peaks. As he took one of them into his mouth, Sam's head tilted back, lips parting in a silent cry. She shuddered against him, the voiceless cry gaining volume as he drew her as deeply into his mouth as he could.
After a long minute, he abandoned that breast for the other one, tongue drawing rune-like designs upon it. Then he was suckling upon her, filling his mouth with her taste.
It was another full minute before he left her breasts and moved downward to her flat stomach as he freed her of her pants. With his tongue sliding around and into her belly button, he took hold of the final piece of clothing on her body and slid it down her legs. Sam clutched tightly onto Daniel as he kissed her hips and down her legs. He placed a kiss on each foot as he lifted it to remove her panties from around her ankles.
Standing naked before him, Sam's body was aflame with need and singing with rapture. No man had ever brought her such pleasure before, and they had not even made love yet. Daniel was worshiping her body like she was a goddess . . . and, now, she wanted to do the same to him.
Reaching down, she encouraged Daniel to stand. She got to work on the buttons of his shirt, trying to ignore the fire that was burning in his eyes.
As soon as the shirt was gone, Sam's mouth descended upon his chest, giving it the same loving attention that he'd given to hers. The moan and the reaction of his body told her how it made him feel.
Daniel closed his eyes as Sam made love to his body with her mouth. It had been so long, so very long since he'd known this joy, this ecstasy. He was trembling, both on the outside and on the inside, his senses overwhelmed by the power of what he was feeling.
As he had with her, Sam went to her knees, showering kisses all across his stomach. He groaned low in his throat, his breath hitching sharply as she unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants. And then she surprised him by pulling both his pants and his boxers down at the same time. They and his shoes and socks were gotten out of the way quickly.
Daniel pulled Sam to her feet and crushed her to him, the feeling of their naked skin touching almost too much for him to handle. He took a step forward and lowered her onto the bed, mouth sealed over hers. Held in the cradle of her thighs, he moved against her, feeling her respond to him.
And then, with a quick movement, she was on top of him, their kisses growing frenzied with need. They bucked against each other, hands touching their most intimate places.
Unable to wait a moment longer, Daniel rolled them back over. His lips rose away from hers, and he looked down at her. He had no words to say, so he told her everything he was feeling with his eyes. Her eyes smiled back at him, mirroring the same emotions.
Keeping his eyes upon Sam's, Daniel slid into her, completing the connection of their souls with that of their bodies. Their eyes slid shut, the feelings pouring through them too powerful to keep them open.
"Sam," Daniel uttered in a long, deep sigh, that single word saying everything. Sam answered him with a whispered utterance of his name.
As their lips met in a soft kiss, they began to move. Bodies and souls entwined, they rocked together, the slide of skin against skin, body within body building the fire inside them. For long minutes, they made love slowly and gently, the wondrous sensations of their first union making them feel like they never wanted it to end.
As the joy and rapture of their lovemaking grew, Daniel felt something deep inside him break free, released from the fear and grief that had kept it trapped within a hidden corner of his heart. Clutching at Sam more tightly and feeling her do the same, he let himself go, no longer afraid.
Sam cried out as their gentle movements grew fast and powerful. She was instantly catapulted into a maelstrom of passion and pleasure. She arched against Daniel, drawing him into her more deeply.
Caught in an inferno of ecstasy, Daniel's climax hit him with powerful, uncontrollable suddenness at almost the same instant as Sam's body stiffened and arched upward, her muscles seizing. A cry tore from his lips as he gave himself to her, carried away on the wild euphoria.
Soaring upward on her climax, Sam felt Daniel join her in release, his cry an echo of hers. Everything else melted away until there was nothing but the glorious feeling exploding through her body, white-hot and all-consuming.
At last, the fire dimmed, and they went limp. For a long time, they lay unmoving, exhausted yet feeling like they could both fly, their bodies thrumming with the lingering power of what they had just experienced. Daniel turned his face into Sam's neck and began kissing the sweat-slicked skin.
"I love you," he whispered shakily.
"I love you, too," Sam told him back, her voice cracking with emotion.
Daniel's lips moved upwards, and he covered her face with sweet kisses. After a few seconds, she felt something wet plop onto her cheek, and she realized that he was crying. She took his face between her hands and looked into his tear-brightened eyes. A shy, embarrassed smile flitted across his lips.
"I'm sorry. This is silly," he said, making a move to pull his face away so that he could wipe away the tears.
"No, it's not," Sam told him, not letting him go.
"It's just that . . . that it's been a really, really long time since I had this," Daniel said with a catch in his throat. "For a long time, I thought that I never would again."
"I know. But things are going to be different now, Daniel. You don't have to be alone anymore."
Sam pulled his lips down to hers. He returned the kiss with all the love he was feeling. For several minutes, they kissed and caressed each other softly. Then Daniel looked at her, his face completely unshuttered, his eyes like open windows into his heart.
"I'm not afraid anymore, Sam," he told her.
Tears welling up in her eyes, Sam drew his lips back down to hers, then kissed his cheek and forehead. Daniel nestled his face into the crook of her neck and just laid there. Sam gave a sigh of utter contentment and wrapped her arms more closely about his shoulders, her fingers gently running through his hair.
This was . . . this was too amazing for words. If she had only known that it could be like this between them, she'd have gone after Daniel a long time ago. God, she had been such a fool all these years. All those mixed up feelings for Narim, Martouf and Jack, and then topping it off by leaping into a relationship with a new guy right after her little soul-searching trip on the Prometheus. And all that time, all those years, the love of her life was right there in front of her, and she didn't see it. She might be a genius according to her IQ test, but, right now, she felt incredibly stupid.
The minutes continued to pass as they lay like that, Daniel's body upon Sam's like a living blanket. Though he was a bit on the heavy side, Sam had no desire to move. It felt so good to be like this. So, she just kept holding him, touching him, thinking that there was not another place in the entire universe that she'd rather be.
After a while, Sam felt Daniel's body start to relax, and she realized that he was falling asleep. She was well aware that this was a common occurrence with men after sex, but it still made her smile to know that she was the cause of it.
Knowing that sleeping in this position would get rather uncomfortable after a while, she decided that she'd better do something before Daniel completely fell asleep. She was about to say something when he made a little humming sound and nuzzled her neck.
"Daniel?"
"Hmm?"
"I thought you were falling asleep."
She felt him smile against her skin. "No, I'm just very happy and content. I like where I am."
Sam smiled and turned her head to kiss his ear. "Me too," she whispered into it.
Daniel lifted his head and looked down at her. He shifted his hips, rubbing up against her pelvis. Sam's eyes widened in surprise as she felt the beginning evidence of his returning arousal.
"Already?"
"Yeah. I guess that's something that hasn't changed, though I had figured that, as old as I am now, things would be different."
"What do you mean?"
Daniel grinned down at her. "Well, let's just say that I never left Sha're wanting for more."
Sam's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really." She suddenly flipped them over. "Well, in that case, Doctor Jackson, it's my turn to be on top."
Daniel's eyes sparkled into hers. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Colonel-Doctor Carter."
Sam lay sprawled over the top of Daniel, them having just made love for the second time. They were both utterly exhausted – and utterly happy.
"Daniel, speaking as the woman whom you just shot into orbit for the second time in a row, you are most definitely not rusty!" Sam gasped between heaving breaths.
Daniel laughed. "I'm glad I didn't forget anything."
"Not as much as I am." Sam paused for a few seconds. "I am curious about something, though."
Daniel slid his fingertips up and down her spine. "What's that?"
"Well, you've studied all different cultures, right?"
"Right."
Sam lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were sparkling. "Then I should imagine that you learned everything about them." She grinned. "Any interesting mating rituals or practices that I need to prepare myself for?"
Daniel returned her grin. "Hmm. Could be." He lifted his head and whispered in her ear. "Did I ever mention that I've read the Kama Sutra from cover to cover . . . the original Sanskrit version?"
Sam felt a little quiver of excitement course through her. "No, you failed to mention that fact. It's good to know, though, for future reference."
"Well, I'm afraid that we'll have to wait a while before I start giving you lessons on what I learned. I need a bit of recovery time."
"So do I," Sam told him.
Sam slid off Daniel and curled into his side, tucking her head beneath his chin. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair.
God, he was so happy. When was the last time he felt this much joy? Not since before Sha're was taken. And to think that he almost lost out on having this. If he and Sam hadn't come to their senses when they did, they might never have seen the truth. Sam might have married Pete and eventually left SG-1 so that they could have a family.
That thought led to him recalling what he had been thinking about earlier. "Sam, what are we going to do about work? For us to be together will one of us have to leave SG-1?"
Sam didn't reply for a while. "I don't know. That may be necessary now that I'm, technically, your commanding officer. I've never looked up the regs regarding this kind of situation since I never thought it would apply to me."
Daniel tightened his arms around her. "I don't want to leave SG-1, but I will if that's what I have to do."
"I don't want you to leave either. I'd miss you too much every time I went on a mission, and I'm talking about in every way: as a teammate and a team leader, as a friend, and as someone who is in love with you."
"I'd hate it, too, watching you and Teal'c go off without me on every mission. I can imagine how hard it's been on Jack since his promotion. I know he wishes that he was still going with us." He tilted his head down to look at her. "But you need to know something. You told me that you would not have been willing to leave the SGC to keep your relationship with Pete. Well, I would, Sam. I would leave SG-1, the SGC, whatever was necessary to keep what I now have with you."
Sam felt her chest swell at Daniel's statement, knowing how much he loved her to say that. She thought about it and came to a realization that surprised her. Though she had dated Pete for almost a year, she had not come to love and need him enough to sacrifice her career for a life with him. Yet, lying here in Daniel's arms after having made the most incredible love she'd ever experienced, she knew it would shatter her heart if she had to give this up. If leaving SG-1 would mean that they could stay together, she'd do it.
"I feel the same way, Daniel. But I hope it won't come to that. I guess we need to talk to General O'Neill. The fact that you're a civilian might make it possible for the rules to be bent. It's not like it would be if we were both in the military."
"So, when do we tell him? Tomorrow?"
Sam gave a sigh. "I guess we'll have to, though I wish we could put it off."
"Me too. But I wouldn't want you to get into trouble if we did try to keep this a secret for a while and someone found out. Besides, I don't want to hide."
"Neither do I."
"So, tomorrow it is."
Since it was lunchtime, Daniel and Sam got up to fix something.
They were nearly finished eating when Sam shook her head and said, "You know, it just suddenly hit me."
Daniel looked up at her. "What?"
"This. You and me. I mean . . . wow. All these years of working with you, being friends, I never thought about us being more, of us one day being lovers. It's not that I never looked at you like a woman looks at a man. Of course I did. I'm not dead, after all, and you're a really good-looking guy. But it never went beyond that. I guess it was because you were married in the beginning, and I got used to thinking of you as a married man. Even after Sha're died, it was like you were still unavailable, probably because I knew that you were still in love with her." Sam looked at Daniel. "What about you? Are you as surprised by this as I am?"
"Yes, but partly for a different reason. You're right that I was still unavailable after Sha're died. Except for that brief moment with Ke'ra, which was a mistake right from the start, being with another woman was something I couldn't even think about. I loved Sha're so much. Right up to the time that I ascended, I had no desire to find someone new. After my return, I did a lot of healing, and, if I had made an effort to do so, I may have started dating, but I was . . . gun shy, I guess you could say." Daniel smiled. "My track record with women hasn't been all that great, you know. In fact, Sha're was the only relationship I ever had that was even remotely successful. I really didn't even want to try again. Besides, I knew that, unless it was someone who was a part of the program or someone I found off-world, anyone I got involved with would have to be kept in the dark about what I do for a living, and I couldn't live like that. I couldn't lie to someone that I love. So, I'm surprised as much by the fact that this happened at all as I am that it happened with you, although, like you, I never consciously considered a relationship between us, and it was pretty shocking when I started feeling these things for you." Daniel gazed at her. "But you know what the funny thing is?"
"What?"
"Now that I'm not fighting it anymore, it feels right, natural, like it was supposed to be this way."
Sam reached for Daniel's hand and entwined her fingers with his. "I feel that way, too. Maybe it's because we were already so close that this is like just a small step forward in our relationship. I already loved you so much. Now, there's just an additional level to my feelings." She grinned. "And then, of course, there's the sex. I really like that addition."
Daniel leaned over until his lips were only a hair's breadth from Sam's. "Me too," he murmured before taking her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss. He nearly fell out of his chair as Sam grabbed hold of him. Lifting her up, he set her on the table, both of them ignoring the sound of dishes and silverware clattering to the floor.
Possessed by their sudden and uncontrollable need for each other, they frantically removed each other's clothing. Daniel laid Sam down on the table, her legs wrapping around his waist. Seconds later, he was inside her.
Their lovemaking was wild and intense, very quickly sending both of them over the edge. In the aftermath, they lay still as their breathing and heart rates gradually slow.
"Wow," Sam finally said.
"I have to agree. In fact, I can't think of a better word in any of my thirty or so languages."
"Now, this is something else that really surprises me."
Daniel looked at her. "What?"
"I would have pictured you as the kind of guy who always made love slowly and gently, sort of like it was during the first few minutes of our first time."
"Well, I do like to make love like that, but I also like it this way." Daniel gave her a long kiss. "It will be my very great pleasure to show you all the ways that I enjoy making love."
"Mmm. And it will be my very great pleasure to learn."
They cleaned up and put their clothes back on. Then they picked up the mess that was on the floor, thankful that they'd both eaten most of their lunch before it ended up on the linoleum.
Deciding that they wanted to do something together, Daniel and Sam went to the park and spent an hour strolling hand in hand and sharing things about each other, fulfilling another one of the things that Sam had fantasized about when she thought of a life with Daniel. Then they went to a matinee. Feeling like a couple of teenagers, they sat in the back row and spent a good part of the movie making out. They were both giggling when they left.
"I haven't made out in a movie theater since I was sixteen," Sam said.
"Well, I never made out in a movie theater, so this was a new experience for me." Daniel pulled Sam into his arms. "You make me feel so alive, Samantha Carter. I haven't felt this fantastic in over seven years." He gave her a long, slow kiss. "I love you."
"I love you, too. And I can't ever remember when I felt this good, this . . . energized."
Daniel smiled. "Not even when you got your first look at some incredibly amazing new technological wonder?"
"Nope, not even then."
Daniel looked at his watch. "You want to get some dinner?"
"Yes, but I want to go home and change first."
"Oh?"
"Uh huh. I want my boyfriend to take me out to a nice restaurant where we can dine by candlelight and go dancing." Sam's brow knit when she saw something come into Daniel's eyes. "What's wrong?"
The archeologist shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong at all. Just the opposite, in fact. It's just that . . . I really am your boyfriend now, aren't I. This is not some temporary thing that will disappear when I wake up in the morning." His quiet voice echoed the years he'd spent alone.
Sam hugged him close, feeling an ache in her throat. "No, it's not, Daniel. It's real, and it isn't going to disappear."
Daniel held her tightly, burying his face against her neck. Pushing aside the feelings that had taken hold of him, he drew back and met Sam's eyes. "Then I would be very pleased to take my girlfriend out dining and dancing to the nicest restaurant in town."
With a bright smile, Sam linked her arm with Daniel's and walked with him the rest of the way to the car. Daniel dropped Sam off at her house, then went on to his place. The first thing he did was call the restaurant he'd chosen for their date. Luckily, he was able to get a reservation. Once that was done, he took a shower and dressed in the suit that he knew was Sam's favorite.
Glancing at the clock, Daniel saw that he had some time to kill before he needed to pick Sam up, so he went to a department store and headed to the music department. After describing the singing group and giving what he believed was the name of the song, as well as quoting some of the lyrics, one of the girls there was able to tell him who sang the song he'd heard on the radio that made him come to his senses about his feelings for Sam. He found the song on one of the group's albums and got it. He then hurried over to the florist department and got a dozen red roses. Purchases in hand, he headed over to Sam's.
When she opened the door to him, Daniel forgot how to breathe for several seconds. Sam was wearing a low-cut black cocktail dress that clung to her like a second skin, accentuating the slimness of her figure, yet showing off every curve. Her hair was piled high on her head, little tendrils curling goldenly against the creaminess of her fair skin.
"Sam, you look. . . ." He paused for a long moment. "Sam, I think you just rendered me speechless."
Sam blushed prettily, extraordinarily pleased by Daniel's compliment. "Thank you."
The archeologist pulled the roses out from behind his back, earning a gasp of delight from Sam.
"Daniel, they're beautiful. Thank you."
Taking the flowers into the kitchen, Sam put them in a vase. Then she and Daniel headed to the restaurant. As they pulled into the parking lot, Sam couldn't help but remember the last time she was there. She had been with Pete on their second date. Pushing that thought aside, she went with Daniel into the restaurant.
The dinner was lovely. They spent the whole time quietly talking about things that had always been too intimate and personal for them to share before. For the first time since his death, Sam found herself talking about Jonas Hanson and her relationship with him. Daniel listened silently, his hand holding hers, his eyes filled with compassion and love.
A while later, Daniel began talking about Sha're, sharing moments from their year together that he'd never told anyone because it had hurt too much to talk about it.
"We'd been married about four months when Sha're got pregnant," Daniel said in a low voice. "We were both so happy. Sha're was positive that it was going to be a boy. She wanted a son with 'eyes like the summer sky'. That's how she used to describe the color of my eyes. I wanted a little girl with her mother's eyes and hair." Daniel's gaze dropped to the table. "Sha're was at the end of her first trimester when she miscarried."
Sam grabbed onto his hand. "Oh, Daniel. I'm so sorry."
Daniel cleared his throat. "That's, um, one of the reasons why it hit me so hard when I saw Sha're pregnant with Apophis' baby. I kept thinking that it wasn't fair. We had lost our baby, yet she was now going to have the child of the man I hated more than any other."
"I can't imagine how hard that was for you."
Daniel wiped away the tear that was threatening to fall. He got a grip on his emotions. This was not the time to think of sad things. He was here with the woman he loved, having just begun a new and fantastic relationship with her.
"So, did you ever consider having kids?" he asked.
"Well, sure. Most women do at one time or another in their lives. My career has always been first and foremost in my mind, though. Having kids and being in the military don't mix well, not for a woman."
Daniel gave a nod. "And now?" he asked very quietly.
Sam looked at him. Was he asking because he was thinking about their future? Sam thought about having children with Daniel. At the age she was now, if she was going to have kids, it was something that she couldn't afford to wait very long to do. As it was, she'd be well into her fifties by the time they graduated high school. But then, a lot of women these days were having children later in life. The question was, was it something she wanted? If she had children, she would probably have to leave SG-1. She could not live the highly dangerous life of an SG team member knowing that, if she was killed, her children would be left without a mother. But there was something about the thought of having Daniel's babies that she really liked.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "A part of me wants to have kids, but it would mean a lot of changes in my life. I'd really have to think about it. What about you? Do you still want children?"
"Yes," Daniel answered without hesitation, "though I don't know what kind of father I'd make. With the exception of my first eight years, I didn't really have any fatherly role models in my life."
"I think you'd make a great dad," Sam told him.
"You do?"
"Absolutely. You were always great with Cassie." Sam smiled. "I can picture you teaching your kids how to read hieroglyphs and speak a couple dozen different languages."
Daniel chuckled. "Well, I'd have to be careful about which ones I taught them."
From there, the topic of conversation moved on to other things. After dessert, Daniel took Sam out onto the dance floor, and they danced for the next hour, bodies pressed closely together, lips frequently meeting in gentle kisses.
It was getting quite late by the time they returned to Daniel's house.
"Will you be staying tonight?" he asked, his tone hopefully.
"Well, it would make more sense for me to go home tonight since we have to work tomorrow." Sam stepped up to Daniel and pulled him close. "But I don't care in the slightest what makes more sense."
With a happy smile, Daniel closed the distance between their lips. The kiss was getting pretty heated when Daniel remembered something.
"Wait. I almost forgot something. I'll be right back."
He went out to the car and got the CD he'd purchased. As Sam watched him, he put the disc in his stereo and programmed it to go to the correct song.
"I want to have one more dance with you tonight," he said as he walked back over to Sam, the player's remote in his hand. Taking her in his arms, he hit the play button and tossed the remote onto the couch. A moment later, the Backstreet Boys song "How Did I Fall in Love with You" began to play.
As Sam listened to the song, she realized that it echoed exactly what she had been feeling when she first realized that she'd fallen in love with Daniel. Smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder and danced with him to the words.
As the song ended, Daniel lifted her head with a touch, and their lips met in a soft, yet deep kiss. He led Sam to the bedroom, where he made slow, gentle love to her, just as she had imagined he would.
