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CHAPTER SIX

Life was full of cases of really, really bad timing.  When the call from the SGC came early the next morning, Daniel just knew that he and Sam weren't going to get to go on their date.  He was right.  But then, when he found out the reason for the call, all thoughts of a date went right out of his head.  A very big meteor was heading straight for Earth, and, if it hit, it would destroy virtually all life on the planet.

Thus began an adventure that nearly ended with Daniel and all his teammates dying a cold death out in the depths of space.  In those moments that they sat in that Tel'tak, knowing that the chance of them getting rescued was slim, the thoughts that were in Daniel's mind the most were that Sam would to die, too, and that he would never get to have the life with her that he so dearly wanted.

And then they were rescued, their distress call to the Tok'ra having gotten through.

Daniel was now at home, thinking about how frighteningly close their planet had come to destruction.  The Goa'uld had made a strike against Earth despite its protected planet status.  It would be interesting to see what the Asgard would say when they found out that the meteor was actually launched at Earth by the Goa'uld.  Not that they were in much of a position to do anything about it.  What with their war against the Replicators, the Asgard lacked the strength to get into an all-out war with the Goa'uld.

The doorbell rang.  Answering it, Daniel discovered that it was Sam.

"Um . . . hi," she said.  "Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all.  Come in."

Sam walked into the living room.  She appeared to be a little keyed up.

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah."  She sighed.  "No, not really."  She turned to him.  "When we were on that Tel'tak with only two hours before life support gave out, I started thinking about the things I never did in my life, and you know what my biggest regret was?  That I'd never get to go on that date with you, that I'd never get to see how good it could be between us.  It made me so sad, Daniel."

Daniel looked at her with understanding in his eyes.  "It made me sad, too, Sam."

She walked toward him.  "Let's go out now."

Daniel's brows lifted in surprise.  "Right now?"

Sam nodded.  "Right this minute."

"But we couldn't get into any of the nice restaurants."

"I don't care.  I don't care if we have to eat at Denny's."

"But . . . but I want our first date to be special."

"It will be special, because it's our first and because it's you and me.  Where we go doesn't matter as much as that."

Daniel searched Sam's eyes for a long moment, then he nodded.  This was not at all how he'd wanted their first date to be, but he could see how much she needed this.

He made a couple of calls and managed to get a table for two at a place that, while not what one would call an expensive, romantic restaurant, was several notches above Denny's.

Daniel learned that, underneath her long coat, Sam was wearing a dress, nothing fancy or sexy, but certainly nice enough for where they were going.  He hurriedly changed into one of his good pairs of slacks, a dress shirt and a sport coat.

It was after their meal was ordered that Sam apologized.  "I'm sorry, Daniel.  I've disappointed your hopes for this date."

"No, it's okay, Sam.  You're right that the company and the occasion are more important than the location.  I just. . . ."

"What?" Sam asked encouragingly after it became apparent that Daniel wasn't going to finish his sentence.

"I wanted to do everything just right, make this date a good one for you so that . . ." his gaze dropped to the table, "so that you'd want to go on another one with me."

Sam stared at him.  "Daniel, did you think that this might be our only date?"

"I thought it was possible."  He looked at her.  "I love you, Sam, but I know you don't love me.  You agreed to date me to see if you can come to feel more that just friendship, but that doesn't mean that you ever will."

His gaze fell again, this time focusing on the glass of water before him.  He didn't want to doubt that Sam could come to love him, but his deeply buried insecurities had begun taking hold.  Every time he'd found happiness in his life, something came along and took it away.  Could this be any different?

The archeologist was startled when Sam's hand came to rest over his.

"Daniel, look at me," she commanded gently.

Reluctantly, Daniel lifted his eyes to hers.  She was surprised to actually see fear in them.

"This isn't going to be the only date, Daniel.  I promise."  Sam smiled.  "After all, I'm expecting you to make good on your plans for a ridiculously expensive dinner with candlelight and romantic music.  I'm even going to go out and buy a new dress for it," her smiled turned teasing, "one that will probably show a lot more skin than it should for just a second date."

In spite of himself, Daniel began to smile, the knot in his stomach loosening.  "I'll be looking forward to that."

"Me too."

Their food arrived, and they began to eat.  Their conversation started off with casual talk, similar to conversations they'd had on other occasions when they shared a meal off base.  It segued into the topic of Daniel's time in Egypt, which made them both think about the fact that he'd considered leaving the program.  That's when the conversation became a lot more personal.

"In that . . . that dream I had when Sha're died, I left the program," Daniel admitted, being careful to say "dream" instead of "vision" in case any of the other patrons overheard their conversation.

Surprised, Sam stared at him.  "You never told me that."

"I never told anyone.  A lot of things happened in that dream.  I know that none of it was real, but I also know that things I did, decisions I made, were very likely things I would have done if it had really been happening.  In the dream, I left because I couldn't bear being there any longer when I knew that the hope of saving Sha're was gone forever."

"What changed your mind?"

"Sha're.  She told me that I had to find her son.  It was her last wish."

Sam was silent for a moment, a question in her mind.

"What about after you found him?" she asked at last.

Daniel studied her face.  "Are you asking why I chose to stay?"

Sam nodded.

"Several reasons, I guess.  Enough time had passed since Sha're's death that I was thinking more clearly.  And meeting Oma brought me a certain measure of peace, at least for a while."

Sam smiled.  "I'm glad."

Daniel took a drink of his wine, choosing not to tell Sam that those feelings he got from meeting Oma had faded a long time ago.

"Enough about that," he said.  "What about you?  Have you ever considered resigning and going off to teach at some university?"  He smiled slightly.  "Or maybe just hop on your motorcycle and hit the open road?"

Sam thought about the couple of times that she toyed with the idea of resigning so that she and Jack could be together.  She hadn't really been serious either time.

"Only once," she replied.  She met his eyes.  "After we were made to believe that you'd been killed."

Sam's answer shocked Daniel.  He'd had no idea that Sam actually thought about quitting the Air Force when she and everyone else thought he was dead, thanks to the false memories Nem planted.

"I don't know if the colonel ever told you this, but he was seriously considering retirement," Sam said, surprising Daniel again.  "At the wake, he lost control and smashed in a car window with a hockey stick.  It was the general's car."

"Ouch."  Daniel shook his head.  "No one told me any of this."

"We were all hurting, Daniel.  Yes, a part of it had to do with the low dopamine levels caused by . . . that whole thing, but it was more than just that.  I honestly didn't know if I could stay at the SGC and keep going out on missions.  If we hadn't discovered the truth and gotten you back, I'm not sure what I would have done."

Daniel didn't know what to say.  He'd known that, because of the low dopamine levels and the flashbacks they kept having, his teammates had a rough time dealing with what they believed happened to him, but he'd never gotten any of the details and hadn't realized that they were affected so deeply.

Sam shook her head.  "I don't want to talk about that anymore.  This is a date.  We should be talking about nice things."

The rest of their conversation was about "nice things", including Christmas, which was in only two days.  They talked about Christmases past, both ones that they'd celebrated together with their teammates and ones that had taken place before they met.

By the time Daniel and Sam left the restaurant, they were both feeling happy and relaxed.  Daniel drove them back to his place, then walked Sam to her car.

"I had a wonderful evening, Daniel," she told him.  In spite of the suddenness of it and the lack of romantic ambiance, she was surprised to realize that it had been the nicest date she'd ever been on.

"I did, too," Daniel responded.  He didn't want the evening to end.  He wanted it to go on forever.  He wanted to take Sam out dancing, and to a late movie, and still be with her when the sun began lightening the sky.

He reminded himself that he needed to go slowly, and keeping Sam out all night wasn't going slowly.  What he really wanted to do with her was most definitely not going slowly.

"It's getting late," he said.  "I should let you get home."

"Yeah."

Sam didn't make a move to leave.  The truth was that she didn't want to leave.  She wanted this night with Daniel to keep right on going.  But she really should go.  She should.  Now, if she could just get her feet to move, she could do that.

At that moment, "Mother Nature" decided to step in and give them both a nudge.  It began to snow.

Daniel glanced up at the sky with a sigh.  "You'd better get home before a lot of snow gets on the roads."

Sam nodded, also feeling a little disappointed.  She got her keys and unlocked the door.  Daniel stepped aside so that she could open it, which brought him a little closer to her.  When Sam turned back around to say a final goodbye, she found herself only inches from him.  Their eyes met, and they both froze.  Heart rates and respiration rising, they stood locked in an intense gaze.

Sam was shocked by what she was feeling.  Her original idea had been that she'd give him a peck on the cheek if she felt bold enough to do so, but, now, Daniel's cheek was not where she wanted to kiss him.  A little kiss on the lips would be okay, wouldn't it?  Lots of couples shared a parting kiss after the first date.  Yeah, just a brief little good-night kiss.  That's all it would be.

With that thought in her mind, Sam slowly leaned forward.  Daniel's heart began racing when he realized what she was doing.  With equal parts uncertainty and eagerness, he closed the distance between them.

The meeting of their lips resulted in a flood of sensations, and a little voice deep inside Sam's brain told her that there was no way in hell this was going to be just a good-night kiss.  Surrendering to the wisdom of that statement, she wound her arms around Daniel's neck as he pulled her into his embrace.

The kiss kept right on going, neither of them having any desire to break it.  Daniel was fighting to maintain control, to keep the kiss soft and gentle despite the desire building inside, but it was a battle he could not hope to win.

The first touch of their tongues made them both moan, and, from that point on, all bets were off.  The kiss grew searching, passion driving them to delve deeper into each other's mouths.  Sam pressed herself tightly against Daniel as she was consumed by the desire raging through her.  She felt like she was going to combust.  She was not alone in the feeling.  Daniel felt like he was on fire, every cell in his body singing with the ecstasy of kissing Sam.  His hunger grew, the kiss deepening even more, becoming almost desperate.

They were totally unaware of the snow falling down upon them, wetting their hair and faces.  They were aware of nothing at all except the sensations filling their bodies.

The hand that Daniel had tangled in Sam's hair slowly slid down her body.  When it brushed across the side of her breast, she shuddered.

"Daniel," she gasped.

He drew back slightly, looking into eyes dilated with passion.

"God, Sam.  What are we doing?"

"I don't know.  But, to be honest, right now, I don't even care."

Daniel's lips sprang forward and claimed hers again.  They plundered each other's mouths, their need taking control.  Sam couldn't believe what she was feeling.  It was insane.  She shouldn't be feeling this.  Two hours ago, he was her best friend, and, now, she wanted him to take her into his apartment and make love to her.

Daniel's mouth finally left Sam's again.  It brushed down her cheek and jaw and settled over the pulse point in her throat, where he could feel the rapid cadence of her heart.  He wanted to take her inside to his bed and show her how much he loved and desired her.

'I should stop,' he told himself instead.  'I need to stop.'

He drew back, his forehead coming to rest against Sam's, eyes closed.  They stood like that for a long minute as their breathing and heartbeats slowed, the fires inside gradually banking.

At last, Daniel let go of Sam and stepped back.  He searched her face, seeing that she looked a little dazed.

"I'm sorry about that," he said.  "This isn't exactly how I envisioned our first date ending.  I wasn't even sure about a kiss on the cheek."

Sam smiled.  "Yeah, that's about the most I was originally planning.  But then, you know what they say about the best laid plans."

Daniel choked on a laugh.

Sam smoothed her rumpled hair with unsteady hands.  Her body was still trembling from the sensations that had flooded through it like a tsunami.  Holy Hannah!  How could those kisses have done that to her?  If she didn't know better, she'd think that she was in love with him.  But that wasn't possible.  You couldn't care about someone as a friend one minute, then be in love with them the next.  Even if love at first sight did exist, this wasn't first sight!

But, regardless of whether or not she was in love with him, there was one thing she couldn't deny.  She wanted him.  It was crazy, it was mind-blowing, but it was true.  Just the thought of his hands and mouth on her body made heat race through her from head to toe, especially in one particular region.  If she didn't get out of here soon, she was going to be in serious trouble.

Daniel stood silently watching Sam.  He didn't know what to do now.  His body knew exactly what it wanted to do, but he was ignoring it.

"What do we do now, Sam?" he asked.

"I . . . I honestly don't know.  What just happened . . . really took me by surprise."

"Yeah."  Daniel pulled in a deep breath, then let it out.  "I think that you need to go now, Sam, because . . . because I really don't want you to."

Sam met his eyes and saw the desire burning like blue fire there.  For several crazy seconds, she seriously thought about letting her own desire take control and going with him up to his apartment . . . to his bed.  Her more rational side finally took a firmer hold.  Regretfully, she got in her car.  She looked back up at him.

"Tomorrow."

Daniel's brow knit.  "What?"

"Tomorrow you're taking me out on our second date."

Daniel smiled.  "I am?"

"Yep.  Don't forget that I'm expecting candlelight and romantic music this time."

The archeologist's smile broadened.  "I won't forget.  In fact, I'll make the reservation the moment I get in my apartment."  He realized something.  "Oh, but tomorrow's Christmas Eve.  Don't you usually call your family on Christmas Eve when you're not going to visit them?"

"I'll call tonight.  They're on Pacific Time, so it won't be too late for them.  And I'll call on Christmas Day so that I can talk to the kids."

"Okay.  It's a date, then."  Daniel's gaze deepened.  "Good night, Sam.  Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"Thank you, Daniel, for the same thing."

Daniel shut the car door and went to the curb.  He watched as Sam drove away.  He then went inside, feeling like, for at least this one moment in time, all was right with the world.


Sam got her candlelight and romantic music on the second date.  She also got dancing.  Daniel got a reservation at a restaurant with a dance floor, which he took Sam out on after they were finished eating.

As they danced to the slow beat of the music, they did not keep any distance between them.  Daniel held Sam close, his cheek pressed against her hair.  She looked so beautiful tonight.  She had, indeed, gotten a dress that might normally be looked upon as a bit too revealing for a second date.  But considering the incredible kisses they shared last night, such an opinion would certainly be revised.  He had to wonder if there would be more kisses tonight.  He had to wonder if there would be more than just kisses.  He definitely wanted that, but he was afraid they were moving too fast, at least for Sam.  As for him, he felt like he'd loved Sam for years.  He knew that was because of the emotions Lantash left inside him, but it didn't change how he felt.

But it wasn't the same for Sam.  Though, based on those kisses, she must be feeling more than just friendship for him, he was certain that she couldn't be in love with him.  Some men would have no problem at all taking a woman who didn't love them to bed.  The first time he and Sarah made love, he was pretty sure she didn't love him, and, though he cared about her a great deal, he hadn't been in love with her.  But with Sam it was different.  When he made love to her for the first time, he wanted to do so knowing that it meant just as much to her as he knew it would to him.  Would that ever happen?  He wanted to believe that it would.

Sam gave a little sigh of contentment.  This felt so good, dancing with Daniel's body close to hers.  She hadn't been able to concentrate on anything else but the upcoming date all day today.  It took her three hours and three different stores to find a dress that she was satisfied with.  The look she saw on Daniel's face when he first laid eyes on her made the search worthwhile.  And she wasn't the only one who'd dressed to the hilt for this date.  Daniel looked absolutely gorgeous.  She wondered if he'd gone out and gotten a new suit.

Even after twenty-four hours, the effects of the kisses they'd shared still lingered within Sam.  Every time she thought about them, a little quiver ran through her, her body warming with a flush of heat.  She wanted to kiss him again.  Actually, she wanted to do a whole lot more than that.

Sam was still amazed at these feelings, wondering how it could have happened so fast.  When she decided to date Daniel, she had believed that, in time, she might come to want him like this, but she sure hadn't expected it to happen on the first date!  And she most definitely hadn't anticipated these other feelings, the ones that made this dance feel perfect, that made her want to spend every possible moment with Daniel.

As the song ended and another began, Daniel lifted his head.

"Do you want to go?" he asked.  "It's almost ten."

"It is?" Sam said in surprise.  She hadn't realized they'd been dancing for so long.

"Yeah."

She met his eyes.  She wasn't willing to end this date yet.  "One more song," she paused, "after this one."

He smiled at her.  "Okay."  He laid his cheek back upon her hair and drew her a little closer.  He would quite happily keep dancing with her until the manager shooed them out the door.

That song ended and the next one started, the last one for them that night.  Daniel lifted the hand Sam had placed upon his chest and brought it to his lips, placing two soft kisses upon the fingers.  He felt a little tremor pass through her.  Emboldened, he lowered his lips and pressed a kiss into her palm.  Sam's respiration began speeding up.

Daniel lifted his head and caught her gaze.  Only an inch separated their lips.  They could each feel the warm breath of the other brush across their skin.  The distance grew gradually smaller until their lips were virtually touching.  They paused for several seconds, both of them knowing that they probably shouldn't do this here, but finding themselves inexorably drawn to each other.  Then the last few millimeters closed.

Daniel gently delved into Sam's mouth, seeking the places he'd been too wild with hunger to explore last night.  She cupped the back of his head, pressing his mouth tighter to hers so that she could embark upon her own exploration.  They'd stopped dancing, but neither one of them noticed.

By the time the kiss ended, they were both a little breathless.  They also knew that they really needed to get out of there.

Ignoring the looks that the other two couples on the dance floor gave them, Daniel and Sam went back to their table and got their coats.  After taking care of the check, they walked to the car.  Daniel drove to Sam's place and parked out front.  Every part of him that was ruled by his male desires wanted her to invite him in.  The part that wasn't knew that he'd refuse even if she did ask.  He could have no doubt now that Sam wanted him physically.  She'd told him so with that kiss.  But he still wanted their first time together to be driven by more than desire on her part.  He knew that Lantash and Martouf would have wanted that as well.

Sam finally spoke.  "Do you want to—"

"Please don't ask, Sam," he interrupted, his voice sounding strained even to his own ears.

Surprised, she looked at him.

"You have to know that I do," he said.  "You have to know how much I want to go in there and make love to you."

Sam felt a tremor pass through her body at his words.  She wanted that, too.  She couldn't believe how much.

"But I can't," Daniel murmured.

"Why not?"

"Because . . . because I love you.  Because, more than anything else, I want you to love me, too.  When we make love, I want it to be more than just because of desire, Sam."

Sam stared at him.  He was telling her that he wanted to wait until she loved him like he loved her.  A part of her was disappointed, but it also made her feel good to know that he wanted their first time together to be a moment of shared love, not just shared passion.

She smiled at him.  "Okay.  Walk me to the door?"

They got out and walked slowly up to the porch.  Sam unlocked the door, then turned to Daniel.

"So, see you in the morning at the colonel's?" she asked.

"Yep.  It's my turn to bring the ham."

Another smile graced Sam's face, this one bright with eagerness.  "Did you get one like the last time?"

Daniel grinned.  "I sure did.  I remember how much you loved it."

The eyes of the couple met for several seconds.  They both very much wanted to kiss, but, in that moment, they reached a silent agreement that it would probably be a bad idea.

As the archeologist drove away from Sam's, his smile returned, the hope within him that Sam would come to love him having grown even stronger.


As usual, Christmas morning at Jack's consisted of a huge breakfast, followed by the teammates exchanging gifts.  Daniel had once asked Jack why they had Christmas breakfast instead of the usual Christmas dinner, and the colonel replied that everyone else had Christmas dinner, so why shouldn't they be different?  Then he went on to admit that fixing breakfast took a whole lot less time and effort.

The gift Daniel gave to Sam was not particularly special, it being one that he got for her before the events on Revanna.  Sam's gift to him, however, was definitely more than the average present.  It was a beautiful, exquisitely tailored suede jacket that must have cost a fortune.  Daniel really wondered when she'd gotten it.  It made him glad that he'd gone out yesterday and gotten a second gift for Sam, one that he wanted to give to her in private.

"That's quite some jacket," Jack remarked.  "Not really my style, but it'll look good on you, Daniel."

Daniel ran his hand over the butter-soft suede.  He was not a clothes horse by any stretch of the imagination, but he could appreciate nice clothing.  He looked at the woman who'd given it to him.

"Thank you, Sam.  But you really shouldn't have.  This must have cost a fortune."

"It was on sale," she declared, though the truth was that, even with the sale, it still cost a pretty penny.  "I just saw it and knew that you'd look great in it."

She'd gotten the jacket when she was shopping for a dress for their second date.  Passing by the men's clothing department, she'd spied it and immediately pictured it on Daniel.  She already had a Christmas present for him, one she'd gotten a couple of months ago, but, as she gazed at that jacket, she'd suddenly decided that the other present wasn't good enough, that she wanted to get something special for the man she was now dating.

"So, come on," Jack said to Daniel.  "Let's see it on you."

Feeling a little embarrassed, Daniel stood and slipped on the jacket, which fit him perfectly.

"Pretty snazzy, Daniel.  Now, you just need to improve the rest of your wardrobe.  That jacket and plaid shirts do not go together."

Sam stepped in to defend her friend.  "Maybe not, but it goes really well with that cream sweater he's wearing.  You look great, Daniel.  I'm glad I chose the jacket."

An hour later, the morning at Jack's ended, at least for Daniel and Sam.  Teal'c was staying a while longer at Jack's insistence, the colonel planning to play every movie version of A Christmas Carol for the unsuspecting Jaffa.  The archeologist and astrophysicist considered themselves lucky that they were escaping that fate.

As they walked out to their cars, Daniel cleared his throat.

"Um, Sam, if you're not going to be too busy, could I drop by your place sometime today?  I . . . have something to give you, another present."

Sam looked at him.  "You got me another present?"

"Yeah.  The one I already gave you was one I got before Revanna.  I got the other one . . . more recently."

Sam felt a little thrill of excitement, wondering what the second present might be.

"Okay.  I'm planning on calling Mark at 12:30 so that I can wish the kids Merry Christmas, so how about one o'clock?"

"That'll be fine.  I'll see you then."


It was just slightly after one o'clock when Daniel pulled up to Sam's house.  As he approached the door, his nervousness increased.  He wanted Sam to like the gift he'd gotten her, but he feared that she'd think it was too much too soon.  And maybe it was.  It was the kind of gift that made a statement.

Sam smiled at him and let him in, apparently not noticing how nervous he was.

"So, did you talk to the kids?" he asked.

"No.  They weren't there.  Some neighbors down the street called them over to come get the presents the man and woman got them.  Mark said he'd have the kids call as soon as they got back."

Daniel reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what was inside.  Sam's heart rate went up.  It was a black velvet jewelry box.  Swallowing, she took it and opened the lid.  A sharp gasp leapt from her throat upon seeing what lay inside.  Two entwined golden hearts hung suspended from a delicate chain.  On the outer edge of each heart was a row of six tiny diamonds.  In the middle, where the two hearts joined, was a love knot with a small sapphire at its center.

"Oh, Daniel.  It's beautiful."  Sam felt tears sting her eyes, knowing that this gift was Daniel's way of expressing how much he loved her.  She lifted her gaze to him.  "Thank you so much."

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Daniel knew that he hadn't made a mistake, that Sam was accepting what he was saying with that necklace.  He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

At that moment, the phone rang, interrupting the kiss.  Reluctantly, Sam went to the phone, cursing the bad timing of the call.  She'd really wanted that kiss to continue.

"Hello," she answered.  She heard the voices of her young niece and nephew, who were apparently on a speakerphone.  "Hey, sweethearts.  How are you?  So, did you get lots of presents?"

Daniel listened to Sam's side of the conversation for several seconds, then got to his feet and went to her.  He mouthed, "I'm going to go," gesturing at the door.  Sam responded by giving him a signal to wait.  She told the kids to hold on a moment, then put the call on hold.

"What are you plans for the rest of the day?" she asked Daniel.

"No plans, except taking care of some stuff at home.  There's not much else you can do on Christmas Day."

"How about if we go do something together?"

A bright smile lit Daniel's face.  "Sure.  I'm up for that."

Sam returned the smile.  "Okay.  I shouldn't be on the phone long, if you'd like to wait."

Daniel waited.  Sam's conversation with her niece and nephew lasted just fifteen minutes, the kids eager to go play with their new toys.

The afternoon with Sam proved to be one of the best Christmases Daniel had ever had.  They walked hand-in-hand through the snow in a deserted park, lost in quiet conversation.  They did some window shopping, checking out the various Christmas displays in store windows.  At an open restaurant, they shared some hot chocolate and pumpkin pie.  There was nothing exciting about the day, but, for Daniel, it was nothing short of perfect.  Sam's hand was never out of his for long, and, quite often, she had an arm wrapped around his waist.  But the best part of all was the look of happiness and contentment in her eyes.  She was clearly enjoying being with him like this, not on a date, not dancing in a fancy restaurant, simply a quiet afternoon together.  It made him feel like they were truly boyfriend and girlfriend, like the love he had for Sam was returned by her.  He knew that wasn't yet the case, but just the fact that it felt that way made him happy.

By the time they returned to Sam's car for the trip back to her place, the sun had slipped below the horizon.

"That was nice," Sam said.  "I can't remember the last time I went window shopping.  I used to enjoy doing that, but I just never seem to have the time now."

"I know what you mean.  I've begun to realize that my life has become all about work.  I've always been a workaholic, but it's even worse now, I guess because I have no life outside of the program."  Daniel looked at her and smiled.  "Had no life outside the program.  I think that's changed now."

Sam wrapped her arms around his neck.  "Yes, it has, for both of us."

Choosing not to resist the temptation this time, Daniel lowered his lips to Sam's.  The kiss was slow and deep, tongues exploring gently.  It went on for a long time, though not long enough, as far as both Daniel and Sam were concerned.  But the temperature was dropping, and the sky looked as if it was getting ready to dump more snow on the ground.

They got in the car and began the drive back to Sam's.  On the way, they found themselves stopping to look at all the houses with the best Christmas decorations, rating them on a scale of one to ten.

Back at Sam's place, she walked with Daniel to his car.  Like their first date, she didn't want the time with him to end.  She'd really enjoyed today.  Just being with Daniel had made her feel good.

"Have dinner with me," she blurted out.

Surprised, Daniel turned to her.  "Dinner?"

"Yeah.  There are a few restaurants open."

A smile grew on Daniel's face.  "Okay."

They went inside and called around to find out which restaurants would be open that evening.  Making their choice, they arranged to meet at the restaurant in an hour.

At the restaurant, Daniel was delighted to see that Sam was wearing his Christmas present.

"It looks beautiful on you," he said.

She lightly touched it with her fingertips.  "It's the most beautiful necklace I've ever had.  I'm not the kind of girl who goes out and gets lots of jewelry.  In fact, my jewelry box is pretty barren.  Most of the stuff in belonged to my mother."

"I'd be wearing your Christmas present, but I didn't want to in case it snows."

"Well, I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances to see it on you."

Neither of them had referred to the dinner as a date, but it felt like one nevertheless.  In Daniel's mind, it was a date, his third date with the woman he was finding himself more deeply in love with each passing day.  He longed to hear her say those words to him, three little words that he ached for more desperately than anything else in his life.

It had finally begun to snow when they left the restaurant.  Daniel accompanied Sam to her car.

"Would you like to have breakfast together somewhere before we go to work?" he asked tentatively.

Sam smiled.  "Sure.  That would be great."

They decided on the time and the place to meet, then shared a gentle kiss.

"See you in the morning," Daniel said, placing a second kiss on Sam's lips.

"Uh huh.  In the morning."  Sam pulled him in for a third kiss, this one a bit deeper than the last two.

"Bright and early," Daniel murmured before gathering Sam into his arms and taking her mouth in a kiss that burned with the heat of their shared passion.  A horn startled them, breaking the kiss.  They both laughed.

"At this rate, we're going to be standing out here all night," Daniel remarked.

Sam grinned mischievously.  "Yes, what is it with us and kissing in the falling snow?"

"I suppose as far as habits go, it's not a bad one."

"Unless one of us catches a cold."

Daniel gave Sam a final, light kiss.  "Good night, Sam.  Sleep well."

They finally parted and drove off to their separate homes, counting the hours until they'd see each other again.


The next morning, Daniel and Sam met at a café that they both liked.  Each of them ordered something different, then proceeded to eat off each other's plates, chatting the whole time.  They got so involved in the conversation that they lost track of time and realized almost too late that, if they didn't hurry, they were going to be late for work.

Daniel gave Sam the money for his breakfast, then went to the men's room to wash his hands, which had gotten sticky with syrup.

As she paid for the meal, Sam couldn't seem to get the smile off her face.  She had always enjoyed spending off-duty time with Daniel, but, now she couldn't seem to get enough.  She was already thinking about their next date, which she was hoping would be this weekend.  Actually, she really wanted to get together with him before then.  Perhaps they could eat lunch out again tomorrow.  And who says they had to wait until the weekend for their next date?

As Daniel came up to her with a smile, Sam felt a warm glow kindle in her heart.  Seeing her smile at him, Daniel slid his arm around her waist, and it felt really good to have it there.  At her car, he put his other arm around her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, another on her cheek.  Sam was suddenly struck with a very powerful desire to call in sick and spend another entire day with him.  Knowing that she couldn't do that, she instead guided his lips back to hers.

"You know, you're not making it any easier for us to get to work at a reasonable hour," he remarked teasingly as their lips separated.

"I don't think civilization will come to an end if we're a little late."

Daniel brought his mouth back to Sam's.  "Good point," he murmured against her lips before taking her mouth in yet another kiss.

The kiss was beginning to get a bit more passionate than it really should when they finally put an end to it.

Telling herself that this was crazy and that they really needed to get going, Sam told Daniel that she'd see him at work and got in her car.

All the way to the mountain, Sam's mind stayed on Daniel.  She couldn't ever recall having such a one-track mind for a guy she was dating.  Heck, even when she was with Jonas, her thoughts were often more on her career and her duties than on the man she was planning to marry.  But then, she never had with Jonas what she did with Daniel, this feeling of connection that was mental as well as emotional.  Jonas was not someone she could spend hours and hours talking with, unlike her and Daniel, who, over these past few days, had talked about everything from the weather to interesting new scientific and archeological discoveries.

With a feeling of surprise, Sam realized that never before in her life had she felt so energized, yet, at the same time, so calm and content.  And it was all because of Daniel.

Arriving at the base, Sam changed into her BDUs and went to her lab.  Instead of working, however, she just sat and stared at nothing.  She thought about the events of the past three and a half days, their dates, spending Christmas Day with Daniel, the way dancing in his arms made her feel, the way just being with him made her feel.  And their kisses, kisses that made Sam feel things that she had never felt before when kissing a man.

Sitting there in her lab, everything suddenly coalesced in Sam's mind and made her reach an inescapable conclusion.

'My God, I'm in love with him.  I'm in love with Daniel.'

How could it have happened so fast and so completely?  Barely a week ago, she'd felt only friendship.

But was that really true?

For the first time, Sam looked back on these years that she'd known Daniel with the eyes of a woman in love.  She recalled what she'd felt when the two of them 'bonded' in the map room on Abydos.  She had felt an attraction to him, but had quickly put it out of her mind because he was married.  During those first couple of years, she had eagerly looked forward to every time they got together on some experiment, telling herself that the thrill she felt during those meetings of minds was simply the enjoyment of shared scientific investigation and discovery.  When Daniel lay dying in the infirmary after switching bodies with Machello, she had begged him not to leave her, knowing that, if he did, it would devastate her.  When he appeared to be developing a romantic interest in Ke'ra, the woman who later turned out to be Linea, the Destroyer of Worlds, she hadn't been happy about it, just the opposite, in fact.

Could it be that some part of her had felt this way about him for a long time, and she just hadn't seen it?  Had her infatuation with Jack later blinded her to it completely?  The more she thought about it, the more she realized that, deep down inside, so deep that even she couldn't see it, her feelings for Daniel had been more than just friendship since the day they met.

Sam had the urge to run right over to Daniel's office and tell him what she'd just figured out, but she chose not to.  Instead, she was going to wait until tonight.  She'd go over to Daniel's apartment, put her arms around him, and whisper it in his ear.  And then they would make love, incredible, passionate love.

That plan firmly in her mind, Sam finally turned to her computer and got to work.

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