Chapter 4


Sam checked her watch and found that it was 2200. She was finally going to talk to Daniel before heading back home for the night. She hadn’t finished studying all of the alien devices and normally she would have forced herself to stay until she had, but she couldn’t stop dwelling on the conversation that she needed to have with Daniel. It nearly left her exhausted and she decided that it wouldn’t hurt to leave them until the next day. Her team wasn’t due for a mission, so she would have plenty of time to spend in the lab.

Dr. Lee had already left so she made her way out of the empty room, turned the lights out, and locked the door behind her. She quickly made her way down the corridor but when she reached the elevator, she hesitated. She began to worry that Daniel might not feel the same way about her as she did about him, but a little voice inside her reminded her that she had to make her feelings known to him once and for all. She just couldn’t go on like this, feeling lonely and depressed because Daniel might not have felt anything for her.

She was about to push the button when an urgent voice stopped her. “Sam, wait a minute.”

Sam whirled around and cast a curious glance at Colonel Mitchell, who was jogging down the corridor in her direction. She attempted a smile, but she had mixed feelings upon seeing him. On one hand, she had missed him quite a bit as well and thought it was good to see him again. However, she was a little worried that he would try to talk her into returning to SG-1. She’d thought about it, but the fact remained that Vala was there and she thought she was more aware of Daniel’s feelings for Vala than she was of any feelings he might have had for Sam herself.

Cam’s gait slowed as he neared Sam, though his urgent expression remained. “I was wondering if I could have a quick chat with you.”

Sam groaned inwardly. She thought she had an idea of what he wanted to discuss with her. As she studied his face, however, she could tell that he was insistent upon talking to her and probably wouldn’t leave her alone until he did. There was also a hint of concern reflected in his eyes that made her feel guilty for avoiding him and the rest of SG-1 for such a long time. She decided she would hear him out.

“I … I guess I could spare a few minutes,” she said, a faint smile making its way to her lips.

Cam smiled back. “I promise you it won’t take longer than that,” he said. He turned and looked to make sure no one else was around, and then he gestured for her to follow him into the VIP room just ahead.

Sam took a seat at the small round table in the middle of the room and Mitchell sat down next to her. He gazed at his hands for a few moments, as if he wasn’t sure how to begin. He then looked up at Sam. “So, not exactly having the time of your life on SG-13, huh?”

Sam’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Uh, w-whatever gave you that idea?” she asked, slightly shaking her head in denial.

Cam shrugged. “Oh, I dunno,” he replied. “Haven’t seen a ghost of you since you transferred. I thought that, if you had such a ball on Stevens’ team, you’d swing by and regale us with wondrous tales of the newest technology you guys found, or the cool battles you’d gotten into … with you saving the day, I might add.”

Sam chuckled and shook her head. She knew there was something else behind Mitchell’s spiel and she wished he would just come out and tell her. “Cameron, no offense, but will you please just get to the point already?” There was a crooked smile on her face, but her voice was testy.

Cam sighed and looked down at his hands. Sam could tell that it wasn’t going to be easy for him to say. “I’d like you to come back to SG-1,” he said quietly. His gaze returned to her and he found her blue-gray eyes wide with surprise. After a moment, she chuckled again in disbelief.

“You know, I had a feeling you were going to say that,” she said ruefully, looking away from him. “Look, I miss Daniel, I miss Teal’c, I miss you, and I miss being on the team. I just don’t see how I can return to SG-1 with the way things are.” She glanced over at him for his reaction. Of course, by “the way things are” she meant Vala being on the team and said woman’s assumed relationship with Daniel. She wondered if Cam realized that.

He nodded. “Believe me; I know why you would feel that way. You want a good reason why you should return to the team? Okay, I’ll give you one: Jackson is threatening to leave.”

Sam’s brow furrowed in confusion and she looked completely nonplussed. “What? Daniel?” she asked in a small voice.

“I just ran into him a few minutes ago and he kept talking about how he wanted to transfer to another team.”

“Uh … why?” Sam asked, still lost.

Cam shrugged again. “He said that he needs to be away from Vala.”

His statement left Sam in astonishment. “He needs to be away from her?? But I thought that –“

“He and Vala had something going on between them?” Mitchell finished for her, a slight grin on his face. “’Fraid you’re wrong, partner.” Sam’s nearly stunned silence prompted him to continue, “He’s been complaining about how much time he’s lost on projects, doing reports, and even his free time because of her. She doesn’t give the poor guy breathing room. Guess he’s finally come to the end of his rope.”

A faint blush stained Sam’s cheeks. “I just assumed that he welcomed-“

Cam uttered a short laugh. “Oh, no, Carter, I can tell you that he would never welcome any of that. Vala is not his speed … which brings me to something else. He said he wanted to transfer to SG-13.”

Sam blinked. “That’s … that’s my team,” she said quietly.

Cam regarded her seriously. “That’s right. Not only does he want to get away from Vala, but he really misses you.”

Sam could feel a lump forming in her throat. “He said that?”

Mitchell nodded. “He’s been flapping his gums about you an awful lot since you left. At first I thought he did it just to get under Vala’s skin, but heck, it’s easy to see that he misses you.”

Feeling the tears return, Sam swallowed hard. “Teal’c told me something like that just before – that Daniel had been talking about me all this time. At first I wasn’t sure if I should believe him. I mean, I care about Daniel so much and I didn’t think he felt the same way about me. The fact that Vala was here and taking up all of his time just fueled my uncertainty. But after hearing you confirm it, I guess Teal’c was absolutely right … not that I really wanted to doubt him.”

Cam nodded again. “Yeah, it’s hard to doubt the big guy, isn’t it?”

Sam turned away from him and sniffled, appearing embarrassed to face him while she was on the verge of crying.

“Look, Carter, why don’t you think about coming back? I went through so much to get the team back together when I first got here. If it means that Jackson will stay, I’ll boot Vala off the team.” Sam’s questioning look led him to continue, “He’s also told me that you had some kind of problem with Vala. You know, you could have mentioned it to me at the outset – would have saved yourself a lot of trouble.”

Sam shrugged. “I wanted to save you some trouble because it was really my problem. I thought I needed to deal with it alone. I also didn’t think that Vala would be taken off the team and I was afraid that Daniel would object to the idea and be angry with me.”

“Well, that’s not the case now, is it? Jackson really misses you and he can’t stand Vala, so she’s going to be history.”

Sam turned back to him and gazed at him tentatively.

“What do you say, Sam? It’ll just be the old band again: me, you, Jackson, and Teal’c.”

“Y-you mean it?” Sam stammered.

“Scout’s honor,” Cam replied.

“Oh, geez, I …” Sam started, still flustered and in disbelief. She turned her head toward the door of the VIP room and then back to a hopeful-looking Mitchell. “Can I get back to you on that? I was just about to go and talk to Daniel.”

A smile grew on Cam’s face. “No hurry, ma’am. Hope you and Jackson will be able to sort things out. No, scratch that – I know you’ll be able to sort things out. And I know he’ll be real glad to see you.”

Sam supplied a genuine smile of her own for the first time since she’d talked to him. “Thanks, Cameron.”

“Always happy to oblige, Carter,” he returned, still sitting down and giving her a playful salute.

*************************************************

Still with a smile on her face, Sam left the room and finally headed for the elevator. As she rode it to the floor on which Daniel’s office was, she really hoped that Daniel was alone, as she didn’t know how else she could have this conversation with him. Her mind then began flooding with questions. What if Daniel wasn’t alone? What if Vala was there, keeping him company? What if he really didn’t have feelings for Sam as she did for him, even after what Mitchell and Teal’c had told her? The “what-ifs” repeated themselves until they coalesced into a jumbled mess and she realized that they were just that – “what-ifs.” She needed to stop this and focus on what she needed to tell Daniel. If she held these feelings back, they would just destroy her inside.

Her gait slowed as she neared Daniel’s office. She found his door shut, but she was able to peer into the small window. Finding him completely alone, she breathed a sigh of relief. He was sitting at his desk, studying some sort of book. He was hunched over the desk and had his hand held to his forehead, his fingers dug into his hair. He appeared almost frustrated and she suddenly began to feel uncomfortable about bothering him.

She reminded herself again that this was something that she absolutely needed to do. She straightened up, steeled herself, and raised her balled up fist to Daniel’s door. The knock she produced was timid, but it was loud enough to be heard.

She stepped away from the door and turned back to face the hallway. She waited a few seconds and it became apparent to her that Daniel wasn’t in the mood for any visitors. She was about to convince herself again that this was a mistake when the door suddenly clicked open.

Sam whirled around and came face to face with Daniel. His eyes were tinged with a mixture of surprise and something akin to concern. He certainly didn’t seem to be expecting her in the least. “Sam?” he said quietly.

Oh, boy, here we go, she thought, beginning to tense up a little. She kept a fairly calm façade, even though apprehension was reflected in her large, blue-gray eyes. “Daniel, I …” She stopped herself in order to collect her thoughts into some semblance of order. “I need to talk to you,” she began again. “Do you have some time now?”

Daniel searched her face and nodded. “Sure. I was working on a report that’s due tomorrow morning, but I’ve had so much on my mind that I don’t have the heart to go back to it.”

Sam wondered what he meant by that. Maybe he really was busier than he let on. “Look, if you’re busy, I –“

Daniel held up a hand to stop her. “No, Sam, it’s okay. To be honest, I was hoping to talk to you, too. The report can wait until later.” He gave her a small, reassuring smile.

The smile instilled some temporary hope inside of Sam and she responded with her own faint smile and nodded. Daniel opened his door further and stepped back to allow her entrance.

Sam sat down on the chair next to Daniel’s desk and gazed at him, almost unsure of where to start. Daniel cleared some of the mess off of his desk and quickly put his computer on standby so that it wouldn’t distract him. He then gazed back at Sam, a part of him nearly ecstatic at seeing her again and a part of him still worried that he might make a fool out of himself in revealing his feelings for her.

“So,” he said, feeling a bit awkward as he waited for Sam to begin. She merely stared back at him with a hint of a smile on her lips. Daniel turned and briefly glanced at his coffee maker. “I … ah … I’d offer coffee, but I ran out of filters,” he told her with a sheepish chuckle.

Sam’s smile grew an inch as she continued to gaze at him. Little did he know that, deep inside, she was still trying to gather her thoughts and feelings into something coherent that she could share with him.

“I can head down to the commissary and get us both a cup if you want,” he continued.

Sam grinned and shook her head. “No, it’s okay, Daniel,” she told him.

Daniel nodded and then looked down at his desk as an awkward silence descended upon them. They both had something that they desperately needed to say to each other, but their individual insecurities were holding them back.

Daniel finally decided that he should be the one to get the ball rolling. “So, ah … how are things working out on SG-13?” he asked, a hint of awkwardness still in his tone.

Sam gave a little shrug. “They’re fine,” she replied nonchalantly.

Daniel nodded, but the expression on his face revealed that he didn’t quite believe her and that she should come clean with him. There was no point to putting up a front that she was in a great mood and didn’t need to be with him or anyone else any longer; her deep feelings for him reminded her of that.

Sam’s act crumbled as she averted her eyes, slumped her shoulders, and sighed. “They’re not so fine,” she admitted quietly. Daniel’s eyes filled with concern, prompting her to continue, “I mean, don’t get me wrong. Colonel Stevens, Major Addams, Lieutenant Pruzanski – they’re great guys, but it’s just not the same as it was on SG-1. I really, really miss Cameron and Teal’c …” As she trailed off, she shook her head slightly.

Daniel looked at her expectantly and, after she trailed off and it seemed that she had nothing else to add, his eyes became tinged with disappointment. He crossed his arms protectively in front of himself and lowered his gaze. He almost appeared defeated, with good reason. He’d been planning to reveal his feelings to her, but, if she didn’t even miss him at all this whole time, then she obviously didn’t have similar feelings for him.

“But I miss you the most of all, Daniel,” she said, trying hard not to let her emotions spill forth just yet.

At that, Daniel’s head shot up and he appeared momentarily surprised. The surprise soon became colored by something that resembled relief as Sam continued, “I miss talking with you, I miss our little coffee breaks, I miss spending my downtime with you … there’s no easier way to say this: I miss being with you.”

Moving his chair out from behind his desk, Daniel sat closer to Sam and took her hand in his. “Oh, Sam, I miss you, too,” he said, gazing at her tenderly.

She shook her head. “No, wait, there’s more,” she insisted. “Daniel, I …” She stopped abruptly as she met his gaze and realized how close he was to her. She felt as if she’d drown in the crystal blue pools of his eyes. She suddenly became flustered and struggled again to get her thoughts in order. “… I didn’t know how I could come out and say this, but I have to or it will make me burst. Daniel, I care about you. I care about you more than I ever realized … more than as a friend. I care about you as a lover.”

Again, Daniel’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Y-you do?” he asked. On the outside he seemed almost stunned, but on the inside he was hoping that what he was hearing was real.

Sam met his eyes with confidence and nodded. “Yes, Daniel,” was all she could say. Deep down, she was worried about what Daniel’s reaction would be.

The smile that spread across his face told her that she had no reason to worry. He really appeared to be grateful, and he was. He was grateful that she felt the same way about him as he did about her. He didn’t have to worry any longer about making a fool out of himself in revealing his feelings to her.

“Sam, I …” he began. He cut himself off and shook his head slightly. Lacking the ability to express his feelings in mere words, he gathered Sam into a fierce hug. As he hugged her, his smile threatened to split his face in two. He was feeling not only pure happiness, but relief as well. These two feelings combined to produce a euphoria that he hadn’t felt in ages.

Sam herself was trying to keep a rein on her feelings as well, sniffling and clearing her throat. She wore a smile that rivaled Daniel’s as he stroked the back of her head, an action that resulted in warm, tingly sensation flowing through her body.

“Sam, I guess I can’t deny it any longer,” Daniel said as he slightly loosened his grip on her and stepped back to gaze into her eyes. “I have to be honest with you. I’ve realized that my love for you is beyond anything resembling friendship, and it’s been that way for quite some time.”

The uncertainty that tainted Sam’s eyes was washed away by the tender smile that Daniel wore as he gazed at her. Sam felt herself being overtaken by the overwhelming sense of relief similar to the one Daniel experienced when Sam admitted her feelings for him. Her mouth lifted into a smile. “It has?” she asked.

Daniel nodded. “I felt something for you the moment we first met on Abydos. There was this … connection that I felt when you introduced yourself, and it only became stronger after I showed you the cartouche. Anyone might have guessed that we shared something in common just being scientists, but I knew it was more than that. You proved to be such a good friend after we came back to Earth, worrying about me when I wasn’t getting enough sleep and just being there to listen when I rambled on about how worried I was about Sha’re and Skaara.”

Sam briefly looked away and nodded.

“Sam, I’ve always felt something for you, even when Sha’re was still out there,” he continued. “It was a close, special friendship at first. I don’t know when it evolved into something more than that, but it did. The whole situation with Vala sort of threw it off kilter and shoved it to the background.” Daniel sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair before continuing, “I didn’t have much time to sort out my feelings for you and discover what they were all about. Since you left SG-1, I realized how it hurt not having you near to me. I missed you on our missions, I missed you in the commissary, I missed you during late nights with coffee and mission reports –“

“I know, Daniel. Teal’c and Mitchell told me,” Sam interrupted, a fond smile lighting up her eyes.

Daniel lowered his head and blushed, a small grin forming on his lips. “I must have been insufferable to them this whole time,” he said ruefully. “Vala undoubtedly thinks so.” He shook his head and his grin faded as he looked back up at Sam. “Anyway, I realized how much I missed you, how much I needed you. That’s when I discovered the feelings I have for you.”

Sam’s eyes began to sting with tears and she began to feel very guilty about what she had done, especially the argument with Daniel that led up to her being reassigned. Deep down she knew there wasn’t much of a reason to feel guilty. After all, she wasn’t aware that he originally had these feelings for her. Right now, her emotions were guiding her, though, and she couldn’t help thinking this way.

“I have to admit that this whole time being apart from you really forced me to think things through,” she began. “That’s when my feelings for you made themselves evident to me. I’d never really been aware of them until now. I always had an affinity for you, Daniel. It was there at the moment I first met you, but I knew you were married and that it was wrong to have feelings for you beyond friendship, so I banished them. Then after Sha’re died, I backed away for a while to give you some time to get over your grief. Don’t get me wrong – we were still friends. ”

Daniel nodded, his lips twitching upwards in a faint smile.

“It was not long after that I started the ridiculous flirting with Jack. There was mutual attraction and something inside of me really wanted a relationship with him. But I knew that such a thing wasn’t realistic. I guess I went with him because he was ‘safe’ … it would have been against the regs for us to have an actual relationship. I learned that the safe bet isn’t always the best bet. Unfortunately I didn’t learn until the incident on Kelowna.” Sam tensed up slightly and bit her lip to keep from breaking down emotionally. Daniel sensed her discomfort with the subject and pulled her close to him.

With her head resting against Daniel’s shoulder, she continued, “When we found you on Vis Uban and you asked me if there had been anything between us, I told you no because it was the truth and I didn’t think it would be fair to lie to you. Even if I did, I knew there was the chance that you could regain your memories and be angry with me or think I was selfish for lying to you about something like that. Still, after you came back, I hoped that we could start over again and I could finally figure myself out as far as my feelings went. That didn’t happen and I ended up dating Pete. The childish behavior and flirting with Jack resurfaced, especially after I found him with Kerri. I didn’t completely resolve all that until he got promoted and moved to Washington. I just knew that nothing could work out between us. Meanwhile, my feelings for you grew stronger. I think they were always lurking beneath the surface, but I just wasn’t able to fully figure them out until now.”

Daniel held Sam and stroked her hair. The action released some built-up tension within her and she sighed. “Daniel, this has been so difficult for me. I don’t know how long I debated over whether I should say anything to you or just keep living in agony over these feelings I had that might not have been mutual.”

“Well, I’m glad you did tell me, Sam,” Daniel said gently as he continued stroking her hair. “I was going through the same thing, worrying like crazy that you didn’t feel the same way about me and that I’d look like an idiot if I revealed my feelings to you.”

At this, Sam raised her head slightly and blushed. “I … I was acting so ridiculous. I thought that this whole time you had feelings for Vala instead.”

Daniel stopped stroking her head and gazed at her sadly. He had suspected all along that Sam might have gotten the wrong idea and thought that all the time he’d spent with Vala meant he had deep feelings for her. Choosing his words carefully, he began, “I have to admit that Vala is attractive and smart …”

Sam straightened up and eyed Daniel warily, causing him to chuckle.

“… But not in the way that you are, Sam,” he continued, drawing closer to her and stroking her arm. “She cannot measure up to you in my book. You’re brilliant and kind-hearted and very attractive.” He blushed slightly upon that last word, but continued, “We’ve known each other for such a long time and the old friendships are the most special to me, especially those that have developed mutually beyond friendship.”

Sam could not stop the tears from traveling down her face as she gave Daniel a watery smile. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue from her BDU pocket. Attempting to compose herself, she sniffled and he gathered her into another hug. Finally, the dam broke loose completely and she began to fully open up to him. “Do you remember when I told you that I didn’t like the changes around the base?” she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

“Uh huh. Was that what your transfer was all about?”

Sam stepped out of his embrace and nodded. “Well, it was part of it. All that stuff about SG-1 not being a five-man team was just an excuse. I did feel that I no longer contributed anything to SG-1, but what made me the most uncomfortable was the fact that you and I hardly spent any time together anymore.”

Daniel looked at her sorrowfully, feeling struck by pangs of guilt. “Oh, Sam,” he breathed. “I feel very bad about that. Vala has monopolized my time for the most part. Thanks to her, I’ve been set back in doing mission reports, projects, and whatnot. I feel a little guilty complaining about her – I mean, she is useful as far as intel on the Ori is concerned.”

Sam looked at him and reluctantly nodded.

“I admit I’ve thought about this from time to time, and I’ve realized that we hadn’t been as close as before. I regret that it’s happened and I hope things can change now,” Daniel said as he edged closer to her.

Sam gazed deeply into his blue orbs and smiled faintly. “How about we start right now?” she asked.

Daniel replied with an identical smile before he wrapped his arms around her and covered her lips with his. He initiated a slow, tender kiss and ran his fingers through her hair. Sam responded by caressing Daniel’s back and tickling the hairs at the nape of his neck with her fingers. After several moments of sheer bliss, their lips softly parted and they stared soulfully into each other’s eyes. Unspoken assurances of their deep feelings for one another were shared before Daniel pulled Sam into another embrace.

At that moment, Sam’s eyes colored with slight worry. “I wonder what will happen to the team when we disclose our relationship?” she asked him.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to tell General Landry. Hopefully he won’t mind as long as Mitchell doesn’t have a problem with it,” Daniel replied.

Sam nodded and a small smile grew on her face. “Something tells me that Mitchell won’t have a problem with it,” she said softly. Her smile then faded and she pulled apart slightly from him. “There might be a little problem with Vala, though. She did seem to be extra flirty with you, Daniel. I hope there isn’t anything else lurking behind it.”

A sober expression crossed Daniel’s face and he nodded grimly. “You’re right. She said something to me earlier that has me suspicious. It made her sound as if she was jealous of you.”

Sam’s eyebrows drew together. “What did she say?”

Daniel sighed, reluctant to tell Sam for fear of upsetting her. “She said she felt there was an element of competition on SG-1 … between you and her. She wouldn’t come out and say what that was exactly, but I think I have an idea. She … she said some pretty unreasonable things.” He gazed at Sam worriedly.

“Like what, Daniel?” Sam asked. Daniel merely shrugged and shook his head, prompting her to continue, “You can tell me. I want to know, I … I have to know.”

Daniel released an explosive breath and kept his eyes trained on the floor. “Okay. She said that she couldn’t understand why your absence was bothering me so much. She thought it was actually an improvement and she didn’t regard you as indispensable to SG-1.”

Sam’s eyes widened incredulously. “What? She said that??”

Daniel gazed at her uneasily and nodded.

“I guess I shouldn’t complain because I didn’t think I was very valuable to the team any longer myself, but …” She trailed off and shook her head in disbelief. “… I still can’t believe that she said that. She was in competition with me to be the most important ‘girl’ on SG-1?”

As Sam’s voice rose in anger, Daniel blushed. “No,” he said, barely audible.

“Then, what?” Noticing Daniel’s deepening blush, Sam stopped. “Over you?” she guessed, lowering her voice a notch.

Daniel failed to reply, but she could tell what his answer was. She was a bit angry with herself for not realizing it sooner. She chuckled incredulously. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this. So, she was jealous of me while I was jealous of her the whole time. I feel like I’m trapped in an Archie comic book or something.”

Daniel shrugged and smiled weakly. He then grew more serious. “I’m sorry I put you in this situation, Sam.”

Sam shook her head. “Daniel, you didn’t put me in this situation. I put myself there. I shouldn’t have assumed that you had feelings for Vala, just because she hung around you all this time.”

Daniel nodded. “But I’m partly to blame here, too. I should have made an effort to spend more time with you. It certainly would have been better than sitting here, trying to concentrate on translations with Vala insisting on ‘helping’ and deciphering them all as sexual innuendos.” He rolled his eyes and chuckled ruefully.

Sam gave him a smile that was slightly sad in nature. “If she does have any serious feelings for you, you’re going to need to have a talk with her, Daniel.”

Daniel averted his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. I only hope she’ll accept my relationship with you.”

“She’ll have to,” Sam told him. “When I saw Colonel Mitchell, he told me that he would remove her from SG-1 if it meant that you would stay and that I would come back.”

Daniel eyed Sam seriously. “H-he told you that I …”

“…That you would leave the team and join SG-13? Yeah,” Sam confirmed with a smile, drawing closer to him.

Daniel’s lips edged upward in a faint smile. “Now you know just how crazy your staying away has made me,” he said, barely above a whisper.

“You’re so wonderful, Daniel,” Sam said before his lips captured hers for another kiss.

The kiss turned more passionate as their hearts overflowed with love for one another. They were both so relieved and so happy in the knowledge that their feelings for each other were one-hundred-percent mutual. They no longer had any reason to worry about any cause for rejection and the removal of that burden left nothing but pure bliss at this very moment.

Daniel expertly slid Sam’s blue BDU jacket off her shoulders and he felt her body shudder slightly. If there was any hesitancy on Sam’s part, it was very temporary. She felt a warm, wonderful feeling course through her body as Daniel slid his hands underneath the neckline of her black t-shirt and caressed her back. It was a feeling that she hadn’t experienced in quite a long time, not since she’d dated Pete. She realized that she enjoyed it much more here and now with Daniel. It felt more comfortable … more natural.

These feelings caused her to lift Daniel’s t-shirt up to his midriff, exposing his well-developed musculature. He wasn’t as bulked up as Teal’c and would probably not stand any chance in a Mr. Universe competition, but his abs were well-toned. Sam relished the way his smooth skin felt underneath her fingers.

Suddenly, some fairly long forgone animal instinct deep inside her began to give hints of its presence. It caused her to grab his shirt and remove it from his body, leaving him bare-chested. Daniel might have been surprised for a brief moment, but the feelings flowing through his body were on par with Sam’s, and they caused him to remove her shirt as well. It wasn’t very warm in his office and Sam felt goose bumps prickling her exposed skin for a split second before the heat of ecstasy returned. Daniel had begun planting little kisses along Sam’s jaw line down her neck to the valley between her breasts. Each little kiss caused flames of fiery passion to flicker inside her, making her moan with pleasure.

Sam worked her fingers over the breadth of Daniel’s smooth, sculpted chest and he reveled in the feel of her touch. He moaned softly before joining his lips to hers for another passionate kiss. Sam closed her eyes as she felt Daniel’s tongue enter her mouth and entwine with her own. God, she had not felt this good in such a long time. She and Daniel were now expressing their love for one another, and there was nothing holding them back.

He reached for one of her bra straps and was about to slide it off her shoulder when her eyes widened slightly. She suddenly looked down at her right hand, which had made its way to Daniel’s inner thigh still covered by his pants. Daniel had become aware of her hand as well and he suddenly sobered up. They broke apart slightly and silently gazed at each other.

“We … probably shouldn’t …” Sam trailed off, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

“Not here, anyway,” Daniel agreed softly.

Sam nodded before Daniel pulled her close to him again. “I love you, Daniel,” she breathed.

“And I, you, Sam,” he said. He tilted her chin upwards so she could meet his gaze and he bestowed a soft kiss upon her forehead. They stayed in that position for a while, their hearts joined in great love for one another.

Daniel’s office door was shut, but his and Sam’s actions were still perfectly viewable through the square window in his door. It turned out that they had been viewed by someone, and that someone was not happy at all with what she saw.

She looked on in disbelief, her lips drawn in a deep frown. Her eyes were aglow with something akin to jealousy as well as anger. She could finally not bear to see any more, and so she walked away quickly before anyone could see her.


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