DISCLAIMER: Yeah, the SG-1 guys are all property of MGM, World
Gekko Corp and Double Secret productions. This is all in fun, no
infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. All other
characters, ideas, etc., herein are copyrighted to the author.
TITLE: DISTANCE
AUTHOR: Rowan Darkstar
WEBSITE: http://www.beautyinshadows.net
RATING: All Ages
CATEGORIES: Angst, Sam/Jack UST
ARCHIVE: Yes, just let me know.
TIMELINE: Early Season 6

AUTHOR'S NOTES: The lovely Kudra sent me a virtual library of
awesome music for Christmas that paled in comparison to what I
sent her, so I offered to balance things out a bit with a drabble
of her choice. She wanted Sam/Jack vulnerable angst and UST.
Hope this fits the bill, hon.:)

435 words. Which makes it drabble-ish, right?

For Kudra


"Distance"
by
Rowan Darkstar (rowan_d1@yahoo.com)
Copyright (c) 2006


He feels as much as sees her rise, a shadow on shadows, slipping
from her sleeping bag and away from the glow of the fire.

He waits to see if it is a routine nature call, listens to
Jonas's soft snores and Teal'c's deep breaths. He knows her well
enough to know when she is gone too long.

He rises from the warmth and moves deeper into the night.

She is no more than 50 feet from the camp and he smells as much
as sees her, because that is who they are. The four of them
(three of them) find each other with the subtlest senses (they
did, not all here, now). She is stretched flat on her back on
the raised planks Jonas named as an altar, long legs dangling
over the side from her knees.

Wordless, Jack vaults onto the wood beside her, stretches on his
back and gazes at the thick sea of stars.

Her breath tells him she's been crying and it makes his stomach
hurt. She's mourning Daniel, she's angry with Daniel, she's
grieving for Daniel, she's hating Daniel and missing Daniel and
struggling to deal, and Jack, he just...Can't Do That. It can't
be about death, it must be about life. Even if there's no one to
beat him at chess or hoard the chocolate bars or sneeze on his
MREs.

She should understand.

He stares at the stars for a long time and listens to her
breathe, feeling the familiar whisper of the surreal as images of
a Daniel who's not quite Daniel wash over his skin. Carter's
never felt this. He understands.

He turns his head her way, watching her profile by the starlight,
amazed by the white of her skin despite their hours in the sun.
He whispers, "Daniel's all right."

The bitter, breathless laugh throws him off kilter and he wonders
if the altar is shifting in the night wind.

"Yeah," she breathes, "Daniel's all right."

She knows.

He doesn't know what to say.

The two feet between them feel like a hundred.

Jack leans on his arm beneath the stars. He thinks the reason he
was awake to see his 2IC slip away from the fire is because
Carter hasn't spoken to him about anything but mission reports
and tactical gear in seven days. Maybe he was counting.

Maybe he messed up. Maybe they both did.

Daniel's all right.

"Carter, I..."

She brushes at her face with the back of her hand, but doesn't
look away from the sky.

Something like an owl calls in the distance.

Her gaze never leaves the stars.


*****

rowan_d1@yahoo.com