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: A SIMPLE CHANGE
AUTHOR: Rowan Darkstar
EMAIL: rowan_d1@yahoo.com
WEBSITE: http://rowan_d.tripod.com
RATING: All Ages
ARCHIVE: All archives fine as long as you let me know.
CATEGORIES: Sam/Jack, little traces of Sam/Daniel, some
hurt/comfort
SPOILERS: Spoilers through "Threads". This takes place in what
would possibly be seen as a S9 timeframe, but has nothing to do
with the real S9, so no S9 spoilers.
SUMMARY: "The first time Daniel saw them kiss, he stared like
a 12-year-old."
Thanks to my speedy and loyal betas: Teddy E and annaK (and to
SheaClaire for giggling at Teal'c :))
A SIMPLE CHANGE
by
Rowan Darkstar (rowan_d1@yahoo.com)
Copyright (c) 2005
The change was more natural than Daniel would have thought. One
day, two of his three closest friends had been just friends.
Fellow officers. General and Lieutenant Colonel. Maybe they had
been in love, maybe just bonded for life, but on the
outside...just friends. The next day, they were very much in
love. On the outside as well as within.
A simple change, General to Civilian Commander of the SGC. A
butterfly flaps its wings, etc., etc....
And the change every member of SG-1 (hell, most of the SGC) had
wondered about for years came with such ease, Daniel found
himself forgetting how much had come before.
He was shy about the pleasure he took in watching them. Maybe
his pleasure was a natural result of all the years he had stood
by and witnessed them suffering, kept apart by worldly
absurdities. Maybe he had empathized for so long, he was now
soaking up the tangible relief at the newly crushed walls. Or
maybe some part of him was a tiny bit jealous, drinking in the
comfort by proxy. All he knew was how beautiful they were
together, and how good it felt to see.
They hadn't changed. They were still Jack and Sam. Sam ground
the edges of Jack's nerves until he was screaming for coffee and
silence, and Jack played dumb and made decisions with the logic
of a five-year-old, leaving Sam wanting to rip her hair out. But
in between those times, there were moments Daniel wasn't supposed
to see. When the adoring smiles and shared jokes and lingering
glances hung on just a little bit longer. When hands tangled as
they wrestled over engine repairs. When Jack's hand rested on
Carter's hip as though for a moment he'd forgotten he was at work
and not a dinner party, and Sam made no move to remind him.
The first time Daniel saw them kiss, he stared like a 12-year-
old. Jack had gotten bored of paperwork and copped an excuse to
be out in the field again. Simple mission. Daniel was supposed
to be working on translations off of ancient ruins. But he had
forgotten his notes on the supply cart and doubled back to the
gate. Sam was studying a queer little green and orange
technological device they'd tripped over in the shrubbery, oddly
out of place on the primitive planet. Jack, of course, was
standing guard. When Daniel caught sight of them, Sam was
grinning at something Jack had said, he could see it in her eyes.
And a moment later, Jack was kissing her. Kissing her. And she
was Sam, just like always, with a diode in one hand, her cap off,
and her BDUs and gear vest on, and her big clunky field watch on
her wrist as she cradled Jack's cheek. She was beautiful. And
Jack was infinitely gentle, so different from the gruff field
soldier, so much the man who taught Merrin to paint, who kept
lifting Cassie on his hip until she was 13. Daniel lost any
lingering doubts that a man like Jack belonged with a woman like
Sam.
The second time he saw them kiss hurt more, but meant just as
much. Sam was forced to shoot someone innocent. Someone driven
mad by an alien virus, metabolism supercharged to survive the
first Zat blast. Two second's hesitation, and Daniel would have
been dead. Sam shot. She would be cleared, every moment of the
incident was caught on security footage. But her conscience was
the final jury that counted.
Daniel came to her and thanked her, told her how sorry he was she
had to go through this for him. He offered her an ear if she
needed to talk. She smiled and patted his hand and said softly,
"Thanks," and then, "but you were worth it, Daniel."
Her gentle smile told him she had nothing more to say. After
all, she had killed Martouf. This pain was nothing new to her.
Three hours later, and Daniel was wandering out to his car,
calling it an early night as the others had done an hour ago,
when he caught sight of Sam standing by the side of her car at
the distant corner of the parking lot. Jack stood close to her,
his arms around her waist. Sam was crying; shading her eyes,
pushing back her hair, brushing at her nose, her cheeks. And
Daniel could see Jack's lips moving, speaking to her, calming
her. After a few moments and a few reluctant nods from Sam, Jack
cradled her face, leaned in and kissed her forehead, bent to kiss
her lips, and she turned her face up to his with a trust and
openness Daniel found hurt his chest. Sam kissed Jack, then
dissolved into tears and buried her face in his neck. His arms
wrapped around her tight, holding on as she clung to his back.
Daniel got in his car and drove away.
She wouldn't be alone tonight. That was good.
*****
Jack had everybody over to his house for Memorial Day. For most
of the day, a good portion of the SGC wandered through the living
room, the kitchen, around the back yard, hovered near the grill
on the deck, and talked and laughed around the fireplace.
By 10pm, the only guests left were Sam and Daniel and Teal'c.
They stayed and helped Jack reconstruct his house. They ended up
flopped in various soft places in Jack's living room, tired and
content and a little bit beer-buzzed. They talked and sipped the
last drinks of the night. They laughed and reminisced and
brought up all the classic embarrassing stories no SG-1 get
together was complete without. Sam's eyelids grew heavy as the
adrenaline of the day was traded for comfort and familiarity and
enjoyment. She slipped off her sandals and tucked her feet
beneath her on the couch. She rested her head on Jack's
shoulder. When Jack chuckled softly at Teal'c's attempted humor,
Sam smiled and nuzzled into Jack's neck. They looked...happy.
Simple happiness was rare in their lives; precious.
Sam used to lean on Daniel's shoulder when she was tired.
Because she couldn't lean on her CO's. Once or twice, on late
nights with videos after countless days of coffee and random
sleep, she had sunk until she was lying on the couch (her couch,
Jack's couch, Daniel's couch), until her head was using his thigh
like a pillow.
Twice she had let him play with her hair while she grew drowsy.
Once she had fallen asleep.
For over two hours.
He hadn't moved.
*****
On the Fourth of July, they drove two hours, all squished into
Jack's truck, to a place Jack claimed had the best fireworks in
Colorado. They brought chips and beer and fresh peaches and they
spread blankets on the grass of a high school football field.
When the sun went down, they stretched out on their backs under
the stars. Which was how Daniel always thought of the four of
them when someone said SG-1; side by side under the stars a
million miles from home. But for fireworks, this was something
Daniel particularly loved, because when he was a child he had
always done this with his parents, so the beautiful sparkles
looked like they were directly above, raining down upon them like
illuminated glitter. The little girl next door had called it
Angel Rain. He had teased her about being stupid and sappy. He
wasn't so sure, these days.
As the brilliant show carried on and the darkness between colored
bursts deepened, Sam scooted closer to Jack. He swung his arm
around, so she could settle into the crook of his shoulder.
Daniel watched out of the corner of his eye. Sam nestled in
against Jack's neck, and by the time the finale's last massive
explosion fell into blackness, she was closing her eyes beneath
the stars, and Jack's hand was cradling the back of her head.
Daniel was both surprised and warmed to see his friends so
comfortable in his presence.
He could feel the heat of Sam's body inches away.
On the drive home, Daniel and Teal'c squished into the back seat,
Jack and Sam took the front. By the second hour of the drive,
Sam had fallen asleep on Jack's shoulder. In the mesmerizing
quiet of the late night road, Daniel watched the silhouettes of
his three companions. The best friends he had ever known. His
family. Teal'c's massive bulk melded with the hulking curves of
the truck, his face turned away as he watched the trees whipping
past the narrow lane. Jack kept his eyes on the road and steered
the truck with one hand. Every now and then, when he seemed to
forget anyone was paying attention, he kissed Sam's hair and
rested his cheek on her head.
Daniel remembered a drive up to Jack's place in the wake of his
non-ascension. He remembered this same view from the back of the
truck as they sped along the wandering roads of Minnesota.
Except he had been watching Jack and Teal'c, and their sporadic
bickering as to the best route, because Jack had driven this a
hundred times, but Teal'c had just discovered MapQuest.
And in the backseat, Daniel had exchanged sparkling glances with
Sam as they quietly enjoyed their friends' childish debate. Her
shoulder had continually bumped into his, when she could have
easily scooted over if she'd cared. She had traded half her sub
sandwich for half of his. She had teased him about his pickle
phobia, even though her father had just died and inside her world
was vibrating. And her blonde hair had looked so pretty in the
flickering sun. Something about Sam's hair warmed his stomach
like the Egyptian dawn.
He was happy things had turned out the way they did. Everyone
finally had what they needed.
He was not jealous. He just missed the companionship.
Maybe...he missed...the sun.
*****
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