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. ***** rowan_d1@yahoo.com