     AUTHOR: Brian'na Jackson E-MAIL: thegreatpyramids@yahoo.com WEBSITE: Unlock the Universe RATED: PG PAIRING: Sam/Daniel SPOILERS: None SETTING: Pretty much anytime. AUTHOR'S NOTES: I've always thought of Sam as perfect, so I wanted to show her on a bad day. She's human too... Then it started writing itself into a Sam/Daniel story, so I went with it. DISCLAIMER: This is for entertainment purposes only. I am making no money from this fanfiction; in fact, I'm actually losing it. Nothing related to SG-1 belongs to me, except in my mind. SAM'S BAD DAY Sam walked down the Gateroom's ramp with a suppressed groan. After four days of exploring P5A-219, it had only stopped raining on the day of their departure. Just when she'd thought her skin was drying out, she'd somehow managed to slip and fall face-down in the muddy terrain. She'd wanted to strangle her CO when he laughed and thanked her for pointing out the path to avoid. It was Daniel -- who'd been two steps behind her, and whose fatigues were now accented with mud -- who winced in sympathy and offered her a hand up. Her boots clanging on the metal ramp, Sam pulled the cap off her hair with one hand as she ruffled her hair with the other, attempting to loosen some of the dried mud. Engrossed as she was, Sam nearly avoided bumping into Teal'c as he stood at the bottom of the ramp. "Whoa." Sam said, drawing up short. "Very well." General Hammond was saying. "We'll hold the briefing as soon as Dr. Frasier gives you the routine..." He trailed off as he noticed Sam's disheveled form. "Perhaps you'd all like a bit more time..." "Oh, I think the rest of us are just peach-" "Thank you, General," Sam said, interrupting the Colonel before he could finish the sentence he was obviously relishing. "I'll expect SG-1 in the briefing room at 1300." Hammond said decisively. As Hammond left the Gateroom, Sam slung her pack off her shoulder and relinquished it gratefully to the Private standing by to take the gear into storage. Entering the hallway, she purposefully trailed behind the Colonel and Teal'c. They were all headed in the same direction, but now that the mission was over, she relished the chance to be an individual and not just a team player. Especially this time of the month. Groaning, she slowed her pace and gingerly rubbed her temples. "Sam? You okay?" Daniel spoke from behind, startling her. Turning to face him, she masked her discomfort with a smile. Actually, these cramps were killing her and her PMS meds hadn't kicked in yet...but she couldn't very well tell Daniel that. "I'm fine." Sam said dismissively, but she could tell immediately that Daniel wasn't buying it. It wasn't like him to push her into talking, though; and he said nothing. She started to turn away, but the concern in his face stopped her. How did he do that? "I'll be fine." She corrected. "Really." She smiled again, only this time it was genuine. "Okay." The concern passed, and his brilliant blue eyes came alive again. Pausing, he glanced at his watch. "Looks like you've got less than 10 minutes before the showers become men's territory." "Holy hannah, you're right!" She started to head in the direction of the locker room, but stopped herself. "Could you tell Janet I'll check in with her as soon as I'm...clean?" Sam said, glancing down at herself. "Sure." "Thanks, Daniel!" Sam called behind her as she took off down the hall. ~~~~ Making her way to the infirmary, Sam ran her hands through her damp hair. Her head still hurt from where she'd banged it on the shower knobs -- while bending over to retrieve the razor she'd dropped after slicing her legs. At least the bleeding had stopped. Poking her head in, she saw Daniel sitting on a hospital bed. "Still here?" she asked, surprised. "Ah, yeah. Doc won't let me leave yet. Haven't even had a cup of coffee since we got back." Daniel sighed. "It's my job, Daniel." Janet said, shaking her head. "Have you had any more dizzy spells since returning through the Gate?" "No," Daniel replied. "Like I said, just the one on P5A, the day after we arrived. I've felt fine ever since." "Well, I'm going to run some bloodwork and just be sure of that." Janet placed her stethoscope on Daniel's chest and listened intently. "Dizzy spells?" Sam said quietly, moving next to Daniel. Her own pain was forgotten in her concern. "Daniel, why didn't you say anything?" Sam placed her hand on his and looked at him imploringly. "Dizzy spell." He corrected. "Just one. And I didn't say anything because it was nothing to worry about. Really." He added, with the same tone she had used to assure him earlier. Sam gave him a small smile and gripped his shoulder lightly. "Ok. How about I go get both of us some coffee while Janet finishes poking and prodding?" "You're a lifesaver." Daniel said, sighing with relief at the thought of hot coffee. As he watched Sam leave, he noticed Janet looking at him intently. "Maybe you should tell her." "What?" Daniel was both startled and genuinely confused. Janet sighed. "Maybe you should tell Sam how you feel about her." "I'm sorry..?" Daniel's cheeks began to color in anticipation of Janet's next words. "Daniel, I'm your doctor." "Yes, you are." He frowned uncomprehendingly. "Do you know how many times you've been hooked up to monitors here in the infirmary?" "Ah, no I've lost count." Daniel said wryly. "Why?" "Daniel, whether your realize it or not, your vitals change when you're around Sam. Your blood pressure rises, your...heart beats faster." Janet said, gesturing to her stethoscope hanging around her neck. "I can almost tell exactly when Sam has visited you just by noting the fluctuations in your chart." She raised her eyebrows at Daniel meaningfully. Daniel paused for a moment, as if considering another denial. Instead, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Janet, I know you and Sam are close--" "Don't worry, Daniel. Doctor-patient confidentiality." Janet reassured him before could finish. She drew a fresh syringe from the tray beside her, and applied a tourniquet to Daniel's arm while he sat quietly. "I didn't..." Daniel struggled to put into words what had happened over the past couple years. That Sam had become his friend, his confidant, the sounding board for his ideas and convictions. And that he had only thought of her as a friend...or perhaps only allowed himself to think of her as a friend... until that one Monday night. That night the two of were sitting in her lab, and he had been thrown off-guard from the late hour and an overdose of caffeine...that night she had made yet another brilliant scientific break-through, then looked up at him with excitement in her eyes and gave him a smile that took his breath away. That night, after the realization dawned on him, he had feigned fatigue (as if he could have been slept at all after all those cups of coffee) and stumbled to his quarters, his head spinning. The next morning (or rather the same morning, a couple hours later), it had been business as usual. It was easy to forget a late-night epiphany by sticking to a daily routine. He was so good at his routine, in fact, that he could almost forget what he'd discovered that night. Almost forget that he had somehow, unexpectedly and unforgivably, fallen in love with his best friend. Daniel realized with surprise that Janet had already drawn his blood and was still waiting for his words. "I never.." He tried again, but trailed off as he saw Sam enter the room. "All done?" Sam queried to Janet, after passing Daniel a coffee mug emblazoned with the SGC logo. "For now," Janet nodded. "Thanks Janet," Daniel replied, rising to leave. "See you, Sam." After he left, Janet turned to Sam. "And how have you been?" "Oh..." Sam began wearily. "As well as expected this time of the month." ~-~ "Damnit!" Sam yelled as her spectrometer slipped to the floor for the fifth time that afternoon. After the briefing, SG-1 had been placed on standby duty. She had been looking forward to getting to work, but it had not been going as planned. "Trouble, Sam?" Daniel asked, poking his head into her lab. "Did you ever have one of those days, Daniel?" Sam laid her instrument back on the counter with a disgusted sigh. "Sam, this is me you're talking to." He replied, stepping into the room. "My life is entirely made up of 'those days.'" Sam grinned in spite of herself. "Anything I can do to help?" Daniel proffered. "Thanks, but I don't think so," Sam began in a serious tone. "I'm not letting the sovereign of bad luck anywhere near my equipment." In reply, Daniel chucked his notepad at Sam. She stopped giggling just in time to duck out of the way, and the missile hit her computer instead of the intended target. "Hey!" She yelled in mock-alarm. "That's a sensitive machine! You shouldn't be tossing things at it." "Well, it's not like I dropped it on the floor or anything..." Daniel replied mischievously. Sam had retrieved his notebook from the floor to hand back to him, but after that comment, she whacked his arm with the notebook instead. "Hey, I'm a sensitive object, too." Daniel chastened. "Ah, but you can't simulate the properties of a trinium-enhanced naquadah reactor." "Alright, you've got me there." Daniel threw up his hands in defeat. "Mind if a useless archaeologist hangs around?" Sam grinned. "Pull up a chair." She was still feeling unsocial; but Daniel wasn't company, he was...Daniel. The two of them often worked side-by-side, even when their work was unrelated. Sometimes they were silent the entire night, but they still gained comfort from each other's presence. They both understood the devotion to the work, even if they were passionate about entirely different fields. Daniel grabbed the nearest stool and spread out his notes. Janet's words were still swimming in his mind, and he was trying not to ponder his motives for seeking out Sam's company. Two hours later, Daniel looked up from his notes as Sam slammed her hand down on the counter. "Damnit!" She yelled with fervor. Daniel met her eyes questioningly. She took a deep breath before speaking through gritted teeth. "I've been using the wrong calculation for the trinium's mass. This means I'll have to redo everything I've worked on all day." She shook her head in disgust. "Maybe you should call it a night." Daniel offered sympathetically. "It's only 1900." "I know, but sometimes the best thing you can do is walk away..." "Daniel, I don't know when I'll get another chance to work on this. After all the time I've lost, the last thing I can do is just quit." Sam finished curtly. Daniel bit his lip and turned back to his work. Sam sighed and rested her forehead in both hands. She felt like crying, she felt like beating something up -- even though neither one was her usual reaction to setbacks. Perhaps she should have taken Janet up on her offer of prescription medicines to combat the monthly symptoms. "Sorry, Daniel." She said, turning away from her work. "You're right, I'm not doing much good here anyway." Daniel tapped his pen on the table before speaking. "You hungry?" "Starving." Sam hadn't realized it until she stopped working. "Me too." ~-~ "Sam?" "Huh?" Sam came to with a start, and realized Daniel was handing over her fast food order. "Oh, right." Daniel glanced at her again before driving out of the parking lot. "You're not still thinking about work, are you?" Sam gave a wry smile. "I still can't believe I screwed that up." "We all make mistakes." Sam shook her head. "But I shouldn't have." Daniel sighed. "You're not going to give yourself a break, are you." It wasn't a question. Daniel turned left suddenly. "Blockbuster's?" Sam said, reading the neon sign in front of them. "Yeah. Television is a great way to numb the mind." Sam shook her head, but unbuckled and got out of the car. Once inside, Daniel turned to her. "So, pick your antidote. Comedy? Drama?...Science Fiction?" he added with a grin. "Um...comedy." Sam decided. With her emotions already roller- coasting, she didn't think drama was a safe choice. Daniel nodded and strolled in that direction. His eyes lit up as he hit upon one DVD. "Wow, I haven't seen that one in ages." Sam stepped next to him. "You like Monty Python?" She queried, raising her eyebrows. "Ah, yeah... but it was just a suggestion." Daniel replied sheepishly. "No, that's perfect." "Really? Okay then." ~-~ Back at Daniel's apartment, Daniel found himself watching Sam more than the movie. She was more relaxed than he'd seen her in a long time, and her melodic laughter was infectious. "Got any popcorn?" She asked hopefully, midway through the movie. "Yup." Daniel replied, hopping up off the couch. "If it's microwaveable, I've got it." Sam laughed. "I know what you mean." As he was carrying the bowl of popcorn back into the living room, he tripped on the foot of the couch and went sprawling. "You okay?" Sam said, offering him a hand up. "Ah yeah, except for my pride." Sam giggled as she brushed popcorn off Daniel's shirt. "Hey, we all have those days." Daniel grinned too. "Some of us more than others." His embarrassment forgotten, he was suddenly aware of Sam's proximity. His hand caught hers and found he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. "Sam..." Daniel stopped himself, but he noticed a change in Sam's expression. She always had known him better than anyone... and now he had gone too far to turn back. Words were his life, his work, his specialty. But right now, he couldn't come up with the right ones. Didn't think there could be any right ones. Instead, he leaned slowly forward and kissed her softly on the lips. Sam didn't think anything could surprise her more than what Daniel had done. But an instant later, she found out she was wrong. What was more surprising was how every nerve in her body responded to his kiss. He had been about to pull away when she leaned into him, put her free hand on the nape of his neck and kissed him back. Then she backed away slightly and watched as a sheepish smile spread over his face. "I, ah, didn't plan that.." He began, still feeling an explanation was required. "I know." He forced himself to stop avoiding the intense blue depths of her eyes. "I'm in love with you, Sam." Sam smiled at the apologetic tone he had used. "I know that too." "You, ah - you do?" "I just found out a few minutes ago." "Oh. Right." Daniel furrowed his eyebrows and stood completely still. "I can't say 'I love you' back, Daniel." "I.." Daniel shook his head. "Of course not. I'm sorry I..." "No, don't be sorry." Sam interrupted quickly. "I can't tell you how I feel yet. But I think it's worth finding out." Daniel started to relax for the first time since he'd passed the point of no return. He had been terrified of what he'd done, thinking that perhaps he'd alienated the best friend he'd ever had. Sam drew him into a hug, and felt the last of his tension melt away. "So. What now?" He mumbled into her hair. "Well.." Sam said, drawing away. "There's this great movie on." Glancing at the couch, she noticed the popcorn kernels now sprinkled over its upholstery. "Looks like there's something else we should take care of first." After ridding the living room of the mess, they sat back down on the couch. Out of habit, they sat in the same positions they had before, with the same distance between them. Then they looked at each other, as if realizing at the same time that the boundaries were being rewritten. Both were uncertain, and at that moment, it seemed like their entire relationship was hanging in the balance. Then Daniel grinned. Sam was relieved to realize he was still Daniel, just like he'd always been... only now, he was her Daniel. She turned slightly sideways and leaned against him. In response, he wrapped his arms around her. Sam paused before hitting the 'Play' button. "Daniel?' "Yeah?" "This was a great day." THE END
|
