CHAPTER NINE

Something had to be done. That was the thought running though Cam's mind as he watched Daniel and Sam. They were returning from a mission that had pretty much been a waste of time. It was the fourth mission since the couple broke up with each other. Or at least he was pretty sure they'd broken up. Nothing else would explain the perpetual gloom they were both in. On the surface, they seemed to get along well. There was no friction between them. They talked, worked side by side. They still sometimes ate meals together in the commissary with him, Teal'c and Vala. But every trace of their previous happiness was gone. Daniel had refused every invitation to play basketball, and both of them had refused every invitation to go out to eat. They came to work, did their job, and went home. Actually, from what Cameron could see, the going home part wasn't happening very often. Both scientists were putting in an awful lot of hours working.

The pilot was not the only one to see what was going on. Teal'c and Vala would have had to be blind not to see it . . . and not to figure out the reason. Despite her past jealousy, Vala did not like seeing an end to happy Daniel, hated the sorrow she'd spotted in his eyes many times in the past two weeks. She cared about him, and it bothered her to see him hurting so much. She had to wonder what happened. What had made Daniel and Sam break up when they'd seemed so happy together?

As for Teal'c, he was thoroughly displeased. He did not know the reason for the end of the relationship between Sam and Daniel, but he doubted it was a good reason. Their love for each other was plain to see, as was their misery over no longer being lovers. It was clear that they were both making a heroic effort to put things back to the way it was before their romantic relationship began, but Teal'c did not believe that a love such as they had found could ever truly be banished. To this day, even though he had been married for all those years to Drey'auc and had later found love with Ishta, the feelings he had for the greatest love of his life, his beloved Shan'auc, still dwelled within his heart.

After the debriefing – which Vala, as usual, sat in on – Cam turned to the others while they all waited for the elevator.

"Hey, that new buffet restaurant opened yesterday. How about if we all go pig out on all-you-can-eat?" The response he got was exactly what he expected.

"Sorry, but I think I'll pass," said Daniel.

"Yeah, me too," said Sam. "I've got things to do tonight."

"Okay, that's it!" Cameron exclaimed. He grabbed Sam's and Daniel's arms. "You two are coming with me." He shoved them into the elevator, which had just opened. He stepped in after them, turning around to point a finger at Vala. "You are not invited. We don't need an audience for this." Cam then jabbed the button for Level 25.

"What the hell are you doing?" Daniel asked angrily after the doors closed.

The pilot looked at him. "We are going to talk about what's going on with you two."

"Oh, no, we're not."

"Oh, yes, we are, that is if you and Sam don't want me to call General O'Neill and have a little chat with him about how you two have been acting and what my opinion is on it."

Sam glared at him. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Sam and Daniel shut up.

They all went to Cam's quarters, the pilot figuring that it would be better than someone's lab or office. They'd have complete privacy here.

Cameron stared at his two obviously uncomfortable teammates. "Okay, so talk. I know that you have broken up. I also know that you're both miserable about it. The whole base probably knows that! What I don't know is why you broke things off. It can't be because you don't love each other. The way you feel for each other is about as plain as Rudolph's shiny red nose. And it can't be because the relationship wasn't working out. I've never seen either of you happier than you have been since you got into this relationship. So I want to know why two intelligent people who have been making each other so happy would suddenly end it all. And you're not getting out of here with lame excuses. I want the truth and the whole truth."

Cameron got what he was demanding. It took a while and was about as easy as pulling teeth from a wild horse would be, but he finally got the picture. That picture was making him revise his image of the two scientists. Maybe they weren't as smart as he always thought they were. Oh, they were book smart. They had tons of knowledge and more than generous helpings of brains, but when it came to this, they were apparently both as dumb as dirt.

"So, let me get this straight," the pilot said. "You broke up because you fell in love and are afraid that one of you will die?" He didn't get a response. "Well, that has to be the stupidest reason for breaking up that I have ever heard."

Two pairs of angry blue eyes zeroed in on him.

"I don't expect you to understand, Mitchell," Daniel snapped, "but don't insult us by belittling our feelings."

"I'm not belittling them. God knows that I understand how much it can hurt to lose someone. But to throw away a fantastic relationship just because there's a chance that something might happen to one of you? That I don't understand."

The archeologist got to his feet. "Well, it really doesn't matter whether or not you understand or if you don't agree. This is between me and Sam. It was a mutual agreement that we knew we had to make." He strode to the door. "I'm going back to work."

He left, Sam doing likewise two seconds later. Cameron remained seated, wondering how it would be possible to make two incredibly stubborn people realize that they were making a huge mistake.

Even though Cameron knew that Daniel and Sam would likely want to string him up from his private parts if they found out, he shared what he'd learned with Teal'c, knowing that the man had a right to know what was going on with his friends and teammates.

Teal'c frowned in thought. "After the death of my wife, I hesitated to allow myself to get close to another woman. That pain was not one that I overcame easily."

"So, you're saying that you agree with what they did?"

"No, Colonel Mitchell. It is only that I understand the reason why Daniel Jackson and Colonel Carter have done this. They have suffered great pain, pain that they believe they must do all in their power never to feel again. There is a saying among the Jaffa. 'A wounded heart may beat so loudly that it deafens its owner to all other things.' When Shan'auc of the Red Hills, a woman I loved with all that I am, was killed by Tanith, my grief knew no bounds. The wound in my heart made my desire for revenge so great that I ignored all reason and prudence. I was deaf to the pleas of others that I cease my quest for vengeance. In the end, I killed Tanith, but the quest nearly cost not only my own life but the lives of my teammates and Jacob Carter." Teal'c looked at Cam. "Unless you have known such pain, you cannot truly understand how it can rule your life."

Cameron sighed. "No, I guess I can't. But they're miserable, Teal'c. I know you see it, too."

"Indeed."

"So, what do we do?"

The door opened. "Well, we could strand them on another planet until they have sex and realize that they can't live without each other," said Val Mal Doran with a smile.

"Dammit, Vala! You were listening in on us!"

"Of course I was. Unfortunately, I didn't find out where you were in time to listen in on your conversation with Daniel and Samantha."

Cameron's eyes narrowed. "How did you get in here? The door was locked."

The woman waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I got hold of a master key card ages ago." She came into Teal'c's room and shut the door. She plopped down on the bed and crossed her legs, grinning. "So? What about my idea? You have to admit that if they're stranded alone together on some empty planet, sooner or later, they're going to fall right back into each other's arms. It's inevitable."

"Maybe so, but I have serious doubts that Landry would agree to us kidnapping two members of the SGC, carting them through the gate, then leaving them alone somewhere for several days."

"Perhaps it is not necessary for it to be another planet," Teal'c intoned. The others turned to him.

Cam studied the Jaffa's features. "What do you have in mind?"

"Are you sure this wasn't a case of a bear attack or some other wild animal?" Sam asked into the microphone of her headset.

Cameron momentarily took his attention off the view outside the helicopter windscreen. "Based on the reports, the bodies were ripped to shreds just like the ones in Minnesota."

"But how could an animal infected with one of those interdimensional parasites have gotten here?" Daniel questioned, looking down at the virgin wilderness they were flying over. "We're nowhere near Minnesota."

"That's the real question. We haven't figured out the answer yet."

"This area appears to be quite remote," Vala remarked.

"Yeah, we're a good fifty miles from the nearest road. There is a cabin, though. It belongs to some rich nature-lover who comes out here every now and then to commune with nature. The killings happened not far from there." A moment passed, then Cam pointed. "And there it is."

Beside the cabin was a helicopter pad. Cam set the chopper down. SG-1 and Vala went into the cabin with their bags.

"We got permission to stay here while we conduct our investigation," Cam said. He went into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator, nodding upon seeing that it was full of food. "The fridge is fully stocked. There's no electricity, of course, and no phone lines. I doubt our cells will work either."

Daniel checked his phone. "Nope, no signal."

"There is a gasoline generator for power." Cameron turned and headed for the door. "I'm going to go back up and check the area, see if I can spot anyone. Teal'c? You want to join me?"

The Jaffa inclined his head and went with the pilot. Vala stepped out onto the porch.

Deciding to investigate the cabin further, Daniel and Sam began wandering around. It didn't take long for them to realize something.

"Sam, there's only one bedroom," the archeologist said.

"Where are we all supposed to sleep? On the floor?"

"We didn't pack any sleeping bags or blankets."

They returned to the living room. Daniel looked out the window and noticed that Vala was no longer on the porch.

"Where's Vala?"

The two scientists hurried outside and saw her in the helicopter with Cameron and Teal'c. It lifted into the air.

"What the hell is going on?" Daniel shouted as he and Sam ran for the chopper.

The door of the helicopter opened, and something was tossed out. As their teammates flew away, Daniel and Sam approached the object. It was a rock upon which a note had been attached.

"There's a microcassette player on the kitchen counter. Listen to the tape," it said.

Wondering what was going on, they went back inside and found the player beside the refrigerator.

"Hey, guys," said Cam's voice on the tape. "By now, I'm sure you've figured out that something is going on. There were no deaths. There is no murderous creature out here. That was a ruse to get you here. You see, we happen to think that you two are making a gigantic mistake, and we want to see it get fixed. And so, for the next five days, this will be your home, just the two of you . . . all alone. So, relax, enjoy the peace and quiet, and spend some time talking. We'll be back Thursday morning to pick you up."

"I am going to kill him," Sam said as she turned off the player.

"Stand in line," Daniel growled. "I can't believe they did this. They didn't have any right to interfere."

"Do you think Landry was involved?"

"Well, they would have had to get leave time for us, so he at least knows that we were going to be gone."

Sam strode away. "Ooh! This makes me so mad!" She pulled the dust cover off the couch and flopped down on it. "So, what are we going to do?"

Daniel sat beside her. "I guess there's nothing we can do except stay and wait for them to come back."

"And plot their murders."

Daniel smiled slightly, the first smile he'd had in weeks. "You can kill Mitchell. I'll take Vala. It'll take both of us to bring down Teal'c."

Sam let out a little laugh.

Daniel became serious. "You know why they did this, don't you?"

"Because they're conniving busybodies who can't keep out of our business?"

"Because they care. They've seen how unhappy we've both been and wanted to do something about it."

"But it's our lives, Daniel, our personal lives. It wasn't impacting missions or our work on base. We've been fine when it comes to duty."

"But we haven't been fine otherwise," Daniel said softly.

Sam stared down at her hands. "We were handling it. We just need more time, that's all."

Daniel nodded, though he had to wonder if that was true. He longed for Sam every day. Every night, he ached to have her in his arms. He was having dreams about her again, the decision of his conscious mind having no control over the desires of his subconscious. Back when he was first fighting his attraction to Sam, such dreams were embarrassing and aggravating. Now, they made him terribly sad.

He loved her so much that, without her, he felt like only half a person. Could he keep living as half a person? Would he ever feel whole again without Sam in every part of his life? But if he welcomed Sam back into that life, he'd be taking the chance of losing her. No, that wasn't entirely true. She could die regardless, and it would devastate him even if they weren't lovers. The difference was that he would live the rest of his life with the regret that he'd thrown away the greatest love he'd ever known and had denied himself the joy of having every second with her that was possible.

Daniel had thought that his feelings for Sam would fade in time, but he wasn't so sure now. If anything, they were getting stronger. Sam wasn't correct when she said this hadn't been affecting them on duty. He didn't know about her, but it wasn't always easy for him to concentrate on work. His mind kept drifting to her.

Sam went to the refrigerator to see what was in it. She didn't know what she was going to do. Spending five days alone in this cabin with Daniel might prove to be too much for her self-control. Even now, she wanted to pull him into her arms and kiss him until they were both suffering from hypoxia. Not a day went by that she didn't miss what they had together. She had thought that her longing and desire for Jack had been powerful, but it had been nothing compared to this. This ache inside her for Daniel was so strong that it physically hurt. Would it ever go away? She was beginning to have doubts.

But how could she ignore the danger inherent in being in a relationship with him, the threat that, at any moment, he could be taken away from her forever? But then, if he were to die tomorrow, it wouldn't make any difference that they were no longer lovers. It would still kill something inside her.

Daniel came into the kitchen.

"Sam, this might not be something you want to hear, but . . . but I think that maybe we've made a mistake. I've been thinking about Sha're and my life with her, and I realized that, regardless of the pain I suffered over losing her, I wouldn't want to go back in time and erase the days we had together, arrange things so that we never met. I cherish every moment I had with her, and I would not give those memories up for anything." Daniel took her hand. "I wouldn't give up the memories I have of being with you for anything either, even if I knew I was going to lose you, too."

Sam turned to Daniel and saw the love in his eyes, the longing, the need.

In that moment, just as it had on that night they first made love, all thinking and reasoning came to an end. A second later, they were in each other's arms, kissing with desperate, needy hunger. Daniel lifted Sam up and carried her straight to the bedroom. Their clothing was removed with such haste that more than one button was lost in the process.

There was no need for foreplay, their bodies demanding the union that they had been denying themselves for these long weeks. They were very quickly launched into a frenzy of lovemaking. In just a few short minutes, they were rising on the tide of their climax. And then it hit them, shuddering through their bodies with almost paralyzing force.

As his climax ended, Daniel collapsed upon Sam, utterly spent. She barely even noticed the weight.

Daniel at last gathered the strength to move off Sam. He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in her hair.

"God, I love you, Sam. I love you so much. I can't live my life without you. It wouldn't be a life at all."

Sam lifted his head and gazed into his eyes. "I love you, too, Daniel, and I feel the same way. I don't want to be without you either."

They came together in a slow, deep kiss. Daniel then began placing kisses on Sam's neck and shoulders as she caressed his back. A smile came to his lips.

"So, are we going to tell them that it only took a few minutes for us to get back together?"

"They'd probably be disappointed. Cam and Vala are likely anticipating us struggling miserably not to fall back into each other's arms for the next couple of days."

"Lying awake all night as we're forced to share a bed?"

"Uh huh."

"Then I say we definitely tell them. I'm all for killing their glee over the thought of all that sexual tension building and building until it exploded in a conflagration that would burn down this forest."

Sam laughed, her eyes meeting his. "So, is that what would have happened if we'd tried to resist each other?"

Daniel grinned. "Absolutely."

Sam pressed her body closer, curving her hand over his butt and lifting her leg to lie over his. She rocked her pelvis into his. Daniel let out a little gasped and tightened his hold on her.

"Well, I'm all for starting a few bonfires," she murmured huskily before claiming his mouth.

Daniel and Sam's enforced vacation became five days of glorious lovemaking, long walks in the woods, and evenings cuddling by the fireplace. They enjoyed every minute of it. The lack of outside distractions and interruptions enabled them to explore their feelings for each other to the fullest, and they found that knowing they were in love and having the freedom to express it made what they had even better. The lovemaking was even sweeter, more potent. It made Sam realize that she had never before made love with a man she was truly, utterly in love with. She had not felt this depth of connection to either of her fiancés, not Jonas and not Pete. It scared her a little to recognize how absolute Daniel's place in her soul was. Yet, at the same time, it also gave her incomparable joy. The thought of the years ahead that they'd have together made her so happy she felt like shouting it from a rooftop somewhere.

Sam had decided that she was no longer going to dwell on what might happen, the possibility that Daniel could die. Instead, she was going to fill her mind and heart with all these memories of them together. Then, if, someday, it did happen, she'd have those memories to hold onto, just as Daniel held into the memories he had of Sha're.

The thought of Sha're made a question come to Sam's mind. It was their last night in the cabin, and she was lying in the bed with Daniel, the sensations of their slow, exquisite lovemaking of a few minutes ago still lingering in their bodies.

"Was it like this for you with Sha're?" Sam asked quietly.

Daniel paused before replying. "Yes and no. I loved Sha're very much. Whenever we made love, it was wonderful, better than anything I'd known up until then." He stroked her cheek lovingly. "But this, what I have with you, what I feel every time we make love . . . it is beyond anything I could have even imagined. These feelings would never have gone away, not even if I'd gone off and spent the rest of my life on Atlantis."

"I feel that way, too, Daniel. But I'm not surprised that I didn't realize it before. I have never been in love like this. I'm beginning to wonder if I was ever really in love at all before now."

Daniel took hold of one of her hands in both of his. In the bright moonlight coming in through the window he searched her eyes for a long moment.

"Sam, I know that I'm going to feel like this for the rest of my life. I don't want to spend a day without you. I don't want just a couple nights a week of me going to your place or you coming to mine. I want you with me every night."

Sam had grown still. "Daniel, are you asking us to move in together?"

"No, Sam. I'm . . . I'm asking you to marry me."

Sam let out a sharp gasp, taken totally by surprise.

Daniel continued. "I know that we've been together for only two months, but we have known each other all these years. We already knew so much about each other before we started this relationship, and these weeks we've been together have proven to me that we could have a happy marriage. There is no question of compatibility." He squeezed her hand. "I don't expect an answer right away, Sam. You can take as much time as you need, even if it's a year. I just want you to know that I want you to be my wife. I want to commit the rest of my life to you. I think we—"

"Yes."

Daniel stilled, his mouth open. He blinked. "Did . . . did you just say—"

"Yes," Sam repeated, a smile beaming over her face.

An answering smile grew on Daniel's face. And then he was laughing and kissing her, trying to do both at the same time.

"I can't believe you said yes," he declared a couple of minutes later. "I-I mean I'd hoped you'd say yes eventually, but I was sure you'd need some time to think about it since we've been together for such a short time."

"When Pete asked me to marry him, I couldn't answer him right away even though we'd been dating for nearly a year. All these thoughts about how it would change my life came pouring into my head, and some of them made me wonder if I was ready to make the adjustments and sacrifices I'd need to. I guess that should have clued me into the fact that there was something missing in the way I felt about him. But when you asked me, I didn't think about the things I'd be giving up; I thought about the things I'd be gaining. I thought about the way it would change my life for the better." She cupped his cheek. "And that's why I didn't have to think about it. I already know it's what I want." She smiled hugely. "And I want it as fast as we can make it happen."

Daniel gave her another happy grin. "A quick trip to Vegas and a wedding officiated by a guy in an Elvis costume? I bet both Jack and Mitchell would just love that. Of course, we'd never hear the end of it from Jack."

"Not quite," Sam replied. "But I'm thinking that a month would be enough time to plan a very small, simple service, especially since the majority of the people we'd want to be there work at the SGC, which will make it easy to invite them. Everyone else we can just call. No invitations to make and send out."

Daniel searched her face. "Sam, are you sure? I want this wedding to be all that you dreamed your wedding would be."

Sam smiled at him. "I'm sure, Daniel. I went through the nightmare of planning the wedding with Pete, and it was not fun. Some women might enjoy all that stuff, but I found out that I'm not one of them. I kept wanting to just go back to work instead." She looked into his eyes intently. "There is only one thing I need for my wedding, and it's the one thing I know will be there."

"What's that?"

"You, standing there at the altar."

The newly engaged couple came together in a long kiss. Sam then laid her head on Daniel's chest and closed her eyes.

After a moment, he let out a soft chuckle.

She lifted her head to look at him. "What are you laughing about?"

"I was thinking about the look on the faces of Teal'c, Vala and Mitchell when we tell them we're engaged."

The next morning, Daniel and Sam heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. Their bags were packed and waiting on the porch – all of their bags. It turned out that the bags they'd thought contained Teal'c's, Cameron's and Vala's clothing had actually been more of Sam's and Daniel's. There could be only one explanation for that. Someone had gotten into their lockers, made copies of their house keys, and snuck over to their places. That realization did not please the couple.

There had been another discovery as well, one that resulted in a different emotion: embarrassment. It appeared that Vala had packed certain items that most definitely did not come from either Daniel's place or Sam's.

"Where the hell did she get these things?" Daniel had asked after making the discovery. "We don't let her leave the mountain unattended."

"Online, I'd guess."

Daniel picked up the pair of fur-lined handcuffs with two fingers. "You know, just the thought of her imagining us using any of these things is not very conducive to feelings of passion."

"I know exactly what you mean."

Daniel and Sam were standing before the cabin when the helicopter landed. They picked up all the bags and carried them to the chopper.

"Well?" Cameron inquired over the sound of the rotors, searching their faces.

"Do you want to hear our plans for your murders now or after we get home?" Sam responded.

"That can wait until later," replied Vala. "We want to know if you're back together."

"Well, you'll just have to wait to find out," Daniel told her. "We're not saying another word until we're back home."

"But that's not fair!"

Daniel gave her a glare that actually made her recoil a few inches.

"But perfectly understandable given the situation," she added.

As stated, Daniel and Sam remained silent throughout the trip. Though Teal'c graciously accepted this without comment, Cam and Vala were in agony.

The journey came to an end at Sam's house, the astrophysicist telling the others that she'd give Daniel a ride home. Fortunately, her car didn't have to be picked up from the base. Cam had called her and Daniel at home to tell them about the "mission", explaining that Landry said not to bother coming into the SGC, that they were to pack and go straight to the airport. That should have made her and Daniel suspicious. If it was a real mission, there would have been a briefing of some kind.

"All right, so give," the pilot said. "Are you back together?"

Daniel and Sam looked at each other, turned back to Cam, and simultaneously replied, "Yes."

Cameron grinned. "All right! That is great news. So, how long did it take you guys to finally cave in? Two days? Three?"

Daniel adopted a thoughtful look. "Ummm, actually, around ten minutes, I think."

"Fifteen tops," said Sam.

The three other people gaped at them. Okay, so it was only the two humans who gaped. Teal'c just looked surprised.

"Ten . . . minutes?" Vala finally said.

Daniel nodded. "Uh huh. You see, I was already thinking that we might have made a mistake."

"I was, too," Sam confessed.

"In another week or so, we'd probably have gotten back together on our own."

"You mean to say that I laid out all that money and called in all those favors for nothing?" Cameron whined.

Daniel smiled. "Well, no, not for nothing. We really enjoyed the free vacation. Thanks."

The pilot didn't look like he was all that thrilled about having paid for what ended up being a romantic getaway for Daniel and Sam.

"So, did you use any of the extra things I packed?" Vala asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "I had to order them with next-day delivery to get them on time."

"Wouldn't you like to know," Daniel replied.

"Yes, I would like to know."

"Well, you'll just have to keep wondering, Vala, because that is something we're not going to tell you."

"What extra things?" Cam asked, puzzled.

"I'm sure that Vala will explain." Daniel turned to Sam. "Ready to go?"

Her eyes lit up. "You bet."

"Go? Go where?" Cam asked.

"We've got to go shopping for the ring," Daniel replied.

Vala's eyes grew enormous. "T-t-the ring?"

"Uh huh. Oh, and make sure you don't make any plans for the twenty-fifth of next month."

Sam smiled sweetly. "I'm sure you'll want to attend the wedding."

They turned and walked away from the three people whose mouths were hanging open.

"Don't forget to lock up when you leave!" Sam called over her shoulder.

As they drove off down the street, Daniel and Sam exchanged grins and laughed. Then they faced forward toward the short trip that they were taking now and the life journey together that lay ahead, the journey of two wounded hearts that had at last been made whole.

THE END