Indications
Indications
by Denise
Summary: Eric's back again
Category: Romance
Season: any Season
Pairing: Sam/other
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 07/14/03
Title- Indications
Author- Denise
E-mail - sky_diver119@yahoo.com
Category- Missing scene
Archive Anywhere but please link to the page on my own site. http://www.geocities.com/sky_diver119/drama/indications.htm Season- 7
Spoilers - Homecoming, 2001
Rating- PG
Content Warning- Nothing really
Summary- Sequel to Reunion and A Chance Meeting Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Sci-fi and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author
Indications
By
Denise
Eric parked his car in Sam's drive and turned off the ignition, quickly glancing at his watch. He got out and walked up the short path cursing the funeral on Academy Boulevard that had tied traffic up. Things like this of course, only happened when he was running late.
He'd been on his way out the door at work when the phone had rung, the person on the other end being a gentleman who sometimes sent some freelance work his way. And since he hadn't won the lottery lately, he couldn't exactly just blow his contact off, so he'd had to chat for a few minutes, finally getting the man to agree to a meeting the next morning instead of the 'now' he'd originally wanted.
He and Sam had made this date two weeks ago, and postponed it twice already, once when she'd had to work late and a second time when he got sent to Kansas City to help a station there doing an upgrade on their system.
Climbing the steps to the porch, he rang the bell, frowning at the sight of a couple of envelopes sticking out of Sam's mailbox. Just as he reached in and grabbed them, he heard a car. Turning, he watched her pull into her drive, parking beside his car. "Late only counts if you're last," he muttered, glad that something had finally gone right. He walked down the steps and met her as she got out of her car. "I see being late is contagious," he said, teasing her a bit.
"Eric. Oh God," she said, frowning as she locked her car.
He stepped forward, frowning when he caught sight of a dark smudge on her cheek. "Whoa, what happened?" he asked, reaching out to gently touch the bruise. "Did you have an accident?" He looked towards her car, looking for some dent or sign of a fender bender.
"What? Oh." She raised he right hand and gently explored the bruise. "Umm aah yeah. I aah...I fell. Umm, someone spilled their coffee on the stairs and..." She broke off and shrugged. "My middle name is grace."
He lowered his hand, frowning a bit at the tone of her voice. It rang false somehow, her worse clumsy and seemingly desperately chosen. He studied her closer, noting the shadows under her eyes and the slight slump of her shoulders. She looked like she'd just gone ten rounds with Tyson, and then walked home. "You're lucky you didn't knock yourself out," he said, stepping back so that she could walk into the house. Even though the days were slowly getting longer and the winter had been a mild one, it was still cold outside, some days the temperature barely getting above freezing.
"I'll be fine," she said. "Come on in. It'll just take me a few minutes to change." She opened the front door and led him into the house, quickly flipping through the mail he handed to her.
She set her keys down and turned on a couple of lamps, filling the room with a warm glow. "Do you want something to drink?" she offered.
"I got a better idea," he said. "Why don't you go climb in the tub and take a long hot bath, I'll go grab some Chinese, maybe hit the video store then we can have an evening in."
She shook her head. "You don't have to do that. I can just change my clothes and be ready to go..."
"Hey," he interrupted. "You know how long it's been since I got to veg out on the couch with a beautiful woman." Much to his enjoyment, she blushed, lowering her head. She hated compliments, which made it all the more fun for him to give her some. It was a refreshing change from the last woman he'd dated who'd spent half the evening fishing for them.
"It does sound good to stay in," she admitted after a few seconds.
"Ok," he nodded. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, steering her towards the back of the house and the bathroom. "You go, run yourself a tub. And take your time. Have you heard of Chow Wong's?"
"No." She shook her head and looked over her shoulder at him.
"It's a little mom and pop place on the other side of town. Great food, but they cook to order so it takes a while." He gave her a small shove. "I'll be back in about an hour."
She turned to look at him. "I've got a bottle of white zin. I'll stick it in the freezer, should be nice and cold by the time you get back."
"That sounds good. Sesame chicken?" he asked, remembering her favorite.
"Please. And extra crab Rangoon?"
"You got it," he said. "Be back in a bit." He turned and walked out of the house, turning up the collar of his jacket as he got into his car, backing out of the driveway, already thinking of what movie he should look for at Blockbuster.
<><><><><>
Sam pulled her t-shirt over her head and looked in the mirror to check her hair. Catching sight of the bruise, she grimaced, leaning in to get a better look. It certainly wasn't the worst bruise she'd ever had, but she also knew that she more than owed Herak one whenever they met up again. "Preferably at the wrong end of a P-90," she muttered, debating whether or not to try and put some foundation on and conceal it.
Then again, that was a bit like fixing the iris after the Jaffa got through; Eric already knew that it was there.
She'd totally forgotten what day of the week it was, an all too familiar side effect of gate travel. If she'd remembered, she'd either have called him on the phone and cancelled, or at least come up with a better excuse. Geez, slipped on spilled coffee...that was lame even for her. At least he seemed to buy it. And she didn't know if that was good or bad.
The doorbell rang and she gave up on the mirror, instead shoving her feet into a pair of sheepskin slippers and hurried down the hall, opening the front door. "Hey."
"Dinner," he said, holding up a couple of bags. "Hope you're hungry."
"Starved," she answered, closing the door behind him. She followed him into the kitchen and took the wine out of the freezer as he emptied the sacks. It took them just a few minutes to dish up their plates and pour the wine into simple glass goblets.
They carried their dinner into the living room and Sam sat down while Eric picked up the Blockbuster sack. "I snagged the last copy of Signs," he said, holding the DVD up triumphantly. "Assuming of course you haven't seen it."
She frowned. "No, I haven't."
"How could you miss a Mel Gibson movie?" he teased, putting it into the machine.
"Must have been on another planet," she quipped softly, smiling when he chuckled, obviously taking her words for a joke.
He joined her on the couch as she reached for the remote, starting the DVD. "I hope you don't have problems with aliens," he said. "It does get a little spooky at times."
She nearly choked on her wine, struggling to keep a straight face. "I can honestly say I don't have a problem with aliens.... most aliens anyway," she said. "In fact, some of them can be quite cute." She set down her wine and picked up her plate, ignoring his funny look as she settled back next to him to enjoy the movie.
<><><><><>
The movie faded to black and Eric leaned forward, struggling not to disturb a sleeping Sam as he snagged the remote and stopped the DVD, turning off the TV. "Sam?" he said softly, giving her a gentle shake.
Once they'd finished their dinner, both of them had set their plates on the table then she'd snuggled up to him, falling asleep after just a few minutes. She was dozing so soundly that the noise of Merrill whacking stuff with a ball bat didn't even wake her up.
Realizing that she was down for the count and acknowledging that his bladder wasn't going to let him join her, he shifted her weight off his shoulder, sliding out from under her.
He made his way back to the bathroom and finished his business, then walked back into the living room. This hadn't exactly been the most thrilling date he'd ever been on, but it had been fun. As much as he enjoyed going out, he often spent so much of his time in hotels or eating in restaurants, that it felt good to simply sit in front of the TV and relax. And it felt even better not to be sitting alone.
He stood and watched her, contemplating sliding back onto the couch, or even taking her back into her bedroom and maybe staying with her. They hadn't made love since that first time in the ruins of the church, and while it bothered him a bit, he didn't find it too disturbing. It was kind of enjoyable just to date, to take is slow and see what developed rather than rushing head long into something.
Sam stirred and opened her eyes, sitting up on the couch. She looked past him to the dark TV. "Oh no," she moaned.
"Yeah," he said. "You fell asleep."
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry," she said, self-consciously pushing her hands through her hair.
"That's ok. I guess Mel isn't quite as enthralling as he used to be."
She chuckled a bit. "It's just...It was a really long day," she apologized.
"I should probably go then. I've got to meet someone in the morning anyway," he said.
She got to her feet and walked over to him. "You could stay," she invited.
He frowned a little, studying her closely. Her nap had eased a bit of the shadows under he eyes, erased a little of the tiredness from her face, but she still looked like she needed to sleep for twelve hours or so. "You sure?"
"Yeah," she agreed.
"Ok," he agreed. He bent down and started to clear away the debris of their dinner. She helped him and in a few minutes they'd straightened up, leftovers in the fridge and dishes in the dishwasher.
"You mind if I take a shower?" he asked as they finished up.
She shook her head. "No. Go ahead. There are towels in the closet," she told him. "I'm going to lock up."
"Ok." He walked down the hall, going into the bathroom and quickly finding the clean towels.
She knocked on the door, and then opened it, holding out a pair of pajama bottoms. "They're my dad's," she explained to his raised eyebrow. "He keeps them here for when he visits. He won't mind."
"Thanks," he said, taking the navy blue cotton pants from her.
"There's a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet," she said as she closed the door, leaving him alone.
He turned on the water and finished undressing, folding his clothes up since he knew he'd need them in the morning. It took him only a few minutes to shower, grateful to discover that she apparently liked variety, and that one of her bottles of shower gel was a nice unfeminine kind. He really wasn't in the mood to smell like roses or berries.
Drying off, he pulled on the borrowed pajama pants and opened the medicine cabinet, searching out the toothbrush. He found one still in it's wrapper, frowning when his eyes caught sight of a row of brown prescription bottles. Giving into his curiosity, he examined them, noting that they were all painkillers of various kinds and dosages, and spanning a few years, some of them quite old and expired and all prescribed by the same doctor.. He could see that most of the bottles were full, like maybe she'd only taken a dose or two, then not taken anymore.
Curious, but not knowing how or even if to ask, he closed the medicine cabinet and brushed his teeth before opening the door.
He shut off the light and padded back to the bedroom. The lamp was on and he climbed into the bed, sliding in beside her. She was curled up on her side and already half asleep. She reached out and turned off the light, then settled back down. He spooned up behind her and let her even breathing lull him to sleep.
Six hours later his alarm beeped, pulling him from a light doze. He automatically turned it off, wondering for a second where in the hell he was. "Wha?" Sam muttered, stirring.
"I gotta go," he said, pulling away from her. "I have to meet someone. Go back to sleep." She nodded and rolled over, pulling the covers up over her shoulders.
He slipped out of the bed and grabbed his clothes, making his way into the bathroom. He quickly got dressed, using the toothbrush again, then walked down the hall, trying not to make too much noise.
He reached into the closet and pulled out his coat, cursing as he knocked hers off the hanger as well. He bent down and picked it up, frowning as a pair of cards fluttered to the floor. He picked them up, holding them to the light spilling in through the window to read them. One was Sam's Air force ID card and he smiled at the obviously old picture of her in her dress uniform. It listed her birth date and he noted it, and then looked at the other card.
This one was plain white plastic with a magnetic strip, also carrying her picture. He read it: Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Maj. S. Carter, Security Level One. "Cheyenne Mountain?" he muttered, wondering what she was doing with a pass card to NORAD if she taught at the academy.
Taking a look at his watch, he filed the question away to be dealt with later and returned the cards to her pocket. Slipping on his coat, he unlocked the deadbolt and slipped out into the brisk cold of the early morning.
Grateful that he'd arranged to meet his contact at a local coffee house, he got into his car, waiting a few minutes for it to warm up, before putting his car into gear and backing out of her driveway. He turned up the radio and tuned it to a local news station, wondering if the news would give him a clue about his next assignment.
<><><><><>
Sam heard the front door close and Eric's car start. He backed out of the drive and she rolled over, burying her head under the pillows. She sighed contentedly and debated going back to sleep.
They had an official debriefing scheduled for 0900, and it was sure to be a long one, given the significance of events that had played out on Kelowna. General Hammond had let them off easy the night before, settling for the knowledge that the threat from Anubis' ship was now over and that Kelowna was safe, for the time being at least.
Deciding that she'd rather be early than late, she got out of bed, padding into the bathroom. Completing her morning's ablutions, she straightened the house, making the bed and touching up the kitchen.
She left the house, shivering in the chill air. Figuring that Janet had probably been on duty all night caring for the injured Jonas, she hit the bakery, picking up a couple of fresh cinnamon rolls and some coffee.
She arrived at the SGC, making her way through the security check points and into the mountain. Walking into the infirmary she caught sight of Janet, holding up the bakery bag and then walking into the woman's office. She sat down in the chair and took a sip of the coffee, pleased to note that the combination of a Styrofoam cup and the long drive had resulted in the brew being the perfect temperature.
She heard Janet's heels clicking and opened the bag, distributing the sticky rolls. "You read my mind," Janet said, taking a seat in her office chair.
Sam shrugged. "I had an idea you'd be hungry," she answered. "How's Jonas?"
Janet smiled. "He'll be ok," she reassured her. "It was just a glancing blow. He'll be up and around in no time."
"That's good," Sam said, relieved that the doctor's initial diagnosis had been right.
"You know...I drove by your place last night," Janet said softly.
"What?" Sam's heart lurched.
"I had Jonas stabilized and went home. I was too wired to sleep so I thought maybe we could watch the late show or something." She looked up, an inquisitive smile on her face. "The extra car in the driveway suggested to me that maybe I should keep driving."
"Oh," Sam said, grimacing.
"Who is he?" Janet asked, leaning over her desk.
"What makes you think it's a he?" she said, trying to forestall her friend's questions. She knew this day would come eventually, in fact, she was surprised that she'd kept her secret this long.
"The fact that you're blushing," Janet said. "And you won't answer my question."
"His name is Eric," Sam relented. "I met him a few months ago."
"Months? And I'm just now finding this out?" her friend asked, a hurt expression on her face.
"It's not like that," Sam said. "We met once and I thought that was it. Then I bumped into him again a few weeks ago. We've gone on a couple of dates."
"And?"
"And I just wanted to keep him to myself for a while," Sam said sincerely. "Janet, not to mope here, but my track record with guys isn't exactly a good one. I..." She trailed off and sighed, cursing the dark memories that came forth. "The last time I dated a guy that I really liked I ended up leaving him for dead on an alien planet. I'd like to keep Eric as far away from the SGC as possible."
"Ok," Janet agreed after a minute. "You won't be able to keep him a secret forever you know. Eventually the guys are going to want to meet him."
"I know," Sam agreed. "But they can wait a little while longer."
~Fin~
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