Solstice
Solstice
by Jeanine
Title:Solstice
Author:Jeanine
Category:D/S
Rating:PG
Email:jeanine@iol.ie
Archive:Heliopolis; Statistical Outliers, Sandra's site, Rach's site ; anywhere else please ask first
Feedback:Always welcome.
Disclaimer:Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended.
Season/Sequel:Sometime in the future
Spoilers:Not tonight Josephine.
Summary:Daniel takes Sam on a little vacation.....
Author's Notes:Solstice - as in "a culmination" I thought of this in the summer, when the D/S list were imagining Sam and Daniel taking a trip around Europe - I'm afraid I was a little more parochial than the rest!
A slight mist hovered low over the green fields of Ireland, and as of yet, the sun showed no signs of peeking out over the horizon. Although there was a chill in the air, mingling with the mist, it wasn't a cold morning by any manner of means, certainly not as cold as one would expect before sunrise on the 21stof December.
Even with the chill air, even with the dark sky and the early hour, a small band of people had travelled to be there at that time, on that day. Wrapped up warm against any traditional Irish winter weather, in groups of two and three, they sipped coffee or tea from an urn thoughtfully set up by the local tourist association. Not far away from them, the River Boyne wound its way around the countryside of County Meath. Behind them stood Newgrange, as it had for the past 8000 years, the reason for their coming. Older than the Pyramids, more mysterious than the Great Wall, the lights set up around the megalithic passage grave made the exterior white quartz walls shine. It was an impressive sight Sam Carter admitted to herself as she was lead up the slight incline towards the crowd already there. She smiled, shaking her head as her companion threatened to leave her far behind.
"Daniel, slow down," she laughed.
"Sorry." He reined in his enthusiasm with an effort, stopping to wait for her.
"How long has this thing been standing again? Won't it wait a few minutes longer?" Her tone was teasing.
Daniel looked to the heavens with exasperation. "You've been hanging around O'Neill too much," he informed her. "Do you know what the historical significance of thisthing-" he injected as much scorn into the term as he could, "-is?"
She stopped beside him, laying a hand on his arm, cutting him off before he could get going. "Daniel, I know."
He stopped and shook his head, holding back the impassioned historical speech he had been about to come out with. "I'm sorry Sam." He looked towards their destination, suddenly a thousand miles, or thirty years, away. "It's just...."
Her hand remained on his arm, squeezed it gently. As gentle as her voice was when she finally spoke. "Daniel. I know."
Meeting her eyes, he saw untold compassion and concern reflected there. Nodding, he took her hand from his arm and held it in hers as they continued their walk, slower this time, to the monument. Finally, they reached the edge of the crowd. "Well. Here it is."
"Wow." All Sam could do was stare at the monument. "It's incredible."
There was a self-satisfied smile on Daniel's face, and she knew he was thinking of the hard sell he'd had to do to get her here in the first place. "Wait till you're inside."
Sam was about to say something, but a man's voice calling Daniel's name cut her off. They automatically turned their heads in the direction the voice had come from, and one of the biggest smiles that Sam had ever seen came to Daniel's face. "Connor!" he exclaimed, and dropping Sam's hand, engulfed the speaker in a hug.
When the man stepped back, Sam could see that he was an older man, about her father's age, with a shock of grey hair, and sparkling blue eyes. He smiled as he saw her looking at him and extended his hand. "I'm Connor Fitzpatrick." His grip was firm, his face kind, and she felt instantly that she'd like him. "You must be Sam."
"It's nice to meet you," she told him. "I've heard a lot about you."
Connor looked from her to Daniel. "I could tell you some things about this fella as well."
"Oh Connor, don't go there."
Sam raised an eyebrow, fighting back a fit of the giggles. Daniel had told her all about his parents' old friend Connor, who had worked with them on many digs. He'd known Daniel literally since the day he was born and had kept in touch with Daniel after his parents died. It was he who had arranged for Daniel to be here today, and when Daniel had told him that he might be bringing a friend, he'd made the arrangements for her too. Not that she had originally planned to spend a couple of days of her vacation time in Ireland with Daniel. She hadn't had any plans really. See a couple of movies, spend some time with Cassie, work a little on her bike. When Jack had heard about that, he'd tried, for what seemed like the thousandth time, to rope her into going fishing with him. Teal'c had been quite amused, until he realised that her refusal, and Daniel's plans, left him next in the firing line. For a big guy, she mused, he sure could move fast. She'd complained to Daniel about Jack not taking the hint from her, and his solution had been a surprise. "Come with me," he'd said, and it hadn't taken much to persuade her.
The first couple of days had been spent touring some of the country, relaxing and forgetting about stargates and Goa'ulds and anything else SGC-related. Then, the previous night, they'd driven to a local hotel, where Daniel had woken her up with a five a.m. call to her room. She'd decided when the phone roused her from her sleep that she must have been mad to agree to this. Now, looking at Daniel and Connor bantering, seeing Daniel as she rarely saw him, she was glad that she had.
Connor broke off what he was saying to look at Sam, whose arms were wrapped around her. Even with her jacket, the chill and damp of the morning felt as if it were seeping into her from her boots up. "Lassie, you look perished. D'ye want some coffee to warm you up?"
At the mention of the magic word, Sam brightened considerably, as did Daniel, and Connor went to fetch them some. Daniel regarded Sam quizzically. "What are you looking at?"
Sam shrugged. "Nothing...nothing...I like him, he seems nice." She met Daniel's gaze briefly, then smiled uncertainly, unsure of what she was feeling. "So...when does this thing get started?"
Looking at his watch, then at the sky, Daniel did some mental calculations. "I'd say we'll be heading in in about ten minutes. Time enough for Connor to be back with your coffee."
"So what exactly happens here?"
"C'mon, I'll show you." Taking her hand, Daniel lead her closer to the emormous round tumulus that was Newgrange. She could see the entrance, recognised the huge carved stone lying in front of it from photographs Daniel had shown her. "There's the entrance...and, see, the hole above it? That's the roof-box."
"The important bit, right?" Sam wanted to show that she had been paying attention during Daniel's talks.
He nodded. "There's a passageway into the main chamber, which we'll walk along....it slopes uphill and it's really narrow...and you'll need to watch your head on some of the beams..." Connor came up to them as he spoke, handing them coffee which they sipped gratefully. Connor took up the tale.
"Then, as the sun rises, it begins to shine through the roof-box...as it gets higher, the light travels along the passage, and when it's at it's highest point, the whole chamber is illuminated. It's quite an experience." His whole face lit up at the thought. "And the most amazing thing is that this only happens on the 21stof December every year."
Sam looked at the two men, seeing that the two had identical expressions. She knew how much this trip meant to Daniel, even if she had never heard of Newgrange before he'd invited her along. She also knew, courtesy of Daniel, how hard it was to get inside the chamber at any time of the year, yet alone on Winter Solstice. "Thank you so much for organising this."
"It wasn't easy," Connor admitted. "But anything for this lad." He clapped Daniel on the shoulder. "I remember when Mel and Clare brought you here Danny...I reckon they'd be mighty proud of you."
A bittersweet half-smile crossed Daniel's face and Sam squeezed his hand, knowing how much that would mean to him. He cleared his throat awkwardly, was saved from having to say anything by a disembodied voice on a loudspeaker asking them to move towards the entrance. Daniel's eyes met Sam's and he forced a smile. "Showtime."
The three moved with the rest of the crowd, closer to the entrance. Daniel still had a hold on Sam's hand, which he dropped when they got to the doorway, allowing her to go in first. He hadn't been kidding about how narrow the passage was, Sam realised. Thin as she was, there wasn't much room between her and the walls, and barely anything at all between her head and the roof. Just as she thought the passage would never end, she could see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and she found herself in a small, stone chamber, illuminated by wallside lights. On the walls, she could see similar carvings to the ones on the stones outside, swirls and curlicues, and beyond the walls, she could see the other, smaller, rooms that Daniel had also mentioned to her. The last stragglers came down the passage, and one of the local guides began to talk, outlining what was going to happen in a few minutes. Sam tuned her out, preferring to look around and memorise the exact details. Daniel's version was far more interesting anyway, even though they were both discussing the same thing. That realisation gave Sam pause for thought - what exactly was the difference? Why did she automatically ignore the guide, at the same time, listening to Daniel....his passionate enthusiasm, his boundless energy almost like a fire, crackling out of his blue eyes, reaching out, drawing her in....
She started slightly as Daniel came up behind her, stepping as close to her as he could. She wasn't unused to the sensation - he'd done that for her countless times on countless words, reassuring her with his presence, without saying a word. Now though, she found herself remembering the last time they'd stood together like that. It had been the day before on Grafton Street in Dublin. They'd been walking back up the street towards their hotel, having been to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. Sam had been sure that she could hear classical music, and figured that some shop must be taking pity on their customers by giving them a break from relentless Christmas carols. As they walked, the music got louder, and they could see a crowd gathered on the street. They stopped on the fringe of the crowd, to see what everyone was staring at, and to their surprise, saw a string quartet playing in front of a jewellery shop. The piece they were playing was Pachabel's Canon, one of Sam's favourites, and she had watched entranced at the odd sight, stunned into silence as the shoppers, who were obviously accustomed to this, or too busy to pass notice, buffeted them. One of them had knocked into Daniel, pushing him forward, straight into Sam. His hands had automatically grasped her around the waist to steady himself, and Sam had surprised him, and herself, by not turning, choosing instead to grab his hands and keep them in their position. She had leaned back against him, and he had rested his head against hers, and the two of them stood together, enjoying the music, letting the rest of the world go by around them.
Now, Daniel's right hand attached itself to her waist, while his left reached around to take hers. Sam turned her head to look at him, unsure as to whether she should let it be or ask him what he was doing, but the decision was rendered moot when he suddenly disappeared.
Sam jumped and let out a gasp, nor was she the only one to do so. Almost straight after that, an embarrassed murmur and sheepish laughter filled the chamber. Daniel tightened his grip on her hand, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear - or in the general vicinity thereof- "I told you it'd be dark."
Her first reaction was to reply "Ya think?" She literally couldn't see an inch in front of her, and there was no source of light left in the chamber. What stopped her was the sensation of Daniel speaking in her ear like that, so soft and low. It caused a shiver to go down her spine, and she could feel gooseflesh breaking out on her arms.It was just the shock of the lights going outher subconscious told her resolutely.
Her conscious mind didn't believe her however. The thrill that ran down her spine had nothing to do with fear, or shock, and an awful lot to do with the physical proximity of the man that she had to admit, she was starting to find damned attractive. Someone who she shouldn't even be thinking about like this. The problem was, that she was. And it wasn't one specific thing that she could think of that made him so appealing. It wasn't just his enthusiasm, or the way he could always make her smile. It wasn't how he was always there whenever she needed him, to bounce ideas off or just to talk. It wasn't his passion, or the way he stuck to his beliefs. It was all of that.
Closing her eyes in the darkness, she let her full weight lean against him, relaxing into him. Even though this was wrong, it felt right. And if she was never going to do this again, she was going to enjoy it this one time.
Daniel smiled as he felt her lean against him, inhaling the shampoo that Sam had used that morning. He'd felt her jump as the lights went out, had known that it would have that effect. When they turned out the lights, it was an experience that no-one ever forgot - one could almost believe that the world had dropped away, leaving them with nothing to hold on to. Daniel knew that feeling, had had that feeling on many occasions on many worlds. So here, he did what he always did in a situation like that, mentally if not physically.
He held on to Sam.
His feelings for her had been changing for quite some time, although he couldn't pinpoint exactly when. When he first met her, first got to know her, he'd been so consumed with his search for Sha're, so eager to find his lost love, that he hadn't even noticed that Sam, his friend Sam, his confidant Sam, was in fact a beautiful woman. By the time hehadnoticed, Sha're was dead. Sam was working her way through Jolinar's memories and her grief over Martouf. And Jack was making his feelings for Sam perfectly clear, in a Jack-like way. While Sam was making it clear that she didn't feel the same. Or that even if she did, she wasn't going to risk her career, or the fate of the team, on it.
He didn't know why he should be any different. The same reasons applied to their not getting involved. Military regs. The good of the team. Just friends.
But she'd come here. With him. She'd never gone fishing with Jack. That had to be good, right? And here now, and in Grafton Street, she'd let him hold her without turning around and smacking him. That couldn't be bad, right?
A series of whispers ran through the crowd, and someone near the front of the chamber gasped. As Sam and Daniel looked, they could see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the roof-box, falling on the passage floor. Slowly, the blackness of the passage gave way to a bright, golden glow, creeping along. It was just as Daniel had remembered it, but he still found himself holding his breath for long moments. Sam stared entranced, Daniel's words having ill prepared her for the majesty of the sight.
Eventually, the sun reached the centre chamber, bathing everyone in that same golden light. Sam, her eyes round with wonder and joy, brought her head around to look at Daniel, wanting to see how he was reacting. She smiled up at him, seeing an identical smile on his face, knowing that the same awe she saw in his eyes was in her own. Her breath caught again as she looked at him, the sunlight glinting off his glasses, making his eyes seem even bluer. He had never looked more handsome, and she wondered what thoughts were going through his mind.
Aside from wonder at the mystery of Newgrange, he was looking down at Sam, thinking that she had never looked more beautiful. Her eyes were lit up with amazement, a wide grin spread across her face, the sunlight making her hair look more golden than ever. In days, weeks, years to come, he would be unable to say what possessed him to do what he did next. All he knew was he had to do it. Raising his free hand, he brought it to her face, cupping her cheek gently, then letting it slide down until it reached the point of her chin. To his amazement, he saw tears in her eyes, and one slipped down her cheek. Reaching up his hand again, he brushed it away, letting his hand linger, while the thumb of his other hand, still joined with hers, traced patterns on her flesh. He felt her shiver again, and pulled her closer to him, meeting no resistance.
They stayed like that until the light receded, leaving them in darkness once more.
The guide snapped on the lights again, turning them up slowly, but Sam still screwed up her eyes, turning to bury her head in Daniel's chest until she got used to the light. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, releasing her when they had to move out into the open air once again. A reverent hush had descended over the group, and remained as they made their way out into the bright sunlight.
"Wow," was the first succinct thought that Sam could manage.
"Yeah," was Daniel's eloquent contribution.
The two couldn't take their eyes off each other, and Connor reluctantly made them focus on him. "Look, the Visitor's Centre is doing breakfast....hot coffee, fresh scones, homemade jam...why don't we head over?" When he'd seen them nod, he began to make his way down the slope, expecting them to follow. When he looked back, he could see them in the exact position he'd left them, with one big difference. Then, they'd been holding hands. Now, Sam's arms were around Daniel's neck, Daniel's were firmly around Sam's waist, kissing.
Connor chuckled and shook his head in amusement, casting his mind back almost forty years, when a young Clare Ballard and Mel Jackson had accompanied him into the chamber. They had both been studying at the University of Chicago and had been spending the semester in Ireland with other students, helping him on local digs. They'd sworn up down and all around that they were just friends, nothing more, but Connor could see that it was plain as the nose on your face that they were crazy about each other. Everyone had known, but no-one had done anything about it. Not until Connor arranged for them to go into the chamber during the solstice.
They were together forever after. He'd been guest of honour at their wedding.
He's your boy Mel, and no mistaking.
He'd counted on that when he suggested that Daniel come over for this year's solstice, and why not bring a friend while he was at it? It was a chance that had paid off, and he smiled to himself as he continued his walk to the Visitor's Centre, casting one last glance back.
Behind him, Sam and Daniel let the rest of the world pass them by, lost in each other as the sun shone down on them.
Behind them, the great passage grave stood as it had for the past 8000 years, the sunlight making the white quartz shimmer. If he was in a fanciful frame of mind, he'd almost think that it was winking at him.
Shrugging, he winked back and went on his way.
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