Sam sat on the deck in her backyard and smiled as she surveyed the results of her days spent in the garden.
SG-1 had come back after yet another hard mission exhausted, and had been ordered to take a week’s R&R to recover. For once, Sam had been so tired she had actually left the SGC and not even thought about returning.
For the first couple of days she hadn’t done much, just mooched about, catching up on sleep, watching the TV and reading. Then she had started to catch up on all those household chores that she just never seemed to have the time for. She’d spring-cleaned the house top to bottom in three days flat, before venturing out into the garden, where she’d pottered about, weeding, pruning and planting for the first time in over three months.
It was a beautiful spring day, warm and sunny, and the borders were crammed with spring flowers in bloom, a benefit of planting over a hundred bulbs about two years ago. An old magnolia tree at the bottom of the garden was just coming into bloom, and the lawn was scattered with blossom from a flowering cherry tree next door. A few insects buzzed around the flowers, making the most of the warmth.
She drained her cup of coffee and stretched out on the old bench, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. Sam never got to spend much time in her garden, but what time she did spend there was precious and always left her totally rejuvenated.
Her mood faltered slightly as she thought about having to return to the greyness of the mountain. Sam loved spring. It always gave her a sense of renewal, of a fresh start. The thought of disappearing into the darkness of the underground base and not seeing daylight for days on end depressed her slightly.
She got up and wandered round the garden, touching the budding leaves on the trees and bushes, smelling the heady scent of the daffodils as they bobbed their golden heads in the light breeze. For Sam they were the ultimate symbol of spring – one of the first flowers to bloom, emerging from the soil when almost everything else was still dormant – a bright splash of yellow heralding the impending arrival of spring.
Stooping down to study one of the golden trumpets, she smiled as an idea popped into her mind.
The following day, SG-1 returned to the mountain, refreshed and ready to start another seemingly endless round of off-world missions interspersed with various research projects, training exercises and mundane activities necessary to their life at the SGC.
Sam was the first one in, as she’d hoped, and she busied herself with the first, self-inflicted task of the day. Once she was satisfied it was complete, she returned to her lab and got on with reading through the mass of emails and memos that had accumulated in her absence.
Two hours later, she joined the rest of SG-1, Janet and General Hammond in the briefing room for their scheduled mission briefing only to be greeted with five beaming smiles. In the centre of the table was a pot of daffodils.
"Major, do I take it that you’re behind this?" asked Hammond, a twinkle in his eye.
Each of the five people in the room had come into their office that morning to find a bunch of daffodils on their desk, a bright splash of colour in the drab surroundings of the SGC.
"Yes Carter, do tell," grinned Jack.
Sam blushed and smiled as she replied, "Yes sirs, it was me."
"Thank you," said Janet. "It was a lovely surprise this morning – coming in and finding these on my desk."
"Yes, thanks Sam," smiled Daniel. "Is this why you phoned me last night and asked me which spring flowers I was allergic to?"
Sam grinned, "Yup."
"Thank you Major Carter," said Teal’c inclining his head. "The flowers look very nice in amongst the candles in my quarters."
"Just one thing, Carter," added Jack. "Why?"
"Well, sir," Sam shook her head a little, "I know this will sound really dumb, but I was sitting in my garden yesterday, thinking about how lovely it was in the spring, and I just thought…" She tailed off, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Thought what?" asked Daniel gently.
"I just thought that it’s so dull and grey and drab in here, so I… thought… as we can’t go out there into the spring it would be nice… to bring a little bit of spring in." She smiled a little sheepishly.
Everyone nodded in agreement and stared in silence at the flowers, as yellow as the spring sun outside.
And just for a moment, spring came to the SGC.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Response to the Tokra Flats Spring Day challenge – not beta’d so all mistakes are mine own.
© November, 2003 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. I have merely borrowed them, and promise to give them back the way I found them – well, more or less, anyway! Rats – TPTB want Danny back – I wasn’t quick enough there, although I’ve had lots of fun playing….<g>! The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.