Jack hovered by the door of the infirmary watching Janet run her final few tests on a very weary Daniel. Sam came up beside the colonel, looking pale and drained, her hair pushed back out of her eyes. It seemed that the events of the past few days were finally catching up with all of them and the shocks that they had all been through had started to take their toll. All four members were looking haggard and Jack was in half a mind to seek out Hammond and ask to postpone the debrief for a few days. Only half a mind, though, as he knew the General wanted some explanation on what happened on the Tok'ra world and knew he wouldn't want to wait for the answers.

The colonel looked over the captain while she watched her lover tend to the man. By the look on her face Sam could see that Janet had been 'stressed' by the announcement of the death, and even now, with the truth to temper the reaction, the doctor looked dark under the eyes. When the news would have come through about Daniel, Sam was sure Janet would have been deeply distressed, knowing the level of care the Doctor had for the anthropologist. Often they talked about him, his plight and, most recently, the situation with Jack and Graham Simmons. Janet often expressed how much she cared for Daniel, like he was the brother she never had. At one point Sam even teased her lover about her affections for the man, but Janet had soon showed her where her real affections lay as they spent a day in bed, gently cuddling and kissing each other until all thoughts of the world outside their bedroom failed to exist.

Casting her a side-ways glance, Jack asked, "You okay?"

"I just want to go home.." Sam said softly then turned to look at her C.O. The two of them smiled. "Kinda puts things in perspective, wouldn't you say?" He gave a non-committal shrug as he shifted his footing while still leaning his shoulder against the door frame. "So," she said, dragging her eyes from her lover to look at him once more, "mind if I ask what happened? How long have you known about Teal'c and ... ?"

Jack stared back at her a long moment then conceded that she deserved to know some of the truth. With a jerk of his head he led her from the infirmary and over to the storeroom door at the other end of the short corridor. He kept his head bowed as he looked around them, checking for anybody over hearing but it was her that spoke first, "You know, I kept wondering what you meant on P3x4111 when you told me you 'had' feelings for Daniel... and then something about 72 hours..?"

The colonel sighed heavily. "Things changed, a lot, over the last few weeks.."

She waited patiently then said, "so I can see. How long have Daniel and Teal'c been seeing each other?"

The older man cringed then he tilted his head in a slight shrug, "only a week or so."

"A week!" Her voice lifted and seemed to echo down the corridors. Jack shushed her quietly and she cringed slightly. Looking back at him, her blue eyes darkened. "See this is what I don't get. Up until a few weeks ago the two of you were coming to me, telling me your troubles and basically putting me in a very awkward situation..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Carter."

Shaking her head she stammered, "That's not the point. I carried that, I worried about the two of you, especially when Daniel resigned... I wanted to throw the two of you into a room and tell you to be honest with each other.."

"Wouldn't have done any good," Jack said with a heavy sigh. "To Danny I was just a friend...."

"A friend he loved very much..." she argued.

"But just a friend, all the same," he said, ending the dispute. "Listen, I know because we did get around to discussing it, that night on P3x4111."

She nodded vigorously. "I thought as much."

"But by then it was too late..."

She frowned. "What's that mean? You two came back a lot closer from that mission than I thought was going to be possible."

Jack wet his bottom lip then, sounding like she'd almost beaten that confession out of him, he confessed, "I was already seeing someone else." Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. Could this be the Jack she'd watched pine for Daniel's affections for months upon months, now declaring that he was seeing someone else? All in the midst of his abhorrent, jealous behavior that ruined Daniel's affair with Graham Simmons in the first place?

Shaking her head she growled, "I'm sorry, I don't get it?"

With a succinct shrug, Jack said, "What's not to get? The weekend before the mission to P3x4111 I met someone else and by the time Daniel and I had gotten around to talking about our feelings... mine had - changed."

It sounded so simple but Sam was still confused. "Was he already seeing Teal'c by then?"

"No, well, not in the sense you mean.."

She inhaled deeply then shook her head as she looked around them. Settling her gaze onto her C.O. once more she said, "I feel so out of the loop!"

He nodded. "Well, I'll bring you up to speed on my life, but I really don't feel comfortable about standing in this corridor discussing Daniel's, if you don't mind?"

She nodded then he nodded too. "Okay, well, I met someone and.."

"Male or female?"

"Not important, Carter.."

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not..."

She shrugged so he went on. "And we'd been together a few weeks, but before I left for this mission we.. separated.."

Her eyes darkened with sadness. "No-" She sounded genuinely disappointed. He shrugged. "I'm sorry to hear that..."

"Don't be," he said, putting his hands on his hips and crinkling up his face as he looked at her.

"Is it someone I know?"

He shook his head.

"Someone who works here?"

Again, he shook his head.

"A friend of a friend...?" Her head snapped around when they heard Daniel's grumbles coming from the direction of the infirmary. Both she and Jack hurried over to the door where Daniel stood, resting against the frame as he caught his breath. Jack went straight up to him, gripping his friend's upper arm in his hand.

"How're you feeling?"

"For a man who just died and came back to life - again..." Daniel said with a self-mocking shrug. Jack smiled and patted his friend's arm.

"Well, it's the 'coming back' bit that's the most important thing.."

Daniel looked at him through weary eyes, but he still managed to smile. The two of them walked ahead of Sam and Teal'c as the all made their way to the surface together.

"So," Jack asked Daniel in a low voice. "You really okay?"

Daniel removed his glasses, rubbing his tired eyes. "Yeah," he said with a sigh as he slipped the frames back onto his face, screwed up his nose and took the glasses off again. "Actually, I think my eyesight's improved a little."

"Time for a new pair?"

Daniel nodded absently then rubbed at his eye with his fist. Jack watched him from the corner of his eyes then mumbled quietly, "Listen, about that whole.. get out of my life.. thing..."

Daniel lifted his face, his forehead creased as he looked at his friend. "Oh?"

Jack looked at him, his awkwardness evident. Daniel opened his mouth then closed it quickly as he lowered his chin to his chest again. "Actually, you know, when you said that back there on the Tok'Ra world.." Daniel said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder.

"That? What?"

"That.." Daniel shrugged. Jack nodded.

"Oh, 'that'..."

The younger man pursed his lips into a smile and nodded. "Yeah, that... about wiping the slate clean..."

"What about that.. err... it..?" Jack shook his head and Daniel smirked and lowered his chin to his chest.

"I was kinda hoping it extended to... this.. Us.."

Jack looked at his friend, watching the way Daniel's face creased as he blinked rapidly and a little self-consciously. It was obvious he was as eager to end this hostility as Jack was at that moment.

"We should get together ..." Jack suggested, hoping Daniel would agree. The other man nodded in agreement then looked at him a long moment.

"We could get together for a few .. ugh.. beers..." He suggested, blinking heavily. Jack smiled slightly. He knew Daniel didn't like beer so he appreciated the gesture even more.

"And a pizza, but you get it this time," the colonel joked lightly, referring to the pizza Daniel still owed him for. With a larger smile, the anthropologist nodded.

"Sounds good..."

Jack looked over his shoulder at the two still walking behind them a short distance back. He turned and caught Daniel's gaze and they both gave a fleeting smile.

"Say, a day or two?" Jack asked.

Wetting his lips quickly, Daniel looked back at Teal'c, who noted the action and tilted his head slightly as a loving smile creased his lips. The young man smiled at his lover then shifted his gaze back to Jack.

"Or two..." He nodded.

"Three?" Jack asked. Daniel chuckled softly, dipping his face and brushing his bottom lip with his thumb.

"Three... err.. three would be better..." Daniel said then gave Jack a shy grin. Both men laughed then the older man clapped his arm across his friend's shoulders as they waited for the elevator. "What about you? Where are you going now?"

Jack watched the doors of the elevator, then shrugged without looking at Daniel. The anthropologist felt saddened by his friend's plight but didn't say anything more as the door slid open before them. They all went their separate ways on the surface, but not before Jack reminded them all of the debrief in the morning - to which they all groaned loudly.

To Be Continued....