The team was on a two day stand down. Jack wanted to get in touch with Daniel, to offer some kind of apology for his treatment of the scientist of late, but Sam suggested he leave him alone. If Daniel blamed him for the break up, she told him, chances were that by going to see him, Jack would only succeed in driving a wedge further between them. Especially, she told Jack with a stern look, if he wasn't going to be brave enough to *tell* Daniel why he was being such a bastard to him. Her advice was to leave him alone, let him interact with Jack at work and on missions, and hopefully their friendship would build again.

So Jack left him alone.

The contrite officer spent the next two days weeding his garden, painstakingly pulling out the tiny weeds one by one as some kind of self imposed penance for his actions it would seem. He dusted his house, top to tail and he washed every single item within his laundry basket. He mowed his lawns, went around and mowed Janet's lawn as well and stood with his hand hovering over his telephone, secretly wishing that Daniel had a lawn he could offer to mow. He walked away from the telephone, hearing Sam's words echoing within his ears - she even quoted a poem at him - what was that now? If you love something.. let it go.. if it comes back, it's yours... If it doesn't, it never was..

He clenched his hand into a fist as he headed down to his basement, deciding - suddenly - that it needed tidying up.<

***

On the very next working day, however, Jack eagerly awaited his friend's arrival on base. The anthropologist was the last to enter the briefing room, barely raising his eyes as he greeted the others with a general 'hello' before taking his seat. Jack's brow furrowed deeply. Daniel didn't look like he rested much during their break. In fact, he looked positively worn out. Sam had noticed that also and kept making eye contact with the colonel, sending silent messages to him.

"Okay peoples, out you go," Hammond said forty-five minutes later, wrapping up the mission brief.

Daniel pushed back from the table and headed down to the gate room, unaware of Jack so close on his heels. The colonel remained two steps behind him as they went down the stairs. Suddenly Daniel stopped as he passed the control room and saw Graham working at his computer. Jack had sensed this coming so had slowed down too. As if on cue, Graham turned and saw, first Daniel, then Jack right behind him. He looked quickly at both men then headed off. Daniel checked over his shoulder, surprised by his shadow. Without a word, he continued down to the Locker room.

*/*/*/*/*

Daniel was talking to Teal'c during the mission, and Jack was pleased to see him animated in his conversation with the Jaffa. He was even more happier to see the young man laugh a little.

Sam stepped up beside the colonel.

"Looks better now, doesn't he?" She commented as she watched their friend talking with Teal'c. Jack shrugged then looked at her, a little smile played in his eyes. Sam laughed. "Yeah, I know, he always looks good to you," she teased, nudging him slightly.

"Don't you ever let him know that!" Jack said, shaking a finger at her. She nodded, knowing it wouldn't be worth her life to let Daniel in on 'their' little secret.

During a mission a few months previous, Jack had been captured and tortured by a hostile alien race. Unbeknownst to the group at the time, the captors had pumped the colonel full of truth serum in the attempt to weasel information out of him. Sam, Teal'c and Daniel had executed the rescue before they had a chance to interrogate him. Sam was the first to find him in the web of prison cells...

~~~

She pushed open the heavy wooden door with her foot and readied her gun. The colonel was in the corner of the room, curled up into a tight ball. She raced to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Colonel," she'd called softly. He'd looked at her through dazed brown eyes.

"S..Sam? For crying out loud, what are you doing here alone? Where the hell's your backup?"

"Glad to see me, sir? That's nice," she'd quipped as she slung her gun over her shoulder and pulled him to his feet.

"I'd have preferred to see Daniel. Where is he?"

"Looking for you. Come on, we have to get back to the gate."

"I want Daniel," Jack had groaned softly. Sam put his arm over her shoulders and dragged him from the room.

"Well, he'll be at the gate , sir-" She struggled under his weight.

As they crossed towards the Stargate they saw the archaeologist and Jaffa waiting for them. Sam heard Jack whisper Daniel's name and a 'thank god'. She gave a little grunt as she hitched his weight onto her shoulder a little more.

"I'm always excited to see Daniel," Jack had replied - honestly. Sam missed the connotation as she pulled a little face.

"If you say so, Colonel."

She'd stopped suddenly when Jack yanked on her shoulders roughly.

"You don't get it, do you, Captain?" His eyes had narrowed. She shook her head in confusion.

"I *want* Daniel," he'd said, leaving no room for error. Her eyes widened.

"Well, Um, okay, Sir. Let's get you back to the SGC and we'll see what we can do about that issue." She'd tugged him all the way to the gate.

~~~

Jack had fallen unconscious part way back and didn't awaken until three days later in the infirmary. In the meantime, Doctor Fraser had informed the others about the truth serum found in his blood test results, and Sam completely understood what he had said back on the planet. When the colonel woke up, he called immediately for Sam and told her to forget anything he may have said. She nodded, told him something to ease his own mind and then told him that if he needed to ever talk about this, she was there for him.

Over the months, he'd made little comments to her, both easing up on it until it had become 'their' little secret. Jack knew, without doubt, that the Captain would never get out of hand with the gentle ribbing though. He actually felt relieved that 'someone' knew his secret. Up until a few days ago, Jack appreciated the fact that it was not Daniel that had found him in that state. Now all he could think of was the bitter irony of it. Had Daniel discovered him, pumped full of truth serum, spilling his guts and professing undying love for him, perhaps the younger man might have opened up and told him about himself. They may have even had a chance at a relationship - not that Daniel wasn't already in a relationship at the time - with Simmons! Now Jack knew that if he wanted to bring up the matter with Daniel he'd have to do so face to face, and openly. The colonel cringed internally at the thought of baring his soft belly to the enemy. Considering Daniel blamed him for the break up, Jack figured his chances of wooing his friend were less than a snowflake's chance in hell. He wasn't about to humiliate himself like that.

"Colonel," Sam called to him, breaking him from his reverie and returning him to the mission at hand.

*/*/*/*/*

Hours later..

Back at the Base once more Daniel headed off the ramp as he unclipped his helmet from under his chin. Jack looked up and saw Graham watching him leave the room. He had to hand it to the Space Monkey, he was being particularly strong. Not once had he faltered on that mission. Despite being particularly quiet, and avoiding being near the colonel, the archaeologist still held up his end of the work load.

Graham turned his head and his eyes met with the Colonel's. Blushing profusely, he looked down at his keyboard and Jack bit his lip lightly as he left the gate room.

*/*/*/*/*/*

Many hours later..

Sam trotted to catch up to Jack's long strides as he made his way towards home later that day.

"You busy now?" she asked. Her friend shook his head. "I was thinking of trying to get Daniel to the pub, wondered if you'd be interested in coming?" she asked. Jack glanced at her quickly from the corner of his eye.

"What? Make up the couples?"

Sam sighed heavily and he looked down.

"Sorry, that was a cheap shot," he muttered as he reached out and pressed the lift button.

"What do you think?" she asked, ignoring his comment all together.

"If he agrees to go, I'll come," he nodded. Sam watched him step into the lift then she turned and headed back to the locker room, passing Daniel's office on her way.

"Hey," she saw him working inside.

"Hi," he looked up quickly.

"Listen, you avoided us last night, how about tonight? Wanna go to the pub?" she asked, slipping onto a nearby stool.

Daniel stopped working then sighed, turning to look at her slowly.

"Who's going?"

Sam shrugged. "Just me and Janet and Jack.." she said.

"Jack? Does Jack know about you and Janet?" He frowned. Sam bit the inside of her cheek lightly then nodded.

Daniel made a flabbergasted sound then turned to face her more. "He does?"

Sam shrugged. "He was the one that got us together.." she said.

Daniel frowned. "He's a homophobic.. and he got you two *together*?" he said incredulously.

Sam sighed softly. "Well, I kinda think he's hoping we'll invite him over one day to watch." She tried to make light of it, unaware of the impact the revelation was having on Daniel.

He stared at her, his lips moving a little as he shook his head slowly. "I don't understand.." he sighed, then realised what that sounded like, "I mean I don't understand about him, not about him wanting to watch you and Janet. Well, no, I don't understand *that* either, but," he ended up mumbling then letting the sentence die off all together.

Sam wet her lips quickly. "So, what about the pub?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Thanks anyway, Sam," he said before turning back to his work. Sam shrugged, got up and left the office.

Daniel tried to concentrate on his work then he slammed his hand onto his desk top, sending his paperwork flying across his office, as he mulled over Jack's double standards in his mind. So it was alright for his female friends to be 'gay', in fact , *that* was a turn on? But god help his male friend? Did Daniel's sexuality threaten Jack in some way? Was that it? Was the fact that he had a 'gay' best friend something he found repugnant and unacceptable? Like it reflected upon him and his own sexuality in some way! Was that why he was still hounding Simmons with glares? Intimidating him into keeping quiet. That way people wouldn't know that he had a 'faggot' for a best friend?

"You bastard," Daniel whispered to himself as he shook his head angrily.

*/*/*/*/*

Debriefing for a mission.. the next day..

Hammond smiled and led Jack over to the door, then they headed out into the briefing room where the others were waiting. Daniel sat, head bowed, at the end of the table concentrating on the pencil in his hands. Sam stood talking with Teal'c by the window and looking down to the gate room. SG-11 was about to leave and Sam loved watching people step through the event horizon. Hammond laughed at something Jack said then he stopped at the head of the table.

"Okay, people, let's get this debrief underway," he pulled his chair out and sat down. Jack sat in his usual chair and glanced quickly down at Daniel who glared back at him, his mouth pursed into a small round bud. Jack frowned and flipped his note book open, pulling out the pen, ready to take notes.

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