A/N: This story is an excerpt from my much longer series "Sunshine and Shadow." That story is an AU in that focuses heavily on Daniel Jackson. In that AU he is married to Jillian Jackson, civilian scientist and a member of SG8. I wrote this story off the top of my head and when some of it turned into an adventure for Jack and Sam, my beta reader, Bethany Actually, convinced me to make it a stand-alone story as well, so that the Jack and Sam shippers could enjoy it.

This takes place at the end of Season Eight. Sam and Jack are in a new, clandestine and completely committed relationship but there is something he is keeping from her and the rest of the team doesn't know they are together.

Since this was originally a part of Daniel's story, the first few chapters are about him, but this is necessary to the development of the story.

Other original characters include: Major Scott 'Scotty' Lawrence of SG8
Ananoni 'Annie' Kinimaka, SGC civilian scientist, Dr. Keeper Rand, SGC civilian scientist, Dr. Alexander North – Jillian's father, an ambassador assigned to the SGC who negotiated the treaty agreement with the planet,

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The first thing Daniel saw when he exited the elevator was a door directly opposite with a sign in large black hand written letters that said "Watch out for random robots". Underneath the lettering someone had drawn the image of a cartoon Airman wearing a Prometheus uniform flailing backwards as he tripped over four small cylindrical robots whizzing by under his feet.

A similar sign below that said "Puck and the Lucky Charms" with a caricature of a smiling man with a shock of red hair and round glasses wearing a lab coat and surrounded by a host of bullet shaped robots. He had found the temporary home of the scientist whose sole purpose in life was to create robots out of the alien technologies being brought back from off world.

When Daniel opened the door there was a skittering sound at his feet as something came flying out of the room at his feet. Beeping and chittering the small robot careened down the hall in a zigzag, hit a wall, self-corrected and went running around a corner like a squirrel on speed.

Daniel yelped an expletive in Chinese that Sam didn't quite catch. She laughed.

"That little devil's been bumping into the door for the last ten minutes hoping someone would open it," she said.

"Isn't that one of the Mapbots?" Daniel asked.

"Yes." He was answered by the red-haired scientist who had to be the inspiration for the caricature on the door. "It's got some new programming I'm testing. When it was done mapping the room it wanted to seek out parts unknown."

"Those things are amazing," Daniel said, "I can't wait to use them at that complex of ruins on PKZ-9934."

The young man – with the unusual name of Keeper Rand, Dr. Keeper Rand, Ph.D. in robotics and artificial intelligence – sighed and raked fingers through his disheveled hair.

"I'm glad you like it, Dr. Jackson," he said, "But only other scientists do. The Powers That Be thinks we're wasting our time at Groom Lake making toys and cleaning equipment. The mapbot has tons of applications but it doesn't blow things up."

Sam and Daniel locked eyes for a moment. That was true. The Powers That Be weren't interested in things that made life better for mankind; not even now with the Goa'uld scattered and the Replicators gone. They did like the discovery Sam had made that caused naquadah to float. Run a current of electricity through a wafer-thin slice of naquadah and it would hover as much as a few thousand feet off the ground. The mapbots were part of a prototype program to eventually replace the UAVs for long range exploration.

There were currently four of the robots – including the one that Daniel had let loose into the ship. They were named Star, Moon, Heart and Clover after the original marshmallows in the boxes of Lucky Charms. The one running the hallways of the Prometheus was Star. Moon, Heart and Clover were being held in a Plexiglas cabinet, hovering up and down like anxious puppies. Dr. Rand and his robotic pets were part of the cultural exchange of information program that was part of the treaty being signed with 672 – which was what the SGC personnel continued to call it since the native word for their planet was Manuahi Mau Loa.

"Did you come down just to visit the robots?" Sam asked.

"I was looking for you actually," Daniel answered, "I found Scotty and Annie and they told me you were here."

Sam had been asked to join the trip to 672. She had helped build Prometheus and they wanted her to tweak some of the systems. When Daniel had gone looking for her he'd discovered that the temporary robotics lab had asked for her help with the seismic sensor relay they were hoping to put up on Mauna Po'okela Ahi 'Ai Honua – the Mountain of Great Fire. It was also the biggest strato volcano anyone from Earth had ever seen.

Prometheus was currently carrying medical personnel, scientists including geologists, astrophysicists and astronomers, as well as Daniel, Sam and Jillian.

And their robotics specialist, Keeper Rand.

"Keeper asked me to look at the equipment headed for that big mountain everyone can't stop talking about," Sam explained.

Keeper was shaking his head slowly, as if he had just seen something inexplicable. "I couldn't believe how fast she stripped the array!" He said.

"She can field strip a P90 in ten seconds," he said, "I've seen her do it. After eight years I can still only do it in fifteen."

"That's because you get slowed down reading the instructions," Sam countered.

Daniel grinned. It was an old joke between them, part of the history they had built up over the same eight years and countless missions

"So does that mean you can reprogram my ground motion sensor to shoot things?" Keeper asked.

"Do you want me to?" Sam asked.

"You mean you can?" The young scientist's pale face got even paler.

"It might help expand your government grant next time the budget comes up for review," Daniel pointed out. "Sam has probably made targeting systems and experimental weaponry out of more things than you can even imagine."

"No MacGuyver jokes," Sam warned him, pointing a finger for emphasis.

Daniel grinned again. He was going to miss her desperately if she decided to take the job she had been offered at Area 51. Maybe Keeper's disenchantment with the place would help Sam make up her mind to stay.

If it didn't and SG1 lost Sam, it would probably lose Teal'c as well; and if that happened…..

Daniel had an idea of what he wanted to do. It would just mean talking his wife into it.

As if his thoughts had conjured her, Sam said, "Where's Jillian?"

"Taking a nap. She was tired after getting our room all settled."

Sam's face furrowed with concern. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Daniel said slowly, "Fatigue has been an issue in the last few weeks. We've been told it's normal."

Sam nodded and let it go after Daniel slid his gaze sideways to Keeper for a single second and then back to Sam, meaningfully. Jillian's pregnancy was still known to only a handful of people.

"Did you need me for something?" Sam asked him.

"No, I was just wondering what you were doing," Daniel answered.

"Want to help me recalibrate a laser sensor?" Sam wondered.

"Not really my field," he hedged.

"Actually we could maybe use your help, Dr. Jackson," Keeper spoke up, "I was just noticing that the instructions in Spanish don't seem to match the ones in English but my Spanish is rusty; and the Russian! Well…"

Daniel glanced at Sam, who shrugged. "It would be easier than translating ancient Phoenician under a floating bomb that may go off at any moment."

Daniel turned back to Keeper.

"I'd be happy to help," he answered, "and call me Daniel."

Keeper gave him smile that split his freckle-spattered face with genuine happiness.

"Welcome to the team, Daniel," he said; "and please call me Keeper and not Puck like everyone else does."

"Sure," Daniel said, easily and realizing that he was looking forward to having something important to do, "Where are these instructions?"

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