"A coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder" Edward Luttwak.
"So....?" Daniel asked, sending a look Jack's way. A slight rise of his eyebrows appeared above his glasses; a shrug in his shoulders; fingers picking at the label on his bottle.
Jack merely glanced at him while taking a swig of beer.
"When are you going to ask her?"
"Ask who, what?"
"Sam," Daniel said pointedly with his eyes. "Jack... she's going away to another galaxy – you can't tell me that you haven't even thought about asking her...."
Jack simply frowned. "Asking her what?"
For a moment Daniel froze, his look of shock morphed into one of disbelief. "You're not are you?" He asked. "You're not going to and the thought hasn't even crossed your mind..."
"Daniel," Jack stated, "I haven't the foggiest what you are-" he suddenly cut himself short, avoiding his friend's gaze and taking a gulp from his beer, "- going on about."
"Jack..."
"I'm out of beer," He rose from his deckchair and disappeared back into the kitchen. Not letting up, Daniel followed him, leaving the rest of the people outside none the wiser.
"Jack..." Daniel uttered the minute he entered the room.
Jack stared into the fridge for a long moment, "Daniel, just drop it, will ya?"
"But-"
Jack slammed the fridge door and focused his stare on the younger male. "Daniel, what part of 'drop it' don't you get?"
"You have thought about it haven't you?"
A large sigh left Jack's lips. "We're not going to have this conversation..."
"Why?" He leant against the wall, arms instantly crossing across his chest. "What harm could it do... unless..." Daniel paused and looked his friend up and down for minute. "Did she say 'no'?" He asked in surprise.
"No, she didn't say no!" Jack replied grouchily, "I haven't even asked her!"
"But you have thought about it?"
"Of course I've thought about it!" Jack cried. "You don't think it's something I think about?"
"Er..." Daniel simply frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm not.... really?!"
Jack shook his head from side to side before glancing down at the bottle in his hands. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his feet one over the other. "It's complicated, Daniel..." He sighed.
"Then explain it to me."
"I distinctly remember you once telling me that you didn't want to hear anything about what goes on between me and Sam..."
Daniel Shrugged. "Yeah well, this is different."
"How?"
Daniel pursed his lips. "Well that was about intimate stuff I really don't want to think about. This is... this is stuff that you need to talk about – like I said, different."
He shrugged again when Jack simply frowned at him. Shaking his head, Jack merely stared back at the bottle again. "I don't want this to be about Sam going away."
"What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If I ask her, she will just think I'm only asking because she's going away, when that's what not what asking her should be about." Jack sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "I've been in the military a long time Daniel. I've seen couples get engaged or married before their husbands or wives are sent away on potentially dangerous missions. It's what military people do. We're so afraid of losing people we try and do bold drastic things to make up for it."
"And you think... asking Sam to marry you now would be bold and drastic?"
"See... I knew you wouldn't get it." Jack turned away from him and stared out of the kitchen window. He could see all their guests mingling in the garden, many of whom would miss Sam almost as much as he would, he guessed. He tried searching for her among them, feeling disappointed when he couldn't spot her.
"You think if you ask her now, then the whole concept of asking her at all, would actually lose its meaning?" Daniel asked. His voice was quiet but it still cut the silence in the room like a knife.
"Yeah..." Jack whispered back.
"So... you were gathering up the courage to ask her anyway, and then this whole Atlantis thing happens and ruins your plans?"
"Something like that..."
"Hmmm...."
"What?" Jack peered over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Daniel.
"Well it's just...."
"What?!"
"Well, you don't think actually talking to her about it, might do you some good?"
Jack shrugged and turned around, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at his feet. "We did talk about it once..."
"Oh?"
"Just in loose terms, you know, not about us or anything, but the idea of it in general... sometime in the future... you know...."
"Oh my God, you've been reduced to babbling..."
"Hey, you wanted to know!"
"I know... I'm just.. .having a little fun....." He smiled and then glanced at Jack, all straight faced again. "Seriously, you had this talk... and then what? How long ago?" He gestured with his hand, waving it in the air.
Jack shrugged. "A year ago, or so... maybe less..."
"So you talked about... planted the seed...bided your time...."
"Hey, I was just waiting for the right moment!"
"Ah, Jack the romantic..."
"Well I don't see you wanting to ask anyone!"
"Yeah, well-" Daniel promptly shut his mouth, his pause long enough to make Jack smirk at him.
Their eyes crossed paths for mere seconds before they both turned away. Jack back to his feet, Daniel to a random spot on the floor in front of him.
"So... you gonna ask her?"
Their eyes met once more.
Jack ran a hand down his face again. "Don't know, Danny boy, I don't know...."
