She showed him the ring, the goddamned ring and then asked him about her having children with another man. And then had the, what was it, gall or totally callousness to ask about him, if thing were different. What the hell did she mean? Was she wondering about the two of them together while discussing her soon to be engagement to another man?
You might take one for your buddies. He was a military man – he understood these things but there was no way he was throwing himself on this grenade. No one would be hurt but him and he would be eviscerated. She would back down, back away, slam into reverse and pretend this never happened.
Go ahead O'Neill bare you soul so she could lock it up in that frigging room. No, he didn't need this. He had enough to contend with.
Did he want her? Did he want a life with her? Hell yeah! But the cost of exposing his desire was too great and he was sure the result would be nonexistent.
He could be just as cryptic as she. So he pretended that he didn't understand, that he didn't need anything, not this job and not her. And that night when sleep didn't come, the emptiness of his life and desolation did.
