Teal'c had just delivered the final verse of a spoken-word, monotone rendition of "Rawhide" when Cam grabbed the microphone and shouted "Kick it!"

Sam crinkled her nose in anticipation of brief violence, but the Jaffa gave Cam a patient nod, picked up his glass of double malt scotch, and regally returned to the seat next to her.

"Samantha Carter, I have not yet complimented you on the clarity of your performance of 'The Galaxy Song'."

"Aw, thank you, Teal'c," she smiled, and sipped her margarita. "I figured I'd go ahead and correct the distances cited in the lyrics, you know, given that the original words were written before..." She trailed off when Cam yelled out Nowwwww yer mom threw away yer best porno mag and a surprising number of party guests chimed in. "Hoo boy," she sighed, "what's he been drinking?"

"I believe it is called 'Red Stripe'."

"He's still on his first," Vala interjected. "And there's yet half a bottle left." Sam noticed the stubby bottle of lager on the end table just as Vala grabbed it and took a swig. "But yes, Samantha: your performance was exceedingly accurate and a fitting commentary on Tau― erhm, Earth-centric attitudes."

Daniel, aloof from most of the festivities, was frowning and squinting myopically at the hyperactive colonel while nursing his second Hefeweizen. Vala took her umpteenth shot of Goldshlaeger with the hand not holding Cam's beer and then tickled Daniel's ear with a lock of her dark, shiny hair. "Daniel, move out so I can cue 'Banana Boat Song' next."

"No." Daniel scowled and batted at her with a semi-distracted hand. "Not again. If I hear Day-O one more time..."

"You'll tie me up?" she rejoined with an innocent batting of lashes, and began to climb over the back of the couch to escape from the corner he'd blocked her into.

Daniel clumsily hauled her back. "I'll take a turn if you promise never to sing that song again."

Sam could barely believe her ears, but after a scuffle of squirming, more hand-batting, and finger-pointing, Vala settled back into the seat and Daniel actually made his way to the karaoke machine. The archaeologist had never before participated in karaoke, usually preferring to merely observe and limit himself to one early beer followed by an hour's worth of water until he excused himself with a lot of yawning.

"I doubt Rock Band 3, let alone Siler's karaoke machine, have whatever Daniel wants to sing," Sam mused skeptically. "Although I'm curious to see everyone's reaction to Egypt's national anthem..."

"He will obviously have to download the digital file from the internet," Teal'c remarked, tearing his eyes away from Cam playing an air guitar solo. "As you and I had to do."

As Cam and a chorus of Beastie Boys fans finished the song, Daniel still hadn't started his number, so the newly-promoted Staff Sergeant Siler (the honoree of the party) took the mic and performed a newer song. Unfortunately, its refrain was vaguely similar to the song Daniel forbade Vala to sing; she shouted Ay-O with the rest of the crowd as she welcomed Cameron back to his seat.

"Jackson already left?" he asked, reclaiming his beer from Vala.

"No; he's finally consented to serenade me, like a proper suitor," Vala announced.

"From... the bathroom? And... suitor?"

"From the microphone, Cameron." She pointed. "And he took me to a fancy restaurant last night."

Sam exchanged a warning glance with Cam and set down her margarita, but he ignored her and asked, "Was his shirt pressed?"

Vala frowned. "What? He was slightly rumpled, as usual. Why...?"

"Did he open doors for you and pull out a chair for you at the table?" he continued.

"Not... really," Vala said doubtfully. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh... everything," he answered with a slow exhale.

Vala tossed her head, causing one of the thin straps of her shimmery gold top to slide off her shoulder. "He couldn't keep his eyes off me the entire night."

Sam shot Cam another warning glare to prevent him from making a cheap remark about stealing silverware, but the sound of Daniel's amplified voice interrupted all conversation.

"Was ist los mit dir mein Schatz? Ah ha. Geht es immer nur bergab. Ah ha."

"Holy Sprockets, it's Dieter!" Cam exclaimed.

Daniel was speaking into the microphone while a tinny, vapid, electronic 4-note tune repeated in the background. Most everyone else in the room stopped their conversations and hooted encouragement and laughter at the normally reticent archaeologist carefully enunciating German lyrics. Sam clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from chuckling like a chipmunk, instantly recalling the timeline when she'd accompanied Daniel while he impersonated the son of Heinrich Grϋber, trying to fool Catherine Langford.

"He sounds Dutch," one of the party guests commented. "Reminds me of a guy from the Netherlands I met while stationed in Spangdahlem..."

"What's he saying?" Vala asked, rising on the couch to perch on her knees for a better view of Daniel.

"Da da da," answered Cam.

"Yes, very helpful, Cameron, but what does it mean?"

"It's German for da, da, da."

"Ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht," chanted Daniel, making no effort to sing a melody.

"Is it naughty?" she asked Sam, who tried to hide a grin behind her margarita glass.

Sam shook her head. "It's... I have no idea, to tell you the truth. Although that song was in a car commercial years ago..."

The guest standing behind the couch leaned over and spoke into Vala's ear. Sam saw her listen intently as she kept her eyes on Daniel, and then frown as she tried to pay attention to both speakers. After the guest withdrew, Vala's shoulders slumped and her frown lost its intensity, replaced by an expression more fragile. Abruptly, Vala bounced off the couch and made her way through the cluster of people gathered around the ice cooler.

"Bring me another beer," Cam called after her, "to replace the one you drank."

Daniel finished his song to general laughter and applause and returned to the couch, but didn't sit. "Where's Vala? Did I just humiliate myself for nothing?"

"You drove her to drink," Cam groused. "Reckon she made off with the beer I asked her to fetch."

Daniel slumped into the couch and drank some bottled water. "I'm done for the night. As soon as she finishes whatever she's drinking, I'll drive her back to Base and then head home to get enough sleep for a long day tomorrow."

"Don't bother with tomorrow, Jackson." Cam stood and began to head for the keg. "General Landry's delaying the mission another two days so that Grogan's team can heal from that rash."

"I heard that, Colonel," Captain Grogan shouted from the patio.

"So Daniel, the restaurant you went to last night... was it any good?" Sam asked as lightly as possible, to deflect her growing worry over Vala's continued absence.

"Um, Jorge's, the Mexican place. It was fine. Thought she'd enjoy mariachi night," Daniel answered absently, craning his neck to look around the room. "Vala didn't gloat about the vihuela player who tried to serenade her...?"

"Daniel Jackson, I believe Vala Mal Doran has left the party."

"She what?" He blinked in confusion. "Hey, where are my keys?" Daniel muttered, rising from the couch and patting his jeans pockets. "Why'd she leave?"

"I believe Airman Choi translated the lyrics of your song to her," Teal'c replied with ominous gravity.

"Oh, crap," Daniel said, clearly agitated. "I didn't mean... oh crap." He rushed out, stumbling once, leaving Sam to exchange a troubled grimace with Teal'c.