Daniel had been able to sense the dark change in his friend's mood. The sarcasm was still there, but there was a dark edge to it, the playful teasing gone for the most part. And he instinctively knew it had something to do with Sam. Any attempts to broach the subject were met with threatening glares and stonewalling.

Maybe a few beers would loosen him up, Daniel figured. So on the last day of Sam's week off, he convinced a pissy Jack to join him and Teal'c at their favorite bar downtown. Had he known who was there, he wouldn't have gone near the damn place.

Jack tried to get himself together as he drove himself to meet his friends. He knew he shouldn't be acting this way. He had done what was necessary to keep Carter from throwing her life away. But he could never get his heart to agree with him. He knew there was a bond between them. And even though neither one of them could do anything about it right now, he still felt that there was an unspoken understanding between them: they belonged to each other.

So heading into the bar with Daniel and Teal'c, he was surprised - to say the least - to see her out with a man he had never seen before. He was tall, good-looking, and smiling at Sam in a way that made Jack feel murderous. Betrayal shot through him like a hot poker, and he tried to look non-committal.

Sam caught sight of them and waved. She stood up, grabbing pretty boy's hand and pulling him after her as she made her way to her three best friends.

"Hey!" she said affectionately to the group. She gestured toward pretty boy. "This is David," she told them, and the man extended a hand toward Daniel first, then Teal'c. "These are my co-workers," she told him, smiling. "Daniel, Teal'c...and my friend, Jack."

The little dig was not lost on Jack and his eyes darkened to the color of coal. Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a look as David shook Jack's hand and said, "It's nice to meet Sammie's friends."

Sammie? Jack fumed, wondering if his grip on the man's hand was solid enough to flip him to the ground and soundly beat the hell out of him. At Sam's invitation, the three arrivals followed Sam and David back to their table. Daniel cast a quick glance in Jack's direction. His jaw was set and his whole body tense. This was not working out the way Daniel had planned. Shit.

"So. Sammie," Jack said sarcastically as he settled into a seat next to her. "I take it you've had a nice vacation?"

Her eyes flashed, the pain of a few days ago hidden from everyone but Daniel. "Yes, Sir," she replied stiffly, and then smiled widely in David's direction, who promptly smiled back. "It gave me an opportunity to...re-evaluate my...priorities."

"Oh yeah?" Jack replied. "How so? Running around town with strange men has made it to the top of your priorities now?"

Icy fire snapped in Sam's eyes as she tore them away from her date and pinned them squarely on Jack. Daniel closed his eyes and swore under his breath. Teal'c remained stoic.

"Not at all, sir," she replied, spitting the honorific more like an expletive. "David and I have been inseparable since we met last week. It's nice to spend time with someone shows his true feelings."

Jack decided he would like to show his true feelings at the moment, but his face remained in a deadly calm. David shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"And," she added, not knowing when to quit, "who I spend my time with is not any of your business."

Jack choked on his beer. "That's interesting, Sammie," he replied. "You seemed pretty interested in making it my business last week." Daniel's mouth fell open, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow, which for him meant he was stunned.

"Last week I wasn't thinking straight. You'll have to forgive the lapse in judgment. Surely as my friend, you can understand that." And it was at that point Sam knew she had gone too far.

Jack's face turned a deep crimson and his eyes flashed murderously. With a dangerous calm, he returned Sam's stare and set his beer on the table. Glaring at the group, he got to his feet and grabbed his jacket. "Great idea, Daniel," he sneered. And with that he was out of there.

* * *

Sam closed her eyes as she splashed cold water on her face, trying to wash away the memories of earlier that night. How could she have been so stupid? She wasn't looking forward to going back to the SGC the next day. Instead of recovering from her humiliation, she'd added to the awkwardness she was sure would follow once she arrived back.

That date with David had been the last. The distraction had helped somewhat during her week off, but her heart wasn't in it, and she knew it. It wouldn't have been fair to him to carry it any further.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, water streaming down her face, mingling with tears. She would probably always love Jack, she thought. Might was well be resigned to it.

But at least his reaction, unpleasant as it had been, showed he still had feelings for her. That made her feel a bit better. Then she sighed. She was back to clinging to little pieces of hope - a word, a look, a smile - that Jack cared for her. She'd done it for years. Why stop now?