Daniel tried not to drag his feet as he followed Teal'c into the infirmary. He thought holing up in his office for the remainder of the evening would help him clear his head. He always felt more focused after hours of digging into more advanced translations. But then again, he'd also thought standing in the rain for a good thirty minutes would do the trick. Obviously that wasn't one of his better ideas.

He glanced at Sam. She was seated on one of the gurneys, her pinched face a mix of relief and sadness. Or maybe he just hoped he saw sadness, which, if that were the case, made him feel even worse. Daniel took comfort in that he wasn't always the best person when it came to reading emotions, especially when they boiled down to relationships or affection.

Teal'c steered him away from Sam and brought him to the gurney that faced opposite her. Daniel sent him a quick, meaningless glare before he threw himself onto the sheets.

Now they just had to wait. He didn't know where Jack was or what he had planned, but Daniel sure as hell wasn't looking forward to facing it. Or Jack. They'd all been in compromising situations before, but not usually within their own team. The times that something did happen between them – any of them – they just never spoke about it.

Daniel wasn't so sure that he could just sweep this one under the rug.

He centered his gaze on Sam. Like him, she sat in uncharacteristic silence, watching him with her own pained eyes. Sadly, he could understand what she going through. In what seemed like a lifetime ago, he had faced the same battles of fidelity with Sha're. Only, he could console himself with the knowledge his liaisons had been with strangers, forced on him in sick and strange ways. While Daniel didn't doubt that the Tuonga had some part in this, for Sam he had become the enemy with a friendly face.

Daniel wanted nothing but to fix things for Sam's sake.

"Daniel Jackson! It would be best for you to remain until O'Neill arrives."

Daniel froze, realizing he had left the gurney behind and had already started to make his way over to Sam. Cringing, Daniel took a step back, ignoring the hints of confusion in Teal'c's face or the anticipation in Sam's eyes. Instead, he slumped onto the gurney, just wishing this would be over.

"All right," Jack announced, clapping his hands as he entered the infirmary. "I see we're all here."

Daniel glared at him. "And?"

"I want a straight answer," Jack said.

Sam and Daniel exchanged an uneasy look.

"Hey," Jack said. "None of that."

"Sir…"

"Jack…"

He shook his head. "Just what the hell were you thinking, screwing around with something that important?"

"Technically, we weren't screwing around with anything," Daniel mumbled. "We were screwing—"

"Daniel," Sam warned.

Jack scowled and Teal'c cocked his head. Neither looked at all amused.

"This," Jack said motioning between the two of them, "isn't normal." He paused and then frowned. "Tell me this isn't normal."

"No!" Sam shouted.

"No. No, not at all," Daniel said. He cleared his throat.

"You and Colonel Carter are not involved in ongoing sexual relations?" Teal'c asked.

Daniel stared at him. "No…But even if we were, it's not like it's anyone's business."

Sam flinched. Jack didn't.

"When it becomes a problem, then it becomes my business," he said.

Sam sighed. "Sir, we believe that the Tuonga were somehow responsible for the changes Daniel and I have felt."

"That's putting it lightly," Daniel muttered.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Jack asked. "It's not like we haven't dealt with something like this before now."

"Sir, with all due respect, how would you like it if we brought up Argos or—"

"Ah-ah!" Jack lifted his finger. "We're not talking about those incidents."

Daniel fought back the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course not."

Jack sent him a hot glare but didn't push the issue. When the room fell silent, Jack strolled to one of the cabinets in the room, opened it, and pulled out a file. Then, he started back to the center of the room. "Look, I'm ready to just chuck the whole deal and refuse further negotiations with the Tuonga," he said, tapping the file on his palm. "Unless you can give me a reason not to do it."

"I don't think they meant it," Daniel said. "I don't even know what they were thinking."

"I talked to Malpu," Jack said. "He said it was all a misunderstanding. You know what he means?"

Sam frowned. "No, sir."

Jack turned to Daniel who just shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Well, here. Let me make it easier on you." He motioned for Teal'c to take a step back and slid a medical tray between the two gurneys. "You're addicted to each other."

Daniel stared. "What?"

"Sir, that's not possible."

"No?" Jack flopped the folder down on the tray that separated them. "I think otherwise."

Immediately, Sam started to flip through the charts and MRI scans that were tucked in the oversized folder. He saw her eyes widen as she devoured the information, while a new spark of understanding crept into her face. She glanced up at Daniel briefly, highlighting the surprise and relief in her eyes, before she dug back into the file.

Daniel crossed his arms and turned to Jack. "You're saying we're high on each other?"

"More or less."

Daniel nodded once and bowed his head. That would go a long way in explaining any lack of restraint he was experiencing. He sighed. At least Sam now had a viable excuse to use in relation to her job and her relationship with Pete, if it ever came up. He knew Jack would likely scratch the whole thing from the records.

That would do nothing to erase it from Daniel's mind.

"Increased unusual activity in the caudate and hypothalamus," she said with a nod. "That makes perfect sense." She lifted her head and grinned at Daniel. "This means that it isn't really us at all."

"What a relief," Daniel said quietly.

Jack shot him an odd glare before he turned to Carter. "Was there any doubt?"

Her grin wavered. "No, sir." She again buried herself into the records.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders, trying to work out the tension. "So, what do we do now?" he asked, hoping his impatience didn't show too much in his voice.

"There's always the chance it can wear off on its own," Sam said. "Or I'm sure there are some prescription options available."

Jack shook his head. "We don't know if it will ever wear off. I'll have to take you both off the field in the meantime."

Both Daniel and Sam sat a little straighter, their faces mirroring each other's protesting scowls.

Jack just shrugged. "Give me a better option."

"We could always go back to the planet," Daniel suggested.

Jack stared at him. "You want to go back there?"

"Daniel's right, sir. The best way to remedy this problem is to go straight to its source. And like you said, the Tuonga admit to this being a misunderstanding. They may be willing to fix things for the sake of continued relations with the SGC."

"Or you could come back worse."

"I don't think it can get any worse," Daniel mumbled.

"I can think of a lot of ways," Jack said.

"Let us at least talk to them," Daniel said as he rubbed his chin. "There's no reason for us to stop negotiations if we can clear up this misunderstanding."

"Sir. It really is our best option."

Jack eyed them both thoughtfully, shifting his jaw as he considered their suggestion. Finally, he shrugged. "Okay, but I want you fully armed. You're to check in every sixty minutes."

They nodded.

"And you're not going alone."

Sam and Daniel started. "What?"

Jack motioned to Teal'c, who stood taller. "I will assist you."

"Oh, Teal'c." Sam winced. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why not?" Jack asked, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "Doesn't hurt to be cautious. In fact, I'm coming too. I want to talk to these Tuonga myself."

"Oh, sure," Daniel said. "That's a great idea. I'm sure you and Teal'c would love to come back holding hands."

Sam grinned.

Teal'c turned his head to Jack, his gaze falling to Jack's hands. Jack cleared his throat and slipped his hands into his pockets, not even bothering to glance over at Teal'c. He forced a weak smile. "Good luck," he said.