Vala emerged from her room sometime around lunch, eyes red from crying, but otherwise composed. Sam was curled up in Jack's favourite recliner, book in hand, waiting for her.

"There's a sandwich in the fridge for you, if you're hungry," she said gently, glancing up from her reading. Vala nodded, heading towards the kitchen. She returned a few moments later, sandwich in hand, to perch on the edge of the couch. Sam carefully placed a well-worn page marker in her book, and set the novel aside.

"You okay?," she asked hesitantly, leaning forward.

"Of course!," Vala laughed, the tension in her face stating otherwise. "It's not like I had mapped out my entire future with Daniel," she added. Sam cringed reflexively. Vala took a huge bite of sandwich, waving the rest around as she spoke. "I mean, sure I thought maybe, someday, he'd be curious enough to try something new. But really, there's a whole galaxy full of men out there, so why worry about him?"

"That would depend a lot on whether you really care about him or not," Sam replied softly. Vala snorted.

"You know, I've never cared much for anyone," she replied after a moment. "Bad for business, you understand," she explained with a wave of her sandwich filled hand, alluding to her time as interplanetary thief extraordinaire. "And before that, I was a Goa'uld host. Not much opportunity to form attachments there," she continued. "And before that... we'll, you've met my father." Sam flinched again, though Vala didn't seem to notice.

"I've loved Jack almost since the day we met," Sam confessed. "But our ranks have always made any formal relationship illegal," she continued, gazing at her hands. "I gave up, once," she whispered. "I was all set to marry another man, to prove I could forget Jack O'Neill and move on with my life. It would have been the biggest mistake I've ever made."

"What happened?," Vala asked curiously. Sam met her eyes, a slight smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"My dad. Daniel. Teal'c. They had all had enough of watching Jack and I skirt around each other all those years. And in their own way, they each told me what I needed to do."

"What did you do?," Vala whispered, mesmerized.

This time Sam really did smile. "I came here. Jack had been inviting us all for years, but we'd always avoided it for various reasons. But just after my dad died, I decided I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I broke things off with Pete, and I accepted the next invitation Jack offered. The rest, you already know."

"So you're saying you don't think I should give up on Daniel?," she demanded.

"I'm saying...if what you feel is real, then don't turn away from it. Step back from it for a while, think things through...but don't turn away. He's a good man, Vala. One in a million. And I'm so sorry I didn't notice how much strain he was under until now."

"Sam, you can't blame yourself for the things he said..."

"You don't know him like we do," Sam said, shaking her head. "Before the Ori, I'd only ever seen him lose his temper a handful of times. And even then, it was usually directed at Jack, who actually always deserved it." Vala raised her eyebrows in surprise. "We should have noticed the change sooner. We should have made him talk," she finished.

"It's not your fault," Vala replied.

"He's one of my best friends, Vala. And I haven't been there for him."

"We'll, you're here now," she said decisively. "That's gotta count for something."

"Let's hope so," Sam said.

They lapsed into companionable silence for awhile while Vala finished her meal, brushing stray crumbs onto her plate before setting it gently on the coffee table.

"Well," Vala said desolately, rising from her seat, "I guess I can't avoid the others forever."

"Actually," Sam replied carefully, "I don't think you'll have to worry about Daniel for a while."

"Why not?," she asked, puzzled.

"Because Jack kicked him out," Sam replied with a slight wince. Vala's eyes widened in surprise.

"He did what?"

"Sent him out to the bush to work things out," she confessed.

"Work what out?," Vala asked, still bewildered.

Sam shrugged. "Whatever's really bothering him. It isn't you, Vala. Trust me."

"So Daniel is...?"

"Out on Jack's trail with all his tools," Sam replied. Vala slumped back down to the couch.

"He's going to hate me," she mumbled, her eyes welling once more.

"What? Why?," Sam asked, confused.

"This is supposed to be his safe haven. And he's been kicked out, because of me," she said mournfully.

"Vala. He's not going to hate you. If anyone, he'll hate Jack. And only for a little while," Sam reassured. "Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

"How can you say that?"

Sam smiled. "We're talking about Daniel. He can't stay like this forever. It goes against his nature."

"What's he really like, then?," Vala asked, curious.

"You've seen it, here and there," Sam replied, her smile widening fondly. "When we found you in that warehouse; that was pure Daniel. He's all heart."

"And you're sure he hasn't changed?," she asked, clearly not believing her.

Sam shook her head. "Not that much. He's a good man, Vala. One of the best."

"Sam," Vala said, remembering something. "What did you mean, when you said this wasn't about me?"

"We think...Well, Jack and I think, that maybe none of Daniel's irritability towards you has really had anything to do with you, per se...We think that you've just been...um...a convenient outlet," Sam finished, cringing slightly at the callousness of her own words.

"Lucky me," Vala retorted sarcastically.

When Daniel returned to the head of the trail, he found that Jack had been busy, as well. A tent had been pitched just out of sight of the main road, in a miniscule clearing with easy access to the trail, and had been stocked with supplies. As well as an air mattress, thermal blankets, and a heavy sleeping bag, Jack had provided two sealed containers of water, snack food, a kerosene lamp, matches, and a blank notebook and pen.

Daniel dropped his lunch bag beside the tent, leaning against the trunk of an ancient red pine to eat his meal. Everything ached, and he had a whole slew of angry blisters across his palms despite having worn Jack's heavy work gloves, but by all appearances, Jack wasn't satisfied. He was going to stick to his guns and keep Daniel out here until he 'figured things out.'

Only Daniel wasn't entirely sure what needed to be figured.

All right, so he'd lost his temper. And, according to Sam and Mitchell, he was becoming something of a recluse. And there was no doubt in Vala's mind that he'd chose books over human interaction any day.

Really, Teal'c was the only one who hadn't indicated that there was something wrong with him. Maybe everyone else had just lost their minds.

Daniel stared out at the trail, sighing.

Well, there were always low-hanging branches he could trim next, he supposed. And that fallen tree on the far side of the pond. He could chop that into firewood for Jack. Maybe that would earn him some brownie points.

Daniel finished his lunch in a few big bites, hurrying through to get the work done. And who knew? Maybe a night in a tent by himself would do him good. He might actually be able to sleep in peace. Nobody tossing and turning beside him. Nobody snoring. No early risers. Maybe this really would be exactly what he needed.

Grabbing the axe, Daniel smiled. Maybe this week wasn't going to be so bad, after all.

"So, how was he?," Sam whispered later that night. "When you went to check on him?"

Jack rolled over to face her, meeting those gorgeous blue eyes, in the light of the moon. "He's fine," Jack replied shortly.

"Well, that's good," Sam breathed, sounding relieved.

"He's in denial," Jack clarified. "He's not even really trying yet."

"What exactly are you expecting him to do?," Sam asked.

"Vent. Destructively," Jack replied.

"The way you do?"

"The way anyone who has seen and done as much as we have would do," he replied.

Sam shook her head. "Everyone deals differently with the stress," she argued.

"Not once it's pushed them this far," Jack countered. "This isn't really any different than your need to train Daniel into a mean, lean fighting machine whenever things got rough," he added. "It's an outlet."

"And the work he's done so far doesn't count because...?"

"It's too deliberate," Jack replied. "When he really starts to deal, it's going to get messy out there."

"And you're sure he needs to be alone?"

"Positive. Once he's through the anger, you can try to talk to him. But not before."

Sam sighed, her warm breath tickling his face. "How long do you think it will take?"

"That all depends on Daniel."

"How long does it take you?," she asked softly.

"That all depends on the situation," he replied, gently running a finger along her face. "Sometimes days. Sometimes longer."

Sam shivered at his words, despite the warmth of his touch. "I wish there were more we could do for him."

"Getting him through this will be a huge step. Sticking close to him afterwards will be helpful too."

"What helped you? Afterwards?," she asked, stroking the rough stubble lining his jaw, and letting her fingers tangle in his silvery hair.

He smiled, warm and playful. "Coming back to you," he replied, gently kissing her wrist. "All of you," he amended, more seriously. "I couldn't ask for a better set of friends."

Sam leaned over and kissed him, slow and savoring, eventually allowing him to deepen the kiss.

"Jack," she whispered, some time later.

"Yeah?," he breathed, shifting closer to tighten his hold on her.

"I always feel better coming back to you, too."

At that he chuckled, drawing her in for another kiss. It was a long time before they pulled away again.