"Have you heard from Daniel?"

"Yes. He just checked in."

"What's going on?"

"The villagers are performing a 'Mal Doran' for Vala and the others."

"A what?"

"I think it's some kind of trial."

"Trial? Why did they need Daniel and isn't that Vala's last name?"

"Something about being allowed someone to talk for them. Vala suggested Daniel, so they sent Bosco back to get him. From what Daniel said, a Mal Doran was created by Qetesh and used when she ruled there"

"How long's this going to take? Are they all ok?"

"Everyone's fine, well, locked up, but nothing like what happened to Bosco. As for how long, I have no idea. Daniel's supposed to check in again at 2200."

"Ah. So you're just stopping by to let me know?"

"Yeah." Jack looked uncomfortable standing in the doorway, but Sam couldn't bring herself to offer him a seat.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Sam watched Jack leave out of the corner of her eye, Daniel's last words to her, on her mind. What did Jack want from her, and what did she want from him? She turned back to her computer, determined not to think about that at work.

Sam waited impatiently for Scott. He had offered to drive her home for a few hours, as she wanted to do a little packing, and grab some more clothes for the next few days. Scott was now running an hour late. She had been so engrossed in her work that she hadn't noticed that he was already late, but packed up what she was doing anyways. She picked up the phone and dialed Vikki again, hoping someone would answer this time. Once again the phone rang, and rang. Grabbing her crutches she headed down the corridor to her lab.
Jack was bored, despite the amount of work he had piled up on his desk. He was concerned for Daniel, but as there was nothing he could do about it right now, had taken to pacing around his office instead. There were only two other teams, besides SG's 1 and 3, offworld right now. Both those teams were visiting friendly planets, trying to find out if there had been any sight of their rogue goa'uld, and neither was due back for another 24hrs. His mind went back to the conversation he had with Daniel the night before.

He could see why Sam was upset, and truly hadn't meant for his words to be taken that way. He had only been trying to act nonchalant about the whole situation, guessing that was probably what Sam wanted. Now he wasn't sure what he wanted.

He had loved her, years ago, but the regulations were there. He had spoken from his heart during the za'tarc test, and had meant every word for years. When she married Pete, he had been happy she had found someone, but upset because it wasn't him. Pushing his feelings aside, he had tried to move on. He thought he had done quite well, until he saw her in D.C. Even sweaty, and in jogging pants, she was a beautiful sight. It had thrown him off balance, but he had once again tried to put it behind him, thinking that he would never see her again. How wrong he had been.

He hadn't been able to get her out of his mind, no matter how hard he tried. He had kicked himself for allowing her to believe that he was dead. Had he done the right thing? Should he have contacted her, or at least replied to some of her emails and letters? He thought he had been doing himself a favour, but now he wasn't too sure.

When she had arrived at the SGC, things between them had not been good. They had been cold and stand offish to each other, and he had continued to feel angry at himself and her. Fortunately, that had changed. When Sam had been injured in the explosion at her lab, something between them had changed. He didn't know exactly what, but he was glad it had, and guessed that Daniel might've had something to do with it. Ever since then, their friendship had evolved. It wasn't the same as it had been, but different in a good way.

That night at Daniel's had changed everything again. He hadn't meant for anything to happen, but that much alcohol always caused some interesting results. When her head had fallen onto his shoulder, he had willingly put his arm around her, enjoying every moment. This was something he could never do while he had been her CO. Sure, they'd done that as friends, but he knew that what he had been intending, was more than friendship. He had spent the few hours holding her, sleeping blissfully, comfortable, and warm inside. The feelings he had for her years ago had come back, almost at full strength.

Now, here she was, no husband, and no regulations. Could he allow himself to love her again after all the hurt he had gone through? Would she feel the same way towards him? Did he want to risk ruining what they currently had to find out?

His head swimming, he decided he needed to get away from the base for a little bit. He informed Walter that he was going out, and to contact him on his cell phone if anything happened. He went down to his temporary quarters, changed in to jeans and a shirt, and waited for the elevator. The doors opened to reveal only one person in it.

"Hi."

"Hi. You going somewhere?"

"I was."

"Not anymore?"

"Nope."

"You need a ride?"

"No, that's ok."

"Sam, please, let me give you a ride."

"What are you doing?"

"Just needed to get out for a few hours."

"Oh."

"Where you headed?"

"I was going to go home for a couple of hours, but I've got work I can do instead."

"So you don't want a ride? I won't bite, I promise." Jack smiled charmingly at Sam, who despite being upset at him, couldn't resist.

"If it's not out of your way, or too much trouble."

"Nah, no trouble at all. In fact, you've given me something to do."

"You're telling me that there's nothing to do in that office?" There was no staying mad with Jack O'Neill when he acted like this, Sam thought ruefully.

"Nothing that I want to do... C'mon, lets go."

The elevator opened to the ground level, and Jack walked towards his car. Sam climbed in after tossing her crutches in the backseat, and gave him directions to her apartment.

"Thanks for the ride."

"You sure you don't need help?"

"That's ok. I'm sure you've got things to do."

"Nope. Not a thing planned."

"Uh, sure, you can come up." Sam got out of the car, and grabbed the crutches, cursing at herself for giving in to him.

"You moving soon?"

"About 2 weeks. Still got to sign some papers before I get an official date."

"Ah. How's the packing going?" Jack scanned the many half packed boxes scattered around her living room.

"Its coming slowly. Here's the remote."

Sam handed Jack the remote, who promptly sat down and turned the TV on. Sam went to her room, shut the door, and started throwing clothes into a bag. She was angry at herself for falling for his charm. She had wanted a few hours alone, away from the base, to think about what Daniel had asked. How was she supposed to think with him sitting in the living room!

Zipping her back closed, she opened the door, and decided she was done. There was no reason for her to stay if he was staying. She may as well go back to the base and get some work done. The phone rang, and she hobbled over to it. Jack listened to the conversation, and when it was over, turned off the TV.

"Who was that?"

"Kathy."

"And she is?"

"My agent and someone I used to know when I worked here before. She wants to come over and get some of the papers signed."

"Ah."

"You can leave if you need to. I can grab a cab to the base when I'm done."

"How long till she gets here?"

"About half an hour."

"I can wait."

Jack sat back, turned the TV on again, and Sam groaned inwardly. She had hoped he would leave. Seeing as he was making himself comfortable, she decided to put her time to good use, and went into the kitchen to get some more packing done.

Half an hour later, the buzzer announced the arrival of Kathy. Sam let her in, and Jack turned the volume down on the TV. Sam introduced Jack to Kathy, then they went into the kitchen.

"Who's that?"

"Someone I work with."

"Oh. That's all?"

"Yes Kathy. That's all."

"What's he doing here?"

"He's giving me a ride back to work when we're done."

"Ah. Available?"

"Uh, yeah. What do you need me to sign?"

Kathy pulled a bunch of papers out of her briefcase, and laid them on the table. As they were discussing some of the details, Jack wandered in to get a drink. Sam didn't miss Kathy giving Jack the once over with her eyes, and felt an overwhelming urge to kick her under the table. Jack smiled at Sam and apologized for interrupting them, and as he walked away, Sam felt her face warm up.

"You sure he's available?"

"What?"

"He doesn't seem too available to me."

"What are you talking about?"

"That look he gave you."

"Kathy, there's nothing going on between us. We're just friends." Sam kept her voice low as she didn't want Jack to overhear them.

"So you wouldn't mind if I talked to him?"

"No, go ahead." She forced the words out of her mouth, feeling something akin to jelousy, rise within her. She shook it off, and concentrated on what Kathy was explaining.

Once Kathy left, Sam informed Jack she wanted to return to the base. He grabbed her bag, and the two headed downstairs, and into his car. Once back at the base, Jack went to his quarters to change, and Sam to her lab. Once there, she sank into a chair, and put her head in her hands. She needed to get things straight in her head, and soon.

She couldn't help it as her mind recalled her previous conversation with Daniel. Had he been hinting at something? Had Jack said something to him, or worse, had Jack read too much into that one night on Daniel's couch. Despite Daniel's request that she not say anything before he got back, she felt she had to sort out this mess, before it became a disaster.

Knocking the door shut with her crutch, she turned on her computer and stared at the screen. What did she think of Jack? He was a friend, one once who knew her better than almost anyone else. When she had been his 2IC she had known he was a great soldier, a good man, and loyal to his last breath. That, combined with the close friendship she had watched evolve between him and Daniel, had softened her opinion of him.

She thought back, trying to remember when her feelings had crossed the friendship barrier. She couldn't pinpoint an approximate date, but had already started to have feelings for him by the time they were lost in Antarctica. When he had been gone for 100 days, lost on Edora, she had known she was too close, but hadn't backed off, and it had all come to a head with the damn za'tarc test. He had admitted that he cared about her, more than he was supposed to.

They had never broken the regs, but she knew there were times when both of them could've, easily. She remembered when she first went out with Pete. That first date had felt so strange, but something had pushed her to a second date. Jack had told her to get a life, and many dates later, she felt she had done that. When Pete had asked her to marry him, she had dithered for a week or so, not sure how she wanted to answer. Even when she had mentioned her indecision to Jack, she still couldn't decide. When Pete had helped exonerate Teal'c, she had said yes, but hadn't felt like she had made the right decision until her father died. Pete had come to comfort her in her grief, and that's when she knew she cared for him, more than she thought she could.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she shook off the thoughts of Pete. She needed to concentrate on Jack, and what he meant to her. She felt betrayed, almost, by him. Why hadn't he said anything when she was getting close to Pete? There had been many opportunities, and he hadn't taken any of them. Just one word, one comment on the future, and she would've ended it with Pete. She hadn't said anything, as she had been scared of the answer. Did she still care for Jack the way she used to? Could she again?

She didn't have the answers for herself. She wasn't interested in finding a relationship with anyone right now, especially as how sour her last one had gone. She trusted Jack with her life, but wasn't sure about her heart. What if it didn't work out? It would be awkward at work, and she didn't plan on leaving her current job, as she loved it. The first few times they had seen each other had been unpleasant, to say the least. Did she want to go through that again?

Hearing the klaxons announcing an offworld activation, she glanced at the clock. 2200. Where had the time gone! She headed off to the control room, wanting to see Daniel safe with her own eyes. As the elevator counted down the floors, she came to her decision. She could not have a relationship, other than friendship, with Jack O'Neill.

AN: I'll try not to leave you hanging for long...