AN: I think I have a little crush on old Jack. Please don't tell my husband. On with the show campers.

Chapter 2 – Shell Game

Jack opened the door of Daniels lab and leaned on it heavily while stooped over as though afflicted with extreme age. "Daniel… help me…" he said in a thready croak and stumbled towards Daniel's desk.

"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed in shock when he looked up from his position at his desk then laughed hysterically until he cried. "I'm sorry." He wiped his eyes. "Sam beat you here." He pushed his glasses back up his nose and grinned.

Jack waved him off, disappointed Sam had ruined his joke he flopped into a chair.

"So… Married huh. Anyone I know?" Daniel asked in his fake innocent voice Jack knew far too well.

"I forgot what a pain in the ass you were." Jack told him with a flat look that Daniel ignored.

"How do you suppose our Jack is enjoying your life?" He finally asked the much older man while wiggling his eyebrows.

"He's not. If he's not in an isolation room he's confined to quarters until the geeks get us switched back." Jack groused.

"Why?"

"Because it's me and we all know what I'd do if they let me roam free."

"Huh." Daniel said in his well what do you know tone. "You don't think they would give him information on stopping any of our problems?"

"Not any more than I would." Jack told him decisively.

"So. Married huh." Daniel tried again. He honestly didn't really care about learning who else they would aggravate to world domination. It was Jack. He was bound to piss someone off.

Jack gave him a cold stare "People get married Daniel."

"To Sam." Daniel replied gleefully.

"That's not even remotely funny Daniel."

"So I'm right." The light brown haired man nodded, proud of his deduction.

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't deny it." Daniel countered.

"I didn't say I was either."

"You didn't say you weren't."

"Daniel!" Jack all but growled.

Jack."

"Daniel." Jack glared ineffectively.

"O'Neill" Teal'c said from the open door.

"Hey T." Jack said brightly. "Surprise?"

"Captain Carter told me you are here because you touched something you are not supposed to."

Daniel started to laugh all over again. "Was it something in Sam's lab by chance?"

"I didn't break it." Jack tried to explain. I just picked it up and it went off."

"It just went off" a familiar voice said by his shoulder, amused accusation in her voice.

"Oh for cryin out loud!" he said throwing his hands up and Daniel and Sam laughed together. Teal'c smirked and eventually even Jack grinned at himself. They might think he was crazy but he'd genuinely missed this even if it was his turn to be picked on.

"It is lunch time" Teal'c pointed out.

"I could eat" Jack replied.

Daniel and Sam laughed together and all four of them headed for the commissary. "Hey Jack, it wasn't a cylinder by any chance was it?" Daniel asked him.

"Well," he shoved his hands in his pockets "Yah, why?"

Daniel and Sam cracked up all over again while Jack fumed good naturedly once he got the joke. "Ha ha. Real funny guys." He couldn't hide his smirk though when he quietly called them geeks affectionately.

They got into the back of the lunch crowd. At first it got louder when they walked in and got in line but slowly all chatter slowed to near stunned silence as everyone really got a look at Jack.

Jack tried very hard to frown at the shocked faces around him. He knew how it must look. Like he'd aged instantly. Well, it wouldn't be the first time that happened. He'd come back from Argos looking 100 years old or more. He kind of figured that might have something to do with his extremely specific genetics. Having started his second family later in life meant a ripe old age was on the desirable side. His kids were only a little older than Cassie's.

"You would think they never saw an old man before." He quipped.

"You aren't old, just, well seasoned." Sam told him smirking at his more salt than pepper hair.

"Insubordination Captain?" he stressed the last word.

"You're retired." She said with a shrug and a devilish smile he didn't remember her possessing back then.

Jack gave her a look that made her blush and look away. And I spent all that time worried it was one sided he thought. He remembered feeling weird and over emotional for days after he'd seen the photo she'd hid in her drawer. Daniel had given him so much crap over Shanahan and he'd had no way to explain that he KNEW Sam wouldn't marry that creep. Of course he drank a lot to cope at the time but that was more to keep himself from driving to her house and marking his territory after he got done beating the crap out of the cop for daring to touch the woman he loved. He definitely would have too and Sam would have probably kicked him to the curb for it.

"Hey! Earth to Jack" Daniel said waving a hand in front of his face. "Anyone home?"

Snapping out of his unpleasant memory he'd gotten lost in, Jack mock glared at Daniel.

"Do you think he's already getting senile? He's been hit in the head a lot." Sam asked Daniel.

"Why are you two picking on a helpless old man?" He asked them pointedly. He really could get this crap at home.

"Because it's funny?" Daniel suggested.

"I too find your advanced age humorous O'Neill."

"Thanks." He told them both sarcastically.

"You did ask." Daniel pointed out. "Sam, remind him he asked."

"Carter, make him stop."

"Sorry, I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You aren't my commanding officer."

"How do you figure that." He demanded.

"My colonel O'Neill is wherever you came from." She unwittingly stressed the first word.

Jack hid a smirk. "I'm still him though."

"My colonel O'Neill does not have a scar on his eyebrow" she pointed out primly. "Or a wedding band." She said a bit icily.

Ah. So that's what this was about. A very rash part of him wanted to tell her she put it there just to see her reaction. He instead decided to further irk her. "People do get married Carter."

Her eyes flashed irritation but she didn't reply which told him he'd nailed the problem squarely on the head.

Daniel glared daggers at him as he mouthed "asshole" before shoving half a roll in his mouth.

Jack shrugged. If things got to chummy Sam was likely to start making too many very accurate conclusions. She'd get over being angry at him but the last thing he wanted was her figuring out was who she was irrationally jealous of.