Daniel opened the door and Jack O'Neill practically bounded through, ridiculously happy and with the general aura of the world's biggest excited puppy. He half expected the taller man to start licking him.

Driving that bizarre thought from his brain, he followed Jack into his living room.

"So," he said, smiling in a slightly worried manner at the older-but-younger man, "What are you here for?"

"To talk," Jack replied.

"I was afraid of that," Daniel murmured.

Jack gave him a look. "Oh come on Daniel. I had to put up with you talking to me about Sarah. Now it's my turn to make you listen."

"Yeah," Daniel said, growing increasingly uncomfortable, "But Sam's like my sister... I don't want gory details..." he said, voice fading into inaudibility.

"I don't want to give you gory details," Jack snorted, "Anyway, what makes you think there are any?"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in a way scarily reminiscent of Teal'c. "Because she answered your 'phone early this morning. The 'phone which I know is in your bedroom."

A faint colour rose in Jack's cheeks and he looked away, not brave enough to challenge the logic of the statement. "Okay," he muttered.

"So you're... what now? Officially a couple?"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. She did, uh, stay at mine last night. I walked her home and I came here. I want to talk."

"About what?" Daniel asked.

Jack let out a long exhalation he had been holding, blowing up his cheeks with air. "I want to ask her to marry me."

Daniel gave him a long stare. "Isn't it a little premature...?" he suggested gently.

"I dunno," Jack said, staring blankly ahead now, the words spoken slowly as if arriving from somewhere far away, "Is it? I mean, we've known each other a long time, we've l-"

He stumbled over the words and Daniel spoke them for him. "Loved one another."

This time he definitely blushed. "Yeah, that. For a long time."

"But you've only been together as a couple a few hours," Daniel reminded him after a moment's contemplative silence. "You just said you didn't know if you even are officially dating..."

"Okay," Jack said softly, snapping finally, but gently. "I'm being stupid. We need more time. It was ridiculous..."

So unused to Jack reacting in such a defeatist manner Daniel felt moved to speak again, if only because Jack wasn't shouting at him. "No, I didn't say that. I was just being devil's advocate. It is a little quick."

"Too quick," Jack replied, more decisively now, "You know what Car-Sam's like. She'd run a mile if she knew we were discussing this."

"Wait a while then," Daniel advised, "Until you can say her name without correcting yourself at least," he added with a grin.

Jack returned it. "I like calling her Carter."

Daniel regarded him for a moment and then spoke in a slightly distant manner. "You know Jack, no matter how long I have known you for, you still have the capacity to scare the hell out of me at certain times. Why? Realising I'm going to regret asking this, why do you like calling her Carter?"

Jack shrugged. "No one else does?" he suggested.

Carter, showered and dressed in clean clothes, hummed her way around the kitchen. She was feeling happy. Unbelievably, blissfully happy. Not guilt ridden. Not in the slightest bit like what her father embarrassingly still referred to as a 'loose woman.' Just happy.

In her kitchen, away from his influence and in a space that was uniquely her own and not tainted by either reality or remembrance of his presence here, she felt happy. She could still think of him and not feel awkward, or guilty.

It was a good feeling.

She was stirring something in a saucepan when the thought hit her again. It kept coming back to her at odd moments, making her pause in whatever she was doing (hoovering the lounge, dusting the dining room and watering the plants in the three previous instances this morning) and start to smile in this ridiculous manner.

She was-- She had shared a-- Him and her were--

Well, they were a something. Which was more than anything they had ever been before. A balloon of good-feeling seemed to have filled her chest, deflating slightly as she forced her mind back onto the task in hand, but not bursting.

The doorbell rang. She nearly dropped the wooden spoon into the saucepan. "Coming!" she yelled, taking the pan off the hob and running to the front door, pausing to flick her hair back over her shoulders and twitch the hem of her tee shirt up a little to reveal her navel piercing.

She opened the door.

It was Cassie, a vaguely amused look on her face.

"Cassie!" Carter said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"Hi," Cassie replied, "Is Jack in?" she asked, peering over Carter's shoulder.

"No...Why should he be?"

Cassie almost looked guilty. "No reason."

"Does it have anything to do with him coming around to see you and then you not telling me?" Carter enquired in an accusatory tone.

Cassie remained unabashed. "So you have seen him then?"

"Yes."

Cassie managed to keep the question of her lips but it was obvious from the expression on her face alone. And?

Carter sighed, half amused and half exasperated. "Come inside." She shooed Cassie into the kitchen. "You want food?"

Cassie shook her head, sitting on a stool in Carter's kitchen which she herself had bought nearly five years ago and recovered. "I'm not leaving until you tell me everything."

"Everything?" Carter asked, coy.

Cassie was no fool. "Everything that you two said to each other. Have you sorted out what you're going to do? Go with him or stay here?"

Carter eyed her suspiciously. "Did he tell you everything when he came round to yours?"

Cassie gave this due consideration. "Most things. He trusts my judgement in said matters. Jack at least now views me like the adult I am," she said reproachfully.

"I treat you like an adult," Carter replied, shaking her head.

"So you should," Cassie said, grinning, "You look younger than me now."

The doorbell rang again just as Carter sat down again having seen Cassie out. Figuring she'd forgotten something Carter opened it again with a knowing grin. "Forgot-?" she began.

Standing on her doorstep was a slightly sheepish Jack O'Neill clutching the biggest bunch of red roses she had ever seen. He thrust them at her, the gesture more like he was handing her some clips of ammo rather than romantic, but heartfelt all the same. There was a part of their relationship that would always be tainted by their military background. Slightly hesitantly he leaned forward and kissed her swiftly.

"Thanks," she said when they broke apart, touched. "You want to come in?"

He had his hands in his pockets, his classic pose. "You wanna come out?" he asked, "See a movie?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'd love to. Come in for a moment and I'll just get some stuff together."

He stepped inside and she shut the door. "Be five minutes," she said.

In actuality she was ten, because finding the right underwear and changing hastily into it before redressing in the same casual clothes took five minutes and then she had to find her purse and pack a suitable bag.

He was nosing through her copy of the TV Guide when she came back downstairs.

"What film?" she asked.

He shrugged, knowing he wouldn't be watching it whatever it was. "You can choose."

It took twenty minutes to drive to the cinema complex. There were several films on that she wanted to watch and she spent another five minutes debating which one to buy tickets for, by which time he had returned to her bearing popcorn.

They settled into their seats in the auditorium, sharing the popcorn. His hand had found its way towards hers and now he gripped her fingers lightly.

"Sam?" he asked, and she suppressed an involuntary shiver as he whispered her name.

"Jack?" she replied.

"Are we....um... dating?" he said, trying and failing to think of a better word.

"I dunno," she replied. "Are we?"

He appeared to think for a moment. "Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Now she appeared to consider something. "Yes."

"Then we're dating."

"Yes."

"Good." He kissed her again as the film began rolling.