The knock on his door startled Daniel. He'd been sitting on his sofa in the middle of the living room, surrounded by his artifacts and translations and all sorts of doohickeys, but he hadn't been looking at any of them. He'd been thinking about Sally. Or maybe not Sally. Maybe he'd been thinking about his friends, and she'd been counted as one of them. God knew at the moment she probably didn't want herself to be considered as his girlfriend. Certainly not as his lover.
The knock sounded again, and he looked at his watch as he got to his feet, wiping his eyes since they were fogging up his glasses. Damn. He hadn't even realized he'd been that close to tears. Not since he'd left his office at the SGC. He'd thought he had all that under control.
"I'm coming..."
He opened the door, almost expecting it to be Sam. She hadn't looked all that convinced when Daniel had told her he was fine, and that he was going to go home and just go to bed. He wouldn't put it past her, coming over with movies to take his mind off his problems. It was the kind of person she was. A good friend.
It wasn't Sam. It was Jack. And he didn't have movies; he had Jaffer, who was sitting at Jack's side, looking for all the world as if he was the most well-behaved dog that ever existed. Daniel knew better.
"Jack..."
"And you're Daniel. And this is Jaffer..." O'Neill walked into the archeologist's apartment, slapping Daniel's shoulder. "Good, Daniel! You've really made some progress with the whole name thing."
Daniel scowled, turning to stand by the open door as he watched Jaffer look around with interest, and watched Jack stop in the middle of the room and turn back to look at Daniel. Even at that distance, Daniel could see that Jack's brown eyes weren't as cheerful as they normally would have been when Jack was teasing him. Daniel knew. Jack teased him a lot, when given the opportunity.
"What are you doing here?" His eyes went to Jaffer, again. "Don't let him eat anything..."
"Jaffer, stand."
It didn't mean literally 'stand'. It was a command that told the black lab to be alert. Which meant 'keep your nose out of Daniel's dusty shelves'. The big dog sighed, and looked over at Daniel, reproachfully, as if he knew it was Daniel's fault.
"Sam's worried about you."
Ah, so Carter was involved. Daniel had been right.
"And she sent you?"
"I volunteered."
Um. Yeah.
"Jack. I'm fine... I just..." He shrugged, unable to explain what was on his mind, and uncertain if he even wanted to try and explain it to O'Neill, who would most definitely hold it over his head as teasing material for the rest of his life.
"You're in love with this totally hot woman, who is smart, and funny, and you think that if you don't put your arms around her every day, your day has been a waste? But because of work, your relationship is strained, and circumstances are such that you can't do anything about that, no matter how badly you want to. Short of leaving your job for her – which really, you just can't imagine doing, since what you're doing at work is far more important than anyone would ever imagine."
Daniel stared at him. Jack had it far more perfectly than Daniel ever would have imagined he could have.
"I... Yes... how... how did you...?"
"Daniel. I just described how I felt about Sam for the first years of our relationship. It's not exactly the same as you and Sally, but I'll bet it's pretty close." He left Jaffer sitting in the middle of the room and walked into Daniel's bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet for a moment, then coming back with a little pill, which he handed to the younger man.
"Take that."
"It's an allergy pill."
"I know."
Daniel took it without comment, but realized it was because Jaffer was in the room, and Jack wasn't planning on going anywhere for a while. Daniel was allergic to Jaffer, but only in closed in areas, and only after prolonged contact with the dog. He wasn't as bad as flowers, but it could get messy without the pill to keep him from going into a sneezefest.
"Sam is beautiful, and smart, and you have no idea how much I... liked her," Jack said. "From the very beginning. You didn't see her when we first met. She was so cocky, and she didn't back down from any of us." He smiled. "It... it was great."
Daniel walked over and sat down, without saying a word. He'd never heard Jack discuss something this personal before, and knew that he probably wasn't going to again. Which meant that Jack wanted him to hear it, and that Jack was concerned enough about him to actually open up – hugely – to try and cheer him up. Jaffer walked over and stuck his nose in Daniel's hand, and the archeologist ran his fingers along the glossy coat while he listened to Jack.
"She was so confident..." Jack continued. 'Took all the crap we handed her, and threw back her own. Only when she got to the Stargate and we were standing there, ready to go through did she show any signs of nervousness – and even that was well hidden by her techno-babble. She blathered on about... well... you know... I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying..."
Daniel smiled. Big shock there.
"Anyways... she was attractive, yes, but that wasn't what attracted me to her. It was her nerve. She didn't back down from me... and believe me, I wasn't really all that nice to her..."
"I believe you." Daniel smiled.
"So, there I was. We get back to the SGC after the mission, and now I'm leader of SG-1. Got you. A scientist who loves to study rocks. Got Teal'c. A Jaffa who has a lot to learn about my sense of humor. And I've got Sam. A woman who I've already decided I... like... and who, because of the chain of command, I can't even look at funny. It was rough."
"I bet..." Daniel had never thought about that. Not really. He'd known Jack and Sam had the whole sexual tension thing going, but he'd never realized that it had been so deep for Jack so early on.
"Don't get me wrong," Jack told him, finally coming over and sitting in the chair across from the sofa.
Much to Daniel's surprise, Jaffer stayed beside Daniel, his head resting on the archeologist's thigh, his eyes closed in bliss as Daniel's hands stroked his ears and sides.
"I can deal with a scientist who can be pretty single-minded when it comes to what he wants to do, and look at. And I can handle teaching a Jaffa all that he needs to know about the Simpsons, and Earth humor. But the other part... that was hard. The hardest thing I've ever done. I had to hide the fact that I was in... like... with Sam."
Daniel smiled.
"In like, huh?"
Jack scowled.
"You and Sam are an item now, though, Jack." Daniel said, softly, resting his cheek against Jaffer's shoulder. "You don't have to hide it – I know you keep it toned down at the base, but it's there to see."
"But we did have to hide it, Daniel." Jack told him. "For years. For what felt like a million years. Felt like I was just going to blow up, sometimes, and resign just so I could be with her. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than anything I've ever done on any of the planets we've ever been on."
Daniel nodded. He was sure that was the truth.
"Look..." Jack shrugged. "You know I'm not good at this kind of thing, but I know how you feel. What you're going through right now with Sally. I know what you're feeling – at least, I'm pretty sure I do. You're wanting to be with her, and you're having trouble with that because of the SGC. You're missing dates because of off-world duties, and you can't tell her you're saving the world – which would make it a little more acceptable than the excuses you're probably coming up with. She's probably getting frustrated with you, and I imagine you're being pulled from both sides. Responsibility to the SGC, and... how much you... like... her."
"Love, Jack." Daniel corrected. "I love her."
The knock sounded again, and he looked at his watch as he got to his feet, wiping his eyes since they were fogging up his glasses. Damn. He hadn't even realized he'd been that close to tears. Not since he'd left his office at the SGC. He'd thought he had all that under control.
"I'm coming..."
He opened the door, almost expecting it to be Sam. She hadn't looked all that convinced when Daniel had told her he was fine, and that he was going to go home and just go to bed. He wouldn't put it past her, coming over with movies to take his mind off his problems. It was the kind of person she was. A good friend.
It wasn't Sam. It was Jack. And he didn't have movies; he had Jaffer, who was sitting at Jack's side, looking for all the world as if he was the most well-behaved dog that ever existed. Daniel knew better.
"Jack..."
"And you're Daniel. And this is Jaffer..." O'Neill walked into the archeologist's apartment, slapping Daniel's shoulder. "Good, Daniel! You've really made some progress with the whole name thing."
Daniel scowled, turning to stand by the open door as he watched Jaffer look around with interest, and watched Jack stop in the middle of the room and turn back to look at Daniel. Even at that distance, Daniel could see that Jack's brown eyes weren't as cheerful as they normally would have been when Jack was teasing him. Daniel knew. Jack teased him a lot, when given the opportunity.
"What are you doing here?" His eyes went to Jaffer, again. "Don't let him eat anything..."
"Jaffer, stand."
It didn't mean literally 'stand'. It was a command that told the black lab to be alert. Which meant 'keep your nose out of Daniel's dusty shelves'. The big dog sighed, and looked over at Daniel, reproachfully, as if he knew it was Daniel's fault.
"Sam's worried about you."
Ah, so Carter was involved. Daniel had been right.
"And she sent you?"
"I volunteered."
Um. Yeah.
"Jack. I'm fine... I just..." He shrugged, unable to explain what was on his mind, and uncertain if he even wanted to try and explain it to O'Neill, who would most definitely hold it over his head as teasing material for the rest of his life.
"You're in love with this totally hot woman, who is smart, and funny, and you think that if you don't put your arms around her every day, your day has been a waste? But because of work, your relationship is strained, and circumstances are such that you can't do anything about that, no matter how badly you want to. Short of leaving your job for her – which really, you just can't imagine doing, since what you're doing at work is far more important than anyone would ever imagine."
Daniel stared at him. Jack had it far more perfectly than Daniel ever would have imagined he could have.
"I... Yes... how... how did you...?"
"Daniel. I just described how I felt about Sam for the first years of our relationship. It's not exactly the same as you and Sally, but I'll bet it's pretty close." He left Jaffer sitting in the middle of the room and walked into Daniel's bathroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet for a moment, then coming back with a little pill, which he handed to the younger man.
"Take that."
"It's an allergy pill."
"I know."
Daniel took it without comment, but realized it was because Jaffer was in the room, and Jack wasn't planning on going anywhere for a while. Daniel was allergic to Jaffer, but only in closed in areas, and only after prolonged contact with the dog. He wasn't as bad as flowers, but it could get messy without the pill to keep him from going into a sneezefest.
"Sam is beautiful, and smart, and you have no idea how much I... liked her," Jack said. "From the very beginning. You didn't see her when we first met. She was so cocky, and she didn't back down from any of us." He smiled. "It... it was great."
Daniel walked over and sat down, without saying a word. He'd never heard Jack discuss something this personal before, and knew that he probably wasn't going to again. Which meant that Jack wanted him to hear it, and that Jack was concerned enough about him to actually open up – hugely – to try and cheer him up. Jaffer walked over and stuck his nose in Daniel's hand, and the archeologist ran his fingers along the glossy coat while he listened to Jack.
"She was so confident..." Jack continued. 'Took all the crap we handed her, and threw back her own. Only when she got to the Stargate and we were standing there, ready to go through did she show any signs of nervousness – and even that was well hidden by her techno-babble. She blathered on about... well... you know... I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying..."
Daniel smiled. Big shock there.
"Anyways... she was attractive, yes, but that wasn't what attracted me to her. It was her nerve. She didn't back down from me... and believe me, I wasn't really all that nice to her..."
"I believe you." Daniel smiled.
"So, there I was. We get back to the SGC after the mission, and now I'm leader of SG-1. Got you. A scientist who loves to study rocks. Got Teal'c. A Jaffa who has a lot to learn about my sense of humor. And I've got Sam. A woman who I've already decided I... like... and who, because of the chain of command, I can't even look at funny. It was rough."
"I bet..." Daniel had never thought about that. Not really. He'd known Jack and Sam had the whole sexual tension thing going, but he'd never realized that it had been so deep for Jack so early on.
"Don't get me wrong," Jack told him, finally coming over and sitting in the chair across from the sofa.
Much to Daniel's surprise, Jaffer stayed beside Daniel, his head resting on the archeologist's thigh, his eyes closed in bliss as Daniel's hands stroked his ears and sides.
"I can deal with a scientist who can be pretty single-minded when it comes to what he wants to do, and look at. And I can handle teaching a Jaffa all that he needs to know about the Simpsons, and Earth humor. But the other part... that was hard. The hardest thing I've ever done. I had to hide the fact that I was in... like... with Sam."
Daniel smiled.
"In like, huh?"
Jack scowled.
"You and Sam are an item now, though, Jack." Daniel said, softly, resting his cheek against Jaffer's shoulder. "You don't have to hide it – I know you keep it toned down at the base, but it's there to see."
"But we did have to hide it, Daniel." Jack told him. "For years. For what felt like a million years. Felt like I was just going to blow up, sometimes, and resign just so I could be with her. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Harder than anything I've ever done on any of the planets we've ever been on."
Daniel nodded. He was sure that was the truth.
"Look..." Jack shrugged. "You know I'm not good at this kind of thing, but I know how you feel. What you're going through right now with Sally. I know what you're feeling – at least, I'm pretty sure I do. You're wanting to be with her, and you're having trouble with that because of the SGC. You're missing dates because of off-world duties, and you can't tell her you're saving the world – which would make it a little more acceptable than the excuses you're probably coming up with. She's probably getting frustrated with you, and I imagine you're being pulled from both sides. Responsibility to the SGC, and... how much you... like... her."
"Love, Jack." Daniel corrected. "I love her."