Jake had been working on the bar for six months and he'd seen plenty of heavy drinkers in his time. The man sat in front of him now didn't look like a drinker, but he was downing glass after glass with a grim determination never to see the dawn of the next day.

The man tapped his now empty shot glass on the bar. "Same again, please."

And that was the other weird thing, the drinker didn't seem that drunk. There was a slight glassiness to his gaze, but he'd looked like that when he sat down. His limbs were steady, his speech normal, not slurred. Jake poured him another shot, against his better judgement.

O'Neill had lost count of how many shots of whiskey he had downed. Not enough, not yet. He was still distressingly conscious and cognitive. Around him the wedding guests danced. He checked his watch. The numbers were blurred slightly but readable, 10:03.

Daniel dropped onto the bar stool next to him. "Hey. Don't you think you've had enough?"

O'Neill gave him a grey look, and took another sip. "I'm not that drunk."

"Hmm."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Hmm like that. I know it means you disagree with me."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Go dance."

Daniel sighed and stood up, knowing O'Neill was spoiling for an argument.

Across the room Pete glanced at the slumped shoulders of his wife's commanding officer. "Sam?"

She turned to him, having been talking to an elderly aunt. "Yeah?"

"We haven't thanked Jack yet. For giving you away."

She stood stock still for a moment. For giving you away... If only Pete knew the true meaning of those words... She looked over and winced. "I don't know if that'd be a good idea. He looks like he's a little worse for wear."

Pete frowned. "Wonder why?"

"I think... I think all this reminds him of his wife. He got divorced after their son... died." The lies tripped neatly off her tongue, scaring her by being so easy to speak.

"Hmm." Pete didn't sound entirely convinced. "I think he was carrying a bit of a torch for you."

She chuckled a little nervously. "You really think?"

Pete smiled, almost indulgently. "Yeah, I think he liked you a bit... Poor Sam, you never realise the effect you have on us poor, helpless men." He kissed her.

"Liked me, huh?" she murmured to herself as Pete moved away to talk to another distant relative. "Was it that obvious?" She swallowed the lump in her throat, blinked away the tears, and followed her husband.

They were dancing again, Pete and Sam, cheek to cheek. He was drunk enough now for that to make him angry. Very, very angry.

He stood up so violently the chair fell backwards cracking against the bar. In the hubbub of the disco the sound was lost but Cassie looked up to see O'Neill stalking away. She took two hesitant steps to follow him, then changed her mind. There were some things, she decided, she was better not seeing, or hearing. Instead, she went to Daniel and Teal'c. Daniel was building a beer mat tower, watched by a supremely unimpressed Teal'c.

"Jack's just stormed off outside," she said quietly.

Daniel's face seemed to sharpen. "I'll go after him."

"I shall accompany you."

O'Neill was sitting on a low wall outside. Daniel went over and sat next to him, Teal'c hovering in the background.

"Jack?" Daniel was shocked to realise O'Neill was crying, tears streaming down his cheeks. His anger had dissolved to be replaced by a feeling of utter hopelessness.

"I screwed her Daniel. I screwed her and now she's screwing me. Screwing me up."

Daniel hesitated, shocked not only by his words but by O'Neill's current state. He'd always known Jack O'Neill possessed this wildly self-destructive side, but he hadn't seen it in eight years.

"You and Sam... uh... you actually...?" He tried to think of the right words, refusing to settle for O'Neill's crude description.

"Yeah. She told me she loved me," his voice was mocking, "And then she married Shanahan."

Daniel was entirely floored by this admission, unable to reconcile his image of Sam with this news. It was such an alien act to her character, betrayal of someone she loved.

"I want to hate her," O'Neill added, his shoulders starting to heave as he sobbed, "But I can't. Even now, I can't."

Betrayal of someone she loves.

What if she loves Jack?

"I think it's time you went home, Jack," Daniel ventured.

"Cassie's enjoying herself," O'Neill replied, wiping cheeks that were already burning with embarrassment.

Daniel paused for a moment and then put his hand on the older man's shoulder. "Don't let it destroy you Jack. Don't."

O'Neill sat, still hunched. Then he nodded. "There's always something to live for."

To the people I have made miserable, I will say only this. I am a shipper. I believe in the ship. The ship will come in. There may be a while between the next few chapters though, warning you now, I don't have computer access for a week.