Daniel Jackson had been described more than once and by various colleagues as "unusually busy". This often involved a lot of fast talking, an abnormally large pile of books, and approximately half of the legal exports of Columbia. Whatever it was Daniel was busy with now, however, rendered him stock still, almost catatonic.

Teal'c was waiting with him. They sat by Janet's bed in the observation room, silent and waiting. Daniel had taken Janet's hand as soon as they had sat down, and he not moved a muscle since, save the thumb that idly brushed her wrist every few minutes. Jack and General Hammond were in the main infirmary waiting for Sam to wake up. Dr. Warner said she was just exhausted and should be perfectly fine in a few hours. He had not said anything about Janet.

Teal'c disliked keeping vigil at sick beds. He disliked how useless it made him feel. But he stayed. Because if things went awry, Daniel Jackson would need him. Irrationally, Teal'c wished he had not killed his god, so that he might offer his own life in return for Janet's recovery.

He had never quite known what to make of her. By Earth standards, she was short. In the eyes of the Jaffa, she was tiny. But there was a will in her, a determination which had awed even Bra'tac. How such a spirit could be contained in such a vessel was beyond his ken. How someone so hard could be so kind at the same time, he could never understand. But there she was, and he could do nothing to save her.

One of his favourite memories of his time with the Tau'ri was the day, about eight months ago, that he had walked into Daniel Jackson's lab to inquire about the procurement of lunch, to find that Daniel was not alone. He was typing something on the computer, and she was just that unspoken fraction too close. She had laughed at something and he had smiled and Teal'c had eaten lunch alone that day. Neither of them had ever known he was there.

When, a few days later, Jack had strode into Sam's lab looking like the cat who'd washed the canary down with cream, Teal'c had known the game was up. Even then, with the exception of a few well placed comments, the whole situation had been treated with extreme tact.

This disease had changed all that. It had forced first Janet's and then Daniel's emotions out onto their sleeves for all to see. Their relationship was no longer a well guarded secret, or something private that could be overlooked by the highers-up. It was public now, and for that insult, Teal'c cursed the Sanoctem most of all.

The door to the observation room slid open. Daniel remained unmoving, save for his thumb, but Teal'c turned to acknowledge Sam and Jack's entrance. Sam was pale, with dark lines under her eyes. As she walked around the bed, she stumbled slightly, and Jack caught her arm for support. He helped her into the chair opposite Daniel, and sat in the other one himself, still holding her up. Sam reached out with her free hand and took Janet's. Daniel's shoulders began to shake as tears fell across his cheeks. Teal'c places a hand upon his friend's shoulder. Thus linked, SG-1 continued their vigil.

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And so the next few hours passed. Hammond, though kept away by base business, did not forget them, but ordered them left alone together, knowing it was for the best. Dr. Warner made only one round, knowing that they would call him if there were any changes. He had brought a tray of sandwiches, which remained untouched, right where he'd set them. In the pervasive silence, Sam had fallen asleep, almost unnoticed, except by Jack, who put his jacket under her neck. And then, for the first time in hours, a human being in that room made a sound.

Janet moaned.

Four heads snapped up, immediately attentive. Jack hit the call bell. As Janet moaned again, her face contorted. After hours of non-response, her fingers gripped Daniel's closing like a vise so unexpectedly strong that he gasped and bit his tongue.

Warner and his team came flying into the room then, and SG-1 cleared away for them. Daniel tried, but could not extricate his fingers from Janet's grasp.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Daniel shouted, speaking much more loudly than he had planned.

"I don't know!" Warner sounded desperate. "There's nothing left for her to react to."

"It's the pain," Sam said, finally remembering that neither Warner nor Daniel had ever seen the cure play out on the planet. "Look at her face."

And it was true. Even as the lesions had split Janet's face that horrible morning in Daniel's bathroom, they now fused together, getting smaller and smaller until only faint white lines were left.

"Daniel?" She was weak, but she was sane and whole and she was Janet.

"I'm here, love." He didn't even realize he'd said it.

Janet smiled. "Me too."

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"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going. I will die a happy man if I never set foot on that planet again."

"But the invitation was so pretty!"

"Janet!"

The whole argument would have been much easier if she hadn't been sitting in his lap. He was always more indecisive when she was sitting in his lap. He'd left the infirmary for all of two minutes to fetch his present for Eprem and Esser to give to Sam before she left, and in that time, Janet had managed to get herself discharged, dressed and down to his office. She'd found him sitting at this desk, vainly trying to think of something to write on the card and, in complete disregard for the feelings of the other two chairs in his office, had sat down on his.

"Just because Warner won't let me go to the wedding doesn't mean you have to stay home."

"I know, Janet." He gave and set the pen down, putting his hands on her waist. "I want to stay home."

"Give me the pen." He handed it over and she shifted so that she could reach the card. It was nice, he reflected, to be this close to her and not worry about her trying to kill him. "There. Easy as pie."

He looked down at the card she'd placed in his hands. Dummodo est lux, timebit nullam tenebras, Best Wishes, Daniel and Janet.

"Easy as pie."

"Let's go home, Daniel."

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to be continued…