A/N Thank you very much to the people who have written me reviews! You are all so nice to me! Keep them coming!

Sorry this chapter is not as amazing as it could be… I have Writer's block at the mo.

Chapter 5 – Symbols

Sam stood in shock, next to the glowing orb. She knew there had been rumours about her and the Colonel but she hadn't realised Daniel had taken them so seriously. She thought Daniel had gone funny in the elevator when she had mentioned going to see the Colonel. When he came back she would tell him. She would have to. Her feelings on Daniel had made themselves very clear just then. She wanted him next to her, working together on the orb. Maybe forever? She gently raised her fingers to her lips. She could still feel Daniel on them.

She turned slowly to look at the orb. Complex symbols covered its surface in horizontal lines. She would need his help on this anyway; it looked like a language, not a piece of art. She looked up as she heard movement in the doorway.

"Colonel!" Her voice sounded a little more surprised than she had intended. She had been expecting Daniel. Jack raised an eyebrow at her, a move definitely copied off Teal'c. She cleared her throat and glanced at her watch.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so late Sir."

"Just thought I would come along and see what wonders you have unearthed before I head home." He looked at the orb. "Cool. It glows." He moved next to her and poked the orb with his finger

"So. Figured out what this all means then?" he said, gesturing at the symbols.

"No Sir. Daniel is going to work on it."

"Where is Danny boy? Has he seen this yet?"

Daniel was walking back to Sam's lab, thinking about their kiss. He knew he shouldn't have taken advantage of her like that, but it had seemed like the best moment he was going to get, and he had wanted her to know, just for a few minutes, how much he liked her. He paused as he heard voices from Sam's lab, recognising the man's voice and sighing inwardly. Torn between going to record the symbols, which he ought to do, and avoiding any awkward scenes between the three of them, Daniel stood hesitantly, unsure of what to do. Hearing Jack mention "Danny boy" made up his mind, and he went back to his lab. Leaving a quick not for Sam, he collected his things and left. They could make the symbols appear some other time – he needed to get off base and think.

He left the SGC quickly and wondered where to go. 'I'm on world for a week so I might as well get some food first' he thought to himself wryly. 'Might be ill if I have to come to the SGC for each meal!' He smiled to himself a little as he thought that, before acknowledging that he might also bump into certain people in the Mess Hall, and that was probably the real reason he would avoid it. Turning towards the shops, he tried to gather his thoughts and focus on the task in hand.

When the Colonel left Sam glanced at her watch and realised Daniel had been gone over 20 minutes. She got up and looked down the corridor. There was no one about. She headed towards Daniel's lab, noting how empty the SGC was at this time in the evening. She didn't pass Daniel on the way and when she got to his lab it was empty. She began to worry. 'Where has he gone? I need to tell him about Jack' she thought to herself, turning to leave. As she did so, she noticed the video recorder lying on the corner of his desk. It had a yellow post-it note attached to it. Curious, she moved closer. It had two words on it. I'm sorry. Sam held back a gasp she felt forming in her throat. She hated the thought of Daniel being upset, especially as it was her fault. She wanted to speak to him, kiss him even, tell him everything was alright, that he was mistaken. She pulled the post-it note off the recorder and shoved it in her pocket. She passed no one jogging back to her lab and she quickly grabbed her jacket and keys. Switching off the lights, she hesitated as the symbols on the orb glowed in the dark. 'Oh, I'll activate them again in the morning. At least I know the frequency now'. She dashed to the lift, putting her jacket on as she went. The leather felt cold against her skin and she shivered.

The lift took forever to get to the surface and she barely noticed the rumble of thunder as she ran to her bike. The rain started pouring as she had her ID checked leaving the complex. She groaned aloud as she sped up, leaving the base behind. She would have to be careful with her speed. No sense in killing herself before she had told Daniel she loved him.