Here is the next chapter, have fun!

Thanks for your reviews, you guys rocks!

an.: I know Daniel seems a little bit "out of character" at the beginning, please don't stop reading, if you don't like the way he is acting, ya will understand where it is leading if you go on with reading.

Thanks!

HOPE

The last time on Stargate SG1

Sam nodded "Of course I know this. I thought of Charlie…" she looked shortly in his eyes before continuing "We never spoke about it, I mean about Charlie. I know it's your past and we wanted to let it rest, but…how was he?"Jack thought shortly about that and then put his hands on her tummy.

"Let me see, he loved it when we played baseball, he loved chocolate ice cream and the Simpsons."Carter put a kiss on his nose and smiled

"Like his father."At this Jack also had to smile and started talking about the time and the experiences with Charlie. Sam listened to him and asked questions, laughed at his stories and was just there for him. It was the first time that they talked about the past and it was the first time that it doesn't hurt him. On the contrary it was good for him and absolutely releasing. And it made them both think about past events and about everything they now had and what would be waiting for them in the future.

Chapter 7

They parted shortly before the Jaffa's watch started. Sam went into her tent and Jack waited at the replacement. They had agreed to find a way to tell the other two about them. It hadn't to be immediately. Both didn't know how to explain why they hadn't told them. They knew it was the best way, but nothing the less they felt like they betrayed them both. They would tell, but tomorrow? At the beginning he had said tomorrow, but truth takes time and maybe tomorrow's too soon…

The other two watches were also without any incidents.

Daniel was already sitting at the fire, drinking his coffee when the other three crawled out of their tents.

"Good morning everyone." he now greeted them.

"Good morning Daniel."

"Morning Dannyboy." Daniel made a face at Jacks words, but spared a commentary.

Teal'c just nodded briefly before he sat down to eat his breakfast and the other two followed him.

Breakfast was a very quiet affair, which Daniel found really pleasant, but also noticed that his friends were more thoughtful than usually.

When they finished eating and the camp was cleaned up they made their way back to the palace together.

Daniel wanted to take a closer look at the picture of the monk and Sam helped him there. Jack and Teal'c took the wall left to the uneven couple.

Sam just did some tests at the wall with all her devices, but obviously without any results. At that time Daniel tried a role of parchment, which he had found in a niche between two pictures of monks.

"The devices don't show anything unusual, no radiation, no remains, absolutely nothing. Is there anything interesting written in the role?"

"It seems to be an order of the monastery. The belief of the monks was something between Taoism and Buddhism, but there's nothing about our monk or for that matter Mao Li."

Sam nodded briefly and started to dedicate back to the image of Ma To when Daniel kept her back.

"What's up?"

"You tell me. You're so lost in thoughts today. Is it because of what I said yesterday?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ehm…what I said about your feelings, yours and Jacks. Is he right, I mean, that they were only words, that they're nothing special, nothing deeper than what we can see from the outside?"

"I…Daniel what do you want? What's this whole asking about?" Sam said while turning away from him.

"You still have feelings for him, haven't you?"

Sam looked back at him and answered very low.

"Of course! Did you think they vanish just because you try to suppress them? The contrary happens. The longer I am working with him, learning more about him, seeing through more at his side the much more do my feelings for him grow."

She lowered her view and then looked back.

"You have to admit that he's quite good looking." and added after a short break "I love him Daniel, I really do love him. I can't even think about going on without him." She averted her view from him back to the picture.

"And I'm not allowed to have these feelings. My job, my friends, the USAF and the possibilities she's offering me, us, that's all important to me. Maybe I could never see my dad again, could never again help to save the world, could never ever work with him at day and night if I would leave. So please do me a favour and don't tell anyone about what I told you, because if Hammond gets to know this I will lose it all."

"He can't punish feelings and as long as you don't act on them there are no consequences. And I know that you're much too rational to give up everything for just one night. He might be good looking, but imagine a relationship with this man. I mean he isn't even interested in astrophysics or anything else you're concerned with. Whenever he's telling something, one's talking to him, he can't stay serious. Do you honestly believe you could endure this sarcasm in your private life, too?"

Sam looked at Daniel and answered with an objective and quite emotionless voice: "You're exaggerating. Besides I thought you're his friend and mine for that matter."

"I am and I don't want you to do anything stupid."

Sam just nodded and then told him that she would rather make some lunch, because she couldn't help him here. Finally he was the one that masters this language.

With that she turned around and left the palace. Daniel briefly looked after her, lightly confused, but then turned back to his work.

Even while leaving the palace she burst into tears. She had wished that her friends would understand, but they just saw the soldier, no-one the human being. No-one but Jack of course. He understood her, knew what she felt, when she was down and felt really bad. He saw her as one. Wholly. Not just the woman or just the soldier. He knew both sides and loved both. But she had believed that Daniel would understand, after all he had once loved Sha're…

While she stood in the ruins of the city thinking suddenly two arms embraced her gently from behind and a soft voice asked her: "What's worrying you my angel?"

Jack was close to bore himself to death when he saw Sam leaving the palace. She moved like she always did and looked like she always did, but he got the impression that something was bothering her. He was – like so often in the last month and years – concerned about her and decided to follow her so he could talk to her. Actually he was a very quiet man, who only talked when necessary and pretty never about how he felt. He tried to protect himself behind a wall of sarcasm and it seemed that he succeeded with it, but when he was with her this wall fell. He was just himself, with feelings, strengths and weaknesses and he talked about them. With her he could talk hours. It seemed like they had never ending subjects to talk about. And even if they didn't talk and just sat down together did they know how the other felt. And so he felt right now that there was something bothering her, something that put weight on her heart.

She stopped in the ruins of the city and it looked like she was deeply thinking. He wanted to do something for her, to be there for her. So he embraced her gently from behind and whispered in her ear: "What's worrying you my angel?"

She said nothing just turned around and hugged him. He responded and held her tightly. If wanted to talk she would do it, but for now they just stood there and enjoyed the presence and the quiet understanding of each other.

Daniel couldn't quite concentrate on his work. He knew how Sam felt and that it was very difficult. He had loved Sha're and if he was honest – in a way – he did even now. But it was different with Sam and Jack. They weren't allowed to be together and it was the logical consequence to remind Sam of it. Nevertheless he felt bad, he knew that Jack could be different from the one he had described to Sam.

It seemed like he had betrayed his friend with his words. It appeared as if he denied everything they had seen together and what they had been through in the past years with his words. That made his heart ache. Jack was his best friend, who had always stayed at his side, no matter what and he described him as an ignorant, heartless and dumb man. He wanted to take it back or at least say 'I'm sorry', to explain his words.

And he felt bad because Sam opened her heart to him and instead of the understanding he felt he gave her some precocious and half-hearted advices. He felt the need to follow her, to apologize. And the longer he thought about it the more intensified that need and finally he gave in and went after her. He walked through the city when he, below the ruin he was walking on, saw Sam and Jack. They hold tightly on each other. First he intended to go straight to them but in the end his curiosity won. He wanted to know what's going on there, what they were talking about, if they would take the next step despite or because of his words.

Sam stepped out of Jacks embrace and looked him in the eyes.

"So what's wrong? Something's bothering you."

"It's nothing believe me."

But Jack held her view and answered with a calm, almost tender voice.

"That's not true and you know it. I can sense that there is something you're concerned about. Has it anything to do with what Daniel said yesterday? Or did he say anything while you were working together? "

Daniel was astonished, on the one hand about the way Jack was talking to Sam and on the other hand about his sensitiveness, he seemed to know exactly what bothered her. Their feelings for each other were apparently stronger than even he had imagined.

Sam was silent for quite some time, but the silence between them wasn't depressing or unpleasant. Daniel got the impression that they understand each other, without any words necessary. Slowly he came to the conclusion that they would take the way he tried to dissuade Sam from.

Then did Sam break the silence.

"Do you still know what you said yesterday after Daniel and Teal'c had gone into their tents?"

"I said and asked much." A smile darted over Sams face and Jack continued "But while we're talking about Daniel I guess you mean the part where I said that our friends think we're professionals and that we would never ever do anything to endanger our jobs."

"Exactly. Daniel nearly used the same words."

"Yeah, but you knew that they think like this, so that can't be the reason your so off balance."

"You're right. It's just…I hoped our friends would understand what we're feeling and above all that Daniel would understand. He says he's our friend and now he tries to 'prevent us from doing anything stupid' like he calls it. I know that he just want to help, but what he said, the way he talked about you – it hurt. I also know that he didn't mean it, but…umm I don't know."

Daniel felt the urgent need to stand up and tell her how sorry he was, but he didn't, he didn't want to disturb the two.

Jack pulled a strand of hair of Sams face, which made Daniel gasp silently and his eyes got lightly bigger.

"Sam you know our spacemonkey. I guess until now he's really sorry about what he said to you. He will apologize before this day is over. And I'm sure he understands how we feel. It's like you said yesterday we're working side by side for seven years now – that leaves its traces."

They looked silently at each other until Sams voice was audible again.

"Thanks!"

"For what?"

"For everything." she simply answered before she leaned forward and kissed Jack tenderly.

Daniel gasped and for a moment he stood there thunderstruck.

When they broke off they were both smiling.

"Let's get lunch started."

They went hand in hand in the direction of the camp and out of Daniels sight.

He took a deep breath in and made his way back to the palace. He definitely had to talk to his friends.

Daniel and Teal'c came back to the camp after another half an hour, while Sam and Jack warmed up some instant soup.

"Hi I hope you're hungry, 'cause we're working here for hours. Your choice: instant soup or instant soup." O'Neill greeted them with his usual sarcastic voice whereupon Sam smiled like always.

Daniel just nodded and sat down next to them took a spoon of his soup and then looked over to Sam.

"Sam what I said earlier I'm sorry about that. You're right I exaggerated much. It's difficult for me to imagine how you're feeling, but to be honest I understand you." He looked expectantly at Sam when she smiled and said: "It's alright I know." and to end this subject she asked further "Did you find anything interesting?"

"No but on the way here I did some thinking. You said that Zhang Li was the mother of Mao Li so perhaps we find something next to her picture or we could find a picture, a statue, a symbol or something like this that indicates motherhood. Maybe we will find anything then. Because I believe Hammond won't be pleased if we stay this long here and in the end don't find anything."

"You're right, but I don't think that we will succeed here. If and I emphasize 'if' there is anything here I don't suppose we will be able to find it."

"What're you talking about?" Daniel asked visibly confused.

"The Colonel's right…" Daniel lightly raised his eyebrows when Sam referred to Jack as 'Colonel' again, He had thought that after the kiss there would be some changes, but let it be enough with this little gesture, while Sam continued: "Mao Li called himself the protector of love and good…so I doubt that he possessed a weapon, trap or something similar. And even if he had, he wouldn't allow people to find it and act against his principles with it. Because the use of weapons is strictly against these principles no matter how noble the intentions and aims are."

"So why the visions?"

"Maybe to show us what's really important. I'm sorry Daniel, but the way it looks we won't find a possibility to defend the Goa'ulds. But actually you must be happy. After all you're the one talking about morality and dignity and all these basic rules of life the whole time."

"Yeah right, but what are we going to tell Hammond?"

"I would try the truth." Teal'c threw in.

"He's right there you know…" Jack remarked grinning and Sam agreed.

"I am a 'moral apostle' like Jack would call it but nevertheless I don't understand. I mean this man was a warrior. He defeated two nations. Even if it was for a good aim it was absolutely against his own believes."

"Perhaps he just got wise with age. And besides we don't even know why he fought these wars and why he held the keepsakes of his enemies in great honours after his victories. Okay the thing with the keepsakes probably explains itself because his parents descended from these nations and he wanted to save and honour their remembrance." Sam added.

"That's what I thought and I also think that that's the reason why he fought these battles. To take revenge for his parents. Both of them decided to follow the way their hearts showed them and so they decided for their own death in both cultures. I believe one the one hand he wanted revenge but one the other hand he wanted to help these people. He tried to prevent other people suffering the same fate his parents had to." Daniel finished his explanations.

"So if this is solved now we can head home. Any objections?" Jack ended the conversation.

Back home the four of them had the doubtful pleasure explaining that the last days were without success, at least in terms of a Goa'uld trap. Culturally seen was this planet – like the last visits confirmed – a complete treasure.

TBC?

©HOPE

should I go on, what ya think?