"I take it Daniel and Teal'c won't be joining us for our entertainment?" Jamal asked, smiling.

Jack shook his head.

"I guess not."

"Entertainment?" Sam repeated.

"Of course! We have musicians and dancing coming up – if you're not too full from your dinner to dance?"

She smiled, looking at Jack to see his reaction to the planned entertainment. He was carefully keeping his expression neutral, however, which she knew meant that he was going to give her the choice of whether to join in or not.

"It sounds fun."

"Then you'll have to save me a dance," Darrin said.

"After I see what the dance is," Sam said. Just in case it was some kind of dance where they all tossed off their clothes and started rubbing their rears – or other parts – against each other.

"There is plenty of time to learn," Jamal assured her. "After dessert, though. The musicians require that time to set up the main hall."

"Sounds fun," Jack said. "Let's eat."

He wasn't all that excited about the music and dancing – not that he was against a good dance or anything – but he was all for dessert. Especially if it was as good as dinner had been. He gave Sam a slight smile which was filled with the promise of at least one shared dance, and then headed back for his seat with Jamal and a few of the others behind him.

Sam watched as he went, but was interrupted by the arrival of great platters of dessert, which turned out to be something like a cheesecake cookie that was surrounded by a flaky crust.

"Try it, Sam," Tara encouraged her. "You'll like it, I bet."

"And if you don't, we'll find something you do," one of the other men assured her.

She took the dish from the server, who handed her a spoon, and with everyone at the table watching her closely (which was just a little disconcerting) she took a taste, and found it to be amazing.

"It's delicious…"

Smiling knowingly – because they'd known just how good it was – the others reached for their own servings of dessert, pleased that they'd impressed their visitor.

OOOOOOOOOO

A hand slipping into his own pulled Jack's attention away from what had to be the weirdest dance he'd ever seen – and he'd seen a lot of them during his years. He turned his head, smiling at Sam, who had come up behind him without him noticing.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" she asked, tucking her arm under his, and leaning against him slightly. After all, no one there knew the regulations against fraternization, and no one would care.

"It's not the Glenn Miller Band…"

She chuckled.

"You don't like the Glenn Miller Band."

"I'm just saying…"

"They're not too bad, though, are they?"

"No. It's different, but I kind of like it."

Which for him was saying something.

When they had finished with dessert, the entire crowd headed into the main hall. Several people up on a raised dais were setting up what looked like a string orchestra – although Jack didn't go close enough to actually compare their instruments with those he was familiar with. When they saw people arriving, the musicians started to warm up – which increased O'Neill's image of a string orchestra – and finally they started playing.

The music was slow, but it wasn't boring, and immediately dancers headed for the middle of the floor. With them was Sam, who was being escorted by two men and one woman – apparently the dance they were starting with was one that required four people (or two partners).

Jack had watched her, smiling softly as she'd first stumbled her way through the steps of the dance, and then had quickly caught on, while at the same time he'd shaken his head when Jamal had offered to show him the moves as well. He wanted to watch, not participate.

"Are you going to try it?" Sam asked him, looking at the dancers.

He looked at her.

"Do you want me to?"

"It's kind of fun. But if you don't want to, I'm sure Darrin would be happy to dance the night away with me…"

He scowled, knowing that she had done that on purpose. Now, even if he didn't want to dance, he was going to. On the other hand, he liked dancing – which wasn't something everyone knew – and he especially loved to dance with her.

"You'll show me how?"

"Of course!"

Without giving him a chance to change his mind, her grip on his hand tightened and she led him out to the dance floor, where immediately another couple joined them, more than willing to show Jack how to dance.

OOOOOOOOO

"Daniel?"

Daniel looked up from the paper he was studying, annoyance at the interruption clear on his face, even though he tried to school his expression. Teal'c looked up as well, his own expression impassive – even though he was interested in the writings that they were copying as well.

"Rafe… yes?"

"The dancing has started…"

"Do I have to go?"

"Not if you don't want to. I just didn't want you to miss it if you were interested."

Daniel gave him a smile.

"I am interested in it, Rafe. But this…" he gestured to the carefully covered papers on the table he was standing beside. "This is something far more interesting… something that might be the key to unlocking countless mysteries about my planet's history…"

Rafe smiled.

"I will tell the elders you are occupied, then. They will not mind."

"Thank you."

He turned his attention back to the papers, picking up his pen once more.