A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I didn't expect to have a moment for this episode but this little one just kinda happened, I didn't really know where Daniel's head was at... but I don't think he did either. Enjoy!

Serpent's Song

"Does it?" Daniel's question rung in the air, he'd repeated it at least three times.

"I don't know Daniel." Sam argued back, she sat forward and hung her head in an effort to study the beer in her hand. "I don't think it's that simple."

"I'm not saying it is. I mean you don't think I want him- "

"Oh, come on!" Jack moaned as he re-entered his living room. "Are you seriously still talking about this?"

"It's called conversation Jack."

"It's called drop it, Daniel." Jack snapped back as he slumped back into his marked position, next to Carter.

"Jack- " Daniel snapped, but then he paused as noticed the uneasiness in Sam's shoulders and Jack's subsequent eye roll. Daniel took a breath, and calmly continued. "All I'm saying is, as much as I want him dead for what he's done to Sha're, there's a part of me that feels bad about how it all worked out."

"I know." Jack quietly acknowledged. "But you don't have to, it wasn't your call. At least you know Sha're isn't with him now."

"Like what Martouf said, it's not unlike what the Goa'uld, or hell what Apophis himself, have done to everybody else for thousands of years." Sam tried to reassure, albeit unconvincingly.

"But a part of what sets us apart from the Goa'uld is the fact that we don't do that."

A thick silence followed Daniel's remarks. Since leaving Teal'c at the base, Daniel had been pushing the topic of Apophis and the recent events. Sam felt like the conversation was like somebody was balancing their finger in the middle of a light switch, she was unsure of which way it was going to go. But suddenly, that finger had been released and the light switched on; her mouth gaped into a slight 'oh'. She felt as if her following words were the product of a dare and she felt unsure as to how Daniel would react. She took a small sip of her beer before clearing her throat to ask, or perhaps confirm, what had come to her mind. "The issue isn't that you feel bad is it Daniel, it's that you don't."

Jack's eyes darted up at Sam's boldly delivered question, to him it was obvious. After the briefing Teal'c was vocal about how though it was unfair on the host, Apophis deserved what had happened. However, Daniel had been trying to justify that handing Apophis over was 'bad' in the name of the host. Though they all agreed with that aspect, Daniel's pointless persistence of the topic was evidently a process of convincing himself that they had done the wrong thing, even though he did not entirely feel that way.

"I gave the host the funeral he deserved." Daniel's voice carried low.

"And he appreciated that. And after all those years, I can't imagine how freeing it must have felt to be able to speak again."

"He's not dead Sam."

"No, but he sees and hears what Apophis does. He understands we had no other choice." Jack cut in.

"Do you really believe that?" Daniel asked doubtfully. Jack could see both his teammates bright eyes awaiting an answer.

"Yeah. It makes sense." He replied. He noticed something in Carter's persona, possibly reassurance, he found that his words had that effect on her. He wondered if he could somehow reassure Daniel. "And you know, feeling like you want bad things to happen to an alien who kidnapped your wife and had a kid with her is a very normal thing to feel. If normal, is anything to go by."

Daniel nodded. "I always imagined it differently. He was helpless, begging for our help. That was not the way it was supposed to happen. I wanted to kill him, and if I'm honest there was a moment where I seriously considered doing so. I mean if it wasn't for you coming in Sam and telling me about the Tok'ra… I don't know."

Sam puts her empty bottle down next to the Colonels. "But you didn't do it Daniel."

An unreadable expression flared across Daniel's face, he frowned and looked at his two friends that were sat across from him. "No. I didn't."

"Well for what it's worth, I had to explicitly tell Teal'c not to kill him." Jack said. An unexpected laugh escaped Sam, Jack and Daniel turned to her in amusement, she muttered a 'sorry'. Though there was nothing to be sorry for, which was communicated to her through a nudge from the Colonel.

"Does anyone want another beer?" Sam asked, the drop in atmosphere provided opportunity for a subject change, or at least more alcohol.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jack asked. She noted his tone and turned to look at him, somehow an inability to say no had overcome him. "Go. They're in the fridge."

"Yes sir." She beamed as she jumped up to head to the kitchen.

"And don't touch the container with the yellow lid!" He called after her. Daniel gave Jack a quizzical look which Jack just shrugged off. They sat for a moment, and though the subject had come to a close, Jack could see that Daniel's mind was on replay.

"Even I wanted to kill that son of a bitch. I know the whole innocent guy being trapped for thousands of years with a snake is a tough deal, but that was not our fault. And you are more than entitled to be pissed at that Goa'uld." Jack exclaimed, he solemnly continued, "It's a complicated situation and that comes with complicated feelings."

And just like that Daniel exhaled. "I know you don't like talking like this. But thanks Jack."

Jack offered a dry smile in response, and as if on cue, Sam entered with three beers. She stepped over the Colonel's outstretched legs and opened a beer to pass to Daniel. She then fell back into her spot on the couch handing the Colonel a beer, to which he used the bottle to tap his thanks. Another hour of talk passed until they all decided they were hungry, and after half an hour of discussing what to eat they agreed that Chinese would be the food of choice. This led to Jack and Sam debating over which of their places was better to order from. Jack knew his was better, he had even gotten Daniel to agree with him, and yet for some reason he ordered from Sam's.