So here it comes...the plot twist!

Death In Judgement

Daniel flinched slightly as Jack slammed a plastic salad bowl on the counter in the kitchen. It was obvious his friend had quickly figured it out and was extremely pissed.

Yet was doing a bad job of trying to look calm.

"So, you and Vala look..." Jack opened up a cabinet, then slammed it closed a moment later. He turned near-furious brown eyes on Daniel. "Close."

The younger man nodded. "We are."

Jack failed to look okay with the admission as he turned his full attention to his friend. "And yet, here I am surprised to find out that you two are still an item. It's amazing, cause I could have swore you told me you had decided to slow things down - that you'd dated only a few times."

"We have technically only dated a few times." Daniel said quietly, looking to the floor.

Shaking his head, Jack snatched up the salad bowl again. He threw open the fridge door, making Daniel jump out of the way to keep from getting hit. "So you aren't denying you've had sex."

Daniel watched his friend closely. "Why would I deny that? Sex is the truest expression of love two people can share-"

"Don't pull your true love crap on me, Daniel." Jack turned and pointed a package of carrots at him. "Sex is just a damn animal instinct, and you let her hook you."

Anger flared in Daniel's chest. "She didn't hook me, Jack." He stepped around the island and looked down at the already prepared food. "Vala and I felt we were both ready."

Jack turned back to the fridge. "Is she pregnant?"

"What? No!" Daniel said, slightly offended by Jack's words. "Why would you assume-"

"Because, for the life of me, I can't figure out why you would lie to me over her." Jack's voice rose with each word. "Why would she come between you and me?"

Daniel rested his elbows down on the island. "Jack, she's not coming between us..."

"You fucking lied to me, Daniel!" Jack whirled around, throwing the bowl across the kitchen and making the younger man jump. "You think I wouldn't figure it out? That I'm too fucking dense to realize you weren't coming home for the past week?" His chest started to heave in anger as he placed his hands down on the island, across from Daniel. "Come on, man! I mean I know you like reading, but you've never spent every day you've had off for four months at the damn library!"

The younger man squeezed his eyes shut a moment. "Jack, I didn't-"

"Didn't what? Didn't lie to me?" Jack was definitely shouting now. "Daniel, please, we both know you did! And if you say you didn't, you're lying again!"

Daniel glared at his friend. "I wasn't gonna say I wasn't lying...I know I did."

Pointing a finger out the sliding glass door just off from the kitchen, Jack leaned in a little. "Did she encourage this?"

"No, she didn't!" Daniel let his voice rise, leaning in as well. "I did it all on my own, this is my problem. You leave her out of this."

Jack laughed sarcastically. "She is the problem!" He turned around and slammed his hand on the counter. "You are lying to me for her, and that's a damn problem."

He turned around and fixed a hard, yet desperate glare on Daniel. "Is she helping you use again?"

Daniel's blue eyes widened, even as he half-expected the question to come up. "How could you ask me that? How could you not trust me enough?"

"You expect me to trust you, Daniel?" Jack laughed again, even more sarcastically then before. "You've been lying to me, and the only time you have ever lied to me is when you're using!"

Shaking his head, Daniel turned away. He knew he shouldn't be getting upset, but he couldn't stop himself. "I love her, Jack." He said, trying to steer away from the topic.

Jack wouldn't have any of it. "You didn't answer my question."

"And it's taken me so long to feel like this again..." Daniel continued like he hadn't heard Jack.

Voice getting louder, Jack pushed. "Answer my question, Daniel."

Daniel just shook his head. "Hayden is amazing...I've just fallen in love with both of them."

"Dammit, Daniel!" Jack slammed his hand down on the island. "Are you using again?!"

The younger man turned around. "No, you son of a bitch!" He shouted, swiping a couple things off of the part of the island in front of him. "No, I'm not!"

Jack shook his head. "I can't believe you! You've lied, you don't come home, you're ignoring your family - It's just like it's been the times before!"

"What the fuck do you want from me?!" Daniel cried out. "I just told you I wasn't! That should be enough for you to believe me..." He stepped away from the island, shaking his head. "I can't believe this... Jack, come on, please believe me."

The older man tried to bury his fury at the desperate look in his friend's eyes. "You've fed me that line every other time before, and I've fallen for it - and I can't do it anymore."

Daniel walked around the barrier between them, hands clasped together. "I'm not lying, Jack. I promise you. I'm not using - there's no way I would go back to that and jeopardize losing Vala and Hayden." He continued to plead to Jack with his eyes. "I'm making my own family here, and I would never mess that up."

"You fucking messed up mine!" Jack shouted, anger returning at Daniel's words.

The younger man paled. "What?"

Jack shook his head. "Don't play dumb with me, Daniel. You know what the hell I'm talking about!" His eyes had gone dark. "Sara left me because I was spending everything to help you with your damn addiction! You're the damn reason I got divorced!" Jack was failing to notice the hurt he was causing. "And you're so fucking ungrateful, lying to me about some woman you met in a damn parking lot, who's probably only using you for financial support!"

Daniel could feel himself start to tremble. "I...I don't..." He bit his lip and blinked back tears. Looking out the door, his blue eyes fell on the mass of black hair that was signaturely Vala's. "I need to go."

Quickly, Daniel made his way around the island and towards the door. He ignored Jack's shouted 'run out, like the damn junkie you are!' as he stepped outside and up to the porch table.

"Sam, I'm sorry but we can't stay any longer." He mumbled, giving her a false smile as the tears slowly started to fall. "Come on, Vala."

Vala stood up, taking Daniel's hand. "What happened?"

"Are you okay?" Sam stood up as well.

Daniel smiled again, and nodded unconvincingly. "I'll call you and Charlie...tell Jack..." His voice faltered. "Tell him I'm sorry." He pulled Vala along. "Hayden, come on, we're leaving."

The little girl turned a pout on Daniel. "But I'm not ready."

"Hayden!" Daniel snapped, making her jump. She immediately dropped the ball her and Charlie had been tossing around and made her way over to him and her mother. She wordlessly took Vala's outstretched hand.

Sam watched them make their leave, then called Charlie over. Carrying him inside, she watched her husband busy himself with trying to make a salad that would now go uneaten. Setting the boy down, she patted him on the butt playfully.

"Go play in your room." She said, giving him a soft smile as he looked at her in slight worry. Reluctantly, Charlie headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room. The moment he was out of sight, Sam turned a glare on Jack.

"What the hell did you say?!"

------

Vala reached out and placed a hand on Daniel's arm. "Hunny, pull over."

"I...I'm fine." Daniel mumbled, tears silently slipping down his cheeks. He squeezed the steering wheel tighter to stem the shaking, his knuckles going white.

She squeezed his arm. "Daniel..." Vala whispered, desperately concerned by his distress. "Pull over, please."

Licking his lips, Daniel flicked on the indicator and pulled his truck to the side of the road near the beginning ends of a forest. He killed the ignition and sighed.

Vala unclipped her seatbelt and leaned closer to him. The second before her lips connected with his cheek, Daniel undid his seatbelt and hopped out of the truck. Vala scrambled after him out his side, following him around the truck.

"H-he promised me..." Daniel said breathlessly, all his emotion getting the better of him. He fell to his knees in the cool grass, trying to breathe normally. A choked sob escaped, and then he couldn't hold it back anymore. He really started to cry.

Vala wrapped her arms around him from behind, holding him tight. She didn't know what had him so upset, but she started to cry anyway. "Daniel..." She breathed into his ear.

His hand came up and gripped hers desperately. "Don't leave me...I love you." Daniel whispered through his tears. "I would never lie about that..." He couldn't stop the tears. "I wouldn't lie to you...believe me."

"I do." Vala kissed his neck softly. He sounded so frightened and betrayed. "I love you too...Love you so much, baby." She stroked his chest with her free hand. "I'm not going anywhere. Hayden and I are here for you, no matter what."

Daniel shook his head. "But you don't know..."

She bent down and pulled him back against her chest. "I'll just wait until you're ready to tell me."

Squeezing her hand, Daniel tried to stop his tears. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You fixed my tire and took a chance on me." Vala said to him.

The sound of a door opening had her looking around. Hayden had climbed out of the truck.

The girl looked at the two of them. "Mommy?"

Vala gave her a watery smile. "Come here, babygirl. Daniel needs to know you love him."

Hayden rushed over to them, moving around Daniel and throwing her arms around his neck.

He rested his face against hers, the tears silently continuing to fall.

A/N: I made my beta cry with this chapter...she said it was one of the best I've ever done, especially in terms of Jack and Daniel...IDK about that - I was just trying to get their raw emotions across because obviously both Jack and Daniel have been scarred by Daniel's using (you'll find out what next chapter). I hope it strikes a cord with all my fellow Jack/Daniel friendshippers, and I know the scene at the end just totally plays into everyone's need for some DV.

Anywho, the big 'information' chapter is following - and don't forget to review!