A/N: I apologize for this huge delay, which is mostly the result of a malfunction of my e-mail... Anyway, I planned to go straight to the plot I have in mind for this story, but then remembered about Tangent, and decided that it would be a shame not to use it in this story in some way. I hope you will enjoy this chapter and that it'll make up for the long wait. And, as always, big thanks to byrhthelm for correcting my mistakes.

CHAPTER 5

Jack and Sam knew that keeping the change in their relations a secret wasn't going to be easy, no matter how hard they tried. They were constantly reminded of the purpose behind the anti-fraternisation regulations, and the nature of their duties didn't work to their advantage when it came to hiding the fact that they were consciously breaking them. Situations that SG1 was constantly getting into made it extremely difficult for both of them to keep their act as commanding officer and subordinate, and it wasn't only when the life of one or both of them was in danger, although it was the worst circumstance.

Ever since they decided to give it a try, they used pretty much every opportunity that came up to spend some time together and get to know each other on a more personal level, and they could already see results. The one that Jack liked the most was that Sam seemed to finally overcome the deep-rooted sense of respect, which made her feel slightly awkward whenever she was doing her best to act towards him not like towards her superior but a partner, and was acting much more natural when they didn't have to keep up appearances. On the other hand, it also made her more ready to voice her opinion when she didn't agree with him or start a argument, which piqued some peoples' curiosity. Personally, however, Jack didn't see it as a problem – after all, it was impossible for two people, especially when they were as different as the two of them, to agree on everything; he was actually quite happy that she did speak up instead of simply following his lead – he would find it rather creepy otherwise – and it was a good thing in a relationship.

There were moments, when they found it difficult to believe how easily they fell into this relationship, how natural it felt for them to be together. Perhaps it was because they knew each other before it happened, they were friends even and it was a very good basis for something of a more romantic nature, or because they simply belonged together as it would be suggested by the fact that 'they' were together in all the alternate realities they had encountered so far, even if there were only two of them, and they had managed to find each other even when all their memories were removed. It didn't really matter to either of them, though; they were happy together and even as more time passed, the more convinced they were becoming that it was indeed a good idea, despite the fact that it meant putting everything at risk.

So, while they were trying their best to keep their relationship outside the base, it turned out not to be entirely possible. They didn't really do anything, that would blatantly indicate what was happening and most of the people seemed unaware of the change – or if they noticed it, they didn't plan to remark upon it. Still, there were a couple of people, who they didn't manage to fool and while they didn't have any proof that their conjectures were good, they were quite certain that they in fact were. They were limited to those, who knew the two of them best, who spent the biggest amount of time with them and, who also knew what occurred during the za'tarc testing, so were aware of the presence of their feelings in the first place so it wasn't difficult for them to sense the difference, no matter how much Sam and Jack tried. They weren't able to pretend that the tension hanging between them almost since the very beginning of their acquaintance, even if still present, was the same and there was also something in the glances and smiles they exchanged, or even in the way Sam's cheeks reddened a little, that was suggesting a closeness, which wasn't there before. It was very subtle, though and if they didn't know them so well, they wouldn't have noticed.

Daniel and Teal'c were the first to get suspicious, when they caught Jack walking through the corridors of the base on the day following the one they had off. There was a smug, slightly dreamy expression on his face, a bounce in his step and he was whistling. He was holding a bowl of blue jello in his hand and it left no doubts about his destination. The two men exchanged glances; one of the Jaffa's eyebrows was raised high in his famous way, while both of Jackson's almost reached his hairline.

"Danny, T!" he spoke, when he saw his friends.

"O'Neill." answered Teal'c, bowing his head a little bit in a greeting.

"Is everything okay?" asked Daniel, eying the older man curiously and suspiciously.

The moment he saw him he noticed that O'Neill seemed different, as if truly cheerful and he immediately started to wonder what had happened to cause it. It was the first time that he saw him like this, without the shadow of his soul shining through the tiny moment of happiness or through the sarcastic Jack O'Neill façade that he was hiding a big part of himself behind. Today it looked like at least a part of his walls was down and whatever made it happen, Daniel didn't have doubts that it had to be huge.

"Just peachy, Daniel! Why shouldn't it be?"

As they followed O'Neill on his way to Sam's lab, both Daniel and Teal'c noticed that Jack seemed completely unaware of all the curious, surprised looks that he was getting. He was acting as if it was the most casual thing to see him like this, or was completely unaware that his behaviour wasn't exactly normal. It quickly became obvious that it was the latter.

"It's just that, well… You don't really seem like yourself, you know? Has something happened?" Daniel's curiosity only grew, when he noticed a mix of shock and panic flash in Jack's eyes, but they disappeared as quickly as showed up. He soon found himself receiving an incredulous, dubious look but the glimpse was enough to let him know that he was on to something. To get it out of his friend, however, was going to be quite a challenge. "Don't look at me like this! I haven't seen you for a day and today you look like a cat that swallowed the canary!"

Crap! It was the first thing that came to his mind when he heard that. In that moment, he looked at his friends really carefully for the first time on that day and noticed the way they were looking at him. It made him realise that he might have not been hiding his good humour as well as he thought, if he could judge by the looks he was receiving from absolutely everyone around. It probably had to be an interesting sight to see him carrying the bowl of blue jello to his second-in-command, something he hadn't done before. What seemed like a perfect plan to give her the spare key back, was now slowly falling apart. He was convinced that bringing Sam her favourite treat and slipping the small envelope with the key and note under it wouldn't be found suspicious, but he could see now that it had a lot of flaws. The biggest one was that whenever he thought that she needed to take a break and eat something, he would just find a way to take her to the commissary and make sure she ate a decent meal, not bring her a snack. And considering how happy he felt, how light in his heart, for the first time in a very long time – probably since Charlie – he was ready to believe that some of this happiness could be leaking out.

Since that moment he decided to be even more careful and as he didn't find himself in any similar situation again, he figured he must have succeeded. He also noticed that, for some reason, despite the fact that every now and then Sam did allow her feelings to come to the surface and be seen, nobody found it as strange as it happened with him. He was aware that it didn't really slip anyone's attention, as she mentioned that both Daniel and Janet figured that there had to be a man in her life and they tried their best to get some information from her. Only Teal'c acted like he has figured it out quickly and correctly, if the knowing looks he was sending in his direction when Jack realised that he caught him watching Carter could be any indication. How he did that, however, he had no idea but he was certainly grateful that the Jaffa decided to keep everything to himself.

Despite those difficulties and the fact that they felt really bad at having to hide the truth from people they cared about, especially Daniel and Janet, or going against what they believed in, breaking all the regulations, there had never been a moment when either of them thought that their decision was a mistake and that it would be better if they decided to end things between them. There wasn't a lot of time that they could spend together outside of the SGC, but they were making the most of it and they were in agreement, that it was making up for everything.

The line they were walking was thin and everything almost fell apart when Jack and Teal'c were drifting in space in the X-301. While she was trying to find a way to bring the two of them back, she felt like she was going to lose her mind. It was only the consciousness that she had to keep it together, that their lives could depend on what she was going to come up with, that allowed her to take a grip on herself and work. Remembering to keep appearances, not to let anyone see that there was more between her and Jack than there should be, was all forgotten but luckily for her, nobody found her behaviour strange. They could all remember how hard she worked when the Colonel was stuck on Edora, so seeing her so desperate to find a solution was seen as something normal, if not expected.

"Sam…" Daniel addressed her, when they went to prepare for the mission. They were going off-world to find the Tok'ra, explain the situation and convince them to help and he couldn't help feeling worried because of the state Sam was in. The stubborn expression in her features suggested that she was ready for absolutely anything to reach her goal, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. In fact, he could think of much more bad scenarios it could lead to than good ones, and the last thing he wanted was to see her get killed through making a wrong move at a wrong time.

"Sam, look at me." he repeated, more insistently when she didn't react. She turned around, obviously taken aback by the tone of his voice and looked at him questioningly. Her eyes made him realise just how desperate she was; she was doing a very good job at pretending that everything was okay with her, but it was all there in her gaze. This situation was slowly killing her and she was just a tiny little step from breaking apart.

"Daniel, we don't have time! We have to get moving! Every second counts and if we get there only to find out that if it wasn't for this five minutes, we would bring them home alive…"

"We will bring them home alive!" he spoke, placing his hands on her shoulders and shaking her gently to get her out of the little trance that she seemed to fall into. "He's not going to give up. He knows that you're going to move heaven and earth to find a way out of this situation and I am sure that this is what he is holding on to."

He didn't even care to keep the plural form, acting as if he was completely oblivious to what was truly going on. From the way she looked at him, he knew that he hit exactly the right place. He kept watching her all the time and the more time passed, it seemed more obvious to him that the reason of her going out of her mind so much was that Jack's life was in danger and she was terrified by the idea that she could lose him. It all seemed so perfectly clear now, that the reason for the positive change in his friend's lives and behaviour was the other, and he couldn't help wondering how he hadn't noticed it before. The truth was, however, that he knew how – it was the belief that they would never, ever, go against the rules, which were keeping them apart, that made him unable to see what was right in front of him.

"Daniel, I… I just…" she started in a shaking voice and looked up at him. She didn't even try to hide her emotions any longer, the way he was looking at her making her see that he knew, that he understood and didn't condemn her and she just let out a long breath, allowing the tears, which she was trying to keep away, to fall down her face. "I can't lose him…" she eventually sobbed out. She didn't put up any resistance, when he pulled her close and just hid her face in his chest, allowing him to try and comfort her, to give her the support that she needed and simply cried, letting go of at least some of the emotions that were bottled up inside her.

"I know, I know… You'll see, everything will be okay… He'll be back here before you know it, disturbing us at any possible moments, making all those comments and just being… well, himself." he said, when he noticed her calm down and felt her move away a little. She nodded her head, wiping the wet traces away from her cheeks and trying to smile. "Come on, they are out there waiting for you to come up with a brilliant idea and we can't let them down."

"God, I feel so terrible… Teal'c is out there as well, his life in danger just as much as Jack's and while I am aware of it, all I can focus on is…"

"Sam..!" he interrupted her. "Your main focus might be on Jack, it's understandable because he is the one of the two that means a whole lot more to you than anyone else, but I know that you care about Teal'c, too and while you may not feel it right now, I know that at least a part of you is driven by the want to have him back, too. Now, let's move and get to our friends."

They finished the preparation in silence and they were soon ready to leave, all dressed and armed. The awareness that their friends' lives depended on whether or not they were going to be successful in their little mission was weighing heavily on their hearts but they didn't have a choice. If they wanted to see the two of them back, they couldn't wait for the Tok'ra to be ready to help them – they needed to take matters in their own hands and it was exactly what they were going to do, even if it was extremely dangerous.

"Daniel?" she spoke to him, just before they stepped through the gate and the man turned his head to look at his companion. "Thanks."

The smile he sent her not only left no doubts that she was welcome, but also assured her that he wasn't angry that they didn't include him in what was going on. If she could read anything about this in his look, it was that he was happy for them and would do everything to ensure that there was a future for them to look forward to.

It was the thought that she was going to hold on to. A future with Jack O'Neill, which she knew that she wanted. There might have been just several weeks, they might have never talked about this thing between them or about their feelings ever since reaching the agreement that they wanted to give it a try, but she knew that she loved him. If there were any doubts in her mind about the seriousness of her feelings for him, they were completely gone; it wasn't just a physical attraction, a very bad case of a hero worship or a fleeting infatuation. They could be what it all started with - her attraction to Colonel O'Neill, but getting to know the man that he truly was only made her feelings grow stronger. And she definitely needed to talk to him about it, because there was no way she was going to survive another situation like this.

Right now, however, she had to focus on bringing him back and with that in mind, she stepped through the Stargate.