AN: So, nobody actually got it. The major canon change: those files Daniel mentioned were the ones he was looking at during the opening scenes of The Torment of Tantalus. Given how closely they cut it in the original episode, delaying watching the files for a day or so means that by the time the dial the planet the DHD will have fallen into the ocean and the Stargate will be buried. Which means they never see the UN thing for the Four Great Races, and that Ernest stays marooned (if he survives the collapse of the building).

Backing up to get a running start at this scene.

"Be glad you have him for as long as he's around," Daniel continued. "Even if it's not perfect."

Sam nodded. "I know." Daniel was still inside his shell. "So, what's the team like now that there are only the three of you?" It wasn't something they'd ever discussed, but she thought it was worth a little pain to draw him out, and it wasn't like things were going to change any time soon. She might as well get used to it.

Daniel shrugged. "Actually, things are about the same. Jack cracks jokes. He does swear a little more, and some of his jokes are a bit more off-color, but it's not that big a change. I doubt I'd notice if I weren't a linguist. Teal'c … still doesn't talk much."

"So, it wasn't just me?" Sam asked. "I kind of wondered. On Chulak, the only women we came across were in the slave pens with us. I mean, the monks were male, the Jaffa were male. And I don't think he realized I wasn't a guy until we were back in the SGC and I took off my vest. He kind of gave me a double-take."

Daniel shrugged. "Well, I'm pretty sure that Jaffa society is patriarchal, but from what I can tell he treats you and me about the same—I don't think Jaffa society has all that many scholars, and I'm fairly certain that what scholars they do have don't mix much with Apophis's warriors. Teal'c's got that warrior bond thing going on with Jack, but they still don't talk much."

"Jack talks a lot," Sam objected. "Sometimes the hard part is getting him to shut up."

"Yes, but he doesn't really say anything while he's chattering," Daniel said patiently. "The signal-to-noise ratio is very low. When Teal'c opens his mouth, the signal-to-noise ratio is through the roof, but he opens it so seldom that the amount of stuff the two of them actually talk about isn't all that much different."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," Sam said, "but you have a point." She frowned. "When is your next mission? Jack hasn't said anything."

Daniel shrugged. "I'm not completely sure, actually. Nothing for a couple of weeks—I think they've decided that the best way of handling team rotation is having one team 'on call,' so to speak, and have the rest on standby, writing reports and researching and all the other miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done around here. I don't mind the break in offworld missions, as long as it's just temporary. They found several boxes of files from the Forties—apparently, they were researching the Gate then. I'm going to go through them, see if there's anything interesting."

"Let me know if you do," Sam said.

"Of course. We've also got physical evaluations starting," he glanced at his watch, "in a little over an hour, so by the time I got to the briefing room and got into the files it would be time to get ready for that. I don't know how long the tests are going to take." He frowned. "Jack says they want to make sure that everyone who goes through the Gate is actually fit to do so. It's a good idea, but wouldn't it have made more sense to do it before we started going through the Gate?"

"Probably," Sam agreed, "but it wasn't like we had a lot of time to do so between Apophis' first appearance and the mission to Chulak—time is critical in rescue operations. Besides, you were the only civilian, and you'd spent the last year living on another planet—if that didn't prepare you for going through the Gate, nothing would. But now the bureaucracy has caught up with events."

"Okay." Daniel shook his head. "Anyway, the list of people I gave them for recruiting is starting to do some good, now; I've got two people coming in next week, and I'll have to get them oriented and started on learning Goa'uld. And all that is on top of my normal translation duties."

"Ah. So, the new people: anyone you know personally, or only by reputation?"

"One I've never met, but the other was a grad student of mine."

"Really? We'll have to have him over to our house for a party or something, once he gets settled in."

Daniel winced. "Um. I'm not sure how wise that would be, actually. Robert—he's more of a geek than I am. Jack knows me, so he doesn't give me too much grief about it. I wouldn't want to spring him on an unsuspecting stranger, though."

Sam smiled. It felt like the first time she'd done so in ages. "I guess you're right."

"So, what sounds good tonight?" Jack asked as they pulled into their driveway. It had taken some fancy talking, but he'd managed to convince her to come home an hour early today to take advantage of their free evening.

"I don't know," Sam said. "It's probably my turn to cook, but I really don't feel up to it." She tried to cover up a yawn.

"No problem," Jack said. "How about spaghetti?" Sam had pretty broad tastes, and so far hadn't developed any cravings; that made her easy to cook for.

"Sure."

Jack made sure he got to the door before her, keys out and ready. He couldn't make her Dad less of an asshole and he couldn't get her back on the team, but he could take care of whatever little hassles came her way. "Why don't you go get into something more comfortable while I cook."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Jack."

"As in, something that is more comfortable," Jack amended hastily. He was fairly sure that if she were under less stress, she would have taken it with humor. "Sweats, or something, and curl up on the couch with a good book or something.

"Okay."

"Supper's ready."

Sam looked up from her laptop, dark circles under her eyes, and Jack had to bite his tongue to keep from bringing up her work habits. He made it a point not to piss off pregnant women who were as good with explosives as Sam's file said she was. Okay, so it wasn't exactly something that had ever come up before, but he thought it would be a good thing to remember for the next several months. "Smells good," she said, hauling herself up and following him back around the dividing wall that separated the living room from the kitchen.

"I try," Jack said. "Did you get much done?" he asked, helping himself to carrots while Sam gave herself a heaping serving of spaghetti.

"Hm? Oh, just now?" Sam said, passing it to him. "Not really. I was having a bit of trouble concentrating."

Loves explosives, Jack thought to himself, biting his tongue. Pregnancy hormones. And she knows where I live. "So, did it ever occur to you to, oh, actually stop working now that you're not actually at work at the moment and relax?"

"Jack," Sam said, unamused. "Don't even start."

They ate in silence for a while.

"So, do you have anything in mind to do tonight?"

Jack looked up from his second helping of spaghetti. "Not really. Just hanging out, relaxing, not having to deal with any crap."

"I kind of feel like watching a movie," Sam admitted. "Popcorn, lights down, the whole nine yards. Don't want to go out, though," she grimaced, "I really don't want to have to get dressed and looking decent, again."

"I think you look fine," Jack said mildly.

"Uhuh," Sam said, glancing down at her sweats. "Right."

"You do," Jack said. "What do you want to watch?" He steeled himself for a chick flick; with the week Sam had had, he'd even watch the Lifetime Movie of the Week if it would make her happy.

"I'm kind of in the mood for big explosions," Sam said with a serious expression. "You wouldn't happen to have Lethal Weapon, would you?"

Jack fell in love with her all over again right then and there.