Sam wasn't really sure about what to do. The best thing would be… which one exactly? She understood the implication. He had managed not to lose hope because of her. She couldn't even describe how much it meant for her. Bu it was all wrong… he was her CO and this shouldn't be the reason for him to keep on fighting for his life, even in situations like this.

Sam wanted to dismiss the idea of sharing something so personal with him, especially with her father being at ear-shot. But she sensed that this was very important to Jack. She felt a bit confused for a moment. Then she remembered that she was supposed to keep him from falling asleep…. Well, he was already half-way sleeping by then.

"Sir…"

"Ehm…"

She moved closer and caressed his cheek gently. He opened his eyes and saw her there. She smiled at him and he could feel himself falling for her once again. It was wrong, he knew, but he didn't care, not anymore.

"No sleeping, Sir."

"You're no fun, Carter."

"Sorry, Sir."

He had to sit up a bit. Sam made him drink some more water.

"Thanks Carter"

"No problem, Sir."

And after thinking about it for a moment longer, she decided to tell him. One part of her being wanted him to know everything about her and right now, she was listening to that part. Few years earlier she would have been afraid of becoming week in his eyes by telling him something so personal. Now she knew that in his eyes she would never be weak. Actually, quite the contrary… by sharing her memories with him she would make their trust even stronger.

Sam could tell that he was about to apologize, dismiss her with some joke or comment and tell her to go to talk to her father. And she didn't want that. She wanted him to know… was it silly? Maybe. But she had gathered the courage and she was not about to let it all go just like that. He asked, it helped him to make it through the last long hours and the least she could do was to give him an answer. And she didn't care if it was appropriate or not.

"I don't remember the very first moment when I had fallen for stars. But from what I know from dad, I used to have one of those musical mobiles over my crib. At the top there was big shooting star and then about five or six colored stars hanging there below."

"That's really cute, Carter." He was grinning at her.

"Cute?" She asked half-shocked and half-amused.

"Yeah… you as a baby lying there in the crib, watching the stars above you, trying to reach up there…"

"You have no idea…"

"What? What have you done?" He was genuinely curious and she could only keep smiling at him, this conversation wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. It was actually pretty easy.

"Mom told me that I stood up for the first time, holding the railing on the side of the crib, just to reach out and touch the stars. They were out of reach but obviously I didn't mind."

"Achieving the impossible at the age of what, ten months. Wow, I'm impressed."

"I wasn't ten months old."

"You weren't?"

"No… I was not even seven months old when I managed to stand up for the first time."

"Average child makes the first steps at the age of one year and you managed when you were eight or almost nine months old, is that right?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Again, I'm impressed." And he was grinning so much that it made her blush. He felt so comfortable that he just closed his eyes and wanted to rest…

"Sir… remember, no sleeping."

"So not fair…"

"Come on, stay awake, please… I'll tell you more okay?"

"That's cheating, Carter."

"Cheating?"

She couldn't help the giggles and of course, it made him open his eyes and watch her. Of course this was cheating!

Jacob heard his daughter giggle… did she really giggle? He couldn't remember the last time when he had the chance to see her this amused and hear her giggling.

Daniel noticed as well but wasn't really affected by it.

"You seem surprised…"

"Well, yes. It's not like she giggles that much… she smiles and grins and she certainly knows how to laugh but giggling?"

"Few people can make her giggle…"

And then Jacob decided that he didn't want to know anything else. Nope, not a single thing. Daniel had a knowing look in his eyes and suddenly Jacob felt like open book. Could the man really read him that well? That could be dangerous. But on the other hand he was impressed. And as Selmak not so subtly reminded him, right now he was happy because his daughter was giggling on the other side of the ship.

They couldn't make out all the details of the conversation but they could hear the giggles. They didn't last for long, just few seconds but then Jack said something and she giggled again. Jacob's hearing was a bit above average thanks to Selmak so he could distinguish a lot more than Daniel. And he couldn't believe that Sam was actually telling her CO about her childhood so openly.

"They talk about everything, don't they?"

"Jack and Sam?"

"Yes."

"Actually, not so much."

"Really?"

"Sometimes the regs are in the way, sometimes they could use the talk, hell we all would be happy if those two would talk but the whole being Commanding Officer and his junior one is in the way and drilled in them so deep that they can't break the habit."

"I can understand that…"

"And maybe they think we don't know but we do … sometimes they talk without talking."

"Excuse me?"

"You never noticed? For example it's the number of Sirs and Majors in the conversation."

"What? Less means more open and honest?"

"Quite on the contrary actually…"

"Really?"

"Just think about it… they are officers, like you are. When you know you have to keep your distance no matter how much you would like to be close… what would you do?"

"Use the ranks and salutations as much as possible to keep the distance… right…"

"Something like that, yes."

"Anything else?"

Daniel wasn't sure if sharing with Jacob was the right thing to do but the man looked so genuine and honest that he just couldn't help it. He was trying to get to know his daughter, he was being supportive and friendly, trying really hard to be the father she had obviously missed so much. Besides Daniel had his sixth sense when it came to people and their personalities and he knew, he just knew, that Jacob was a good guy. So he told him.

"It's just the way they're standing, close to each other, within reach, they way they're looking at each other. You can tell there's this silent talking thing going on. Mutual respect and understanding and something else that only they can decipher." He just couldn't be more honest and open than this.

"That's crazy."

"I agree."

"But they are talking now…"

"And it's rare. But when they actually talk and I don't mean work-related stuff or jokes or anything like that but real deep personal conversation, they are all the way in. Then they can share a lot. And it means a lot to them. Really, although they would never say so."

"Air Force can do that to you…"

"I'm beginning to understand that, yes."

Jacob was thinking. He was silent. He was trying to wrap his mind about this. He could understand it all. That they wouldn't talk because of being in the Air Force, that they would always be two officers, that they would talk without talking when it was too dangerous to even try to talk… and he could also understand that in times they would just sit like they were sitting now and that they would share something personal, something important.

"Jacob? You okay?"

"What? Oh … yes."

"All right."

Daniel could tell the General had something to say but he could respect his wish to stay silent. He wanted to rest but he was too mesmerized by the outer space. He could only watch it and dream about all that was hidden out there.

He knew that his friends would be okay. They would talk and it would look like some not really important stuff, like now for example, but it would be something very personal and difficult to share. But they would share it and they would understand and support each other. And it would bring them even closer, again.

He was trying to pretend that he had no idea about what was going on… but it was really hard. Janet told him what she had heard that day in the observation room. She believed he should be told. And so he knew. And he was hurting for them, trying to respect their wish to keep it as a secret. He knew there was not a thing going on between them. They were both too honorable for something like that. But sometimes he would find himself hoping that they would cross the line, break the rules and be happy.

He knew that they both had a reason why to stay, why to be honorable and all… he was just hoping that they would find their way one day. They deserved the happiness, more than anyone he knew. They deserved each other and nothing less… and yet they couldn't have more than just few stoles hours of friendly talking. That was not right.

It seemed to be silly anyway. Those regulations existed in order to protect. They were supposed to protect soldiers from making wrong decisions based upon their personal feelings. Or he wanted to believe that the original idea was something like this. And his two friends, deeply caring for each other, they had never broken the rules and yet they were forced to make those decisions anyway.

He was glad they could at least talk right now. They needed it. Sam was so worried. Of course she was worried about Teal'c as well, but Daniel knew that the primary concern was Jack. And he couldn't blame her. And he never would. He had decided, very long ago, that he would always be the one to help and to support them. He could only hope they knew it as well.