"Hey Sam," Daniel greeted her warmly as she opened Jack's front door.
"Hey guys," Sam replied with a smile as she stepped back to let him and Teal'c inside, each with a duffle bag in hand.
"How are you doing," Daniel asked as he pulled her into a tight hug.
"I'm doing better," Sam said as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"We were relieved by General Hammond's decision not to punish you for your actions," Teal'c said earnestly. "However, had he chosen differently, we would have protested. Loudly," he added with an almost smile.
"Thanks," Sam replied warmly as Jack entered the hall with a pile of clothes in his arms.
"Hey kids," Jack greeted with a grin. "Did you bring your stuff?"
"We did indeed, O'Neill," Teal'c assured.
"Couldn't pass up the chance for a sleepover, could you Danny Boy?"
"With Sam? Never," Daniel with an evil smile as he reluctantly let go of her.
"Here you go Carter," Jack said, handing over the pile of clothes. "Something in there's got to fit."
"Thanks," Sam called over her shoulder as she disappeared from the hallway.
"Is she all right?" Daniel asked quietly after following her retreating back out of sight.
"No," Jack answered just as quietly. "One minute she's smiling and happy like she just was, and the next she's near tears and looking like a little girl whose puppy just died."
"The alien Orlin told Major Carter that he loved her prior to his death," Teal'c informed Jack matter of factly.
"What?"
"It's on the tapes they recorded," Daniel explained, his disgust evident from his tone. "General Hammond thought we had a right to know, since it'll probably have a lot to do with how she handles this."
"What did she say to him?" Jack asked, intrigued. Sam had gotten pretty adept at dealing with infatuated aliens they encountered off-world, but none of them had ever followed her home and camped out in her house for over a week.
"To the General?" Daniel questioned in confusion.
"To the alien," Jack elaborated, stressing the word purely out of exasperation.
"Uh, nothing really."
"Major Carter will likely be upset to hear you refer to Orlin in such a way," Teal'c advised Jack, the warning in his voice clear.
"She's already upset," Jack pointed out, feeling compelled to state the obvious.
"And you don't have to make it worse," Daniel snapped, flying into over-protective best friend mode at the thought of someone hurting Sam.
"I've spent the last two hours making it better," Jack defended himself testily. "And as upset as she is about Orlin, she's more upset that none of us trusted her!"
"She will be more upset if we are arguing when she returns," Teal'c pointed out tactfully, trying to forestall any further sniping.
"Is her place really that bad?" Daniel asked as he followed Jack into the living room.
"Everything is ruined. Anything that could have been saved is toast because the pipes are dripping water all over. We didn't go in any further than the kitchen, but that was bad enough," Jack apprised, flopping tiredly onto the couch.
"Major Carter's possessions can easily be replaced," Teal'c interjected as he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Some stuff can't be replaced, though. Pictures of her with her mom or even with her dad when she was younger might be restorable, but we can't replace them," Daniel pointed out, sprawling into the reclining chair with a sigh.
"She was really upset about her mom's wedding dress," Jack informed them.
"What has happened to it?" Teal'c questioned.
"We don't know it – it was in the attic."
"I'll go look for it when we head over there tomorrow," Daniel promised. "It might not be as ruined as she thinks."
"What might not be as ruined as who thinks?" Sam asked as she entered the room.
Taking in the sight of her in a t-shirt that was at least five sizes too big and a pair of sweat pants that were held up – barely – by a drawstring, Jack thought she looked even more exhausted, if that was even possible. His concern abated slightly when she literally threw herself into the chair Daniel already occupied and he did his best to bite back a smile.
"A topographic map Lieutenant Laden from SG-7 slaved over for days before falling asleep while she was working on it and spilling coffee all over it," Daniel lied casually, shifting in the chair to make more room for her.
"Sounds like something Danny would do," Jack said flippantly, standing up. "I'm gonna go get changed, then we can start the movie."
"Did you order the pizza yet?" Daniel asked, following Jack's lead and extracting himself from the tangle of limbs and standing to go get changed.
"It should be here any minute now," Sam promised, playfully pouting at him over 'abandoning' her.
"I shall change as well now, Major Carter," Teal'c informed her as Daniel and Jack left the room.
"Okay," Sam replied as she stretched out in the chair, shifting into the space that had been warmed by Daniel's body heat.
She watched Teal'c round the corner leading down the hall and heaved a tired sigh. The second she was alone in the room, the smile dropped from Sam's face and she closed her eyes to try and hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. Taking deep breaths she tried to calm herself down, knowing that at any second one of her friends could re-enter the room.
Short moments later, a sharp knocking on the front door announced that the pizza had arrived and Sam pushed all thoughts of Orlin from her mind. Taking one last deep, she wiped her eyes to make sure no tears had escaped, stood up and headed to the door.