This is extremely late and there is absolutely NO excuse… so if there is anyone out there still interested in reading this story, I hope to have it finished and posted soon.

P.S. you may find I dwell on Daniels emotions too much in this chapter but I believed his rash judgement with the balcony incident needed better explanation... I hope I'm not repeating myself with this though.

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"Fraiser, Teal'c…" Jack greeted with slight head nods before placing the now empty beer bottle on the table and stuffing his hands into his pockets and then finally looking to Daniel with a blank stare "…Daniel" he seemed almost to growl before clearing his throat and turning to Sam "expecting a party?" he asked her with an expectant glare but she simply smiled innocently in response.'

"I have procured alcoholic beverages and…pizza…for the evening O'Neill" Teal'c cut into the awkward silence that appeared to be building and slid the pizza boxes on to the lounge room table.

"Beer?" Jack asked sceptically eyeing the six pack "how'd you get beer?"

"The woman at the counter did not doubt my age" he simply replied and then moved to store the beer in the fridge. A moment later he called back.

"There is insufficient room in your refrigerator Major Carter"

Janet Laughed and took up the opportunity to offer a helping hand, leaving the three of them alone.

"So…" Daniel spoke first, edging into the room. He wasn't sure why the situation had him on his toes and his stomach aching, he hoped it was just the smell of the pizza making his stomach turn but his sense of reason told him otherwise. Something had happened just before they had arrived, something substantial. He inwardly kicked himself as the first thought that crossed his mind was that Jack hadn't been on his best behaviour and had made the situation between him and Sam worse. The empty bottles in plain view made it obvious that Jack had either been here for a while or the nerves between them had driven them to drink, quickly.

"Daniel?" Jack asked eyeing him suspiciously, that threw Daniel off. How was this awkwardness his fault? All he'd said since he arrived was 'So...' What could he possibly have done to deserve such blatant suspicion? As Daniel assessed Jacks demeanour, it was becoming clearer and clearer that he was definitely irate and all of this was centred on him.

"How was the funeral?" Daniel Finally asked, which made Jack drop his head and scoff before falling heavily onto the couch behind him "that bad huh?" he asked jokingly but the sharp glare told him humour was his last option.

"It rained" Sam finally cut in hoping the reminder of her presence would ease the tension. The attempt proved fatal as Jacks glare suddenly snapped to her.

"Daniel, could you go see what is keeping them?" Jack subtly demanded without taking his eyes off Sam.

"Jack…" Daniel tried

"Now." he almost yelled, in-sighting obedience out of Daniel as he left the room, leaving the two alone.

Once Daniel had left the two of them alone, Sam gritted her teeth and shot him a frustrated look.

"Jack…"

"Carter" he growled as he looked to her, demanding an explanation. She stood still refusing to speak, her free hand just barely wavering as she pressed it to her thigh to hide the trepidation. Jack closed his eyes seeing how foolish the move had been and then stood up to move closer "I'm sorry…" he began but she pushed past him and out into the next room, disappearing up the stairs. "Shit" he breathed, only to have Janet enter just in time to hear it. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at him, obviously perturbed.

"What'd you do?" she demanded. Faintly, Jack heard Daniels foot steps rushing up the stairs; he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Enjoy your party" he told her before attempting to push past; but stubborn Janet wouldn't have it.

"Sit down!" she ordered while Jack stood still, almost parroting Sam "now, Colonel."

Jack fisted his hands, torn between outrage and conscience. Stomaching his anger, even with the medication was difficult and tonight he had used all he had to keep his emotions at bay.

"Sorry Janet" he spoke finally giving her a cold but strangely sympathetic look, hoping the sting in his eyes wasn't visible yet. Janet succumbing would say otherwise as he stepped past and out. Leaving the four of them alone.

-

Upstairs, Sam lay on her bed in a semi foetal position with her face half buried in a pillow. Daniel eased the door open, letting himself in and sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. The room was quiet except for Sam's heavy breaths as she struggled to keep herself together. The days since what was being dubbed 'the incident' had been hell on her emotions and had been more draining then she ever could have imagined.

"Sam..?" Daniel cautiously voiced the implied question of what she needed right now.

"I don't know if I can talk Daniel" she managed to audibly answer. Daniel's semi smile to that was one of great weight. He knew this would never be easy or the same as he truly hoped it could one day be, but the weight that it carried pulled on him.

He cared for her, deeply; Jack too. And to see this and just to know that this had passed… well this information to him was far more then shocking news gossiped about in quiet. He, like everyone else who loved them, was involved and affected. But somehow he also knew this would affect him more so then the others. There was a bond between team mates that Janet shared but not anywhere near the degree he did.

Family was a word that fit here, the close family connection that he didn't share with anyone else and so it made sense for this to weight on him as much as it would if it were his own siblings involved. He really didn't know how to handle his closest friends falling apart because of this atrocity. Teal'c seemed to cope but what that man could cope with was beyond Daniel. He finally sighed, assuming the silence had drawn on far too long. He reached his hand gently over to hers and squeezed it.

The weight of the bed tilted slightly and it took him a moment to register that she had shifted over, giving him more room. Her hand patted the bed softly and he quietly lay down beside her with as compassionate a smile as he could muster. Resting his head beside hers as he lay there facing her, he gently stroked his thumb over her injured hand and spoke.

"You ok?" he asked hoping her response wasn't as weighted as he expected it to be.

"Yeah" she breathed softly as she wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"What was that down there?" he jumped in, not really knowing what else to ask.

"I told him I kissed you" she replied earnestly, with a muted tone. Daniel slowly let out a breath of burden he didn't know he was carrying but it was short as he sucked in quickly, to starve off the flooding of emotion that had been threatening.

"I'd suspected as much" he finally replied, lifting his hand up to brush the blond feathering from her tired eyes.

"We're friends Sam…" he started, Sam began to nod as she went to reply with the expected 'I know' but was cut short as he gently kissed her forehead "Jack knows this." He added looking to her intently "He knows there's nothing there for him to get this way about, but he's confused right now and…"

"Daniel I know" she smiled "Janet gave me the run down all the possible effects…"

"Sam, this isn't just the side effects…" he cut her off but she laughed minutely and then gently patted his cheek.

"I know how he feels about me Daniel" she offered as explanation waiting for the reaction in his features, a soft, slow exhale was all he showed "I know he's feeling betrayed because in some small way he's jealous that you can be this close to me and not him. He's worried that he can't be this close to me ever again." She explained

"I told him I kissed you because he needed to know and well… I don't know, I guess I'm just angry with myself mostly, for letting this all happen like this" she dropped her eyes from his shamefully

"God Sam" Daniel pulled her closer "none of this is your fault" his arms crossing over her back reassuringly.

"I know" she nodded, wiping her eyes on the material of his shirt "but I can't help feeling like it is" she pressed her cheek to his chest "I don't blame him for anything…"

"You blame yourself" he finished and as she struggled through gasps.

"It's stupid, I know" she laughed as he ran his hand gently over the back of her neck in reassurance.

"I know It's hard not to blame yourself and think that how you react determines how this all plays out, but you have to remember that it's not your fault, you're allowed to feel hurt and whatever the repercussions, how you react could never be blamed." he whispered "this is trying for all of us, but none of it is your fault Sam"

"I know and I wish it was that easy Daniel, but I can't help it"

"I know"

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