Author's Notes - This is the second part of 'Drunken Declarations'. I hope you enjoy!

She didn't know why it had taken so long to say "I love you" to Jack. It certainly wasn't as though she didn't feel it; hell she'd felt it for most of their working relationship. And yet, when she finally had the chance, she simply couldn't get the words out.

She'd said it to Janet, before Janet had died, before their careers had permitted them to be together. They sat up late one night in Janet's kitchen, talking about the future, about Cassie and whether Daniel was really gone. Janet had brought up Daniel.

"I think I could have loved him, you know, Sam?" She'd confessed.

Sam had smiled sadly, held her friend's hand and tried to convince them both he'd be back.

"It must be harder for you though." It had been a statement not a question. Janet hadn't even said Jack's name; made no reference to the complexity of his relationship with Sam. But Sam knew what she meant.

"Harder than not knowing if the man you might love is dead or alive, or actually coming back?" Sam had tried to joke, but the topic of Daniel's ascension wasn't overly amusing.

"You do love him then?"

Sam knew she had walked straight into that one. She had stared at Janet for a moment. Despite being her closest friend, she was still military. She would never betray Sam's confidence, yet coming clean when their careers were so set against what she wanted to say wasn't easy. But, in the end, it was Janet.

"Yes. I love him."

Janet had taken her hand too and promised that it would work out in the end. It had, of course. They'd left the SGC, she'd briefly not been under his command, and the instant they could they'd jumped into a relationship.

But Janet wasn't there to talk to anymore. That part hadn't turned out ok. Sam didn't even know if she and Daniel had had their chance at telling each other how they felt. It was thoughts like that that made Sam wish, desperately, that she could express her feelings for Jack more easily. Janet had been snatched away from them so unexpectedly, yet at the same time, in their line of work, the same could so easily happen to Sam. And then, Sam thought, would Jack really know how she felt? Would he assume she didn't because she only seemed capable of saying it when she was drunk? Or did he understand her, as she hoped he did, and knew that she'd had it so ingrained in her that this romance of theirs was wrong that she struggled to be honest about her feelings? Beyond that, would he realise that her past relationships still haunted her sometimes, and saying "I love you" was an admission of her own weakness now?

She thought of Janet again. How she would have told her that Jack was neither Jonas nor Pete. That she was hurting him by refusing to give him what he needed and deserved to hear; the truth, that she loved him. That made her mind up. Janet may not be here, but she was certainly still a positive influence in Sam's life.

Sam put her coffee mug down on the counter, and lifted her wrist in front of her face. 04:07. He'd be getting up in under an hour any way.

She slid off the breakfast stool and padded barefoot, silently to his room. She'd left the door open a little so as not to wake him up with the noise. She pushed it open lightly and carefully climbed back into bed. As she turned onto her side his eyes opened. Not slowly, or blinking back sleep; he was awake already.

"You ok Sam?" He asked, reaching for her hand.

She smiled, suddenly overcome with a swell of affection. "Yes. Jack?"

"What?" He looked worried and she wondered what he was thinking.

"I love you. I just wanted you to know that, ok?"

He smiled, a wide grin, pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. When they broke apart his grin was a little cheekier.

"I know."