A/N: Thank you to the reviewers and people reading. I spent a good portion of yesterday writing so I have probably two more updates after this that will be posted soon.Some notes: I don't think Jack is intentionally rude or judgmental. I think he doesn't always think before he speaks and you see that here. Also, Daniel is usually nice and agreeable but Jack has pushed him too far in the past and does so again here.

Sam had been feeling better in the past month than she had in a while. SG1 still went off world but they had been spending more and more time with her. She really felt like everything was going to be okay. Daniel had again suggested contacting the Tok'ra but she had refused. There was no way she was going to inconvenience them for something like this. Still, the thought lingered in her mind.

Sam wandered into the commissary for a snack and heard some of the people talking at a nearby table.

"I heard someone on base has AIDS!" the male major of SG12 yell-whispered.

"What?!" his teammates exclaimed. Sam's heart rate doubled as she continued to eavesdrop. She grabbed her snack and quickly made her way to a nearby table so she could hear better.

"How do you know?" the lieutenant asked.

"My buddy's wife is a nurse at the academy hospital," he said. "She said someone has been going there for treatment and they work here in the mountain."

The others looked at him with awe and disgust on their faces. "Do you know who it is?"

"Nah," he said and Sam took a breath of relief. "His wife is real by-the-book, wouldn't break confidentiality. But still, can you believe it? Don't we get tested for that shit?"

The others nodded. Lieutenant Baker added, "Yeah, but maybe it's being kept quiet. Or maybe they will get discharged."

"Still, man," Major Williams continued, "that freaks me out. I don't want to have to worry about getting infected when I'm just doing my job. I want to know who it is before I risk my neck for some other team and get bitten in the ass. We shouldn't have that around. Weird shit happens all the time, we don't need to worry about AIDS blood or something when some alien attacks the base and shit is happening."

The rest of his team similarly agreed. Sam thought she was going to hurl but forced herself to not storm from the room in despair. She didn't want to start acting suspiciously now. Eventually SG12 left and Sam was finally able to escape to her lab.

Once inside she was relieved to see that no one was there. She sat at her lab bench and just stared into space, her thoughts running wild. She was terrified that someone would find out that it was her. It didn't seem like anyone knew but people were going to ask questions.

She tried to calm down and mostly succeeded. She started working on the power core of one of the generators that had malfunctioned, hoping that this would all blow over.

SG1

The rumor did anything but blow over. In fact, before two days was up it was all any of the base was talking about.

Anywhere she went it seemed people were speculating. Most were curious as to the identity of the person but a lot of the talk was tinged with ridicule and disgust. It alternately saddened her and pissed her off that people were so narrow-minded. At the same time, she partly agreed with some of the sentiments of how stupid the person was and began to see her jovial mood of recent weeks disappear.

SG1 had been off world when most of the rumors began and returned only when talk was in full swing. Audra came to the lab to assist her with some simple "gadget-fixing" as the colonel called it. The colonel tagged along because he was bored and Daniel had accompanied the group with a few books to work on some translations for SG8. Daniel placed some coffee in front of her and she gave him a warm smile as he walked by and patted her shoulder.

The colonel spun in a chair as Audra tinkered with a circuit board. Daniel was hunched over a book.

"So, what's new around here, Carter?" the colonel asked.

"Not a whole lot, sir," Sam replied. "Just working through the backlog." She gestured at various pieces of technology that were only partially reassembled.

"Uh, boring," he replied but she could tell that he was just teasing her.

"Did you guys hear the latest rumor?" Audra spoke up. Sam felt her stomach begin to do cartwheels in her abdomen.

"What rumor?" Daniel absently asked.

"Apparently someone on base has HIV!" Audra exclaimed, clearly pleased to be up on information that the rest of them were apparently not.

"What?" Daniel turned his full attention to the captain. "Who?" he asked, and Sam had to give him credit for not looking at her and maintaining his composure.

Audra shrugged. "No one knows."

"But there's talk," Jack guessed.

"Oh, yes, sir," she agreed. "People are betting it's Lieutenant Graham since he seems kinda…" she searched for the right word.

"Flamboyant?" Jack supplied.

"Seriously?" Daniel asked, disapproving of the gossip.

"The wonders of Don't Ask Don't Tell," Jack semi-joked.

Sam didn't even know what to say to that because she was so shocked the colonel said it. She didn't think he was necessarily being rude on purpose, but to her already raw nerves the comment sounded homophobic and judgmental.

"I'm curious who it is," Audra continued.

"Why?" Sam asked, hoping her tone sounded normal.

"Well… I mean, shouldn't we know?" Audra stammered, sounding very much like she thought her reasoning was obvious.

"We get shot at all the time," the colonel expanded. "There's a chance a lot of people could be infected in the field. There's no reason to have HIV-positive people in the service."

"You're an ass, Jack," Daniel fumed. He knew that Jack didn't know of Sam's status but he knew Jack's talk must be killing her and he leapt to her defense.

Jack was surprised by the vehemence of Daniel's response. "Uh, what did I say?"

"What about people who are positive but aren't in the field?" Daniel asked instead.

"Look, there will always be a risk, especially around here," Jack said. "What about some crazy lab accident or something?"

"What are you talking about?" Daniel breathed, exasperated.

"I'm just saying unpredictable things happen here," Jack explained. "Better safe than sorry."

"So because someone has a virus they can't serve their country like anyone else just because some crazy hypothetical situation could occur?" Daniel continued.

"I-" Jack started but was promptly cut off.

"Maybe you should be more concerned with this person's wellbeing than with the zero chance you could catch it," Daniel plowed on.

"Hey, I didn't put them in this position," Jack defended himself. He was getting fed up of being attacked. "They didn't want this to happen, they should have watched where they stuck it!"

"So they deserve it?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

"I'm not saying they deserve it," Jack said. "I'm just saying that maybe they should have thought ahead!"

"Oh, that's rich, Jack," Daniel blurted without thinking. "You've never made a huge mistake that changed your life- or someone else's?"

For a second Sam thought the colonel was going to punch him. Instead he got this eerie calm in his eyes and said coldly, "That's different."

In for a penny, in for a pound apparently. To Sam and Audra's surprise, Daniel didn't heed the warning tone and continued on, trying to make his point. "That's right, it is," Daniel agreed. "Whoever has HIV here on base only hurt themselves. Your mistake affected your whole family."

Sam's mouth dropped open in shock. She never in a million years could have pictured Daniel saying that. Audra didn't know what they were talking about, not knowing about the colonel's son and past, but she still looked distinctly uncomfortable, sensing the tension.

The colonel looked similarly shocked but mostly pissed. "Screw you, Daniel," he ground out before getting up and leaving in a huff.

They watched him leave and she noticed Daniel seemed to sink in his chair. "I can't believe I said that," Daniel muttered, resting his head down on his folded and crossed arms on top of the desk.

"I'm just gonna…" Audra pointed to the doorway.

Daniel recovered himself. "You shouldn't get involved in the rumors, Audra," he told her, in a much calmer voice. "Whoever it is has enough to worry about without hearing people gossip about them."

Audra nodded and almost bolted out of the room yet still took the time to respectfully close the door behind her. Sam looked over at Daniel as he stared at the doorway.

"Thank you," Sam whispered.

Daniel turned to her and gave her a weak smile. "He just is so infuriating sometimes!"

Sam went to speak but found her throat was beginning to clog with tears. The last two days were catching up with her. The colonel's opinion was crushing, as well. She had hoped that maybe maybe they could still have a future together, especially after the last "team" night. But today she'd heard his opinion on HIV and it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Hey," Daniel caught her attention, looking at her with concern.

"I was gonna tell him," Sam said, pushing her tears back. "But now I can see what he thinks about it. Apparently we should all just be locked away!" her voice cracked and Daniel rolled his chair over to her so that he could rub her back. A few tears broke free against her will.

"I don't think he thinks that," Daniel said.

She shook her head. "You heard him!" she sobbed out, beginning to lose her composure completely.

"He doesn't," Daniel insisted. "I just don't think he knows much about it. I'm sure if he and others were more educated about it they wouldn't have such horrible opinions."

Sam just shook her head but her crying thankfully began to slow. "Maybe, but that doesn't really help the situation."

Daniel handed her a tissue and she wiped her face and blew her nose. "No," he admitted. "But you should give him a chance. How much did you know about it before?"

"Not a lot," she admitted.

"Then Jack knows even less," Daniel joked and she laughed at his cheap dig.

"I guess," she said.

"Don't blame him yet. He might surprise you. He thinks the world of you, Sam."

Sam nodded but wasn't completely convinced. Daniel leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face. "I should go apologize," Daniel said. "I can't believe I said that to him."

"I can't believe you did either," Sam said, earning her a glare.

"Very supportive," Daniel said.

"Sorry," she laughed. "Just give him a while to cool off," Sam suggested.

Daniel agreed and they each went back to their tasks. Even though she had found support in Daniel, she doubted that anyone would begin to speak more kindly. And she still felt the weight of the colonel's words.

SG1

It frustrated her how easily her mood changed. Just over a week ago she was feeling almost happy. But then the base rumors started and she realized that she hadn't even come close to accepting her diagnosis.

The colonel's words had hurt her deeply. More than she had even let on to Daniel. He hadn't really even said anything too horrible. From what she could remember he had only said he didn't think people who were positive should remain in the military.

But what disheartened her the most was his clear worry about infection. If he was afraid of being infected by someone on base (an incredibly unlikely scenario) then there was no way he would ever want to make a relationship with her work. She also couldn't even blame him; she wouldn't want to knowingly put herself at risk either. The people on base were obviously ignorant and fearful of the disease, but perhaps they were rightly so. In any case it made her feel horrible about herself. She was supposedly more than just her infection but she knew no one else would see it that way and it was starting to feel that way to her too.

Daniel had tried to put her at ease after it happened and she loved him for it. He'd been nothing but supportive since he had known. But Daniel was a special case as he saw the best in everyone. Having spent so much of his life an outcast, he would never single any one out or look down on them. But she realized that Daniel was the exception, not the rule, and that made it worse. No "normal" people would be able to see past her infection.

She wanted so badly to be able to go back in time. Funny how that only happened when they didn't want it to.

SG1

"Jack," Daniel called as he knocked on the door. He let two days pass before he finally gathered the courage to apologize to him but he wasn't convinced that was enough time.

Jack opened the door and gave him a blank look. He gave him a once over before silently opening the door wider and waving him in.

"Beer?" he asked as he went into the kitchen.

"No, thanks," Daniel responded, remaining near the entrance to the living room.

Jack walked back by him and Daniel followed to take a seat on the couch as Jack sat in the recliner.

Jack sipped his beer for a moment and Daniel finally couldn't take the silence any more.

"Jack, I'm sorry. I should never have said what I did the other day."

Jack didn't respond but swirled his beer around. He really didn't want to have this conversation but he knew Daniel would explode if he couldn't get his apologies out.

"I didn't mean it," Daniel continued. "I was just worked up. I'm sorry." Jack still didn't respond for a moment and Daniel didn't know what else to say. Finally, he was granted a reprieve.

"You weren't wrong, Daniel," Jack told him.

"What? Yes, I was."

"No, you weren't."

"Yes, I was!"

"Daniel!" Jack snapped. "You weren't." Daniel frowned but let him continue. "I did make a horrible mistake and now my son is dead. I know you didn't mean to say it, but you were right; it was my fault."

"That's not the point I was trying to make," Daniel argued. "I just meant… look, Jack, did you make a mistake? Maybe, I don't know all the details. But I do know that it was an accident. I just wanted to say that people make mistakes all the time and we shouldn't judge them for it."

"I get your point, Daniel."

"Do you?"

"Yes," Jack told him honestly. "It's too easy to forget your own mistakes when you hear about others'."

"It is," Daniel agreed.

They both sat in silence for a moment but Daniel knew he was forgiven. Jack was good about not holding grudges. Unless you were Maybourne.

Jack sat lost in thought for a moment. Daniel had been angry at him- like reallyangry. He wouldn't have brought up his son unless he had been livid.

"Daniel, is it you?"

"Huh?"

"Is that why you were so ticked? Are you the one with HIV?" Jack clarified.

"Why would I go to the academy hospital?" Daniel said.

"Right," Jack realized. "But you know who it is, don't you?"

Daniel was caught off guard and Jack read the answer on his face before he could even think to lie.

"You do!" And that was the moment everything clicked. "Oh my god," he said. "It's Sam, isn't it?"

Daniel paused a moment but he knew there was no point in denying it. He didn't think he could convincingly lie at this point and he knew that Sam needed more support than he could give her alone. And he didn't really tell Jack. He figured it out.

"Yes."