It's funny the parts of the Black Ops training that stay active when Jack is asleep. The part of his brain that senses other people is alert, the part that recognizes them is not so much. So when Sam stands in his doorway he leaps to attention.
"Sorry," she says.
"No, I'm sorry," Jack says, "What do you need?"
"You died today," she reminds him.
He glances at his watch, "Actually, I think it was yesterday. It's a bit confusing with the time change between planets, and the length of alien days."
"You died," Sam repeats.
"It was temporary," he says standing up before her.
"What if next time it isn't?" she asks.
"Carter, you were doing this too, not long ago. The fact that it was dangerous must have occurred to you."
"I know but…" she can't quite put the rest into words.
"It's harder to watch someone you care about in danger than be in it yourself."
She nods.
"Congrats Sammy, you know understand the U.S. military," he quips. Then he remembers that her dad is in the Air Force, "I guess you've known about this for a long time."
"Yes," she says softly.
"Come'er," she says holding out her hands to her. He melts into him.
"Can I stay here tonight?" she asks.
"Yeah, I'll take the kid's room for a day."
"No," she says. "Stay with me," he hand has moved to his chest where she is quite clearly feeling his heart beat.
"Okay," he says.
"Just…sleep?" she asks insecurely.
He smiles at her gently, and nods.
Then they lay in bed next to each other, only their shoulders touching, and two of her fingers resting upon the pulse point of his wrist.
He cares for her, a lot, he might even love her. How could someone do this to someone they loved? Make them suffer like this?
He thinks about Sara. It was going wrong with them long before the accident. His marriage was in part destroyed by his career choice. Not just military, but the most dangerous least predictable job in the military.
He wouldn't but her through that. He just had to figure out a way to make her leave.
-0-
"Daniel, you should come over tonight," Sam says the second she enters his lab. He doesn't miss the pleading in her voice.
He pushes the glasses up, "Trouble in paradise?" He hasn't been at Jack's house much since he got his own place. Sam had never used the magic phrase to tell him to leave, but they looked fine, and honestly he didn't really like playing chaperone to adults.
"I'm just a little…lonely I guess."
"I miss you too," Daniel says with a smile.
"Right, well, I don't just miss you. I miss…"
Daniel realizes his first guess was right after all, "You meant your house? Or Jack's?"
"Well, Jack's. I'm sort of in the process of moving in. Or I was, but now…"
Daniel puts down the artifact that had been in his hand the whole time. "What's changed your mind?"
"It's not really my mind."
"Oh I'll murder him for screwing this up, what did he do?" Daniel asks.
Sam shrugs. "He just sort of…stopped coming home."
"What?" Daniel asks with his mouth agape for a long time, "Jack is cheating on you?"
"No. I don't think so. I mean, he comes home. It's just really late. And he never talks."
"He talked before?" Daniel says with a surprised eye brow raise. Of course Daniel would be the first one to pick up Teal'c's mannerisms. It's a chameleon like survival mechanism he no doubt picked up during his time in foster care.
"Not about anything important. But yeah, he's always talking. He talks about hockey, or the Simpsons, or the neighbor's lawn ordainment or something."
"He really hates those pink flamingos doesn't he?" Daniel observes.
"He used to spend a lot of time planning missions to destroy them that they had no intention of following through with."
"But not anymore?"
"No, now he just slips into bed in the middle of the night, and slips out before I get up."
"Wait, you're sharing a bed now?" Daniel asks, "Way to bury the lead girl!"
Sam blushes. "It's not like that." But maybe it is. Maybe that's all of it. Maybe he wasn't ready for her to go into his bed even if she was.
"Listen Sam, I don't quite know what is going on. I do know that Jack has pushed people away move before. Generally when he thinks people are better off without him.
"Oh," Sam says sitting down hard in the chair.
"Oh no," Daniel says.
"I might have…expressed concern about his death last week."
"Egad, you were human!" Daniel teases. "Seriously though. Don't let him make this choice for you."