"Tell her."

Daniel looked up from the artefact he was working on, and with a raised eyebrow, asked,

"Excuse me?"

The sandy haired Air Force Colonel, standing before the Archaeologist's desk, returned the gaze with his own unique intense one, and repeated, "Tell her."

"Who?"

Cam, exasperated, rolled his eyes and exclaimed, "You know damn well, Jackson!"

Daniel's eyes moved around the room in a classic "I'm not getting this" expression, so Cam continued, in a dangerously calm voice, "Who do you spend most of your time with? Who can you relate to more than anyone else? Who have you known for nigh on a decade?!"

Realisation dawned on the Archaeologist's face, and he replied, sarcastically, "Oh right... so... ok, we've established who the mystery person is - now what should I tell her?!"

Cam rolled his eyes again and remarked, "I'll never figure how General O'Neill resisted the urge to shoot you on so many occasions."

Daniel replied, matter-of-factly, "Ah, he did shoot me - I can only remember one time, but I'm sure there are others. There was that time when Anubis..."

Cam waved his arms and exclaimed, "Jackson, can it!"

Daniel looked at him nonchalantly, as Cam continued, all the while considering brandishing his sidearm, "Ok... I'll say this slowly, Doctor Jackson," with more emphasis on the word 'doctor' than was healthy, "Tell Sam how you feel about her."

His guard slipped, the Archaeologist looked down at his desk, the Jack O'Neill All-Purpose Wisecracks 101 classes flying straight out of the open door.

Cam raised a finger, grinned and exclaimed, "Woo, T was right! I thought he was being funny but then I started seeing what he saw, and you just confirmed it."

He perched on the desk, and quietly asked, in a serious voice, "Ten years, man, and you never told her. Why?"

Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, silently praying for a distraction, a diversion, anything...

Suddenly Vala could be heard remarking to someone in the corridor, "Hm, I once knew a guy who looked at me like that - let's just say that once he did, he forfeited his manhood."

Daniel had never been so glad to see her. She appeared in the doorway, and before she could remark about the inadvertent smile, he leapt up and gabbled, as he escorted her out of the office, "Vala! Didn't you want me to explain the Twelve Olympians to you?!"

She looked at him and then back at Cam with a bemused expression, as they left the office, and the Colonel called after them in a sing-song voice, "Daniel's in denial!"

As they rounded a corner, Vala remarked, "So, for what do I have this honour, Doctor?!"

Daniel realised he had gripped her elbow rather tightly, so he released it, murmuring an apology.

She looked at him, a frown wrinkling her forehead as she got more and more confused by Daniel's odd behaviour.

She thought to herself, "This is odd, even for him... I wonder if he has finally seen the light and... no... get that out of your head - this is Daniel we are talking about. He wouldn't know a woman if she foisted herself on him, alluring as she may be, but then again, the picture in his office..."

Her thoughts trailed off as she noticed him looking down at his feet, and she asked, this time seriously, "Daniel, what's wrong?"

He mentally shook himself, realising where he was, and muttered something incomprehensible, before walking away, in the direction of the men's locker-room.

She called after him, wildly gesticulating with her hands, much to the bemusement of passing personnel, "Well, any time you want to talk about those Olympians, you know where I am! You can't miss me - I'm the alluringly attractive one!"

Something was troubling 'her Daniel', and she had to find out. She had heard stories about scholars and academics having their moments, but this was odd. She decidedly turned on her heel in the direction of Daniel's office, determined to get to the bottom of it all.

In the gym, Cam leant next to a stack of weights, his arms wrapped around his waist, as he watched a certain Jaffa lift weights that would take at least five of the burliest Marines to lift in one go, and even that was negligible. The two of them talked as the latter trained.

"So, your way didn't work - we should've just told Vala and let her accidentally shout it out in the Commissary."

"In what way would that assist DanielJackson's denial?"

"It would, I'm tellin' ya - it'd be all out in the open."

"Do you wish to humiliate DanielJackson, or to assist him?"

"Hell, the way he's going, I ain't too choosy."

"I will not permit you to humiliate him."

"Hey T, after all this time of fighting the good fight, side by side, you still don't know when I'm kidding."

"You possess a surreal sense of humour."

"I'd call it 'odd-ball', but that's just me... so, what do we do next?"

"Perhaps you have intimidated him - I will attempt to talk to him."

"Come on, he survived eight years with General O'Neill. Hell, he even stood up to the big man, so he ain't gonna be intimidated by a comparative small fry like me."

"I will talk to DanielJackson - you will talk to ColonelCarter."

"Now that's what I'm talking about! She's much more receptive to..."

At that moment, Sam walked in, a curious smile on her face, and she remarked, "More receptive to what? Are you going to hit on Doctor Lam again? I think she's used to you losing your pants, so you're half way there already."

Cam pretended to look shocked at this, before Teal'c said as he ceased weightlifting,

"ColonelMitchell wishes to confide in you a most pressing issue."

The tall man walked out, a towel slung around his neck, and Cam sarcastically called after him, as Sam maintained her curious expression, "Yeah, thanks for the support!"

Vala, meanwhile, had been rooting around in Daniel's office, looking for clues as to his odd behaviour. She searched drawers and files for something, anything... He had seemed fine a few hours ago, so something must have happened during the talk with Cam, something that involved denial.

She thought to herself, "Could he be finally craving the wondrous lusty joy that is Vala? That would explain the odd behaviour but Teal'c told me a while ago about these crazy humans sometimes avoiding the object of their affection when they were in denial of their feelings. So, sadly and logically, it isn't me, but then who is it? He's known Colonel Carter for around a decade, but he's really good friends with her, and he hasn't avoided her. So that leaves... oh my, could he be craving the wondrous lusty joy of a man?! That would explain the denial comment, but he hasn't avoided any men... oh wait, what if this is something to do with General O'Neill? There are rumours about those two being man and, well, man."

A glance at the picture of Sha're on his desk somewhat dismissed the homosexual hypotheses that had begun to take hold of her mind, and she thought to herself, "He loved her a great deal - he doesn't talk about it but I can tell. Maybe Colonel Mitchell meant that he needs a little company and Daniel shut him out. I could help him out - the poor man has been working so much that he hasn't found the time to love anyone else. Well, no wonder - if he just opened his eyes and looked at me for once, we could be onto something."

She smiled to herself, as she shut a drawer, plans for Operation Open up Daniel forming in her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Teal'c's presence in the doorway, and the grim question, "For what purpose are you searching DanielJackson's possessions?"

She looked up, feeling a little guilty, and said breezily, feigning innocence, "Oh, hi, Teal'c - didn't see you there. I was... um... tidying up."

"Were you attempting to steal something?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she exclaimed, pretending to be shocked, "Now really, why would I do that?!"

He was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, so her shoulders slumped in resignation, and she said quietly, "I wanted to find out what's wrong with Daniel. He practically dragged me out of here as soon as I arrived, and Colonel Mitchell remarked something about him being in denial."

His stony expression warmed for a fleeting moment, and her quick eyes noticed it.

She peered at him curiously, and asked, "You know something, don't you? What's wrong with him? Is he pining for me?"

Teal'c's Tretonin injections had changed him, had almost humanised him, so much so that he couldn't help smiling at that last question. She continued peering at him as he resumed his grim expression, and replied,

"Quite the contrary, he is not pining for you, but I will not inform you of the real reason."

"Oh go on," she pleaded, "I won't tell anyone! What's going on? Is he gay? Is he ill? What...?"

Teal'c left the room without a word, leaving the ex-thief guessing, and remarking, "Well, fine! I'll ask Walter!"

"What?!"

Sam couldn't believe her ears, and Cam nodded, barely managing a straight face, as he said, "Yep, Walter and Siler were going full pelt in the Control room, and Landry walks in, and says..."

She, gradually realising Cam was cuffing it, playfully hit him on the arm, and exclaimed with a grin, "You lying little... come on Cam, what's really going on? Teal'c said it was a 'pressing issue', and I've worked with the guy for ten years - he won't unduly call something a pressing issue, if it wasn't pressing at the very least, so... come on... spill the beans."

He took a deep breath before saying, "Jackson's in love with you."

"What?! You're joking..."

The serious expression on Cam's face answered her exclamation, and she whispered as she glanced at the floor, "Oh Gd, really?"

She met his gaze and asked, "Did he say anything?"

He shook his head and replied with a smile, "Nope... not in as many words... typical Jackson. Teal'c noticed something first - I didn't see it, but then things started to click. Sam, he's in love with you, and I think he's got it into his head that there's no point telling you."

She wistfully looked off to the side, and pensively replied, "Well, I'll admit I was attracted but I put that to one side. Hell, Cam, he was married... General O'Neill and I... we had something."

"So why aren't you living it up in Malibu?"

"He's busy in Washington. I mean, if, say, I had resigned my Commission, we could've done something about it, but then things moved swiftly on and..."

"But then how do you know that you guys have something?"

She replied, her eyes glimmering with hope, "I don't know - the looks, the unsaid words... he was - is - an amazing man. He pretends to be dumb, but just beneath the surface, there's a tactical genius."

He studied her expression, and asked, "Well, don't you think that if he really wanted to be with you, if he was so damn sure, that he'd've done something by now? I know I don't him that well, but he's certainly not one for beating about the bush. That man knows what he wants and how to get it. He isn't looking for anything, and from what I've heard, he wouldn't want to relive the pain of losing his son, y'know, if you wanted kids."

She sighed and whispered, "I could change his mind - show him that it doesn't have to hurt..."

He held her hands, gazing intently at her, and said, "Samantha, don't do this to yourself. You're so much better than that. This isn't the strong, self-assured Samantha Carter that I've known all these years. If he really loved you, he wouldn't let you give up your career. And besides, what can General O'Neill give you that Jackson can't? You two are so damn close, and have been by each other's sides all this time that you've become blind to the possibilities. Just think about it, ok? You've got to look inside and ask yourself who is going to make you happy now. Sam, you can't keep hanging on 'what if' scenarios."

She slowly nodded as new hypotheses forming in her mind. She met her friend's gaze, and said with a smile as she touched his hand,

"Thanks."

"Hey, it's what I do."

She chuckled, her usual demeanour returning, and remarked, "Did that even make the Wormhole X-Treme mission report?!"

"Oh no, I heard it from Siler."

SG-1, including Vala, were suited up and ready to ship out for yet another mission through the 'Orifice'. They stood at the base of the ramp, waiting for Landry to give them their orders.

Vala scrutinised Daniel, still trying to work out what his problem was. She watched as he stood next to Teal'c, the two of them exchanging a brief joke. He seemed a little more carefree than earlier. Perhaps him and Teal'c?

Wait, she noticed Cam standing a little closer to Sam than usual, and the two of them kept glancing at Daniel, the former with an amused glance, the latter with a weird mixture of emotions. What was going on? She noticed Daniel occasionally glancing at Carter when she was turned away, and Cam and Teal'c glancing at each other. So far, the main hypotheses were that Daniel was gay, or that there was something going on between him and Sam.

"Ah, ha", she thought as she noticed Sam and Daniel's glances accidentally meeting, "they're in love, and neither wants to admit it! Well, I don't see how she shapes up to me... but they're good friends. Looks like I won't have to seduce him after all... what a shame."

Landry's arrival interrupted her thoughts, and he said with his usual bemused expression, "SG-1, you're good to go, good luck."

Cam replied with a casual salute, "Thanks Sir... always nice to know that we're not bad to go."

Landry smiled slightly at this, before he called up the control room, "Walter! Dial the 'gate!"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

The 'gate dialled, SG-1 walked through the event horizon, Vala remarking, "We're off to see galaxy, the wonderful Milky Way galaxy, we hear it is..."

Daniel retorted, "Shut up!" as the rest of SG-1 barely restrained smiles.

Cam and Sam were the last to go through, so he stopped her just before the event horizon.

She looked up at him, puzzled, as he put a hand on her shoulder, and whispered, "Sam, we're gonna need your whole head on this mission, ok? Whatever I said about Daniel and General O'Neill, just put it to one side and focus on the mission - I'm not having the band split up again."

She smiled, looked down briefly in embarrassment, and replied just before they stepped through, "Of course, Cam."

The SGC personnel who had witnessed the exchange, not hearing the words, began to suspect a romantic relationship between the two officers, and soon, rumours, as rumours often do, spread like wildfire throughout the mountain.

On the planet, SG-1 came across yet another displaced human civilisation, "quite possibly descended from ancient Babylonians", as Daniel excitedly pointed out when he had regained the power of speech, awe-struck as he was at seeing the art and architecture.

After the team were customarily feasted, the village chief's son, aptly called Gilgamesh, offered to show Daniel ruins of an ancient temple nearby. Cam was reluctant to let him go at first, but the Archaeologist won with his passionate arguments about getting an insight into ancient traditions and cultures.

Teal'c then insisted on accompanying them, but Daniel argued about trust, and the fact that Gilgamesh hadn't decided to bring anyone. After much wrangling, Daniel won, but only by agreeing that if he didn't return or radio within three hours, they would search for him.

Gilgamesh led Daniel to the awe-inspiring ruins of a once glorious mud-brick construction. While Daniel practically drooled as he gazed at everything, touching cuneiform inscriptions, Gilgamesh sat on a nearby step and told him various legends of his people,

"The old stories tell of a goddess who brought us here. She was called Omoroca, and..."

Daniel woke up from his daydreams with a start, and remarked, "What did you say her name was?!"

"Omoroca."

Daniel exclaimed in excitement, "Omoroca?! Oh wow!"

Gilgamesh looked at him in bemusement and asked, "Was your world ruled by Omoroca?"

Daniel shook his head, excitedly replying as he sat next to Gilgamesh, "No, I discovered a long time ago that Omoroca had come to my world to fight the Goa'uld..."

"The old stories tell that after Omoroca had hidden us, she was slaughtered by one from whom you call the Goa'uld, called Belus."

Daniel's head bowed briefly, before he sombrely replied, "Yes - we all owe her a great deal."

Gilgamesh gestured towards the walls and asked, "Did the walls mean anything to you?"

Daniel's excitement surfaced again. He gesticulated wildly as he replied, "There are huge swathes of writing about the duel between Tiamat and Marduk. If I'm not mistaken, they're from a text on my world, where this part is incomplete. There are also incantations that I can't work out - something along the lines of connecting something... I don't know."

As Daniel got up to look at the inscriptions again, Gilgamesh smiled at his obvious passion. He shaded his eyes as he looked at the sun's position, and said,

"Daniel Jackson, I believe that it would be advisable to return to the village now - your friends will be worried. They were most insistent that I bring you back safely."

Daniel nodded, his eyes still reading the inscriptions, and he replied distractedly, "Just a minute."

Gilgamesh smiled again, before Daniel reached out to gently feel the mudstone beneath his fingers, the feel of the cuneiform inscriptions. Suddenly, he felt as if a bolt of electricity travelled through his body.

He pulled away, staring at his hand and at then at the inscriptions in surprise, remarking, "What was that?!"

Gilgamesh ran to his position and asked, concerned, "Daniel Jackson, are you hurt?"

Daniel turned to look at him, a look of confusion on his face, before he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

The rest of SG-1 were watching a traditional dancing display in the village square.

As the dancers twirled around the area, coloured fabric swirling every which way, Cam, who was more than a little bored, leant over to Sam and whispered, "Time we radio Jackson yet?"

She smiled, shook her head and replied, "There's still another one and a half hours left."

Vala, returning from a tour of a villager's house, exclaimed on seeing the dancing, "Ooh, reminds me of when I was Qetesh! You know, I used to select a man to..."

Teal'c frowned at her before saying, not caring whether anyone heard or not, "I must find DanielJackson."

Suddenly Sam felt the world spinning around her, and she collapsed. Luckily, Cam's quick reflexes caught her in time before she hit the floor. He gently laid her on a dry patch of ground and quickly checked her over.

The dancing stopped, and everyone gathered around the two. The Chief arranged for her to be taken to his house, and Cam accompanied them, calling to Teal'c and Vala,

"T, dial the 'gate and radio the SGC. Tell them to get a medic out here. Vala, go and prise Daniel from the ruins."

They were about to go about their tasks, when Gilgamesh returned with an unconscious Daniel in his arms.

Cam ran up to him and asked, "What happened?!"

Gilgamesh didn't stop. He made his way to his father's house, still carrying the Archaeologist, as he replied, "Daniel Jackson was reading the writing on the walls of the old temple. He reached out to touch them and looked shocked. He then fainted."

Cam exchanged a concerned look with Teal'c, asking, "Could this be related to what just happened to Sam?"

Daniel found himself surrounded by nothing but cloud, and he checked if his glasses were on. Finding them securely resting on the bridge of his nose, he frowned, before calling out,

"Sam? Teal'c? Mitchell? Vala?... Anyone?!"

He looked down and saw his radio on his combat vest, so he grabbed it, and called his friends again, but received no reply. He tried to locate the nearest radio frequency but came up with nothing.

He was alone, and he considered his options. Maybe he had been kidnapped. What would Jack do? Let's see... first he would establish a perimeter, before looking for any way to escape through it. Ok.

He brandished his flashlight and P-90, and walked, his eyes looking for the slightest sign of anything solid.

Suddenly he heard someone, a female, in the distance. He couldn't make out the words, but he followed the sound, and he eventually came across the source. It was Sam. She too had brandished her flashlight and P-90. They stood opposite each other, guns levelled, not sure of each other's identities.

He asked cautiously, "Sam?"

"Daniel?"

They both exhaled in relief before lowering their firearms. Sam asked him,

"Where the heck are we?"

He looked around and replied, "I have no idea. I haven't found a perimeter of any sort or anyone's RF. The last I remember I was looking at temple ruins with Gilgamesh."

She said, raising an eyebrow, "Cam wanted to radio you, and I told him that there was one and a half hours left. Teal'c then insisted on finding you."

A thought struck him, and he said excitedly, "Wait a sec... something must have happened at the temple! I was reading the inscriptions and Gilgamesh was saying that we should leave because you guys wanted me safe. I touched something and experienced something akin to an electric shock. After that, I found myself here."

She remarked with a smile, "Trust you to press a button and get us stranded somewhere!"

He ducked his head in embarrassment and murmured, "Sorry."

She frowned slightly as she thought of something. She asked,

"If it's to do with the temple, then why am I here?"

He pouted in concentration before replying, "I don't know... oh."

"Oh?"

"What?"

"You said 'oh'!"

"I did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Daniel?"

He shook his head and said, "It's nothing."

She raised an eyebrow and cautiously asked, "Daniel?"

He ducked his head and replied, "Ok. The inscriptions I read before we ended up here... they were telling the story of Nem and Omoroca."

She, surprised, asked, "Oannes?"

He nodded, and replied, "From what I remember, they met in the Realm of Clouds. There was a spell underneath it saying that..."

"Go on."

He took a deep breath and continued, not meeting her gaze, "Only true lovers can gain entrance to the realm."

He turned quickly and walked away, not wanting to face her. She frowned, ran after him and called,

"Daniel! Wait! What does this have to do with us being here?"

He, still turned away from her, replied quietly, "Nothing. It's just an unfortunate accident."

She put a hand on his shoulder, forced him to turn, and said, cautiously, "There's something you're not telling me."

He lowered his gaze and replied, "It's my fault. I... I was thinking of you as I touched that part of the wall. If it wasn't for me, we would still be on Enuma."

She, remembering her conversation with Cam a while earlier, turned away from him.

"Sam?"

She walked away a few paces and said with a sigh, "It's nothing Daniel. Let's look for a perimeter -- we'll split up."

"Wait, our radios don't work here!"

"Ah... ok, let's go this way."

They walked in an awkward silence, neither of them wanting to bring up what was really on their minds, for fear of rejection, and in her case, for fear of making the wrong decision.

At the SGC, Sam and Daniel's unconscious forms were in the Infirmary, as the rest of SG-1 stood behind the observation window. Carmichael left Lam and Brightman and joined SG-1, where he briefed them,

"Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson's blood work both came back clean. They're both in a coma, but the dream centre of their brains is very active, even more so than usual for coma patients. They are not responding to any external stimuli."

Vala remarked, "Well, my Daniel's not very responsive to stim..."

Cam interrupted her by asking, "Is there anything you can do?"

Carmichael replied with a grim expression, "All we can do is just wait. Their conditions are being monitored and if necessary, they will be aided with respiration."

Cam closed his eyes briefly as Vala stared out through the window at 'her Daniel', touching the pane, with a sad expression on her face. Teal'c stood, stoic and grim, as Landry said, a hint of sadness seeping through his military exterior,

"Doctor Carmichael, keep me informed of any developments."

"Yes, General."

Landry left the Infirmary, hoping that he wouldn't have to be the SGC commander who had to draft a letter to Mark Carter.

They had been walking for what seemed like hours, so Sam said, her shoulders slumped in resignation, "Hey, let's take a break."

They wordlessly sat opposite each other, not sure of what to say. They sipped water, trying to think of something, when she threw her hat down in exasperation, and put her arms around her knees.

"Sam?"

"I'm fine. I'm just... oh God, I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Cam said something a while back, but I thought he was joking. Now, I don't know."

She gazed up at him, blue-grey eyes meeting breathtakingly beautiful cerulean orbs, and she asked point blank, blushing profusely, "Is it true? Are you in love with me?"

He lowered his gaze, and replied quietly, "Yes. I'm so sorry for causing all of this. I..."

"Wait a second, let me have my two cents."

He looked back at her, confusion in his eyes, and she said with a smile, "I'm not sure. I do love you, but there's all that stuff about General O'Neill, and..."

"I'm sorry Sam - I know I couldn't be half the man he is, which is why I never said anything."

She, rather taken aback, asked, deciding to drop rank, "Is that how you see yourself, as second fiddle to Jack O'Neill?"

He replied, "Well, he's in the Air Force for one and knows how to fight his way out of tonnes of situations, in millions of different ways. I bet he could kill a man in ten different ways before he hit the ground, and..."

She chuckled, ducked her head and said, "He spaces out every time I mention something like gravitational lensing, and I caught him telling Teal'c the story of 'Hercules and the Lion'..."

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued, and said, "Oh?"

She smiled and continued, "Oh yes, apparently, a lion had a thorn in his paw and wanted it out, but none of the villagers could remove it. Then Hercules came along and he removed it, and the lion gave him all his riches. When Teal'c asked how a lion could have riches, he replied that it was the olden days."

They both started laughing, clutching their sides, at their friend's mixed up story-telling.

They eventually stopped, until he whispered, "Indeed," and then it started up again.

When they stopped again, he slapped his thigh and said with a grin, "Oh, Jack wouldn't like that - us laughing at his expense!"

She lowered her gaze with a smile, something occurring to her. She stopped smiling and tightened her grip around her knees.

He looked at her, concerned, and reached out to touch her. She seemed startled at the contact, and looked up, two shades of blue eyes meeting again.

"Sam?"

"I realised something that I should have done a long time ago."

His breath caught in his throat as she continued,

"I love you."

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about Jack?"

"It'll never work - emotionally discreet ex-Special Forces, and an emotionally insecure Air Force Astrophysicist. The only thing we'd have in common is..."

She hid her ever reddening face, as he reached out again to touch her, his heart beating faster by the minute.

She looked up again, and said, "I've loved you since we met, but I couldn't do anything because of Sha're. After... after that, I thought Jack and I had something, but because of the regs... y'know, so we played this little game of looks and stuff, thinking that maybe when he was no longer my CO, we could go forward, but that didn't happen."

She continued, "Before I started seeing Pete, I decided that I was setting my sights on him because I couldn't have him, and thus I would never have my heart broken. Things heated up with Pete, but then I broke it off a week before the wedding. I got confused again by my feelings for Jack, and... you."

"Me?"

She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes, as she replied, "Yes. I think I would've told you if it hadn't had been for that stupid girly thing with Jack."

She hid her face again, and he scuttled forward, putting an arm around her as she leant into his embrace.

She looked up and he tenderly dried her eyes, as she asked, "What about you?"

"Me? Ah, right... well, I suppose it'd have to be the Cartouche room for me too. I had made the most wonderful discovery about 'gate addresses, but no-one could understand a word. Hell, Jack, Kawalsky and Ferretti stared at me blankly, but I met you, and you understood, although you gave me hell for it."

She chuckled, as he continued, "But... I was married. After coming back home, I was determined to find her... and well, after I found her for the last time, there was that thing with Ke'ra, or should I say, Linnea. After that... you and Jack were getting closer, so I just left it. When I came back, my feelings surfaced again but when you said that we were only good friends, I buried them again. I thought that you could never love someone as weedy as me, when you could have Jack, or even Pete."

His gaze had lowered by this time, and she looked across at him, surprised.

She rebuked him, "Daniel, you are certainly not weedy! You've come so far from when we first met you -- you can fly intergalactic ships, shoot, fight and give RepliCarter a run for her money. You... you're the type of person who would give their life for someone you didn't know, and beat yourself up afterwards if you felt you hadn't make a difference. You are the most brilliant man I have ever met, and if I could turn back time to before Kelowna, I would have told you."

He met her gaze again and asked, "Really?"

She nodded, a smile spreading across her face as she said, feigning exasperation, "You, Doctor Jackson, are also the most frustratingly, unassuming person I have ever come across!"

He ducked his head in embarrassment as she caressed his jaw, murmuring, "And that is one of the reasons why I love you."

He tenderly caressed the side of her face, before she gently eased his glasses off. She then leant in to kiss him, taking his breath away. The passionate kiss that ensued knocked the heat of a supernova into second place.

Suddenly an unknown force separated them and there was a huge, blinding flash of white light.

Cam and Vala, joined once more by Teal'c, stood behind the observation window, watching their friends.

Cam sadly said, "I hope they pull through - the band's nothing without them."

Vala's hand touched the window again, her face showing an inordinate amount of emotional pain. A stray tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, hoping no-one had seen it.

Teal'c, his emotions increasingly evident, replied, "Indeed."

Cam continued, "It's just so weird, not that I don't do weird, especially working here, but... this is weirder than Elvis eating salad!"

He pressed his forehead against the glass, his head full of emotions as he watched medical personnel walk this way and that, making notes.

Suddenly, machines started beeping frantically and both Sam and Daniel began to convulse violently. The rest of SG-1 stood to attention, their eyes showing varying degrees of worry.

Cam spied Brightman running past the doorway, so he sped after her into the heart of the Infirmary, quickly followed by Teal'c and Vala.

Medical personnel were bustling around the scientists, treating them, as Cam accosted Carmichael,

"Yo Carmichael, what's happening?"

He replied quickly, "The dream centres have dropped in activity as has their respiration. The fits are brought on by..."

Before he could continue, Lam yelled, "Code Blue!" just as a flat-line tone could be heard.

Carmichael rushed off to Daniel's bedside, where he activated a defibrillator, as did Brightman at Sam's bedside.

The "clear!" instruction was almost simultaneous, and the other members of SG-1 were pushed out of the way as several volts of electricity passed through the scientists' bodies.

After the voltage was increased many times, Brightman and Carmichael shouted, almost simultaneously again, "We've got a rhythm!"

A few minutes later, Sam and Daniel's eyes fluttered open and they stared at their surroundings in confusion. Cam, Teal'c and Vala breathed a collective sigh relief, before they were shooed out of the main Infirmary as a battery of tests were carried out.

Finding nothing physically wrong with them, Lam officially discharged them, but recommended that they be pulled from active duty for at least a week, due to their previous unconscious state.

As it was rather late, they decided to go to their respective homes, neither of them able to meet the other's gaze, unsure as to whether what they shared had really happened.

Cam and Teal'c, noticing the unease, put it down to the little talks earlier in the day, and they smiled knowingly. Vala trailed after Daniel, but Cam wordlessly stopped her.

As soon as they got through the security points, it seemed that they couldn't get away from the mountain fast enough. Sam sped off on her motorbike, as Daniel tore out of the area in his car, much to the bemusement of the patrolmen.

Sam got home and quickly locked the door, before her back slid down the door until she was in a sitting position in her hallway. She put her arms around her knees and burst into tears, sobbing quietly. She had had the most beautiful experience, and yet it appeared to be only a dream.

Daniel ran into his apartment, locking the door behind him. He threw himself down on his bed, wondering what the heck had happened. He thought that maybe he had dreamt it all, but it seemed so real, and she wouldn't face him afterwards. He groaned loudly and pounded his pillow in frustration.

A few minutes later, he reached for his phone and dialled her number, but heard a busy tone. He reasoned that maybe she had phoned Jack. He replaced the handset with a loud sigh and went to sleep, not caring that he had his clothes on.

Meanwhile, she had tried to call him but also received the busy tone, so she reasoned that maybe he had started seeing someone. She threw the phone down onto her couch, before a feeling of resignation overwhelmed her. She laid on the sofa and fell asleep where she lay.

They woke up, simultaneously, next to each other, finding themselves once more in the Realm of Clouds. They gazed at each other, and she asked him,

"Was that real?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing!"

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Am I talking to my subconsciousness again?"

He raised his eyebrows in surprise and remarked, "Again?!"

She chuckled and replied, "On the Prometheus, three years back, I experienced hallucinations while I had concussion. You bugged me a lot, telling me to look at the cloud, while Teal'c told me to survive. Dad told me I wasn't happy, and Jack... well, we kissed, after he told me that he couldn't give me everything I needed..."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise again before quickly claiming her lips with her own. When they parted, he remarked with a smile,

"I hope that was better."

She caressed his jaw and chuckled as she replied, "Gee, I don't know -- I think I need some more proof before I can formulate a sound theory."

She kissed him with an ensuing passion, rivalling their first embrace, as he wrapped his arms around her, and she ran her fingers through his hair. They eventually parted, and were, in a word, breathless; in two words, incredibly breathless. When he regained the power of speech, he asked with a grin,

"Better than Jack's?"

She returned his grin and replied in an awed whisper as she traced his lower lip, "Oh, most definitely."

She continued, a little louder, "Is this real?"

He raised his eyebrows and said, pouting in concentration, "Well, if you are talking to yourself, the Socratic implications are..."

She interrupted him with a raised hand and remarked, "I get the feeling this could end up like that stint on the Prometheus. If you mention the cloud, I think I'll shoot you."

He remarked with a slight smile, "Wouldn't be the first time someone threatened to shoot me. Mitchell did it this morning when he... ah, when he was trying to get me to tell you how I felt."

He hugged her and said, "If this isn't real, I sure as heck don't want to wake up."

She said, "We need to test it. I'll tell you a secret that I've never told anyone, and you could do the same. If I see you tomorrow, either of us could weave it into a conversation and then we'd know."

He nodded and said with a smile as he held her hand, "Ok... my grandma, Nick's wife, was called Marie-Louise."

She remarked with a raised eyebrow, "Nothing juicy then?"

"Juicy? Why, I can't tell you what I get up to with Mitchell!"

She, grinning, playfully hit him, before telling him her secret, "Seeing as we're going Grandmas, Dad's Mom was called Elizabeth."

"Hm, Bible names."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. I bet your Mom was called Rachel."

She looked at him, incredulous, and exclaimed, "How did you know?!"

He replied, a little embarrassed, "In Biblical lore, Jacob marries Rachel and her sister Leah."

She exclaimed, "Holy Hannah! I have an Auntie Leah!"

She stopped smiling and said sadly, "This isn't real, is this? How could you have known Mom's name, and about Auntie Leah? Oh God."

"Sam, let's just wait until we meet again."

They hugged, before a large flash of white light enveloped them.

Sam woke up with a gasp, finding that she had only been asleep for a couple of hours. She looked down and realised that she was still wearing her bike leathers, so she quickly ran upstairs to get showered and changed. All the while, thoughts of her 'dream' running through her head.

Daniel, meanwhile, had woken up, and he too was wondering what had just happened. He was surprised that only a couple of hours had passed. He got up and went for a shower, before getting ready for bed. However, as he couldn't sleep, he wandered to his lounge where he switched his stereo on, and listened to the Drifters' song, "Some Kind of Wonderful." He closed his eyes and wished that the 'dream' had been real.

She couldn't sleep either, so she went downstairs to the kitchen, where she nursed a glass of orange juice, wondering what she had experienced. Suddenly, she found herself humming a song from Dirty Dancing, a film she had watched with an ex-boyfriend before she left for the first Gulf War. The humming gradually became singing, and she was surprised that she knew all the words:

"I know I can't express

This feeling of tenderness

There's so much I wanna say

But the right words just don't come my way

I just know when I'm in your embrace

This world is a happy place

And something happens to me

There's some kind of wonderful..."

He had to call her, he knew it, but when he tried, he heard the busy tone. He thought to himself,

"Who the heck would be calling her at this time of night?!"

He then thought of Cassie, and felt a little guilty at his own jealousy. He was about to give up, when he decided to try it one more time, fully expecting to hear the busy tone. He was stunned on hearing it ring, and then she answered,

"Hello?"

"Hey Sam, I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No... no, I couldn't sleep. Just came down for some OJ. How're you?"

"Just fine - you?"

"Not bad. So... hey, something just hit me - is Nick's wife still alive?"

His heart leapt into his throat at the mention of his grandmother, and he said, "No, why?"

"I was just wondering because seeing as Nick's Dutch, maybe she was European too. I'm guessing she was French, seeing as your Mom's called Claire."

"Yeah, she was from Bordeaux. She was called..."

"Marie-Louise."

His heart remained in his throat as he heard the name, and he blinked several times. He was so surprised that he couldn't speak for a moment.

"Daniel? Are you alright?"

"Um, Sam, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Was your Grandma called Elizabeth, your Mom Rachel, and your Aunt Leah?"

This time, she couldn't speak for a moment.

"Sam?"

"Holy Hannah! It was real!"

"Sam, wait there - I'm coming over."

They simultaneously dropped their phones, feelings of awe and excitement overwhelming them.

When she eventually regained most of her composure, she ran to her room to throw a shirt over her tank top.

She heard him pull up outside, and she quickly opened the door. They stood opposite each other, two shades of blue piercing the other. She invited him in, and as the door closed behind them, she pulled him into a hug, the two of them savouring the contact.

When they eventually made it to the sofa, he said,

"I think something in the temple created some sort of psychic connection between us."

She nodded and replied, "It would explain the dreams."

She, realising something, continued, a little excited, "Were you thinking of that Drifters' song earlier? 'Some Kind of Wonderful'?"

He stared at her in surprise, before nodding slowly, and saying, "When I couldn't sleep, I switched the stereo on, and that was playing... why?"

"Holy Hannah! I was sitting in the kitchen when I suddenly had the urge to sing, and I was surprised that I knew all the words. The last time I saw Dirty Dancing was before I left for the Gulf!"

He raised an eyebrow and remarked, "I think Jack would call our link 'kinky'."

She chuckled, and then he asked with a slight frown,

"Wait a second - were you on the phone before I rang?"

"No... I was trying to call you but it was busy... oh my..."

He nodded as he realised that she had come to the same new conclusion.

She remarked with a grin, "Well, it looks like we can't call each other when we feel like it!"

He caressed her face as he retorted, "We don't need to - we can feel each other's feelings."

She ran her fingers through his hair, before she gently eased his glasses off, and remarked, "Let's see if this is as good here."

He grinned at her before she kissed him, taking his breath away. She ran his fingers through his hair as his hands roamed her back. When they eventually came up for air, their foreheads rested against each other, and they gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

He whispered with a grin, "That definitely knocked the others into second and third place!"

She whispered back, her grin matching his, "You've been ranking our kisses?!"

"Well, I think I need more data to be able to adequately rank them, and..."

She interrupted him with another kiss, and ran his fingers through her hair as her hands wandered under his shirt. They eventually parted, breathless, their eyes glittering. He caressed her jaw as she remarked with a grin,

"Enough data?"

This time, he kissed her with an ensuing passion, when suddenly she put his hands to his chest and pushed him away. He gazed at her with concern and asked,

"Sam? What's wrong?"

She gazed back at him and said, "We could get into a lot of trouble."

He remarked with a raised eyebrow, "You're worried about that now?!"

He continued tenderly as he caressed her jaw, "First thing tomorrow, we'll go to General Landry's office and tell him."

She replied as she traced his lower lip, "We need to tell Jack, Teal'c and Cam first."

He remarked with a grin, "Oh, the betting pools will be alive and kicking tomorrow!"

She chuckled, before he realised something and he asked,

"Sam, do we tell them about this whole ESP thing?"

"I don't know. I say we keep it to ourselves as long as safely possible. I mean, if it interferes with our work, we'd have to tell... but before that, I'd rather not be vivisected."

"Deal."

He caressed her face as she ran her fingers through his hair, before he resumed kissing her.

The next morning, Cam and Teal'c pulled up in front of Sam's house. The former grinned, while the latter smiled knowingly, on noticing Daniel's car parked up outside.

Cam said, concerned, "I hope they're alright - they had us worried yesterday."

Teal'c replied, "It appears that DanielJackson at least is alright."

Cam gaped at his comrade, and exclaimed, "Holy, you've been watching too much Tau'ri TV!"

"On the contrary. I am interested to know whether Airman Chavez's claims are true, after he witnessed DanielJackson and ColonelCarter speeding away from Cheyenne Mountain."

Cam made a dismissive gesture and said quickly, "No, that'd never happen!"

As Teal'c gave him a meaningful look, Cam continued, "Come on, this is Doctor Denial Bush Beater and Colonel Samantha d'Insecure. They... they wouldn't do that."

"There is only one way to find out."

"You seriously think they're..."

"Indeed. I borrowed ColonelCarter's spare key from GeneralLandry."

Cam clapped him on the shoulder and remarked with a grin, "Aw T, you dog!"

"In what way do I resemble a Canine, ColonelMitchell?"

"Jeez, T... Anyhoo, come on - let's initiate Operation Snoop."

They quickly got out of the car and made their way to Sam's front door. In one deft movement, Teal'c unlocked the door, and the two of them stood in her hallway, practically gaping at the trail of discarded clothing from the sofa and up the stairs.

Cam exhaled and said, turning around, "Come on T, let's go - we're intruding."

Teal'c said, "They may be in danger - they were unconscious yesterday after all, and Doctor Lam has requested that we check up on them."

Cam sighed and said, shutting the door, "Ok. We'll creep up to Sam's room, peek in and leave without saying anything, capische?"

Teal'c nodded slightly in assent, and they quietly ascended the staircase. Teal'c opened Carter's door a crack as he peered in. He murmured to Cam,

"They are indeed sleeping together but they are fully clothed."

Cam, surprised, said, "Let me see."

Teal'c stepped aside to let Cam look, and he exclaimed quietly, "Oh... we've been punked, haven't we?! They must have known that we'd come looking for them, and they've lined the place with clothes!"

He looked again and said with a smile, "But they look so damn cute together! It's a shame Walter isn't here - he'd be taking a photo to keep in his heroes’ album."

Teal'c smiled and replied, "I possess my mobile communications device - we could take a picture to use for extortional purposes."

Cam chuckled and remarked, "That'll teach 'em!"

Teal'c opened the door a little wider, aimed his phone and took a picture of our two favourite scientists, Daniel spooning Carter, his arm around her waist.

Cam remarked with a grin as they quickly ran downstairs, "That'd make a great picture for the base Christmas card, and if Landry looks for anyone to roast about it, you could pretend that you didn't know that it was against Tau'ri culture!"

Teal'c smiled as he locked the door, and they quickly ran to Cam's car, and sped away.

Sam's eyes flickered open and she smiled at feeling Daniel's arm around her waist. She turned over and gazed at him for a long moment, wishing that she had taken the initiative a long, long time ago. She kissed him lightly on the end of his nose and he stirred, his eyes opened, and his beautiful cerulean eyes stunning her.

She caressed his jaw and remarked with a grin, "I'm telling you, if you knew how much of a handsome man you are, you'd be out of control."

He grinned as he retorted, before kissing her, "You're good for a man's ego."

"You have an ego!?"

"Heck, I'm only human, despite not possessing the ability to die."

They stared at each other before she asked, "D'you think Cam and Teal'c took the bait?"

"I don't know - I heard them whispering behind the door and I was doing my best to look like I was asleep. I think they've realised that they were set up."

She smiled and replied, "Well, the decoy's good - it's better that no-one knows that we did it before we talk to the General... oh... wait, we've got to tell Jack!"

She was about to reach for the phone, when it rang. They raised their eyebrows in surprise, before she answered it,

"Hello?"

"Colonel Carter, can you come to my office please, immediately?!"

"Oh, General Landry! Um, ok... is it anything important?"

"I'll inform you when you arrive. Also, bring Doctor Jackson - he's not picking up."

"Ok."

She replaced the receiver and stared at it for a long moment. He asked, concerned,

"What did the General say?"

She glanced at him and replied, worried, "I think he knows - he wants both of us in his office immediately."

He exhaled and said quietly as he touched her shoulder, "Come on Sam, let's go - the sooner we get this over with, the better."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees. He put an arm around her and said,

"It's going to be fine - he'll just have a go at us for not saying anything to him, and... oh... I think Mitchell must have said something!"

"But why? What about his band? I've known him for years - he's not a snitch!"

He hugged her, before they went about getting ready, worrying about what their future held.

A half hour later, Sam and Daniel were outside of Landry's office, taking deep breaths, the former's fist poised to knock. Daniel whispered,

"It'll be fine, Sam. The worst will be that we get split on missions. In that case, I could request a desk job."

"No, that's not fair on you."

"Sam... I'd move planets for you."

She smiled as he squeezed her hand, and she took a deep breath before knocking. They heard Landry's voice, uncharacteristically angry,

"Enter!"

They exchanged a concerned look before she opened the door, and they entered, bracing themselves for the worst. They were met by Landry, with a very grim expression, holding an A4 sized photograph of the two of them spooning earlier in the morning.

They simultaneously exhaled and gave the General sheepish looks, as he, his voice angry, said in a dangerously level voice, "Would you two care to explain this? This has been circulating throughout the base this morning, and imagine my surprise on finding it in the Commissary! Please be seated."

They sat down together, holding each other's hands for support, as he continued, "As you well know, Colonel Carter in particular, fraternisation between two members of the same command is strictly forbidden by military regulations..."

Daniel interrupted him by saying quietly, "But I'm a civilian."

Landry snapped, "Do not interrupt, Doctor Jackson! I am well aware of your civilian status, but you are on the Air Force payroll and this kind of conduct is unacceptable. Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Sam replied, her face gradually reddening in embarrassment as she contemplated the torture methods she could use on Cam, "We were intending to inform you this morning, Sir, but someone beat us to it."

Daniel added, attempting to work wonders with those cerulean orbs of his, "Really."

Landry closed his eyes briefly before continuing, "How did this photograph come into existence?"

Daniel replied, ducking his head in embarrassment, "You see, Sir, we were playing a practical joke on Mitchell and Teal'c as we knew that they would come to check on us. They had told us both yesterday to start a relationship, so we lined Sam's stairs with clothes. I think that this picture is a result of Colonel Mitchell getting his own back on us when he found us fully clothed."

Landry snapped, "Colonel Mitchell has had a hand in this, has he?!"

Sam chewed her lip and averted her gaze as she replied, "Yes Sir."

Landry threw the photo down and asked with a sigh, "Well... are you two pursuing a relationship?"

Sam replied, "Yes Sir, but we had intended to tell you ourselves, rather than you hearing the inaccurate version via the base grapevine."

Landry raised an eyebrow before pressing his intercom button and yelling, "Walter! Send Colonel Mitchell in!"

Sam squeezed Daniel's hand tighter as they both braced themselves for what was to come.

The door flew open and they turned to see the smiling faces of Cam, Teal'c, Vala, Lam, Brightman, Carmichael, Reynolds, Walter and other SGC personnel; the head of SG-1 carrying a large cake.

They turned back to Landry to see him smiling at them, and he said, "Of course I approve of your relationship! I just love yelling at people and I never get the chance because all of you are so well-behaved!"

Sam and Daniel exchanged a surprised look before the latter asked, "And you’re happy for us to remain on SG-1?"

Cam replied with a grin as he set the cake down on the desk, "It took some arguing, but I won him round. You guys have worked together for ten years without problems, so this is nothing. Slice o' cake?"

They glanced at the cake and saw the same photo on top, and Daniel remarked, "I am so getting back at you for taking that picture!"

Cam chuckled and gestured towards Teal'c, who said, "You will have to get back at me, DanielJackson, for I was the one who captured the image using my mobile communications device."

Sam and Daniel exchanged another look before they simultaneously exclaimed, "You?!"

Teal'c nodded as everyone started laughing, making the scientists blush, and Landry said with a clap of his hands,

"Come on people, let's get this cake sliced and diced! SG-3 are due to leave for P5F-432 in thirty minutes!"

In Daniel's office, Sam paced the room as Daniel called up O'Neill to break the news to him, hoping that he hadn't found out the bad way. She picked up on his tension as he dialled the number, and he picked up on her unease, which made them almost go insane. He took a deep breath as he held the handset, hearing a phone ringing many miles away,

"O'Neill."

"Oh, hi Jack."

"Daniel? Hey, how're you doing? Hang on a sec, I got Hank on the other line."

"Wait Jack - you really have to hear this now."

"Oh?"

"Jack - Sam and I... we're a couple."

"Oh."

"Jack?"

"Wow... that's... news. I'm coming to Colorado Springs tomorrow - can we talk about this then?"

"Sure thing. You're... you're not mad, are you?"

"No... no, why would I be... just a bit of a shock, 's all."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief before replying, "Thanks Jack."

"You at Carter's?"

"No, I'm - we're - on base."

"Really? Hank told me about your little thing off-world yesterday."

"Yeah, we've been pulled off active duty for a week."

"If Fraiser was there, she'd poke you two with more needles than there are stars in the sky."

"We got poked a lot by Doctor Lam... even got intubated and defibrillated."

"Wow... it never rains but it pours... must be what Hank was about to tell me when you called."

"Ok Jack, I got it - I'll let you get on with it."

"Yasureyabetcha, see ya!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

He replaced the handset, relief setting in and being transmitted to Sam, who took a deep breath and smiled at him. He nodded and said,

"Jack's coming to Colorado Springs tomorrow, and he didn't sound mad... maybe we should be really, really worried, but for the moment there's nothing to worry about."

She replied as she perched on his desk, close enough to caress his jaw, just as a passing Airman wolf-whistled, "I thought he was going to rip your head off down the phone."

"I was worried about that too."

She leant down to kiss him briefly, constantly aware of the security camera. He held her hand and murmured,

"I think we better get back to work before the General goes back on his happy mood."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek before leaving the room, both of them grinning widely.

Despite not initially thinking that O'Neill minded about their relationship, both of them were pacing Sam's living room floor, close to wearing a hole in the surface.

She whispered, "Why the hell are we so scared?"

He replied, "I don't know -- yesterday's phone call was a little too easy."

He paused and pulled her into a hug, murmuring, "Whatever happens, it could never tear us apart, right?"

He seemed uncertain, not completely knowing what their friend was capable of, and she replied as she traced his lower lip,

"The worst case scenario could be that he yells at us incoherently before storming out. I don't think he'd ever hit you, unless..."

"Unless his brain's been altered by an alien chemical -- I can still feel those punches."

She caressed his jaw and replied, "He's not going to touch you, even if I have to ignore rank."

Just at that moment, they nearly jumped out of their skin on hearing a certain Windy City inhabitant clear his throat and remark,

"That wouldn't be the wisest course of action."

They turned to see Jack smirking at them from the doorway, saying, "Nice to know you two are still scared of me... disturbing too."

Sam asked, shocked, "Sir, how did you get in?"

He took a seat as he remarked, "What, can't a General drop in to see his two favourite people, after a spot of lock picking?!"

Daniel looked down and realised that he was still holding her, so he dropped his arms before she said with an amused grin,

"I'll get coffee."

Daniel said, "I'll do it."

"Oh Daniel, just sit down and stop being unselfish for once."

He ducked his head in embarrassment before he sat near Jack, who remarked, "Damn your considerate self."

When she left the room, Jack asked, "So how did you two come to your latest decision?"

Daniel gazed at the floor and replied, "We... we came to a realisation last night after going home from the Infirmary. Mitchell and Teal'c spent the day trying to hook us up."

"Oh yeah, Hank said that there was a major op going on to get you two to see the light."

Daniel cautiously met the older man's gaze and asked, "And you're sure that you've got no problems with this?"

"Why the hell should I?! You guys are made - I knew it when I saw you two on Abydos. You were talking so fast and practically left the rest of us in the dust. I'll admit that... y'know, but all that time away from here, I've been doing a lot of thinking and 've put things into perspective. You know what all that science stuff does to me anyhow... Y'know, it's Laney's birthday coming up."

"Laney... oh, Sara's niece?"

"Yeah."

"You going?"

"Yeah. I called up Sara a few months back, and we met up a few times. It was nice talking about old times."

"You giving it another go?"

Jack shrugged and replied, "I don't know - I'm not sure we're ready to do that whole Mr and Mrs O'Neill thing again. We've been apart for ten years and..."

Daniel touched his arm and said, "Go for it."

"Ya think? I..."

"Heck Jack, I saw how she stared at you all those years back, and I know you still love her. Go for it."

"Wow, thanks. Playing matchmaker now that you're in love again?"

Daniel ducked his head in embarrassment before he said, "I'll go and see how Sam's doing."

Jack raised an eyebrow and remarked as he picked up the remote control, "Don't be too long."

Daniel went to the kitchen, where he saw her pouring hot water in mugs. He gently held her around her waist and she giggled, putting the kettle down. She turned around, their gazes meeting, and he kissed her. She put his hands on his chest and said, a little breathless,

"The General's here - he's going to get suspicious."

"Ok... one more then."

She kissed him, running her fingers through his hair as he caressed her waist, before they pulled apart, blushing profusely, when they heard Jack remark from the doorway,

"Now that's some coffee making!"

Daniel quickly removed his arms from around her, as she said quickly, "Sorry Sir... coffee's ready."

Daniel opened a cupboard and reached for the biscuit tin, when she couldn't resist pinching his waist. He flinched and exclaimed, grinning as he handed her the tin,

"You're not going to get away with that!"

Jack remarked, inwardly happy that his friends had found happiness, "Just do the revenge thing after I've gone - I'd like to be able to drink my Guinness without cringing."

They blushed as Daniel put the mugs and biscuits on a tray, and everyone went to the living room.

After a long time of reminiscing, and guest appearances by Teal'c, Cam and Vala, Jack bade his friends farewell, remarking at the doorway, much to their embarrassment,

"Send the wedding invite to my cabin."

However, Daniel didn't let him get off so easy, so he retorted,

"We'll be sure to send one to Sara's too!"

Jack mouthed, "Why you...", pretending to look shocked at the remark, as Sam glanced in surprise at her friend.

When they went back inside, he was about to kiss her again in the hall, when he stopped. He gazed at her, tender concern on his face, and he asked,

"Sam, what's wrong?"

She lowered her gaze as she let go of his arms and said,

"I don't know - it's just that when Gen... Jack mentioned wedding invites..."

He gazed at her, concern in his eyes, as he continued, holding her arms, "And I seemed so certain. I'm sorry if you got offended... I shouldn't have said it. It was a spur of the moment thing."

She met his gaze and replied, a little upset, "Is that how you see this - us - that marriage talk is the butt of jokes?!"

"Sam..."

She shook his hands off and continued, "No... I'm going to end this tonight. Is this how you see us?"

"You tell me - you can read me, and I you."

He then realised that he couldn't feel or read anything from her, but she was too angry to notice. She continued her barrage against him, and he held her arms again and said, a little intensely,

"Sam! Stop it!"

She attempted to shrug his hands off, but he held her firmly and continued, "You're being irrational - we've only been together for a few days! The anger's clouding the ESP."

She still wouldn't listen to him and she stormed off, running upstairs and slamming her bedroom door.

He stared at the staircase in disbelief, and murmuring to himself, "Couch tonight, Danny."

As he walked into the living room, intending to tidy up, he began to feel depressed, and the sudden urge to eat chocolate ice-cream almost overwhelmed him. He quickly washed the mugs and plate, before holding the edge of the sink, tears pricking his eyes as he whispered,

"God, I'm so fat!"

He mentally shook himself, realising what was happening, and he ran out of the kitchen, whispering, "I'm so glad I'm not called Danielle!"

He sprinted up the stairs and quietly opened Sam's door, to find her in a foetal position on the bed, sniffling.

He debated what to do - should he attempt to comfort her and risk a black eye, or should he close the door and attack a pot of Hagen Daaz downstairs? He decided on the former, not caring about what Cam or anyone else would say, should he go to work resembling a panda.

He silently entered the room, laid down behind her, and held her as she continued weeping. Tears ran down his cheeks too as her emotions channelled into him, and he tightened his hold, murmuring,

"I'm sorry Sam - I should have put more thought into that remark... I..."

She turned over, taking by surprise by kissing him, and she said, "Don't say sorry, Daniel... in fact, I'm..."

"No, don't say it. You have nothing to apologise for - it was my fault."

"No, I..."

He took that moment to interrupt her with the mother of all kisses. She playfully hit him, sniffing and remarking with a smile,

"Well, I think I'm going to get angry more often!"

"Ok, but just try to limit the PMT - I have a strong craving for ice cream."

She chuckled briefly as she gazed at him, and asked, "If either of us get really angry, it blocks the ESP."

He pouted in thought before replying, "I'm not sure, because when we were on base, and Vala was... ahem, molesting me, I felt your anger. I think it depends on the intensity and perhaps the type of anger, so..."

She traced his lower lip, making him lose his train of thought, and she continued quietly, "So me being crabby blocks it."

He smiled at her before saying as he got up, "Come on, let's go eat ice cream and cry in front of a DVD."

She remarked with a smile as she got up, wrapping her arms around his waist, "Why, Doctor Jackson, you sure know how to treat a girl!"

Their week of light duties over, Sam and Daniel were cleared for active duty following extensive medical testing.

In the locker-room, Cam approached Daniel as he was lacing his boots,

"So Jackson, you and Sam up for SG-1 movie night?"

Daniel replied, looking up briefly, "What is it?"

"Ah, a choice between Scary Movie IV and Star Trek: Insurrection. There's also talk of Bridget Jones' Diary, but if you ask me, a movie about some insecure English broad isn't my idea of a good night, so...?"

Daniel closed his eyes briefly before replying, "I think we'll pass."

Cam clapped him on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Woo, Jacksonator 5000!"

Daniel ducked his head in embarrassment and murmured in protest, "Shut up Mitchell!"

Cam sarcastically remarked, "Nah, you know I'm kidding - I bet you guys spend your days reading mission reports and textbooks! No wonder you're so happy on Monday morning, when everyone else is wishing that they were dead."

Daniel's head started to pound, and he closed his eyes in an attempt to focus, but failed completely. He passed out, his body crumpling on the floor. Cam rushed to his aid, laid him out, before grabbing a nearby phone and saying into it: "Medical Emergency, Doctor Lam to the locker-room!"

In the Infirmary, Daniel's gurney was wheeled into the Infirmary, followed by Cam on foot. He paused in surprise on seeing an unconscious Sam already there, with medics bustling around her. As they began to treat Daniel, Lam accosted Cam,

"What happened?"

Cam replied, scratching the back of his head, "Jackson and I were talking in the locker-room when he closed his eyes like he does when he's got a headache. He then collapsed."

Lam rushed off to the patients, and Cam was pushed out of the way when everyone heard an all too familiar flat-line tone, and Brightman shouted, "Code blue!"

He sprinted to the observation room, where Teal'c and Vala were already waiting. He quietly stood next to them, folding his arms. The three members of SG-1 watched their friends through the glass, with concern in their eyes, silently praying that they would be alright.

Sam and Daniel had just been resuscitated via defibrillator, when the latter could be heard talking in a foreign language. Without a word, the conscious members of SG-1 ran out of the observation room.

By the time they got to the beds, Sam too was speaking in what appeared to be the same language. Everyone stood still, stunned, unsure of what to do. Before Cam could run out to rope in one of Daniel's staff, Teal'c said,

"They are speaking Abydonian."

Cam frowned and remarked, "Only Jackson knows that! How...?"

Teal'c replied, "They are saying that they share thoughts and feelings. The connection is too much for their minds to tolerate. A piece of the Enuma temple must be brought otherwise they will die."

Cam nodded before sprinting out of the Infirmary, as the medics exchanged confused looks.

Sam and Daniel, once more in the Realm of Clouds, were holding hands as they looked through a rippling mirror. They could see their friends and the Infirmary, and they spoke in unison. When the mirror closed, she asked him,

"What language was that? It felt as if I knew it at the time but it's gone now."

He replied with a frown, "It's Abydonian - Teal'c's got a working knowledge of it. It'd be more believable if we used something that only I would know."

She nodded, before saying with a concerned expression, "Those images we saw in our heads... how long do you think we have?"

He shrugged and replied with a sigh, "I don't know. I hope they get a move on though. The temple holds the key as it connected us."

She continued, "The connection is meant for Nem and Omoroca's people as opposed to humans."

He nodded and said, gazing at her, his cerulean orbs mirroring her concern, "I'm so sorry, Sam."

She frowned and asked, "Why?"

"It's my fault all this is happening. If I hadn't thought of..."

She held his jaw as she replied, "I don't regret this one bit. It's made us realise things that we should have done years ago. Cal Shek Nemraan."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she said that last bit, and he pulled her into a hug, murmuring into her hair, "We won't need to die if they work fast."

She pulled away from him and said hoarsely, "I love you, Daniel."

He blinked away the tears as he replied sincerely, "I love you too, Sam."

Cam, Teal'c, Vala and SG-3 returned from Enuma with a piece of the temple, the same part which Gilgamesh had told them that Daniel had touched before passing out.

Without changing, Teal'c jogged to the Infirmary, followed by the rest of SG-1, with the piece of mudbrick. Landry soon followed, and everyone watched as Lee set the stone between the two unconscious scientists. When nothing happened, Teal'c suggested,

"Perhaps DanielJackson needs to touch the surface as he did on Enuma."

Lee nodded in agreement as he gently moved Daniel's hand, placing it on the mudbrick. When still nothing happened, he also placed Carter's hand on it.

He was about to say something negative, when suddenly, there were flashes of blue light. Everyone stared in amazement, and Cam readied his sidearm, as orbs of white and blue light swam around the two scientists, before all fell still.

A few moments later, Sam and Daniel's eyes flickered open, and they smiled in relief. Mitchell cheered, exclaiming,

"Boy, that was close! How're you two doing?"

They exchanged a quick glance before replying in unison, "Just fine, thanks."

Everyone looked surprised at this, and Teal'c asked, "Do you still share thoughts and feelings?"

They exchanged another quick glance, and then frowned. Daniel replied,

"No. No we don't."

Landry cleared his throat and asked, "Why didn't you declare your abilities?"

Sam replied, "Sorry Sir, but we were concerned that the Trust or even the NID could experiment on us."

Landry frowned before saying, "Well, this will be omitted from the paperwork, otherwise Woolsey will give you hell for it."

Daniel replied, "Thank you Sir."

The rest of SG-1 left with Landry as Lam, Brightman and Carmichael began to run a number of tests.

After a briefing, where Sam and Daniel explained everything they had learnt in full, the two scientists were talking in latter's office. Sam wistfully said, as she sat across the desk from him,

"I thought that was going to be the end."

He replied as gazed at her, "So did I. I'm so sor..."

She exclaimed, "Daniel, stop it! You don't have to apologise, ok? I told you I didn't regret it, and I don't. Sometimes to see things that were right in front of us the whole time, we need our perceptions altered."

He chuckled, ducking his head briefly, before saying, "Well, at least we're not in trouble for hiding the ESP."

She nodded and replied with a smile, "I don't think I could handle seeing Woolsey again."

Just at that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Daniel said, "Come in."

The door opened and Sam turned to see Mitchell and Teal'c, the former remarking with a grin,

"Didn't Landry tell you no jigginess on base?!"

Sam blushed and Daniel retorted, "Shut up Mitchell."

Cam perched on the edge of the desk, as Teal'c remained standing, and Daniel said, "Thanks for saving us."

Cam replied, "Aw it was nothing, and besides, Teal'c was the one who whupped ass. If it hadn't had been for him, I would have had to rope in one of your people, and I've had a none too savoury experience with them when Landry ordered me to recast SG-1."

Sam stood up and pulled the Jaffa into a hug, murmuring, "Thank you."

When they pulled apart, Teal'c replied with a small smile, "You are most welcome, ColonelCarter."

Cam remarked with a grin, "So... with the ESP, you two must have been like Duracell Bunnies on speed!"

Daniel ducked his head in embarrassment, as Sam, blushing, retorted, "Shut up, Cam!"

Sam woke up one morning, feeling cold, and found Daniel's side of the bed empty. She frowned and was about to look for him, when a stone hitting her window startled her. She yawned as she walked to the window, to see what looked to be half of the SGC grinning up at her. She saw Daniel standing with Cassie, Jack, Teal'c and Cam.

She opened the window, a bemused expression on her face, and to her surprise, everyone began to sing:

"All you have to do is touch my hand

To show me you understand

And something happens to me

That's some kind of wonderful

At any time my little world seems blue

I just have to look at you

And everything seems to be

Some kind of wonderful

I know I can't express

This feeling of tenderness

There's so much I wanna say

But the right words just don't come my way

I just know when I'm in your embrace

This world is a happy place

And something happens to me

There's some kind of wonderful

I know I can't express

This feeling of tenderness

There's so much I wanna say

But the right words just don't come my way

I just know when I'm in your embrace

This world is a happy place

And something happens to me

There's some kind of wonderful..."

By the end of the song, Daniel had walked forward a few steps, and he looked up at a very surprised Sam, and said with a grin, "Colonel-Doctor, will you marry me?"

Her surprise grew and she said, her grin reflecting his, "Of course I will, Doctor Jackson!"

Everyone cheered, and she shut the window, throwing her dressing gown on. She sprinted downstairs and outside, into the arms of her fiancé, and they kissed, while Jack remarked,

"Think of our dinners at least!"

When the scientists parted, Cam remarked, "Doctor and Colonel Duracell Bunny!," making them both blush as everyone laughed and jeered.

Just then, something occurred to Daniel, and he produced a small, velvet box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a stunning band of gold, set with Emeralds, and he placed it on her finger. Everyone cheered again as they kissed once more.