Author's Note: I know I've already got two WIPs on the go, but I found this one in my 'finished' folder earlier but I never actually re-posted the entire story. There are just three chapters, so they'll all be posted this week.

This fic is set after Season 7's Fallen and Homecoming.

Chapter 1

Daniel set his notebook on the ground by his feet and cast a quick look around the team's makeshift campsite. "So, I take it we don't receive too many missions like this?"

With a quizzical look, Sam handed him a coffee before she sat beside him on the fallen tree trunk. "Like what?"

"You know," he shrugged as he took a drink, "quiet."

Before Sam could answer however, a voice carried across from the other side of camp.

"Oh, yeah. We get them all the time," Jack deadpanned. "Getting captured and tortured by bad guys is just something we do for fun whenever we get bored."

Instinctively, Daniel rolled his eyes at the comment while an undignified snort escaped Sam. When the archaeologist glanced at her, she just shook her head, said it was "nothing" and got to her feet to retrieve her own coffee. He studied his teammate for a moment longer before he switched his attention to Jack. Much like the rest of the team, Jack O'Neill had long since discarded his jacket to make the most of the planet's good weather. He was sitting on the ground against an adjacent tree. His back was pressed against the trunk while his legs were stretched out in front and crossed at the ankles and his arms were folded behind his head. His face was tilted up to the sky, his shades protecting his eyes from the sun.

Daniel frowned slightly as he rested his elbows on his knees. "Um… that's one of your jokes, right?"

He had officially been reinstated to the flagship team the previous week and despite most of his memories returning, he was still trying to decipher Jack's exact sense of humor. That, and as he'd also started to recall more and more of SG-1's previous missions, he wondered if they really did go out of their way to find trouble.

After a few seconds of silence, Jack removed his shades and looked in Daniel's direction. He threw him a lopsided grin before he closed his eyes and again turned his face upwards.

A muttered comment from the younger man suddenly reverberated around camp and he winced as Jack now stared at him.

"Hey!" he protested. "What – exactly – is wrong with my sense of humor?"

Met with silence, Jack glanced at the other half of his team, only to see them exchange looks of their own. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Carter?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What's wrong with my sense of humor?"

She shifted uncomfortably under the colonel's gaze as she tried to figure out how best to answer the question. When she still hadn't answered a few moments later, he straightened and in a sing-song voice added, "I'm waiting, Carter."

"There's nothing wrong with it," she offered but refused to meet his gaze.

"But?"

"But – it's – it's like an MRE."

Her cheeks started to turn a light pink color as Jack stared in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"It's an acquired taste. Sir."

Jack's eyes widened at the comment from his second-in-command and his arms fell to his sides, while Daniel tried to mask his laughter with a cough. Sam glared at him even though her discomfort increased with every second that passed. The colonel opened and closed his mouth as he tried to think of a response but found none and instead cleared his throat sharply. Sam, reluctantly, met his eye and her face was now crimson.

"Carter –"

He was about to ask what she meant by her statement when he stopped abruptly at her expression. Embarrassment and something akin to fear flashed briefly through her eyes and he just knew he couldn't push her for an answer yet. He didn't dwell on why, other than the fact that it was Carter and deciding that that rationale was a satisfactory answer for his conscience, he sighed. Then he turned to Teal'c.

"T?"

"Indeed, O'Neill," the Jaffa replied almost immediately. "It is a most unusual form of entertainment you have in your possession – and one that often provokes those in your company."

"What?"

At a dip of Teal'c's head, Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Traitor," he huffed.

"It is a rather unique humor you seem to have," Daniel added thoughtfully, only to earn another glare from their team leader.

"Major," Jack barked suddenly after a beat. "What have I told you about giggling?"

"Sorry colonel," she answered, sounding anything but apologetic and Jack couldn't help but grin. However, when he realized both Teal'c and Daniel were staring at him, his amusement vanished and he pointed an index finger at the former, then the latter, then back again.

"Just be thankful it's not one of those damn Jaffa jokes. No offence, Teal'c," he added, seeing his friends' expression change.

"A Jaffa joke?"

Jack bit back a sigh at Daniel's sudden enthusiasm.

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. There is a great source of jokes among the Jaffa at the expense of the System Lords. Would you like me to attempt a translation of one for you now?"

"Uh, maybe later, Teal'c," Jack interrupted. "We're, ah, we're good for now," he supplied with a tight smile as he remembered back to the last joke his friend had shared.

The larger man raised a brow, the hint of a smile on his lips. "Very well, O'Neill."

With a relieved sigh, Jack resumed his previous position and relaxed against the tree as he surveyed their campsite. This mission was nothing more than a mineral survey on a thus-far uninhabited planet, so Carter was in her element, while Daniel had stumbled across a handful of Ancient-looking ruins to the west of the camp. He'd subsequently spent the last six hours attempting a translation. So, whilst the two scientists had enough to keep themselves occupied, there wasn't a lot for Teal'c or himself to do and stay busy. However, with the events of the last year still fresh in his mind and the rapidly increasing threat of Anubis dominating the galaxy, Jack refused to complain. Instead, he was thankful that on missions such as this one, he had the foresight to stow his favorite red yo-yo at the bottom of his pack.

He decided to leave the yo-yo until later and risked a glance over at Teal'c who seemed to be using the silence to fit in some additional Kel'no'reem. Jack's attention then slid to Daniel and he shook his head in amusement at the archeologist who was hunched beside the now-lit campfire with his nose literally stuck in one of his journals. The journal was balanced precariously on his knees as he scribbled notes in the margin and Jack briefly wondered how likely the book was to fall into the flames. Since Daniel didn't seem concerned, Jack shrugged, then grabbed a nearby branch and pushed it into the base of the fire before he prodded the pile of MREs closer to the heat. A choked sound caught his attention and when he looked up, he saw Sam's eyes twinkling with amusement. He followed her gaze back to the fire and frowned. He'd obviously hit one MRE with more force than necessary as it was now lying in the center of the fire.

The branch in his hand soon followed and as he studied his hands he realized the smirk playing across the major's lips was because she'd caught him attacking their dinner. Worse still, she knew why.

"My sense of humor is nothing like an MRE," he grumbled quietly.

With more confidence than he felt, he schooled his features and looked back to Sam – who gave him one of those smiles. The one he liked to believe was reserved just for him. The one that made his heart threaten to jump out of his chest, and the one he hadn't been on the receiving end of for a year. He returned her smile with a softer one of his own as his thoughts began to stray into dangerous territory.

Everything in Jack's gut told him to look away and retreat. To build those walls between them back up, but he couldn't. The sun had started to set and as he studied Sam's profile from over the flames of the fire, he realized just how perfectly the orange glow from the sky complimented his teammate.

The brightly colored sky provided a picturesque backdrop against Carter's darkening silhouette, and the dancing flames of the fire helped to highlight the golden strands of her hair. Over the past couple of months, Sam had chosen to grow her hair out slightly longer and Jack would be the first to admit – albeit silently – that it was his favorite style on her yet. It was tousled and flicked out at the ends, adding to her femininity. It made her look even more beautiful and that was something he didn't think was possible.

Without warning, a loud pop came from the fire as one of the logs broke in two. The noise caused both officers to jump as the moment was broken. Subconsciously mirroring each other, they watched a handful of sparks twist and twirl in the air and as the final spark extinguished, Sam turned to sit beside Daniel, while Jack returned his attention to his second-in-command.

As he contemplated his thoughts, he watched as his two younger teammates talked quietly together and he suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Ever since Daniel's ascension, things had been strained between him and Carter – and Jack knew it was all his fault.

From their first meeting on Abydos, Daniel and Sam were like two peas in a pod and had developed a close brother-sister relationship over the years. So, with hindsight, it probably shouldn't have surprised Jack when Sam first admitted she was struggling to cope with the death of their friend. At the time, however, Jack did nothing to comfort her. He didn't even offer any words of wisdom or tell her things would get better. He'd continued to act as the soldier he was and pushed her away. Even when Sam had continued to try and to talk to him, he'd shut her down and told her to focus on the job.

He closed his eyes as recalled one of those conversations.

"Colonel. We need to talk."

"I don't want to hear it, Carter."

"You can't just pretend this didn't happen."

"I'm not pretending anything. This is the job. We lose people all the time."

"We're talking about Daniel."

"What do you want me to do? He's gone. We've got work to do."

Jack had made the decision to walk away, but not before he's caught the hurt in Sam's eyes. He knew he should have stopped and apologized, but this was Jack O'Neill and he didn't deal with emotions. Without Daniel as the voice of reason, it was only after a stern talking-to from Teal'c, that Jack was able to see what he was doing, and tried to stop his destructive behavior before he caused irreparable damage to his relationship with Sam.

He'd worked hard in the following months to try and not push her away, and they'd slowly managed to fall back to a comfortable working relationship. They had also grown closer, having both faced almost imminent death on a couple of missions, but it hadn't been the same as before. Those longing looks they'd once shared as they'd awaited their fate; the stolen embraces they had shared when they realized they were both safe... none of that had happened between the two of them once Daniel had left. It was only now that their friend was back, did Jack notice how much he had actually missed those interactions with Sam.

His gaze returned to Sam and he smiled at how things were changing again.

Now that Daniel was back and regaining his memories, things had started going back to how they used to be – including his relationship with Carter.

A sigh escaped him before he could stop it and Sam glanced at him over the fire, her eyes wide and questioning. He was about to brush off her concern, when Teal'c effortlessly stood and clasped his hands behind his back. He turned to face Daniel, a look of concern on his face.

"Daniel Jackson. Why do you inquire about the quiet disposition of our mission?"

Daniel looked up in confusion. "Huh?" It took him a moment to remember his earlier comment and his expression cleared. "Oh! Uh, well – it's just – I can't seem to remember too much of... this," he shrugged.

Teal'c tilted his head to the side. "There are still some memories that elude you."

It was a statement, not a question, but Daniel answered all the same.

"Uh, maybe. I'm not sure."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Sam's question was soft, her voice tinged with concern and guilt.

"Oh no," Daniel stressed as he reached out and squeezed her hand. "It's all there. It's just some of it feels a little – fuzzy."

Jack's eyebrows shot towards his hairline. "Fuzzy?"

With a sigh, Daniel closed his notebook before he pulled off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, fuzzy. I mean, I know we do this," he said as he gestured to their surroundings, "but I don't remember too much of... this."

He shrugged again as three confused faces that stared back at him.

"You don't remember our campfires?" Sam asked.

"No! No, I do. Kind of. No, it's more – the peacefulness, that I don't remember," he muttered in embarrassment as he dug the toe of his boot into the ground.

"Ah." Suddenly, it clicked with Jack and he shifted slightly. Wanting to ease the building tension, he lifted an index finger into the air and grinned. "This is a novelty for us."

He held his friend's gaze as he thought over the answer. "Oh."

"Is that it?"

"Hmm?"

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Jack clarified. "The fact that it is quiet?"

"Oh. Uh..."

"Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Well, there are a few other things."

"Care to share?" Jack asked with a wave of the hand when no further information was forthcoming.

"Umm – well – uh – do you – are you two – uh –"

Daniel slowly met Sam's eye before he subtly nodded to Jack; he then looked back at Sam and raised his eyebrows.

"You know?"

Sam followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to understand what he was saying.

"Never mind," Daniel eventually smiled as he retrieved his journal.

He missed Sam's confusion as she had a silent conversation with Jack, who simply gave her a shrug in return. She took another sip of her coffee before she risked a final glance back at Daniel. He caught her eye and she suddenly realized what he hadn't said. She started to choke on her drink.

"Carter?"

Jack made a move, only for her to wave off his concern.

"I'm – fine – sir," she coughed out, offering Daniel a wan smile as he slapped her on the back.

As Sam's coughing subsided, the only sounds to be heard around camp were from the planet's nightlife and the rustling of fabric as Jack finally reached for his pack. Within moments, he'd found his yo-yo. He had just mastered 'Walk the Dog' when Daniel spoke.

"Were we trapped in a time loop once?"

Yo-yo immediately forgotten, Jack's hands fell into his lap.

"Yeah," he answered, sharing a wary look with Teal'c. "Why?"

"Huh," Daniel muttered. "Well, uh, I don't really recall anything that happened during the loops – but I know they happened."

Jack sighed heavily. He placed his hands on the ground on either side of his thighs and pushed himself up straighter.

"Well, that's probably because Teal'c and I were the only ones who actually knew we were in a loop."

With frustration, Jack scooped up his yo-yo and shoved it into his pack.

"So, you are the only two people with memories for – how long?"

"Three months," Teal'c supplied flatly.

Daniel's mouth formed a small 'O'. "Three months?"

"Yup," Jack answered.

The archeologist nodded once before turning back to his notes. "Interesting," he said.

After a beat, he added, "Did you ever do anything crazy?"