"Where is he?"

"In the infirmary. With Sam." Daniel said. It was dark in Daniel's lab. It was always was, these days.

"How long has been there?" Major Davis asked, stepping warily into the room. He'd onCe counted Daniel amongst his very small circle of friends, but lately, Daniel seemed unreachable.

"Since he took her there." Daniel said, his voice still in a monotone. He was picking up artefacts from his desk, turning them over in his hand, staring at the precious, fragile objects unseeingly. "Teal'c's gone to find her father."

"Well, that's good. Maybe Jacob can help?" Paul said, sudden hope in his face. Daniel turned to look at him, blankly.

"Sam's dead, Paul. Jacob can't do a thing to change that."

Paul shrank back from him. Daniel's anger was cold, and harsh.

"Daniel, I hate to ask, but I need to know..."

"The naquadah generator. She and Jack were in her lab, and it started to overload. Jack and her left, and he was bringing down the doors to shield the base from the blast, when she suddenly said she knew how to switch it off." Daniel's voice was flat, emotionless, and as he talked, he continued to pick up the little statues on the desk. "She went back inside the room, and closed the door. Jack pounded on it, begged her to come out, but she only said she knew how to stop it, and we needed the naquadah generator. Then there was an explosion. We opened the door and she was lying on the floor." Daniel put the statue down, and gazed at the wall opposite him. "She was untouched. She looked so peaceful. We thought she'd survived. But Jack couldn't wake her up. He carried her to the infirmary. It's the concussion wave, you see." He said, turning to Paul. "It rips you apart inside, but leaves your outer body untouched."

"I'm sorry." Paul said, stepping forward.

"There was no need for her to do that. No need for her to die like that. No need for her to go into that room."

"You did, once."

"That's different. That was me. This...this was Sam." Daniel said, trying to explain. He looked up, and caught Paul's eye.

"You've been crying." Daniel said.

"You haven't." Paul said, surprised. The Daniel he'd known once, before his own death, had been passionate and sensitive, and he'd shown his every reaction, his every mood. Now, it seemed like Daniel was building up walls around his every emotion, hiding every feeling. Paul no longer knew what Daniel thought and felt.

"I haven't cried since the day Janet died." Daniel told him. "I miss her."

"I know." Paul told him.

"But today, I'm glad she's dead. She wouldn't have coped with this. Not with Sam dying." Daniel still didn't look at Paul, and he turned back, to the door.

"Umm, I need to tell her fiancé, but the address we have for him is out of date. Do you happen to know..."

"He bought a new house, in Colorado. Jack knows the address."

"Thanks."

"Paul." Paul turned in the doorway, and faced Daniel. "You loved her, didn't you?"

"Everyone did." Paul said, trying to swallow the tears rising in his throat.

"But you loved her more." Daniel insisted.

"Yeah. But I knew...she and General O'Neill..." Davis stammered.

"Yes. She and General O'Neill." Daniel said, picking up a tiny little statue, rose coloured, covered in delicate filigree work. Paul turned back to the door, then heard a smash. He turned around.

Daniel had thrown the statue against the wall. He stood there, hands in pockets, face curiously blank, watching the tiny little rose pieces fall from the wall.