Disclaimer - I do not own any of the characters or events portrayed in Stargate SG1 but like them a whole lot and therefore use them in stories willy-nilly.

-The Promise-

He'd been hiding when they first met.

Not hiding in the literal sense behind table or around a corner... but he'd been hiding nonetheless.

He'd been hiding himself under baggy clothes and floppy hair. His glasses were a little bit too big for his face and always smudged, reflecting the light so you couldn't see the eyes behind. He might not have realized he was doing it but he'd been hiding himself away. Away from the world... away from everything.

He'd used his work to hide also. He always had his nose in a book, his arms filled with scrolls, his room stacked with artifacts with little tags on them. She knew that he felt these objects, these writings, these old and dusty things, were easier to deal with than real people. She knew because there was shyness to him when they met that she hadn't encountered before. She was used to her father, a military man. Jack had been like her father, solid and confident. Even Teal'c being a warrior, had a certain sureness to him.

But not Daniel.

In that first meeting, Daniel had looked like a lost little boy. In a shirt too big for him and his glasses smudged from constantly being toyed with, his whole being cried out to be saved. Something in the way he was spoke to her very soul, dragging something up she had thought was long lost. It wasn't attraction, nothing that gauche. She had felt the stirrings of attraction as soon as she had shook hands with Jack O'Neill. He had been so much like her father that she had inwardly chided herself and squashed the feelings, but when he showed himself to be warm and funny the interest rekindled. These were traits her father rarely showed since her mother died and she had missed them.

Daniel on the other hand drew the protective instinct from her. She saw the same thing with Jack. The two men had obviously known each other from before but when Daniel had come back and had been so lost in grief Jack had not hesitated to take him home. He had taken responsibility for the younger man with no hesitation and she understood the feeling.

Over the last eight years things had changed dramatically.

Finally the floppy hair was shed. She had laughed because he hadn't had a choice in the matter. When they were taken prisoner by the G'ould, they had cut his hair. It had changed his face dramatically, giving him plains and edges and taking away some of the boyish softness. She could see the actual man he would become and it was a nice change. Jack had kidded him about it and taken to rubbing Daniel's head whenever he

walked passed. Daniel had complained but she could see Daniel's pleasure at the simple show of affection.

Shortly after that he had started wearing clothes that actually fit his frame, and she had been surprised. He had seemed so gangly and skinny in the too-big clothes and when she had come upon him in his office with one of Jack's black shirts on she had been surprised to see a man with a lean muscular frame. She had found out later that he had been working out with Teal'c, making sure that he didn't slow them up on missions and endanger their lives. She had never been aware that he had been worried about it, having still thought of him at that time as the bookish archeologist who didn't see much sunlight. Why he had been wearing one of Jack's shirts was a mystery that was only solved much later. She found out Teal'c had taken it upon himself to throw out all of Daniel's too-big wear. He had been appalled that Daniel would wear clothing that wasn't economical in a fight. He had, however, not told Daniel of his plans and had done the closet cleaning when Daniel had been in the shower. Daniel had been stuck in nothing but a towel for two hours until Jack had finally relented and given him some clothing, which had to be approved by Teal'c first. Daniel had adhered to T'eal'c's wishes to avoid another similar occurrence.

Slowly but surely the armour Daniel had used to make himself invisible to the world was being chipped away. He still rushed through the corridors, papers and ancient tomes spilling out of his arms, but where most people would usually tolerantly step aside for the archeologist without even really acknowledging his presence, she had seen more than one female SGC member watch his retreating back with a certain longing. He was now stopped in the hall to be asked the time or for other banal chit chat, eyes straying to newly discovered and nicely formed biceps. Slowly but surely Daniel stopped scurrying from place to place and started sauntering, almost in a perfect imitation of Jack. His gaze was no longer permanently attached to his feet, but looking forward as he said hello to people. As a bi-product, he suddenly became less clumsy because he would actually look where he was going.

Some part of her had actually missed the Daniel of old. The clumsy unsureness was quite endearing, but he seemed happier and more sure of himself and that made the changes much more bearable. He was still the same dear and trusting soul underneath it all and that was what truly counted.

On away missions he was no longer permanently at the rear, being flanked and protected. He would sometimes take point, a gun now in a holster at his hip. She remembered the first time she had handed him a gun. He had held it like something alive and terrible and had given it back pretty quickly. She had patiently handed it to him again, explaining that Hammond would not allow him through the Stargate without it. He had taken it back gingerly and then looked at a loss where to put it.

Now she noticed when they heard a weird noise or saw someone in the distance when on other planets, his hand would stray to the gun. He had not taken to walking with it out as she, Jack and T'ealc did, but he wasn't far from it. It was actually a pity how comfortable he had become with the thing, and that it was necessary that he had to be. He had no hesitation when he pulled it out and had been in a position where he'd had to use it more than she would have liked. Despite all the changes to Daniel, she and Jack still watched out for him as if he was as fragile as the day they had met him.

Just the week before she'd been watching him work. He'd had an impassioned determination on his face when translating that was interesting to behold. His new, lightweight glasses were always impeccably clean and the blue eyes beneath had been the topic of many a cadet's fanciful conversations that she'd overheard. She hadn't realized she'd been staring until she had felt a light touch on her arm. "Can I have that highlighter or are you really, really attached to it?" Daniel had been looking from her eyes to her hand and she had realized she'd been gripping a blue highlighter that he must have asked for more than once. She had forced her hand to relax and let the highlighter drop into his outstretched palm. He had smiled then, the smile he reserved for when he thought Jack was being particularly goofy and she hadn't been able to help but grin back.

"What's with you today?" He'd asked, rubbing a hand over his hair, which strayed to his face to remove his glasses. She had noticed this was a new thing too. He had taken to removing his glasses when he was talking to someone face to face. He had placed his glasses gently on the desk beside his work and swiveled so that she had his full attention. She had realized that he just naturally expected her to open up to him. He had a way about him that made people want to and he must've gotten used to that.

"I was just thinking that of anyone, I think you've changed the most from when I've met you to the present." She had said. She had not been sure how he would react to the statement but he had just looked thoughtful. He'd dropped his chin into his hand. "I guess I probably have." He'd said and smiled, this time the smile she knew he bestowed very rarely, a pure smile of affection. He'd reached over and rustled his hand through her hair and then in one gesture his glasses were back on and he was turned back around to his work, as if the small interlude had never happened. She had turned back to her own also.

All these changes, which they'd all thought were so positive, had been his downfall.

SG1 and SG6 had come through the Stargate to a planet they had visited before which had proved to be peaceful. Daniel had stayed by the gate with SG6 as the DHD had been modified since they had come through, with unusual writing on it that Daniel had not recognized. SG1 had gone out to scout, thinking that the planet which had been deserted might have now had inhabitants that had come through the 'gate.

There'd been shots fired in the distance and SG1 had hauled ass to get back to the 'gate, fearing the worst but not really imagining what had come to pass. They had gotten back to the 'gate to find SG6 lying on the ground, most probably all dead and Daniel standing over them. He had looked up, smiled the smile that she knew so well, and his eyes had glowed.

Samantha Carter could not believe that all of this had flown through her mind in the time it took for Daniel to turn his gun, the gun he had loathed when he had first gotten it handed to him, on Jack O'Neill. Jack raised his hands and she could hear him call Daniel's name, but it sounded very far away. There was a strange rushing noise in her ears and she focused on the fact that Jack had not raised his gun. His arms were out, neither of them near his weapon and she knew that Jack, usually the first to draw his gun, had failed to do so because this was Daniel. She had been horrified to realize that Jack was trying to reason with him and she saw in Daniel's stance and bearing that he was just waiting to shoot the man in front of him... not hesitating as Jack thought he might be.

Much later Sam had found out from the members of SG6, not dead but stunned, what had happened. A Goul'd had hit them with a weapon they had never seen before, some referring to it as a 'chain zat'. The zat blast had jumped from person to person, not one of them having time to raise their own weapon. As they lay helpless, the obviously wounded G'ould had come to choose another host. He hovered over the members of SG6 but when he came to Daniel he had smiled. He had placed one hand on Daniel's chin and turned his face toward him. They had heard him mutter the word "pretty" and then Daniel had screamed.

Sam's arm felt like a lead weight as she pulled her gun from its holster and aimed it toward the man who had once been Daniel. Jack still had his arms out and was saying something, but everything was moving too slowly for Sam to make out the words. She could see Teal'c come up behind Daniel but he was hesitating also. Sam chided herself inwardly because she just couldn't get her gun up fast enough. She was going to be too late. But then she saw a smile flitter across Daniel's face... something truly alien and terrible and she remembered a conversation they had had, she couldn't remember exactly when.

Daniel had been sitting at a cafeteria table, something obviously troubling him. It had been shortly after Teal'c had been forced to shoot Share, that much she could remember. He had once been quick to smile and laugh but he seemed to have lost that since seeing his wife shot to death. She knew he was still in pain but hadn't talked to

anyone about it and she was starting to worry that the grief would eat him alive.

He had been playing with his eggs when he had looked up at her, his eyes dark and serious.

"Teal'c did the right thing." He had said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Sam knew he had been bottling all of his feelings up and she was worried that speaking would stop him finally unloading. Instead she had put down her spoon and had simply raised her eyes to his, willing him to continue. Daniels' hand had flittered up to his face and removed his glasses so there was no barrier between their gazes. "He did the right thing and some day you might need to." Sam had been confused by the direction Daniel's speech was taking but had been so afraid to break the spell that she didn't dare look away or show any sign of it. She simply nodded. "I want us to agree to something okay?"

Sam finally felt she could speak. "You'll have to tell me what it is first." She had said, her tone light, disguising the emotion underneath. She had started to figure out where this was headed, and while she didn't like it and had never thought it would come from Daniel, she knew it had been inevitable. Daniel looked away from her for a moment and then his gaze swung back, his eyes still dark but also pleading. "I froze when I was in front of Share. I risked your lives because in that instant I wanted so badly to believe that I could save her and so badly to think that she wouldn't kill me that I... froze." He had said and a single tear had escaped his eye. Sam's heart went out but she knew he wasn't looking for solace right at that moment. She had realized that that would come later but what he needed that moment was assurance. "Teal'c did the right thing. He came in, saw I was in danger and shot Share without a second thought. It probably killed him to do it because he probably knew I would have trouble forgiving him, but he did it anyway."

"It's that second thought that might get one of us killed eventually."

Daniel sighed and the weight and grief behind the sigh had been telling. Sam waited for him to finish. "I'm worried Jack will have that second thought, when it comes to either of us." He had said and Sam knew exactly what he meant, because she constantly worried that if Jack were ever taken by a G'ould, would she be able to kill him if it came to that? She wasn't sure. Again she felt any words from her would lessen the weight of what Daniel had to say so she simply waited for him to finish. "If I ever have one of those parasites inside me and I have a weapon on you, or Teal'c, or Jack or anyone else, I want you to shoot me in the head. I don't want you to go for the leg or the arm to bring me down. We've lost people that way. I want you to go for the kill shot and know you are doing the right thing."

Sam wondered vaguely how Daniel could have known it would come to this. She also wondered how so much could have flown through her mind with such clarity in the few seconds it took to bring her gun up. Cutting through the rushing sound in her ears was Daniel's voice, clear as day.

"... and know you are doing the right thing."

She could vaguely hear screaming and it wasn't till later that she realized it had been she who was screaming as she pulled the trigger.