Updated A/N: Oh my gosh! It wasn't until I got Aveo Amacus' review that I realized I'd made a huge error in this story! (For those who have yet to read this, I mistakenly mixed in some Season 4 stuff...which hasn't yet happened in this series.) So I am rectifying in right now. Thanks, AA, for your question.

A/N: Once again this went in a direction somewhat different than I had intended. I wanted a "Jack" story and I got it, but...well, you decide. I save and answer every review (if you review from an account that lets me do so). I apologize to those of you who have been reading these stories so faithfully. Real life, reinjuring my hand, and preparing for my Pop's memorial service have taken their toll. The next Campfire will be posted this weekend and will be a Season One backfill (for Broca Divide – how I could have missed that one, I'll never know).

Set on a planet of my own choosing after the excellently done Serpent's Song.

Safe

Jack watched as Daniel moodily poked the fire, his expression fierce as he shoved logs around from one side to the other. His latest thrust sent up a shower of sparks, angrily popping and shooting up into the unfamiliar night sky. Next to him Teal'c raised an eyebrow at Daniel's unusual show of temper, then simply gathered the remains of his and Daniel's dinner and, with a nod to Jack, he left the circle of warmth and light. Jack's gaze followed the large Jaffa as he silently made his way back to the tent he would share with the archaeologist. He knew Teal'c would properly stow the used dinner bags to prevent any unwanted visitors in the night. He returned his gaze to Daniel, waiting for the younger man to look up. When he did, his blue eyes still reflecting his anger, Jack simply shook his head and broke the contact, turning his attention to the two mugs he'd set before him. He reached back into his gear bag and pulled out two packets, decaf for him and tea for Carter. Absently adding water to the cups to warm them, Jack's thoughts went back over the past few days.

Jack waited for the last of the team to leave the room before rising. God he was mad as hell at Daniel! 'He gambled we would show compassion even to our worst enemy. He was right.' Jack frowned at the stack of papers in his hand, then angrily lifted them up and slammed them back onto the table. He was startled to hear Carter's soft voice next to him.

"Sir?"

Quickly gathering his files, Jack angrily shoved past his Second, snarling, "I should've shot him." He left quickly, not wanting to hear her thoughts on the matter. She most likely agreed with Daniel–they often agreed on this sort of touchy-feely thing. For his part, Jack had had it. He was headed down to the infirmary to watch that sonofabitch die a lingering death.

Jack sighed as he waited for Sam's tea to finish steeping, wondering what was keeping his Second now. He thought back, realizing that he hadn't seen much of her since that moment in the briefing room. She'd buried herself in her lab until they'd briefed this morning for today's mission and, instead of taking her customary seat next to him; she'd seated herself beside Daniel. Shaking his head, Jack sighed again. He pushed Carter's tin cup closer to the edge of the rock and nearer to the fire, then leaned back against the rock wall behind him. Waiting.

Carter carefully picked her way across the dark campsite, stepping slowly to avoid tripping over the tent stakes hidden in the grass. As she neared the fire she glanced between her CO and Daniel, obviously noting the stony silence that hovered over the camp.

Jack heard her sigh as she stood for a moment, her gaze flicking back and forth between the still stewing Daniel and the stoic Colonel. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow, wondering just where she was going to sit. His other eyebrow joined the first as she moved over and sat in her customary position by his side. Jack gestured with his chin toward the cup of tea he'd prepared for her and was rewarded with a brief flash of a smile across her lips.

Sam gingerly picked up the metal mug, blowing across the top of the tea to cool it, her eyes still on Daniel. He'd finally stopped poking at the fire and was simply staring at, absently chewing on his lower lip. He looked up once to meet Sam's eyes before sliding his gaze to her left to O'Neill, then away from them both.

Jack felt and heard Sam sigh again, her arm brushing his as she settled more firmly against the rough wall behind them both. When she spoke her voice, though kept low in deference to the night and the unfamiliar surroundings, still held an edge that caught his attention.

"Daniel, for cry–I mean, just...out with it, okay?"

"With what, Sam?"

Sam gestured between them, and then again to O'Neill. "Whatever's been making you walk around today like somebody used your dig journals as a coloring book."

Jack bit back a snort at her comment.

Daniel's head popped up and he glared across the fire at her. "Fine. I just get a little...sick...of the whole 'shoot 'em first' mentality."

"What?" The shock in Sam's voice

"Oh, come on Sam! You know what I mean!" Daniel focused on Jack now. "You. You wanted to just...shoot him. That...that poor man. He'd been trapped in his own body for God knows how long and your solution, just like it always is, is to shoot first and ask questions later."

"Daniel, that's not fai–"

Placing a hand on her arm to silence her, Jack set down his coffee cup. "It's okay, Captain. Let him have his say." Jack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What did you want me to do, Daniel? Take him to dinner?"

"No, Jack, I just wanted you to talk with–"

"Dammit, Daniel!" Jack's voice was sharp with frustration. He felt Carter flinch at his outburst but kept his attention on Daniel. "Not everything can be solved by talking about it!"

"But Jack, you'll never know." Daniel gestured toward Sam. "What if it had been Sam, Jack? Would you have been so eager to shoot then?"

"I'd want him to." Carter's soft voice stopped Jack from responding. She, too, leaned forward, her tea forgotten. "If it mean I was a danger to the team...or to Earth."

Daniel froze, his jaw working soundlessly as he realized what he'd said, apparently he had forgotten. Jolinar. He looked between Jack and Sam, and then dropped his eyes. A second later he flared up again. "But...he would never shoot you..."

Carter leaned forward, here eyes intense...fierce. She captured Daniel's gaze and held it, refusing to let him look away. "You have...no idea...what it is like. No!" She waved off his protest. "It was your wife that was taken, not you. You don't know what it means to have...everything you know, everything you think, everything you...feel...laid bare. Afraid that the thing inside of you will use what you know to hurt those you lo–... your friends."

"But...you were saved..."

"Daniel, enough." Sam's entire body was taught with tension.

"No, Sam, it's not enough. I thought you of all people would be on my side in this." Daniel ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I just...I just want..."

Jack had had enough. He rose with exaggerated care, dusting off his trousers as he went. "I'm going to check on Teal'c." He gave Carter a brief nod and strode off. Behind him he could hear Sam and Daniel continuing their 'discussion.'

"God, Daniel, how could you?"

"How could I what, Sam? I just don't know how you can do it, all the killing...even you. You begged him to save you. Did you want him to do so by shooting you?"

"Yes. God help me, Daniel, yes. If that's what it took. And he would have done it. Do you have any idea what that would cost him? To make the conscious decision to kill a member of his own team?" Sam's soft voice faded as Jack moved away from the fire.

He didn't really need to check on Teal'c, he simply needed to get away. As much as he loved Daniel–and he wasn't afraid to admit that he did, in fact, love the idealistic young man–sometimes Daniel's naiveté drove him nuts. He paced the perimeter of their small campsite, absently noting that Carter had done her usual efficient job of aligning the tents adjacent to each other, setting them as much in the shelter of the natural wall as possible. He paused when he spotted Teal'c, apparently deep in kel-no-reem on the edge of the small clearing. Not wanting to disturb the large man's necessary rest, Jack moved quietly away, deeper into the trees. Glancing back, he could just make out the glow of the small fire Teal'c had built, and he watched as Daniel, with a last few quiet words with Sam, rose and stalked off to his tent.

After a few moments, Jack shivered as the cool night air wove through the thin overshirt he was wearing, and he decided it was time to return to the fire. He stepped quietly through the trees, and was pleased to see that, despite his attempts at stealth, Sam looked up at his approach. Her bright blue eyes, darkened in the light of the fire, tracked him as he moved around the fire. Seeing the concern in her eyes, he gave her a slight smile. His smile widened when she handed him a freshly made cup of coffee.

"Decaf?"

"Of course, Sir." Carter watched him while he slowly slid down the wall at her side. When he was settled, she said, "Sir, about what Daniel said..."

"Forget it, Carter." Jack sipped his coffee, hoping she'd take his dismissal to heart.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but...I can't." She shrugged, the movement again causing her arm to brush against his sleeve. "Daniel isn't...he doesn't..." She puffed out a breath. "Look, Sir. I'm not making excuses for him, I'm just..."

"Making excuses."

"Yeah. Sorry."

"Like I said, Carter. Forget it." Jack leaned against the wall and stretched his legs toward the fire. They sat silently for a while, Jack slowly drinking his coffee while Sam finished the last of what he guessed was a second cup of tea. Finally, Jack broke the silence. "Carter...I know Daniel's mad. Hell, I expected you to be just as mad."

"Me? Why, Sir?"

"Let's face it, I was a bit...harsh...there a few times last week."

Carter turned to face him, setting her cup aside. She reached to lay a hand on his arm, then hesitated, instead letting it fall on her knee. Jack was sorry she'd stopped herself. "Colonel, I..." She shook her head, obviously frustrated.

He turned to face her, his coffee forgotten, and simply held her gaze. Her eyes softened as he stared, and he knew he should probably look away. Softly, he prompted her. "You what, Captain?" He watched her swallow and glance away, then just as swiftly return her eyes to his.

Carter's voice was a soft as his had been. "Permission to speak freely, Colonel?"

Jack hesitated. He doubted it was safe to grant either of them permission to freely express themselves. He'd felt that doubt growing the past few months, and now he was certain. These little interludes they seemed to end up having, almost always around a small fire, were dangerous. While he might deny possessing any real emotional depth, Jack wasn't stupid. He'd shared more of himself with this young officer during their fireside chats than he could ever remember sharing with Sara. Jack found himself looking forward to the end of the night, both off-world missions and their team-nights on Earth. What had begun as a fluke, or an accident of timing, had turned into something very important for his wellbeing. Let Carter speak freely? No, probably not a good idea.

"Sir?" Carter leaned forward, almost whispering. Her fathomless blue eyes were almost black in the stark light of the fire, and the concern evident on her gentle features.

Despite his better judgment, Jack found himself nodding in acquiescence. "Go ahead, Carter."

Carter swallowed again and looked away. "Colonel, it...God, I hated how upset you were. After the briefing. I hated that you felt you had made the wrong decision."

"Carter, I'm bound to make ba–"

"That's not it, Sir. I hated that...that you felt as if you'd taken the bait. That you felt that Daniel was calling us weak for taking in Apophis."

Carter paused, turning her face toward the fire. Jack watched as the dancing flames painted a moving pattern across her skin, bathing it in a shifting golden glow. He watched as her brow furrowed while she searched for the words she felt she needed to say. When she turned back to him, his breath caught.

"What I mean, Colonel, is that...I wished you had shot him too. I know it's wrong, and that the host..."

Carter shuddered, and Jack instinctively placed his hand on her back, soothingly. He thought back to his brief conversation with Dr. Fraiser in the hallway. He'd been on his way back up to the Control Room when she'd stopped him

"Colonel." Doctor Fraiser's gentle voice stopped him just as he hit the doorway.

"Is he dead yet, Doc?" Jack forced himself not to notice how she reared back at his harsh question. When she shook her head, he, in turn, shook her hand off of his arm. "Let me know when it happens." He moved to step around the diminutive doctor, only to be caught more firmly by her surprisingly strong grip on his arm.

"Colonel. He said something to Sam. Something that..."

"Carter's tough, she can take it." This time Jack pried her fingers off. He didn't need another reason to be angry with Apophis, he just wanted him dead.

"Colonel O'Neill. I am asking that you keep Captain Carter away from him."

Now she had his full attention. "Why?" He snapped at her. "What happened?"

Fraiser told him of the conversation in the infirmary, how Apophis had strained against his restraints to look Carter over, seeming to almost sniff her. How he'd told her that she'd make an 'excellent host for Sokar's new queen.' Something in Jack had snapped at that. He brushed the doctor aside and ran down the hall to the infirmary. In his haste he'd almost run over the person whom he most needed to find.

Still slowly rubbing Carter's back, Jack thought of how he'd found her in the hallway.

Carter was pale and shaken, obviously fighting for control, leaning...one hand on the wall, the other covering her eyes. She looked up at his approach, quickly trying to straighten. Without a word he grabbed her by the elbow and steered her into the nearest–thankfully empty–office. Pushing his Second into a chair, Jack filled a small paper cup with water from the dispenser and pressed it into her hands, squatting in front of her, making sure she had something physical to ground her. When she eventually looked up, he studied her intensely, making certain she was all the way there with him. Very softly, he said, "It won't happen, Carter. I promise you."

Her voice still shaking slightly, Carter simply nodded.

Jack squeezed the knee he was braced against, for the first time in his career cursing the regulations that prevented him from doing anything else. "I mean it, Captain...I mean it...Sam."

Slowly Carter's breathing evened out and she was once again the steady, solid Captain upon whom he depended for so much. "Yes, Colonel. I know." She took a long sip of water, closing her eyes, obviously gathering herself again. She opened her mouth to speak and jumped as Hammond's voice sounded over the PA system, summoning Jack to the Control Room.

The fire popped and both of them jumped. Jack realized he still had his hand on her shoulder and reluctantly pulled away. "I meant it, Carter. I wouldn't have let it happen to you again."

Carter looked back and gave him a brief smile. "I know, Sir. But...that's not why I wanted it."

Jack tilted his head, studying her. She hadn't wanted him to shoot Apophis for threatening her with becoming Sokar's queen? What other reason could she have?

Seeing his confusion, Carter continued. "I wanted it because...well, because it was something you believed was right, Colonel. And because of what he's done...to all of us. To..." She waved her arm vaguely, "...everyone. Thousands." Carter ducked her head, then looked up at him shyly. "But mostly, Colonel, I wanted it because...you believed it was the right thing to do."

Jack sat there, stunned. How long had it been since anyone had expressed that kind of faith in his decisions? That kind of unswerving belief in...him? He honestly couldn't remember. Kowalsky had often disagreed with his decisions. He'd followed Jack's orders, but Jack knew there were times when his friend had out-and-out disagreed with a course of action Jack had determined was appropriate. Jack absently reached behind him and tossed another log on the fire, his eyes never leaving Carter's face. He could see, in the suddenly increased brightness, the faint blush coloring her features. And while her unwavering belief in him was flattering. Staggering. Mind-blowing. Jack knew that he needed to say something.

"Carter, I...you know that I'm not always going to..." God! It sounded so arrogant to say it this way, but Jack continued. "I'm going to make mistakes."

"Oh, I know that. Sir." Carter's eyes sparkled in the light of the fire. "I just meant that...I...oh, never mind, Colonel."

"No, Carter. No never minds." He tapped her on the knee, pulling her gaze back to his. "Let's make these," he gestured to the fire, then to the space between them, "safe zones. Kind of a 'time out,' if you will. You'll be 'Sam,' and I'll be–"

"Sir?"

"What?"

"Sir? You'll be...'Sir,' Sir?

Jack slowly nodded. Yes, it would be much safer is he stayed 'Sir' during these chats. "Fine. I'll be 'Sir.'" He continued their discussion. "There's no 'never mind' in the safe zone, Car– er, Sam."

This time she turned to face him fully, her eyes wide. He wondered what she was thinking; Lord knew he had thoughts enough whizzing through his brain and he knew it couldn't hold a tenth of what hers could. Jack waited, content to let her work her way through the possible ramifications of his proposal. He could tell when she'd come to a decision, the little line in her forehead slowly eased away. "Okay, Sir. Campfire. Safe zone. Got it."

Jack waved his hand, gesturing for her to continue what she'd been saying. "So...and...'never mind'...?"

Carter blew out a breath and pivoted, turning away from him to face the fire. "Fine. What I was trying to say was, I wanted it...you to shoot Apophis...because, like I said, you believed it was right."

"We established that. I believe we also established how I am not, despite all outward appearances, infallible."

"I know that, Sir. It's just that...when it effects you so deeply, it's hard for me to..." Carter's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "...to not want the same thing. Sir."

Pulling her feet in and bending her legs to her chest, Carter wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin atop her knees, her face toward O'Neill, watching his reaction. Waiting. She'd just admitted something to him that could get her transferred off of SG-1. Jack knew it. He knew Carter knew it, and he knew that she knew he knew it. His Second had effectively told him that she had a hard time separating her own emotions from her CO's–a dangerous proposition for any military unit. Deadly.

And Jack found that he didn't care.

He pulled is own leg up, almost mirroring Carter's position. He folded his hands atop his knee and rested his cheek on his hand, his face turned toward hers. "I, ah, know what you mean."

"You do?"

"I do."

Carter's voice was hesitant. "And...you're okay with that, Sir?"

"I am."

"Oh."

Jack watched her think for a few more minutes, he could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Finally he forced himself to turn away, not wanting to think about how he would be happy sitting and watching her think for the entire night. He unfolded his legs and rose with a faint groan. Carter tipped her head to watch him, offering a small smile when he groaned again. Jack allowed himself one brief contact as he bent and patted her shoulder. "Carter, it's late. I'm going to bed. Try not to wake me when you crawl in."

"Yes, Sir."

Stepping carefully around her, Jack walked quietly over to the tent they shared, untied the flap and crawled inside. Pulling he flaps closed, he paused and looked over to where Carter still sat, her eyes on the fire and thoughts far away. He knew he'd pushed the boundaries a little tonight. Knew that he was treading a fine line with this fine young officer. He also knew himself well enough to know that he'd never, ever cross that line. She didn't deserve that sort of behavior from him...from anyone.

Resolutely silencing the voice in his head that was screaming for attention, Jack quietly retied tent flaps, closing himself off from the view of his Second. He firmly told the little voice to pipe down. 'Safe zone,' he thought, then snorted softly. Who the hell was he kidding? Whatever his feelings for Carter–and he wasn't at all ready to admit he had any beyond that of colleague and friend–he knew that simply declaring some arbitrary area "safe" was a ridiculous idea.

'Safe zone.' The little voice was back. 'You idiot.' "Shut up." He flashed again to finding her in the hallway, overwhelmed once again by the feelings that had swamped him. As much as he'd wanted to kill Apophis when they'd found him on the planet, Jack had wanted to physically tear the man apart of even thinking of touching Carter. He'd taken her into that office to gain control of his emotions as much as to help her.

Shaking his head and telling the little voice to pipe down one last time, Jack zipped himself into his bag and closed his eyes, unaware that his Second remained by the fire, trying desperately to subdue her own inner voice. And failing.