Jack cringed against the cushions of the couch, dizzy from watching an irate Daniel ping ponging against the living room walls, hoping that he could hide amongst the pillows. "I'm sorry it just sorta slipped out."

"Slipped out...Slipped out? Maybe words like 'you look shit' or 'Carter, is that a new hair dye?' may just *slip* out...but, Jack, referring to me as *love* in front of the General, SG1, Janet and SG8 is more than a slip up, it's a a ..."

"Fuck up?" Jack's tried and true award winning smile died on his face when it was answered with iced-blue, hardened eyes. Jack began to lightly bounce up and down to test the buoyancy of the couch he was going to be sleeping on for quite some time. "Danny, What are you looking for?"

The look he received would have killed a Goa'uld at twenty paces. "Daniel, I mean Daniel." Jack offered apologetically.

"Don't get comfortable on the couch, Jack. Don't think you are diverting my anger by giving me those puppy dog eyes or going for the sympathy approach by massaging your knee."

Guiltily, Jack tucked his hands under his ass.

"To answer your question, Jack, honey, I'm looking for a zat."

"You keep a zat in your drawer at home? Isn't that against regulations?" Jack's gulp was audible across the room.

"Yes, Jack, honeybuns, it's against regulations, but then so is calling your team member *love* in front of a whole group of people." Daniel slammed the drawer shut. "Damn, I must have thrown out the zat after I killed Lt. Harry for calling me Danny."

"Lt. Harry?"

"Yeah, you remember him, Jack. Short guy, muscular, blonde hair, blue eyes..."

Jack leaned forward, full of green-eyed jealousy. "I get the picture. Whatever happened to him?"

"Hand on my ass, called me Danny one time too many and three shots from a zat and *poof*, he's history. Less paperwork that way." Daniel said smugly.

"You're kidding, right?"

Daniel shrugged. "Don't ask, don't tell is a wonderful creed to live by, snookums."

"Daniel, maybe they think I was calling Carter love?"

"Love dove, I got up to get a cup of coffee, you had your nose buried in the report you were reading and you waved your empty mug in my direction and said, and I quote 'Love, could you be a sport and refill my mug.' I'm thinking you didn't fool anyone in that room."

Jack was the epitome of rejection with his slumped shoulders and joined hands that hung between his separated knees. "I need to start composing my retirement letter, don't I?"

"No, you don't. You should have stayed to see the outcome of your faux pas, instead of hightailing it out of the room with the excuse that you had to go to the bathroom." Daniel plopped on the couch next to him, a supportive arm snaking up around Jack's shoulder. "I'm thinking a better idea would be a thank you note to Janet with a dozen long stemmed roses and the biggest box of chocolate money could buy for saving your sorry ass."

"Huh?"

"I think it would also be a great idea to figure out how our illustrious doctor blushes on command."

"Daniel..." Jack noticed that Daniel didn't even blink an eye at the threatening tone in his voice.

Daniel laughed at the memory of what transpired in the briefing room after Jack left. "Janet blushed and said something that she forgot to give you a fresh cup of coffee in the morning and you obviously weren't thinking straight and then for good measure she added it being an age thing."

"Fraiser insinuated that her and I...that she and I?"

"Yup. You should have seen everyone's expressions when they looked from her innocently blushing face to your empty chair."

"Oy...flowers from both us?"

"Nope, I already sent her my thank you...I volunteered your services to baby-sit Cassie's sleepover next week so Janet and I could go out to an expensive dinner and the opera. Charged it to your account by the way." Daniel patted Jack's knee. "Now be a love, okay, and get me a cup of coffee."