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2nd and last WIP I'm sharing *g*
another SG one... big surprise huh? I can't even quite remember just what annoyed me about it -- maybe that it's a bit rough and a bit OOC, but then again, such things I normally correct while rewriting them *g* (I SWEAR I will rewrite them, I do... when I've killed off a few hundred other plot bunnies...)
Jack looked up at the screens with the gating information. He grinned. Ironically, he was used to a few steps taking him across the Galaxy and beyond -- so having to wait at the airport for his damned plane that would only bring him from Washington back to the Springs -- well, it seemed strange that that should take so much longer.
And tonight of all nights. He'd promised his team to join them for a night out in town. There'd been far too few occasions like that in a long time. To tell the truth, he loved hanging out with them, but he did have a... well, hidden agenda. An excuse... kind of. He was finally getting back on track with Daniel. As much as Jack would have loved to let someone else take the blame, he knew very well why he'd been pushing Daniel away for the past few months. There were a ton of good reasons why he shouldn't be feeling the way he was, a ton of good reasons to never acting upon those feelings, a ton of good reasons why he shouldn't endanger his career...
All for nothing.
No matter how he'd twisted and turned in the grasp of reality, he couldn't deny his feelings for the other man. Question was, did he *want* to? God knew how much pain and loss they'd both been through. What was wrong with wanting a little happiness for the both of them? That was, of course, if Daniel could ever feel the same way about him.
Oh, right. 'Jack O'Neill, you idiot -- he's as straight as they come.' If he wasn't, then Daniel was a hell of better actor than Jack would have ever thought. Even if he did swing both ways, was there ever a chance that he'd swing Jack's way? Jack shook his head and smiled a little when *finally* the call to gate was announced.
Home, he was going home. Right... Home is where the heart is, where your loved ones are... And even if Jack no longer had a family to take care of, he did have a 'family'. His team... his friends... A man who was like a brother to him, a woman who was like a sister, and another man who'd captured his heart a long time again and Jack had been too stupid to understand. All he could do now, was to try and mend the broken pieces, to bring Daniel to somehow trust him again. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday... A man could hope.
---
"Jack!"
Jack frowned at the intensity of the way his name had been spoken. He'd just stepped through his front door and was putting his jacket away before turning around.
"Daniel?" He knew his team would be waiting for him at his house, since his flight had been delayed and the planned get together at the bar hadn't been an option to him. So he'd called Sam's cell phone to let her know that if they were still up to it, they could meet at his house. He'd been able to hear from the background noise, that they'd already been at the bar.
Jack found his best friend, and the archeologist of the team, leaning against the wall of the hallway. Not casually, it seemed much more...
Daniel pushed away form the wall, stumbling across to Jack, who instinctively caught the other man before he ended up on the floor.
Daniel, however, did fall, but it only brought him flush against Jack, face buried in his neck.
Jack didn't quite know what to do, and things only got worse as Sam appeared at the door, with an apologetic smile on her face.
"Sorry, sir." She went over to them to try to pry Daniel from Jack. "We got a couple of drinks while we were waiting for you, and Daniel got a little too much."
"Ya don't say?" Jack tried to help Sam, but Daniel's death-like grip was amazingly persistent.
"Don't wanna..." Daniel's arm slipped around Jack's waist and his hands slid down into the back pockets of Jack's jeans.
A rustle by the door revealed Teal'c, who eyed his team members with a curious glance.
Not that Jack really noticed, because he was busy trying *not* to enjoy the small movements Daniel was making against him, and the hands on his ass, of course.
"What the hell possessed him to drink so much?"
"Well, sir." Sam shook her head. "Daniel has had a couple of rather bad days while you were gone, so we thought we'd meet up a little earlier while we were waiting for you to get back -- to sorta cheer him up."
"Uh-huh?"
"And... um, since Daniel isn't too fond of beer, he found something else."
"Go on?"
"Breezers, sir. Quite a few of them too."
"Oh God."
"Ah, yeah."
"See the problem here, Carter?"
Sam and Teal'c gave Daniel a look, then returned their attention to Jack. "I know, sir. Won't happen again."
"It better not," Jack grumbled as he took hold of Daniel's shoulders and sat him down on the couch. The wince didn't escape his attention.
"Carter?"
"Oh, eh..." Sam shot him a guilty look. "Daniel got into a fight..."
Jack's eyes widened. They were on Earth for crying out loud. The only people Daniel would normally take a swing at -- verbally *or* physically, were Goa'uld System Lords -- not other human beings.
Jack reached down and pushed the collar of Daniel's shirt down to reveal a couple of rather large bluish bruises.
"What the hell?"
"Marines, sir."
"What?" Jack shook his head. "Are you saying that *our* Daniel had a fight with *marines*?"
"DrJackson fought well, O'Neill." Teal'c sat down on one of the chairs.
Jack kept shaking his head as he sat next to Daniel, who seemed to be half asleep already, though he still managed to sidle closer to Jack and snuggle up against him.
"He... ah, decked two of them, sir."
Jack blinked a few times. "He what?"
"Well, I don't know *what* they said to him, but he managed to deck two of them before they could react." Sam winced. "Which they did with a vengeance -- at least until we intervened."
"You two okay?" Jack absentmindedly stroked Daniel's back.
"Yes, sir." Sam finally smiled again. "I think they took one look at Teal'c and headed out of there."
"Ah yes -- a tactical retreat."
Jack eyed Teal'c suspiciously. As always it was hard to tell when the Jaffa was joking and when not.
"But I'm sorry to report that we are now banned from another bar."
"Ah well, plenty of them around for us to terrorize, I guess." Jack nodded. "You two didn't get a good look at the marines, did you?"
"Sorry, sir, too dark."
Ah well, there were other ways... "Okay kids, you go on and head home, I'll keep an eye on Daniel."
Sam shook her head in sympathy. "He'll have one hell of a hangover."
Jack groaned. Daniel was bad enough in the morning *without* a hangover...
"Sir?"
"It's okay, Sam."
She nodded. "I'll drop you off at the base, Teal'c."
Teal'c stood and gave O'Neill a searching look. "I do not know what the men said to DrJackson, but I believe it might be for the better if you get him to tell you."
Jack sighed deeply. "I know." He sent his team home with a smile, though it faded slightly as he looked at the man by his side, who was currently snuggling closer.
Somehow Jack managed to get out of Daniel's clutches without waking him. He checked the guestroom and found some sheets and blankets. Now if he could only get some water into Daniel, the kid might actually make it without too much pain in the morning. Thank God it was weekend and they weren't scheduled for another mission until Monday.
Jack filled a glass and sat it down on the night stand before going back to the living room. Daniel was still on the couch, curled up in a corner.
Jack wasn't about to attempt lifting and carrying Daniel to the guest room. The archeologist who'd first stepped through the 'Gate might have been a scrawny geek, but the man on the couch was light years from that. Jack shook his head. Decked two Marines... That was what Sam had claimed.
Jack took hold of Daniel's wrists and put the slack arms around his neck.
"Come on, Daniel," Jack slid his arms around Daniel's waist, pulling the man to his feet or at least pulling him to have him leaning heavily against Jack. "You make a hell of a cute rag doll, Daniel, but you're really too heavy to carry, ya know."
Daniel simply murmured something inaudible, breath hot against Jack's skin.
As if that wasn't enough, Daniel's tongue flickered out to tickle right below Jack's ear. To Jack it was absolute torture, because no matter what it did to him, every little part of him screamed that Daniel was drunk and Jack *could never* take advantage of someone like that, especially not Daniel.
Daniel finally pulled back, or rather ,he leaned his head back to watch Jack which meant his lower body was pressed hard against Jack's.
"Bedtime, Daniel, come on." Jack tried to keep his voice firm and in control.
"Jack..." Daniel slurred, eyes fluttering shut, fingers tightening on Jack's neck and Daniel moaned deep in his throat as he slowly moved against Jack.
"Daniel...?" Jack tried to keep his head clear. It almost worked -- right until Daniel made his move and because Jack was slightly... distracted, the other man managed to pull him around and trip him to fall on the couch. Daniel fell heavily on top of Jack.
And Jack would have voiced all his concerns, all his reasons, but somehow there seemed to be a conspiracy between his blood, rushing south and his hands holding the strong body close -- and the attack was headed by Dr. Daniel Jackson, intrepid explorer, linguist, archeologist, multi-talented advisor to the USAF... multi-talented definitely being the prime fact there at the moment. Not doubt about it, as Daniel was kissing him as if Jack was all he needed to breathe, while working deftly at undoing Jack's slacks and shirt.
And Jack? Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, pilot in the USAF, team leader of the SGC's flagship that was SG-1, bad-ass, worn out old soldier? He was fighting to maintain the slightest little ability to use his mind -- without any success whatsoever.
To tell the truth? To quote his old CO; he didn't give a flying fuck,. How could anyone expect him to function sane with Daniel trying to eat him alive? Literally. Jack felt like he was drowning, sensor overload or something. Daniel's kissing was one thing, the press of the hard body was just another thing adding to his undoing. So was the hand currently snaking it's way inside his boxers. All the while, Daniel held Jack's thigh caught against his own cloth covered erection.
Jack moaned, trying to find enough sanity in his muddled brains, enough to end what they were doing before there would be no turning back. The sudden shudders running through Daniel's body pulled him, none too gently, back into the real world. Especially when the other man went slack, weighing heavily down on Jack and the cool hand on his heated flesh stilled.
Daniel's slowing breathing told Jack that he was out like a light. Burying his face in Daniel's shoulder, Jack swallowed the burning sensation in his throat, willed away the burn of tears in his eyes. No matter how much he'd wanted this, it wasn't right. Even if Daniel had been the aggressor, Jack was supposed to be able to fight him back -- he *should* have fought back, should have stopped Daniel before... Oh God, all he could do would be to somehow get Daniel into the guest bed, and hope than if some deity was truly watching, Daniel wouldn't be able to remember this in the morning.
Somehow Jack managed to get out from under his sleeping friend, maneuvering him into his bed for the night and pulling the covers over him. Jack shook his head and pulled the covers back down. He couldn't let Daniel wake up like that in the morning...
Boxers... Jack found a clean pair, managed to strip Daniel without looking too closely at the naked body. Got him into the boxers, hesitated for a second before finding a pair of sweats and dressing the man in those as well. Covers back up, clothes to the basement, into the washing machine -- and he'd have to remember to run it through the dryer in the morning...
At least all that had happened had driven whatever lust that might have simmered in Jack away. He quickly dressed for the night, but couldn't quite stop himself from checking in on Daniel one last time before he'd try to get some sleep himself.
God, he looked peaceful, so much younger than Jack knew he was... but still much younger than Jack himself. Jack shook his head. Daniel had managed to push the covers down again, revealing a muscular upper body that send small shiver down Jack's spine. Quickly Jack pulled them back up... Leaning over Daniel, however, he couldn't keep himself from acting on impulse. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips against Daniel's forehead.
Daniel in turn, stirred a little, muttering something under his breath and reaching out for Jack, who hastily retreated to the door way. Daniel, however, didn't wake, but there was a keening noise to the sigh escaping him.
Jack chose to flee before he'd give into another impulse and climb under the covers *with* him.
Forcing himself to bed, Jack know sleep would be an elusive mistress tonight... And there was no way he'd be able to keep Daniel out of his thoughts... With a sigh Jack closed his eyes to try anyway. It wasn't as if it was that different from most of his nights lately.
------
Jack woke at his usual 6AM. He realized he'd actually managed to get a few hours of sleep after all and groaned as the previous night came back to haunt him.
Thank God, they didn't have to go into work today. Jack finally dragged himself out of bed and out for a morning run. There was no real danger of Daniel waking up while he was gone. A quick check had confirmed that Daniel was still asleep and Jack remembered to put Daniel's clothes in the dryer before leaving.
Forty five minutes later, Jack threw his sweats and T-shirt into the laundry basket and put Daniel's dry clothes back on a chair in the guest room.
He stopped for a moment at the foot of the bed, stunned at the display of... skin. Normally, when they were on missions, Daniel would curl up in his sleep and stay like that until he woke.
Just not today. The covers had slipped down and Daniel was sprawled on his back, one arm flung wide, the other bent, hand flat on his abs. Daniel muttered something and Jack watched with a strange fascination as Daniel's hand slid down, below the elastic waistband of his boxers... the ones that Jack had dressed him in the night before. Heat and lust made him stay where he was, watching as Daniel's fingers moved under the cloth, doing all the things that Jack would gladly help him with... Jack shook his head to clear it and almost ran from the room. Yeah, Daniel had definitely muttered something... something that had sounded suspiciously like Jack's name...
Shower... Jack *needed* a shower after the run... definitely needed it after having taken a look at Daniel and hearing him muttering *his* name in his sleep.
Turning the spray to an almost scalding temperature, Jack moved in and soaped up with military efficiency. Only... he'd hoped his arousal would just go away as he relaxed. No such luck. Every time he thought he had it under control, the memory of the moan, the display of... *want* ... what had happened the night before. Even if Daniel had been drunk, it was fairly obvious that he'd known what he'd been doing and with whom.
Which brought Jack back to his predicament. He *needed* release, because it was almost painful when the recollection of Daniel's fingers around his cock came back with a vengeance... as did Jack's arousal.
Jerking off wasn't only an option, but necessary, and Jack fought for a moment against the images his mind supplied him with, until he realized it only prolonged the problem instead of solving it.
Was it really so bad to think about Daniel that way? Before the previous night, he'd have said a definite yes. Now? Even if Jack *did* feel guilty, he couldn't get around the fact that Daniel had wanted him too. And the man had been courageous enough... or desperate enough to actually *do* something about it.
That admission finally allowed him to find his release, biting into his hand as he came. Still, it left a bitter taste behind, that Jack knew would take a lot to get rid of.
If Daniel, when at some point he woke up, would remember nothing, then Jack would do nothing to convince the man of the opposite.
Jack was torn from his reverie as the bathroom door was thrown open and he could see a shadow through the shower curtain, moving across the room with an incredible speed.
Oh, Daniel was definitely up... obviously getting reacquainted with the contents of his stomach. Jack winced. He'd been through enough hangovers to know how *that* felt. Shaking his head, Jack turned off the shower, grabbed his towel and made sure he was somewhat decent, before pushing the shower curtain to the side.
Daniel didn't notice him, he was too far gone to even care about the man's presence. Jack poured some water into a glass, putting it on the sink and reached out to put one hand, palm flat on Daniel's forehead and one on the small of Daniel's back.
The other man froze for a moment, then couldn't stop the shiver coursing through his body.
"That bad, huh?" Jack barely raised his voice above a whisper and Daniel shot him a truly miserable look. "Stupid question," Jack chuckled. "Need anything?"
Daniel shut his eyes for a moment and as he opened them again, Jack held the glass of water in front of him. It was taken with a painful smile. "Thanks," Daniel forced out.
"No problem, Daniel -- Take a shower, it'll help." Jack kept stroking Daniel's back until the body went almost rigid. A quick glance told Jack what he needed to know and it definitely sent him running, because the boxers he'd lent Daniel didn't exactly hide that much.
"I'll... be downstairs if you need anything." He didn't wait to hear if Daniel had an answer. Still, he swung by the guest room and brought the clothes back to the bathroom. Not daring to face his temptation once more, Jack put the clothes on a chair in the hallway, next to the bathroom door. "Daniel." Jack knocked on the door, hearing the shower running inside. "I've put your clothes just outside the door."
There was no acknowledgement, but Jack shrugged and went downstairs, knowing that even with a hangover, Daniel still craved his coffee.
When Daniel finally joined Jack, the man looked fairly subdued, but he showed no signs of remembering anything, but the low groan as Jack placed a glass water and two painkillers in front of him, sounded very appreciative.
Daniel didn't even mention the clean clothes, but Jack caught him once or twice watching him from under lowered lashes.
Well into his third cup, Daniel finally looked up, fixing Jack with an intense stare. "Tell me, Jack, did I do anything stupid last night?" If Daniel was faking it, he was one *hell* of an actor.
"Nah, you just passed out on... my couch, that's all." Jack really didn't want to try to explain that he'd passed out *on top of* Jack himself. It was technically true... they'd been on the couch.
"So, absolutely nothing happened?"
Jack shook his head. "I managed to get you to change our of your clothes and since I was doing laundry anyway, I thought I'd take yours as well." 'Liar...'
Yet Daniel seemed to buy it. "Guess I had a lot more to drink than I thought I had."
Jack was just about to ask about the fight, when the phone rang. Silently cursing it, Jack went to pick it up. The General of course, asking the team to return to the SGC, ASAP. So much for time to do a serious talk.
Somehow they managed to get to the base and it seemed that the painkillers and breakfast had helped Daniel quite a bit -- he was perfectly civil when they reached Cheyenne Mountain, even quite awake and getting into their usual banter.
Briefing, however. Now *that* Jack could've lived without. 'Okay, Daniel, you can stop giving the damned pen a blowjob *now*... please?' Jack closed his eyes for a moment. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it... well. Daniel tended to more suck on his pens than chewing on them like normal people. And Jack would know, of course, since he'd watched Daniel do it almost in every damned briefing they'd ever gone through.
And after last night? The possibility of actually ever acting on it... well, it wouldn't be wise, but it had gone from impossible to within his grasp in a very short time.
Jack steeled himself. He was Air Force, Daniel was a guy and under Jack's command even thought he was civilian. They were friends for cryin' out loud, and he couldn't allow anything like that to come between them.
And to think he hadn't been quite sure of how to describe his feeling for Daniel? Watching him like this, Jack could admit that there was more to it than lust and mere attraction. He was aware of how he tended to zone out and he had given up trying to convince himself that he wasn't in love with the man.
It wasn't as if it had escaped his attention that he cared a lot about Daniel... a great deal more than he normally did with... subordinates. Then again, considering what they sometimes went through on missions, it really wasn't that odd that their team was as close as it was.
Jack scolded himself. There was definitely miles between the protective streak and sense of belonging that he had with the two others and the building urge to grab Daniel, throw him onto the table and...
Hammond walked into the room and Jack caught the man giving him a scrutinizing look.
It was fairly simple. They'd ship out in less than half an hour, go through and find SG-5, who were missing off-world.
"Dismissed." Hammond stood, then turned to Jack. "Would you wait for a moment, Colonel?"
"Sure, sir." Okay, that hadn't been a request.
"Colonel... Jack." Hammond motioned for him to close the door. "I wouldn't be mentioning this if I didn't worry a little -- and it's completely off the record."
"Sir?"
"I may be an old man, but I have nothing against... let's just say I'm not that old fashioned in my way of thinking."
Jack was fairly sure he looked liked he'd just fallen to Earth. "Yes?"
Hammond drew a deep breath. "You and Dr. Jackson's relationship..."
'Relationship?'
"I am impressed that you keep it out of your work, but you really do occasionally slip and even if I can follow 'Don't ask, don't tell..."
'Slip?'
"But I must stress..."
"Sir?" Jack's voice was a mere croak.
"Jack, it's okay with Dr. Jackson, just keep it off duty and off base."
"I... sir... we... we're not..." Jack blinked rapidly. A mean little voice in the back of his head kept asking what the hell he'd call what they'd been doing on the couch... well, technically it had been off duty...
"Jack, please, I'm not stupid. I've seen the way the two of you are around each other and this morning's briefing. Jack... you looked like you were about to melt."
"Sir!" Jack felt a little lightheaded. "I am serious, sir, there is nothing between Daniel and me but friendship."
The General didn't l9ook convinced, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Oh God, Jack... if I'm really mistaken, I can't apologize enough."
"It's okay sir, I... I'm just surprised that..."
"But with all the rumors..."
"Rumors?"
"Yes, rumors." Hammond shook his head. "Look, Jack, the reason why no one's confronted you, is because of your rank and reputation. Daniel doesn't have those advantages."
"Sir?" Jack had a sinking feeling.
The General sighed. "I honestly don't know what happened with those marines, since there has been no official report or complaint. I know one marine who turned up this morning with a black eye, but we can't prove anything, unless Dr. Jackson talks."
"So, you're saying that because I wasn't there...?"
"Jack, no guilt trip, please... Just... you and Dr. Jackson are friends, talk to him... Considering the dangers you go through off world, it seems extreme that you have to deal with such petty things as homophobia when you're here."
"So, you haven't talked to Daniel about this... yet?"
"No, not yet."
"I'd appreciate if you didn't. It may partly be my fault, so I'll have a word with him if necessary.
"What do you have in mind?" Hammond didn't look too comfortable.
"I'll draw back and try not to encourage him too much." Jack would have shuffled his feet if he hadn't had as much control of himself as he had. "Look, sir... I never meant for anything to interfere with what we do... I haven't given any conscious thought as to whether or not I'm attracted to Daniel..." 'Liar.' "And I know how much it could hurt us if we let the rumor mill get out of control."
"That's good... but Jack, promise me one thing?"
"Sir?"
"Let him down gently..."
Jack just nodded, saluted his CO and left the office. Oh man, talk about life sucking. He'd had to accept a lot in just the last twelve hours or so. That he was attracted to Daniel, he'd known that for quite a while actually. That Daniel seemed to feel some of the same things... had come as a surprise. That they couldn't act upon it and on top of it all, he had to change his behavior around Daniel. Jack was perfectly aware of that through the past months, he'd been allowed something out of the ordinary. He was one of the few people, who were allowed inside Daniel's personal space. Hell, Jack was well aware of that anyone else made Daniel flinch and set off all the man's defenses, while any lingering touch on a shoulder or the neck from Jack... Daniel seemed to turn into the touch or press a little firmer into it. Oh God, he had it bad if that was enough to cause the flicker in his stomach. Well, that and the fact that a very drunk archeologist had melted his bones less than twelve hours earlier.
Jack checked his watch. They'd be leaving in less than twenty minutes... A thought crossed Jack's mind. If the man had such an effect on Jack, without trying... then God help him or anyone else if Daniel ever learned how to put it to use. Jack snickered.
"Care to share the joke?" Daniel came up behind him and Jack was startled out of his thoughts.
"Daniel!" Jack put his hand on his chest. "Trying to scare an old man to death?"
The grin from Daniel did a thousand and one interesting things to Jack. God, he had to keep the General's words in mind.
"Um, Jack. Your heart's in the other side of the chest." Daniel patted him lightly on the chest. Then he mock frowned. "Besides, you're not old."
"No?" Jack tried not to react to the touch. He hadn't thought that much about it before, but he and Daniel *did* touch a lot.
"No, you're..." Daniel put up a thoughtful look as they passed a couple of airmen. "You're..."
"Old." Jack grinned.
"I was going to use the word vintage, but if you insist?"
Jack couldn't help the sincere laugh that escaped him and Daniel joined in as they turned another corner. They passed two more soldiers... marines... and suddenly Jack sensed the shift in Daniel. The laughter disappeared and there was a certain stillness to his friend's walk.
The two men passed, no expression on their faces. Jack quickly did the math. And boy, was he glad he had a perfect memory when it came to faces... And boy, would the next training session he had to put together for the marines be pushed up a notch... or two... or three...
"Um, Jack. You look like you just thought up some evil scheme?" It was said in a joking tone of voice, but even Jack caught the worry underneath.
"Wouldn't you like to know...?" Jack grinned at him. "How's the hangover, by the way?"
"Better." Daniel shot him a calculating look. "And I'd still like to know why you were grinning like that cat that's eaten the canary."
"Aw, Daniel... don't ya trust me?" Jack deliberately put a whine into it.
"No?" Daniel slipped into the locker room as Jack held the door open.
"You're a wise man, Daniel." Jack sighed inwardly. This just wasn't going to be easy. A treacherous voice in the back of his head asked him if that was really what he wanted? For things to be easy...?
"Thank you, Jack."
Jack grinned again as he went to his locker, but it faded as he was getting ready for the mission. His thoughts shifted to what he'd have to do. If he wasn't careful he might lose Daniel all together.
------------------------
"Colonel? Jack?"
Jack looked up from where he was sitting, elbows resting on Daniel's bed.
"Lou."
"How's he doing?" Feretti walked over to Jack, who turned his attention back to his unconscious team member.
"Doc says he's healing."
"But he's still out." Feretti stopped next to him.
Jack nodded, not entirely trusting his voice.
"You okay?" Feretti's hand landed heavily on Jack's shoulder.
"Yeah..." Jack's voice was low and almost inaudible. Clearing his throat he tried again. "Doc says I'm okay."
Lou sighed. "That's not what I meant, Jack."
Jack felt a twinge of guilt. "I know, Lou."
Feretti didn't say anything, but he squeezed Jack's shoulder. They stayed like that for several minutes.
"I almost lost him again, Lou..."
"I know, Jack." Lou bit his lip, then seemed to come to a decision. "Jack, is there... anything between...?"
Jack shook his head.
Lou closed his eyes for a moment. "Jack... with what we do, the dangers we encounter, life is too short to ignore love when it's shouting in your face."
Jack blinked in surprise, but didn't answer.
"You never acted on the crush Kawalsky had on you."
"No," Jack mumbled.
"But you knew."
"Yeah."
Lou chuckled. "I swear, he had a crush the size of Manhattan when it came to you."
Jack smiled sadly. "He did."
"A bit of hero worship as well."
Jack nodded.
"It's a bit different with the kid here, though." Lou tugged at the sheet covering Daniel, straightening the white blanket. "He's over hero worship and still his crush is bigger than the world."
Jack didn't say anything, but he could feel the painful pressure of tears and a single sob escaped him, made his shoulder tremble. Before he knew it, Jack buried his face in Feretti's shirt and the sobs shook his body, strong arms held him as he pulled himself together again.
"Jack... if this is the real thing, maybe you should act upon it."
"We're military, Lou -- or did you forget that?"
"No sir, but... you and Daniel have a track record when it comes to pain and loss... you deserve to keep a little happiness if you find it."
"Thanks, Lou. The General won't like it, though... he's already asked me to let Daniel down gently."
"Not now, Jack -- he was here a few hours ago -- he can't have missed it."
Jack shrugged as much as the embrace allowed.
"Jack, the two of you need to do something about it when Daniel wakes up." Feretti rubbed the back of Jack's neck soothingly. "Promise me that?"
"I it ever got out..."
"The General will fight to keep your names clean."
"Even he isn't that powerful, Lou."
"Maybe not, but he knows the right people... besides..."
"yeah?"
"If you were pulled off the SG project, I think we might piss off the Asgaard and a few other of our allies."
Jack sniffled and chuckled low. "There is that."
"As for harassment *on* base..." Lou grinned and finally let go of his old friend. "I don't know anyone who's stupid enough to go up against you.. or for that matter Dr. Jackson."
"If we really... they'd go for his throat."
"Not with the threat of SG1 and 2 hanging over their heads... Besides, the good Dr. made quite an impression when he took out two marines."
Jack couldn't quite help the snicker. "I know Lou. Daniel's capable of protecting himself, but marines..."
""ill think twice before doing a repeat performance." The menace was clear in Feretti's voice.
"Mmm. I'm actually looking forward to the next training session with the marine teams."
Lou chuckled.
"... *cough* My knight in ... sh... shining armor..."
Both men froze for a second, then scrambled to get even closer to the bed.
"Daniel..." Jack's voice was barely a whisper.
"...water..."
Jack grabbed the cup and directed the straw to Daniel's chapped lips. "Lou?"
"On my way." Feretti ran out in pursuit of the doctor.
Daniel sank back into the pillow with a heartfelt sigh, eyes fluttering shut.
"Daniel?" Jack reached out, but stopped before touching the other man's face.
The blue eyes flickered open once again, and the soft smile on Daniel's face spoke volumes.
Jack sighed and gave in, fingers touching Daniel's cheek lightly.
"I won't... break, Jack... I'm not fragile." Daniel tilted his head a little, turning into the touch.
"I know, Daniel, it's just in my nature to worry."
"I know, Jack... I ... I lo..."
"Hush, Daniel, there's plenty of time for that." Jack couldn't help worrying about the infirmary being a little too public for declarations of love. Besides, he knew the doctor was on her way.
Daniel's smile faded, instantly replaced by a mask of indifference, barely covering the hurt.
Jack sighed again. That was what he'd get out of worrying too much, of being too careful...
"That's not what I meant, Daniel" Leaning in, Jack pressed a chaste kiss to Daniel's lips. The stunned look and crumbling mask was more than reward enough. Jack smiled as he repeated the gesture, making damned sure that he was blocking the view from the security camera in the corner behind him.
This time he didn't break away until the second doctor Frasier burst through the door. Janet glared at him for a moment, getting ready to yell at him -- since she'd already sent him away twice that day. Then she did a double-take when she saw the look on Daniel's face and shrugged.
Jack drew back to let the medical team fuss over Daniel for a little, but stayed where he could keep and eye on Daniel, and the vice versa.
And Daniel's clear, blue eyes never left him, a drawn line at his mouth whenever someone got in his line of sight.
"You're looking good, Daniel." Janet checked the readouts. "Welcome back."
"Thanks, Jan." Daniel kept his eyes locked with Jack's
"A few more tests and all you'll need is rest."
Daniel reluctantly turned his attention to her. "Does that mean I can get out of here?"
Janet chuckled. "No Daniel, I can't let you go home in the state you're currently in."
Daniel's face fell. "But..."
"No 'buts' Dr. Jackson, now get some rest." Janet gestured at Jack. "And I thought I'd already thrown you out twice today, Colonel."
Jack grinned. "You did." Jack followed her out into the hallway, dropping the smile.
"Is he going to be okay, Doc?"
Janet sighed. "Yes, Colonel, he will. I wish I could send him home -- it'd improve the recuperation."
'Come on, Doc, ask...' Jack almost held his breath.
"Jack, is there something you want to tell me?"
If not for the discipline, Jack would have been shuffling his feet.
Janet shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Come by my office in an hour. Clear with the General and I'll be sure to have whatever you may need for our patient.
Oh, Jack could have kissed her. She was used to Daniel in the infirmary only that meant she also knew far too well what a lousy patient he was.
Jack nodded and the only way he could describe how he was feeling as he made his way towards the General's office was like a kid at Christmas.
Not surprisingly, the General agreed almost immediately. Although for a moment he looked as if he'd wanted to say no, but they were doing it for Daniel, for him to get well.
And it was all worth it when Jack returned to the infirmary, knowing that Janet probably hadn't told Daniel anything.
'Oh God, Jack, you've got it *bad*. Jack couldn't tear his eyes from Daniel's radiant smile as the other man lit up when Jack walked into the room.
"Jack, what's going on? Jan wouldn't tell me." Daniel all but pouted.
Jack tried to steel himself. Dammed, he was way past the age where a look like that should make him weak in the knees. Not that it mattered, because his entire body seemed visually wired.
There were no nurses around them at the moment, just a quiet afternoon with no emergencies. Jack checked the divider was up around Daniel's bed and shielded the both of them from the camera.
Jack sat down on the bed next to Daniel, who in turn looked a little insecure. Without saying a word, Jack leaned in and kissed Daniel again. It was getting easier every time for him to let go and just do it even if some one walking in on them wouldn't be in doubt for a second about what they'd been doing and it could prove disastrous especially for him.
"Jack," Daniel whispered against his lips. "What if..."
Jack stopped him with another kiss. "Even if someone catches us, Daniel, I'm not letting you go...." Jack frowned. "That is, if you really want me?"
Daniel shook his head. "How can you be so cocksure in everything else and so insecure about how I feel for you?"
Jack shrugged. "Well-honed talent?"
Daniel chuckled. "I'll just have to work on that, won't I?"
"I guess so," Jack answered sweetly, leaning in once again to capture Daniel's lips and show him just *how* much he'd appreciated that comment. He'd actually meant it to only be a brief kiss, but in silent agreement it deepened and when Janet came through the door, they were both panting and Daniel's pupils were dilated -- and Jack was fairly sure he looked no less off balance himself.
"So Doc?" Jack didn't dare stand as he knew he wouldn't be able to fully hide his arousal.
Janet shot the both of them a calculating glare, obviously wondering what she'd just missed.
"You may take him home, Colonel. The usual, lots of rest -- food -- more rest."
"No problem, Jan."
"Just..." She bit her lower lip.
"Lots of rest, got it Doc." Jack could see what she was trying to say. Dr. Frasier was military, but she was also their friend, and the warning and worry in her eyes spoke volumes. She had a good idea of what she'd just missed and she didn't want to see either of them hurt because of that.
"Thank you, Colonel." She straightened. "I can not stress this enough. You both need the rest after this mission -- please make sure you get it."
"We will, Jan, thanks." Daniel smiled at her giving Jack a shy glance.
'Oh yeah, Colonel,' Jack thought to himself, 'you've got it *bad*.'
Jack looked up at the screens with the gating information. He grinned. Ironically, he was used to a few steps taking him across the Galaxy and beyond -- so having to wait at the airport for his damned plane that would only bring him from Washington back to the Springs -- well, it seemed strange that that should take so much longer.
And tonight of all nights. He'd promised his team to join them for a night out in town. There'd been far too few occasions like that in a long time. To tell the truth, he loved hanging out with them, but he did have a... well, hidden agenda. An excuse... kind of. He was finally getting back on track with Daniel. As much as Jack would have loved to let someone else take the blame, he knew very well why he'd been pushing Daniel away for the past few months. There were a ton of good reasons why he shouldn't be feeling the way he was, a ton of good reasons to never acting upon those feelings, a ton of good reasons why he shouldn't endanger his career...
All for nothing.
No matter how he'd twisted and turned in the grasp of reality, he couldn't deny his feelings for the other man. Question was, did he *want* to? God knew how much pain and loss they'd both been through. What was wrong with wanting a little happiness for the both of them? That was, of course, if Daniel could ever feel the same way about him.
Oh, right. 'Jack O'Neill, you idiot -- he's as straight as they come.' If he wasn't, then Daniel was a hell of better actor than Jack would have ever thought. Even if he did swing both ways, was there ever a chance that he'd swing Jack's way? Jack shook his head and smiled a little when *finally* the call to gate was announced.
Home, he was going home. Right... Home is where the heart is, where your loved ones are... And even if Jack no longer had a family to take care of, he did have a 'family'. His team... his friends... A man who was like a brother to him, a woman who was like a sister, and another man who'd captured his heart a long time again and Jack had been too stupid to understand. All he could do now, was to try and mend the broken pieces, to bring Daniel to somehow trust him again. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday... A man could hope.
---
"Jack!"
Jack frowned at the intensity of the way his name had been spoken. He'd just stepped through his front door and was putting his jacket away before turning around.
"Daniel?" He knew his team would be waiting for him at his house, since his flight had been delayed and the planned get together at the bar hadn't been an option to him. So he'd called Sam's cell phone to let her know that if they were still up to it, they could meet at his house. He'd been able to hear from the background noise, that they'd already been at the bar.
Jack found his best friend, and the archeologist of the team, leaning against the wall of the hallway. Not casually, it seemed much more...
Daniel pushed away form the wall, stumbling across to Jack, who instinctively caught the other man before he ended up on the floor.
Daniel, however, did fall, but it only brought him flush against Jack, face buried in his neck.
Jack didn't quite know what to do, and things only got worse as Sam appeared at the door, with an apologetic smile on her face.
"Sorry, sir." She went over to them to try to pry Daniel from Jack. "We got a couple of drinks while we were waiting for you, and Daniel got a little too much."
"Ya don't say?" Jack tried to help Sam, but Daniel's death-like grip was amazingly persistent.
"Don't wanna..." Daniel's arm slipped around Jack's waist and his hands slid down into the back pockets of Jack's jeans.
A rustle by the door revealed Teal'c, who eyed his team members with a curious glance.
Not that Jack really noticed, because he was busy trying *not* to enjoy the small movements Daniel was making against him, and the hands on his ass, of course.
"What the hell possessed him to drink so much?"
"Well, sir." Sam shook her head. "Daniel has had a couple of rather bad days while you were gone, so we thought we'd meet up a little earlier while we were waiting for you to get back -- to sorta cheer him up."
"Uh-huh?"
"And... um, since Daniel isn't too fond of beer, he found something else."
"Go on?"
"Breezers, sir. Quite a few of them too."
"Oh God."
"Ah, yeah."
"See the problem here, Carter?"
Sam and Teal'c gave Daniel a look, then returned their attention to Jack. "I know, sir. Won't happen again."
"It better not," Jack grumbled as he took hold of Daniel's shoulders and sat him down on the couch. The wince didn't escape his attention.
"Carter?"
"Oh, eh..." Sam shot him a guilty look. "Daniel got into a fight..."
Jack's eyes widened. They were on Earth for crying out loud. The only people Daniel would normally take a swing at -- verbally *or* physically, were Goa'uld System Lords -- not other human beings.
Jack reached down and pushed the collar of Daniel's shirt down to reveal a couple of rather large bluish bruises.
"What the hell?"
"Marines, sir."
"What?" Jack shook his head. "Are you saying that *our* Daniel had a fight with *marines*?"
"DrJackson fought well, O'Neill." Teal'c sat down on one of the chairs.
Jack kept shaking his head as he sat next to Daniel, who seemed to be half asleep already, though he still managed to sidle closer to Jack and snuggle up against him.
"He... ah, decked two of them, sir."
Jack blinked a few times. "He what?"
"Well, I don't know *what* they said to him, but he managed to deck two of them before they could react." Sam winced. "Which they did with a vengeance -- at least until we intervened."
"You two okay?" Jack absentmindedly stroked Daniel's back.
"Yes, sir." Sam finally smiled again. "I think they took one look at Teal'c and headed out of there."
"Ah yes -- a tactical retreat."
Jack eyed Teal'c suspiciously. As always it was hard to tell when the Jaffa was joking and when not.
"But I'm sorry to report that we are now banned from another bar."
"Ah well, plenty of them around for us to terrorize, I guess." Jack nodded. "You two didn't get a good look at the marines, did you?"
"Sorry, sir, too dark."
Ah well, there were other ways... "Okay kids, you go on and head home, I'll keep an eye on Daniel."
Sam shook her head in sympathy. "He'll have one hell of a hangover."
Jack groaned. Daniel was bad enough in the morning *without* a hangover...
"Sir?"
"It's okay, Sam."
She nodded. "I'll drop you off at the base, Teal'c."
Teal'c stood and gave O'Neill a searching look. "I do not know what the men said to DrJackson, but I believe it might be for the better if you get him to tell you."
Jack sighed deeply. "I know." He sent his team home with a smile, though it faded slightly as he looked at the man by his side, who was currently snuggling closer.
Somehow Jack managed to get out of Daniel's clutches without waking him. He checked the guestroom and found some sheets and blankets. Now if he could only get some water into Daniel, the kid might actually make it without too much pain in the morning. Thank God it was weekend and they weren't scheduled for another mission until Monday.
Jack filled a glass and sat it down on the night stand before going back to the living room. Daniel was still on the couch, curled up in a corner.
Jack wasn't about to attempt lifting and carrying Daniel to the guest room. The archeologist who'd first stepped through the 'Gate might have been a scrawny geek, but the man on the couch was light years from that. Jack shook his head. Decked two Marines... That was what Sam had claimed.
Jack took hold of Daniel's wrists and put the slack arms around his neck.
"Come on, Daniel," Jack slid his arms around Daniel's waist, pulling the man to his feet or at least pulling him to have him leaning heavily against Jack. "You make a hell of a cute rag doll, Daniel, but you're really too heavy to carry, ya know."
Daniel simply murmured something inaudible, breath hot against Jack's skin.
As if that wasn't enough, Daniel's tongue flickered out to tickle right below Jack's ear. To Jack it was absolute torture, because no matter what it did to him, every little part of him screamed that Daniel was drunk and Jack *could never* take advantage of someone like that, especially not Daniel.
Daniel finally pulled back, or rather ,he leaned his head back to watch Jack which meant his lower body was pressed hard against Jack's.
"Bedtime, Daniel, come on." Jack tried to keep his voice firm and in control.
"Jack..." Daniel slurred, eyes fluttering shut, fingers tightening on Jack's neck and Daniel moaned deep in his throat as he slowly moved against Jack.
"Daniel...?" Jack tried to keep his head clear. It almost worked -- right until Daniel made his move and because Jack was slightly... distracted, the other man managed to pull him around and trip him to fall on the couch. Daniel fell heavily on top of Jack.
And Jack would have voiced all his concerns, all his reasons, but somehow there seemed to be a conspiracy between his blood, rushing south and his hands holding the strong body close -- and the attack was headed by Dr. Daniel Jackson, intrepid explorer, linguist, archeologist, multi-talented advisor to the USAF... multi-talented definitely being the prime fact there at the moment. Not doubt about it, as Daniel was kissing him as if Jack was all he needed to breathe, while working deftly at undoing Jack's slacks and shirt.
And Jack? Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, pilot in the USAF, team leader of the SGC's flagship that was SG-1, bad-ass, worn out old soldier? He was fighting to maintain the slightest little ability to use his mind -- without any success whatsoever.
To tell the truth? To quote his old CO; he didn't give a flying fuck,. How could anyone expect him to function sane with Daniel trying to eat him alive? Literally. Jack felt like he was drowning, sensor overload or something. Daniel's kissing was one thing, the press of the hard body was just another thing adding to his undoing. So was the hand currently snaking it's way inside his boxers. All the while, Daniel held Jack's thigh caught against his own cloth covered erection.
Jack moaned, trying to find enough sanity in his muddled brains, enough to end what they were doing before there would be no turning back. The sudden shudders running through Daniel's body pulled him, none too gently, back into the real world. Especially when the other man went slack, weighing heavily down on Jack and the cool hand on his heated flesh stilled.
Daniel's slowing breathing told Jack that he was out like a light. Burying his face in Daniel's shoulder, Jack swallowed the burning sensation in his throat, willed away the burn of tears in his eyes. No matter how much he'd wanted this, it wasn't right. Even if Daniel had been the aggressor, Jack was supposed to be able to fight him back -- he *should* have fought back, should have stopped Daniel before... Oh God, all he could do would be to somehow get Daniel into the guest bed, and hope than if some deity was truly watching, Daniel wouldn't be able to remember this in the morning.
Somehow Jack managed to get out from under his sleeping friend, maneuvering him into his bed for the night and pulling the covers over him. Jack shook his head and pulled the covers back down. He couldn't let Daniel wake up like that in the morning...
Boxers... Jack found a clean pair, managed to strip Daniel without looking too closely at the naked body. Got him into the boxers, hesitated for a second before finding a pair of sweats and dressing the man in those as well. Covers back up, clothes to the basement, into the washing machine -- and he'd have to remember to run it through the dryer in the morning...
At least all that had happened had driven whatever lust that might have simmered in Jack away. He quickly dressed for the night, but couldn't quite stop himself from checking in on Daniel one last time before he'd try to get some sleep himself.
God, he looked peaceful, so much younger than Jack knew he was... but still much younger than Jack himself. Jack shook his head. Daniel had managed to push the covers down again, revealing a muscular upper body that send small shiver down Jack's spine. Quickly Jack pulled them back up... Leaning over Daniel, however, he couldn't keep himself from acting on impulse. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips against Daniel's forehead.
Daniel in turn, stirred a little, muttering something under his breath and reaching out for Jack, who hastily retreated to the door way. Daniel, however, didn't wake, but there was a keening noise to the sigh escaping him.
Jack chose to flee before he'd give into another impulse and climb under the covers *with* him.
Forcing himself to bed, Jack know sleep would be an elusive mistress tonight... And there was no way he'd be able to keep Daniel out of his thoughts... With a sigh Jack closed his eyes to try anyway. It wasn't as if it was that different from most of his nights lately.
------
Jack woke at his usual 6AM. He realized he'd actually managed to get a few hours of sleep after all and groaned as the previous night came back to haunt him.
Thank God, they didn't have to go into work today. Jack finally dragged himself out of bed and out for a morning run. There was no real danger of Daniel waking up while he was gone. A quick check had confirmed that Daniel was still asleep and Jack remembered to put Daniel's clothes in the dryer before leaving.
Forty five minutes later, Jack threw his sweats and T-shirt into the laundry basket and put Daniel's dry clothes back on a chair in the guest room.
He stopped for a moment at the foot of the bed, stunned at the display of... skin. Normally, when they were on missions, Daniel would curl up in his sleep and stay like that until he woke.
Just not today. The covers had slipped down and Daniel was sprawled on his back, one arm flung wide, the other bent, hand flat on his abs. Daniel muttered something and Jack watched with a strange fascination as Daniel's hand slid down, below the elastic waistband of his boxers... the ones that Jack had dressed him in the night before. Heat and lust made him stay where he was, watching as Daniel's fingers moved under the cloth, doing all the things that Jack would gladly help him with... Jack shook his head to clear it and almost ran from the room. Yeah, Daniel had definitely muttered something... something that had sounded suspiciously like Jack's name...
Shower... Jack *needed* a shower after the run... definitely needed it after having taken a look at Daniel and hearing him muttering *his* name in his sleep.
Turning the spray to an almost scalding temperature, Jack moved in and soaped up with military efficiency. Only... he'd hoped his arousal would just go away as he relaxed. No such luck. Every time he thought he had it under control, the memory of the moan, the display of... *want* ... what had happened the night before. Even if Daniel had been drunk, it was fairly obvious that he'd known what he'd been doing and with whom.
Which brought Jack back to his predicament. He *needed* release, because it was almost painful when the recollection of Daniel's fingers around his cock came back with a vengeance... as did Jack's arousal.
Jerking off wasn't only an option, but necessary, and Jack fought for a moment against the images his mind supplied him with, until he realized it only prolonged the problem instead of solving it.
Was it really so bad to think about Daniel that way? Before the previous night, he'd have said a definite yes. Now? Even if Jack *did* feel guilty, he couldn't get around the fact that Daniel had wanted him too. And the man had been courageous enough... or desperate enough to actually *do* something about it.
That admission finally allowed him to find his release, biting into his hand as he came. Still, it left a bitter taste behind, that Jack knew would take a lot to get rid of.
If Daniel, when at some point he woke up, would remember nothing, then Jack would do nothing to convince the man of the opposite.
Jack was torn from his reverie as the bathroom door was thrown open and he could see a shadow through the shower curtain, moving across the room with an incredible speed.
Oh, Daniel was definitely up... obviously getting reacquainted with the contents of his stomach. Jack winced. He'd been through enough hangovers to know how *that* felt. Shaking his head, Jack turned off the shower, grabbed his towel and made sure he was somewhat decent, before pushing the shower curtain to the side.
Daniel didn't notice him, he was too far gone to even care about the man's presence. Jack poured some water into a glass, putting it on the sink and reached out to put one hand, palm flat on Daniel's forehead and one on the small of Daniel's back.
The other man froze for a moment, then couldn't stop the shiver coursing through his body.
"That bad, huh?" Jack barely raised his voice above a whisper and Daniel shot him a truly miserable look. "Stupid question," Jack chuckled. "Need anything?"
Daniel shut his eyes for a moment and as he opened them again, Jack held the glass of water in front of him. It was taken with a painful smile. "Thanks," Daniel forced out.
"No problem, Daniel -- Take a shower, it'll help." Jack kept stroking Daniel's back until the body went almost rigid. A quick glance told Jack what he needed to know and it definitely sent him running, because the boxers he'd lent Daniel didn't exactly hide that much.
"I'll... be downstairs if you need anything." He didn't wait to hear if Daniel had an answer. Still, he swung by the guest room and brought the clothes back to the bathroom. Not daring to face his temptation once more, Jack put the clothes on a chair in the hallway, next to the bathroom door. "Daniel." Jack knocked on the door, hearing the shower running inside. "I've put your clothes just outside the door."
There was no acknowledgement, but Jack shrugged and went downstairs, knowing that even with a hangover, Daniel still craved his coffee.
When Daniel finally joined Jack, the man looked fairly subdued, but he showed no signs of remembering anything, but the low groan as Jack placed a glass water and two painkillers in front of him, sounded very appreciative.
Daniel didn't even mention the clean clothes, but Jack caught him once or twice watching him from under lowered lashes.
Well into his third cup, Daniel finally looked up, fixing Jack with an intense stare. "Tell me, Jack, did I do anything stupid last night?" If Daniel was faking it, he was one *hell* of an actor.
"Nah, you just passed out on... my couch, that's all." Jack really didn't want to try to explain that he'd passed out *on top of* Jack himself. It was technically true... they'd been on the couch.
"So, absolutely nothing happened?"
Jack shook his head. "I managed to get you to change our of your clothes and since I was doing laundry anyway, I thought I'd take yours as well." 'Liar...'
Yet Daniel seemed to buy it. "Guess I had a lot more to drink than I thought I had."
Jack was just about to ask about the fight, when the phone rang. Silently cursing it, Jack went to pick it up. The General of course, asking the team to return to the SGC, ASAP. So much for time to do a serious talk.
Somehow they managed to get to the base and it seemed that the painkillers and breakfast had helped Daniel quite a bit -- he was perfectly civil when they reached Cheyenne Mountain, even quite awake and getting into their usual banter.
Briefing, however. Now *that* Jack could've lived without. 'Okay, Daniel, you can stop giving the damned pen a blowjob *now*... please?' Jack closed his eyes for a moment. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it... well. Daniel tended to more suck on his pens than chewing on them like normal people. And Jack would know, of course, since he'd watched Daniel do it almost in every damned briefing they'd ever gone through.
And after last night? The possibility of actually ever acting on it... well, it wouldn't be wise, but it had gone from impossible to within his grasp in a very short time.
Jack steeled himself. He was Air Force, Daniel was a guy and under Jack's command even thought he was civilian. They were friends for cryin' out loud, and he couldn't allow anything like that to come between them.
And to think he hadn't been quite sure of how to describe his feeling for Daniel? Watching him like this, Jack could admit that there was more to it than lust and mere attraction. He was aware of how he tended to zone out and he had given up trying to convince himself that he wasn't in love with the man.
It wasn't as if it had escaped his attention that he cared a lot about Daniel... a great deal more than he normally did with... subordinates. Then again, considering what they sometimes went through on missions, it really wasn't that odd that their team was as close as it was.
Jack scolded himself. There was definitely miles between the protective streak and sense of belonging that he had with the two others and the building urge to grab Daniel, throw him onto the table and...
Hammond walked into the room and Jack caught the man giving him a scrutinizing look.
It was fairly simple. They'd ship out in less than half an hour, go through and find SG-5, who were missing off-world.
"Dismissed." Hammond stood, then turned to Jack. "Would you wait for a moment, Colonel?"
"Sure, sir." Okay, that hadn't been a request.
"Colonel... Jack." Hammond motioned for him to close the door. "I wouldn't be mentioning this if I didn't worry a little -- and it's completely off the record."
"Sir?"
"I may be an old man, but I have nothing against... let's just say I'm not that old fashioned in my way of thinking."
Jack was fairly sure he looked liked he'd just fallen to Earth. "Yes?"
Hammond drew a deep breath. "You and Dr. Jackson's relationship..."
'Relationship?'
"I am impressed that you keep it out of your work, but you really do occasionally slip and even if I can follow 'Don't ask, don't tell..."
'Slip?'
"But I must stress..."
"Sir?" Jack's voice was a mere croak.
"Jack, it's okay with Dr. Jackson, just keep it off duty and off base."
"I... sir... we... we're not..." Jack blinked rapidly. A mean little voice in the back of his head kept asking what the hell he'd call what they'd been doing on the couch... well, technically it had been off duty...
"Jack, please, I'm not stupid. I've seen the way the two of you are around each other and this morning's briefing. Jack... you looked like you were about to melt."
"Sir!" Jack felt a little lightheaded. "I am serious, sir, there is nothing between Daniel and me but friendship."
The General didn't l9ook convinced, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Oh God, Jack... if I'm really mistaken, I can't apologize enough."
"It's okay sir, I... I'm just surprised that..."
"But with all the rumors..."
"Rumors?"
"Yes, rumors." Hammond shook his head. "Look, Jack, the reason why no one's confronted you, is because of your rank and reputation. Daniel doesn't have those advantages."
"Sir?" Jack had a sinking feeling.
The General sighed. "I honestly don't know what happened with those marines, since there has been no official report or complaint. I know one marine who turned up this morning with a black eye, but we can't prove anything, unless Dr. Jackson talks."
"So, you're saying that because I wasn't there...?"
"Jack, no guilt trip, please... Just... you and Dr. Jackson are friends, talk to him... Considering the dangers you go through off world, it seems extreme that you have to deal with such petty things as homophobia when you're here."
"So, you haven't talked to Daniel about this... yet?"
"No, not yet."
"I'd appreciate if you didn't. It may partly be my fault, so I'll have a word with him if necessary.
"What do you have in mind?" Hammond didn't look too comfortable.
"I'll draw back and try not to encourage him too much." Jack would have shuffled his feet if he hadn't had as much control of himself as he had. "Look, sir... I never meant for anything to interfere with what we do... I haven't given any conscious thought as to whether or not I'm attracted to Daniel..." 'Liar.' "And I know how much it could hurt us if we let the rumor mill get out of control."
"That's good... but Jack, promise me one thing?"
"Sir?"
"Let him down gently..."
Jack just nodded, saluted his CO and left the office. Oh man, talk about life sucking. He'd had to accept a lot in just the last twelve hours or so. That he was attracted to Daniel, he'd known that for quite a while actually. That Daniel seemed to feel some of the same things... had come as a surprise. That they couldn't act upon it and on top of it all, he had to change his behavior around Daniel. Jack was perfectly aware of that through the past months, he'd been allowed something out of the ordinary. He was one of the few people, who were allowed inside Daniel's personal space. Hell, Jack was well aware of that anyone else made Daniel flinch and set off all the man's defenses, while any lingering touch on a shoulder or the neck from Jack... Daniel seemed to turn into the touch or press a little firmer into it. Oh God, he had it bad if that was enough to cause the flicker in his stomach. Well, that and the fact that a very drunk archeologist had melted his bones less than twelve hours earlier.
Jack checked his watch. They'd be leaving in less than twenty minutes... A thought crossed Jack's mind. If the man had such an effect on Jack, without trying... then God help him or anyone else if Daniel ever learned how to put it to use. Jack snickered.
"Care to share the joke?" Daniel came up behind him and Jack was startled out of his thoughts.
"Daniel!" Jack put his hand on his chest. "Trying to scare an old man to death?"
The grin from Daniel did a thousand and one interesting things to Jack. God, he had to keep the General's words in mind.
"Um, Jack. Your heart's in the other side of the chest." Daniel patted him lightly on the chest. Then he mock frowned. "Besides, you're not old."
"No?" Jack tried not to react to the touch. He hadn't thought that much about it before, but he and Daniel *did* touch a lot.
"No, you're..." Daniel put up a thoughtful look as they passed a couple of airmen. "You're..."
"Old." Jack grinned.
"I was going to use the word vintage, but if you insist?"
Jack couldn't help the sincere laugh that escaped him and Daniel joined in as they turned another corner. They passed two more soldiers... marines... and suddenly Jack sensed the shift in Daniel. The laughter disappeared and there was a certain stillness to his friend's walk.
The two men passed, no expression on their faces. Jack quickly did the math. And boy, was he glad he had a perfect memory when it came to faces... And boy, would the next training session he had to put together for the marines be pushed up a notch... or two... or three...
"Um, Jack. You look like you just thought up some evil scheme?" It was said in a joking tone of voice, but even Jack caught the worry underneath.
"Wouldn't you like to know...?" Jack grinned at him. "How's the hangover, by the way?"
"Better." Daniel shot him a calculating look. "And I'd still like to know why you were grinning like that cat that's eaten the canary."
"Aw, Daniel... don't ya trust me?" Jack deliberately put a whine into it.
"No?" Daniel slipped into the locker room as Jack held the door open.
"You're a wise man, Daniel." Jack sighed inwardly. This just wasn't going to be easy. A treacherous voice in the back of his head asked him if that was really what he wanted? For things to be easy...?
"Thank you, Jack."
Jack grinned again as he went to his locker, but it faded as he was getting ready for the mission. His thoughts shifted to what he'd have to do. If he wasn't careful he might lose Daniel all together.
------------------------
"Colonel? Jack?"
Jack looked up from where he was sitting, elbows resting on Daniel's bed.
"Lou."
"How's he doing?" Feretti walked over to Jack, who turned his attention back to his unconscious team member.
"Doc says he's healing."
"But he's still out." Feretti stopped next to him.
Jack nodded, not entirely trusting his voice.
"You okay?" Feretti's hand landed heavily on Jack's shoulder.
"Yeah..." Jack's voice was low and almost inaudible. Clearing his throat he tried again. "Doc says I'm okay."
Lou sighed. "That's not what I meant, Jack."
Jack felt a twinge of guilt. "I know, Lou."
Feretti didn't say anything, but he squeezed Jack's shoulder. They stayed like that for several minutes.
"I almost lost him again, Lou..."
"I know, Jack." Lou bit his lip, then seemed to come to a decision. "Jack, is there... anything between...?"
Jack shook his head.
Lou closed his eyes for a moment. "Jack... with what we do, the dangers we encounter, life is too short to ignore love when it's shouting in your face."
Jack blinked in surprise, but didn't answer.
"You never acted on the crush Kawalsky had on you."
"No," Jack mumbled.
"But you knew."
"Yeah."
Lou chuckled. "I swear, he had a crush the size of Manhattan when it came to you."
Jack smiled sadly. "He did."
"A bit of hero worship as well."
Jack nodded.
"It's a bit different with the kid here, though." Lou tugged at the sheet covering Daniel, straightening the white blanket. "He's over hero worship and still his crush is bigger than the world."
Jack didn't say anything, but he could feel the painful pressure of tears and a single sob escaped him, made his shoulder tremble. Before he knew it, Jack buried his face in Feretti's shirt and the sobs shook his body, strong arms held him as he pulled himself together again.
"Jack... if this is the real thing, maybe you should act upon it."
"We're military, Lou -- or did you forget that?"
"No sir, but... you and Daniel have a track record when it comes to pain and loss... you deserve to keep a little happiness if you find it."
"Thanks, Lou. The General won't like it, though... he's already asked me to let Daniel down gently."
"Not now, Jack -- he was here a few hours ago -- he can't have missed it."
Jack shrugged as much as the embrace allowed.
"Jack, the two of you need to do something about it when Daniel wakes up." Feretti rubbed the back of Jack's neck soothingly. "Promise me that?"
"I it ever got out..."
"The General will fight to keep your names clean."
"Even he isn't that powerful, Lou."
"Maybe not, but he knows the right people... besides..."
"yeah?"
"If you were pulled off the SG project, I think we might piss off the Asgaard and a few other of our allies."
Jack sniffled and chuckled low. "There is that."
"As for harassment *on* base..." Lou grinned and finally let go of his old friend. "I don't know anyone who's stupid enough to go up against you.. or for that matter Dr. Jackson."
"If we really... they'd go for his throat."
"Not with the threat of SG1 and 2 hanging over their heads... Besides, the good Dr. made quite an impression when he took out two marines."
Jack couldn't quite help the snicker. "I know Lou. Daniel's capable of protecting himself, but marines..."
""ill think twice before doing a repeat performance." The menace was clear in Feretti's voice.
"Mmm. I'm actually looking forward to the next training session with the marine teams."
Lou chuckled.
"... *cough* My knight in ... sh... shining armor..."
Both men froze for a second, then scrambled to get even closer to the bed.
"Daniel..." Jack's voice was barely a whisper.
"...water..."
Jack grabbed the cup and directed the straw to Daniel's chapped lips. "Lou?"
"On my way." Feretti ran out in pursuit of the doctor.
Daniel sank back into the pillow with a heartfelt sigh, eyes fluttering shut.
"Daniel?" Jack reached out, but stopped before touching the other man's face.
The blue eyes flickered open once again, and the soft smile on Daniel's face spoke volumes.
Jack sighed and gave in, fingers touching Daniel's cheek lightly.
"I won't... break, Jack... I'm not fragile." Daniel tilted his head a little, turning into the touch.
"I know, Daniel, it's just in my nature to worry."
"I know, Jack... I ... I lo..."
"Hush, Daniel, there's plenty of time for that." Jack couldn't help worrying about the infirmary being a little too public for declarations of love. Besides, he knew the doctor was on her way.
Daniel's smile faded, instantly replaced by a mask of indifference, barely covering the hurt.
Jack sighed again. That was what he'd get out of worrying too much, of being too careful...
"That's not what I meant, Daniel" Leaning in, Jack pressed a chaste kiss to Daniel's lips. The stunned look and crumbling mask was more than reward enough. Jack smiled as he repeated the gesture, making damned sure that he was blocking the view from the security camera in the corner behind him.
This time he didn't break away until the second doctor Frasier burst through the door. Janet glared at him for a moment, getting ready to yell at him -- since she'd already sent him away twice that day. Then she did a double-take when she saw the look on Daniel's face and shrugged.
Jack drew back to let the medical team fuss over Daniel for a little, but stayed where he could keep and eye on Daniel, and the vice versa.
And Daniel's clear, blue eyes never left him, a drawn line at his mouth whenever someone got in his line of sight.
"You're looking good, Daniel." Janet checked the readouts. "Welcome back."
"Thanks, Jan." Daniel kept his eyes locked with Jack's
"A few more tests and all you'll need is rest."
Daniel reluctantly turned his attention to her. "Does that mean I can get out of here?"
Janet chuckled. "No Daniel, I can't let you go home in the state you're currently in."
Daniel's face fell. "But..."
"No 'buts' Dr. Jackson, now get some rest." Janet gestured at Jack. "And I thought I'd already thrown you out twice today, Colonel."
Jack grinned. "You did." Jack followed her out into the hallway, dropping the smile.
"Is he going to be okay, Doc?"
Janet sighed. "Yes, Colonel, he will. I wish I could send him home -- it'd improve the recuperation."
'Come on, Doc, ask...' Jack almost held his breath.
"Jack, is there something you want to tell me?"
If not for the discipline, Jack would have been shuffling his feet.
Janet shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "Come by my office in an hour. Clear with the General and I'll be sure to have whatever you may need for our patient.
Oh, Jack could have kissed her. She was used to Daniel in the infirmary only that meant she also knew far too well what a lousy patient he was.
Jack nodded and the only way he could describe how he was feeling as he made his way towards the General's office was like a kid at Christmas.
Not surprisingly, the General agreed almost immediately. Although for a moment he looked as if he'd wanted to say no, but they were doing it for Daniel, for him to get well.
And it was all worth it when Jack returned to the infirmary, knowing that Janet probably hadn't told Daniel anything.
'Oh God, Jack, you've got it *bad*. Jack couldn't tear his eyes from Daniel's radiant smile as the other man lit up when Jack walked into the room.
"Jack, what's going on? Jan wouldn't tell me." Daniel all but pouted.
Jack tried to steel himself. Dammed, he was way past the age where a look like that should make him weak in the knees. Not that it mattered, because his entire body seemed visually wired.
There were no nurses around them at the moment, just a quiet afternoon with no emergencies. Jack checked the divider was up around Daniel's bed and shielded the both of them from the camera.
Jack sat down on the bed next to Daniel, who in turn looked a little insecure. Without saying a word, Jack leaned in and kissed Daniel again. It was getting easier every time for him to let go and just do it even if some one walking in on them wouldn't be in doubt for a second about what they'd been doing and it could prove disastrous especially for him.
"Jack," Daniel whispered against his lips. "What if..."
Jack stopped him with another kiss. "Even if someone catches us, Daniel, I'm not letting you go...." Jack frowned. "That is, if you really want me?"
Daniel shook his head. "How can you be so cocksure in everything else and so insecure about how I feel for you?"
Jack shrugged. "Well-honed talent?"
Daniel chuckled. "I'll just have to work on that, won't I?"
"I guess so," Jack answered sweetly, leaning in once again to capture Daniel's lips and show him just *how* much he'd appreciated that comment. He'd actually meant it to only be a brief kiss, but in silent agreement it deepened and when Janet came through the door, they were both panting and Daniel's pupils were dilated -- and Jack was fairly sure he looked no less off balance himself.
"So Doc?" Jack didn't dare stand as he knew he wouldn't be able to fully hide his arousal.
Janet shot the both of them a calculating glare, obviously wondering what she'd just missed.
"You may take him home, Colonel. The usual, lots of rest -- food -- more rest."
"No problem, Jan."
"Just..." She bit her lower lip.
"Lots of rest, got it Doc." Jack could see what she was trying to say. Dr. Frasier was military, but she was also their friend, and the warning and worry in her eyes spoke volumes. She had a good idea of what she'd just missed and she didn't want to see either of them hurt because of that.
"Thank you, Colonel." She straightened. "I can not stress this enough. You both need the rest after this mission -- please make sure you get it."
"We will, Jan, thanks." Daniel smiled at her giving Jack a shy glance.
'Oh yeah, Colonel,' Jack thought to himself, 'you've got it *bad*.'
oh!
Re: oh!
I have no idea LOL -- sometimes I won't update for a week -- then boom! I make up for it LOL
Nah, it's a WIP that might get torn apart and used elsewhere *g*
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I really like the story with Daniel being drunk and hitting marines for some reason. ;)
I can tell you're not happy with it yourself and it seems unbetaed, if you know what I mean. It doesn't seem finished, not together as a story...I'm not sure how to phrase it without offending you, but you know I always tell you the truth. :)
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and I don't know, I tend to think of it as a patchwork job LOL -- I'll probably eventually end up ripping it to pieces and using various parts in other stories -- but the two stories I've posted are both older and very much STUCK WIPs *g* -- and yeah, this one was written at a point where I felt uninspired and unable to string something coherently together, so the good parts are few and come in spurts.
I will eventually do something with it *g* I just don't quite know when
And never be afraid to let me know what you think *g* -- now that people have seen these two, I hope everyone appreciates that I DO edit my own stuff before sending it off to beta *g* -- I do tend to do massive re-writes before even LOOKING for a beta ^_^ -- this is SO pre-edit that it's cringable ^_~