Dichotomy & Irony - Part 1
Dichotomy & Irony
Dichotomy: a division or the process of dividing into two esp. mutually exclusive or contradictory groups.
Irony: the use of words to express the exact opposite of what one really means; incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result.
Daniel lay on his stomach, arms snugged around a pillow, head turned to his right, eyes closed. He listened to his partner's breathing level out before he let his eyelids slide open to take a long, appreciative glance down the tightly muscled frame. The last blush of arousal was just leaving the silver-haired chest; the cock that had just so recently been embedded in his body was relaxing and growing soft once again. Daniel smiled.
Jack had his arms back, fingers holding onto the short head board. He gave a great stretch, shaking the entire bed with the tension in his arms as he writhed like a leopard before relaxing and letting out a huge breath. "GodDAMN you're a great fuck," he grunted and let his arms fall to his side, turning his head to look at Daniel.
"I thank you, sir," Daniel said in a false British accent which caused Jack to snicker. "You ain't half-bad yourself."
Jack slapped him lightly on the rump. "Shower?"
Daniel quirked his eyebrows, did a pushup on the bed and laughed as the sheet stuck to his abdomen. "What do you think?"
Jack's grin was slow and sexy.
"Come on," Daniel said, yanking the dirty undersheet off the bed with him. "Let's get cleaned up and get the bedding changed so we can get everything all dirty again."
Jack looked at him skeptically. "What's up with you tonight?"
"Horny," Daniel answered before he chugged down the glass of water beside the bed. "Very horny."
"So, it's not just me that does this to ya?" Jack asked, feigning hurt.
"Pffft," Daniel snorted. "Nights like these, any available cock will do." He threw the soiled bedding in a heap in the corner and made for the bathroom. He glanced over his shoulder and winked at Jack.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Jack laughed and trotted after him.
++++
"So basically it's Tahiti in space?" Jack asked at the end of Daniel's presentation.
"Gee, why didn't I think to characterize it like that?" Daniel retorted acerbically. "I could have saved all that effort."
"You'll know for next time," Jack muttered absently, going back to his doodles of women in grass skirts.
General Hammond shook his head at the two men, wondering yet again how they ever managed to get along in the field without dying much more than they did. "Thank you, Doctor Jackson, for your thorough briefing." He turned his cool, blue eyes on Jack. "Colonel, could we pull you away from you doodles long enough to add any further information . . .?" George said impatiently.
Jack looked at his notepad in surprise. "I wouldn't exactly call them that, sir."
"Colonel?!"
"Sorry, sir. No, nothing to add. Seems like a simple, straight forward mission." He placed his pen carefully on his notepad and looked up to meet the General's gaze. "Better have a medical team standing by."
++++
Jack and Daniel helped Teal'c place Carter's unconscious, bloody body on the gurney at the end of the ramp. The spear that had passed into the flesh of her upper thigh was causing an inordinate amount of blood loss and just before they reached the gate, she'd passed out.
"Colonel O'Neill?!" came George's outraged voice from the entryway door. "What the hell happened out there?"
Jack cast an angry glance back toward the gate. "SG-9 won't be needing to prepare for negotiations, sir. Looks like their idea of free trade was them keeping our heads and sending back the bodies."
"Headhunters, General.," Daniel said, trying to wipe the blood off his hands with a spare bandana. "Apparently, they've become accustomed to people coming through the gate and they disguise their culture so their real intentions are hidden until it's too late. We barely got out of there."
"Daniel spotted a kid running down a path with one of their latest 'acquisitions.' Bastards are quick on their feet." Jack gave up trying to wipe off his own hands. "There were quite a few casualties, sir."
"Understood," Hammond nodded. "Get to the infirmary. We'll debrief in one hour."
++++
Sam was poking at the bandaging on her leg when Jack walked in to see how she was coming along after surgery. She still looked pale and like she needed a few good meals, but her eyes were bright and alert and Jack could tell she was restless. "Carter."
"Sir," she greeted with a small smile. "Any news when I'm getting out of here?"
"Nope," Jack said, shoving his hands deep in his pockets. "How's the leg?"
"Hurts," she said with a wince.
"It wouldn't hurt half as much if you'd leave it alone," came Janet Fraiser's curt voice.
"Can I see your scar?" asked Jack hopefully.
"It's on my inner thigh, sir."
"Yeah, so?" Jack's naughty boy smile made Carter blush.
"No, sir, you can't see."
"You showed Daniel," Jack said in a pouty voice.
"I showed . . .? I did not!" Sam said, shocked.
"Damn. I was hoping that would work."
Sam laughed, realizing her CO had just gotten one over on her.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a terrible flirt, Colonel?" came Janet's level voice as she strolled over to check Sam's vitals.
"I don't flirt," Jack argued playfully.
"You flirt with everyone," Janet said as she scribbled away in Sam's chart. "Even me. Especially when it's time for your yearly physical. Speaking of which, isn't that next week, Colonel?"
Jack gave her a lopsided grin, ducked his head and shrugged. "Unless you'd like to change it to a later date?" he asked hopefully, tossing her a small glance.
"See? Flirting." Janet slid Sam's chart into the holder at the end of the bed. "Won't work."
Jack patted Carter's lower leg gently. "Get some rest, Carter. We need to get back in the field ASAP. Daniel's beginning to work on PowerPoint presentations and the General's ready to take us to Defcon 3."
"I'll do my best, sir," Sam laughed. Jack caught Janet's eye as he left and gave her a small wink. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a little of the color coming back into Sam's face. He sauntered down the hall proudly. His work here was done.
++++
"Dammit Jack, pleeeeeeeeeeeze."
"Give it up," Jack breathed, biting into the firm calf that lay draped over his shoulder. He was moving his hips slowly, deliberately, pulling nearly all the way out of Daniel's wanton body before sliding back in, balls deep.
Daniel's hand moved toward his dark, weeping cock, but Jack pushed it away. "Come on, Daniel, you know you want to. Let it go."
"Stroke me," Daniel begged, writhing desperately beneath Jack's maddening hips.
"Don't need to," Jack smiled. "You're ready to come."
"Jack . . ."
"Give it to me."
"Jaaaack."
"Right now. Come for me, Daniel. I want you to come."
"JACK!!" Daniel threw himself back and arched, his climax tearing through him.
Jack pushed forward roughly and fucked Daniel hard and fast, finishing him, completing him, propelling himself over the edge into oblivion.
"You bastard," Daniel panted under him when it was over.
Jack's face was buried in his neck as he tried to suck in enough breath to keep himself from greying out. He felt Daniel's body begin to shudder with laughter. "It drives me nuts when you do me like that."
"I know," Jack groaned, humping against Daniel just a few more times.
"Let's go again," Daniel whispered.
Jack whimpered, then laughed. "You trying to kill me, Jackson?"
"No, I save that for off world. Here, I just want you to fuck me."
Jack moved in for a kiss that was slow and sweet. "How about I just stay in there until Oscar wakes up again?"
"Fine by me," Daniel replied, wrapping his legs around Jack's trim hips.
"Don't you get sore?" Jack asked, looking down into the sparkling eyes of his lover.
"Sometimes, but who gives a rip?"
"You love it, dont'cha?"
"I'm just your bottom boy," Daniel said in his filthiest voice.
"You know, I like being on the bottom, too," Jack informed him. And he did - he loved the feeling of connection, loved the slide of Daniel's rock-hard erection inside him. Loved the intensity of the orgasm it produced as Daniel's shaft glided back and forth over that one certain spot . . .
"Well, hello there, Colonel," Daniel chuckled as he felt Jack begin to harden inside him.
"Hello. Dr. Jackson, I presume?"
"Who? Me? Nope. You obviously have me mistaken for another hotter-than-hell bottom."
"Oh. So sorry. My mistake. Mind if we fuck?"
"If we must," Daniel said, smiling into the kiss he pulled Jack into.
"Oh, yes. We must."
"I can't believe you call your dick 'Oscar.'"
++++
"Colonel, your recommendations?" General Hammond was leaning back in his chair, looking at the various department heads around the table.
"It's my opinion, sir, that the base has already cut back program resources as much as it can. I think the administrative costs, as outlined by Captain Bensen, show just exactly where the majority of the money is going. We have the naquada generators on base, sir, but we keep them locked up and only take them out of storage when we find a planet with no DHD. It doesn't make any sense. Sergeant Siler has a good plan for conversion and implementation of the generators to make the SGC completely self-sufficient as far as power. The savings alone on that one system would pay for another two years of continuous gate operation. I recommend we get that up and running immediately.
"As far as staffing goes, we're already running at a bare minimum sir, and I can't advocate cutting any positions at this time. Unless it's the Wednesday mess hall cooks, because I hate their meatloaf."
There were sympathetic chuckles around the table.
"Other than that, sir, my standing objections to cost overruns still apply. I don't comprehend why we have to buy from military suppliers at six times the usual prices. I was looking at the consumables the other day, sir. For what we pay in toilet paper for one month, I could head down to Costco and buy a four-year supply. And it'd be better quality."
"Little too John Wayne for you, Colonel?" asked Hammond with a smirk.
"Sir?"
"Rough, tough and doesn't take crap off anybody." Hammond was thoroughly pleased with himself when he heard the snort of laughter from his 2IC. "Alright then, I have your recommendations and I'll make my report to the Pentagon next week. As of now, the SGC is on Christmas vacation, rotating skeleton crews and no teams off-world. Merry Christmas and dismissed." Hammond rapped his knuckles on the table and stood up to walk toward his office.
Twelve people stood up and saluted smartly as the General left the room. Once they heard the General's office door close, they began shuffling their papers together. Jack looked at his watch and groaned. "Twenty-three freakin' thirty. What a way to run a railroad."
"What's the matter, Colonel? You up past your bed time?" asked Lt. Colonel Graves, one of the head administrators of the base.
"Hell yes," Jack mumbled with a half smile. "I'm too old for this. I need my beauty sleep."
"You're never gonna retire, Jack," Colonel Basham said, slapping Jack on the back. "You're having too damned much fun."
"Yeah, figuring out toilet paper allocation per capita is how I wanna spend my time," Jack groaned. "Give me a battalion of Jaffa any day compared to this."
"We live for this shit," muttered Basham. "It's our version of battlefield strategy."
"Christ, Basham, couldn't you have learned to fly at the Academy instead of taking business courses? I mean, Jesus . . ." Jack let the sentence trail as both men chuckled. "Merry Christmas everyone. And please, if there's a shortage of powdered eggs, or the commodes overflow while I'm on vacation, call someone else to clear the paperwork." Jack was sent on his way with well wishes and a few salutes which he returned roguishly.
"Colonel O'Neill, can I see you for a minute?"
Jack groaned inwardly as General Hammond halted his escape from the mountain. He turned around with a little smile on his face. "Certainly, sir."
Hammond chuckled as Jack slumped into his office. "Don't bother sitting, Jack, this won't take long." The General moved back to his desk, opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a long, rectangular box, brightly wrapped with shiny Christmas paper and ribbon.
Jack gave the General an indulgent look. "This was completely unnecessary, sir. But thank you. I'm sure it won't go . . . unappreciated."
"It'd better not," grinned Hammond. "I'll be at your house Christmas Eve afternoon for this legendary turkey I keep hearing about. And a small glass of some this particular Christmas cheer." He held out his hand to shake Jack's. "From one officer to another in the constant fight for toilet paper allocation."
Jack laughed outright at that and shook Hammond's hand warmly. "Thank you, sir."
"Now get going, Colonel, before those paper pushers decide we need to increase the facility's intake of soy-based food products."
++++
"Tell me you took care of things before I got here," Daniel panted harshly in Jack's ear.
"Empty and clean," Jack panted back. He was roughly dumped on his back in the center of his bed. All that remained on his body was a flannel shirt, minus all the buttons, since Daniel was in full on alpha-male mode, and the remnants of an old Air Force t-shirt that had met the same fate as the flannel.
"Thank god," Daniel growled as he grabbed the back of Jack's thighs and pushed them up. Obliging the blatant demand, Jack grabbed his legs and held them up and wide apart as Daniel dove on him in the semi-dark of the bedroom. Daniel's wet, warm mouth gave a few perfunctory kisses to his shaft and a couple of long licks to the heavy balls before ultimately proceeding farther down to plunge immediately into Jack's twitching opening.
Jack let out a loud moan of pleasure and told himself that this would be one time where he didn't have to wait. Daniel wanted him to come at least once before he settled down to some serious screwing. Jack felt the bites and determined sucks around the tight ring of his anus, then the thrusting tongue as Daniel ate him alive. "I love this," Daniel said, pulling back before diving right back in, "I fucking LOVE this!"
Jack let go of one of his legs and clamped his hand onto the back of Daniel's head, pushing him in farther as he worked his hips up into his lover's face. Daniel growled against him and intensified his efforts. "Danny," Jack warned.
"Gonna?"
"Yeah," Jack said, his voice tight. He didn't think he was this ready, this needy, but his balls were telling him otherwise. He felt Daniel spit on his hole, change position, and simultaneously push two fingers inside him while taking the purple head of his cock into his mouth. Finding Jack's prostate immediately, Daniel pushed and rubbed once, twice.... and Jack was screaming his name at the top of his lungs.
Before the waves of climax had stopped rolling through him, Jack felt Daniel push his slicked cock up inside, the pain from the initial, and not overly gentle, penetration only spiking Jack's pleasure. He grunted and bucked as Daniel slid all the way in. Jack could feel the denim of Daniel's jeans where he'd merely shoved them down past his hips, and the soft brush of the partially opened cotton shirt against his stomach. Jack reached up and pushed ineffectually at the material. "Take this off," Jack breathed.
"Sssshhhh," Daniel murmured against his lips, "busy fucking right now."
Jack smiled and reached down, clamping his hands onto as much of Daniel's ass as he could. It didn't take long until Daniel, who was wired tighter than a drum sexually, began pumping in the rhythm that told Jack he was on the verge of his own climax. It always tripped a switch inside Jack to know that it was him that was bringing Daniel off; it was him who could get Daniel to abandon all appearances of propriety and decency that he kept himself so carefully wrapped in while around other people, and turn him into a needy, demanding, sexual beast. And it always got to him in one very specific way - right in his prostate. It would start with almost a tickling sensation that built and built until he couldn't take it anymore and was begging for Daniel to fuck him as hard as possible. They were at that point now, the springs of Jack's full-size bed complaining fitfully.
"Mark me," Jack demanded.
"Wha?"
"Do it!"
"Aww fuuuuu..mmmppphhhh," Daniel groaned as he latched onto the hard muscle at the juncture of neck and shoulder, biting and sucking as he rode out his orgasm.
Jack felt it happen, triggering his own orgasm. His soft cock spasmed wildly, but this release was inside, shorter lived but every bit as intense as one involving his dick. He loved these, loved what they did to him, loved the crush of emotion and the nearly blinding spike of pleasure that made him cry out.
Daniel was suckling the bite mark, easing the pain, gentling himself with caresses and kisses all over Jack's face and neck. "Six weeks. Six fucking weeks I've been without. I'm never going on a mission like that again, ever," he pledged as he licked his way along Jack's throat. His hips still pumped gently, drawing out the moment for them both before, with a deep breath and a satiated sigh, he withdrew his cock and flopped onto his back. "That was amazing," Daniel purred happily.
Jack looked down his body at the sticky, wet patch surrounding his cock. "Yes it was."
"You get a two-fer?" Daniel asked with a smug grin.
"Oh yeah," Jack nodded. He watched as Daniel rolled toward him, fingers reaching out to trail through the moisture on his belly, then lifting to disappear into the full, sensual lips. "Gawwd," Jack groaned as his dick twitched yet again.
"It amazes me every time that happens," Daniel said, his voice a whisper. "You lucky bastard." Daniel ran his fingers through the wet hair of Jack's abdomen once more then held them out for Jack who flicked his tongue out to taste the sweeter-than-normal liquid. Daniel bit his lower lip and his eyes enlarged as Jack sucked two of his fingers into his mouth.
"I keep offering to do some prostate experiments on you," Jack said as he helped Daniel kick off his jeans and remove his shirt.
"Yeah, but you keep making me pass out," Daniel chuckled. "How am I supposed to attain sexual Nirvana when I'm unconscious?"
"How about a shower and then I'll let you nail my ass to the mattress again?" Jack offered. He looked down and watched in the reflected light from the hallway as Daniel's cock twitched, thickened and lengthened. "You have an unbelievably short recovery time."
"Compensation for not being able to have multiple orgasms like you," Daniel said, rolling Jack over and kissing him soundly. "I missed you."
"You too," Jack said, running his hands through Daniel's hair.
"Come on," Daniel said, yanking Jack out of bed as he himself rolled off the side. "I'll let you shave me down."
"Seriously?" Jack asked.
"Just part of your total Christmas experience, Colonel O'Neill."
"Sweet."
++++
SPLAT!! "Cassie!!" SPLAT!! "Don't you get snow inside my . . ."
SPLOOF!
Jack turned quickly to see Daniel standing inside the just-opened door, ready to help him bring in the last of the groceries; ice and water drops on his glasses and face and the remnants of a very large, very wet snowball on the chest of his new, cream colored sweater. "Allllright," Daniel said, removing his glasses and setting them on the table. He reached inside the house, grabbed his coat and shrugged into it. "This is war," he stated calmly, quietly. He stepped out onto the front stoop, shook off the remains of Cassie's last salvo and zipped his coat. "Prepare yourself, fair maiden," he shouted, "your doom draweth nigh." Like a flash he was off the porch and chasing a shrieking Cassandra Fraiser down the street and into a newly plowed snow bank. Jack watched the tussle in the snow for a few minutes longer as Sam, Janet, and even General Hammond's granddaughters dove into the fray.
Jack was still laughing as he came into the house. George was seated comfortably on the couch, his stockinged feet up on the coffee table and a tumbler of scotch in his hand. Jack looked around quickly. "Where'd Teal'c get to?"
"He's outside in the back," came the amused reply. "Building a snowman."
"Teal'c?" Jack asked and went to his patio slider to look out. Sure enough, there he was, hoisting an extremely large snowball up as the head of what, he could only guess, was a snowJaffa. "He just can't do anything halfway, can he?"
"No, no he can't," came George's reply. "You need any help in there?"
"You know, considering that we've got snow wars happening outside, could you make up a batch of that hot chocolate of yours?" Jack asked as he began work peeling the potatoes for their meal. He reached up into a cabinet over his head and pulled out a new bag of Jet Puffed Marshmallows and set them on the counter.
George grunted lazily as he got up off the couch and shuffled into the kitchen to begin preparations. Jack shook his head at the sight. Hammond had shown up earlier, bearing a huge sack of gifts, dressed as Santa Claus. After the gifts were presented and opened, Jack ushered him into the guest bathroom where he could shower and change into the spare clothes he'd brought. He was now attired in a sloppy set of sweat pants, an oversized VMI sweatshirt, and a thick pair of hunting socks. He was the picture of contented comfort.
Jack made sure all the ingredients George needed were at hand. "You know," George began in his slow Texas drawl that Jack could tell meant he was about to be escorted on a trip down memory lane, "when my kids were real little, we used to make hot chocolate just like this on Christmas Eve for Santa. The girls would bake the cookies. J.R. and I . . ."
"J.R., sir?"
There was a small pause. "J.R. was my son, Jack. He died a few years back. Just about the time you lost . . ."
"I didn't know, sir. I'm sorry," Jack said quietly. He stopped what he was doing in order to listen.
"J.R. and I would set about making this special reindeer food. We'd crack pecans and walnuts, shell those things by the bagful for days." George chuckled at the memory. "'Course, that was mostly for my wife and her baking, but I thought it'd be fun to work it into a tradition for the kids. Christmas Eve would come and we'd set out a nice big sandwich, fresh baked cookies, and this big pile of lettuce and carrots. Over the top we'd put these nuts and then this concoction of oats and barley that my wife put together. We'd leave Santa his mug of hot chocolate, we'd all have one, then the kids would go to bed. Once they were finally asleep, I'd take the reindeer food and trail it through the yard. What the kids didn't know was that there was a herd of deer that lived out back of our house, and they'd come in and eat all these fresh greens from the yard. Looked just like . . . well, let's just say it was very convincing." George was carefully stirring the pan full of chocolate milk. He fell silent, obviously reliving a memory from long ago.
"Charlie used to make cards for Santa. Great big, huge things. We'd let him have the left over gift wrap and he'd cut out pictures, or make snow flakes. He'd work on it all day Christmas Eve. About a half an hour before bed, Sara would get out one of those tubes of cookie dough and bake some cookies, so they'd be warm for when Santa came, then Charlie would head off to bed. I'd take those cards into the base with me every year. I miss that." Jack, too, fell silent for a moment.
"My son died of AIDS," George said quietly. Jack looked up, shocked at the admission. "He and his partner had been together for nearly ten years. I was angry at first, when he first told me about being gay. But the fact was, he was still my son, and he was still that same little boy that helped me put reindeer food out for the team pulling Santa's sleigh. Luckily I had a wife who made me realize that who he chose to love wasn't any of my business, as long as that person treated him with the love and respect he deserved.
"One day, J.R. was in fight. Apparently, that was a common occurrence in his life, once people found out he and David were gay. Only this time, J.R. couldn't fight his way out. One of those bastards injected him with a syringe of tainted blood. The beating itself nearly killed him. David found him lying, half dead, in an alleyway two blocks from where he worked. He had the presence of mind to pick up the needle in a cloth and bring it in for examination. They got a set of finger prints off it, and they analyzed the contents. That's when we found out. You never get over losing a child, but when someone you love is taken from you because of hate. . ." George stopped and cleared his throat. He turned and looked steadily at Jack. "You and Doctor Jackson be damned careful."
Jack thought for certain the floor would open up and swallow him whole. "Yessir," was all he could manage. Just then the front door swung open, a snow-covered Cassie leading the charge into the house.
++++
Jack waved goodbye to Sam as she pulled out of his driveway, General Hammond just behind her. He closed the door and leaned back, letting out a long sigh. "Daniel!"
"Yeah?" came the voice from the kitchen.
"Bedroom. Right now!"
"Let me just finish . . ."
"Now!!"
He heard the deep rumble of Daniel's laugh. "Alright, alright, geeze." The two men trotted toward the bedroom. "How?"
"Bend over, nice and slow," Jack said, his voice husky with need. He was already halfway out of his own clothes.
Daniel yanked off his sweater and t-shirt, unbuckled and unbuttoned his pants, toeing off his shoes in the process. Making sure Jack was comfortably seated on the bed, he pushed his jeans and briefs down very slowly, bending over to give Jack a good view. The sparkle from three small metal rings captivated Jack. "Fuuuuuck."
"Like that?" Daniel asked teasingly. He stood up slowly, moved to the bed, climbed onto his hands and knees, then leaned forward onto his arms, spreading his legs and exposing himself to Jack. "Go ahead, I know how much you want to."
Jack ran his finger up along Daniel's perineum, watching as the rings dropped back against Daniel's smooth skin with a slight bounce. Daniel hissed at the sensation. "I can't believe you let them do this," Jack murmured.
"Neither can I," Daniel whispered. "Tribal customs being what they were, we weren't going to set up that mine and dig site unless I showed I was willing to follow their laws. Of course, being three sheets to the wind didn't hurt, either."
"What's this called again?" Jack asked as he bent forward to tug on one ring with the tip of his tongue.
"Gui . . . awww shit, guiche piercings."
"And they normally take how long to heal?" Jack asked, moving closer.
"Six months," Daniel said, his breath shaky.
"And these took?"
"Three weeks, with the salve they used, which I also traded for 'cause I'm such a fucking good negotiator. Now will you please quit asking questions and get on with things?"
"I can't believe how sexy this is," Jack muttered as he began licking and sucking on the jewelry.
"You should feel it from this end . . . oh gawwwwwd yes . . . do that again." Daniel reached underneath him and began stroking his cock. Jack zigzagged his tongue between the rings, pushing against the highly sensitized flesh. Daniel had explained to him last night, after the initial discovery of the piercings, that the combination of the points of insertion, the effects of the alien metal with human blood chemistry, and the salve the natives had used for healing had created more intense sensations in the entire perineal area. When Jack had licked across the area for the first time, Daniel had nearly gone through the roof.
"And the rings themselves?" Jack queried.
"Amplify the nerve impulses," Daniel groaned. "Enough talk. If you don't get in and do something about this boner I've got, I'm gonna finish without you."
Jack grabbed the lube from the bedside table and slicked himself up. "Daniel?"
"No, god, just get in there. I'm probably still loose from earlier. Just hurry the fuck up."
"Such a wonderful, filthy mouth," Jack said, stroking and kissing Daniel's backside lovingly. "So, Danny," asked as he pushed inside his lover's body, "how do you think I'd look with a Prince Albert?"
Daniel's affirmative answer could be heard down the block.
++++
Jack sat in his chair, staring at the plaque in his hands. Not all the presents had been exchanged and opened the day before. Both men had keep their private gifts to open for Christmas morning. Jack sat, stunned, unable to talk. Daniel sat on the couch, watching him nervously, not able to read the reaction. "Jack?"
Jack lifted his head, as if just waking from a daze and being surprised that there was someone else in the room. He looked up at Daniel, blinking his eyes rapidly to clear the moisture gathered at the corners. "Jesus, Daniel. How . . .?" He looked back down at the 11x14 wooden plaque, a charcoal drawing lacquered onto its dark surface. A portrait of himself - and Charlie - merged and blended so that the resemblance in both faces was plain to see. The skill used for the piece of art was breathtaking.
"I've got a friend in the computer graphics industry. I explained what I wanted, sent her a couple scanned photographs, and she did this for me. She drew it off what the computer generated for her. Do you like it? I didn't mean to upset . . ."
"Like it? Shit, it's . . . it's . . ." Jack swallowed hard and looked up at Daniel, willing him to understand the depth to which the gift had touched him. "God."
"I'm glad," Daniel said, relieved. He settled back with his cup of coffee and let Jack compose himself. He watched as Jack stood and placed the plaque reverently on the hearth over the fireplace. Jack arranged some of the Christmas decorations around the picture, almost like a miniature alter, before sitting back down. He coughed self-consciously and grabbed his coffee mug, taking a large sip.
"Thank you, Daniel. It's perfect." Jack nodded, as though agreeing with himself, and looked down into the dark liquid in his cup.
++++
"Jack, what brings you by?" Hammond asked, welcoming Jack into his home.
"Needed to talk to you for a minute, General." Jack had his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his winter coat. Hammond knew immediately that this would not be a light conversation. And since their conversation on Christmas Eve, he'd spent the week waiting for this moment.
"Go on into my study. I'll be there in just a minute."
Jack nodded and headed down the hall to the corner office. He heard the General speaking quietly with one of his daughters, then the sharp footsteps as he made his way into the room. "Now, Jack. What's on your mind?"
"Retirement, sir."
"Haven't we had this conversation once before?" George smiled as he sat down in one wing-backed chair and motioned for Jack to take a seat in the other. Jack remained standing. He was a pacer and when he was wrestling with a serious issue, the one thing he hardly ever did was sit. George knew this was going to be serious.
"He deserves more than a life behind closed doors and clandestine meetings while we try and avoid the NID, sir."
General Hammond took a deep breath and nodded. "We need you out there, son. I won't kid you about that. We need him just as much, maybe even more."
"What if you could still have us both, just not . . . here?" Jack asked.
"What are you suggesting, Colonel?"
"That new planet - P3X-972?"
"What about it?"
"Looks to be another one like the one where we found Ernest Littlefield. Even has the same toys around the place. When I had to yank Daniel out of that palace before it fell into the ocean . . . this one's solid, completely uninhabited, just sitting there waiting for someone to. . ."
"Spend a lifetime studying it?" George asked.
"Yes, sir."
"And what would you do? I know you, Jack - you'd be bored within a month."
"I could function as a consultant, sir. We've talked about setting up separate bases of operations, but they've always been militarily centered. What about an academic field station? We could have a whole herd of Mr. Wizards out there doing research. I could come back when I'm needed - as a consultant." Jack shrugged. "George, my time in active field duty's almost up. My knees are shot, my back is gone. The only thing that keeps me on active duty now is the kindness of Doc Fraiser."
"You're really willing to hang it up, Jack? It's that serious?"
"He knows me, sir. Right down to my soul. And he stays around anyway." Jack turned eyes gone a bit soft on George and gave an embarrassed little smile. "And I'm tired of seeing him become more soldier and less scholar with every mission. As for me, hell, I've done just about everything a man can do in life - good and bad. I understand the fight we're in more than anybody, and quite honestly, I'm tired of being told we're either too young or not advanced enough to be allowed to play with the big toys. If we're going to fight the Goa'uld and win, it won't be because someone gives us the technology - it'll be because we develop it ourselves. And to be realistic, sir, that won't happen on this planet and we both know that. I can do the most good if I'm with him. Run the place, make sure things are kept in order." Jack looked up at Hammond again. "That might be a little difficult to do from a cell in Leavenworth while I serve out my time for 'conduct unbecoming an officer.'"
"When would you like this to be effective?"
"March 1?"
"I'll make the arrangements," Hammond said. "I'll call the Pentagon and propose the idea. With Major Davis' help, we'll get this pushed through."
"Major Davis?"
"You think you're the only one fighting this particular, bigoted fight, Colonel?"
"Not much gets past you, does it, sir?"
"No, Jack, not much. The secret is to know what to let slide and what to mention." He stood up and slapped Jack on the back. "Consider yourself retired."
"Thank you, sir," Jack said with a relieved sigh.
++++
"You did what?" asked Daniel.
"Retired again," Jack said quietly, standing just inside the door of Daniel's apartment.
"And they're going to build a what?"
"Research station on P3X-972. Academic research and development site. Planet of the Geeks."
"And you'll . . ."
"Handle security, logistics, consult and liaise between the Pentagon and Theta Site. Save the universe on an as-needed basis."
"Theta?"
"Alpha Beta was taken?"
"Jack," Daniel groaned and turned to walk into his living room. "Missions?"
"Theta site will be my mission. Our . . . mission."
Daniel turned to face Jack. "Our?"
"I can't . . . here . . . we aren't allowed. . ." Jack looked down in frustration. "I want to go somewhere away from the prying eyes of our government where I can . . . I want people to know."
"I'm still not getting this," Daniel said, striding up to Jack. "What's so great about this planet that I would want to spend the rest of my time in the program a zillion miles away from home?"
"Heliopolis," Jack whispered.
Daniel gawked. "What?"
"It's another Heliopolis. Same structures, same lay out, same glowy stuff. We just got preliminary intel before we left for the holidays. Sam's been dinking around with some software program and it found this planet. Not on the Abydos cartouche, and not on the list I downloaded when I was brain-whammied. Completely unknown." Jack looked up into the bright eyes of his companion. "I was hoping you and I could stake a claim, have a life without the threat of death hanging over us - or the NID."
"Why didn't you tell me about this place?" Daniel asked.
"We just found it. I was going to surprise you with it when we got back, but . . ."
"It'll take months before anything's ready to go, even for a preliminary research site," Daniel said. "What'll you do?"
"Consult, liaise," Jack shrugged. "Wrack up a lot of frequent flier miles between here and DC."
++++
Jacob Carter smiled as Sam opened the door. "Dad!" He hugged his daughter, presented her with a bottle of very old scotch and walked into her house, Jack and Daniel close behind him. "Colonel, Daniel, come on in." She held the door opened for her guests, taking their coats as they entered.
"Sorry we're late, Carter," Jack said. "Your dad couldn't find the right shoes to match his pants."
"It's much easier when you have six of the same thing to alternate between," Jacob grumbled. "Where's the food? I'm starved."
"Good to see you, too, Dad," Sam smirked. "In the kitchen on the counter. Help yourself."
"Oh, I plan to," Jacob said, moving off to say hello to General Hammond and Teal'c who were engaged in conversation.
"Carter," said Jack quietly, "can I have a word?"
Daniel winced and moved off. He knew what was coming and he didn't want to be in the vicinity when it happened.
"Sure," Sam said, a bit surprised. She motioned to the sliding door of a side room just off the hallway. Sam slid the door closed behind her and turned to face the Colonel. "Is there a problem, sir?"
"Okay, first thing," Jack said hesitantly, "lose the 'sir.'"
"Ooo-kay," Sam said.
"As of March 1, I'm retired."
"What?"
"There's a lot I can't tell you, and some that I should, but I won't. The upshot of everything is this." He took a deep breath before plunging ahead. "Daniel and I are together - romantically - together. Have been for about a six months. I'm resigning so I can be with him."
Sam didn't move a muscle as she gazed at her commanding officer. Jack could see the anger rising in her just like the color in her face. "You're gay?"
"I fell in love with a person, Car . . . Sam, not a gender. Hit me out of left field. But we're happy together and I won't give him up. For anything."
"So you'll toss aside the regs for another guy but not for me?" she said, her voice hissing with venom. "You've been playing me for a fool for how many years now?"
"I didn't do it intentionally, and I'm sorry. It was a damned shitty thing to do either way, and I admit that," Jack tried to explain. "I hope you can forgive me for this one day."
"These feelings I have for you, they're real," Sam said, her voice tight with restraint. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You used me."
"Sam, you gotta believe me, I didn't mean for you to get hurt. Before I realized what was going on with me and Daniel, I honest to God felt things for you."
"Like that's supposed to make it better? That's supposed to just wipe out the years we've been dancing around each other?" Sam drew several deep breaths before continuing. "You come in here, into my home - that happens to be chalked full of my friends and family in case you hadn't noticed - and drop something like this on me? Why the fuck didn't you talk to me about this earlier, and alone?" Sam paced back and forth in front of the door, literally shaking with rage. "Why didn't Daniel tell me? He tells me everything. I tell him everything. He fucking knew how I felt about you! You knew! You act like it was just some juvenile crush I felt for you, but you knew. You certainly didn't try to dissuade me at all - so I was what? Convenient cover for you? If the both of you think that this sorry excuse for an apology will just make things go away, then you can kiss my ass," Sam spit, flinging opened the door and disappearing down the hallway.
Jack rubbed the front of his forehead to ease the tension. Daniel stood in the doorway, their coats in his hands. "We should go," he said quietly.
"Oh yeah, most definitely," Jack sighed. "Did you get a chance to speak to Teal'c?"
"He knew."
"He knew?"
"Just because he's quiet doesn't mean he's not observant," Daniel said as they made their way unnoticed out Sam's front door. "He said it didn't matter to him one way or the other. He thinks he may leave the SGC now that SG-1's disbanding."
"He could be reassigned with another team. I mean, hell, SG-2 could use him - they're right behind us in field missions."
"I asked him to think about it," Daniel said as they walked to Jack's truck. "Dammit, this . . . this isn't the way I wanted things to go."
"I didn't know, Daniel. I swear to God I didn't know her feelings ran that deep. I thought it was a crush, just a . . . flirtation thing." He winced when he remembered his recent visit to the infirmary to check on Sam.
"I did," Daniel said sadly, knowing how badly he'd misjudged the situation from the start. "Let's get out of here."
Jack unlocked the truck. The drive back to Daniel's apartment passed without another word.
++++
"How many weeks?" Jack asked.
"Twelve," Daniel said softly.
"Uuugh," Jack grunted and rolled onto his back. "That's three months."
"I know," Daniel said, hitching a leg over Jack's hips and pulling him up close to his body. "This was your idea, ya know."
"But I didn't think they'd actually assign you to the preliminary survey and recon team." Jack rubbed his face roughly. "You know, when I proposed this whole idea a few months ago, it was just to get you alone somewhere so we could have some nice alfresco sex without people going wiggy."
Daniel laughed and lightly bit into Jack's pectoral muscle. "See - like I said. It's all your fault."
"And I'll be in DC trying to push through your funding requests. God, this is gonna suck," Jack whined.
"It'll go by before you know it," Daniel said confidently.
"You just wanna go play with all the glowy balls."
A wicked smile spread over Daniel's face. "You know how I love big, shiny balls."
Jack grabbed Daniel and wrestled him down until he couldn't move. "How 'bout you show me?"
++++
Jack looked at the address in his hand on the piece of paper, then back up at the storefront. With a shake of his head, he walked through the door.
++++
"Is there a problem, Jack?" asked General Hammond. Jack O'Neill, Colonel USAF, Retired, dressed in the standard utility fatigues of the SGC, was digging around in a supply crate.
"Sir, I don't know who it is that works in provisioning for Uncle Sam, but I'm thinking that when I ordered one gross of MREs," he said as he held up an item from the crate, "I didn't spell it g-a-l-o-s-h-e-s."
George clamped his jaws together and refused to give in to the mirth welling up inside him. "We'll get it taken care of, Jack."
"Yes, sir," Jack said dismally and walked out of the staging area.
++++
"Hey, Jack!" came the pleasant voice of from the back room of the shop. "How are things going."
"Fine, I think. I've got an appointment at fourteen.... at two o'clock. Could you take a look at this now? I know it's sort of spur of the moment, but . . ."
"Sure, hun, come on back. Let's see how things are progressing."
++++
Jack fell onto his couch and groaned loudly. He felt every moment of the last three months weighing on him as his body slowly unwound into the soft cushions surrounding him.
"Hey soldier," came a familiar voice from the kitchen.
Jack snapped his head up to see Daniel leaning over the short wall above him. "When the hell did you get back?" Jack asked, jumping to his feet.
"Today," Daniel said, trotting down the stairs into the living room. "Survey's over and we're ready to move in. I got back but you had already gone off-base so I had them call me a taxi." He wrapped his arms around Jack once he was near enough to him. "Oh yeah, missed this - missed you."
Jack held him tight, running his hands all over him, reassuring himself that Daniel was actually back where he belonged. "Missed you, too," he breathed into the warmth of Daniel's neck. He covered Daniel's mouth with his own, licking and tasting the sweetness he'd been without for far too long.
Daniel stopped him, grabbed him by the arm and pulled him toward the bedroom. "Daniel, we haven't done this in three months," Jack began, "we need to take it slow."
"Not a chance," Daniel said. "I had a dildo with me the whole time."
"You did not."
"Did, too. A Jack-sized one at that. Kept it with the rest of my tools. It was a bitch finding enough privacy to use it, but I managed. I knew this day would get here eventually and I didn't want anything impeding the progress . . . why aren't you naked yet?"
"Sit down," Jack said, giving a very naked and very erect Daniel a small shove toward the bed.
Daniel sat down, leaning back on his elbows. He lifted one foot onto the bed, causing his legs to spread wide as he fondled himself. Jack's eyes went immediately to the rings behind his balls. Daniel could see him shudder as he restrained himself from dropping down on his knees. "You gonna give me a show?" Daniel asked, his voice like velvet.
Jack gave him a lopsided grin and peeled away his clothes slowly. When he was down to his boxers, he climbed onto the bed, causing Daniel to turn partially onto his side to face him. "Go ahead," Jack whispered. "Pull them off."
Daniel looked up, a question in his eyes. Reaching out one hand, he eased the waistband down - and saw the glint of a gold ring. "Sonofabitch!" he gasped and yanked the shorts all the way down.
Laughing, Jack sprawled backwards, sitting up against the headboard, his legs spread and his cock laying hard up against his stomach. "Surprise!" He finished yanking off his underwear and tossed them to the floor.
Daniel crawled up between his legs, admiring the ring that dangled enticingly from the underside of Jack's cockhead. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore," Jack said. "Go ahead. Touch it. I do all the time now when I jerk off, which has been quite a bit recently. This thing sort of.....promoted a renewed interest in that activity."
Daniel reached out his hand and caressed the warm metal and the moist tip of Jack's cock. He rubbed carefully at the entrance and exit holes, watching for signs of pain from Jack. He took the ring and ran it back and forth. Jack hips rolled up into the sensation. Daniel carefully pushed his finger into the ring and gave a little tug.
Jack's hips jerked upward again. He waited impatiently, knowing what was coming next. He wasn't disappointed. Daniel leaned forward and took Jack's cock into his mouth, his tongue toying and playing with the ring.
"Oh shit," Jack panted. "This is gonna fucking kill me." It was the last coherent thing he said for the next 8 hours.
++++
Jack watched as pallet after pallet of building supplies, food, clothing, tents, paper products, computers, and all sorts of scientific gizmos and gadgets came through the gate. The Tok'ra had been kind enough to loan them some anti-grav transports to haul the items overland to the settlement area. A few cargo ships were currently grounded near the gate as Jacob and a contingent of Tok'ra scientists helped with the transfer. Daniel was at the encampment, directing traffic there, and Jack was trying to send things down in the order they were needed. They'd been at this for over twelve hours and Jack was ready to call it good for the day.
"Jack, come in."
Jack keyed his mic. "Yeah, Daniel."
"Have you seen the excavators come through yet?"
"Still on the ships."
There was a few minutes of silence before he got an answer. "Roger that." Two clicks signaling the conversation was over and Jack went back to watching the steady flow of goods come through the gate. Jacob walked up beside him.
"Jacob."
"Jack." Jack could have sworn he heard ice forming in the water barrels off to his right.
Jack turned and looked at the Tok'ra representative. "I didn't mean to hurt her."
"It's none of my business."
"You're her father," Jack said, "of course it's your business."
"I should kick your ass," Jacob said calmly.
"I've tried to apologize."
"You broke her heart."
"She's a big girl," Jack said. "Things happen between adults that sometimes aren't very pleasant."
"Like you said, she's my daughter," Jacob continued. "And I still want to kick your ass."
"So, what - you wanna deck me? Go ahead." Jack turned to face Jacob, tossing his clipboard down onto the ground. "Take your best shot." He tapped the side of his face. "Right here."
Jack never saw the punch coming. Of course, he hadn't really expected it, so he was far from prepared when it did. All he knew was there were hands suddenly helping him up, and Jacob standing quietly with a contented look on his face, rubbing his knuckles. "You hit me!"
"Yes, I did."
"What'd you do that for?"
"It seemed like the adult thing to do," Jacob said smoothly, "and no matter how old she gets, or how strange our circumstances, Samantha is still my baby girl and I can't abide her being hurt - by anyone."
"This was the adult thing to do? What was the childish thing?" Jack demanded, retrieving his clipboard from a nervous airman and trying to keep his legs under him at the same time.
"Shove you backwards through the wormhole," Jacob answered angrily before walking away.
++++
Daniel pushed the last piece of furniture from Jack's personal things into place then looked around their new home. The Tok'ra had built underground tunnels for the base and the research complex, but Jack and Daniel had chosen, instead, to make their permanent residence in the palace itself. Daniel still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, not knowing the weather conditions or how hot or cold it got at any given time on the planet, but he hadn't wanted to stay underground and he definitely didn't plan on being in the encampment when he wasn't working - especially when he and Jack wanted 'alone' time.
Jack walked in and looked around. He was tired, dirty and hungry. He'd spent all day supervising the set up of 'tent city' with the rest of the group, just as it had begun to rain. Jack yanked off his muddy, crusty boots, tossing them outside into the hallway before climbing out of his BDUs.
"You're a mess," Daniel said.
Jack merely grunted as his pants joined the boots outside.
"How's the jaw?" Daniel asked with a slight smile.
"Still sore," Jack smiled back. "Jacob packs quite a punch." When Jack's socks and t-shirt had been discarded, he moved toward a back room that contained, amazingly, a thermal pool. The discovery of hot springs in the area had been of some concern to the designers of the site, but since the Ancients, Asgard, Nox and Furling had determined the site was safe enough to build on, it was decided it was probably safe enough for humans to build on as well. And, it gave a constant source of clean, hot water. Something that would apparently be very important in living on this world.
"Laundry doesn't do pick up and delivery, Jack," Daniel called after him.
"I'll get it later," Jack called back. He was too tired to worry about dirty socks right now.
++++
"How's it going?" Jack asked as Carter worked on installing the iris device in the gate.
"Another few hours, Col . . . Jack. Another few hours." She looked down from atop her ladder. "Hard to get used to." She gave him a small smile.
"So, maybe you could come up to the house tonight. Daniel'd love to . . ."
"I do need to get back. Lots of work to do to get the rest of those reactors built for you."
"Right," Jack said.
"Look, I'm sorry about my dad . . ." Sam motioned to the fading bruise on Jack's jaw. "He gets a little protective."
"Noticed that," Jack nodded. "I deserved it," he said with a little shrug. He looked back up at his former 2IC. "I am sorry."
"I know," Sam said. "So was I."
Still not an admission of forgiveness, but a glimmer of hope, Jack noted. He decided not to press his luck. "I'll let you get back to it," Jack said. "And really, I mean it about Daniel wanting to see you. He misses ya."
"I miss him, too," Sam said, her voice getting a little thick. "I better . . ." She motioned toward the gate.
"Yeah. I'll leave you be," Jack said, walking away and back toward the camp.
Sam watched him leave and fought down the stinging in her eyes. She wondered when the constriction she felt in her chest would quit happening every time she had to talk to the man.
++++
Jack walked down into the base's version of the control room and looked up at the monitors showing the gate from several angles. He smiled with pride. They were ahead of schedule and well under budget. Today was the test for the security systems. He saw the lights begin to flash and a claxon, just like back at the mountain sounded. He smiled as the siren was replaced by a familiar voice. "Incoming wormhole. Receiving SGC IDC."
Jack smiled as Graham Simmons, now assigned as a permanent researcher, waited for the order to open the iris. "Let's see who's at the door," Jack said.
Simmons nodded. "Sending iris activation confirmation."
Jack watched on the monitors as the gate opened, exposing the brilliant blue of the event horizon. One lone figure came through and Jack's smile grew even wider.
"Teal'c," he said and trotted off to the elevator that lead to the surface. He emerged just as Teal'c and Daniel finished their own greeting. "Hey big guy," Jack said as he grasped Teal'c's forearm in their customary greeting, followed by a fierce hug and a few slaps on the back. "Good to see ya."
"I am pleased to see you as well, O'Neill," Teal'c said, his face harboring a warm smile for his friends. "I see the damage inflicted by JacobCarter is not as substantial as I was lead to believe."
"Oh fer . . ." Jack groaned. "Does everybody know about what happened?"
"Yes," Teal'c said and walked off regally, his hands clasped comfortably behind his back.
He heard the snicker from behind him which turned suspiciously into a cough. He leveled a cool stare at Daniel. "You can always sleep on the couch tonight."
"Oh, I don't think so," Daniel said, walking past Jack and purposefully giving his butt a little shimmy.
"I get no respect," Jack muttered and followed Daniel down into the camp.
++++
"I think it's a goddamned travesty when the government is forced to support queers and fairies setting up house at taxpayer expense!" came Senator Johnson's angry voice.
"Senator, I'll ask you to refrain from such vulgar and hateful language or I will have you removed!" shouted the President.
Jack and Daniel sat silently, their tempers barely contained, as he and several senior members of the research team delivered their preliminary report to a select oversight committee, the Joint Chiefs and the President.
The Senator from Virginia sat back in his chair, waving a dismissive hand in Jack's direction.
"I apologize, Mr. O'Neill. Please, continue with your report."
Jack sat forward and flipped the page in his booklet. "According to the schematics we've found in the newly unearthed library, we may be able not only to maintain the gate system ourselves, but understand the principles on which it works. Major Samantha Carter has informed me that this new information may provide huge breakthroughs in power sources that could, conceivable, go toward the building of our own fleet of deep space vessels."
Senator Johnson muttered something else under his breath which caused Daniel, who had ears like a bat, to come to strict attention. "Senator, may I remind you that long before Major Carter was assigned to the SGC, she worked for years on the Stargate program. Her contribution to its ultimate success was every bit as important as mine or Colonel O'Neill's."
"Samantha Carter is still at the SGC only because she was this one's," Johnson sneered evilly at Jack, "private lap dance. Until you decided to switch hit for the other team, eh, Colonel?"
Jack was one second from launching himself over the table when Major Paul Davis cut in sharply. "Gentlemen, please!" All eyes turned toward him. Jack could see the pent up fury in the man's eyes, and since his conversation with George Hammond, he understood the rage that must be flowing through the man's veins. "The subjects to be discussed in this meeting are the progress reports from the various scientific branches currently functioning at the Theta Site of the SGC."
"Thank you, Major Davis," said the President. The man motioned toward two SFs standing just outside the doorway of the room on the other side of the soundproof glass. They entered the room and stood stiffly at attention. "Please escort the Senator back to his office."
Johnson stood up and pointed a gnarled finger in Jack's direction. "You haven't heard the last of this."
The rest of the meeting continued without incident, reports were given, progress notes were gone over, and after sixteen hours, the astonishing accomplishments and discoveries from the newly formed research site were thoroughly discussed. The President seemed pleased with the progress, but the JCS seemed less than thrilled that a non-military operation was being run by two men in a private relationship while operating under the umbrella of a top-secret military facility. Despite that opinion, the oversight committee was thrilled with the fiscal benefits already being reaped by the mineral and geological discoveries of the planet.
Jack shook his head as he was lead from the room. He didn't know if two out of three was such a good thing in this case or not. After the less than lukewarm reception by the JCS, he didn't know if the site would ever yield enough scientific information for the military to overlook the relationship between he and Daniel.
As Jack watched the various Senators and Congressmen move down the hallway, he and Daniel were asked very quietly to accompany a Marine Colonel to a private meeting with the President. Jack shot Daniel a worried frown. They were lead into a small meeting room and left alone with the solitary figure looking at a map of the world. The President turned around to face the two men. "Gentlemen."
"Mr. President," they responded in unison.
"Have a seat and let's talk."
Once all three men were seated comfortably, Jack watched the President loosen his tie and sit back tiredly in his chair. "As you could tell by Senator Johnson's . . . astounding display of American patriotism . . . we have a problem." He rubbed his eyes then turned his gaze on Jack. "Mr. O'Neill, may I call you Jack?"
"Yes, of course Mr. President," Jack said instantly.
"Jack, I cannot begin to tell you how . . . stunned . . . I was when I read the initial reports on the amount of information and technology being pulled out of the Theta Site." He turned his glance toward Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, it amazes me that you have been able to translate even half of what you've recently unearthed in order to tell us what potentially may still be waiting to be discovered. Quite honestly, I can't imagine losing this resource now that we've realized the incredible advancements this could mean for our world. However," and he sighed heavily, "based upon the prejudices caused by your personal relationship, there are very few people in this government willing to stand in support of your endeavor."
"You're going to shut it down, aren't you?" Jack asked blandly.
"Not if I can help it," said the President. He leaned forward. "This conversation never took place."
"Yes, sir," Jack said.
"Britain wants into this and I'm going to let them. If support dries up for Theta Site from our side of the Atlantic, Britain stands ready to pick up the ball. Before I came here today, I signed an order approving five new SG teams - all of them British. If Senator Johnson and his cronies want to pitch a fight over who funds Theta Site, let them. The important thing is that it will continue. And frankly, considering the circumstances, it may be a better thing to have the British military overseeing operations on that particular site."
Daniel glanced at Jack who was smiling knowingly. There was no 'don't ask, don't tell' rule in the British service and both men knew it.
"Gentlemen, I thank you for your efforts and I look forward to working with you on this important operation. More secure accommodations have been obtained for you during your stay in Washington. I hope you will find them adequate." With that, he pushed a small listening device toward them. Jack understood instantly that it had been removed from their previous hotel room.
"Thank you, sir," Jack said, standing up. He nodded at Daniel to leave. They were met outside the door by the same Colonel who ushered them in, then lead to a car waiting for them outside. Within minutes they were being whisked away toward their hotel.
Daniel remained silent throughout their drive and when they pulled up in front of the Jefferson Hotel, his jaw dropped. "Yep, adequate's the word," Jack smiled as they got out of the car.
++++
Daniel stood on the balcony, wrapped in the thick robe provided by the hotel, sipping a glass of scotch and generally taking in the view of Washington, D.C. It was their last night in the hotel and their second to last night on-world. He was eager to get back to Theta site and continue the excavation of the library that had only just begun before they left.
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Jack asked, joining Daniel on the balcony. He, too, was draped in a robe, although his hung nearly all the way open, held together only by the loosest of knots.
"I can't help but think we've been sucker punched by our own government," Daniel said darkly. "That sonofabitch Johnson's gonna make life hell for us for awhile."
"It's not like he can belly ache to anyone. Only a handful of people know about the program. He can't go to the press. He can't campaign on an anti-SGC platform. What's he gonna do?"
"I dunno," Daniel said, turning to look at Jack in the moonlight. He reached out and untied the loop holding the robe together, pushing the sides away. "All we wanted was to be together, now look at what's happened."
"Maybe I shouldn't have suggested the whole thing," Jack said quietly. "Maybe I should have just taken what we had and been happy."
"We went for a walk on the Mall today, Jack," Daniel said, loosening his own robe and stepping in to lean his body against Jack's.
"Yes, we did," Jack acknowledged.
"You held hands with me."
"Yes, I did."
"You made me feel like I could fly."
"Did I?"
Daniel nodded and gave him a scotch-flavored kiss. "It would have been enough."
"I'm sorry," Jack whispered.
"I'm not," Daniel smiled. "We're minor players, Jack. What we do, what we're trying to do, it's bigger than us. We'll never be able to live up to it. It'll conquer us one day. When that day comes, remember that I would have settled for a walk in the park and you gave me the universe."
"Getting a little sappy?"
"I saw real hate for the first time when I looked into the eyes of Ra. I saw it again a few days ago when Senator Johnson gave his little speech in a bunker in the Pentagon. We're not safe anywhere, Jack. I'm not under that illusion and neither should you be. So while I have a chance, I'm going to let you know what I think and what I feel. Because the worst thing would be, at the end, not to know." He looked at Jack's lips, then up into his eyes. "Never said it before, but I'm gonna say it now. I love you, Jack."
Jack swallowed hard. "Love you, too, Daniel."
"And for you boys in the van parked out on the street listening to us, we're gonna go make love now. We usually get pretty loud - you might wanna turn down the gain on the parabolic mics you're using," Daniel said smugly.
Daniel tossed off the rest of his drink, grabbed Jack by the hand and lead him back into the hotel room, closing the balcony door behind them as they went.
++++
"Elliott, you dumb sonofabitch, I told you not to park so fucking close to the hotel!" yelled Martinez as he yanked his headphones away from his ears.
There was a thunderous knock on the side of the van as special service agents stormed in and began confiscating the recordings made. Martinez and Elliott sat back and let the search happen, groaning with displeasure as all their hard work of the past days was destroyed. "We're NID, you boneheads, we've got clearance for surveillance on these two," Elliott sneered.
Devon Crites, a tall black man, turned and looked at the overweight, pasty face of Elliott. "My boss is the boss of your boss, so you can take it up with him, lard ass." He laughed suddenly. "You know, this is the fourth van load of you idiots we've busted this week. You'd figure you'd at least get a memo or something not to park in the exact same spot every fuckin' time."
++++
In the hotel room, Jack lay sprawled comfortably across the bed, Daniel using his lower back as a pillow. The television was tuned to CNN, the volume barely on. Jack watched the crawl across the bottom of the screen to catch the headlines. When he saw the picture of Senator Johnson flash into view, he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume slightly.
". . . this breaking story. Senator Ashton Johnson of Virginia was implicated today in a sex scandal that could very well herald the end of one of the longest and most prestigious political careers in history. Evidence gathered from the Senator's offices in Virginia suggest that he may have financially supported the production of pornographic and lewd materials purported to have been made for the alleged exploitation of underage teenage boys. As we said earlier, this story is still very sketchy and we will be following it closely and updating you as more details become available."
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