--July 20, 1998
====
Colorado Springs was into its third straight day of unusually hot weather for this time of year. While the average temperature for July was eighty-five degrees, it had been ninety-three degrees two days ago, ninety-five degrees yesterday, and today was a whopping ninety-six degrees.
Jack was at an early morning meeting with the brass, so Daniel chose to spend the time cleaning his apartment. His romantic relationship with Jack wasn't yet a month old, and both were still learning about themselves and about each other as part of a same-sex liaison, one that had surprised both of the previously heterosexual males.
Actually, the new couple had agreed not to label themselves or their relationship because both detested generalities. The only thing they knew for sure was that they were in love, and it just happened that the person they loved was of the same sex.
Daniel's air-conditioning wasn't working, so he was wearing nothing but red cotton shorts that had a single white stripe down each side. He was standing barefoot on a stepladder as he dusted the top of the bookshelves.
In the afternoon, as the heat reached its height, Jack quietly entered the apartment and stood admiring his lover. The military man was still wearing his dress blues; he'd even left his cap on. He leaned against the wall, leering.
~Mine. All mine.~
“I heard that,” Daniel said.
Jack and Daniel had developed a strange sort of telepathic-like ability with each other that seemed to get stronger as their personal relationship intensified. From the day they had met, they had always been on the same wavelength, often having a clue what the other was thinking or feeling, but now it was somehow turning into more.
Neither knew what to make of it. It wasn't that they could read each other's minds, but, sometimes, they simply heard what the other was thinking, usually when those thoughts were directed at the other, like just now.
Daniel turned slightly to see his lover, but when he saw Jack in his dress blues, he was taken aback, physically losing his breath. He had intended to say something snarky about Jack's possessive 'comment', but the sight of his very sexy partner got the best of him, and Daniel lost his balance, starting to fall.
Jack rushed forward, and Daniel fell right into the arms of his handsome Air Force colonel.
“Now this is what I call a real movie moment,” the older man chuckled lightly as he held his youthful lover.
“Dress blues, Jack. Gawd, you're so ... so sexy in your dress blues,” a slightly stunned Daniel spoke, his feet now on the ground as he ran his hands along the material of the jacket.
Daniel's eyes were feasting on Jack as they stood, each lulled by the other for over a minute before Daniel leaned in for a kiss, tasting Jack's lips and then slipping his tongue through to mingle with the older man's. His hands were melding into Jack, his fingers kneading into the material of the uniform.
As the kisses continued, Daniel was pawing and clutching the material of Jack's clothes like a bear who had just found its first raw meat to eat in weeks. It was a burning hunger that was growing with each second. Jack wasn't complaining, but he didn't want to be distracted from his original plan for the afternoon.
“Hmm, Danny,” Jack sighed. “We've got plans.”
“Ppp...plans? What plans?” the archaeologist nervously stuttered, reluctantly loosening his grip.
“The air show,” Jack answered. “It starts in a couple of hours. I'm gonna change.” He backed away, suddenly observing, “It's hot in here. Have you noticed?”
“Noticed? Hot? Yes, Jack, it's definitely ... hot,” Daniel whined, unhappy at being second place to planes flying around in the air.
“I'll make it up to you, Love, but I missed the show last year and didn't think I'd be out of the meeting early enough to go today. Come on, humor me,” Jack requested with his charming Irish smile.
Daniel rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning the top of the bookshelves.
Jack, meanwhile, went into the bedroom with the duffel bag he'd brought with him. While the younger man had some things at Jack's place, they hadn't yet made the step of Jack leaving things at Daniel's apartment. Not wanting to push his lover into something he wasn't ready for, the colonel always made sure he had a bag in his truck with a change of clothing and other necessary items.
Jack put on a brown short sleeve shirt and brown pants, switched to some more comfortable Nike walking shoes, and went back to snatch his lover, only to be awed again by the beauty of the younger man. He smiled, watching Daniel arch up as he stood on the balls of his feet to reach the far corner of the shelf, his stretching causing the muscles in his body to constrict.
Jack was beginning to think that maybe the air show wasn't such hot stuff after all. Compared to his Daniel, it was nothing.
~There's always next year.~
Jack approached the step ladder carefully. Not wanting to startle his young lover, he made enough noise that Daniel could hear him. Reaching the step, he put his hands on the outside of Daniel's thighs, gently and slowly rubbing them up and down.
“Jack, I'm going to finish this before we go.”
“Anything you say, Love,” Jack smirked, his plans having changed moments before, something he conveniently hadn't mentioned to Daniel.
Jack massaged Daniel's thighs as he kissed the small of his back, causing Daniel to stop what he was doing. Daniel hadn't said anything, too shocked that Jack seemed to have switched gears.
The older man's hands began to caress the inside of Daniel's legs, as his tongue licked its way along Daniel's lower back.
Daniel was losing himself in the touches, his legs turning to jelly. He just hoped Jack would catch him again when he fell, which he was sure would happen soon.
Jack's hands slid up the inside of Daniel's shorts, just passed the hem, his fingers working his lover's skin with taunting caresses. He placed a line of kisses up his partner's spine, causing Daniel to visibly shiver repeatedly.
“J'ck,” Daniel croaked out, his voice lost with the rest of him.
“Love you, Danny,” Jack said between kisses.
Jack moved his hands further inside Daniel's shorts, his left hand touching Daniel's hardening length, causing his lover to moan softly and call his name, “Jack.”
The older man pulled down Daniel's shorts and boxers, sliding his chest against Daniel's buttocks as his hand stroked lightly against Daniel's shaft. As his chest hair connected with the newly bared skin, it was electric, and he heard his lover's breath catch in his throat.
Jack could feel that Daniel was about to lose his balance, being swept away by the touches and caresses he bestowed on the younger man. He pulled his willing lover back and guided him fully into his arms, lowering him off the step ladder; the shorts and boxers abandoned as Daniel slipped his feet from them.
Daniel was leaning into Jack, his head resting back against his shoulder, as Jack's hands rubbed the young man's abdomen in long strokes, back and forth.
“Where's the lube, Danny?” Jack asked quietly.
Jack made a vow to himself that they were going to have to start thinking more logically about where they kept the lubricant. He and Daniel made love frequently, but it was still so new and on most occasions, gloriously spontaneous and unexpected. So often, they had to interrupt their progress to go in search of it, or else go without.
“Sofa,” Daniel said, then smiled shyly as his lover kissed his nape.
“Come here,” Jack spoke, tugging Daniel along with him as they walked to the sofa, standing behind it.
Daniel reached over beneath the cushions to pull out a new tube.
“Ingenious, my genius,” Jack cackled.
“Thank you, but if you don't mind,” Daniel said getting back to the same position he was in before, with Jack behind him, massaging his body in foreplay.
Daniel liked Jack's hold on him, though his knees were weak from his lover's touches and soft kisses.
Feeling the need for a bit more 'play', Jack went back to caressing Daniel's smooth skin, his hands running up and down his ribcage, his fingers occasionally adopting a tickling motion to keep his love off-balance.
The older man nuzzled into Daniel's long hair, finding a path through it to kiss Daniel's nape. Jack followed that by laying a trail of short, wet kisses along Daniel's shoulder, nibbling occasionally on Daniel's skin, and then licking the skin to taste it. Daniel was soon lost in the sensations.
Jack raised his hands to massage Daniel's sides briefly. He wanted no part of his lover to go untouched. Then he removed his own pants and underwear and leaned against Daniel, who shuddered with anticipation and need as he felt could feel Jack's erection against him.
Still wanting to touch every inch of Daniel, Jack bent his knees back and slid his hands and body all the way down. His hands roamed Daniel's ankles, calves, and knees. Jack licked the back of his knee joint, his tongue working its way up the back of Daniel's thighs.
The colonel nibbled lightly on Daniel's buttocks as his hands moved in circling motions around his kisses. He rose as he moved his hands around Daniel's waist and then down, taking hold of Daniel's hardened shaft, squeezing and rubbing all along it, his thumb pressing down frequently, and gently circling the head on each pass.
Daniel was letting out little sounds and moans from Jack’s loving attention, drifting wherever the physical touches took him.
Jack put the lubricant on his fingers as he got ready to prepare his lover for their lovemaking.
Daniel hunched forward, his hands gripping the back of the sofa as Jack inserted a finger, moving it inside Daniel for a while before withdrawing it. Daniel hung his head in pleasure as Jack pushed in with two fingers, stroking them along the young man's insides. When Jack pulled them out, Daniel groaned from the lost contact.
“Love you so much, Danny,” Jack said as he inserted three fingers, moving them quickly, making sharp jabbing contact with Daniel's prostate.
“Want you, only you, Jack, so freakin' much,” Daniel whispered, his eyes closed, his mind taking him beyond the physical.
They were so good together, so vibrant that their thoughts practically carried them to another existence even without the physical touches. Daniel was falling fast, a combination of his own mind and Jack's actions.
As Jack entered Daniel, and buried himself to the root, he paused to relish the warmth and feel of his lover. Then, starting slowly, he began to rock in and out, gradually increasing his speed.
“Danny ... this is heaven,” Jack grunted as his movement within Daniel took on more force. His breathing was deepening, coming in hitched gasps. ~Perfection, even.~
“Gawd ... Jack ... need you so much ... love you, Jack ... gaaaaaawd,” Daniel gasped as Jack began to pound into him harder with each thrust.
Daniel's hands gripped the sofa, his fingernails pulling on the material as he fought to hang on. He began to angle himself to try and take more of Jack inside him, wanting, needing to feel as much as possible.
Jack's movements became stronger with his own powerful need. He positioned himself to connect with Daniel's prostate with each potent thrust, causing Daniel to shout from the impact, “YES! GAWD YES! LOVE YOU!”
“Mine, Danny ... you're mine!” Jack rasped possessively as he took on a frantic pace.
Sweat from Jack's brow dripped down Daniel's back. Daniel's head was bent low, almost against the sofa, as he did all he could to give Jack maximum access to his body.
Jack leaned over Daniel more as he hammered away, making hit after hit, each time sending trembling jolts through Daniel's body.
Jack took his right hand to Daniel's length and began to work it hard, stroking it and sometimes pumping rapidly to the same beat as his contact with Daniel's insides.
The rhythm began to send them both to the other side of oblivion. They were both panting in short, harsh breaths. Jack's grunts were loud as he labored, the animalistic sound coming every time he pushed himself inside his lover and connected with Daniel's sensitive areas.
Daniel was loud, too. Moans from the movements inside, groans and cries from both the force of Jack's shaft against him and the pulsating of his own length as Jack applied pressure to it.
The twosome were on the edge. Jack wanted them to come together. He knew he could only hold on a short while longer, so he forced his hand to work Daniel harder, until he shouted, “CAN'T HOLD ... ” and with that, Jack made a last deep and blistering move inside Daniel, impaling himself against the young man's prostate.
“Danny,” Jack managed to gasp out with what little energy he had left.
At the same time, Daniel screamed his lover's name, “JAAAAAACKK!” his body convulsing from the aftershock of his orgasm.
The lovers had come blissfully together, Jack inside his lover, and Daniel in Jack's hand. Jack's head rested on Daniel's still hunched and quivering back as Daniel's head made contact with the back of the sofa for temporary support, letting their heart rates calm a bit.
A minute later, Jack withdrew, and they both sank to the cool carpeted floor. Jack leaned his back against the cream colored couch, as Daniel shifted to lay in Jack's embrace.
Daniel thrashed a little, though, causing Jack to be concerned.
“What?” the older man panted.
“Too much ... too ...,” Daniel tried to speak, his hands playing with Jack's brown shirt, the only piece of clothing on either of them.
Daniel ripped open the shirt, the buttons flying. He was desperate to feel Jack's skin, the fabric actually tearing from the force of his efforts until he finally had it off the older man.
“Never liked this shirt, anyway,” Jack teased as Daniel finally had his hands where he wanted them -- on his lover's chest, fondling Jack's chest hairs, even placing a kiss on the chest that Daniel thought was the sexiest thing in the universe.
“Gawd, Jack, I think I saw stars. Love you so much.”
“Me too, Love, so friggin' much,” Jack sighed as his arms squeezed his lover tightly.
Jack loved holding Daniel, feeling his skin against his own. It felt warm and reassuring ... it felt ... right.
Jack kissed Daniel's mop of hair, running his fingers through the long shaggy strands, whispering affirmations of his love as he did so.
Daniel's breathing was finally evening out, his eyes closed as he listened to Jack's heartbeat.
“It's beautiful,” Daniel said.
“What is, besides you, of course?”
“Your heartbeat. I love listening to it, so strong. I love you so much, Jack, that it ... it scares me.”
“I love you, too, Danny, and I know it's scary. This is something I could never have imagined happening in my life, but I'm sure glad it has. Wouldn't give you up for anything.”
Daniel wasn't sure he believed Jack, but he didn't say anything. He felt the same way, and that frightened him more than he wanted to admit.
“Jack ... I ... I couldn't have imagined this either. I mean, the way you make me feel, my body ... I just ... never. It's so ... intense. Gawd, Jack, I didn't know anyone could feel this way, least of all with ... with ...”
“With another man?”
Daniel nodded as he replied, “Never felt like this, Jack. Gawd.”
“What you do to me, Love. You're ... you're part of me now, deep inside. It's like ... your soul leaped into mine. I'm not making any sense.”
“Yes, you are. It's ... how I feel, too.”
They held each other for a while, just touching and kissing. Jack's fingers played with Daniel's long hair, his nose and cheek rubbing against it often. For all the teasing Jack did about the shag, he loved nuzzling into it.
“What happened at your meeting, Jack?” Daniel eventually asked.
“It was too hot.”
“Huh?”
“It still is. What happened to the A/C, Daniel?” Jack questioned.
“Broke. Don't know how or why,” Daniel said, both of their bodies soaked from their lovemaking and the heat of the apartment.
“Well, that's about what happened at the meeting. The big wigs ... full of hot air. They weren't getting anywhere; decided to postpone for a while, give everyone time to cool off, so I came here and figured we'd go to the air show.”
Daniel laughed, “Sorry, Jack.”
“I'm not. You're so beautiful, Danny. You took my breath away standing there, so sexy and gorgeous cleaning that shelf.”
Daniel was blushing. He didn't know what to say. Jack was always saying things like that, and it flustered the young man. He wasn't used to anyone gushing over him the way Jack did, making him feel so wanted and desired. Yet, that was exactly how he'd felt, turning and seeing Jack in his dress blues. It never failed to send his libido into overdrive.
“We should, uh, probably stay at your place tonight, Jack; it's really stuffy in here,” Daniel suggested.
“Sounds like a plan,” Jack agreed. After a moment, he remarked, “You know, I never clean the tops of my shelves like you were. No one will see, you know.”
“Jack, please tell me you're joking?”
“Nope, serious as can be,” the older man spoke.
“We're cleaning your place tonight when we get there,” Daniel insisted.
“Cleaning? Why? Come on, Daniel, I was hoping we'd just kick back and do this some more,” Jack spoke seductively and then leaned in kiss his lover, nibbling on his upper lip first.
“Jack, I sneeze more at your place, and I'll bet that's why.”
“But I never clean ...”
“Exactly. Me or the dust, Jack,” Daniel threatened with a grin. “And I don't think the dust can do this for you,” he added.
Daniel's tongue brushed against Jack's lips, then entered his mouth, flicking back and forth with Jack's, as the young man's hands massaged Jack's hairy chest, and then stroked downward, touching Jack's shaft, causing him to moan.
“Um, well, you're right about that,” Jack croaked, acquiescing. “We clean.”
Daniel's head rested against Jack's shoulder again. It was so hot, but they enjoyed their close contact, in spite of the sweat that still poured between them.
“Jack?” Daniel called out, his voice soft, almost timid.
“What Love?”
“How did you feel when ... when you realized that you ... I mean, when you knew how ... never mind.”
“Danny, we just had awesome sex. Why the heck are you hedging over a question?”
Daniel shrugged against Jack's warm body. He just wasn't confident enough to ask some of the things he wanted to.
“I love you, Daniel. Don't hide from me,” Jack requested. “Don't shut me out.”
“I wasn't trying to. I just ... was curious how you felt when you knew you lov ... when you ...”
Jack shook his head, kissing Daniel's still-wet hair, and asked, “... You mean how did I feel when I realized I was *in* love with you?”
“Yeah, that's it,” Daniel smiled.
Jack was glad he was getting to be fluent in the language of Daniel. It was the most wonderful language in the world, and he knew he was the only one who understood it, and something about that excited him. No one in creation knew Daniel Jackson the way Jack O'Neill did. He smiled and then answered his lover's question.
“Scared, angry, confused. You were dead, Danny, gone to that watery hellhole on Oannes with Nem, and my heart felt empty. I was alone again, and I didn't like it. I hadn't realized you had become such a part of me. I didn't even know I could let someone be that close to me since Charlie died.”
“But how'd you know it was love?”
“How do you ever know?” Jack answered in question. “I hated the world again. My soul was shutting down. I had ... I told Hammond that I was going to retire.”
“You never told me that,” the younger man responded.
“He asked T, Carter, and me to do the closing on your apartment, and that's when we realized we were all having those visions. We finally figured out that the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' had played with our minds.”
“Nem wasn't a ... creature, Jack. He's a living being, a hurting one, who just wanted to find his mate. Can you really blame him for doing absolutely everything he could to find her?”
Jack hadn't thought of it like that before. He knew if anyone ever took Daniel from him, he'd do the same thing. He'd track Daniel through galaxy after galaxy. No one, nothing, would prevent him from finding his partner.
“No, I guess when you put it like that, I can't blame him at all, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.”
“So, how'd you know, Jack, that it was more than friendship?”
“The moment there was hope that you were alive, I began to breathe again, to feel life. It was like someone had flipped on a switch, from off to on, and my heart started beating again.”
“That's almost poetic, Jack.”
Jack chuckled, “I'm not a poet, but it's how I felt. When I saw you swimming to shore ... Danny, I wanted to run to you and hold you, and that really scared me. I realized that I didn't want to just hug you like a friend welcoming another back; I wanted to hold you the way I held Sara when she was scared, or when I had come home from some mission. I wanted to comfort you and protect you.”
“Friends hold friends. You ... held me before ... when we were ... you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I know, but the thing is, that feeling and need to hold you didn't go away. It was like a craving I couldn't satisfy, a physical hunger to always have you close. Later, after you had been back a while, I still wanted to do it. You were more than my best friend. I even got drunk a few times, trying to bury whatever it was that I didn't want to admit or think about.”
“Jack, when did you have a chance to get drunk? I was at your place so much, or you were with me.”
“Yeah, I know, but you'd leave eventually, or I would ... you know, laundry, housecleaning, meetings with the Brass,” Jack replied.
“You lied?” Daniel asked quietly.
Shaking his head, Jack answered, “No, I've never lied to you, but I guess maybe I stretched it a few times, made the meeting last longer, or something. I loved being with you. Loved it too much, and kept thinking I could get it under control, get myself sane again.”
Daniel continued to rub his fingers through Jack's chest hairs, feeling comfortable and at peace with his new love.
“I was scared, Danny. I didn't understand it one bit. I needed space sometimes, even though I needed to be with you at the same time. There was a time when I hated myself, you, and the friggin' Air Force for complicating it all even more.”
“I understand.”
“Danny, when you found out that I loved you, after I got hurt in Antarctica, how'd you feel?”
Daniel answered, “Confused mostly, but ... somehow, in the end, Jack, it just didn't matter. You were my best friend, and I didn't want to lose that, so ... it just didn't matter that you cared ... more about me.”
“I do love you,” Jack reminded gently.
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Daniel nodded, and whispered, “I'm still getting used to it though, to feeling like this.”
“And how exactly are you feeling?”
“Sweaty ... a lot,” Daniel chuckled.
Smiling, Jack suggested, “How about a shower? Then we can clean up the mess we just made.”
“And go to your place and dust those shelves,” Daniel said a little too enthusiastically for his lover's taste.
Jack cringed, but relented, leaning over to kiss the man who was his heart, and then both rose and started to head for the shower, their arms wrapped around each other.
“By the way, Doctor Jackson, you owe me a shirt.”
“Sorry about that. Sometimes what I feel is just ... it's so intense, Jack, and I need to feel you, to have that contact with you. It helps me to ground myself to ... to what we have. I guess I got ... desperate. I'm sorry.”
“You can rip off my clothing anytime, Love. In fact, I encourage it.”
“I'm going to remember you said that, Jack.”
“Just don't forget to replace it, or I'll never have any clothes to wear,” Jack mused.
“Hmm ... sounds perfect to me,” Daniel said with laughter in his voice.
“Love you.”
“Love you more.”
“Love you even more than that,” Jack declared.
Daniel smiled as he noted, “To the ends of the Earth.”
“The galaxy and beyond,” the older man countered.
“Through the universe and beyond the barrier of time.”
“Forever and always, Danny,” a happy Jack noted.
Daniel blinked as they stood embracing each other in the doorway to the bathroom, and he smiled as he placed his right hand on Jack's cheek, the way he had on their first night together, caressing it gently.
“Forever and always, Jack. I love you.”
====
--October 26, 2000
====
SG-1 had spent twenty-four hours in the infirmary, undergoing physical and psychological testing after their experiences on P3R-118, a frozen planet where the inhabitants lived in a domed city powered by workers who had kept the energy flowing. The workers were unaware they had been living beneath the surface of the city and were clueless that they were being used more or less as slaves to keep the city functioning above-ground.
Each member of SG-1 had been affected by the planet's memory stamp, a form of brainwashing meant to keep the workers under control. Even Teal'c had believed his name to be Tor. Sam had believed she was named Therra and had been partnered with Jack, who had been renamed Jonah. Daniel had been given the name Carlin, connected to a worker called Kegan.
Their memories had been completely wiped out for a time, during which Jack and Daniel had been at odds, with Sam and Jack given feelings of a deeper romantic emotion to share, while Daniel had been given the same with Kegan.
After Janet Fraiser finally released the team from the infirmary with their memories almost fully restored, Daniel had left quickly. Jack had started to follow, but was stopped by General Hammond, wanting to discuss a few SGC matters with him, after which Jack had been informed that as much as the general had wished he could let Jack out of it, there was a top level meeting that afternoon that Jack had to attend.
It was the kind of meeting Jack hated, with types like Senator Kinsey present, but he had no choice. Dressed in his uniform as required, Jack spent the next several hours listening to more 'hot air' than could be found in Death Valley.
Daniel decided not to go home, but to go to the apartment. He didn't know about the meeting, and he wanted some time to think ... privately. He guessed he'd have a little time before Jack figured out where he was.
It was a little warmer than normal for the Springs, about seventy-three degrees, but there was a problem, one that was immediately noticeable when the archaeologist entered the loft.
~Ewww,~ Daniel thought, immediately going to the central air and heat temperature control. “Crap!”
The system was on the blink yet again. Not only was the apartment stuffy from being closed off for so long, but the temperature control had malfunctioned, raising the temperature setting another ten degrees. No matter what he tried, the archaeologist couldn't get the unit to shut off. He had raised it to eighty degrees almost two weeks ago, having felt particularly cold the last time he'd been in the apartment. That was before the mission, a one day negotiation assignment, had turned into a bad prison movie.
~Great, I'm in the desert without having any tombs to explore.~
Daniel opened the balcony doors and decided to give the place a good cleaning, figuring that some honest physical labor, as himself and not some brainwashed robot, might do him some good. Since it was more like summertime than the cool of fall, he wore only a pair of denim cutoffs that were very short, just the way Jack liked them.
Over the last two years, Daniel had seduced Jack away from all kinds of sporting events and air shows by wearing the same type of cutoffs at the home they shared together. Whenever he wore them, Jack was easily talked into almost anything that the younger man desired. He wore them now simply because the apartment was so hot, and he didn't keep many clothes there to choose from.
Daniel spent hours cleaning the place from top to bottom, scrubbing the floors and even the walls. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him, but he couldn't stop. He was sweaty and exhausted, but he kept on, finally reaching the bookshelves.
The hardworking man stepped onto the mini-ladder and started to clean, the bothersome particles flying as he moved a long duster along the top of the shelves. He was grateful for Janet's medical treatment over the years that had controlled his allergies most of the time, knowing that otherwise, he'd be sneezing big time as he worked at the tops of the tall units.
Jack entered the apartment quietly, concerned that Daniel was here and not at home, but his concern was temporarily stalled when he beheld the sight of his lover in his blue cutoffs dusting the shelves. Daniel was on the balls of his feet, once again trying to reach the corners of the tall pieces of furniture.
Jack leered and, remembering what had happened two years ago, moved forward as he spoke, “Deja vu.”
Daniel startled at Jack's unexpected words, losing his footing, and as he had done years before, began to fall back into the waiting arms of his lover.
“Like I said, deja vu,” Jack laughed, kissing Daniel's nape.
“Jack.”
The older man paused, hearing an unspoken “stop” in his name. Daniel turned to face his partner and then stood wide-eyed, his mouth open as he gaped.
Jack was in his dress blues, and Daniel thought he'd died and gone to heaven, saying aloud without realizing it, “Wow, you're delicious enough to eat.”
Jack smiled, his hand caressing his love's left cheek as he spoke, “That's the plan.”
Daniel gazed into Jack's chocolate brown eyes and couldn't resist the tender kiss Jack placed on his lips, their arms suddenly pulling them together like two magnets. He moaned, his hands roaming his lover's back.
“I love you in your dress blues,” Daniel sighed contently, his head leaning on Jack's shoulder, loving the feel of the material against him.
“I just love you,” Jack said, realizing as he spoke, Daniel had tensed.
Something was wrong in paradise, and, while Jack wasn't sure what it was, he did know that he and Daniel belonged together. Whatever the current crisis was, they'd get through it.
Daniel pulled back, but stayed in Jack's hold, bringing his hands to Jack's neck, and then running them down the navy blue Air Force jacket, his fingers tracing the decorations and stopping over Jack's heart.
Daniel seemed frozen there, whispering, “Dress blues -- so sexy in your dress blues.”
Jack kissed his forehead. Something was wrong with his soulmate and it was time to find out what.
“Aside from the fact that the apartment is like a sauna, what's wrong, Danny?” Jack questioned.
“Gauge broke, or something.”
“Yeah, well ... Danny, answer my question,” Jack insisted.
Daniel moved away from Jack, his arms self-hugging as he walked over to the sofa, gently leaning against it.
“I ... I dreamed about you,” the archaeologist stated.
“That's a bad thing?”
“On the planet, Jack. I dreamed about you,” Daniel repeated.
Jack sighed, now understanding at least in part what was wrong, and responded, “Daniel, they brainwashed us, gave us false memories and lives. You know that.”
“But I dreamed about you, and you dreamed about ...”
“No, I didn't,” Jack interrupted, knowing where Daniel was headed and not wanting him to fret over it more than he apparently already was.
“Danny,” Jack said as he walked to his lover, reaching out to take the young man's hands, ending the self-hug, “they brainwashed us. They gave us feelings and lives that didn't exist. They could have paired any of us together with anyone. It's just the way they did it.”
Daniel didn't look at Jack, his eyes focused on their entwined hands.
“And what about that Kegan gal?” the older man accused.
Daniel's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Jack's as he stated angrily, “Nothing happened with her, or anyone.”
Jack's accusation morphed into a smile as he smirked, “Ditto, Love. Nothing; absolutely nothing.”
“I heard you, Jack ... when we were leaving, and you and Sam were talking, about your memories coming back. You seemed ... sad.”
“Danny, I love you,” the older man declared. “I'm not going to lie to you. They put things there that didn't belong. You know in your heart how I feel about Carter. She's a good friend, a darn good friend, and she's put herself on the line for both of us, but it stops there, Danny. There's nothing more to it.”
“She relied on you on that planet. I saw how you two were together, leaning on each other, always huddling. You didn't know me at all. We fought ... over Sam.”
Jack instantly corrected, “No, Angel, Jonah and Carlin fought over Kegan not giving Therra bread, a point Carlin didn't want to see at the time, and I don't fault him for that. I don't blame you either, because that's the memory and feeling that they gave you ... that you, as Carlin, cared for Kegan.”
“But I dreamed of you. Don't you get it? Once I knew there was a connection between us Jack, I started to remember. But you ... you just clung to Sam and dreamed about being naked or something.”
“Danny, you're jealous,” Jack smirked, inwardly pleased at the notion his lover could become a bit green-eyed over him.
“I am not,” Daniel tried unsuccessfully to deny, hugging himself even more tightly than before.
The young man evaded Jack's strong gaze, looking for a moment towards the balcony before continuing.
“Okay, but it's ... it's more than that Jack. How do we know they gave us those feelings, that they aren't somewhere deep beneath the surface of all of us?”
Daniel looked down, his feet tapping the floor for a moment before sighing, “You two looked so ... content together. You remembered her, even if you didn't know how to explain it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it hurts that I thought of you and knew deep down there was a connection between us, and yet you could only think of her.”
“Love, you're wrong, and I know that doesn't happen very often, but this time, you are so wrong. What I remembered about Carter was that she was somehow connected to me. It felt comfortable, and we were friends, nothing more than that.
“Danny, I hate this truth stuff, but ...” Jack grunted loudly in frustration. “Daniel, you and Kegan: it drove me out of my mind, and I didn't understand why I should care about you or your relationship with her. I was scared. Being around you was uncomfortable because it made me feel things that didn't seem natural. I ran to Carter because she felt safe, and you were anything but safe.”
Daniel fidgeted. Jack's words rang true, and he understood them more than Jack knew. Sometimes the truth and honesty thing was a bit uncomfortable.
“What?” Jack questioned.
“Jack,” a big sigh escaped Daniel's lips. “I thought ... for a minute ... I mean ... there was something about you, but it didn't make sense to me so I thought ... I thought maybe I didn't like you, or felt this ... whatever it was that I didn't understand because I had feelings for Therra, and I just hadn't admitted it.”
“Whoa, Danny, feelings for Carter?”
“No, Therra ... and now who's jealous?”
“I'm always jealous,“ Jack smiled with a wink, “but at least now you are at least admitting you're jealous of Carter.”
“I admit nothing.” Daniel decided to be more forceful. “I am *not* jealous.”
“Are, too.”
“Not,” Daniel said very weakly.
“Oh, yes, you are,” Jack insisted as he pulled his lover up to him.
Daniel blinked and nodded, falling into Jack's warm embrace. He hated being jealous, but he was, more often than he cared to admit. His Jack was handsome, with a smile that melted him like butter, and Daniel was well aware of the looks and attentions Jack received from others anywhere they went.
Daniel considered himself very lucky to have Jack, and he hated the thought of ever losing him. He sighed, admitting to his jealousy again, just happy that he didn't become irrational like Jack had done so often when his Mr. Jealousy would take hold of him.
Jack moved back slightly so he could look at Daniel. Cupping his face firmly, the older man spoke with confidence, “Listen to me, Love. I have something very important to say. It's ... vital ... crucial to our future. I need you to listen carefully with your heart, as well as with your ears.”
Daniel panicked, afraid he'd missed something. Maybe he had cause to be jealous after all.
Keeping eye contact, Jack slowly brought his face closer to Daniel's and said, “Pay close attention.” He smiled. “Listen,” he spoke softly into Daniel's mouth, as he kissed him with all the passion he could muster.
The kiss was long and deep, full of love, lust, and longing. It said, “You're mine, and I'm yours,” as their dancing tongues waltzed in unison.
Jack's hands held his lover as close as he could, rambling around his back, and rubbing against Daniel's buttocks, then pulling Daniel into him, and holding him there.
The kiss continued, becoming a multitude of kisses, each one lingering for a while and then leading to another, their lips glued to each others'.
Jack's hands slipped inside the back of Daniel's cutoffs as he continued to keep him close. Daniel moaned frequently from the pleasurable sensations.
“Hmm,” was all he could say when they finally broke their kisses for a moment.
“Get the message, Doctor Jackson?”
“Hmm-mmm,” Daniel sighed, as they leaned their foreheads together, something Jack and Daniel often did as a sign of their oneness and harmony together.
“You sure?” Jack asked. When Daniel nodded, he continued, “For the record, Angel, I felt a connection between us when we worked together to close that valve. It was strong and scared the living crap out of me. Remember how I stared at you?”
“I remember.”
“I felt something so strong, and I didn't know what to make of it, so I did the only thing I knew to do. I ran to Carter, but nothing ever happened, Danny. I swear to you, I didn't even kiss her, not once.”
“Bet you thought about it, though,” Daniel accused lightly, trying to keep his jealousy going, but that kiss had sent a sparkling chill up his spine, one that made him tingly with love and anticipation of what would happen soon between them.
“I love you, Danny. Okay, I love Carter, too, but only as a friend, which you know. But, you, Angel, you're my heart, my soul, and my life. Only you, My Love ... only you,” Jack sighed into Daniel's mouth, ravishing it as much as he could.
“Hmm ... dress blues ... love your dress blues, Jack,” Daniel gasped in deep want, need, and lust.
“Just a uniform.”
“Na-huh -- sexy.”
Daniel sounded almost intoxicated, and Jack loved it, though he was getting lost in his lover's body himself. Daniel wearing cutoffs was the next best thing to Daniel naked, in Jack's opinion.
“I want you, Jack.”
“You have me; always will,” the older man vowed.
“Promise?”
“Promise -- an oath and a vow,” Jack stated from the depths of his heart and soul.
“Vow?”
The two shared a look of meaning, wondering if someday their relationship would reach a point where they'd actually think about pledging their love openly, in front of others. They didn't know, but right now, they shared a silent vow, of forever and always, of eternity.
Jack smiled as they kissed again and commented, “Vows have their strong points.”
“I want you, Jack,” Daniel repeated.
“Not arguing,” the older man whispered as they kissed again, their hardened shafts begging for attention, Daniel's hold on Jack firm.
“I don't suppose you'd consider letting me get out of this uniform.”
Daniel shook his head, responding, “We'll get it cleaned. Please, Jack. Love you so much. Want you now.” His eyes blazed with passion. “In those clothes. I want to feel them against me.”
“You know what, Danny?”
“What?”
“I think I'm going to give up on ever going to that air show. We seem to always have more important things to do,” Jack mentioned and then kissed his heart tenderly.
“Was there one today?” Daniel queried.
“There was a special display with a couple of a air exhibitions scheduled, but I'm not sure we would have gotten there in time, anyway. Besides, you're all I need, all I want,” Jack declared.
“Make love to me, Jack.”
“Love you so friggin' much,” Jack said, as he began to ravish his lover, their bodies fusing together, melding into one.
Jack figured someday he might get to see the air show again, but even if he didn't, he was happier now than he'd ever been, and he'd choose his lover over an airplane any day, though he knew he couldn't admit that to his friends.
Daniel, meanwhile, figured that he might never fix the air conditioning and heating unit. He'd just wear his cutoffs, knowing it would lead to lovemaking with Jack. Life couldn't get better.
Not caring about the heat in the air, the lovers fell asleep after their union, completely satiated and blissful, knowing that their love would get them through anything. Even in their most difficult times, their love would be just under the surface, waiting to be cherished and treasured in their forever.
Feedback Welcome - click here to email the author
