~I didn't have a choice, Love. Teal'c would have killed you. I had to shoot. I had to.~
//Flashback//
From the control room, Jack prepared to use the microphone to call out to his lover. Daniel was scheduled to go off-world with SG-11, only there was a problem. Something crazy was happening at the SGC, and Jack suspected his lover was now an unwitting part of it.
The event horizon shimmering, SG-11 began to walk up the ramp when suddenly the Stargate shut down.
“Daniel!” Jack called out.
Hearing his name, Daniel turned and looked up at the general.
“Report back to the infirmary,” Jack ordered.
Without warning, Daniel grabbed a member of SG-11 from behind and pulled out his Beretta, aiming it at the man. In a flash, the SF’s guarding the gate room drew their weapons, aiming their guns at the archaeologist.
Daniel held the gun to the airman's ribs and ordered, “Open the Gate! Do it, now!”
Jack's heart was in this throat. His personnel were ready to kill his husband, and his husband was acting like a stranger, seemingly ready to kill an innocent man.
**Danny, what in Netu are you doing?**
Getting no response, Jack's anxiety rose. The situation was escalating by the second. He grabbed a pistol from an Airman in the control room and moved swiftly to the gate room, but gunfire had already begun. An SF had taken aim at Daniel, and Daniel had fired, wounding him. He turned and shot a second serviceman. Jack rounded the corner at that point and saw what was happening.
**Daniel, stop! They'll kill you!**
Daniel maneuvered his hostage down the ramp, but when they reached the bottom, Teal'c blasted them with his zat gun. The two collapsed onto the floor. Somehow, though struggling, Daniel was able to get up onto his knees. His Beretta lay temptingly on the floor in front of him.
“DANIEL!” Jack shouted, aiming his gun at his spouse, and at the same time seeing Teal'c still pointing the zat gun at Daniel. **Two zat blasts kills, Daniel. DANIEL!**
Apparently hearing none of his lover's silent communications, Daniel grabbed his Beretta and pointed it towards Jack, who immediately fired, wounding the archaeologist in the shoulder. The young man fell to the floor, unable to move.
//End of Flashback//
~You didn't listen. I don't understand, Danny. Why?~ Jack stood. He was a general now; he had obligations, which meant he had to leave; he couldn't do his usual bedside vigil. ~It's times like this that I really hate being a general. Blast Janet for being on vacation now, too. It's not that I don't trust Brightman, the Doc would go the extra mile. I love you, Danny. Don't worry, we'll figure out whatever this is. I'll be back.~
====
The next day, Daniel sat up on the side of his bed in an isolation room. He'd awoken a few minutes earlier, completely confused as to what he was doing in the infirmary.
“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Daniel asked as Doctor Brightman and SG-1, including Jack, entered the room.
“You're recovering from a gunshot wound,” Brightman answered.
“What?”
The others were surprised at the shock in Daniel's tone.
“You have no recollection of the incident?” Teal'c asked.
Daniel was frustrated as he answered, “No!” More insistently, he asked, “Who shot me?”
“Don't ... change the subject. What do you remember?” Jack asked, pointlessly trying to conceal the truth.
“Uh, I went to see Colonel Vaselov, and right in the middle of our conversation he collapsed, and I went to help him and, ... that's it.”
Sam asked, “You don't remember accompanying him to the infirmary?”
“No!” Daniel answered again. ~This is weird. Something's off; they're avoiding my question.~ Suspiciously, he asked again, “Who shot me?”
Sam glanced towards Jack. Teal'c, too, gave a slight nod towards the brigadier general. Jack looked back and forth at his teammates, and then at Daniel.
**YOU SHOT ME!** Daniel shouted via the lover's special non-verbal communication. He took a deep breath upon realizing it was Jack who had wounded him. He looked incredulously at his lover. ~Jack shot me!~
Defensively, the older man rationalized, “You were shooting up the gate room.” **You would have shot me, if the situation were reversed.**
Sam tried to help her CO out by saying, “You wounded two guards. We think we may be dealing with a foothold situation, specifically an alien entity capable of taking over human hosts, not unlike the Goa'uld, and it seems to be able to travel from person to person.”
As they talked, Daniel realized that Anubis had been controlling him and that the half-human, half-Ascended being was still on the base, going from body to body as he sought passage through the Stargate and freedom from the Tau'ri world.
====
No longer confined to the infirmary, Daniel tapped on the doorframe of Jack's office and asked, “Mind if I come in?” ~Better say 'no'!~
“You're not supposed to be walking around,” Jack responded. ~Geez, I feel so guilty.~
With a bit of attitude, Daniel replied, “It's my *arm*,” as he sat down.
“You were *shot*.”
Daniel smirked, “I know; you shot me.” ~And, don't worry, revenge is mine, sayeth ... me!~
“Not the point,” Jack refuted, wishing Daniel would forget that not-so-little fact. ~He's up to something.~
Daniel proceeded to discuss the situation they were faced with, namely that Anubis was still on the base, going from body to body.
Jack agreed that there was little they could do since they couldn't catch or kill him, but knew his lover had an idea.
~It's in his very adorable blue eyes,~ the older man thought. Out loud, he prompted, “So ...?”
“We let the Ancients deal with him.”
Skeptically, Jack replied, “Yes, because they've *always* been so helpful.”
“If he uses his powers as an Ascended being, he's breaking the rules. They *will* take action,” Daniel said, wincing, saying “Ow,” and clutching his shoulder. He could see Jack cringe at his 'pain'. ~Paybacks, Love.~
In fact, even though Daniel had lost a lot of blood at the time of the injury, the wound hadn't been serious. His shoulder only gave him twinges of pain, but he wasn't ready to let his soulmate off the hook just yet.
The archaeologist continued, “We just have to, uh, take away his other options.”
“Uh-huh. I assume you have a plan?” Jack asked. ~You wouldn't be smirking at me like that, if you didn't.~
Daniel just stared at his lover for a moment, then said, “Of course,” and smiled alluringly. “Ow,” he said as he leaned forward.
“Daniel.”
“Yes, Jack.”
“How long do you think it's going to be before you're completely recovered?”
Thoughtfully, the younger man answered, “Could be ... months.”
Jack's face drew back into a regretful smile as he questioned, “You're not going to let me forget this, are you?”
“Forget what, Jack?”
“That I ... you know.”
“You know?” Daniel repeated, raising his eyebrows, clearly meaning a different 'you know' than Jack had just discussed.
Jack sighed, ~Nope, not going to let me forget.~ With a nod, he asked, “Daniel, what's your plan?”
====
“That was just insane,” Jack commented as he and Daniel arrived home from the SGC.
The lovers had spent a week at the Mountain during the lockdown, and this was their first chance to go home.
“At least some good came out of it,” Daniel remarked.
“Yeah, Anubis is a popsicle,” Jack chuckled lightly, referring to the outcome of the situation.
Having invaded Jack's body, Anubis had been about to go through the Stargate when he had been confronted by the Russian Colonel Vaselov. The Russian was dying, his immune system permanently damaged due to the length of time Anubis had first inhabited his body. Knowing he had only a short time to live, Vaselov offered his own body as a vessel for Anubis. What the evil being didn't know was that Sam had fooled him, changing the destination of the planet Anubis thought he was going to, to one that was a chilly, frostbitten wasteland. Almost from the second Vaselov had arrived on the planet and the Stargate had shut down, Anubis and his host had been frozen.
Once inside their house, Daniel hurried to the patio door and let in Bijou and Katie, their two beautiful beagles.
“Gawd, I missed you.”
“I missed you runts, too,” Jack added.
“They're not runts,” the younger man refuted.
“Hey, they know I love them, don't ya, Girls?”
Bijou ran up to Daniel who had sat on the floor and sniffed his injured shoulder, giving him a questioning look.
“It's not too bad, Bij. Jack shot me, but I'll survive,” Daniel said, patting the beagle.
Almost as if she understood his words, Bijou turned and glared at Jack.
“Hey! He was shooting up the gate room! I had to shoot him to save his life. Danny, help me out here,” Jack pleaded.
Daniel sighed, knowing he needed to admit the truth, and said, “He probably did the right thing, Bij.”
“Probably? PROBABLY?” Jack asked incredulously.
Daniel smirked, “Go on, Girl. Make him feel better.”
With that, the mama beagle ran up to Jack, followed by Katie.
Jack lamented, “You don't think I wanted to shoot him, do ya? Geez, I love the geek.”
~Reprieve time.~ Daniel heard the vulnerability in Jack's voice. All joking aside, shooting one's soulmate is a traumatic thing to have to do, so he smiled and said reassuringly, “You had to do it, Jack.”
The lovers spent a good hour playing with their beagles. They were grateful they had a good neighbor like Mrs. Valissi who they could always count on to take care of the girls when work prevented them from coming home.
“Danny, I'm going to order us a pizza.”
Daniel smiled, then got lost in thought as he etched out his plans in his mind.
~Okay, O'Neill, time for some quality payback. You're mine for two days, and I plan to make the most of them before we let the lockdown and everything associated with it become nothing but history. After all, My Love, I'm not mad, but I am going to get even.~
“Daniel? Are you okay? You look ... intense,” Jack observed a bit warily.
“Just thinking, that's all. Order Chinese.”
“Next time. I've been wanting extra cheese and all the trimmings for days. Supreme with ...” Jack's words ceased. He watched as Daniel grimaced and flinched his shoulder dramatically. The young man raised his right hand to the wound and pressed gently, letting a tiny “Ow” escape from his throat. “Chinese?” Jack asked weakly.
“That would be great, Babe. Thank you,” Daniel replied with a smile and then continued to play with the dogs, his shoulder wound apparently not causing him any more pain.
~I am *so* in trouble,~ Jack thought as he watched his lover suspiciously for a moment before heading for the phone.
**Yes, you are,** Daniel confirmed.
**Daniel, get out of my brain.**
**I love your brain,** the younger man teased.
**Geek.**
**Fly Boy.**
**I still want pizza,** Jack maintained.
**And I still want Chinese; it'll be easier on my shoulder.**
Jack put the phone down and stared at Daniel, asking incredulously, “Easier on your shoulder?”
“Yeah, you know how heavy those pizza slices are,” Daniel said, trying not to laugh at himself.
“Heavy? Daniel, you're ...”
“Ow. Oh, sorry, Jack. I moved too fast. What were you going to say?”
Defeated, Jack groaned, “That I'm going to order Chinese now.”
“Thanks, Love.”
~Dead. I'm such dead meat.~
====
Daniel leaned back on the sofa. Behind him were two large pillows. His feet were up, and he was happily devouring the last of his Chinese dinner.
“Jack, Love, it's time for 'History's Mysteries'. Would you mind turning on the television?”
“Daniel,” Jack said from his spot in his favorite chair, “the remote control is right by you on the coffee table.”
“Yes, I know, but I'm so comfy. I'd have to fully sit up, and besides, it would disturb Bij,” Daniel explained, looking at the sleeping beagle that lay atop his lap.
“Right,” Jack responded, throwing down the newspaper, kicking his ottoman away, putting his own box of Chinese food down, and getting up to walk to the coffee table. He picked up the remote and turned on the television to the appropriate channel. “Anything else, Your Lordship?”
“Pepsi, please.”
“Pepsi?”
“I know we still have some,” Daniel pointed out. “I'm dying for a Pepsi, Jack,” he said, wincing as he moved his shoulder.
“Right,” Jack said again, heading for the kitchen. ~I'm not in trouble; I'm trapped in a friggin' nightmare.~
====
Daniel stretched from his position on the bed. His body arched as he moved his arms and legs in an effort to wake up his body. His shoulder was really much better now, and he was able to move it fairly freely. Of course, that didn't mean he was quite ready to let his lover off the hook for shooting him.
It was at that moment that Jack walked back into the bedroom. He stared at his sexy soulmate, the southern part of his region beginning to react to the younger man's actions.
“Danny, you do that again, and I'm going to ravish your body.”
“Promise?”
“Promise!”
Daniel stretched, accentuating his motions even more, and then enjoyed a thorough morning ravishing by his husband.
====
“That's my favorite way to wake up,” Daniel chimed as the lovers snuggled.
They had made love, taken a shower, and then decided to snuggle some more.
“I'm fond of it myself,” Jack replied, kissing the middle of Daniel's chest. “More than fond even.”
“Jack?”
“Yes, Babe?”
“I'm hungry.”
“For me or food?”
“Always for you, but, uh, actually, I was thinking breakfast.”
“Danny, have you looked at the clock? It's almost noon,” Jack pointed out.
“I know, but I'd like a couple of waffles, and maybe even one of your special omelets,” Daniel requested.
“For lunch?” Jack asked in disbelief.
“For breakfast.”
With a shrug, the older man agreed, “Okay, let's go.”
“Actually, I think I'll stay here and just ... relax.”
~Right.~ Jack gave an inward groan. He knew what this was. Still, it was worth a try. “Why don't you come and help me?”
“I was thinking breakfast in bed would be great. Don't forget orange juice, freshly squeezed.”
“Freshly squeezed?” Jack asked, looking at Daniel as if the young man had lost his mind.
“We have oranges in the refrigerator and a juicer. Use it.”
“Why don't you make it?”
“Ow!” Daniel responded, making a pained face, his head moving to the left.
“Ow?”
“Shoulder. I was ...”
“Shot,” they said at the same time.
“Yes, you shot me.”
“I remember, Daniel.”
“Freshly squeezed, Jack.”
“Daniel, the only thing I liked freshly squeezed is my ...”
“Jack! We've done that ... and if you're good, we'll do it again, but right now, I'm hungry, and ... ow ...” Daniel moved his shoulder, creating the impression of being in great agony.
“Breakfast ...” Jack began.
“In bed,” Daniel completed.
After Jack got up and put on his sweats, he verified, “Waffles ...”
“And your special omelet,” Daniel reminded.
“Right,” Jack sighed and then headed for the door.
“And orange juice ...”
“Freshly squeezed,” both men spoke in unison.
~It's not a nightmare, it's slavery,~ Jack bemoaned.
====
“That was yummy. Thank you, Babe,” Daniel said, setting aside his tray.
“I'm glad you liked it,” Jack smirked, feeling rather proud of the fact that Daniel wasn't wearing the tray and its contents. In the past twenty minutes, he'd been up and down the stairs several times. ~This isn't the way I want to exercise with Danny.~
“Babe, more juice, please.”
“Jack, I'd love another piece of bread.”
“Love, would you get me the pepper?”
Jack thought maybe he was in the clear, but then he heard his lover call out to him yet again.
“Jack, would you bring me the newspaper?” Daniel requested.
“The newspaper?”
“Yeah, you know, that thing that comes rolled up, kills a plant every day because the paper person can never hit the porch, has news ... printed on paper -- the newspaper.”
“Daniel, you never read the newspaper upstairs.”
“But I want to ... today,” Daniel stated.
“In bed?” Jack asked emphatically.
Daniel smiled, then winced, moving his shoulder at just the right moment.
“Right,” the older man said dryly, debating whether or not the satisfaction of murder was worth the time in jail.
Jack shook his head and returned with the morning newspaper, throwing it onto the bed.
“Take the rubber band off.”
“What?” Jack asked incredulously. ~No witnesses; I can arrange that.~
“I have a paper cut; don't want to hurt it undoing the paper,” Daniel spoke, sounding very much like an innocent child.
“A ... *paper cut*?” ~Any jury would understand.~
Daniel held up his finger to demonstrate, whining, “See.”
Jack picked up the paper and considered swatting Daniel with it. Instead, he opened it and dramatically placed it on Daniel's lap.
“Anything else?” the older man asked.
“Hmmm, no.”
“Good,” Jack expressed in relief.
“Not until we leave for the museum,” Daniel stated.
“Museum? WHAT museum?”
“In Denver. There's an exhibit that ...” the archaeologist began.
“No way, Daniel; not today. I'm catching up on 'The Simpsons',” the general insisted.
“You can ... catch up later,” Daniel suggested strongly.
“NO!”
“Ow!” Daniel said loudly, his face grimacing. He circled the wound from the gunshot with his hand. “Still hurts,” he exaggerated at the tiny twinge he had barely felt.
~Con artist,~ Jack sighed. “What time?”
“We leave in an hour,” Daniel smirked with a broadening grin.
“Right.”
Jack mumbled as he walked downstairs.
As his lover disappeared from his sight, Daniel chuckled and enjoyed reading the newspaper in bed.
====
“Well, that was an intergalactic waste of ...” Jack stopped his mouth from swallowing his foot as he saw the 'thou shalt be sleeping alone tonight' stare being directed his way from his very sexy lover. “... of ...” Jack looked around, desperately trying to think of something, anything that would free him from the impending disaster before him. “... of ... oh crap.”
Daniel folded his arms and silently walked towards the truck without saying a word.
“Danny?” Jack called out, hurrying after him. “Daniel, I meant ...”
“I know what you meant, Jack. Let's go.”
~Crap! Sometimes, O'Neill, you're mouth is bigger than your ... nah.~
“Wrong direction,” Daniel said as Jack took a right turn on the first main street.
“This is the way home.”
“We're not going home. We're going to an art show at the Hyatt,” the younger man stated.
“Dan...” It wasn't Daniel's death glare this time, but another painful look on the younger man's face, accompanied by massaging of his wounded shoulder. “Art show.”
“At the Hyatt,” Daniel affirmed.
“Right,” Jack grumbled lightly. ~It's not slavery; it's non-existence.~
====
“Jack ...”
Daniel wiggled his feet alluringly as he lay on the sofa.
“Toe cramp?”
“Would you massage my feet? We walked a lot today. They're ... tired.”
Normally, Jack would leap at such an invitation, but for the last thirty-six hours, his life had been one “Jack, would you ...” after another. Daniel was getting every ounce of payback he could for Jack's shooting him in the shoulder, and they both knew it. Still, Jack couldn't deny his lover, and for the next several hours, he continued to be Daniel's slave.
====
Late that night, an hour or two after they had gone to bed, Daniel woke up alone.
“He knows I *hate* this,” Daniel moaned to the air as he got up. He put on his robe and went in search of his lover, finding him exactly where he suspected Jack would be -- on the roof deck. ~Jack.~
The older man sat in one of the two chairs that were always on the deck. He was leaning forward, his hands playing with a now-empty beer bottle.
Daniel walked behind his soulmate's chair and wrapped his hands around Jack's neck. He placed a kiss on his nape and another on his temple. Then, gently, he pulled his lover back so that he was sitting upright. Daniel began to massage Jack's shoulders.
After a few moments, Daniel spoke softly, “Thank you.”
Jack blinked, confused, and inquired, “Why are you thanking me?”
As his hands rubbed the length of Jack's shoulders, warming them as he continued the massage, Daniel answered, “For shooting me.”
“You're thanking me for shooting you?”
With tenderness in his voice, Daniel spoke firmly, “Jack, during the lockdown, I got the full story, and I saw the security tape showing what happened in the gate room.”
Daniel felt Jack fidget and tense slightly, but his fingers held the older man in place. He leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on top of Jack's head. Then he wrapped his arms around Jack again, his hands reaching inside Jack's pajama top to caress and warm the skin there.
“My Love, if you had waited one more second, Teal'c would have zatted me a second time, and I'd be dead. If, by some miracle, he hadn't fired, one of the SFs would have, and the result would be the same -- I'd be dead. And, if neither of those two situations occurred, then you might be dead, or more of the SFs guarding the gate room might have been injured, or even killed. This is important, Jack. Your action stopped me from hurting others, and what I treasure, even more than that, is that by shooting me, you prevented me from hurting the most precious part of my life -- you.”
Daniel moved in front of Jack and knelt down on his haunches. He took his lover's hands in his and held them, lovingly caressing them.
“Jack, you saved me, us, you, the SFs ... *you* saved all of us by doing what you had to do, and,” Daniel smiled, “you shot me in the best place you could have, where it would do the least amount of damage. You did good.”
Jack snorted and said, “Shooting you is doing good?”
“In this circumstance, it's very good.”
“I shot you, Angel.”
“You had no choice,” Daniel refuted. Then he kissed the palms of Jack's hands, and leaned his cheek into one of them. He caressed his cheek against the palm, and repeated, “You had no choice.” He kissed the tip of Jack's middle finger as he looked up and gazed into Jack's eyes. “You saved us. I love you, so much, Jack, for having the courage to do that. Look at me ... hear me ... I ... *love* you.”
“Does that mean I can watch Homer tomorrow?”
Daniel chuckled, “We have to go to work tomorrow.”
“Oh. Hey, wait a minute, I'm the general. I don't have to go to work if I don't want to.”
Daniel moved upward and kissed his husband, saying, “I wish we could stay home for a week, or go to the cabin, or ... it doesn't matter, just ... be together somewhere, but you're My General, General, and you have a base to command.”
“Sometimes, I'm not sure I like this job,” Jack sighed.
“You make a great general,” Daniel opined.
“Danny, do you know what's happened during the first days of my generaldom?”
Daniel smiled as he answered, “Transition, Babe. It just takes a little time, and I'm sure General Hammond will say the same thing when you talk to him about him in Washington.”
“How'd you know I was going to do that?” Jack asked.
“Because a part of you is still scared, and you want to know if the general felt the same way during his first command. You respect him, Jack, maybe more than you've respected any military officer in your career. You wait -- he'll tell you his first days were a nightmare, too.”
Jack looked at his lover with curiosity, suspecting that he knew something that he didn't. Still, he'd find out when he met with Hammond the next day and preferred to focus on other things for the moment.
“I love you, Danny.”
“I love you, too. Let's go back to bed. I think I have something ... to freshly squeeze,” Daniel said with a wink.
“Now you're talking,” Jack agreed, smiling at last. As they reached the ladder, Jack stopped and faced his lover. “Danny, does it really hurt?”
“No, only the first day and just a tad after that. I promise, Jack, it doesn't hurt,” Daniel spoke honestly.
“I love you so friggin' much, Daniel.”
“Show me.”
Unable to wait any longer, they made love on the roof deck, each warming the other to completion as they fused their bodies together.
====
“Daniel,” Jack asked as he helped his lover stand up after their love fest.
“Yes, Babe?”
“Are you going to let me forget that little incident in the gate room now?
“What incident?” Daniel questioned with a smile and then leaned in to kiss his lover.
~Whew. Was starting to think he'd hold that against me forever.~
The couple again reached the ladder, and, this time, Daniel turned to look at Jack.
“Jack?”
“Yes, Love?”
“Who shot me?”
With a smirk, Daniel climbed down the ladder.
~It *is* a friggin' nightmare ... and slavery, and blasted, it's not fair. It's ... it's ... heaven. Every second with him is heaven.~
“Hey, you staying up there, or ...”
“I'll take the 'or',” Jack quickly responded as he climbed down the ladder, happy to be Daniel's slave for eternity.
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