SG-1 were running for their lives, heading back towards the Stargate, fighting an ongoing battle with Jaffa as they ran.
“Dial us out, Daniel,” Jack yelled over the roar of firing staff weapons and the chatter of their guns.
Daniel skidded to a stop by the DHD and started slapping the chevrons that would dial Earth. Jack stood in front of him, providing cover fire. Teal’c was to one side, firing his staff weapon steadily at the tree line where the following Jaffa were located. The fourth member of the team, Captain Tom Douglas, was out beyond Teal’c’s position, also firing into the tree line.
At last the seventh chevron engaged and the ‘gate whooshed into life, the wormhole shooting out then falling back to stabilise into the customary blue pool. Daniel sent the iris signal with his GDO which would allow the team to pass safely through the ‘gate to Earth.
“Go Daniel!” Jack called immediately when he heard the other man call out the okay to travel. Daniel didn’t hesitate, running straight for the ‘gate and through the event horizon to exit on the other side back in the SGC facility on Earth.
Jack backed slowly but steadily towards the ‘gate, keeping up a continuous stream of bullets from his gun as he did so.
“Teal’c, Douglas, time to go!” he called. He waited by the steps leading up to the ‘gate, watching the other two men backing towards him. Teal’c was slightly closer to Jack and for a moment, he eclipsed the Colonel’s view of the Captain. A scream sounded and Teal’c was moving forward again.
“Teal’c!” Jack yelled. Then Teal’c had moved enough to allow him to see that Douglas was down, hit by staff weapon fire.
Seconds later, Teal’c was again moving towards the Stargate, with the added burden of Douglas’s body in his arms. He continued to fire his staff weapon back towards the tree line as he ran. Jack provided cover fire as well, stopping briefly to change the clip on his P90 as he moved backwards.
“O’Neill!” Teal’c called as they came alongside each other. Jack looked at Douglas, but couldn’t tell if he was alive or dead.
“Let’s blow this joint!” Jack yelled, throwing his last grenade hard as the first Jaffa appeared out of the tree line. Teal’c gave a short nod and together they plunged up the steps and through the event horizon.
A few nauseating seconds later, they were safely on the other side, one yelling, “Close it up!” as the other yelled for medics.
The scene in the ‘gate room was controlled chaos. Medics swarmed forward, relieving Teal’c of his burden while other men collected their weapons and packs from them. General Hammond stood at the foot of the ramp, watching the scene; Daniel was next to him with an anxious look on his face.
The ‘gate powered down and the medics wheeled Douglas away to the Infirmary, calling out instructions to each other as they went. Jack stood at the top of the ramp in the sudden silence, seeing Daniel’s worried countenance. He allowed the briefest of smiles to show on his face to reassure his lover that he was okay. Teal’c stood in front of General Hammond, waiting to give his report and Jack strode down the ramp at the General’s inquisitive look to join them.
“What happened to Tom?” Daniel asked immediately, before anyone else had a chance to speak.
“I didn’t see,” Jack said hesitantly, turning to look at Teal’c.
“He was hit by a staff weapon,” Teal’c said, a minute tremor passing through him as he spoke. “I killed the Jaffa who hit him. I regret I did not see the warrior in time to prevent injury to the Captain.”
“I’m sure you did your best son,” General Hammond said. “We’ll leave the debrief for now, why don’t you all get on down to the Infirmary, get yourselves checked and find out how the Captain is doing.”
“Yes sir,” Jack said automatically, turning to leave the ‘gate room immediately. Daniel and Teal’c followed close behind him.
As soon as they reached the Infirmary, Jack asked how Douglas was doing.
“He’s in OR, sir,” the nurse replied as he led Jack to one of the beds. Jack nodded; knowing Warner would do his best for the Captain, as he always did when someone was injured.
Just as their medical checks were finished, Dr Warner came out of the OR, removing his surgical mask as he did so.
“Doctor?” Jack immediately moved forward, concerned by the slump in the man’s shoulders.
Warner looked up at Jack and shook his head. “I’m sorry sir,” he said.
He didn’t need to say anymore. Jack looked past him to the door of the OR, a bleak expression on his face. A soft touch on his arm made him look round and he saw Daniel at his side, sorrow and pain clear in his expression.
“I’m sure you did everything you could, Dr Warner,” Daniel said quietly but firmly.
Teal’c came to stand at the other side of Jack. “It was a very severe wound, I do not believe even a Jaffa could have survived it,” he offered, giving his own brand of reassurance.
“Doctor Warner?” General Hammond’s voice made the other four look around, startled by the voice. Warner shook his head again and Hammond gave a short nod of understanding. He turned to look at the bleak faces of the rest of SG-1.
“Why don’t you all go and get some rest in your quarters?” he suggested. “The debrief can wait until the morning, 0800 hours.”
“Yes sir,” Daniel said. Teal’c bowed in agreement. After a long minute, Jack looked up at his commanding officer; he too merely nodded in agreement, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.
The trio walked to their base quarters in silence, each lost in their own memories of the Captain. When they reached the door to Teal’c’s room, they stopped and said goodnight to each other.
“I will be fine, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said as he saw the question in Daniel’s eyes.
“Okay, Teal’c,” Daniel replied. “See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight O’Neill, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c replied, inclining his head before turning into his quarters.
“Night Teal’c,” Jack said half-heartedly.
Daniel and Jack moved on down the corridor towards their own quarters. As befitted the 2IC of the SGC, Jack’s quarters were quite a bit larger than standard. They were also in the section reserved for officers and their partners, rather than the B. O. Q. where Teal’c’s quarters were situated. He also had the additional privilege of an en-suite bathroom; even if it was tiny, it was still private. This was something Daniel was glad of right now.
Inside their quarters, Daniel took a moment to look around the room and think how comforting it was to be home, even if it was only on Base, rather than their own house in the suburbs of Colorado Springs. The room was decorated in an eclectic style, reflecting the tastes of both men. The walls were hung with a variety of artefacts and pictures and books were scattered on every surface. Somehow, though, the room looked homey and lived-in rather than cluttered and untidy. (The center of attention), hanging above their bureau, was a large frame containing a montage of pictures arranged by Jack, showing both men and their families and friends. It included a shot of the two of them on Abydos with Skaara, Sha’uri and Kasuf, Jack with Charlie Kawalsky and Lou Ferretti, a rare photograph of Daniel with his parents and a single picture of Jack’s son Charlie as a young child.
Jack stood passively, just inside the door to the room, so Daniel crossed back to him and shut and locked the door. Then he drew Jack forward with him.
“How about a shower?” he asked. Jack nodded agreement, so Daniel set about finding towels and turning the shower on to heat the water. As he moved about, he wondered why he seemed to be handling things so much better than Jack. He realised the truth immediately – he wasn’t coping at all, he had buried his feelings instinctively, preferring to concentrate on what his partner was going through instead. Denial was a typical reaction to grief and loss and one Daniel had become accustomed to experiencing during his childhood, moving from home to home, until in the end he had stopped attaching himself to anyone in order to prevent the inevitable hurt moving on caused him.
Jack had gone so far as removing his T-shirt, pants and boots, but not his underwear by the time Daniel returned to him, so Daniel drew him into the tiny bathroom and finished undressing him before quickly stripping off his own clothes and leading Jack into the shower cubicle.
Once beneath the hot spray of water, Daniel took up the shower gel and began washing Jack, slowly and (lovingly), his touch designed to relax and reassure rather than arouse. Jack allowed the gentle touches, moving as Daniel directed, but not actively participating. When he had finished with Jack’s body, Daniel exchanged the shower gel for the shampoo, glad of an opportunity to touch Jack’s hair. He loved to run his fingers through the short gray strands, which were surprisingly soft to the touch. Having rinsed the shampoo away, he repeated the process with the conditioner.
As he turned back towards Jack after he had replaced the bottle of conditioner on the small shelf, he was surprised by the other man’s arms coming around his neck and Jack’s nose and mouth nuzzling against the skin of his neck. He responded automatically, putting his arms around Jack’s waist, running one hand up his lover’s back in a soothing motion. Jack responded by licking Daniel’s neck and nibbling on one ear lobe.
Daniel moaned, an involuntary sound, responding to the assault on one of his most erogenous zones. Blindly he turned his head, seeking a kiss from the lips of his beloved. Jack gave a small chuckle, making his chest vibrate against Daniel’s, then their lips met in a kiss, tongues plunging into each other’s mouths as they struggled to get into each other’s skin.
When the kiss eventually had to end to allow them to gulp in oxygen, Jack immediately started to attack Daniel’s neck and ear again, alternating long wet swipes of his tongue with nibbles and kisses. Daniel moaned roughly, resting his forehead against Jack’s. He moved one hand to Jack’s hips, dragging him impossibly closer and bringing their groins clashing together in such a way as to make them both moan and Jack’s teeth broke Daniel’s skin leaving a red passion mark on his neck.
Daniel raised one leg and hooked it around Jack, increasing the friction. Overhead, the water continued to pour down on them, hot as ever, thanks to the Base’s heating facilities. One of Daniel’s hands came between them to tweak on a nipple, pinching and rubbing it erect. Then the long fingers trailed through Jack’s chest hair towards its mate and repeated the actions. Jack’s fingers gripped Daniel’s butt in a bruising grip and their lips met in another kiss of lip-swelling intensity.
Daniel pulled his mouth free and slithered down Jack’s body, trailing fiery kisses the length of his torso until he reached the erect cock jutting upwards. Without preliminaries or hesitation, Daniel swallowed him to the root, hearing Jack’s ecstatic scream as he did so. Daniel set an energetic pace, sucking and licking hard, urgent in his desire to bring Jack to orgasm. At the same time, one slick finger slid inside Jack’s passage, unerringly seeking out his prostate and eliciting another scream of pleasure as he scraped the hot spot.
Jack’s hands tangled in Daniel’s hair, gripping him as he thrust into the welcoming heat of his lover’s mouth, Daniel enthusiastically taking the pace that Jack was setting as he strained for completion. Two fingers now worked inside Jack, preparing him for penetration.
Finally, Jack’s orgasm hit him hard and he shot his come into Daniel’s throat, trembling with the intensity of his feelings. Eventually, he collapsed, Daniel’s arms catching him as he fell. Daniel’s hands soothed the aftermath, kissing the tears he was unsurprised to find on Jack’s face.
When Jack finally recovered, he lifted his face to Daniel and they kissed languidly for several minutes.
“Let’s move,” Daniel eventually whispered in Jack’s ear, sure that Jack’s knees must be aching from their awkward position in the bottom of the shower, despite the renewed beginnings of arousal his lover was experiencing. Jack nodded agreement and they staggered to their feet, Daniel reaching to shut off the water.
They dried off quickly and moved into the bedroom. Jack lay face down on the bed and Daniel moved to straddle his hips, reaching for the massage oil as he settled into position. Warming a handful of oil in his palms, he then started a slow massage, stroking his hands across Jack’s back, rubbing the residual tension from the muscles.
As he worked his way lower, he enjoyed the sounds of pleasure coming from the man beneath him. Finally, he reached Jack’s backside and he caressed the buttocks, allowing his fingers to move towards the entrance to his lover slowly, until he was ready to dip his fingers inside again, stretching and loosening the passage ready to accept him.
When Jack’s hips began to move back towards him, Daniel decided he was ready. Replacing the massage oil with lube, he coated himself carefully, then moved at last to enter his lover’s body. He eased in slowly and gently, knowing exactly how to give Jack the maximum pleasure from their long experience together.
Eventually, he was inside to the hilt and Jack had raised himself up onto his knees, desperate for Daniel to move inside him. They made love slowly and steadily, building to the inevitable climax but prolonging the end as long as possible. Daniel took Jack’s erection in hand and began to pump as he increased the speed of his thrusts, wanting them to finish together if possible.
And somehow, they did. It was as earth-shattering as ever, like the first time all over again. When Daniel finally withdrew from Jack, he picked up one of the towels they had discarded earlier to clean them both up. Then Jack pulled him into his arms and drew the blankets over them.
“Thank you,” he said softly and sincerely. “I love you so much Daniel. Thank you for giving me this.”
Daniel gave him a sleepy smile and kissed his chin. “I love you too and it was hardly one-sided Jack,” he said. “I got just as much pleasure from this as you did.”
“Well thanks anyway,” Jack said, shrugging a shoulder. “You gave me yourself wholeheartedly and knew just what I needed to deal with what happened out there today.”
Daniel stroked the shoulder he was snuggled against. “It was for me too,” he said. Then he yawned. “Let’s sleep, hmm?” he said.
Jack kissed his hair. “Sounds good to me,” he said. And snuggling in together, they were able to do just that.
