by ALF
"I wish we'd gone to California," one man said to the other.
"Yeah, well, we have to go where we're sent," the second man replied. "And we were sent here. You should just be grateful it wasn't Alaska." He took a sip from his beer bottle, studying his companion as he did so.
The two men had little in common to the casual observer. One looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, with greying hair and lines on his face. The other was obviously much younger, but if one looked closely, it was apparent that he took had lines on his face, marks of suffering and pain as well as laughter and joy.
Both men looked fit and strong, but the older had more of an air of someone who worked out, whilst his companion had the air of someone who had been born with good genes.
"So how long do we have to wait here for?" the younger man asked his companion, who shrugged one-shouldered in reply.
"As long as it takes," he said. A grunt and a nod acknowledged the reply as they both sipped beer again.
Just then the doorbell pinged, heralding the arrival of a new customer. Both men looked up automatically to check out the newcomer. They then looked back down again when they realised it wasn't the person they were waiting for.
The waitress approached them. "Can I get you guys anything else?" she asked.
"'Nother one of these please," the older man lifted his bottle in her direction briefly before taking another mouthful. The waitress nodded.
"And you sir?" she turned to the younger man, beaming a smile at him, hoping to catch his attention. It was a waste of time however, as he did not even look round as he shook his head in response to her question. His gaze was fixed out the window at the commuters rushing past on their way home.
As the waitress walked away, trying to hide her disappointment, the older man looked at his companion.
"You're breaking that girl's heart, Daniel" he said.
"Huh?" a brief glance from Daniel focused on his friend, then he resumed his study of the passers-by.
"The waitress," the other man said patiently. "She keeps giving you the eye."
A shrug was all the response he got. The bell pinged again, but this time only the older man looked round. As soon as he had got a good look at the man who had just come in, he knew it was whom they had been waiting for.
"Daniel," he hissed at his companion, kicking him lightly on the shin under the table. The other man looked round.
"Jack?" he murmured. Jack nodded in the direction of the door. Daniel looked around.
"He's here," Jack confirmed to Daniel, nodding again at the man. Just then the newcomer looked in their direction. He crossed the room towards their table, followed closely by the waitress.
"What can I get you sir?" she asked brightly before the man even had a chance to sit down.
"Same as them," the man nodded towards the table. The waitress nodded acknowledgement, then glanced again at Daniel as she walked away. However, Daniel was still oblivious to her attentions. He was focussing on the newcomer who slid into the seat next to him, placing opposite Jack.
"Good to see you," Jack said briefly, watching the waitress bring over the beer and leave. The other man nodded in reply. He waited until the waitress was out of earshot before speaking.
"How are you Colonel?" he asked quietly, taking a sip from his beer.
Jack grimaced. "I'm retired," he said. "You can just call me Jack."
"So how are you Jack?" the man asked, emphasising the name slightly.
"Fine," Jack replied, noncommittally. He stared down the other man.
"How are you, Richard?" Daniel asked softly. The question startled the newcomer, who finally turned to look at Daniel.
"Fine," he said roughly, ignoring the look of concern in the other man's eyes. "What about you, Daniel?"
Daniel laughed harshly, mirthlessly. "Just peachy," he replied sarcastically. He turned away again and resumed his study of the outside world. Richard looked back over at Jack thoughtfully. Jack shrugged slightly and shook his head briefly. He had nothing to say about Daniel's reaction.
"Do you have the information?" Jack asked finally, wanting to get this over with, get back to the hotel.
Richard nodded. He pushed an envelope across the table towards Jack, who looked around before scooping it up and putting it into his inside jacket pocket. At the same time, he extracted another envelope from the same pocket and handed it to Richard. Richard tucked the envelope into his jeans pocket. Neither man had opened the envelope they had received in the brief exchange. They had to trust that the other was being honest about the exchange.
Richard picked up his bottle of beer and swallowed a mouthful. Jack stood up, and seconds later so did Daniel. He had ignored the exchange. Richard stood aside to allow Daniel out of the booth. Daniel slid across the seat and passed the other man, without acknowledging him. Jack threw a note down on to the table then followed Daniel across the diner. They both left without looking around. Left alone, Richard sipped at his beer again.
Jack and Daniel walked side by side down the street. They were heading back to their hotel. The rain had stopped, but there was still a strong wind blowing around them. Neither man attempted to talk as they walked. Daniel had his head down into the wind as he trudged along, hands in pockets. Jack was keeping careful watch on their surroundings as he went, hoping that no-one had spotted them. He could see no overt signs that anyone was interested in them, but that didn't mean that there was no watching them. They were in a quiet neighbourhood, but there were still plenty of places where an observer could be concealed.
Finally, the two men staggered through the door of the hotel, blown through it by a strong gust of wind. Jack crossed to the desk to collect the key, whilst Daniel headed over to press the call button for the lift. Still neither man spoke.
Neither one of them relaxed until they were safely locked in their room, with the do-not-disturb sign firmly in place. Jack pulled the envelope from his jacket pocket as he removed the coat. He threw the envelope on to the small table and his jacket on to the bed he had claimed. Daniel leant against the door, watching him. He made no move to remove his own coat, but stood in self-hugging mode, something Jack hadn't seen for years.
"Daniel?" Jack asked, a thousand unspoken questions in his voice.
Daniel finally looked up at Jack. "I'm fine, Jack," he said quietly, still not moving from his position at the room's entrance.
"Bullshit," Jack said briskly, crossing over to the other man and pulling him into a hug. For a few seconds, he thought Daniel wasn't going to resist. But eventually, he gave in, and allowed the hug, moving his own arms around Jack's waist, leaning his head on Jack's shoulder. They stood clinging together for a good few minutes, then Jack eased back carefully. Daniel still looked unhappy, but he allowed Jack to remove his jacket and put it on the bed with his own.
Jack led him over to the small couch in a corner of the room and they sat down side by side. Jack picked up the envelope and turned it over in his hands for a long while. Finally, he handed it to Daniel. Daniel tore the envelope open and pulled out the shiny disc inside. He dropped the envelope back onto the table. The disc was unlabelled, but both men knew what it contained - or what they hoped it contained. If Richard had kept his word, he would have earned every cent of the $10,000 dollars that was in the bank account Jack had just given him the details for.
Jack fetched the laptop from the safe in the hotel room. It had been a big risk leaving it there whilst they were out, but as the machine was not carried in a standard laptop bag, and they were in a low crime area, Jack had felt it was a risk worth taking. He plugged the machine in and turned it on. Daniel inserted the CD and waited for it to auto-load.
Whilst they were waiting, Jack set up the coffee pot in the corner of the room, brewing some of the coffee Daniel had insisted on them bringing with them. It was one thing about him that had never changed - his love of coffee, and his insistence on one particular blend: Colombian Dark Roast.
As Jack brought the cups over to the sofa and passed one to Daniel, the CD finished loading and starting running. The two men watched the short video in silence, coffee forgotten. As the film came to an end, Daniel slammed down his cup and bolted for the bathroom attached to their bedroom. Jack could hear him vomiting, but made no move to go to him. He knew Daniel would prefer Jack not to see him like this. In fact, Daniel would rather not be here at all, but neither he nor Jack had a choice in the matter, as the video they had just seen proved conclusively. Richard had certainly earned his money.
When Daniel came back in to the bedroom a few minutes later, he went to the room's mini bar and pulled out the handful of bottles it contained. He carefully opened two of the bottles then slammed the contents back quickly. Jack watched him silently, waiting for Daniel to speak.
Daniel finally turned to look at him. "Well, now we know Sam was right," he said, gesturing to the laptop. Jack nodded in agreement as Daniel sat down heavily on one of the two double beds in the room.
"What now?" Daniel asked, studying Jack, who still sat, seemingly at ease with the world, on the small sofa. However, Daniel could see that one hand was clenched into a fist by Jack's side, the knuckles white and Jack's normally vibrant brown eyes looked cold and dead.
"We find the fuckers and take them out," Jack ground out.
"When do you want to leave?" Daniel asked, standing up again, starting to pace the room.
"The morning will be soon enough," Jack told him. "We're safe here till then." He pushed himself up from the sofa and crossed to Daniel, stopping him mid-pace. Daniel gave Jack a long, assessing look. Finally, he nodded, though whether he was agreeing with Jack's sentiment or at something else, Jack wasn't sure.
"What about the disc?" Daniel asked, his voice calm. "Do we destroy it or keep it?"
"Keep it," Jack said instantly. "We'll put it into safe-keeping and make certain provisions for its release.."
"In case something happens to us," Daniel nodded in understanding as he completed Jack's thought.
Daniel moved to retrieve the disc from the laptop, but was stopped short by Jack's hand on his arm.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," Jack said.
Daniel looked into his eyes. "So am I," he replied. The two men hugged again, needing to feel the other's warmth and closeness. Jack brought their lips together for a soft kiss before finally releasing Daniel. He headed into the bathroom whilst Daniel closed down the laptop and put the disc back in the envelope.
When Daniel heard the shower start, he looked towards the bathroom, where the door was still ajar. He quickly put the laptop and disc into the safe and closed the door. Then, shedding his clothes as he went, he crossed the room to join Jack in the shower.
The next morning, Jack woke Daniel at 6 am, coffee in hand, knowing it was the only way to get the other man started on the day. Even after all these years that was one thing that had never changed about Daniel.
Daniel grasped the cup and drank its contents down in one breath, barely conscious. The second took about ten seconds longer. Finally, his eyes focussed on Jack.
"Good morning," the older man smiled down at his tousle-haired lover. Even though he had short hair, it still managed to spike everywhere in the mornings.
"Morning," Daniel grunted in response. The third cup of coffee was sipped slowly as Daniel slid out of bed and headed for the shower. Jack didn't take offence, he was used to Daniel's ways. He simply went back to packing up their stuff, ready for their departure. They had paid for a week in advance for the room, but had only been there three days, so all they needed to do was hand over the keys, no time-consuming paperwork before they needed to leave.
By the time Daniel came back out of the shower, he was feeling considerably more human. He threw his bag of toiletries on the bed as he passed it, putting his arms around Jack's waist from behind and nuzzling his neck.
"Morning, lover," he said.
Jack twisted in his arms and kissed him. "Morning gorgeous," he replied. They kissed softly for a few minutes, aware of the urgency of the situation. There was no time for anything else right now. Finally, they broke apart.
"Time to go?" Daniel questioned.
Jack nodded agreement. He picked up a pack and handed it to Daniel, who stuffed his toiletries into the top and then shrugged it onto his shoulders. Jack picked up the other pack from the unused bed. He put it on the floor, then pulled the bedding awry, making it look slept in. Daniel watched noncommittally. It was not the first time this had happened during their trip, and Daniel was getting used to the deception and lies. He didn't like it, but he disliked military policy even less, so he was prepared to put up with the evil necessity of covering up their relationship.
Once Jack was satisfied, he shouldered his pack and led the way from the room. Half an hour later, they were on a bus en route to their ultimate destination: the airport. It was still early enough that the bus wasn't full yet, although it did contain a few early commuters. Jack and Daniel sat near the back, where no-one could overhear them.
"Where to next?" Daniel murmured quietly.
"I think New York," Jack replied just as quietly. "That's next on the itinerary we posted and I think it's a good idea to stick with that for a little longer."
Daniel gave a small nod of agreement, squeezing Jack's thigh as he did so. His hand was hidden by their packs and he needed the physical contact with Jack right now. What they were doing was so big, so dangerous, it was scaring the hell out of Daniel right now, far more so than going up against the Goa'uld ever had.
Jack's hand covered Daniel's, gripping the fingers tightly. He knew how scared Daniel felt, hell he was pretty nervous himself, but he had to be strong for Daniel's sake. Both of them freaking out would not be a good thing.
They switched buses twice on the way to the airport, finally getting there at 8 am. There was a flight to New York leaving in an hour, so Jack bought them tickets. They used the waiting time before boarding to buy breakfast and eat in a quiet corner.
When they finally arrived in New York several hours later, Jack decided they could risk taking a cab to the hotel they had chosen. It was the middle of the day, and the airport was busy. Plus, they were expected to be in New York at this time, so the risk was minimal.
At check in they once again pre-paid for a week. The room was very similar to ones they had been living out of for the past few weeks. Daniel sprawled tiredly on a bed. Although the meds he was on these days held his allergies at bay, he still didn't enjoy travelling much. He fell asleep almost instantly, too tired to shower or eat. Jack pulled the quilt over him, stroking back the hair from Daniel's forehead gently and removing his glasses carefully. He wished that he could just take Daniel away from all of this, perhaps to his cabin in Minnesota. He sighed internally, knowing that Daniel would be less than impressed with Jack's desire to mother hen him. But he couldn't help it, that was the effect that Daniel had on Jack, despite the number of years they had known each other and the fact that Daniel was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, as he had proved countless times in the field on trips through the Stargate.
Jack left a note on the bedside locker, telling Daniel he had gone out for some supplies. Even though he was sure he would be back before the other man woke up, he wasn't taking any chances on worrying Daniel unnecessarily.
When Jack returned to the room an hour or so later, after a boring lunch in the hotel's cafe, Daniel was in fact still asleep. Jack went to take a shower, then slid on to the bed next to Daniel. He smiled to himself as Daniel immediately snuggled up to him, sighing in his sleep. Jack put an arm around Daniel, then allowed himself to doze off.
Daniel was the first to awaken, surprised to find that the room was nearly in darkness. He peered at his watch and found that it was 5 o'clock in the afternoon. He heard his stomach rumble loudly in the quiet room.
"Is that your subtle way of telling me you're hungry?" Daniel turned to see Jack smiling at him.
"Well I do appear to have slept through lunch," Daniel said, smiling back. Jack pulled him in close for a lingering kiss.
"You shower, I'll order from room service," Jack said, reaching for the menu. Daniel merely nodded in agreement and rolled off the bed.
Daniel showered quickly, then returned to the bedroom in his robe. He found Jack engrossed in the news on tv.
"Anything we should know about happening?" he asked, resting a hand on Jack's shoulder as he stood next to his lover. Jack was perched on the edge of the bed, chin in hands, elbows on his knees.
Jack grunted and turned the set off. "No, nothing," he said. He put an arm around Daniel's waist and pulled him down on to the bed, leaning over to kiss him hungrily.
Daniel responded instantly, opening to the kiss, letting Jack's tongue probe his mouth. The kiss seemed to last forever, until a loud knocking at the door startled them apart.
"Who is it?" Jack called out, hoping he didn't sound as breathless as he felt.
"Room service," a voice called back. Daniel dived into the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind him. Jack stood up and smoothed his hair and clothes quickly. He pulled his jumper down hard, hoping it concealed his erection. He went to the door and opened it on the chain. Seeing that it was, in fact, room service, he quickly opened the door to allow the waiter to bring in the trolley.
"Anything else I can get for you sir?" the waiter asked, looking bored.
"No thanks," Jack said, giving him a tip and waiting by the door. The waiter nodded and left. Jack bolted the door behind him, making sure to put the Do Not Disturb sign in place at the same time. He banged on the bathroom door. "You can come out now Danny, he's gone," he called.
He heard the door unlock and Daniel emerged, a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry, Jack," he said. "I panicked there for a minute."
Jack pulled him into a hug. "Don't worry," he said. "Just a bit of bad timing." Daniel's stomach chose that moment to protest its emptiness again. Jack chuckled. "Let's go eat," he said.
Daniel nodded agreement, heading over to see what Jack had ordered. He really was starving.
They ate the food in companionable silence, deliberately not discussing their situation or what they were going to do next. The evenings together were spent like this, an interlude when they could pretend everything was ok, they were just an ordinary couple of guys on vacation together, rather than the truth. Which was that they were trying to uncover some sort of conspiracy which had threatened the lives of them, the people they cared about and their allies on other planets.
Jack had one beer with his dinner, the only indulgence he allowed himself on this trip. It was part of the unwinding process, helping him deal with the stress that their secret mission was providing at every turn. That and the love-making with Daniel, of course. Daniel drank orange juice, as he always did when he wasn't drinking his beloved Colombian Dark Roast.
Once the food had been consumed, Daniel wheeled the room service trolley outside, whilst Jack started to undress. He had barely started to remove his shirt when Daniel was all over him like a force of nature, kissing, licking, squeezing, nibbling as he removed the rest of Jack's clothes for him. Finally, Daniel was on his knees before Jack, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He looked up into Jack's eyes, seeing the love and passion in the dark brown eyes. The two men looked at each other, smiling and then Daniel bent his head to his task, swallowing the hard, erect cock he loved so much. Jack moaned softly as he was engulfed in the wet warmth of Daniel's mouth. Mindful of their situation, Jack worked hard to swallow the cries and moans that he made as his lover skilfully brought him to orgasm. As he reached climax, Jack was vaguely aware of Daniel's fingers pressing inside him, stroking purposefully across his prostate, heightening the intensity and pleasure for him. He fell backwards onto the bed, greying out from the strength of feelings Daniel brought from him as he sucked him dry, giving Jack the most pleasure he could, as always.
When Jack finally regained his senses, Daniel, who was stroking his fingers gently across Jack's chest and toying with his chest hair, was cuddling him in close.
"Better?" Daniel asked, when he realised Jack was watching him.
"Died and gone to heaven," Jack confirmed, lazily running a hand down Daniel's back.
"Ready to be ravished?" Daniel asked, a leering grin on his face.
"Ravish away," Jack grinned back, enjoying the light teasing. He allowed Daniel to settle him back on the bed, using the pillows from the other bed to support his back and hips. Daniel settled himself in between Jack's legs and took up the lube ready to prepare Jack.
Daniel prepared Jack slowly and lovingly, taking his time, both of them enjoying the build-up almost as much as the act itself. When he finally moved into Jack, Daniel slid in with one slow, exquisite thrust, both of them moaning quietly as he settled himself into place. Daniel paused, head hanging forward, breathing hard. Jack reached up and entwined his left hand with Daniel's. Daniel bent forward and they exchanged a long, passionate kiss. Finally Daniel started to move inside Jack, thrusting slowly and regularly, adjusting his angle until he was grazing the head of his cock across Jack's prostate with each stroke inside him.
Jack was starting to get hard again from the stimulation. He watched Daniel reach out and take his cock in hand, stroking him in time to his thrusts. Gradually the two of them thrust harder and harder together, until they both shuddered to a climax, stifling their cries of each other's name. Daniel collapsed exhausted across Jack's body, passion finally spent.
They stayed lying like that for a few minutes, harsh panting breaths finally giving way to more normal breathing as they recovered. Finally, Daniel withdrew from Jack and collapsed again by his side. Jack stroked his hand through Daniel's hair.
"Ok love?" he asked tenderly.
"Yeah," Daniel said, trying not to yawn, but failing. "Just tired," he admitted sheepishly.
"You've already slept most of the day," Jack said softly.
"I know," Daniel said through another yawn. "I'm sorry, Jack."
"Hey, nothing to apologise for," Jack said, pulling Daniel into him. "If you need to sleep, you go right ahead, I'll be here."
Daniel nodded sleepily, eyes already half-closed. "Ok," he said, resting his head against Jack's chest. Seconds later, Jack could hear his breathing deepen into sleep. He settled himself more comfortably, then lay there thinking about the video and what their next steps needed to be. Eventually, he too fell asleep.
As was his habit, Jack was awake early the next morning. He lay there watching Daniel sleep, one of his favourite pastimes. He liked to see Daniel relaxed, the lines caused by tension and worry smoothed out, making him look a lot younger than his 30-odd years.
Unfortunately, given their current situation, Daniel was bound to end up with a few new lines to add to his collection, as would Jack himself. Jack sighed and looked down at Daniel again. He wished he had not had to involve his lover in this business, but ever since that time with Maybourne's merry men, he had been unable to keep a secret from Daniel. Especially not now they were in a relationship. Daniel had ways of making Jack talk, even when Jack didn't want to, he usually ended up confiding in Daniel. Therefore when the General had told Jack about this new threat to the SGC and its off-world allies, Jack had insisted that there was no way SG1 could be kept in the dark again.
The General had agreed. Especially as there was a direct threat to both Carter and Teal'c this time, not just technology theft as it had been last time.
Jack slid carefully away from Daniel, who sighed and mumbled in his sleep, but settled again when Jack brushed a hand across his shoulder. Jack went to the bathroom, then put a pot of coffee on. He pushed the dinner cart outside the door and picked up the complimentary newspaper. It was the Daily News, rather than the Times, but Jack wasn't bothered. As far as he was concerned, news was news. He scanned the headlines and sports page as he drank a cup of coffee.
As he rose to pour a second cup, he noticed Daniel watching him.
"Morning," he smiled at Daniel, pouring a coffee for the other man and handing it to him before pouring his own second cup.
The two men went through their morning routine quickly, then headed down to breakfast in the hotel's cafe.
"What are we doing today?" Daniel asked as the waiter left with their order.
"Going to the Intrepid to try and set up a meeting with a contact," Jack replied.
"The Intrepid?" Daniel asked.
"The Sea-Air-Space Museum," Jack replied. Daniel rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that look Daniel, it's where my contact works," Jack said.
Daniel just looked at Jack and said nothing. He picked up his coffee and sipped at it whilst looking around the room. The hotel was pretty uninspiring, looking not that different to the last three hotels he and Jack had stayed in during their cross-country jaunt.
"I hope Sam and Teal'c are ok," was all he said when he finally turned back to Jack.
Jack nodded. "I'm sure they're fine," he said. "They both know how to look after themselves and you know the General said that he'd send them off-world as soon as he safely could. They're probably sunning themselves in the Land of Light as we speak."
"I know," Daniel agreed. "It's just hard not knowing, not being able to have contact with anyone back there. I actually miss the Base, not to mention the amount of work that's probably piling up in my absence. Nyan can only do so much you know."
The waiter returned just then with their breakfast, so both men stayed silent until he left again.
"I know you're worried, Daniel. But Nyan's a good kid, he'll do his best. The General will keep an eye on him, and so will Doc Fraiser. If necessary, he'll send him off-world too."
Daniel toyed with his toast. "Yea, I know, but we can hardly send the whole base off-world can we, Jack? The General has to draw the line somewhere. And you know he was willing to turn Cassie over to Nirrti, so how is this situation any different?"
Jack glanced around the room quickly. They were sat in a far corner of the cafe, with no-one nearby. He took one of Daniel's hands in his and squeezed gently.
"We'll get Cassie back, Daniel, I promise," he said, gazing into his lover's eyes. "They won't hurt her."
"After seeing that video yesterday, Jack, I find that very hard to believe," Daniel said. However, he didn't move his hand from Jack's, instead he enjoyed the warmth of the touch. Seeing the look in Jack's eye, he frowned.
"They won't hurt her," Jack repeated. "Cassie is far too valuable to them intact and unharmed for them to take that risk."
"I hope you're right," was all Daniel said. He finally moved his hand from Jack's grip and picked up his coffee cup. He cradled the mug in both hands, savouring the warmth and inhaling the smell, eyes half-closed. He knew that the sooner they got Cassie home and shut down the organisation that was holding her, the better for everyone at the SGC. However, he couldn't help but wonder how long they would be safe for, how long it would be before some other organisation decided to try and get hold of Cassie, or Teal'c or Sam, or even Jack for that matter.
Jack went on with his breakfast, watching Daniel closely without seeming to at the same time. He had a pretty good idea what was going through Daniel's brain at the moment.
"Are you going to eat something?" he finally asked as Daniel poured his fifth cup of coffee of the morning. It was still only 0830 too.
Daniel looked up in surprise. "What?" he said.
"Breakfast, food," Jack said, pointing to the plate in front of Daniel which was virtually untouched.
"Oh, I guess so," Daniel said, picking up his toast and taking a mouthful. He chewed for a while, eating the scrambled egg he had also chosen, whilst Jack finished his breakfast and called for more coffee.
Breakfast finished, the two men headed out into the city.
"You're quiet," Jack said to Daniel as they rode a bus towards the Pier where the Intrepid Museum was located.
"Just thinking, remembering," Daniel said.
"Do you want to visit their graves?" Jack asked gently.
"Huh?" Daniel looked at the other man in surprise.
"It was obvious Danny," Jack said, using the nickname deliberately. It was the same one Daniel's parents had used, and Jack was the only other person, to his knowledge, who called Daniel by that name. It was something special between them, reserved for times when he knew Daniel needed reassurance and comfort, a bit of extra TLC.
"Oh," Daniel said. "Yes I would. Do you mind?" he asked Jack anxiously. "Do we have the time?"
"Yes, we have the time and of course I don't mind," Jack said, surprised Daniel would even ask him that.
"Well, it's hardly high priority when we're on a mission, me running off to visit my parents' graves," Daniel said.
"Daniel," Jack started to say impatiently. Then he stopped, took a breath and started again. "We may be on a mission, Daniel," he said, "but that mission isn't going to go away in a hurry. As we're here in New York, you should take the time. After all, the mission doesn't fill every second of every day. And knowing you, I don't suppose you've been to New York for years, let alone to their graves. I know you Daniel and I know what it's like. I don't visit Charlie's grave very often either."
Daniel nodded agreement. In the time he had known Jack, he knew of only one visit to Charlie's grave, not long after the incident with the Crystal Unity that had duplicated first Jack and then Charlie. "Ok, if you put it like that, then yes I would like to go, Jack," he said.
"After the museum then," Jack said. "Is that ok?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Daniel said. "Thanks Jack."
The two men rode the rest of the way to the museum in silence. When Daniel got off the bus with Jack on 12th Avenue, he looked around in surprise.
"Where's the museum, Jack?" he asked curiously.
"Just up here, Danny," Jack replied, heading towards the river.
"On the river?" Daniel asked reluctantly as he started to follow Jack.
"Have you never heard of this museum?" Jack asked in surprise.
"Actually, no," Daniel replied. "I was never interested in anything other than archaeology as a child."
"Well, the Intrepid has been a museum since 1982," Jack began. Daniel started to laugh as they reached the pier where the ship was located. "What's so funny?" Jack looked suspiciously at Daniel.
"I never thought you'd be lecturing me on museums," Daniel replied, still laughing. "Talk about role reversal."
Jack started to laugh too. "It is a bit of a turn-around," Jack agreed. Although it was still only 9.30, there was already a queue for entrance to the museum, which didn't open until 10 am.
Daniel cast a practised eye down the length of the queue. "Tourists," he said. Jack nodded agreement. "Where does your contact work?" Daniel asked.
"He's a guide," Jack replied. "He'll probably be on the hangar deck."
The queue formed behind the two men as they waited, in silence, for 10 am. It was a chilly morning and both men huddled into their overcoats, hands stuffed in pockets to keep them warm. Finally, the queue started to move slowly forward.
Daniel was surprised to see that Jack paid the $13 entrance fee, as the board indicated that he could get in for free as an Active Duty member of the military. He waited until they were wandering along a hallway to ask.
"Don't want to draw unnecessary attention to myself," Jack explained. "I'd have to show my ID to get in free, which someone could always remember. A lot of these people are ex-service Daniel, they're trained to be observant."
Daniel nodded understanding and agreement with Jack's reasoning.