Daniel hugged his knees closer to rest his forehead on them, and shivered.
Darkness clung wetly to him in the not-as-damp, cold air of the bolt hole that Jack had left him in. Just a cave, shelter from the deluge outside that filled the small space with a steady hollow roar. Even the dense brush that blocked its entrance from sight failed to dull the cold patter of fat raindrops that had been falling for what felt like an eternity.
And in that time, he must have worn a path to that flimsy protection. On each approach, he contemplated leaving to look for his teammates, an end to his agony of worry for them. But his imagined apparition of Jack would ghost up before him wearing a disapproving expression that always turned him back to crouch against the cold rock as far as he could manage from that foolish temptation.
Jack wasn't safe or warm, Daniel reminded himself. No, Jack was out there looking for the rest of the team.
Daniel knew he couldn't jeopardize what his friend was trying to accomplish just to end his wait. His friend would need every advantage possible.
Rustling at the narrow opening caused Daniel to shrink back, a rock unconsciously clenched in his raised hand. The pistol strapped to his thigh not even considered. Blood pounded louder than the rain in his ears as he tried not to panic.
"Daniel," a hoarse whisper, barely heard over his inner din, louder than nature's roar.
"Jack!" Daniel blurted out in relief as the rock tumbled from his fingers, sounding like a gunshot as it struck the stone beneath him.
"Sssh, not so loud."
Jack was no more than an outline that stopped just inside the gash-like entrance, and then the sound of dry leaves echoed from the tall, too close stone walls. This was not a sound Daniel had expected - dry leaves; they had run for miles in rain so heavy that seeing where to put the next step was more faith than fact. But before Daniel could utter a word of question, his friend was gone; back out into the roar of the deluge.
On the third rendition, Daniel asked if he should start a fire and got a firm, 'No.'
So he sat and waited, feeling cold and useless as Jack came and went, building his pile of dry leaves. Where he had found any, let alone the quantity that he was slowing swamping the small cave with, Daniel knew not. And Jack had more than once indicated quiet, so asking wasn't in the cards just yet.
In the dark, it took some time to puzzle out just how all the leaves were being transported. But eventually Daniel was surprised to find that Jack was using his jacket and BDU shirt as bags, his black t-shirt made him very hard to see even when he knew just where he stood.
Each trip took around ten minutes; there was only dense forest between the vertical wall of rock that held the cave and the Stargate. He and Jack had raced along that wall until Jack had jerked him up short to nearly shove him into what appeared to be a solid wall of brush. In his surprise, he didn't know how he wound up being pulled into the small cave rather than pushed.
Jack had made a quick and thorough circuit of the space, told him to stay put and left at a run. Intent on finding the others or misleading their pursuers, Daniel still didn't know.
Daniel was thankful that the little cave was relatively dry, even if not exactly warm. He'd been able to keep moving and his clothes were now almost comfortably damp rather than wringing wet. Both he and Jack had hidden their packs when it was clear that they weren't losing the dozen or so Jaffa that had trooped out of the Stargate minutes after they'd concluded contact with the SGC giving the all clear. He knew too, that because of that communication, they were on their own.
Teal'c and Sam had been on the other side of the 'gate when it activated. Jack had shouted to run, adding that hand-signal for emphasis before turning and running for the edge of the clearing. Daniel remembered that he could hear Jack's swift steps gaining on him just as a staff weapon bolt seared the air over their heads.
"Crap," rent the air closely followed by the rattle of Jack's P-90. Daniel glanced back and promptly tripped, Jack didn't have time to do anything; he was too close. He felt Jack's boot connect with his hip, the other bumped along the small of his back, and then scraped along his pack, but not quite over it. Eyes closed, he could only hear the woof of painfully exhaled breath as his friend hit the ground. Daniel forced himself to roll out from under the leg attached to the boot hooked up on his pack.
Reflex had caused his hand to cover his glasses as he went down, and had prevented them from going AWOL. Dirt stung his hand and pinged off those precious glasses, kicked up by a lucky near miss of another staff blast. His mind screamed for him to get up and run. Instantly he was on his feet, only to freeze.
Jack was still down, the wind knocked out of him from the sound of his strangled attempts to breathe and ineffectual efforts to rise seemed to indicate. Daniel dropped to a knee and attempted to haul his friend from the ground. He couldn't get his arm around him because of the bulk of his pack, only when he'd pulled at Jack's belt did he get him moving upwards.
More, and closer, sizzles of energy kept pushing him to run, but he wasn't leaving Jack. As soon as he figured he could push his breathless friend forward did he run, dodging the dangling P-90 tethered to Jack's chest. Daniel hoped that frantic hands would find and capture the weapon, but right now, it was all he could do to keep him upright and moving away from the shouts of "Kree!"
Jack was taller and heavier, but his hip was bony and painfully ground into his side. After a few dozen feet, his load lightened as the man's gulps for breath slowed, his drunken gait became more sure. Daniel made an effort to look into his face, and found it red and determined, those dark brown eyes met his and Jack nodded his thanks.
Daniel nearly giggled when it occurred to him that they probably looked like two fleeing Mutant Ninja Turtles. Not that Jack would appreciate the comparison, and the Jaffa wouldn't have a clue to the reference.
Both of them started to draw away from the armor-burdened Jaffa. Jack spun around at the first tree and sprayed a long burst of fire before ducking behind it, hot on Daniel's heels.
The light drizzle that had greeted them at their arrival now turned into a downpour, making the ground slippery. Daniel ran steadily ahead until the he could no longer hear shouts, and began to slow.
"Jack..."
"Run!"
Thus began hours of running, jogging, fast walking, sliding, falling, tripping and just general movement away. Away... from what, Daniel wasn't sure. Jack would indicate a direction, but always motioned for silence. This was when the raingear in the packs would have been helpful, but those were behind them. Jack had hidden them when he was sure they were out of sight, if not sound of the Jaffa.
Or were they? That was the question that brought him back to the here and now, and this dark cave.
"Jack," Daniel softly questioned.
The sound of water splashing to the ground preceded Jack's low reply of, "Daniel?"
"Packs?"
"Never made it back that far."
More water splashed. Peering into the dimness of the cave Daniel could just make out that Jack was systemically wringing out his clothes. At least that was what he was hoped he was doing.
"What's with the leaves," Daniel asked, remembering to keep his voice low.
"Bedding."
Something about the short and to the point responses worried Daniel.
"Jack... are you okay?"
More splashing and a non-committal grunt was his answer - so not good.
Daniel knew the man would not elaborate, so he did what he could and started to divide the leaves into two equal piles.
The cave sounded almost homey, what with the industrious sounds of their separate chores.
"Daniel?" Jack's voice startled him, and he jumped under his friend's hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry. Watch your eyes." The flash on the P-90 blinked on, and like an explosion, it made Daniel's eyes water.
Blinking rapidly and shielding his eyes with his hand for a moment soon allowed him to see in the bright light that Jack's body shielded from the cave's entrance. His friend's body seemed to suddenly spring out at him from that darkness. He was shocked at what he saw.
Jack stood before him devoid of clothing - almost - his obviously wrung out boxers clung to his lean form. Goose-bumped skin glowed whitely in the wane light that had seemed so bright only seconds before.
"Can you check my back?"
"What...?"
"I don't think I'm bleeding anymore, but I need to know how bad it is and I can't see it," Jack stated in voice with a touch of miff in it.
Daniel quickly grabbed for the light, but Jack grabbed him by the wrist.
"Point it only at the back wall, I'll move."
His friend let him go, and stepped towards the back wall presenting his back. Splotches of what Daniel took for mud erupted across Jack's sides and back as he zeroed in on the thin red line that began near the top of the right shoulder and dived diagonally towards the left hip, ending just past his last rib. It was a mere scratch across the spine but was deep enough to cause bleeding at either end. It was deepest at the bottom end, and that puzzled him for a moment, until he could see in his mind's eye a Jaffa's descending arm, Jack lunging in and then dropping down and back. He knew that the Jaffa was already dead as his knife was still slicing open his friend's back.
Bile raced up his throat, and he swallowed convulsively as he allowed his fingers to trace the cut. Jack shuddered.
"Jack, you're like ice... and covered in bruises," as Daniel realized that those weren't patches of mud that could be washed off.
"The cut?"
"Not bleeding and only part is deep."
"Burns like hell. Here," Jack offered the little first aid kit he carried in his vest. At least they both had those.
"This is going to hurt," Daniel warmed as he tore open the alcohol-cleansing pad.
"Tell, me something I don't know."
Jack hissed and squirmed as Daniel methodically cleaned the long cut.
"What about some antibiotic salve?"
"Can't. Need to keep it clean. That salve will glue everything to it."
"Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that," Daniel admitted. "You need to put some clothes on," he added giving the flashlight back to Jack, who immediately turned it off.
"I'm cold enough. Wet clothes will make that worse."
"Oh. Is that the reason for all the leaves?"
"Yepper. Just one of those little survival skills the Air Force insists on teaching."
"If you can't wear your clothes, wear some of mine."
"Tempting, but they aren't dry either."
"Drier than yours," retorted Daniel.
"Even a little moisture will wick away body heat, Daniel."
He heard Jack's bare feet crunch across to the leaf beds, his wet clothes already stacked neatly next to the one that had the best view of the cave opening. He had used that fleeting period of light to gain a better picture of their hidey-hole.
It took a few moments to realize that Jack was doing more than just burrowing into the leaves, it sounded like he was undoing his work of dividing them into two piles.
"Jack, what are you doing?"
"Daniel, shuck out of your clothes. It'll take both of us to stay warm."
It was now rather obvious what Jack was doing.
"Ah... No," was all that Daniel could come up with.
"Daniel, don't make me shoot you."
"That would probably bring the Jaffa."
Jack gave out a slightly strangled, shrill bark of a laugh, abruptly cut off.
"I'm tired, Daniel," Jack dully continued.
His shirt was off before it sunk in that Jack 'never' admitted things like this. He was on his butt pulling his boots and socks off next. He tied each sock to its boot by a lace, as Jack was wont to do, when he did take his boots off. Usually he didn't. He lived 'sleeping with his boots on.'
Daniel stood and shuffled forward, feeling with his way with his feet, his clothes in his arms. Once he reached the communal bed of leaves, he dropped his clothing to the floor, and paused.
"Lose the shorts."
'What? How did he know?' Now it was Daniel's turn to spit out a strangled laugh. Gingerly he slipped out of his damp boxers.
"Damn, Jack I'm gonna freeze," he stated, but did move closer.
"Don't be a drama queen, get down here."
Daniel got down on all fours and crawled until a hand hit cold skin, carefully he lay down next to Jack, shoulder to shoulder.
"Cover up, before you catch your death," his friend's grin evident in the words.
It really wasn't as easy as it sounded, and then Jack instructed he spread his clothing over the top. But to be certain there was plenty of dry leaves between him and his clothes. They would hold the leaves in place and the excess body heat would help dry them also.
"Don't be shy," Jack urged him closer, chest-to-chest, he stiffen when Jack tried to get a leg between his. "Don't worry, Daniel, you're not my type."
He relaxed and let the leg in, with a little grunting and shifting, they both found a comfortable middle ground. Daniel had to admit, he was warmer. As he relaxed he became aware of Jack's shivering, this panicked him just a bit and he aggressively moved closer, pressing as much of himself to the cold body in front of him as possible.
"Jack..."
"Hmmm."
"You've done this before?"
"You do what you have to to survive. Our idea of civilized behavior is the first casualty. This is just one of those distasteful things I've mentioned before."
Daniel mulled it over. Jack was right. He relaxed again and listened to Jack's steady breathing; it eventually deepened and slowed, as did the shudders that racked his body, until they diminished and stopped. Jack was warming up and he was glad that he was able to do this for him. It wasn't as if anyone would ever hear about, or see this - he prayed - embarrassed by his embarrassment.
"This is a great way to keep warm," he softly uttered, not expecting an answer. He said it more for himself than anything.
"Sex is better," a sleepy voiced Jack sighed.
Daniel snuggled in closer and giggled. Jack snorted back. They both slipped into an exhausted slumber.
tbc...