Title: In The Night Of Time Present
Author: Renenet
Category:
Gen; POV, smarm, emotional h/c; Episode tag (spoilers for "2010"!)
Warnings:
I wrote this as gen, but it might be interpreted as pre-slash too, depending on your POV... (it might be just "excessive" smarm! LOL!)
Summary: "2010" ended too soon for me...but they say that time is relative.
Disclaimer: The usual...I don't own the Stargate or the people that go through it or work around it! sniff I don't make any money from this - it's just for fun!

oooooooooooooooooo
It felt like vacuum and Jack woke sitting up and gasping for air. Several minutes of the quiet Colorado night passed tainted only with his loud - too loud, to his ears - breathing. When his brain finally caught up on the reality his heartrate began slowing down, then Jack inhaled and exaled one deep breath and got up from the mess that was his bed.

No use. His heart was still trying to jump out of his chest and live on its own.

He dressed quickly, fumbling with buttons and zippers, then spent couple of minutes searching for car keys. Not bothering to check out the lights and windows he stumbled out and drove off...

He used his key to let himself into the darkened apartment - the neighbours would have a fit if he used a bell or knocked. Led by ghostly grey moonlight seeping through the drapes Jack moved carefully over the well-known terrain towards Daniel's bedroom. A distinct human shape filled the majority of the bed and Jack sighed in relief before dropping down next to the sleeping form.

The movement disturbed the younger man's sleep and he turned his head, squinting.
"Jack...?"

Reaching with a trembling - trembling? - hand the older man touched the sandy hair, dismayed to feel wetness on his cheeks.

"Jack...! ...What's wrong?". Daniel woke up quickly because Jack O'Neill never - ever - cried without a very, very good reason. "Jack?" He gently carresed the wet face, trying to see into the brown eyes through the dimmness of the room.

"I dreamt...", a whisper in the silence. Jack cleared his throat, tried again. "I had a dream...of us...all of us...-" No need to name them. Daniel knew who "all" were. "-...dying...getting killed in front of a Gate...-" His hand continued stroking Daniel's hair. "-...I saw...saw your face...looking at me...dead...-"

There was a slight draft and it played with the curtains.

An overwhelming feeling of smallness settled over both of them.

Daniel just nodded, his mind following Jack's jumbled thoughts with clarity. "The note..."

Jack's eyes were wide and terrified. He just nodded. "Yeah..."

Daniel scooted back towards the left side of the bed, patting the other one. "C'me here..."

No need to explain. They both knew this was the first night of the new future, the future they appearently created. They needed each other. They needed to feel alive in face of too much death and insecurity.

Jack toed his shoes and socks off and discarded everything else but his tee and boxers, then slid under the blanket, turning on his left to watch Daniel watching him. His hand migrated involuntarily towards the younger man's hair and begun stroking it all anew. Daniel's eyes glistened and his finger traced a tear track on Jack's face before resting on his shoulder. "Sssshhhh..."
The stillnes of night filled the room again, evening out their breathing.
"...I'm here..."

THE END

2