I'm glad people seem to like this so far. At this point it's looking like one more chapter to finish off this cabin trip.

ShadeDancer

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate or any of the characters.

Warning: This story will be slash. Don't like it, don't read it.

Chapter 2: Fugitive

Thanks to another great massage from Daniel before they had gone to bed—he'd have to remember to find out it Daniel had taken lessons from Janet since she'd been the only person before to have gotten him so completely relaxed—Jack had woken up a bit sore but without any of the stiffness he had been fearing. He also smelled breakfast cooking and wondered when the control of this seduction had changed hands. Not that he was hopeful enough to think Daniel was trying to seduce him. He was doubtful that Daniel even knew he was bi-sexual, after all he had only discovered that Daniel batted for both teams on accident when they had visited some backwater planet.

A handful of the males there had decided that Daniel was 'pretty' and merited a gallant show of attention; Jack had secretly pulled aside and decked the one male who had gotten bold enough to kiss Daniel, but only after he had suffered through watching his Daniel kiss the young upstart back. The idiots had backed off after that, confusing Daniel who had worried the whole way home if he had somehow offended them. The only good part of that trip had been watching Sam get all hot and bothered after playing the part of a Peeping Tom with him.

On silent feet Jack slipped from his bed and padded out to the kitchen, taking a moment to watch as Daniel cooked while humming slightly under his breath. Who would have guessed his little archaeologist would be so domestic? Still moving with a stealth acquired from years of training, Jack slid across the kitchen floor and nestled his chin on Daniel's left shoulder so he could look over the stove.

"What are you cooking now?"

Daniel jumped. "Jack! I didn't hear you get up."

Jack chuckled and reached around Daniel to snag a piece of bacon sitting to the side of the stove to cool. "I wouldn't be very good at what I do if you could hear me sneak up on you."

Daniel scowled, but didn't have a comeback he could use to refute Jack's statement. He did however start to mumble something about setting up booby traps as he went back to keeping an eye on the last pan of bacon and Jack decided to resume his watchful position with his chin resting on Daniel's left shoulder.

"Do you mind?" Daniel finally turned his head slightly to ask.

"Not at all." Jack said. "I'm perfectly comfortable."

"Jack." The single word said in an exasperated whine was Daniel-ese for 'why are you picking on me?'.

"Daniel." Jack's patiently amused tone said 'I know it's annoying, that's why I'm doing it'.

"Jack." This time Daniel added a warning tone.

"Daniel." Neutrality and innocence at its finest.

The only clue Jack had that Daniel wasn't going to continue their single word banter but instead take it up a notch was the shifting of Daniel's body. Daniel slid one leg between Jack's slightly spread ones and pivoted in the confined space between Jack's body and the stove, an attempt to get free. Normally it was a move designed to throw someone coming up behind you off balance before they could grab a hold of you, but both of them were standing still and Jack had already reacted so that Daniel was the one thrown off balance.

For the second time in two days the two of them fell, this time Daniel cushioning the fall as his head hit the kitchen floor with Jack on top of him. Immediately worried at the loud crack he had heard Jack levered himself up slightly and started to turn Daniel's head from side to side and began thumbing at the archaeologists eyelids to check for signs of damage.

At last satisfied that Daniel was seemingly okay Jack allowed his hand to rest against the side of Daniel's cheek in an attempt to ground himself.

"Jack?"

"You alright Danny?" there was an intensity in Jack's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Daniel apologized. "I've never screwed that move up so bad before."

"Who taught you that move?" Jack was going to kill whichever incompetent idiot that was attempting to teach Daniel self-defense.

"Jack."

It was the stubborn tone, the one that meant Daniel wasn't going to stop, and Daniel started to try and get free of Jack's greater bulk. Jack didn't feel like letting him up until he had his answers despite his personal discomfort over their positions. Daniel suddenly stopped squirming, eyes widening, and Jack cursed his body's reaction to Daniel's close presence. He just knew he had ruined everything now. If only—

"Jack. The bacon!"

Jack suddenly became aware of a burning smell.

"Shit!" Jack jumped up, reaching down to haul Daniel to his feet before grabbing the pan of burnt bacon off the burner. He looked at the contents of the pan ruefully. "At least you already had some fried, I think even the pan's toast now."

"I'm so—" Daniel began.

Jack cut him off. "Don't you dare say you're sorry. It's my fault if it's anyone's; I was distracting you and being an ass."

Daniel didn't press the issue further. He wasn't about to admit that it hadn't been Jack being his usual annoying ass of himself that had started this all, but his growing awareness of Jack being pressed up against his ass. He was starting to think agreeing to come along had been the wrong thing, there was too much temptation in being at the cabin alone with Jack and he still hadn't a clue as to why Jack had invited him for anything other than a friend for company. It was frustrating but he knew it had to be more than that or Jack would have invited Teal'c.

As they sat down to breakfast, considerately sharing what bacon there was that had survived equally between them, the question kept pounding through Daniel's head until he couldn't stand not knowing anymore. Of course with Jack he couldn't just straight up ask; he had to be subtle or Jack would get his back up and stubbornly not answer.

"I'm not sure I was the best choice to bring along for this weekend." Daniel began morosely, picking at his food with his fork for added effect. "Look at all the accidents we've had so far…you'd probably have been better off asking Sam or Teal'c."

It was the perfect corner to back Jack into and Daniel knew it, now Jack would have to present him with a plausible reason for bringing him over the others or risk him being upset. It was a cruel ploy but one Daniel had learned early on in the Foster System—it was the number one game played by every kid who was ever shuffled from home to home.

"Daniel…" Jack's tone held the usual warning about when he started to down himself, but then Jack sighed and Daniel inwardly smiled knowing he was about to get a good answer. "I—"

Gravel crunched under tires out in the driveway and Daniel swore Jack looked almost relieved before he swore. "Now who in the hell could that be?"

Jack put his fork down and got up, striding to the front door and yanking it open. His posture shifted as he caught sight of whoever their visitor was. It was Jack's ready stance. Daniel left the table as well to come stand behind Jack right as he called out a greeting.

"Morning Sheriff, what can I do for you?"

"O'Neill." The man nodded as he and his partner got out of the car. "We'd been coming by to check on your place, but seeing as you're here maybe you'll help. We could use someone with your training."

Jack sighed. "What's going on?"

"We've got a fugitive loose in these woods—the one wanted for mass murder—he escaped during transport. We've pinned him in the area, but we need able bodies who know the area to partner up with the men the State sent in."

Jack wanted to be selfish, wanted to say no, but he couldn't. The fact that the Sheriff was asking for civilian help, not that he counted as a civilian, was telling on how serious the matter was.

"Armed or unarmed?"

"Fugitive was last seen unarmed but by now could have picked something up. Arm yourself to be on the safe side."

Jack nodded. "Be back with you in a minute."

He already had a gun on him, he had grabbed it from under the table when the car had pulled up, but it was stupid not to go without a second one and extra clips. Daniel stopped him.

"I'm going too Jack."

"No Daniel."

Daniel had that stubborn look. "I'm a good shot if it comes to it, you've seen to that, and I can help track. Besides if this guy's out there unaccounted for wouldn't I be safer with you than here by myself? With everyone out looking for the fugitive he could easily decide to come here and make himself at home."

Jack scowled, Daniel had a point and if something was to happen it would be to Daniel. At least if he was with him Jack could keep Daniel out of trouble.

"Alright, get in the truck. There's a gun under the driver's seat. I'll bring you some extra clips."

Going to the lock box where he kept his spare guns when at the cabin, Jack grabbed out a second gun for himself and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. For a moment he debated on grabbing a second gun for Daniel but dismissed the idea; he was only bringing a second gun out of ingrained habit and not because he thought he'd need it. Jack scooped up two extra clips for each of them, locked and hid the box, before jogging through the cabin and out to the truck where Daniel and the Sheriff waited. Daniel had found the gun and was currently inserting and ejecting the clip a few times, checking the gun over to make sure all was in order and the process was smooth. Jack raised an eyebrow at him as if to say 'you doubt I keep my guns ready?'

Daniel interpreted the look exactly and snorted. "I'd rather you rib me for checking than yell at me for not."

Jack smirked and ruffled Daniel's hair. "Let's go Danny-boy."

To the further amusement of the Sheriff and his partner, Daniel glowered back a Jack—the Sheriff had admitted to getting the willies from the Air Force Colonel when they first met—and proceeded to insult Jack in some foreign language.

Jack played mock hurt. "You wound me Daniel. I don't know what you said, but you wound me."

This time Daniel said something in a language Jack did understand, or at least in part, because Jack replied back in kind. The easy banter flowed into English as Jack closed his door and started up his truck, following the Sheriff down his drive and to the starting point for the area sweep.

... ... ... ... ...

Jack was fuming, mentally cursing the State Police and SWAT Team and making the man he was currently partnered with—a greenhorn SWAT agent—feel uncomfortable. They had split Daniel up from him! They hadn't cared for his rank, for his experience. They had simply shoved him with this guy and Daniel with a cop saying that they were civilians in this matter. Jack had been half tempted to leave right then—or at least send Daniel back—but Daniel had been against it.

"We can't go back now Jack." Daniel had argued a little over an hour ago. "They're short-handed already and every extra pair of eyes will help. Besides, what can go wrong? There are enough men with firepower here to stage a small coup and it's not like this fugitive can be as bad as any of our Egyptian friends."

But Jack knew what could go wrong, it was Daniel after all. Not that the archaeologist meant to get in trouble so much, danger just seemed to be attracted to him.

"Damn it." Jack swore under his breath, causing the SWAT agent to jump, giving him a brief moment of perverse pleasure. It only lasted until the agent's radio crackled.

"We have a situation. Fugitive has been located, but has taken a hostage. I repeat, the fugitive has been located but has taken a hostage."

"Daniel!"

Jack knew there was a chance it wasn't Daniel who had been taken hostage even as he took off running to the given coordinates, a very slim chance given the archaeologist's usual luck, but Jack wasn't going to believe otherwise until he saw Daniel unharmed and grinning at him and telling him that he was fine. Luck really wasn't with him this weekend; Daniel was the hostage.

"You alright Danny-boy?" Jack kept his voice low and calm when he had advanced as far as the fugitive would let him.

"Fine Jack."

Daniel attempted to add in a few words of Goa'uld to tell him something about a weapon, but the murderer yanked on Daniel's head to shut him up. He was using Daniel's own gun against him. Jack cursed silently, he seemed to be doing a lot of that this weekend, but forced himself to focus. Daniel wanted him to know something, something about the gun if the way Daniel was flicking his eyes to it and then back to him again was any indication.

Jack started taking inventory. The safety was off, that was for certain, and there was no mysteriously handy bullet-proof shield between Daniel's head and the gun. It was loaded, he could see the clip—wait, the clip. The clip was in, but only partially; it hadn't fully locked in or perhaps Daniel had been given enough time that he had tried to eject the clip and it had jammed. It had worked smoothly earlier when Daniel had tested it but then these quirky things sometimes happened; it was why he always carried a spare. There hadn't been any gun shots earlier though, he would have heard the report through the woods, so that meant there was still a bullet in the chamber and one was all it would take.

Posted On: October 21, 2008