Under the Surface aka:
Deja Vu: The Effects of Dress Blues on Archaeologists!
Author: Orrymain
Author Email: marciastudley@comcast.net (Feedback welcome)
Author Website: http://orrymain.raikiri.net/fanfichome.html
Category: Slash, Romance, Missing Scene/Epilogue, Established Relationship
Pairing: Jack/Daniel .... and it's all J/D
Rating: NC-17
Season: 2 (Sept. 1998) and 4 (Sept. 2000), after Beneath the Surface
Spoilers: Beneath the Surface
Size: 39kb, short story
Written: October 12,18-20,29-30, November 2, 2003
Archive: Area52, Comfort Zone, FanFiction.Net, Cartouche, AlphaGate, TheBoy
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers -- not mine, wish they were, especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. This was a whim; all in fun. I don't have anything to do with them legally!
Summary: Dress blues, cutoffs, no air-conditioning, hot weather, love in the afternoon, and the aftermath of memory stamps!
Notes: Thanks to my betas who always make my fics better: Mama Beast, Drdjlover, Starshadow, Suzanna! ...and to Michele for the read through!
Under the Surface aka:
Deja Vu: The Effects of Dress Blues on Archaeologists!
by Orrymain
==== September 7, 1998
Colorado Springs was into its third straight day of unusually warm temperature for September. It wasn't incredibly hot compared to other places across the country, but it was still 90 degrees plus instead of the normal mid to high seventies.
Jack was at a meeting with the brass, so Daniel chose to spend the day cleaning his apartment. His romantic relationship with Jack was only a little over two months old, and both were still learning about themselves and the other as part of a same-sex liaison, one that had surprised both of the previously heterosexual males.
Actually, they had agreed not to label themselves because both detested generalities. The only thing they knew for sure was that they were in love, and it just happened that the person they loved was of the same sex.
Daniel's air-conditioning wasn't working, so he was wearing nothing but red shorts that had a single white stripe down each side. He stood barefoot on a step ladder as he dusted the top of the bookshelves.
Jack entered the apartment quietly, and stood admiring his lover. He was dressed in his dress blues, his cap still on. He leaned against the wall, leering as he thought, "Mine. All mine."
"I heard that," Daniel said.
Jack and Daniel had developed a strange sort of telepathic-like ability with each other that seemed to get stronger as their personal relationship intensified. From the day they had met, they had always been on the same wavelength, often having a clue what the other was thinking or feeling, but now it was somehow turning into more.
Neither knew what to make of it. It wasn't that they could read each other's minds, but sometimes, they simply heard what the other was thinking, usually when those thoughts were directed at the other, like now.
Daniel turned slightly to see his lover, but when he saw Jack in his dress blues, he was taken aback, physically losing his breath. He had intended to say something snarky about Jack's possessive "comment," but the sight of his very sexy partner got the best of him, and Daniel lost his balance, starting to fall.
Jack rushed towards him, and Daniel fell right into his handsome Air Force Colonel's arms.
"Now this is what I call a real movie moment," Jack grinned, as he held a stunned Daniel in his arms.
"Dress blues, Jack. Gawd, you're so ... sexy in your dress blues," Daniel said as he ran his hands along the material of the jacket, his eyes feasting on Jack and then leaning in for a kiss, tasting Jack's lips, his tongue slipping through to mingle with the older man's.
Daniel's hands were melding into Jack, his fingers kneading into the material of the uniform.
As the kisses continued, Daniel was pawing and touching the material of Jack's clothes like a bear who had just found its first raw meat to eat in weeks. It was a burning hunger that was growing with each second. Jack wasn't complaining, but he didn't want to be distracted from his original plan for the afternoon.
"Hmm Danny," Jack sighed, "we've got plans."
"Ppp...plans? What plans?"
"The Air Show. It starts in an hour. I'm gonna change," Jack backed away, "It's hot in here. Have you noticed?"
"Noticed? Hot? Yes, Jack, it's definitely ... hot," Daniel whined, unhappy at being second to planes flying around in the air.
"I'll make it up to you, Love, but I missed the show last year, and didn't think I'd be out of the meeting early enough to go today. Come on ... humor me."
Daniel rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning the top of the bookshelves as Jack went into Daniel's bedroom with the duffel bag he had brought with him. While the younger man had some things at Jack's place, they hadn't yet made the step of Jack leaving things at Daniel's apartment so Jack always made sure he had a change of clothing and other necessary items in a bag in the truck.
Jack put on a brown short sleeve shirt and brown pants and switched to some more comfortable Nike walking shoes and went back to snatch his lover, when he was again awed by the beauty of the younger man. Jack smiled, watching Daniel arch his feet slightly to reach the corner at the back of the shelf, his stretching causing the muscles in his body to constrict.
Jack was beginning to think that maybe an Air Show wasn't such hot stuff after all, not compared to his Daniel.
"There's always next year," he thought, silently approaching the step ladder carefully.
He didn't want to startle Daniel, so he made enough noise that Daniel could hear him. Reaching the step, he put his hands on the outside of Daniel's thighs, gently rubbing up and then sliding them slowly downwards.
"Jack, I'm going to finish this before we go."
"Anything you say, Love," Jack smirked, his plans having changed minutes before, something he conveniently hadn't mentioned to Daniel.
Jack massaged Daniel's thigh as he kissed the small of his back, causing Daniel to stop what he was doing. Daniel hadn't said anything, too shocked that Jack seemed to have switched gears.
The older man's hands began to caress the inside of Daniel's legs, as his tongue licked its way along Daniel's lower back.
Daniel was losing himself in the touches, his legs turning into jelly. He just hoped Jack would catch him when he fell, which he was sure would be soon.
Jack's hands slid up the sides of Daniel's shorts, his fingers working his lover's skin with taunting caresses. He placed a line of kisses up his partner's spine, causing Daniel to visibly shiver repetitively.
"J'ck," Daniel croaked out, his voice lost with the rest of him.
"Love you Danny," Jack said between kisses.
Jack moved his hands further inside Daniel's shorts, his left hand touching Daniel's hardening length, causing his lover to moan softly and call his name, "Jack."
Jack pulled down Daniel's shorts and boxers, sliding his chest against Daniel's buttocks as his hand stroked lightly against Daniel's shaft.
Jack could feel that Daniel was about to lose his balance, being swept away by Jack. He pushed his willing lover into him, and guided him into his arms fully, and Jack lowered him off the step ladder, the shorts and boxers being left behind as Daniel slipped his feet out of them.
Daniel was leaning into Jack, his head against his shoulder, as Jack's hands rubbed the young man's abdomen in long strokes, back and forth.
"Where's the lube, Danny?" Jack asked quietly.
Jack made a vow to himself that they were going to have to start using more logic about where they kept the lubricant. He and Daniel made love frequently, but it was still so new, and they seemed to never expect it, and so often had to interrupt their progress to go in search of it, or else go without.
"Sofa," Daniel smiled shyly, as Jack kissed his nape.
"Come here you," Jack spoke, taking Daniel with him as they walked to the sofa, standing behind it. Daniel reached over beneath the cushions to pull out a new tube.
"Ingenious, my genius," Jack cackled.
"Thank you, but if you don't mind," Daniel said getting back to the same position he was in before, with Jack behind him, massaging his body in foreplay. He had liked Jack's hold on him, though his knees were weak from his lover's touches and soft kisses.
Feeling the need for a bit more "play," Jack went back to caressing Daniel's smooth skin, his hands running up and down his ribcage, his fingers occasionally in a tickling motion to keep his love off-balance.
The older man nuzzled into Daniel's long hair, going through it like a jungle to kiss Daniel's nape. Jack followed that by laying a trail of short, wet kisses along Daniel's shoulder, nibbling occasionally on Daniel's skin, and then licking the skin to taste it. Daniel was soon lost in the sensations.
Jack raised his hands to massage Daniel's sides briefly. He wanted no part of his lover to go untouched. Then he removed his own pants and underwear and leaned against Daniel, who could feel Jack's erection against him.
Still wanting every inch of Daniel, Jack slid his hands and body all the way down, his knees bent, as his hands roamed Daniel's ankles, calves, and knees. Jack licked the back of the knee joint, his tongue working its way up the back of Daniel's thighs.
He lightly nibbled on Daniel's butt cheeks as his hands moved in circling motions around his kisses. Jack rose as he moved his hands back to Daniel's front, taking hold of Daniel's hardened shaft, squeezing it and moving all along it, his thumb pressing down frequently.
Daniel was letting out little sounds and moans from the actions, drifting wherever the physical touches took him.
Jack put the lubricant on his fingers as he got ready to prepare his lover for their lovemaking.
Daniel hunched forward, his hands gripping the back of the sofa as Jack inserted a finger, moving it inside Daniel for a bit before withdrawing it. Daniel hung his head as Jack pushed in with two fingers, twisting them and scissoring along the young man's insides. When Jack pulled them out, Daniel groaned from the lost contact.
"Love you so much. Danny," Jack said as he inserted three fingers, moving them quickly, making sharp jabbing contact with Daniel's prostate.
"Want you, only you Jack, so freakin' much," Daniel whispered, his eyes closed, his mind taking him beyond where they actually were.
They were so good together, so vibrant that their thoughts practically carried them to another existence even without the actual touches. Daniel was falling fast, a combination of his own mind and Jack's actions.
As Jack entered Daniel, and buried himself to the root, he paused to
relish the feel of his lover. Then, starting slowly, he began to move in and out, increasing his speed.
"Danny ... this is heaven," Jack grunted as his movement within Daniel took on more force. His breathing was deepening, coming in hitched gasps.
"Gawd ... Jack ... need you so much ... love you, Jack ... gaaaaaawd," Daniel cawed as Jack began to pound into him harder with thrust after thrust.
Daniel's hands gripped the sofa, his fingernails pulling on the material as he fought to hang on. He began to angle himself to try and take more of Jack inside him, wanting, needing to feel as much as possible.
Jack's movements became stronger with his own powerful need. He positioned himself to connect with Daniel's prostate with each potent thrust, causing Daniel to shout from the impact, "YES! GAWD YES! LOVE YOU!"
"Mine, you're mine, Danny," Jack rasped possessively as his pace took on a frantic speed.
Sweat from Jack's brow fell down to Daniel's back. Daniel's head was low, almost against the sofa, as he did all he could to give Jack maximum access to his body.
Jack leaned over Daniel more as he hammered away, making hit after hit like a bat connecting with a ball, sending home run after home run over the park fence, each hit sending trembling jolts through Daniel's body.
Jack took his right hand to Daniel's length and began to work it hard, pumping it and sometimes stroking rapidly to the same beat as his contact with Daniel's insides.
The rhythm began to send them both to the other side of oblivion. Their breathing was hard; both were panting. Jack's grunts were loud as he labored, a harsh sound coming every time he pushed himself inside Daniel and shoved his length against Daniel's sensitive areas.
Daniel was loud, too. Moans from the movements inside, groans and cries from both the force of Jack's shaft against him and the pulsating of his own length as Jack applied pressure to it.
They were both on the edge. Jack wanted them to come together. He knew he could only hold on a short while longer, so he forced his hand to work harder on Daniel, until Daniel shouted, "CAN'T HOLD ... " and with that, Jack made a last deep and blistering move inside Daniel, impaling himself against the young man's prostate.
"Danny," Jack cried out with as much energy as he could, as Daniel screamed his name, "JAAAAAAAACKKK!" his body convulsing from the aftershock of his orgasm.
They had come together, Jack inside his lover, and Daniel in Jack's hand. Jack's head rested on Daniel's still hunched and quivering back as Daniel's head made contact with the back of the sofa for temporary support.
A minute later, Jack withdrew from his lover, and they both sank to the cold of the carpet floor. Jack leaned his back against the cream colored couch, as Daniel shifted to lay in Jack's embrace.
Daniel thrashed a little, though, causing Jack to be concerned.
"What?" the older man panted.
"Too much ... too ...," Daniel tried to speak, his hands playing with Jack's brown shirt, the only piece of clothing on either of them.
Daniel ripped open the shirt, the buttons flying. He was desperate to feel Jack's skin, the fabric actually tearing from the force of his efforts until he finally had it off the older man.
"Never liked this shirt anyway," Jack teased as Daniel finally had his hands where he wanted them -- on his lover's chest, fondling Jack's hairs, even placing a kiss on the chest that Daniel thought was the sexiest thing in the universe.
"Gawd, Jack, I think I saw stars. Love you so much."
"Me too, Love, so friggin' much," Jack sighed as his arms squeezed his lover tightly.
Jack loved holding Daniel, feeling his skin against his own. It felt warm and reassuring ... it felt ... right.
Jack kissed Daniel's moppy hair, running his fingers through the long shaggy strands, speaking affirmations of his love as he did so.
Daniel's breathing was finally evening out, his eyes closed as he listened to Jack's heartbeat.
"It's beautiful," Daniel said.
"What is ... besides you, of course?"
"Your heartbeat. I love listening to it, so strong. I love you so much, Jack, that it ... it scares me."
"I love you, too, Danny, and I know it's scary. This is something I could never have imagined happening in my life, but I'm sure glad it has. Wouldn't give you up for anything."
Daniel wasn't sure he believed Jack, but he didn't say anything. He felt the same way, and that frightened him more than he wanted to admit.
"Jack ... I ... I couldn't have imagined this either. I mean, the way you make me feel, my body ... I just ... never. It's so ... intense. Gawd, Jack, I didn't know anyone could feel this way, least of all with ... with ..."
"... With another man?"
Daniel nodded, "Never felt like this, Jack. Gawd."
"What you do to me, My Love. You're ... you're part of me now, deep inside. It's like ... your soul leaped into mine. I'm not making any sense."
"Yes, you are. It's ... how I feel, too."
They held each other for a while, just touching and kissing. Jack's fingers played with Daniel's long hair, his nose and cheek rubbing against it often. For all the teasing Jack did about the shag, he loved nuzzling into it.
"What happened to your meeting, Jack?" Daniel eventually asked.
"It was too hot."
"Huh?"
"It still is. What happened to the A/C, Daniel?"
"Broke. Don't know," Daniel said, both of their bodies soaked from their lovemaking and the heat of the apartment.
"Well, that's about what happened to the meeting. The big wigs ... full of hot air. They weren't getting anywhere -- decided to postpone for a while, give everyone time to cool off, so I came here and figured we'd go to the Air Show."
Daniel laughed, "Sorry Jack."
"I'm not. You're so beautiful, Danny. You took my breath away standing there, so sexy and gorgeous cleaning that shelf."
Daniel was blushing. He didn't know what to say. Jack was always saying things like that, and it flustered the young man. He wasn't used to anyone gushing over him the way Jack did, making him feel so wanted and desired.
"You know, I never clean the tops of my shelves like you were. No one will see, you know."
"Jack, please tell me you're joking?"
"Nope, serious as can be."
"We're cleaning your place tomorrow."
"Cleaning? Why? Come on, Daniel, I was hoping we'd just kick back and ... do this some more," Jack said as he kissed his lover, nibbling on his upper lip first.
"Jack, I sneeze more at your place, and I'll bet that's why."
"But I never clean ..."
"Exactly. Me or the dust, Jack," Daniel grinned, adding, "and I don't think the dust can do this for you," Daniel's tongue brushed against Jack's lips, then entered his mouth, flicking back and forth with Jack's, as the young man's hands massaged Jack's hairy chest, and then stroked downward, touching Jack's shaft, causing him to moan.
"Um, well, you're right about that," Jack croaked, acquiescing, "We clean."
Daniel's head rested against Jack's shoulder again. It was so hot, but they enjoyed their close contact, in spite of the sweat that still flowed between them.
"Jack?"
Daniel's voice was soft, almost timid.
"What Love?"
"How did you feel when ... when you realized that you ... I mean, when you knew how ... never mind."
"Danny, we just had awesome sex. Why the heck are you hedging over a question?"
Daniel shrugged against Jack's warm body. He just wasn't confident enough to ask some of the things he wanted to.
"I love you, Daniel. Don't hide. Don't shut me out."
"I wasn't trying to. I just ... was curious how you felt when you knew you lov ... when you ..."
Jack shook his head, kissing Daniel's still-wet hair, "... You mean how did I feel when I realized I was in love with you?"
"Yeah, that's it," Daniel smiled.
Jack was glad he was getting to be fluent in the language of Daniel. It was the most wonderful language in the world, and he knew he was the only one who understood it, and something about that excited him. No one in creation knew Daniel Jackson the way Jack O'Neill did. He smiled and then answered his lover's question.
"Scared, angry, confused. You were dead, Danny, gone to that watery hellhole on Oannes with Nem, and my heart felt empty. I was alone again, and I didn't like it. I hadn't realized you had become such a part of me. I didn't even know I could let someone be that close to me since Charlie's death."
"But how'd you know it was love?"
"How do you ever know? I hated the world again. My soul was shutting down. I had ... I told Hammond that I was going to retire."
"Jack, you never told me that."
"He got me to do the closing on your apartment, and that's when we realized we were all having those visions, and figured out that Creature from the Black Lagoon had played with our minds."
"Nem wasn't a creature, Jack. He's a living being, a hurting one, who just wanted to find his mate. Can you really blame him for doing absolutely everything he could to find her?"
Jack hadn't thought of it like that before. He knew if anyone ever took Daniel from him, he'd do the same thing. He'd track Daniel through galaxy after galaxy. No one ... nothing ... would prevent Jack from finding his partner.
"No, I guess when you put it like that, I can't blame him at all, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."
"So ... how'd you know, Jack, that it was more than friendship?"
"The moment there was hope that you were alive, I began to breathe again, to feel life. It was like someone had flipped on a switch, from off to on, and my heart that had stopped beating, began again."
"That's almost poetic, Jack."
Jack chuckled, "I'm not a poet, but it's how I felt. When I saw you swimming to shore ... Danny, I wanted to run to you and hold you, and that really scared me. I didn't want to ... hug you, like a friend welcoming another back, but I wanted to hold you the way I held Sara when she was scared, or when I had come home from some mission. I wanted to comfort you and protect you."
"Friends hold friends. You ... held me before ... when we were ... you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know, but the thing is, that feeling or need didn't go away. Later, after you had been back a while, I still wanted to do it. You were more than my best friend. I got drunk a few times, trying to bury whatever it was that I didn't want to admit or think about."
"Jack, when did you have a chance to get drunk? I was at your place so much, or you were with me."
"Yeah, I know, but you'd leave eventually, or I would ... you know, laundry, house cleaning, meetings with the brass."
"You lied?"
"No, I've never lied to you, but I guess maybe I stretched it a few times, made the meeting last longer ... or something. I loved being with you. Loved it too much, and kept thinking I could get it under control, get myself sane again."
Daniel continued to rub his fingers through Jack's chest hairs, feeling comfortable and at peace with his new love.
"I was scared, Danny. I didn't understand it one bit. I needed space sometimes, even though I needed to be with you at the same time. There was a time when I hated myself, you, and the friggin' Air Force for complicating it all even more."
"I understand."
"Danny, when you found out that I loved you, after I got hurt in Antarctica, how'd you feel?"
"Confused mostly, but ... somehow, in the end, Jack, it just didn't matter. You were my best friend, and I didn't want to lose that, so ... it just didn't matter that you cared ... more about me."
"I do love you."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Daniel nodded, and whispered, "I'm still getting used to it though, to feeling like this."
"And how exactly are you feeling?"
"Sweaty ... a lot," Daniel chuckled.
"How about a shower? Then we can ... clean up the mess we just made."
"And go to your place and dust those shelves."
Jack cringed, but leaned over to kiss the man who was his heart, and then both rose and started to head for the shower, their arms wrapped around each other.
"By the way, Dr. Jackson, you owe me a shirt."
"Sorry about that. Sometimes what I feel is just ... it's so intense, Jack, and I need to feel you, to have that contact with you. It helps me to ground myself to ... to what we have. I guess I got ... desperate. I'm sorry."
"You can rip off my clothing anytime, Love. In fact, I encourage it."
"I'm going to remember you said that, Jack."
"Just don't forget to replace it, or I'll never have any clothes to wear."
"Hmm ... sounds perfect to me," Daniel said with laughter in his voice.
"Love you."
"Love you more."
"Love you even more than that."
"To the ends of the earth."
"The galaxy and beyond."
"Through the universe and beyond the barrier of time."
"Forever and always, Danny."
Daniel blinked, as they stood embraced at the door to the bathroom, and he smiled as he placed his right hand on Jack's cheek, the way he had their first night together, caressing it gently.
"Forever and always, Jack. I love you."
==== September 5, 2000
SG-1 had spent 24 hours in the infirmary, undergoing physical and psychological testing after their experiences on P3R-118, a frozen planet where the inhabitants lived in a domed city fueled by workers who had kept the energy flowing, unaware they had been living beneath the surface of the city.
Each member of SG-1 had been affected by the planet's memory stamp. Even Teal'c had believed his named had been Tor. Sam had believed she was named Therra and had been linked with Jack, who had been renamed Jonah. Daniel had been given the name Carlin, connected to a worker called Kegan.
Their memories had been completely wiped out for a time, during which Jack and Daniel had been at odds, with Sam and Jack given feelings of a deeper romantic emotion to share, while Daniel had been given the same with Kegan.
When Janet Fraiser finally released the team, their memories almost fully restored, Daniel had left quickly. Jack had started to follow, but was stopped by General Hammond, wanting to discuss a few SGC matters with him, after which Jack had been informed that as much as the General had wished he could let Jack out of it, there was a top level meeting that afternoon that Jack had to attend.
It was the kind of meeting Jack hated, with types like Senator Kinsey present, but he had no choice. Dressed in his uniform as required, Jack spent the next several hours listening to more "hot air."
Daniel decided not to go home, but to go to the apartment. He didn't know about the meeting, and he wanted some time to think ... privately. He figured he'd have a little time before Jack figured out where he was.
It was hot for the Springs, about 87 degrees, and once again, Daniel's air conditioner was on the blink. It had broken down the year before, but since Daniel was rarely at the apartment any more, he had never had it fixed.
When he walked in, he immediately noticed how stuffy the place was, since he hadn't been there for a while.
Daniel opened the balcony doors, and then decided to do a good cleaning, figuring that some honest physical labor, as himself and not some brainwashed robot, might do him some good. He wore only a pair of denim cut offs that were very short, just the way Jack liked them.
Over the years, Daniel had seduced Jack away from all kinds of sporting events and plane shows by wearing just those same type of cutoffs at the home they shared together. When Daniel wore them, Jack was easily talked into most anything that Daniel wanted.
Daniel wore them now simply because the apartment was so hot, and he didn't keep many clothes there to choose from.
The young man spent hours cleaning the place from top to bottom, scrubbing the floors and even the walls. He wasn't sure why it was so important to clean, but he couldn't stop. He was sweaty and exhausted, but he kept on, finally coming to the bookshelves.
He stepped onto the mini-ladder and started to clean, the bothersome particles flying as he moved a long duster along the top of the shelves. He was grateful for Janet's medical treatment over the years that had controlled his allergies most of the time, or else he knew he'd be sneezing big time as he worked at the tops of the tall units.
Jack entered the apartment quietly, concerned that Daniel was here and not at home, but his concern was temporarily stalled when he beheld his beloved in his blue cutoffs dusting the shelves. Daniel was on the balls of his feet, once again trying to reach the ends of the tall pieces of furniture.
Jack leered and, remembering what had happened years ago, moved forward as he spoke, "Deja vu."
Daniel startled, losing his footing, and as he had done years before, started to fall back into the waiting arms of his lover.
"Like I said, deja vu," Jack laughed, kissing Daniel's nape.
"Jack."
The older man paused, hearing an unspoken "stop" in his name. Daniel turned to face his partner and then stood wide-eyed, his mouth open as he gaped.
Jack was in his dress blues, and Daniel thought he'd died and gone to heaven, saying aloud without realizing it, "Wow, you're delicious enough to eat."
Jack smiled, his hand caressing his love's left cheek as he spoke, "That's the plan."
Daniel gazed into Jack's chocolate brown eyes and couldn't resist the tender kiss Jack placed on his lips, their arms suddenly pulling them together like two magnets.
Daniel moaned, his hands roaming his lover's back.
"I love you in your dress blues," his head leaning on Jack's shoulder, loving the feel of the material against him.
"I just love you," Jack said, realizing as he spoke, Daniel had tensed.
Something was wrong in paradise, and while Jack wasn't sure what it was, he did know that he and Daniel belonged together, and whatever the current crisis was, they'd get through it.
Daniel pulled back, but stayed in Jack's hold, bringing his hands to Jack's neck, and then running them down the navy blue Air Force jacket, his fingers tracing the decorations and stopping over Jack's heart.
Daniel seemed frozen there, whispering, "Dress blues -- so sexy in your dress blues."
Jack kissed his forehead. Something was wrong with his soul mate and it was time to find out what.
"What's wrong, Danny?"
Daniel moved away from Jack, his arms self-hugging as he walked over to the sofa, gently leaning against it.
"I ... I dreamed about you."
"That's a bad thing?"
"On the planet, Jack ... I dreamed about you."
Jack sighed, now understanding at least in part what was wrong.
"Daniel, they brainwashed us, gave us false memories and lives. You know that."
"But I dreamed about you, and you dreamed about ..."
"No, I didn't," Jack interrupted, knowing where Daniel was headed and not wanting him to fret over more than he apparently already had.
"Danny," Jack said as he walked to his lover, reaching out to take the young man's hands, ending the self-hug, "they brainwashed us. They gave us feelings and lives that didn't exist. They could have paired any of us together with anyone. It's ... just the way they did it."
Daniel didn't look at Jack, his eyes focused on their entwined hands.
"And what about that Kegan gal?"
Daniel's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Jack's.
"Nothing happened with her, or anyone."
"Ditto, Love. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"I heard you, Jack ... when we were leaving, and you and Sam were talking, about your memories coming back. You seemed ... sad."
"Danny ... I love you. I'm not going to lie to you. They put things there that didn't belong. You know in your heart how I feel about Carter. She's a good friend, a darn good friend, and she's put herself on the line for both of us, but it stops there, Danny. There's nothing more to it."
"She relied on you on that planet. I saw how you two were together, leaning on each other, always huddling. You didn't know me at all. We fought ... over Sam."
"No, Angel, Jonah and Carlin fought over Kegan not giving Therra bread, a point Carlin didn't want to see at the time, and I don't fault him for that, and I don't blame you either, because that's the memory and feeling that they gave you ... that you, as Carlin, cared for Kegan."
"But I dreamed of you. Don't you get it? Once I knew there was a connection between us Jack, I started to remember. But you ... you just clung to Sam and dreamed about being naked or something."
"Danny, you're jealous."
"I am not," Daniel tried unsuccessfully to deny, hugging himself even more tightly than before.
The young man evaded Jack's strong gaze, looking for a moment towards the balcony before continuing, "Okay, but it's ... it's more than that Jack. How do we know they gave us those feelings, that they aren't somewhere deep beneath the surface for all of us?"
Daniel looked down, his feet tapping the floor for a moment, "You two looked so ... content together. You remembered her, even if you didn't know how to explain it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it hurts that I thought of you and knew deep down there was a connection between us, and yet you could only think of her."
"Love, you're wrong, and I know that doesn't happen very often, but this time, you are so wrong. What I remembered about Carter was that she was somehow connected to me. It felt comfortable, and we were friends, nothing more than that.
"Danny, I hate this truth stuff ... but ...," Jack grunted a loud frustration, "Daniel ... you and Kegan ... it drove me out of my mind, and I didn't understand why I should care about you or your relationship with her. I was scared. Being around you was ... uncomfortable because it made me ... feel things that didn't seem natural. I ran ... to Carter because she felt safe, and you were anything but safe."
Daniel fidgeted. Jack's words rang true, and he understood them more than Jack knew. Sometimes the truth and honesty thing was a bit uncomfortable.
"What?"
"Jack," a big sigh escaped Daniel's lips, "I thought ... for a minute ... I mean ... there was something about you, but it didn't make sense to me so I thought ... I thought maybe I didn't like you, or felt this ... whatever it was that I didn't understand because I had feelings for Therra, and I just hadn't admitted it."
"Whoa Danny! Feelings for Carter?"
"No, Therra ... and now who's jealous?"
"I'm always jealous," Jack smiled with a wink, "but at least now you are at least admitting you're jealous of Carter."
"I admit nothing," Daniel decided to be more forceful, "I am not jealous."
"Are too."
"Not," Daniel said very weakly.
"Oh yes you are," Jack said as he pulled his lover up to him.
Daniel blinked and nodded, falling into Jack's warm embrace. He hated being jealous, but he was, more often than he cared to admit. His Jack was handsome, with a smile that melted him like butter, and Daniel was well aware of the looks and attentions from others that Jack received anywhere they went.
Daniel considered himself very lucky to have Jack, and he hated the thought of ever losing him. He sighed, admitting to his jealousy again, just happy that he didn't become irrational like Jack had done so often when his Mr. Jealousy would take hold of him.
Jack moved back slightly so he could look at Daniel. Cupping his face firmly, the older man spoke with confidence, "Listen to me, Love. I have something very important to say. It's ... vital ... crucial to our future. I need you to listen carefully with your heart, as well as with your ears."
Daniel panicked, afraid he'd missed something. Maybe he had cause to be jealous after all.
"Pay close attention -- listen," Jack softly cooed into Daniel's mouth, as he kissed him with all the passion he could muster.
The kiss was long and deep, full of love, lust, and longing. It said, "You're mine, and I'm yours," as their dancing tongues waltzed in unison.
Jack's hands held his lover as close as he could, rambling around his back, and then rubbing against Daniel's butt cheeks, and pushing Daniel into him, and holding him there.
The kiss continued, becoming a multitude of kisses, each one lingering for a while and then leading to another, their lips glued to the others'.
Jack's hands slipped inside the back of Daniel's cutoffs as he continued to keep him close. Daniel moaned frequently from the pleasurable sensations.
"Hmmm," was all he could say when they finally broke their kisses for a moment.
"Get the message, Dr. Jackson?"
"Mmm-mmm," Daniel sighed, as they leaned their foreheads together, something Jack and Daniel often did as a sign of their oneness and harmony together.
"You sure?"
Daniel nodded.
"For the record, Angel, I felt a connection between us when we worked together to close that valve. It was strong and scared the living crap out of me. Remember how I stared at you?"
"I remember."
"I felt something so strong ... and I didn't know what to make out of it, so I did the only thing I knew to do ... I ran to Carter, but nothing ever happened, Danny. I swear to you ... didn't even kiss her, not once."
"Bet you thought about it though," Daniel said, trying to keep his jealousy going, but that kiss had sent a sparkling chill up his spine, one that made him tingly with love and anticipation of what would happen soon between he and Jack.
"I love you, Danny. Okay, I love Carter ... but only as a friend, which you know, but you, Angel, you're my heart, my soul, and my life. Only you, My Love ... only you," Jack sighed into Daniel's mouth, ravishing it as much as he could.
"Hmm ... dress blues ... love your dress blues, Jack."
"Just a uniform."
"Na-huh -- sexy."
Daniel sounded almost intoxicated, and Jack loved it, though he was getting lost in his lover's body himself. Daniel wearing cutoffs was the next best thing to Daniel naked in Jack's opinion.
"I want you, Jack."
"You have me. Always will, too."
"Promise?"
"Promise -- an oath ... a vow."
"Vow?"
The two shared a look of meaning, wondering if someday their relationship would reach a point where they'd actually think about pledging their love openly, in front of others. They didn't know, but right now, they shared a silent vow, of forever and always, of eternity.
Jack smiled as they kissed again, "Vows have their strong points."
"I want you, Jack," Daniel repeated.
"Not arguing," the older man whispered as they kissed again, their harden shafts begging for attention, Daniel's hold on Jack firm.
"I don't suppose you'd consider letting me get out of this uniform."
Daniel shook his head, "We'll get it cleaned. Please, Jack. Love you so much. Want you now."
"You know what, Danny?"
"What?"
"I think I'm going to give up on ever going to that Air Show. We seem to ... always have more ... important things to do," Jack kissed his heart tenderly.
"Was it today?"
"Yep, missed it again, but you're all I need, all I want."
"Make love to me, Jack."
"Love you so friggin' much," Jack said, as he began to ravish his lover, their bodies fusing together, melding into one.
Jack figured someday he might get to see the Air Show again, but even if he didn't, he was happier now than he'd ever been, and he'd choose his lover over an airplane any day, though he knew he couldn't admit that to his friends.
Daniel, meanwhile, figured that he might never fix the air conditioning, and would just wear his cutoffs, knowing it would lead to lovemaking with Jack. Life couldn't get better.
They fell asleep after their union, completely satiated and blissful, knowing that their love would get them through anything, and even in their most difficult times, it would be just under the surface, waiting to be cherished and treasured in their foreverness.
~~Finis - Finished - Done - The End - But is it ever Really?~~
Deja Vu: The Effects of Dress Blues on Archaeologists!
Author: Orrymain
Author Email: marciastudley@comcast.net (Feedback welcome)
Author Website: http://orrymain.raikiri.net/fanfichome.html
Category: Slash, Romance, Missing Scene/Epilogue, Established Relationship
Pairing: Jack/Daniel .... and it's all J/D
Rating: NC-17
Season: 2 (Sept. 1998) and 4 (Sept. 2000), after Beneath the Surface
Spoilers: Beneath the Surface
Size: 39kb, short story
Written: October 12,18-20,29-30, November 2, 2003
Archive: Area52, Comfort Zone, FanFiction.Net, Cartouche, AlphaGate, TheBoy
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers -- not mine, wish they were, especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. This was a whim; all in fun. I don't have anything to do with them legally!
Summary: Dress blues, cutoffs, no air-conditioning, hot weather, love in the afternoon, and the aftermath of memory stamps!
Notes: Thanks to my betas who always make my fics better: Mama Beast, Drdjlover, Starshadow, Suzanna! ...and to Michele for the read through!
Under the Surface aka:
Deja Vu: The Effects of Dress Blues on Archaeologists!
by Orrymain
==== September 7, 1998
Colorado Springs was into its third straight day of unusually warm temperature for September. It wasn't incredibly hot compared to other places across the country, but it was still 90 degrees plus instead of the normal mid to high seventies.
Jack was at a meeting with the brass, so Daniel chose to spend the day cleaning his apartment. His romantic relationship with Jack was only a little over two months old, and both were still learning about themselves and the other as part of a same-sex liaison, one that had surprised both of the previously heterosexual males.
Actually, they had agreed not to label themselves because both detested generalities. The only thing they knew for sure was that they were in love, and it just happened that the person they loved was of the same sex.
Daniel's air-conditioning wasn't working, so he was wearing nothing but red shorts that had a single white stripe down each side. He stood barefoot on a step ladder as he dusted the top of the bookshelves.
Jack entered the apartment quietly, and stood admiring his lover. He was dressed in his dress blues, his cap still on. He leaned against the wall, leering as he thought, "Mine. All mine."
"I heard that," Daniel said.
Jack and Daniel had developed a strange sort of telepathic-like ability with each other that seemed to get stronger as their personal relationship intensified. From the day they had met, they had always been on the same wavelength, often having a clue what the other was thinking or feeling, but now it was somehow turning into more.
Neither knew what to make of it. It wasn't that they could read each other's minds, but sometimes, they simply heard what the other was thinking, usually when those thoughts were directed at the other, like now.
Daniel turned slightly to see his lover, but when he saw Jack in his dress blues, he was taken aback, physically losing his breath. He had intended to say something snarky about Jack's possessive "comment," but the sight of his very sexy partner got the best of him, and Daniel lost his balance, starting to fall.
Jack rushed towards him, and Daniel fell right into his handsome Air Force Colonel's arms.
"Now this is what I call a real movie moment," Jack grinned, as he held a stunned Daniel in his arms.
"Dress blues, Jack. Gawd, you're so ... sexy in your dress blues," Daniel said as he ran his hands along the material of the jacket, his eyes feasting on Jack and then leaning in for a kiss, tasting Jack's lips, his tongue slipping through to mingle with the older man's.
Daniel's hands were melding into Jack, his fingers kneading into the material of the uniform.
As the kisses continued, Daniel was pawing and touching the material of Jack's clothes like a bear who had just found its first raw meat to eat in weeks. It was a burning hunger that was growing with each second. Jack wasn't complaining, but he didn't want to be distracted from his original plan for the afternoon.
"Hmm Danny," Jack sighed, "we've got plans."
"Ppp...plans? What plans?"
"The Air Show. It starts in an hour. I'm gonna change," Jack backed away, "It's hot in here. Have you noticed?"
"Noticed? Hot? Yes, Jack, it's definitely ... hot," Daniel whined, unhappy at being second to planes flying around in the air.
"I'll make it up to you, Love, but I missed the show last year, and didn't think I'd be out of the meeting early enough to go today. Come on ... humor me."
Daniel rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning the top of the bookshelves as Jack went into Daniel's bedroom with the duffel bag he had brought with him. While the younger man had some things at Jack's place, they hadn't yet made the step of Jack leaving things at Daniel's apartment so Jack always made sure he had a change of clothing and other necessary items in a bag in the truck.
Jack put on a brown short sleeve shirt and brown pants and switched to some more comfortable Nike walking shoes and went back to snatch his lover, when he was again awed by the beauty of the younger man. Jack smiled, watching Daniel arch his feet slightly to reach the corner at the back of the shelf, his stretching causing the muscles in his body to constrict.
Jack was beginning to think that maybe an Air Show wasn't such hot stuff after all, not compared to his Daniel.
"There's always next year," he thought, silently approaching the step ladder carefully.
He didn't want to startle Daniel, so he made enough noise that Daniel could hear him. Reaching the step, he put his hands on the outside of Daniel's thighs, gently rubbing up and then sliding them slowly downwards.
"Jack, I'm going to finish this before we go."
"Anything you say, Love," Jack smirked, his plans having changed minutes before, something he conveniently hadn't mentioned to Daniel.
Jack massaged Daniel's thigh as he kissed the small of his back, causing Daniel to stop what he was doing. Daniel hadn't said anything, too shocked that Jack seemed to have switched gears.
The older man's hands began to caress the inside of Daniel's legs, as his tongue licked its way along Daniel's lower back.
Daniel was losing himself in the touches, his legs turning into jelly. He just hoped Jack would catch him when he fell, which he was sure would be soon.
Jack's hands slid up the sides of Daniel's shorts, his fingers working his lover's skin with taunting caresses. He placed a line of kisses up his partner's spine, causing Daniel to visibly shiver repetitively.
"J'ck," Daniel croaked out, his voice lost with the rest of him.
"Love you Danny," Jack said between kisses.
Jack moved his hands further inside Daniel's shorts, his left hand touching Daniel's hardening length, causing his lover to moan softly and call his name, "Jack."
Jack pulled down Daniel's shorts and boxers, sliding his chest against Daniel's buttocks as his hand stroked lightly against Daniel's shaft.
Jack could feel that Daniel was about to lose his balance, being swept away by Jack. He pushed his willing lover into him, and guided him into his arms fully, and Jack lowered him off the step ladder, the shorts and boxers being left behind as Daniel slipped his feet out of them.
Daniel was leaning into Jack, his head against his shoulder, as Jack's hands rubbed the young man's abdomen in long strokes, back and forth.
"Where's the lube, Danny?" Jack asked quietly.
Jack made a vow to himself that they were going to have to start using more logic about where they kept the lubricant. He and Daniel made love frequently, but it was still so new, and they seemed to never expect it, and so often had to interrupt their progress to go in search of it, or else go without.
"Sofa," Daniel smiled shyly, as Jack kissed his nape.
"Come here you," Jack spoke, taking Daniel with him as they walked to the sofa, standing behind it. Daniel reached over beneath the cushions to pull out a new tube.
"Ingenious, my genius," Jack cackled.
"Thank you, but if you don't mind," Daniel said getting back to the same position he was in before, with Jack behind him, massaging his body in foreplay. He had liked Jack's hold on him, though his knees were weak from his lover's touches and soft kisses.
Feeling the need for a bit more "play," Jack went back to caressing Daniel's smooth skin, his hands running up and down his ribcage, his fingers occasionally in a tickling motion to keep his love off-balance.
The older man nuzzled into Daniel's long hair, going through it like a jungle to kiss Daniel's nape. Jack followed that by laying a trail of short, wet kisses along Daniel's shoulder, nibbling occasionally on Daniel's skin, and then licking the skin to taste it. Daniel was soon lost in the sensations.
Jack raised his hands to massage Daniel's sides briefly. He wanted no part of his lover to go untouched. Then he removed his own pants and underwear and leaned against Daniel, who could feel Jack's erection against him.
Still wanting every inch of Daniel, Jack slid his hands and body all the way down, his knees bent, as his hands roamed Daniel's ankles, calves, and knees. Jack licked the back of the knee joint, his tongue working its way up the back of Daniel's thighs.
He lightly nibbled on Daniel's butt cheeks as his hands moved in circling motions around his kisses. Jack rose as he moved his hands back to Daniel's front, taking hold of Daniel's hardened shaft, squeezing it and moving all along it, his thumb pressing down frequently.
Daniel was letting out little sounds and moans from the actions, drifting wherever the physical touches took him.
Jack put the lubricant on his fingers as he got ready to prepare his lover for their lovemaking.
Daniel hunched forward, his hands gripping the back of the sofa as Jack inserted a finger, moving it inside Daniel for a bit before withdrawing it. Daniel hung his head as Jack pushed in with two fingers, twisting them and scissoring along the young man's insides. When Jack pulled them out, Daniel groaned from the lost contact.
"Love you so much. Danny," Jack said as he inserted three fingers, moving them quickly, making sharp jabbing contact with Daniel's prostate.
"Want you, only you Jack, so freakin' much," Daniel whispered, his eyes closed, his mind taking him beyond where they actually were.
They were so good together, so vibrant that their thoughts practically carried them to another existence even without the actual touches. Daniel was falling fast, a combination of his own mind and Jack's actions.
As Jack entered Daniel, and buried himself to the root, he paused to
relish the feel of his lover. Then, starting slowly, he began to move in and out, increasing his speed.
"Danny ... this is heaven," Jack grunted as his movement within Daniel took on more force. His breathing was deepening, coming in hitched gasps.
"Gawd ... Jack ... need you so much ... love you, Jack ... gaaaaaawd," Daniel cawed as Jack began to pound into him harder with thrust after thrust.
Daniel's hands gripped the sofa, his fingernails pulling on the material as he fought to hang on. He began to angle himself to try and take more of Jack inside him, wanting, needing to feel as much as possible.
Jack's movements became stronger with his own powerful need. He positioned himself to connect with Daniel's prostate with each potent thrust, causing Daniel to shout from the impact, "YES! GAWD YES! LOVE YOU!"
"Mine, you're mine, Danny," Jack rasped possessively as his pace took on a frantic speed.
Sweat from Jack's brow fell down to Daniel's back. Daniel's head was low, almost against the sofa, as he did all he could to give Jack maximum access to his body.
Jack leaned over Daniel more as he hammered away, making hit after hit like a bat connecting with a ball, sending home run after home run over the park fence, each hit sending trembling jolts through Daniel's body.
Jack took his right hand to Daniel's length and began to work it hard, pumping it and sometimes stroking rapidly to the same beat as his contact with Daniel's insides.
The rhythm began to send them both to the other side of oblivion. Their breathing was hard; both were panting. Jack's grunts were loud as he labored, a harsh sound coming every time he pushed himself inside Daniel and shoved his length against Daniel's sensitive areas.
Daniel was loud, too. Moans from the movements inside, groans and cries from both the force of Jack's shaft against him and the pulsating of his own length as Jack applied pressure to it.
They were both on the edge. Jack wanted them to come together. He knew he could only hold on a short while longer, so he forced his hand to work harder on Daniel, until Daniel shouted, "CAN'T HOLD ... " and with that, Jack made a last deep and blistering move inside Daniel, impaling himself against the young man's prostate.
"Danny," Jack cried out with as much energy as he could, as Daniel screamed his name, "JAAAAAAAACKKK!" his body convulsing from the aftershock of his orgasm.
They had come together, Jack inside his lover, and Daniel in Jack's hand. Jack's head rested on Daniel's still hunched and quivering back as Daniel's head made contact with the back of the sofa for temporary support.
A minute later, Jack withdrew from his lover, and they both sank to the cold of the carpet floor. Jack leaned his back against the cream colored couch, as Daniel shifted to lay in Jack's embrace.
Daniel thrashed a little, though, causing Jack to be concerned.
"What?" the older man panted.
"Too much ... too ...," Daniel tried to speak, his hands playing with Jack's brown shirt, the only piece of clothing on either of them.
Daniel ripped open the shirt, the buttons flying. He was desperate to feel Jack's skin, the fabric actually tearing from the force of his efforts until he finally had it off the older man.
"Never liked this shirt anyway," Jack teased as Daniel finally had his hands where he wanted them -- on his lover's chest, fondling Jack's hairs, even placing a kiss on the chest that Daniel thought was the sexiest thing in the universe.
"Gawd, Jack, I think I saw stars. Love you so much."
"Me too, Love, so friggin' much," Jack sighed as his arms squeezed his lover tightly.
Jack loved holding Daniel, feeling his skin against his own. It felt warm and reassuring ... it felt ... right.
Jack kissed Daniel's moppy hair, running his fingers through the long shaggy strands, speaking affirmations of his love as he did so.
Daniel's breathing was finally evening out, his eyes closed as he listened to Jack's heartbeat.
"It's beautiful," Daniel said.
"What is ... besides you, of course?"
"Your heartbeat. I love listening to it, so strong. I love you so much, Jack, that it ... it scares me."
"I love you, too, Danny, and I know it's scary. This is something I could never have imagined happening in my life, but I'm sure glad it has. Wouldn't give you up for anything."
Daniel wasn't sure he believed Jack, but he didn't say anything. He felt the same way, and that frightened him more than he wanted to admit.
"Jack ... I ... I couldn't have imagined this either. I mean, the way you make me feel, my body ... I just ... never. It's so ... intense. Gawd, Jack, I didn't know anyone could feel this way, least of all with ... with ..."
"... With another man?"
Daniel nodded, "Never felt like this, Jack. Gawd."
"What you do to me, My Love. You're ... you're part of me now, deep inside. It's like ... your soul leaped into mine. I'm not making any sense."
"Yes, you are. It's ... how I feel, too."
They held each other for a while, just touching and kissing. Jack's fingers played with Daniel's long hair, his nose and cheek rubbing against it often. For all the teasing Jack did about the shag, he loved nuzzling into it.
"What happened to your meeting, Jack?" Daniel eventually asked.
"It was too hot."
"Huh?"
"It still is. What happened to the A/C, Daniel?"
"Broke. Don't know," Daniel said, both of their bodies soaked from their lovemaking and the heat of the apartment.
"Well, that's about what happened to the meeting. The big wigs ... full of hot air. They weren't getting anywhere -- decided to postpone for a while, give everyone time to cool off, so I came here and figured we'd go to the Air Show."
Daniel laughed, "Sorry Jack."
"I'm not. You're so beautiful, Danny. You took my breath away standing there, so sexy and gorgeous cleaning that shelf."
Daniel was blushing. He didn't know what to say. Jack was always saying things like that, and it flustered the young man. He wasn't used to anyone gushing over him the way Jack did, making him feel so wanted and desired.
"You know, I never clean the tops of my shelves like you were. No one will see, you know."
"Jack, please tell me you're joking?"
"Nope, serious as can be."
"We're cleaning your place tomorrow."
"Cleaning? Why? Come on, Daniel, I was hoping we'd just kick back and ... do this some more," Jack said as he kissed his lover, nibbling on his upper lip first.
"Jack, I sneeze more at your place, and I'll bet that's why."
"But I never clean ..."
"Exactly. Me or the dust, Jack," Daniel grinned, adding, "and I don't think the dust can do this for you," Daniel's tongue brushed against Jack's lips, then entered his mouth, flicking back and forth with Jack's, as the young man's hands massaged Jack's hairy chest, and then stroked downward, touching Jack's shaft, causing him to moan.
"Um, well, you're right about that," Jack croaked, acquiescing, "We clean."
Daniel's head rested against Jack's shoulder again. It was so hot, but they enjoyed their close contact, in spite of the sweat that still flowed between them.
"Jack?"
Daniel's voice was soft, almost timid.
"What Love?"
"How did you feel when ... when you realized that you ... I mean, when you knew how ... never mind."
"Danny, we just had awesome sex. Why the heck are you hedging over a question?"
Daniel shrugged against Jack's warm body. He just wasn't confident enough to ask some of the things he wanted to.
"I love you, Daniel. Don't hide. Don't shut me out."
"I wasn't trying to. I just ... was curious how you felt when you knew you lov ... when you ..."
Jack shook his head, kissing Daniel's still-wet hair, "... You mean how did I feel when I realized I was in love with you?"
"Yeah, that's it," Daniel smiled.
Jack was glad he was getting to be fluent in the language of Daniel. It was the most wonderful language in the world, and he knew he was the only one who understood it, and something about that excited him. No one in creation knew Daniel Jackson the way Jack O'Neill did. He smiled and then answered his lover's question.
"Scared, angry, confused. You were dead, Danny, gone to that watery hellhole on Oannes with Nem, and my heart felt empty. I was alone again, and I didn't like it. I hadn't realized you had become such a part of me. I didn't even know I could let someone be that close to me since Charlie's death."
"But how'd you know it was love?"
"How do you ever know? I hated the world again. My soul was shutting down. I had ... I told Hammond that I was going to retire."
"Jack, you never told me that."
"He got me to do the closing on your apartment, and that's when we realized we were all having those visions, and figured out that Creature from the Black Lagoon had played with our minds."
"Nem wasn't a creature, Jack. He's a living being, a hurting one, who just wanted to find his mate. Can you really blame him for doing absolutely everything he could to find her?"
Jack hadn't thought of it like that before. He knew if anyone ever took Daniel from him, he'd do the same thing. He'd track Daniel through galaxy after galaxy. No one ... nothing ... would prevent Jack from finding his partner.
"No, I guess when you put it like that, I can't blame him at all, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."
"So ... how'd you know, Jack, that it was more than friendship?"
"The moment there was hope that you were alive, I began to breathe again, to feel life. It was like someone had flipped on a switch, from off to on, and my heart that had stopped beating, began again."
"That's almost poetic, Jack."
Jack chuckled, "I'm not a poet, but it's how I felt. When I saw you swimming to shore ... Danny, I wanted to run to you and hold you, and that really scared me. I didn't want to ... hug you, like a friend welcoming another back, but I wanted to hold you the way I held Sara when she was scared, or when I had come home from some mission. I wanted to comfort you and protect you."
"Friends hold friends. You ... held me before ... when we were ... you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know, but the thing is, that feeling or need didn't go away. Later, after you had been back a while, I still wanted to do it. You were more than my best friend. I got drunk a few times, trying to bury whatever it was that I didn't want to admit or think about."
"Jack, when did you have a chance to get drunk? I was at your place so much, or you were with me."
"Yeah, I know, but you'd leave eventually, or I would ... you know, laundry, house cleaning, meetings with the brass."
"You lied?"
"No, I've never lied to you, but I guess maybe I stretched it a few times, made the meeting last longer ... or something. I loved being with you. Loved it too much, and kept thinking I could get it under control, get myself sane again."
Daniel continued to rub his fingers through Jack's chest hairs, feeling comfortable and at peace with his new love.
"I was scared, Danny. I didn't understand it one bit. I needed space sometimes, even though I needed to be with you at the same time. There was a time when I hated myself, you, and the friggin' Air Force for complicating it all even more."
"I understand."
"Danny, when you found out that I loved you, after I got hurt in Antarctica, how'd you feel?"
"Confused mostly, but ... somehow, in the end, Jack, it just didn't matter. You were my best friend, and I didn't want to lose that, so ... it just didn't matter that you cared ... more about me."
"I do love you."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Daniel nodded, and whispered, "I'm still getting used to it though, to feeling like this."
"And how exactly are you feeling?"
"Sweaty ... a lot," Daniel chuckled.
"How about a shower? Then we can ... clean up the mess we just made."
"And go to your place and dust those shelves."
Jack cringed, but leaned over to kiss the man who was his heart, and then both rose and started to head for the shower, their arms wrapped around each other.
"By the way, Dr. Jackson, you owe me a shirt."
"Sorry about that. Sometimes what I feel is just ... it's so intense, Jack, and I need to feel you, to have that contact with you. It helps me to ground myself to ... to what we have. I guess I got ... desperate. I'm sorry."
"You can rip off my clothing anytime, Love. In fact, I encourage it."
"I'm going to remember you said that, Jack."
"Just don't forget to replace it, or I'll never have any clothes to wear."
"Hmm ... sounds perfect to me," Daniel said with laughter in his voice.
"Love you."
"Love you more."
"Love you even more than that."
"To the ends of the earth."
"The galaxy and beyond."
"Through the universe and beyond the barrier of time."
"Forever and always, Danny."
Daniel blinked, as they stood embraced at the door to the bathroom, and he smiled as he placed his right hand on Jack's cheek, the way he had their first night together, caressing it gently.
"Forever and always, Jack. I love you."
==== September 5, 2000
SG-1 had spent 24 hours in the infirmary, undergoing physical and psychological testing after their experiences on P3R-118, a frozen planet where the inhabitants lived in a domed city fueled by workers who had kept the energy flowing, unaware they had been living beneath the surface of the city.
Each member of SG-1 had been affected by the planet's memory stamp. Even Teal'c had believed his named had been Tor. Sam had believed she was named Therra and had been linked with Jack, who had been renamed Jonah. Daniel had been given the name Carlin, connected to a worker called Kegan.
Their memories had been completely wiped out for a time, during which Jack and Daniel had been at odds, with Sam and Jack given feelings of a deeper romantic emotion to share, while Daniel had been given the same with Kegan.
When Janet Fraiser finally released the team, their memories almost fully restored, Daniel had left quickly. Jack had started to follow, but was stopped by General Hammond, wanting to discuss a few SGC matters with him, after which Jack had been informed that as much as the General had wished he could let Jack out of it, there was a top level meeting that afternoon that Jack had to attend.
It was the kind of meeting Jack hated, with types like Senator Kinsey present, but he had no choice. Dressed in his uniform as required, Jack spent the next several hours listening to more "hot air."
Daniel decided not to go home, but to go to the apartment. He didn't know about the meeting, and he wanted some time to think ... privately. He figured he'd have a little time before Jack figured out where he was.
It was hot for the Springs, about 87 degrees, and once again, Daniel's air conditioner was on the blink. It had broken down the year before, but since Daniel was rarely at the apartment any more, he had never had it fixed.
When he walked in, he immediately noticed how stuffy the place was, since he hadn't been there for a while.
Daniel opened the balcony doors, and then decided to do a good cleaning, figuring that some honest physical labor, as himself and not some brainwashed robot, might do him some good. He wore only a pair of denim cut offs that were very short, just the way Jack liked them.
Over the years, Daniel had seduced Jack away from all kinds of sporting events and plane shows by wearing just those same type of cutoffs at the home they shared together. When Daniel wore them, Jack was easily talked into most anything that Daniel wanted.
Daniel wore them now simply because the apartment was so hot, and he didn't keep many clothes there to choose from.
The young man spent hours cleaning the place from top to bottom, scrubbing the floors and even the walls. He wasn't sure why it was so important to clean, but he couldn't stop. He was sweaty and exhausted, but he kept on, finally coming to the bookshelves.
He stepped onto the mini-ladder and started to clean, the bothersome particles flying as he moved a long duster along the top of the shelves. He was grateful for Janet's medical treatment over the years that had controlled his allergies most of the time, or else he knew he'd be sneezing big time as he worked at the tops of the tall units.
Jack entered the apartment quietly, concerned that Daniel was here and not at home, but his concern was temporarily stalled when he beheld his beloved in his blue cutoffs dusting the shelves. Daniel was on the balls of his feet, once again trying to reach the ends of the tall pieces of furniture.
Jack leered and, remembering what had happened years ago, moved forward as he spoke, "Deja vu."
Daniel startled, losing his footing, and as he had done years before, started to fall back into the waiting arms of his lover.
"Like I said, deja vu," Jack laughed, kissing Daniel's nape.
"Jack."
The older man paused, hearing an unspoken "stop" in his name. Daniel turned to face his partner and then stood wide-eyed, his mouth open as he gaped.
Jack was in his dress blues, and Daniel thought he'd died and gone to heaven, saying aloud without realizing it, "Wow, you're delicious enough to eat."
Jack smiled, his hand caressing his love's left cheek as he spoke, "That's the plan."
Daniel gazed into Jack's chocolate brown eyes and couldn't resist the tender kiss Jack placed on his lips, their arms suddenly pulling them together like two magnets.
Daniel moaned, his hands roaming his lover's back.
"I love you in your dress blues," his head leaning on Jack's shoulder, loving the feel of the material against him.
"I just love you," Jack said, realizing as he spoke, Daniel had tensed.
Something was wrong in paradise, and while Jack wasn't sure what it was, he did know that he and Daniel belonged together, and whatever the current crisis was, they'd get through it.
Daniel pulled back, but stayed in Jack's hold, bringing his hands to Jack's neck, and then running them down the navy blue Air Force jacket, his fingers tracing the decorations and stopping over Jack's heart.
Daniel seemed frozen there, whispering, "Dress blues -- so sexy in your dress blues."
Jack kissed his forehead. Something was wrong with his soul mate and it was time to find out what.
"What's wrong, Danny?"
Daniel moved away from Jack, his arms self-hugging as he walked over to the sofa, gently leaning against it.
"I ... I dreamed about you."
"That's a bad thing?"
"On the planet, Jack ... I dreamed about you."
Jack sighed, now understanding at least in part what was wrong.
"Daniel, they brainwashed us, gave us false memories and lives. You know that."
"But I dreamed about you, and you dreamed about ..."
"No, I didn't," Jack interrupted, knowing where Daniel was headed and not wanting him to fret over more than he apparently already had.
"Danny," Jack said as he walked to his lover, reaching out to take the young man's hands, ending the self-hug, "they brainwashed us. They gave us feelings and lives that didn't exist. They could have paired any of us together with anyone. It's ... just the way they did it."
Daniel didn't look at Jack, his eyes focused on their entwined hands.
"And what about that Kegan gal?"
Daniel's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto Jack's.
"Nothing happened with her, or anyone."
"Ditto, Love. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"I heard you, Jack ... when we were leaving, and you and Sam were talking, about your memories coming back. You seemed ... sad."
"Danny ... I love you. I'm not going to lie to you. They put things there that didn't belong. You know in your heart how I feel about Carter. She's a good friend, a darn good friend, and she's put herself on the line for both of us, but it stops there, Danny. There's nothing more to it."
"She relied on you on that planet. I saw how you two were together, leaning on each other, always huddling. You didn't know me at all. We fought ... over Sam."
"No, Angel, Jonah and Carlin fought over Kegan not giving Therra bread, a point Carlin didn't want to see at the time, and I don't fault him for that, and I don't blame you either, because that's the memory and feeling that they gave you ... that you, as Carlin, cared for Kegan."
"But I dreamed of you. Don't you get it? Once I knew there was a connection between us Jack, I started to remember. But you ... you just clung to Sam and dreamed about being naked or something."
"Danny, you're jealous."
"I am not," Daniel tried unsuccessfully to deny, hugging himself even more tightly than before.
The young man evaded Jack's strong gaze, looking for a moment towards the balcony before continuing, "Okay, but it's ... it's more than that Jack. How do we know they gave us those feelings, that they aren't somewhere deep beneath the surface for all of us?"
Daniel looked down, his feet tapping the floor for a moment, "You two looked so ... content together. You remembered her, even if you didn't know how to explain it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it hurts that I thought of you and knew deep down there was a connection between us, and yet you could only think of her."
"Love, you're wrong, and I know that doesn't happen very often, but this time, you are so wrong. What I remembered about Carter was that she was somehow connected to me. It felt comfortable, and we were friends, nothing more than that.
"Danny, I hate this truth stuff ... but ...," Jack grunted a loud frustration, "Daniel ... you and Kegan ... it drove me out of my mind, and I didn't understand why I should care about you or your relationship with her. I was scared. Being around you was ... uncomfortable because it made me ... feel things that didn't seem natural. I ran ... to Carter because she felt safe, and you were anything but safe."
Daniel fidgeted. Jack's words rang true, and he understood them more than Jack knew. Sometimes the truth and honesty thing was a bit uncomfortable.
"What?"
"Jack," a big sigh escaped Daniel's lips, "I thought ... for a minute ... I mean ... there was something about you, but it didn't make sense to me so I thought ... I thought maybe I didn't like you, or felt this ... whatever it was that I didn't understand because I had feelings for Therra, and I just hadn't admitted it."
"Whoa Danny! Feelings for Carter?"
"No, Therra ... and now who's jealous?"
"I'm always jealous," Jack smiled with a wink, "but at least now you are at least admitting you're jealous of Carter."
"I admit nothing," Daniel decided to be more forceful, "I am not jealous."
"Are too."
"Not," Daniel said very weakly.
"Oh yes you are," Jack said as he pulled his lover up to him.
Daniel blinked and nodded, falling into Jack's warm embrace. He hated being jealous, but he was, more often than he cared to admit. His Jack was handsome, with a smile that melted him like butter, and Daniel was well aware of the looks and attentions from others that Jack received anywhere they went.
Daniel considered himself very lucky to have Jack, and he hated the thought of ever losing him. He sighed, admitting to his jealousy again, just happy that he didn't become irrational like Jack had done so often when his Mr. Jealousy would take hold of him.
Jack moved back slightly so he could look at Daniel. Cupping his face firmly, the older man spoke with confidence, "Listen to me, Love. I have something very important to say. It's ... vital ... crucial to our future. I need you to listen carefully with your heart, as well as with your ears."
Daniel panicked, afraid he'd missed something. Maybe he had cause to be jealous after all.
"Pay close attention -- listen," Jack softly cooed into Daniel's mouth, as he kissed him with all the passion he could muster.
The kiss was long and deep, full of love, lust, and longing. It said, "You're mine, and I'm yours," as their dancing tongues waltzed in unison.
Jack's hands held his lover as close as he could, rambling around his back, and then rubbing against Daniel's butt cheeks, and pushing Daniel into him, and holding him there.
The kiss continued, becoming a multitude of kisses, each one lingering for a while and then leading to another, their lips glued to the others'.
Jack's hands slipped inside the back of Daniel's cutoffs as he continued to keep him close. Daniel moaned frequently from the pleasurable sensations.
"Hmmm," was all he could say when they finally broke their kisses for a moment.
"Get the message, Dr. Jackson?"
"Mmm-mmm," Daniel sighed, as they leaned their foreheads together, something Jack and Daniel often did as a sign of their oneness and harmony together.
"You sure?"
Daniel nodded.
"For the record, Angel, I felt a connection between us when we worked together to close that valve. It was strong and scared the living crap out of me. Remember how I stared at you?"
"I remember."
"I felt something so strong ... and I didn't know what to make out of it, so I did the only thing I knew to do ... I ran to Carter, but nothing ever happened, Danny. I swear to you ... didn't even kiss her, not once."
"Bet you thought about it though," Daniel said, trying to keep his jealousy going, but that kiss had sent a sparkling chill up his spine, one that made him tingly with love and anticipation of what would happen soon between he and Jack.
"I love you, Danny. Okay, I love Carter ... but only as a friend, which you know, but you, Angel, you're my heart, my soul, and my life. Only you, My Love ... only you," Jack sighed into Daniel's mouth, ravishing it as much as he could.
"Hmm ... dress blues ... love your dress blues, Jack."
"Just a uniform."
"Na-huh -- sexy."
Daniel sounded almost intoxicated, and Jack loved it, though he was getting lost in his lover's body himself. Daniel wearing cutoffs was the next best thing to Daniel naked in Jack's opinion.
"I want you, Jack."
"You have me. Always will, too."
"Promise?"
"Promise -- an oath ... a vow."
"Vow?"
The two shared a look of meaning, wondering if someday their relationship would reach a point where they'd actually think about pledging their love openly, in front of others. They didn't know, but right now, they shared a silent vow, of forever and always, of eternity.
Jack smiled as they kissed again, "Vows have their strong points."
"I want you, Jack," Daniel repeated.
"Not arguing," the older man whispered as they kissed again, their harden shafts begging for attention, Daniel's hold on Jack firm.
"I don't suppose you'd consider letting me get out of this uniform."
Daniel shook his head, "We'll get it cleaned. Please, Jack. Love you so much. Want you now."
"You know what, Danny?"
"What?"
"I think I'm going to give up on ever going to that Air Show. We seem to ... always have more ... important things to do," Jack kissed his heart tenderly.
"Was it today?"
"Yep, missed it again, but you're all I need, all I want."
"Make love to me, Jack."
"Love you so friggin' much," Jack said, as he began to ravish his lover, their bodies fusing together, melding into one.
Jack figured someday he might get to see the Air Show again, but even if he didn't, he was happier now than he'd ever been, and he'd choose his lover over an airplane any day, though he knew he couldn't admit that to his friends.
Daniel, meanwhile, figured that he might never fix the air conditioning, and would just wear his cutoffs, knowing it would lead to lovemaking with Jack. Life couldn't get better.
They fell asleep after their union, completely satiated and blissful, knowing that their love would get them through anything, and even in their most difficult times, it would be just under the surface, waiting to be cherished and treasured in their foreverness.
~~Finis - Finished - Done - The End - But is it ever Really?~~