Author Website: http:orrymain. Category: Slash, Action/Adventure, Drama, Angst, H/C, Romance, Established Relationship Pairing: Jack/Daniel ... and it's all J/D Rating: PG-13 Season: Beyond the Series - October 16, 2007 - August 16, 2008 Spoilers: The Nox, Cold Lazarus, Hathor, The Serpent's Lair, The Curse, Chimera Size: 546kb Total Chapter One: 64kb Chapter Two: 33kb Chapter Three: 41kb Chapter Four: 45kb Chapter Five: 62kb Chapter Six: 35kb Chapter Seven: 117kb Chapter Eight: 34kb Chapter Nine: 88kb Chapter Ten: 27kb Written: February 28, March 6-10, July 31, August 1-5,19,21-22,24,28,31, September 1-2,8,10,12-13, October 23, November 1,6,12-14,18-22, 2004 Summary: The Jackson-O'Neills suffer a loss just as they prepare for their first "family" dig in Egypt. What mysteries will be uncovered as they excavate Abydos? What person from Daniel's past will threaten his future?
Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers not mine, wish they were, especially Daniel, and Jack, too, but they aren't. A gal can dream though!
Notes: 1) Warning: Chapter Five contains potentially sensitive material for a minor character.
2) Hanky warnings! It began with chapter five, then chapter seven, and then chapter six, and now I've been told chapter four needs one, too, so ... you've been warned to keep the Kleenex handy!
3) For more information on Mehen and Senet, check out: http: 4) For more information on the legend of Hercules, check out: http:www.perseus. 5) For more information on the Hercules Constellation, check out: http: 6) Sometimes, Jack and Daniel speak almost telepathically. Their "silent" words to each other are indicated by asterisks instead of quotes, such as Jack, we can't
7) Silent, unspoken thoughts by various characters are indicated with in front and behind them, such as Where am I
8) This fic stands alone, but it does reference my past fics, "Detour," "Just When You Thought You Knew Jack ...," "Echoes of the Past," "The Pact," "Ten Months," "Forever and Always," "Brothers," "Goofy and the Boys" 9) Thanks to my betas who always make my fics better: Claudia, Suzanna, Charlotte, QuinGem, Drdjlover, Linda!
Egyptian Erotica by Orrymain
Chapter One: We Have Clearance, Jackson-O'Neill Style!
What a day!
Jack plopped down onto the sofa, wishing he could sink into the soft cushions. It was the first minute in his hectic day that he had had a chance to spend a moment alone, in peace and quiet. Unfortunately for him, it didn't last long, as the phone rang almost before his rear end hit the sofa cushion.
"Oh for crying out loud," Jack bellowed, hurrying over to the phone, not wanting the ringing phone to disturb the babies in case they were asleep. "Jackson-O'Neill residence, and it had better be good!"
"General O'Neill, this is Sergeant Johansen. General Armstrong would like you at the SGC within the hour."
"Isn't that nice. No!"
"Excuse me, Sir?"
"No. It's spelled N-O. It means not on your life! And if you are going to call me, get the name right: it's Jackson-O'Neill!"
Jack hung up the phone and returned to the sofa, bringing the cordless phone with him. Two minutes later, as Jack suspected it would, the phone rang again. The retired General released a breath, knowing that this time the ringing phone would have a higher ranking General on the other end of it, not that he cared, except that he knew the man wouldn't give up.
"Hello," Jack answered dryly.
"General O'Neill, this is General Armstrong. You are to report to Cheyenne Mountain immediately. Doctor Jackson is also required to report."
"General, do we have to do this again? I'm retired. RETIRED!"
"Within the hour, General!"
"General, does the word babysitter mean anything to you?" Jack asked.
"NOW, GENERAL O'NEILL!"
A click came over the line. Jack stared at the phone receiver in his hand, wishing they hadn't paid the phone bill.
"Fine, you moron!"
Jack calmly got up, walked upstairs, and smiled as he watched Daniel rocking baby Jenny in his arms.
"She's precious, isn't she?" Without looking up, Daniel smiled his agreement. "Danny, Love, gather up the Munchkins, the twins, and the Mouseketeers. We're going on a family outing."
"What are you talking about?" Daniel asked, finally taking his eyes off their youngest daughter.
"We've been ORDERED to the SGC."
"You're kidding me? Didn't you tell them ..."
"It was Armstrong, and as usual, he wasn't listening."
"Jack, we can't."
"Why not? Let's show the troops where Dad and Daddy met!" Jack heard Daniel's scowl as the younger man let out a breath of frustration. "We don't have a choice, Danny. If we don't go, they'll just come get us, hound us, like always."
"Gawd. Why can't they leave us alone?"
"Probably that saving the world thing we have going. We did it so well they don't think anyone else can do it."
"Then again, I guess we haven't done that great of a job of cutting them off either," Daniel admitted.
He missed exploring planets and meeting new peoples, but as he held Jenny in his arms, he knew there was nothing in the world that he'd trade for this moment and others like it. His family was first, and it was a life Daniel loved, so saving the world had to be second to raising his family.
Jack nodded. He was leaning against the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. He felt the same as Daniel did, although probably not quite as strongly. Of course, he also realized that a big part of his feelings on the subject were jaded by 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. He would never hide his relationship with Daniel again, and the fact that he had had to for so many years rankled the older man greatly.
He sighed as he suggested, "We could, you know."
"It would really end it."
"Which is why we won't," Jack snorted.
Jack gave his soulmate a reluctant smile. Their feelings about exploring new worlds aside, they'd done a horrible job at severing their ties with the SGC, primarily because each had come to realize that they still wanted to keep in touch, to be on the fringe in case they really were needed. The problem with that was that it meant the Pentagon often "bullied" them into participating in occasional missions, even now that they were parents.
Daniel stood and walked over to his husband with Jenny in his arms. He leaned in and kissed Jack. Jenny laughed at the funny sound of the kiss.
"Hey, what's funny about a kiss, Precious, huh?" Jack asked, a huge smile on his face as he placed a kiss on his baby's cheek.
Then the Jackson-O'Neills gathered up their eight children, climbed into their SUV, and headed for the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.
"This is exciting!" Jennifer commented. "We're going to NORAD, right?"
"Uh, NORAD is there, yes, but we'll be going beneath that part of the Mountain," Jack answered.
"Daddy, can we see artifacts?" David asked enthusiastically.
"I don't know. We have to wait and see what they want first."
"Please, Daddy."
"I'll ... find one," Daniel replied, sure he could find something in one of his old colleague's offices to show the young boy.
David was a bit of a genius, though they'd never had him tested. Daniel didn't want the young boy to have that kind of label attached to him, and neither did Jack. As they traveled, Daniel recalled their brief discussion on the subject.
Flashback/
"Jack, do you think we should have David's IQ tested? I mean, he speaks three languages extremely well, dabbles in at least two others, and is at least three grades above children his own age. Should we find out?"
"I don't know, Love. Sooner or later, he'll be taking those entrance tests and things. I'm not sure I want to stick the name 'genius' on him at this stage of his life, even though I'm proud as can be. I want him to enjoy learning because he wants to, not because a number says she should have to." He glanced at Daniel, smiling. "You're the real genius. What do you think?"
"It's funny, in a strange sort of way. I don't remember ever not being called a genius. When I was a toddler in Egypt, everyone talked about how smart I was. My parents had me tested very early, and ... I always did ... well."
"Well?"
Jack's eyes had an accusing shine in them, knowing 'well' meant 'off the charts' or something close.
"Jack, for you, being a genius was something that pleased your mother. It was just a number, right?"
"You got it."
"For me, it was always part of who I was, who I am. It places a huge responsibility on a little child's shoulders."
Jack stood and walked over to Daniel, taking the younger man's hands in his own. He sighed and then spoke from his heart, shaking his head as he began "Danny, we don't like labels, do we?"
"No," he answered softly.
"Let's let our son be ... our son. If he wants to learn more languages or follow in your footsteps, then let's let him."
"But without the obligation or the label."
"Yeah. If he wants to know, asks about it, then we can talk about it again."
Daniel smiled brightly as he said, "But until then, we let him grow up, be who he is, study, AND play in his own wonderful way."
"That's my genius," Jack said as he pulled Daniel in for a long kiss.
End of Flashback
Daniel knew David was a genius, but he was happy with their decision. Their priority was for David to have a balanced life, the best of all worlds, so now, Daniel would encourage David's quest for knowledge. He'd find an artifact or two, answer his questions, and when they got home, they'd play with their massive train set or maybe play ping pong or something like that. Unlike Daniel, David would grow up knowing what it meant to be a child. He'd also know that he was loved for himself and not for his intellect.
"Carter will help find something, if necessary," Jack said reassuringly as he drove.
"What? Oh, yeah, right," Daniel responded, Jack's words drawing him back into the present. "Don't worry, David. There's a lot to explore at the SGC."
"They had better show up, General Hammond."
"General Armstrong, General O'Neill is retired. Doctor Jackson isn't even military. It wouldn't surprise me if ..."
"No worries here, Sir," Jack said, walking into the briefing room, holding Jonny with one arm and holding one of Chenoa's small hands in his right. Daniel had their specially built stroller in front of him. It was filled with the other Munchkins and the twins.
The family had a few different kinds of strollers, depending upon their plans and needs of the day, including a double stroller, just for the twins and a triplet stroller for the Munchkins that was vertical in shape so that the babies were lined up one behind the other. The one they were using today, however, had been especially made for them. Jack called it the QuintMobile, since five different babies used it. It was horizontal, the triplets in the back row, and the twins in the front row. It had all kinds of neat features, thanks to Sam and some other 'whiz kids' who had helped to build and/or modify it.
Jennifer walked in behind Daniel and held David's hand. All the children had been told to stick together.
"Oh wow!" David exclaimed, slipping his hand from Jennifer's hold and running to the large window to look out at the Stargate. "What's that?"
"Oh wow!" Jennifer echoed in surprise.
"It's called the Stargate, Jen," Daniel answered calmly.
He had seen the shocked looked on Armstrong's face, but he truly didn't care. If Jack and Daniel were going to be summoned, then the government was simply going to have to start making allowances for their large family.
"General O'Neill, what's the meaning of this?"
"Babysitters, General. It's all about babysitters. Have you ever tried to find a last minute babysitter for EIGHT children?" Jack smirked.
He knew he had just achieved his goal with Armstrong. He had, after all, tried to warn the three-star General. It wasn't Jack's fault if the man wouldn't listen.
Jack let go of Chenoa's hand when Jonny made a little noise; he wanted to take a better look at his son and make sure he was okay. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chenoa climb up on a chair and look out through the window at the Stargate. He chuckled as he watched her, knowing she had no clue what she was staring at.
Just then, the klaxons blared. Jack and Daniel exchanged a look, but before they could panic, General Hammond remarked, "It's just SG-11, returning from ..." the General looked at the oldest children present and then continued, "... from their mission."
"Daddy, look!" Chenoa exclaimed as the Stargate began to turn.
Jennifer and David watched wide-eyed as the Stargate made its loud noises, and when the kawoosh blasted colorfully above the ramp, both jumped back. With perfect timing, however, Jack and Daniel had "blocked" the toddler's view, moving in front of the chair that she was standing on. Both men were afraid the loud noise and spectacle of the Stargate opening might frighten Chenoa.
"Loud," she said, looking around anxiously.
Chenoa climbed off the chair and went back to Jack, taking hold of his hand as she leaned against his leg.
Geez, she's adorable.
The noise scared her, Jack.
Yeah, but she's fine.
Jack squeezed her hand reassuringly, and now that the Stargate had calmed to show the stabilized event horizon, they all walked to the window and watched the Marines and the returning SG team.
"It looks like water," David commented, his hands pressed against the large windowpane as he studied the strange, circular object.
"That's what most people say. It's referred to as an event horizon," Daniel explained.
"Where are they coming from?" Jennifer asked.
"That's ... a long story, and not for right now," Daniel answered.
"T! It's TEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Chenoa shouted, surprising the two Generals. "TEEEEEEE," the little girl yelled again.
In the gate room, Teal'c happened to look up and was surprised to see the Jackson-O'Neills staring down at him. He cocked his head sideways in amazement.
"Dad, it's T!" the young girl said again.
Without warning, Chenoa finagled herself out of Jack's loose grip, catching him off-guard. With astonishing speed for a toddler, she ran out of the room in search of her friend.
"DANIEL!" Jack called out.
Daniel looked over just in time to see Chenoa scooting out the door.
"Oh gawd!"
He followed after her, finally catching her as she ran into a Marine.
"Ouch!" she said as she fell to the ground, her rear end making solid contact with the hard, concrete floor.
She ran her hand against her behind, rubbing it.
"Chenoa Lynn, you know better than to run out like that!"
Daniel leaned over and picked her up so that she stood on her own two feet again. He quickly checked her to make sure wasn't hurt.
"It's T, Daddy!"
"I know, but you also know the rules. Tell me."
"But, Daddy ..."
"Chenoa!"
Just then Teal'c and the rest of SG-11 entered the corridor. Daniel saw the Jaffa was about to speak and move towards the young child, but he raised his hand, indicating for Teal'c to stop.
"Tell me, Chenoa."
"Not run 'way. Stay you," she sighed, adding enthusiastically with more volume, "Daddy, it's T!"
"ChenoaJacksonO'Neill, you must obey your parents, or I will not be able to see you."
Chenoa looked horrified as she twisted her body around to look at the tall Jaffa.
"Daddy not let you?"
The little girl started to cry. It broke Daniel's heart, but he had to be firm. This was an important lesson that all their children had to learn. Jack and Daniel had too much history, too many enemies who might one day try and track them down in the hope of extracting some form of sick revenge, to allow their children to break rules designed to protect them.
"No, that is not correct. Have you not promised your fathers to follow the rules?" The little girl nodded. "Are you honorable?"
"Hon...hon...hon'ble?"
"He means do you keep your promises?" Daniel asked.
"Yes," she responded quickly now that she understood the question.
"Then, you are honorable. I have respect for those with honor. They are my friends. If you have honor, then you, too, are my friend. But if you disobey your parents, if you are without honor, than you are not my friend."
Chenoa looked stunned. She sniffled some more and turned to Daniel.
"Noa sorry, Daddy."
"I know," he said, softening with a smile on his face
"Noa ... hon'ble. Want Teeeee," she tried to explain, turning to look at the Jaffa.
"It's okay, Sweetie." Daniel picked up his daughter and held her close. "You don't understand, Noa. What we do, the rules we make ... they keep you safe. You have to trust us to know what's best for you because we love you so much!"
"Love Daddy," Chenoa sniffled. "See T now?"
"Okay" Daniel put his daughter down and she ran to Teal'c who picked her up. Oblivious to the several Marines watching, the small girl asked loudly, "T have tea party?"
Teal'c ignored the snickering Marines, some of whom made funny faces as they watched the alien with the little girl.
With pride, he responded, "It would be my pleasure to have tea with you." The Jaffa brought up an invisible cup. "This is just how you like it."
"Thank you, T," Chenoa said with a smile, taking the imaginary cup. "Yours," she handed a pretend cup to Teal'c. "Hot," she added.
Teal'c bowed his head, using his free hand to take the cup that wasn't there and drink it. He made an "Aw" sound.
"Indeed, it was very hot. That was the best tea I have ever had."
"We'd better get back inside," Daniel said, motioning with his head towards the briefing room and Hammond's office.
After Teal'c put the youngster down, Daniel mouthed a "thank you," took his daughter's hand, and returned to General Hammond's office. Teal'c turned towards the still-snickering servicemen. In a moment's time, he stared down the laughing Marines who quickly sobered and dispersed without saying a word.
General Armstrong had no choice but to deal with the children's presence. He figured it couldn't hurt to make a tiny fuss over them, so he mussed up David's hair (which the boy instantly tried to straighten), made some inane comment about Jennifer's outfit (at which she rolled her eyes in disbelief as soon as he turned away, much to Jack's pride and delight), and then he went over to the baby carriage. He reached his hand in to touch one of the babies when he felt something sharp against his hand.
"GRRRRRRRRR!"
"GRRUFFFFFF!"
These were followed by a succession of loud, warning-like "Woof's" from both Bijou and Katie who now stood on all-fours as they protected their charges.
Jack beamed with pride as he softly spoke, "Geez, I love those girls!"
"Why you ... mutt!"
The General snatched his hand away, clutching at his fingers which had just had a close encounter with some canine teeth.
Bijou growled harshly as she considered jumping out after the man with the strange hand. She felt negative vibes emitting from him and would do whatever was necessary to keep the babies safe.
"Down, Bijou," Daniel ordered, immediately adding with a smile, "Good girl." He looked at Katie and smiled at her, too. "You did good," he told her.
Daniel petted the mama beagle's head gently, and then Katie's. He glanced over at the mark on Armstrong's finger and shook his head. He started to say something, but Jack interrupted him.
"Don't worry, General. Unlike some others I know, she's had her shots. Besides, she's finicky about what she eats," Jack said smugly.
"General Hammond, I want these ... these ..."
"Careful, General. If you want our help for something, I wouldn't go around badmouthing my children, any of them."
"They are DOGS!"
"They're our children," Daniel spoke.
There wasn't a smile on the archaeologist's face. He was totally serious, and that sincerity in his voice stopped General Armstrong dead in his tracks.
Sitting behind his desk, Hammond looked down to hide his amusement. He'd wondered why Daniel had left so quickly to follow Chenoa without first making sure someone was watching the stroller, even if Jack was in the same room. Now, he knew.
The two beagles might be small, but they were fierce protectors of their "siblings." The Major General was not the least bit surprised that Jack and Daniel had brought the dogs with them to the SGC to help guard their children. It was crazy, offbeat, and right down their alley.
Placing his hands behind his back, Armstrong spoke firmly, "We have a situation, and yes, we need your help. I do not believe, however, that you would want your children to hear what I have to say."
Jack and Daniel exchanged a glance. This was one thing they actually agreed with Armstrong about.
"Sir," Jack said turning to Hammond, "May I suggest you call Colonel Carter and Teal'c to ... baby-sit?"
"Some days, it pays to stay in bed," their friend said before picking up the phone to call the rest of SG-1 to his office.
Meanwhile, Jennifer and David began asking a load of questions:
"What's an event horizon?" "Where did the men come from?" "Why is it so loud?" "Is that what you and Dad did all the time?" "Is it dangerous?" "Does Sam do it, too?" "What do those symbols mean?" "What makes it turn like that?" "Why are so many soldiers there with guns?"
On and on the questions went, and as they continued, the angrier Armstrong became. Jack and Daniel continued to ignore the red face of the three-star General and did their best to deflect or partially answer their children's questions.
Finally, Sam entered the General's office, Teal'c following a minute or so after her. The two took the children and the beagles to Sam's lab while Jack and Daniel stayed with Armstrong and Hammond in the briefing room.
"There's been an incident that is threatening the alliance with both the Hedronix and the Nox."
"Not again," Jack said flippantly. "What did you do now?"
The accusation in Jack's voice was evident, and had Armstrong not needed the retired General's help, he would have retorted in kind.
"As part of our ongoing exchange, the Hedronix let us borrow a device they call a visper."
"Visper?" Jack asked, looking at Daniel.
"It means, uh, clear," Daniel said with a shrug.
"Exactly, Doctor Jackson. The device is a transporter of sorts."
"Beam us up, Scotty?" Jack asked.
"Yes."
"So what's the problem? No Scotty to figure it out for you?"
"The visper is constructed of certain properties that potentially make it more powerful than a simple transportation tool."
"So," Daniel jumped in, "what you're saying is that you took this device which you told the Hedronix you wanted to study for the purposes of transportation, but, in fact, you are really using it to do something else, something the Hedronix wouldn't like."
Seeing Armstrong flinch, Jack smirked, "I think you hit the nail on the head, Dannyboy."
Daniel added, "And the Hedronix have found out about it and aren't happy with us ... again."
Armstrong refused to flinch this time, taking an arrogant stance in front of Jack and Daniel. He continued, "Both the Hedronix and the Nox are threatening to end our alliance if we don't return the device."
"So return it," Jack suggested sternly.
"They can't, Jack. They've ... lost it," Daniel guessed successfully.
Armstrong explained, "The visper was being studied on Kennedaria."
"Kennedaria?" Jack asked, his face twisted in confusion.
"Jack, since you've retired, the SGC has branched out," Hammond explained.
"You mean we're taking over planets," Daniel challenged the General, his disappointment in the SGC's CO evident.
"Uninhabited planets, Doctor Jackson. This particular one has medical research as its main purpose."
"Medical research? General, excuse me, but the visper is not a medical device ... is it?" Daniel asked, the frustration in his voice evident.
"I'm aware of that, Doctor Jackson. I was also UNAWARE of any of this until General Armstrong told me what was happening this morning," Hammond clarified in an exasperated tone, turning to glare at his colleague.
"Okay," Jack walked a foot or two towards Armstrong, "what happened on Kenawhatever?"
"It was stolen by the Goa'uld. They somehow found out about Kennedaria and what we had there. Three Marines were killed and five others injured, including two of the medical staff assigned there."
Jack and Daniel exchanged a look of disbelief. His arms folded across his chest, Daniel spoke tersely, "So you endangered the lives of medical personnel while doing something you had no business doing."
"Doctor, I don't need your attitude."
"You must need something or I wouldn't be here."
"We believe the Goa'uld have taken the visper to PRJ-010. We need SG-1 to get the visper back and then return it to Hedry and make sure they don't sever our alliance."
Daniel laughed in a combination of disbelief at the total absurdity of the situation and the government's inability to understand interplanetary relations.
"How about keeping your promises? The Hedronix believe in honor. They aren't going to work with us if you keep lying to them. They are willing to help us, and freely. I don't understand. Why couldn't you use the brain God gave you and think ... be a little patient?"
"This is the military, Daniel. They don't think!" Jack said, surprising both Hammond and Armstrong.
"General O'Neill, you can believe whatever you like, just as long as you do as ordered," Armstrong snapped.
"Ordered?" Jack looked at Daniel. "I don't do orders anymore."
That's my line, Love.
You steal mine all the time.
That's different.
Why?
Because ... oh, I don't know. Listen to the General.
Score one for the Fly Boy.
Jaaaaack!
Jack and Daniel hid their private smiles and returned to the ongoing conversation.
"Jack," Hammond said, allowing his fondness for his irreverent ex-2IC to show in the softness of his voice. "We need you on this one." Jack and Daniel exchanged another look. Each sighed, knowing they'd just been roped in again. "It's not an order, but a request, contingent, of course, on finding a babysitter for your children."
"Your children will be looked after ..." Armstrong began, but his words were instantly cut off.
"NO!" Jack and Daniel said together.
"Understand this, General," Jack said strongly. "Our children don't stay just anywhere. We need Carter and Teal'c for this mission, so whether we go or not, depends on the availability of my ex-wife. If she's busy, you're out of luck."
"Your ex-wife?"
Daniel almost laughed at the astonished look at the General's face. He knew the General couldn't believe what he had just heard. As Jack picked up the phone, Daniel couldn't resist.
"Jack, let me."
Jack shrugged and walked away from the phone. He exchanged an amused glance with Hammond as Daniel dialed the number.
"Hi, Sara, it's Daniel ... They're great. You'll see for yourself next week at dinner ... laughter ... He's the usual grizzly bear ... you know me, I know how to control him."
"Hey, I don't need controlling."
"Oh, yes, you do, Babe; you knew who we were talking about, didn't you? ... what, Sara? ... loud laughter ... I usually just give him a little massage below ... yeah, right there ..."
"DOCTOR JACKSON!" Armstrong shouted.
Daniel laughed. He'd just made another point with the very-opinionated Armstrong.
"Sorry, Sara. We're at the, uh, work ... yeah, apparently they need us, no one else will do, yadda yadda ... could you? ... Are you sure? I mean this is the entire clan, including the girls ... thanks, Sara. We'll bring them by in about an hour ... thanks ... Love you, too!"
Daniel returned the receiver to its cradle and smiled at Armstrong.
"The ex-Mrs. O'Neill is a wonderful person. She loves me, by the way. We ... share an understanding."
Jack was trying not to laugh, seeing the consternation on Armstrong's face. He had known exactly what Daniel had been up to from the start, and while he managed to control his laughter, he couldn't hide his smile.
That's my Space Monkey.
"We'll have a car take the ..."
"No, you won't," Daniel interrupted Armstrong. "Jack and I will take our children to Sara's, and then we'll be back."
"We don't have time for this."
"General Armstrong, with all due disrespect, Jack and I are not going through that Stargate without being one-hundred percent sure that our children are safe with Sara, and not until we've had time to ..."
Daniel looked at Jack, his snarkiness now gone in face of the reality of the words he was speaking.
"We'll be back. Take it or leave it," Jack said staunchly.
"General O'Neill ..."
"We'll take it. Take care of your children, General, Doctor," Hammond said sincerely.
"Thank you, Sir."
"The Stargate is so neat. Can we go back, Dad?"
David had a huge smile on his face, and he was practically jumping up and down as he asked his question. Before leaving, they had taken a few minutes to honor their promise to David, showing off a bowl and tablet acquired from a dig on PR9-220 that Doctor Lee had in his office.
"The Stargate?" Sara repeated quizzically, shocked to hear that word come out of the young boy's mouth.
Jack looked at Daniel.
Jack, she has a right to know. She should have been told years ago. I don't want to lie to her anymore. She's ... family.
It's top secret. They won't be happy.
Who's going to tell them? I'm not; are you?
Geez, I love you!
"All right, you two. You're doing that telepathic stuff again. Can we use the spoken language, please?"
"Jen, will you take the kids to Angela's playroom, please?" Jack looked up at Sara. "That's okay, isn't it?"
"Of course."
Seeing Sara's nod and hearing her response, Jennifer said a quick "Sure, Dad" and then took her siblings and Angela to the playroom.
As she watched Jennifer push the stroller, Sara chuckled, "Good thing you had that stroller made."
"Five babies. With our brood, it's a matter of survival," Jack said, smiling. Then he became serious. "Sara ..." but then he suddenly stopped.
Looking around the room, Jack decided to err on the side of caution. He gently took Sara by the elbow and escorted her outside to the middle of her large backyard. Daniel followed.
"Sara, we don't have time for detailed explanations. Long story short, the Stargate is a ... transporter. We walk through, and we're on some other planet. That ... copy of me way back when ... it was an alien life form that was able to take my shape after we came into contact with it. It was trying to learn more about me."
Sara stared at her ex-husband, looking deeply into his eyes. She glanced over at Daniel and saw the same sincerity in his eyes as she had just seen in Jack's.
"You're absolutely serious?" she asked Jack a moment later.
"Dead serious."
Sara turned to Daniel, a realization coming to her.
"Your wife was kidnapped ... by an alien?"
"I guess you could say my wife was an alien." He paused, crossing his arms across his chest. He'd never totally let go of the guilt he felt about the beautiful Abydonian woman he had married. "Sha're was from a planet called Abydos."
"Abydos is in Egypt."
"No. I mean, not this one. This is ... was a planet. She was ... it's complicated, Sara."
"I'll bet."
"Sara, the fewer people you tell, the safer you are," Jack said, a warning quality in his voice.
Sara studied her ex-husband's eyes carefully.
"Answer a question for me. Why now? Why did you tell me about this now, Jack? All those years, and if I even knew where you were, I was lucky."
"Not the same guy anymore," Jack admitted and then sighing. "Besides, the kids ... we had to take them to the SGC today ..."
"The SGC?"
"Stargate Command. It's at Cheyenne Mountain, and it's top secret, Sara. You can't tell anyone."
"You took the children? How are you going to contain them?"
"They're kids. No one will listen, and we'll be having a long chat with them later. All they know is that there is this big thing that spins around and makes a lot of noise."
"The Stargate?"
"Yes."
Suddenly a bit frightened, Sara asked, "You really do risk your life all the time, don't you?"
"Most of the time it's a piece of cake."
"You're full of blarney, Jack O'Neill," Sara said as she threw her arms around her ex-husband. "My word, Jack, I had no idea. I thought ... planes and bombs and things."
"Those are all there in one form or another," he said as he embraced her tightly. "It's not that bad."
"Bull." Sara needed to get a hold on her emotions. Divorced or not, she had a remarkable relationship with her ex-husband, and she loved him dearly. A tear in her eye, she pleaded, "Take care of yourself, Jack."
"I will," he answered tenderly as they pulled away from each other.
"And you too, Daniel." Sara embraced the younger man. "And I'm so sorry about Sha're. I have a feeling whatever happened to her wasn't very pleasant."
She squeezed him tightly to her, feeling him tense at the subject.
"No, it wasn't," Daniel whispered as he pulled back. "She was a wonderful person, Sara. You would have liked her."
"I'm sure I would have," Sara said, a poignant smile on her face.
"We need to go," Jack said. "Sara, I know you don't need me to say this ..."
"Then don't, Jack. I knew the moment you brought me out here. You think it's actually possible my house could be bugged?"
"Anything is possible. Look, when we get back, we'll check it out, okay?"
"Do you want me to keep this from Mark?"
Jack and Daniel once again exchanged another look. They hadn't discussed any of this beforehand. It was Daniel who responded.
"We want you to be safe. You decide for yourself, and whatever you choose, we'll support it."
"But if you do tell him, do it ..."
Jack gestured at the place where they stood, and Sara nodded in response.
"Thank you. You'd better go say goodbye to your children. I'll take good care of them for you both."
"We know you will," Jack said with a smile.
Then he reached out for Daniel's hand and led him from the backyard for final hugs with their children and to give them a brief warning about the Stargate.
"David," Daniel said softly, "you can't talk about anything you saw today. I need you to understand that. Don't even discuss it with Sara or Mark or anyone ... ever - except for Jack and I ... at home, only at home."
"Not hon'rble?" Chenoa asked.
"Not really. Teal'c wouldn't be happy, so shhhh, okay?"
"Promise, Daddy!" the toddler said with a smile.
"Bij, Katie ... you two going to behave for the Wilsons?" Jack asked as he held them both. A face full of beagle licks was his answer. "Love you both."
Minutes later, all eight children and two dogs hugged, Jack and Daniel were back in their SUV and headed for the Mountain.
"Jack, do you think we made a mistake?"
"Taking the kids to the Mountain, or telling Sara?"
"Both."
"Depends. Do you think we're ever really going to sever our ties completely with the SGC? I guess the real question is ... do you want to?"
Daniel sighed.
"No. I guess I want that door open."
"Me, too ... but only open a crack. The problem is our family comes first. How are we going to lie to them?"
"We aren't. No lies, Jack ever."
"Exactly, so why not wean them in now?"
"And Sara?"
"I should have told her after that crystal thing. Like you said, she deserves to know the truth, and she is family. Besides, the kids will know she knows the scoop, so they'll have someone to talk to if it becomes necessary."
"If it becomes necessary," Daniel echoed softly. After a moment, he asked, "Do you think she'll tell Mark?"
"I'm not going to ask, and I doubt she'll tell if she does." Jack smiled. "It'll be okay, Danny."
Daniel nodded his agreement, and they continued their trek to the SGC.
Jack and Daniel shared a resigned look as they arrived on PRJ-010. They were not looking forward to this.
"Ferretti, make sure your team doesn't stick too tight. We don't want all our eggs in one basket."
"Wouldn't want that, Jack. Poached Marines for lunch? Not a pretty sight."
"Yeah, right." Jack snorted and looked over at SG-3. "Cornell, cover our six." He turned to the newest leader of SG-13. "Wells, guard the Gate."
The SG teams worked their way through the woods that fringed the Goa'uld stronghold. With Lou Ferretti's SG-2 team taking the rear, SG-1 took the lead. Jeff Cornell's team remained about a mile behind them.
With several feet between them, SG-1 entered the building which intel believed contained the visper. Jack and Sam were in the lead, Daniel and Teal'c bringing up the rear. Jack heard the Jaffa in their heavy armored suits walking the hallways. They waited for the passageway to be clear, and then moved down, in and out of the rooms, searching for the visper.
"General," Sam called out quietly from a doorway. She nodded toward the device at the end of the room. "That's it, Sir."
"Sweet," Jack said, noting the presence of several Goa'uld and Jaffa in the large room.
They were clearly experimenting with the device. Jack watched as a zat gun was teleported from one end of the room to the other.
"Cornell, report," Jack whispered over the radio.
"We're outside the buildings, General."
"Large room, south side. It's full of Jaffa. We have to go in, Jeff. Be ready." Jack clicked the radio again. "Ferretti, report."
"In position, General. On your go."
Jack looked at his team, pausing a moment to gaze at his husband.
I love you, Danny.
I love you, too, but please keep your mind on the job.
"Let's go," Jack said, speaking both to SG-1 and over the radio to the other SG teams.
Jack ducked a staff weapon blast to his right, kneeling down behind a table. Daniel took cover behind a chair, and Sam was crouched down on the opposite side of the table from Jack. SG-2 stormed in from the outside while Jeff Cornell's team drew the fire of other Goa'uld inside the complex who were trying to get to the area where the fight was occurring.
The sound of P-90's, Daniel's Beretta, staff weapons, and zat guns echoed in the room. Following their plan, Daniel carefully worked his way around the room, finally getting the visper in his hands. He slowly edged his way back to the door where SG-1 had entered.
"Jack, I got it. Let's go," Daniel called.
"Oh for ... crap," Jack said as the impact of a staff blast knocked him onto his knees.
"JACK!"
"I'm fine. Let's get the heck out of here."
Jack began to get up when a Goa'uld pushed him back down. Their foe held a zat gun to Jack's head.
"STOP, OR I WILL KILL HIM NOW!" the Goa'uld threatened. Slowly, the sound of gunfire ceased, and silence filled the room. "Lay down your weapons, and return the visper."
"Daniel get out of here, and take that with you. GO!"
"I WILL kill him."
Sam and Teal'c watched Daniel carefully. Lou's team was focused on the archaeologist as well. Outside, the sounds of gunfire continued as Jeff battled the Goa'uld and Jaffa.
Go, Daniel. There's more at stake here than me. Go.
No, Jack
Danny, please
I'm not leaving you!
Everyone waited to see what Daniel would do. He might as well be the President of the United States because he would be dictating their next move.
"LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS."
"We can't do that," Daniel said. "Sam, get out. Go now! LOU BACK OFF!" Daniel ordered in the most authoritative voice anyone had ever heard come from him.
The Goa'uld saw what Daniel was offering. The Tau'ri would not disarm themselves, but they would leave the area. Still, it wasn't good enough.
"You will lay down your weapons or ..." the Goa'uld zatted Jack.
"Aggggg," Jack reacted, rolling over on the ground.
Daniel closed his eyes. One zat stunned; two would kill. His chest visibly rising up and down, Daniel put down his Beretta and then the visper. Sam, Teal'c, and SG-2 followed suit, slowly placing their weapons on the ground.
The Goa'uld pushed Jack's stunned body towards a wall and walked to where Daniel stood. With a nod to a Jaffa, the Goa'uld leaned forward to pick up the visper. As the Goa'uld stood upright, Daniel pulled out the dagger Jack had taught him to use and held the weapon to the Goa'uld's throat.
"Sam, get our weapons. Teal'c, get Jack." The Goa'uld glared at Daniel. "Move, and you're dead," the archaeologist said as he shifted his position to make it more secure. He grabbed hold of his enemy's neck and then twisted his body around so that he was behind the Goa'uld, still holding the dagger to the Goa'uld's throat. Daniel felt his enemy shift. "I told you not to move."
"I know of you, Doctor Jackson. Murder is not your way."
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do."
Daniel kept the knife solidly in place under the Goa'uld's chin, digging it in a little to make his point. He noticed with relief that Jack was coming around.
"Let's get out of here, Daniel," Jack said, once again gripping his P-90 despite his injury.
Jack reached out and grabbed the visper from the angry Goa'uld. He backed off, the visper in one arm, the P-90 aimed at their adversary with the other.
"I guess it's your lucky day," Daniel said as he released the Goa'uld, pushing him forward slightly while he backed away.
Jack handed Daniel the visper and motioned for him to go. The archaeologist headed out, making sure his husband was right behind him.
The teams battled their way out of the building, joining up with SG-3. They headed for the Gate, the Jaffa on their tail. Sam dialed Earth, and as fast as they could, the SG teams leaped through the Stargate, many rolling or falling onto the ramp.
"Go! Go! Go!" Jack shouted at the teams as he continued to fire. He looked towards the event horizon and saw his husband waiting for him, but all Jack cared about at that moment was making sure Daniel was safe. "Go Daniel!"
"Right, Jack," Daniel spoke, reaching out and grabbing Jack's arm, literally pulling him through the Gate with him.
"Close the Iris," Jack yelled when he came through. "DANIEL, WHAT IN NETU DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?"
"Making sure my husband was safe," Daniel said calmly as he stood up and then yelled, "Medic! We need a medic here!"
Jack sighed as he was surrounded by SGC medical personnel. Daniel stood off to the side, watching as he tried to control his rising anger. He couldn't believe Jack had told him to leave him behind; and he was livid with the Pentagon's narrow-minded views that had landed them on the planet in the first place.
Sam approached her friend.
"Daniel, where'd you get that dagger? It's not standard issue."
Daniel shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "Jack and I have carried them for years."
"Oh. You ... certainly seemed to know how to use it."
Daniel looked Sam straight in the eye, answering matter-of-factly, "I do, and very well."
Then, Daniel walked over to check on Jack. Sam watched, a bit stunned. Daniel was definitely not that mild-mannered geek she had first met on Abydos years before. When threatened, he was a mighty force to be reckoned with, and she knew that if he had to fight to keep Jack and his family safe, then he would.
She took a breath, amazed that there was always something more to learn about her friends. Daniel had been very cool and collected on the planet, his reactions top-notch, but she had no idea he had ever been trained to perform the skills he had exhibited there, or to use the specialized knife.
No one could have done it better, Daniel.
She wondered what else Daniel had been taught, or what other mysteries there were still left to learn about both Jack and Daniel.
"Daniel, you are NOT going through the Stargate without me."
"Jack, you're injured."
"It's a tiny little scratch. Hardly notice it."
Daniel glared at him.
"We're just going to return the visper and negotiate. You know how you hate that. Boring and all of that."
"You're not going alone, Daniel. End of discussion."
"Jack, it's routine. Hedry is the Hedronix capitol. You remember how nice it was there."
"We thought the Nox planet was safe, too, and we all died, remember?"
"Jack ..."
"End of discussion, Daniel," Jack said, bolting up from the infirmary cot and putting on his green BDU jacket. "Oh for ... OUCH!"
Daniel rolled his eyes as he walked over to Jack.
"Here, let me help."
"I can do it."
"Fine. Do it." Jack glared at Daniel as he painfully buttoned his jacket. "Feel better now?"
"No, and I won't until we get home."
"General O'Neill," General Armstrong entered the infirmary, "Are you ready to return the device to Hedry?"
"Yes, Sir."
Daniel looked away, his arms folded tightly across his chest.
"You have a problem, Doctor Jackson?"
"Daniel, let it go."
Daniel stared intensely at Jack and then at Armstrong.
"No, no problem. Let's get this over with," Daniel said coldly, walking quickly out of the medical area and towards the elevator that would take him to Level 28.
SG-1 led the way through the Stargate with only SG-3 as backup. Lou's team had sustained a number of injuries while recovering the visper, and as Hedry was categorized as a safe world they were not really needed anyway. After all, the Hedronix had all kinds of superior weaponry. SG-3 remained at the Gate as SG-1 moved forward to meet with the Hedronix.
As the team approached Hedry, they were greeted by Ardyl and his counsel. Daniel presented the Hedronix leader with the visper, uttering an apology for the actions of the Tau'ri as he did so. Ardyl invited them to stay for refreshments, but insisted the alliance with Earth was over.
"You cannot be trusted," Ardyl said regretfully.
Daniel simply nodded. He didn't trust the Pentagon so he certainly couldn't expect their off-world allies to. Actually, he would have been disappointed if they did.
As they walked to the leader's chambers, a group of Jaffa suddenly appeared from atop the buildings and the wooded area. The fighting was on ... again, only this time, SG-1 was severely outnumbered.
Still, the flagship team of the SGC did their best. Jack shoved Ardyl down to the ground as a blast came his way, making contact with Jack's shoulder.
Teal'c fought off three Jaffa before a zat blast forced him to the ground. Nonetheless, Teal'c fought to stand. As the Jaffa attackers took aim at Ardyl's chief associate, Teal'c stood in front of him, taking the blast that had been fired. The former first prime of Apophis got off another round, killing the Jaffa who had just shot him before collapsing to the ground.
Sam fired her P-90 repeatedly, felling four Jaffa before a staff blast ripped into her leg. As two Jaffa approached, she weakly grabbed a grenade, using the last of her strength to toss it at the advancing enemy, killing them.
Daniel ran to Jack and Ardyl. His Beretta was a pale weapon compared to the P-90's and the Jaffa's staff weapons, but he continued to fire.
"Ardyl, get inside," Jack ordered. The leader began a run towards the safety of the chambers, but another small band of Jaffa cut across the area. Jack cried out, "Get down" and moved to cover the alien leader. Another staff blast to his chest brought Jack to the ground. Daniel cried out "JACK!" but his cry was lost in the echo of the blast.
The archaeologist moved to his lover, grabbed his P-90, and surprised the band of attackers by firing a barrage of bullets at them. The final Jaffa to fall fired a zat blast, the energy pushing Daniel back into Jack's bloodied body.
"Jack," Daniel weakly said. "I love you."
A second blast of the zat silenced Daniel ... and his heart. The final Jaffa left standing was then cut down by Teal'c before he, too, collapsed into unconsciousness.
Ardyl looked around in shock. More than a dozen Jaffa lay dead, as did two of the heroic members of the SG-1 whom had saved the lives of him and his counsel. The other two members of SG-1 lay unconscious and wounded. It was a sad day in Hedry.
Daniel blinked several times. He looked down at his body and realized he was breathing and seemingly unharmed. Given that he remembered being struck by two blasts from a zat, that seemed odd. He moved over to the body next to his and nudged it gently.
When she began to rouse, Daniel spoke softly, "Sam, I don't mean to sound like a rerun, but wasn't I dead?"
"Oh yeah. Definitely."
All of a sudden, Daniel startled as all of his memories returned. Alarmed, he looked around, wanting and needing to see one very important face, that of his lover.
"Jack? Where's Jack?" He jumped up, panicked. He and Sam were the only two in the small room. "JACK? JACK, WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Daniel ..." Sam said.
"JACK?"
"Hey, right here, Danny."
Hearing his lover's voice, Jack sprinted into the room and over to his husband.
"Jack?"
"That would be me, Love," Jack said before embracing his lover.
"Oh gawd, Jack, we ..."
Daniel held on tight. He so didn't need this new nightmare, to think about them dying yet again.
"Yep."
"The Nox?" Daniel pulled back, looking into his husband's eyes.
"Courtesy of Nafrayu and Lya. That's where I was a minute ago talking with them outside. They were here visiting with Ardyl when the fight broke out. They saw it all from his chambers."
"Teal'c?"
"Just fine. He's outside."
"Oh, Jack," Daniel leaned into Jack's hold once again. "I really don't want to die anymore."
"Me, either. I'm just glad the Nox were around this time. Let's go home, Danny." He felt his soulmate's nod, and then looked over at Sam. "Are you okay, Carter?"
"Just fine, Sir."
The three joined Teal'c who stood next to Ardyl.
"We will continue our alliance with the Tau'ri," Ardyl nodded.
"Why?" Jack had to ask. "What changed?"
"You were willing to die for us, even though you knew we would not continue to ally with your people. You could have saved yourselves, but instead, you risked your lives for us. You could have died."
"We did die," Jack said.
"Yes, and that is why we will continue our alliance with the Tau'ri. You have regained our trust."
"Thank you, Ardyl," Daniel replied.
Daniel sighed. He knew he should be happy that they had saved the alliance, but he wasn't convinced that sooner or later there wouldn't be a repeat of these events. In fact, he had to quash the temptation to warn Ardyl that the Pentagon wasn't always trustworthy, but he didn't feel he had the right to deprive Earth of a valuable ally. He sighed again. In the end, it didn't matter. He was tired, and he wanted to go home and hug his children. He wanted the worst problem in his life to be indecision over whether to dig in Katie's play yard or read Chenoa a story.
Yet, he knew they needed to stay a while. So, without discussion, he followed Ardyl and the others into the chambers where they were also greeted by the two Nox who had saved their lives again.
It was good to see Lya again, especially since she passed on greetings from their friends on Xanadu, the planet where Jack and Daniel had once been stranded together.
Time passed. Daniel chatted with their allies, all sharing more about their cultures. Jack smiled as he watched, knowing how much Daniel liked the Hedronix and how he adored the Nox. Jack was sure his husband was enjoying this chance to visit with their friends, which is why he was surprised to hear the silent plea.
Jack, please take me home. I really need to go home.
Jack heard the request, even though his husband was currently engaged in conversation with Lya. Even though it seemed unusual to him, he didn't need a second request to make Daniel's wish happen.
"Listen, folks, it's been swell, but it's time to call it a day."
"You are welcome to stay the night."
"No, normally that would be peachy, but you see ..." Jack paused as he stared at Ardyl.
He had been about to launch into a full scale fluffy lie, but then he remembered these were a people that valued honor. He also recalled the last time Earth messed up with the Hedronix, the thing that had gotten the Tau'ri out of the proverbial doghouse was their devotion to the family unit, specifically Jack and Daniel's.
"Ardyl, I'm not going to lie to you. The truth is ... Daniel and I are tired. We have eight children and two dogs at home that we are anxious to see. It's been a long, long day."
Ardyl smiled, and somehow Jack knew the leader admired and appreciated the truth. He bowed his head.
"It is good to honor your family, General, and ..." the leader looked at Daniel, "the wishes of those you care most about."
Daniel was taken aback.
"Did ... I mean ..."
"The Hedronix have a finely tuned skill of sensing emotion, but only the very strongest of emotions. Never fear, we cannot read your minds, but sometimes, if the feeling is strong, we can sense it, and I sense, Doctor Jackson, that you have a need of your own at the moment."
Daniel smiled shyly, glancing at his husband.
"I ... I, uh, I do."
"Be well, and we will meet again."
"I hope so, Ardyl. Thank you."
"We saved the day again, General," Jack said as he walked down the ramp, "and we died for it, so if you don't mind, we're going to shower and go home. Carter and Teal'c can fill you in on the finer points, and if you want, Daniel and I will come in later this week."
"General, you need ..."
"General Armstrong, I don't need to do anything but go home and make love to my husband." Jack saw Armstrong's discomfort, "... which I intend to do, by the way, all night, and maybe in the morning ..."
"Jack, he gets the idea," Daniel whispered, a smile on his face at the obvious discomfort Armstrong was showing because of Jack's comments.
"Yeah, but he's so easy, Danny."
Daniel had to laugh. It was true.
"Let's go home, Jack."
For the next week, Jack and Daniel reveled in their home life. They answered a slew of questions about the Stargate from their eldest children and managed to squelch Jennifer's and David's questions without saying much. They also impressed upon them the importance of not discussing it outside of their home and with no one other than themselves, unless it was an absolute emergency in which case they were allowed to talk to Sara about it.
Jack was strongly chastised for telling Daniel to leave him behind, which was followed by serious apologies and making up (which involved lots of touching, fondling, and chocolate). The two also tried to come to terms with almost losing each other, yet again (which also involved lots of touching, fondling, and chocolate.
Finally, the Jackson-O'Neills returned to a semblance of normalcy, the usual daily crises ruling their lives, none of which had anything to do with the Goa'uld or Stargates.
Daniel walked into the study where Jack was on the computer reading about archaeology.
"Studying?" Daniel asked, smiling as he did so.
"Hey, it's my life ... now," Jack replied, wearing a smile of his own.
"Quiz time, Babe," Daniel said as he walked to the sofa and sat down.
"Quiz?"
Jack stood and joined his husband on the sofa. They were separated by a couple of feet, but seated so that they were leaning towards each other. Daniel had several papers in his hand.
"I have the inventory sheets for some of the basic tools we need. You tell me what they are."
"I hate quizzes."
"But you love me," Daniel winked, "and if we are really going to go on digs, Jack, you need to know this stuff."
"Hit me with your best shot!" Jack challenged.
"We'll start simple. We ordered a dozen tool boxes. What goes in one of those?"
"My fishing tackle."
"Jack!"
Jack laughed, ebbing into his answer "We put all our little trinkets in there, and the good stuff."
"Good stuff?"
"Your stash of Starbuck's and my Froot Loops; and we can sit on them, too."
Daniel grinned. Jack had answered in his own style, but essentially, the answer was correct.
The archaeologist began to ask his next question, but Jack interrupted him by reaching out and taking his hand.
"I have an idea, Love."
"Should I mark it on the calendar?" Daniel teased lovingly.
"Cute, Daniel, real cute."
"Thank you, Babe. I'm glad you think so."
Jack laughed and then leaned forward to kiss his lover. He slipped his tongue inside Daniel's mouth and explored freely. It was a long kiss, one that had taken the younger man a bit offguard. Jack heard the tender moan and smiled as the kiss ended.
"Let's continue this later tonight."
"Tonight? Why?" Suddenly, Daniel looked at Jack with a bit of distrust. "Jack, no fair studying just because ..."
"Nope, I won't. I promise," Jack said, crossing his heart and raising his hand in a symbolic gesture. "I just have an idea. Tonight ... after the kids are asleep."
"Okay, but if you cheat ..."
"I won't cheat," Jack leaned in for another kiss, this one deeper and longer than the first.
It threatened to take them to an erotic and passionate zone that wasn't possible at this time of the day ... at least not in the study where their children could walk in at any moment.
"Jack, we have children now," Daniel regretfully reminded his sexy lover as the kiss ended with a new one was on the horizon.
"Oh, yeah. Tonight, Danny. Quiz me tonight."
Jack winked, kissed his husband one more time, and then got up to return to what he had been doing. Daniel remained on the sofa, smiling. He didn't know what Jack had planned, but what he did know was that he loved that Silver Fox of his, and right now, he thought he'd just sit and watch him for a while ... so he did.
"Okay, we also ordered two dozen leaf trowels."
Daniel had begun his questioning. It was 10:15 p.m., and all of the children were sound asleep, except for Jennifer who had permission to stay up late to study for a test the next day. The appropriate monitors were on, and Jack had locked their bedroom door. Daniel still didn't quite understand why. After all, this was a quiz, not a romantic rendezvous.
Jack grinned confidently at Daniel, who sat at the head of the bed, on Jack's side, his back against the headboard. Jack stood smugly, leaning against their dresser. He raised his eyebrows a few times, and answered proudly, "They are for the finer work, like excavating bones."
Daniel had a bright smile on his face, and seeing that, Jack, too, was smiling, inside and out. He knew he was pleasing Daniel with his new knowledge, and Jack lived for that ... to make Daniel happy.
"Good. Okay, next we ..."
"Not so fast, Dannyboy."
"Huh?"
"Every time I get one right, you strip."
"Oh?" Daniel asked, his voice low. He was a genius, and he'd just figured out the game. "And, uh, if you miss one?"
"I strip. We keep going until one of us is naked."
"And then what?" Daniel asked, not really needing to.
"The winner gets his way with the loser."
Daniel chuckled. It was a win-win, which is why it was so fun. He nodded and challenged, "You're on, Fly Boy. Let's just see how much you've retained."
"Hit me with your best shot."
"Okay, well ..."
"Whoa, Danny. You already owe me a piece of clothing."
Daniel laughed as he unfastened his belt and tossed it teasingly onto the floor. Then he continued with the next question.
"We ordered two dozen of another item also, for the finest work, for skulls and jewelry. What are those called?"
"Danny, I think I deserve a kiss for each correct answer, too."
Jack walked to the bed, sat down, and leaned forward, but Daniel held out his hand.
"You haven't answered the question yet."
"Technicality."
"Then tell me what it's called."
"A dental pick. Now kiss me."
Daniel gave his lover a warm kiss, and then had his own idea.
"I'm tired, Love. Asking ALL these questions is SO exhausting. I need you to take off my shoes."
Jack smiled and then removed his lover's shoes. He started to take off his socks, too, but Daniel objected, extending his finger and shaking both it and his head.
"Ut. Ut. Not so fast, my sly fox."
"Just trying to hurry things along."
"Next question," Daniel said, smiling as he looked at the inventory listing. "What do we use bulldog clips for?"
"They attach the tape measures to the arrows that we use to section off a string line."
"Close enough," Daniel said as he wiggled his feet in invitation to his husband.
Jack obeyed happily, slipping off the black socks and massaging Daniel's feet for a moment. Then he moved back up towards the headboard.
"Kiss me," and Daniel did, his tongue waltzing with Jack's before he continued the pop quiz.
"We had to get a Dutch hoe. Why?"
"Vacuum."
"Vacuum?"
"Yeah, for when we're done. It cleans up the site. Kiss me."
"Don't miss any, O'Neill," Daniel whispered as he put his arms around his husband for a passionate kiss, one that lasted two minutes.
Jack pulled off Daniel's tan pants, adding them to the growing pile of items on the floor near the nightstand.
"I like your quizzes, Danny," Jack crooned as his right hand slid and glided over the inside of the younger man's left leg.
"Quizzes? Oh ... yeah," Daniel leaned back and again looked at his papers. "We got in a supply of these tools, too. They are what we use to make life-size drawings of small items."
"Like to scale, you mean?" Daniel nodded. "It's one of those gauges."
"Not good enough. Strip!"
Jack removed his gray sweatshirt, revealing his silver-gray chest hairs. Daniel's eyes widened. Nothing was sexier or made Daniel go more wild than the hairs on Jack's chest, except maybe the silver-gray hair ones on his head. Still, through the lust and desire he could see in his husband's eyes, Jack also saw the slight disappointment that he hadn't answered correctly.
The retired General reached into the back of his mind, and finally, he took hold of the answer: "Vemier gauge!"
Daniel grinned and leaped at Jack for another round of kissing. Jack pulled off his lover's shirt anxiously.
"Danny, let's forget the quiz."
"Oh, yeah ... let's."
As they began to get lost in each other, a knock was heard.
"What?" both asked with frustration, and then each immediately felt remorse.
"Danny, here," Jack said as he threw the comforter over his husband. He added, "Cover up," and then hurried to the door.
"Sorry," Jennifer apologized. "I just checked on the babies. They're all sound asleep. So's Noa, but I ... I don't want to tell tales, but David's still up, reading a book. He said he has a book report due, but he wouldn't say when. I think he's just engrossed in it and doesn't want to put it down. He never takes care of himself like he should."
"I thought he was asleep," Daniel said.
"He woke up. Anyway, I thought you'd ..."
The teenager paused, suddenly realizing how high up the comforter was over her father's very nervous body, and then she saw her other father fidgeting as he stood, and, of course, Jack's shirt was off. One thing she had learned was that neither man tended to walk around shirtless unless they were changing clothes or ... and it was the 'or' that thundered through the teenager's mind.
"Oh geez, not again. Honestly, I can't believe it. Parents! You're going to do it again, aren't you? Ewww ... I'm going back to my room .. to SLEEP. Give me strength. Do you two ever NOT do it?"
"Jennifer Renee!" Jack chastised.
"Don't worry; I'm leaving. Geez."
"You just do that, young lady," Jack said as Jennifer turned around and walked down the stairs. As Jack moved to close and lock the door, he could hear her chuckling. "Typical teenager."
"Jack, maybe we should check on David."
"He's fine. Likes to read. Reading is good. We'll worry if he starts doing it every night. Besides, we have more urgent needs right now."
"Oh ... yeah ... urgent! Definitely urgent. Get over here ... NOW!"
Jack rushed to the bed and pounced on his lover.
"A-plus," Daniel said in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "A-plus, plus, plus."
Jack smiled and soon the two fell asleep, secure in their nation of two, and knowing each made the grade on everything that truly mattered in their lives.
On to Chapter Two...