-- Chapter Three: Just When You Thought You Knew Jack ... Again!

Jack was whistling cheerfully as he walked into his home. He had been out running some errands and then dropped by the office to confer with Megan about a watching brief that needed to be completed by tomorrow. He had told Daniel he'd by home at 1700 hours, and sure enough, it was 5 p.m. on the dot when he walked through the door.

However, he was surprised not to hear the familiar sounds of pitter-pattering feet, teenage angst, or crying babies. In fact, he didn't even hear a barking dog. Slowly, Jack put away his keys and looked around. Nothing seemed out of kilter, but it just didn't feel right. He looked out the patio doors and didn't see Bijou or Katie.

Jack scouted the entire downstairs and couldn't find a single family member. He checked Jennifer's room above the garage, and then went to the other side of the house. The nursery was empty, as was David's room.

Jack was beginning to panic. The master bedroom was empty, too. Finally, he went to Daniel's Den and there seated calmly in the recliner was his husband ... staring sternly at Jack.

"Danny, what's going on? Is everything okay? Where are the kids?"

"The Munchkins are with Sam, the twins and Noa are with Sara, and Jen and David are with General Hammond."

"And the girls?"

"Mrs. Valissi."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?"

Daniel glared, which essentially gave Jack the answer to his question. Calmly, Daniel stood up, walked to Jack, and said, "Let's go downstairs."

Jack felt like he was marching to his death. He understood now why the house had been cleared. Daniel had done this before on the few occasions when they were about to have a "scheduled" fight. Jack sighed as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was clueless about the reason for this particular fight and just hoped Daniel would clue him in quickly.

Daniel stood, arms folded across his chest, in front of the fireplace. Jack gulped, but quickly bit the bullet.

"What did I do?"

"Jack, how old were you when we met?"

Jack shrugged, mumbling, "How old was I? Danny, what does ..."

"How old were you, Jack?"

"I don't know. Geez, I hate numbers."

"You're a freakin' genius, Jack, and better at math than I am, so ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

Jack saw metaphorical flames bursting from his husband's eyes.

"I don't know. I guess ... thirty-nine? Did I pass?"

"Thirty-nine? Like Jack Benny thirty-nine?"

"Daniel, can we not play games here? This morning everything was fine. What is going on?"

"No, it wasn't fine. This ... discussion ... was simply postponed due to other more important situations."

"Wait a minute. This is a fight that has been in the making for ... awhile, but you put it off because of ...?"

"Children, the SGC, he bid for the Egypt project -- things like that," Daniel acknowledged.

"So today is a slow day?" the retired General smirked.

"Very funny, Jack. No, today I was reminded."

"Reminded how?"

"I was looking for some notes about Abydos, the planet, not the city, and I happened to read part of my journal, and that reminded me."

"Okay ... reminded you of what?"

"How old were you when we met?"

"Didn't I just answer that?"

"Yes, which is why I'm giving you a second chance to get it right."

Jack swallowed hard. He had messed up. The light bulb was flickering in his mind. He closed his eyes.

"Coming back to you, Jack? Are you perhaps remembering a recent conversation with our children about when we met?"

"The guppy look," Jack said as he ran his left hand through his silver-gray hair and walked towards the patio.

"Make it good, Jack."

"Danny ..." Jack looked at his husband.

He hated arguing with him, especially over dumb things like this, and yet he knew it was all his fault ... again. Jack was the only one to blame. It had been a lie of his making, a lie he never thought would go on for so long.

"You never really asked me how old I was."

"No, I didn't, but you let me believe my guess was right."

Jack recalled a night not quite a decade earlier. It was right after the mission to Chulak. SG-1 had been officially formed, and the next day would be the team's first regular day at work, if there was ever such a thing as a regular day at work for those employed by the SGC.

After spending a year on the planet of Abydos, Daniel had been staying with Jack while he readjusted to being back on Earth. They had gotten a bit tipsy and had shared more feelings than Jack had thought he'd ever be able to share with anyone, thoughts about their original mission and even their personal tragedies. It was late, just before they called it a night.

Flashback/
"Loved the way you put those smug scientists in their place last year, Daniel. Made my day," Jack said before taking another swig of yet another beer. "They looked like they were going to have a fit right there on the spot."

Daniel drank a sip of beer and smiled shyly.

Hate this stuff, but right now I don't care that I hate it. That doesn't make sense. Oh ... stop thinking so much, Jackson, and get back to the conversation. Hmm ... what did Jack say? Oh yeah. "I just ... looked at it, that's all."

Jack roared, laughing more loudly than usual, the effects of multiple beers.

"Danny, you looked like a freakin' twelve-year-old, and you set those pompous preppies on their rears!"

"It's Daniel, and I wasn't twelve."

"But you looked like it. How old are you anyway?"

"Thirty."

"See? A baby! Means you were twenty-nine when you set them on their ears."

"I'm not a baby. Besides, you aren't that much older than me." Jack snickered. "Come on, Jack. How old are you?"

"I don't discuss age. My grandmother said it was all in the mind."

"Thirty-six? Not more than thirty-nine, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Jack smirked. "Just like Jack Benny. Thirty-nine. Geez, it's late. Time to hit the hay." End of Flashback

Jack coughed nervously. At the time, he had realized that Daniel had taken him literally, believing he was indeed thirty-nine-years-old. It was an assumption Jack had never bothered to clear up, and Daniel being so trusting, had apparently never bothered to look that closely at the few official documents they had shared over the years.

"Daniel, you're ... beautiful and sexy," Jack smiled as he talked, "and simply everything anyone could ever want. When we first had that discussion, it didn't seem important. We were drunk and, I was just being my usual cynical self. Then I fell in love with you -- the essence of everything -- you."

"Jack, don't try to sweet talk your way out of this."

"I'm not. I'm trying to explain. I was wrong, Daniel." Jack sneered. "I'm always wrong, but I was afraid."

"Jack, do you want me to just pull out our argument over the lie about being a genius and insert it here? Would it save us some time? What else is there that you haven't told me?"

"Nothing! Daniel, you don't understand."

"I understand that you've lied to me ... again!"

"Yes, I lied. You want a divorce?" Jack asked glibly.

Daniel felt hurt at Jack's comment. This was a disagreement, a fight, not the end of their marriage.

"Don't go there, Jack. We've never done that. Why'd you just say that?" The more he asked the question, the angrier he got. "You know we don't tease about that kind of thing. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?"

"Geez! You're acting like it's the end of the world or something. I made a flip comment, and now, all of a sudden, you want to make it a declaration of war or something."

Even as he spoke, Jack wondered what he was doing. It had been a stupid comment to make, and he felt guilty seeing the hurt that he'd just inflicted on his lover. Going into this offensive mode never helped matters, yet he seemed unable to stop himself.

"All of a sudden? Jack, I just found out about this, and it wasn't because you decided to tell me the truth, but because you let your guard down, and it slipped out while you were talking to our daughter. It's not the age factor, and you know it. The point is that you lied to me, and what upsets me is that you obviously don't see anything wrong with that."

"Oh for crying out loud, Daniel, don't make a federal case out of this. I hate it when you do that."

"So sorry, Jack, if my wanting to discuss a serious matter with you is taking up too much of your precious time."

"Serious matter? Come on, Love. With all the stuff we've been through, a little embellishment of my age is considered serious?"

"Jack, you are driving me crazy. It's NOT your age. It's that you keep lying to me!"

"Daniel, for the tenth time, I was joking when I told you I was thirty-nine. It wasn't a deliberate lie to put you off the scent. We weren't together. Heck, we barely knew each other. I just didn't think it was important."

Daniel sighed, feeling extremely frustrated. Jack wasn't hearing him and that more than anything angered him.

"If you can't see anything wrong with lying to your husband, then I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did."

Jack made a jabbing motion with his hands, as if he were about to reach out and strangle the love of his life.

"Oh for ... DANIEL!"

Jack turned around and paced in a circle for a minute before facing his lover again and saying simply, "Will you please stop being a drama queen?"

"Drama queen? DRAMA QUEEN?"

"Wrong thing to say?" Jack asked glibly.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Oh, no you don't," Jack moved in front of Daniel to block his path. "You are so not running from this. You started it, and I'm sure as Netu going to make sure you finish it so we can move forward. Come on, Danny. What's the real problem here?"

"For the tenth time, YOU FREAKIN' LIED TO ME -- AGAIN!"

"I DID NOT!! I JUST DIDN'T TELL YOU THE TRUTH!"

Jack knew as he spoke the words that there wasn't a difference, and he knew that Daniel knew it, too. He again wondered why they let themselves fall into these stupid self-perpetuating arguments. Then he remembered the make-up sex. He decided a good harmless fight every now and then wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? NOT TELLING THE TRUTH IS THE SAME AS LYING. HOW MANY OTHER THINGS HAVE YOU NOT TOLD THE TRUTH ABOUT?"

"Now you're trying to have an argument about things that don't exist. I come home, tired and hungry, and wanting to be with my family. Instead, I get Theatrics 101, and now I'M THE ONE who wants to walk out of here."

"Now who's being melodramatic. The truth hurts, doesn't it, Jack? You want to walk out of here, go right ahead, but don't be surprised if the door is locked when you decide to come running back.

"Oh, so it's okay for you to go for a walk but not for me? You can leave a fight, but I can't?"

"THIS IS NOT A FIGHT!"

"It's not? Then why are you shouting?"

Daniel sighed as he walked over to the sofa and leaned against the edge.

"Oh gawd. This IS a fight."

"Yep, it is ... a pretty big one apparently."

Jack knew they had just turned the corner. He could sense the make-up sex was just a few minutes away. He wanted to smile, but he was afraid that might mess it up.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't want it to be a fight, not like this. I just ... it got out of hand." Daniel stood back up and walked to within a foot of where Jack stood. "I don't want to fight. I only want to know why you lied to me, that's all. Please. Why can't you tell me why you lied to me, why you haven't ever set the record straight? Why?"

Jack flinched. It was time to fess up, as he always did. He still didn't understand why he hadn't just told Daniel the truth years ago, but better late than never he decided.

"Because I don't have a logical answer except that I was scared. Danny, remember how afraid you were? You've told me over and over that you thought I'd leave you."

"I really believed you would."

"Never. Would never happen, but what has always been difficult for you to understand, to really comprehend, is that I was more scared than you were."

Disbeliving, Daniel shook his head. Jack walked towards him and placed his hands on Daniel's upper arms, rubbing gently.

"Angel," Jack had tears in his eyes, "I've never been good enough for you. I know you don't believe that, but it's the honest truth. You are a thousand times better than me in every way that exists, but you have never realized that truth the way I have. I love you, and the harder I fell, the more I needed you. When you finally said you loved me, I was in Heaven."

Daniel was focusing intently on Jack, his eyes locked on his lover's, trying desperately to understand what he was trying to say. It didn't make sense to him, though.

"Jack, that's rubbish, and you know it."

"No, it's not. I 'joked' about being the run-down Colonel, but I ... that's how I felt next to you. I couldn't believe that you'd want me, and as we got closer, I just ... I worried about keeping up with you. You're so energetic and vibrant -- my energizer bunny, my Danny," Jack moved his hands to Daniel's shoulders, still rubbing gently. "Danny, there aren't just nine or ten years between us." Jack gulped. "I was born in 1952. That's a twelve to thirteen year gap. I thought if you knew, you'd run."

"YOU IDIOT!" Daniel moved away from Jack, pacing over towards the kitchen counter. "AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH? GIVE ME A BREAK!"

"But it wasn't like that at the beginning, and you know it! We both had insecurities, and that was one of mine."

"WAS? THEN WHY HAVEN'T YOU TOLD ME THE TRUTH SINCE THEN? Like, for example," Daniel tried to calm himself, "when we got married ... or when we had our children ... ANY OF THEM?"

Jack shook his head. He'd blown it again, but he wouldn't make it worse. He was telling the truth, and just had to hope that his soulmate would see into his soul and know that it was the truth.

"I don't have an excuse. I'm sorry." Jack walked to the sofa and sat down. He leaned forward, rubbing his face in his hands. "Thirteen years, Danny. That's a big difference. We're not even in the same decade. I was afraid that one day you'd think about that, about how it might be when we're ... older."

"Jack, you are so full of it," Daniel said in exasperation.

"You're forty-two, Daniel. I'm fifty-five. Don't tell me that doesn't matter."

Daniel shook his head incredulously as he challenged, "Has it? Do you really think it matters?" Daniel stared at Jack and watched as his lover shook his head. "Of course it doesn't matter. It would never matter. I love you. Gawd, Jack, love has no age limits and no boundaries. I thought you knew that." Daniel sighed, and said softly, "You could be sixty-four, and I'd still love you. Why can't you trust me on that?"

Jack sighed as he answered, "Because I'm ..."

"Afraid?" Daniel moved back in front of his husband, kneeling down on his haunches. He took Jack's hands and said, "Jack, come on. We've been through life and death and ... death for years now. We're ... our nation of two ... it's not about age, and it never was."

"I know that. Most of me knows that, anyway. I'm sorry. I was ... occupied trying to ... never mind. I was wrong."

Daniel stood back up and began to pace as he struggled with the conversation they were having. He was missing something here, and Jack certainly wasn't going to fill him in so, as usual, when it came to his husband's fears, it was up to him to figure it out. He thought back through the years of their love and their evolution as a couple. It was true that in their first two years together, both were very insecure. Daniel hadn't fully been aware of Jack's fears about losing him upon Sha're's return until after her death.

Daniel took a deep breath and continued to pace. Jack remained silent on the sofa, his mind reflecting on their past. The older man had never been good at expressing his own fears, especially his worst fear -- losing Daniel.

The archaeologist had always been so youthful and energetic, so much so that Jack considered Daniel to be his energizer bunny. He was faster than Jack, and had more endurance. Jack wasn't worried as much about losing Daniel now, but back then, when it was still new and Sha're was alive, Jack lived with a silent fear, one he kept to himself as much as he could. The honest truth was Jack just didn't have time to be concerned about his own worries. He had Daniel to take care of, and Daniel had always, and would always, come first.

As Daniel walked, he thought back to their first year, when Jack had first begun to turn gray. Some of Jack's statements from tonight could easily relate back to that time; but what did his lover mean about being occupied? Daniel closed his eyes, the revelation finally coming to him. He glanced over at Jack.

"You were too busy taking care of me -- my doubts, my insecurities, my fears -- to take care of your own. That's what you were going to say, wasn't it?"

Jack swallowed and nodded his head. Daniel walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Jack. He pulled Jack back and put his arm around him, pulling Jack into his shoulder. Daniel kissed the top of Jack's head and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't do a very good job back then of taking care of you."

"It's not your fault, Danny."

Daniel looked upwards, trying to stop the tears that were about to fall.

"No, no fault. It's not about fault. It's about being aware, and I tried, but ... I thought you'd get tired of me. I had so many issues, so much to overcome, and you never wavered. You were always there to get me through, to make us stronger." Daniel rubbed his cheek against Jack's silver-gray hair and closed his eyes for a moment just enjoying their closeness. "I was high maintenance, and I still am."

"So am I."

"That's true," Daniel said, chuckling just a little. He smiled when Jack chuckled at the comment as well. "But the point is, you've always put yourself second, Jack. There hasn't been one time in our entire relationship when you've put yourself first, not once."

"I like making you happy."

"Gawd, Jack. I like making you happy, too."

"You do, Angel. You make me so incredibly happy."

"I couldn't even tell you that for so long. Jack, you took such good care of me. You got me through all the nightmares." Daniel's tears were falling hard and fast now. "You went with me to the museum; made me realize that what mattered was my parent's lives and their love, not how they died. You helped me find them, and you ... gawd, Jack, you gave them a home with our Charlie."

Daniel sniffled as he talked, and Jack was crying, too now, as he listened.

"You helped me remember about Carrie and to realize that bloody nightmare wasn't my fault. You taught me that I didn't need to hug myself anymore, because you would always be there to hug me. You've showered me with love." Daniel squeezed Jack as he kissed his head again. "You've walked through every mountain of pain from my past, and you've taught me how to laugh. We laugh so much now. You've given me everything, Jack."

"Angel ..."

"And Angel ... Gawd, you think I'm an angel. What kind of angel am I to not see your fears -- your pain?"

"Danny ... no!" Jack raised his head and moved his right hand to caress Daniel's moistened cheek. "You ARE my angel. You take care of me every day in ways you don't even know."

"I missed it, Jack. I missed seeing that you were so afraid. You shouldn't have been. I love you so much. I don't care how old you are. It's like," Daniel swallowed hard, tears falling even harder, "... like with Sha're and how I didn't tell you for so long how I really felt, that I had chosen you from the beginning. I should have told you that, Jack. I should have made you un...understand."

Daniel could barely talk. His anger at Jack was long forgotten, and now he was drowning in pain and guilt about not recognizing that Jack had had fears and doubts, too. He hated himself now, realizing fully for the first time that while Jack had always tended to these emotions in Daniel, somehow, Daniel had let Jack's slip through the cracks ... at least most of the time.

"Danny, don't go back there. That was a long time ago. Shhh," Jack whispered soothingly, brushing his lips gently against Daniel's. "It's okay, Danny. You had reasons. I mean, Sha're was your wife and ..."

"Gawd, stop!" Daniel bolted up off the sofa and moved to the bookshelves. His hands used the edge of the shelves to brace himself again, and still the tears fell. He was having a hard time breathing.

"Daniel ..." Jack didn't care about anything anymore, he just wanted to ease his husband's pain. He got up and started to walk towards his spouse, but Daniel sensed it, and turned holding his hand up in a stopping motion.

"Jack, you're doing it again. You're putting me first, taking care of me ... that's what you always do."

"And it's what I will always do. It's why I was born. I believe that more than I believe anything else." Jack began slowly moving towards Daniel again. "I was born to love you, to make you happy. I told you ... my mission in life is to make you laugh and smile." Reaching his lover, Jack cupped Daniel's face. "I love you, Daniel Jackson-O'Neill. You will always come first with me."

"Jack, you're first with me, too, but I haven't shown you that."

"Yes, you have ... over and over again. Danny, we're different. Our pasts are different. It may seem to you like ..."

"Like you're always having to take care of me?"

"Or something. Your life was a nightmare, Daniel. I wanted to erase those memories."

"You have."

"Good," Jack brushed his lips against Daniel's, savoring the taste of the moist lips.

"But you were scared, Jack, and that was my fault because I didn't let you know that it never mattered to me what color your hair was or how many scars you have or how blasted old you are. I need you, you idiot. I wouldn't be able to breathe without you."

"Oh, Angel," Jack wrapped Daniel in his arms. "I'm sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry. I just ... never thought I was good enough, so I had to convince you I was, even if I didn't really believe it."

"You're an idiot, Jack."

"I know." Jack's cracked voice was muffled as he buried his chin into Daniel's neck. Their hold on each other was extremely tight. "Do you forgive me, Danny? I should have told you the truth a long time ago."

"Jack, I'm the one who needs to be asking for forgiveness, for not showing you how much you matter, and how much you mean to me."

"I'll make you deal."

"What?"

Jack pulled back to look into Daniel's eyes, and then he kissed him.

"How about we forgive each other and go remind ourselves how much fun we can have together?"

"Fun."

Daniel finally smiled and chuckled. It was a look and sound that Jack treasured above all else in life.

"Well, after all, Love, you did such a great job of making sure we'd be alone."

"I didn't want the children to hear us fighting."

"And ..."

Daniel smiled, a devilish smile as he added, "And I knew we'd make up."

Jack laughed loudly.

"Now that's My Danny -- always one step ahead."

"Well, it's not like I didn't know you'd have a reason."

"And then you'd forgive me because you always forgive me."

"Because I love you."

"And that's the real miracle of my existence ... that you love me, no matter what."

"It's unconditional, Jack. I wish you'd get that through your thick skull. There's nothing you could do or say, nothing about you, now or in the past, that would change the love I have for you. Don't you know that by now?"

"Yes. I just ... always find my luck incredibly ... incredible. You could have anyone, Daniel."

"So could you. Gawd, you just don't know how desirable you are, Jack. I'm going to work a little harder at making sure you know that from now on, but as for me, I have the one I want, Jack. I have the man who means the universe to me. You've given me life. No one else could have done what you did. No one else cared."

"I love you, Angel."

"Love you, too. Now ... how about that make-up sex?"

"Oh, yeah. How long is the brood gone for?" He saw the telling grin and couldn't believe his luck. "Geez, Danny. All night?"

"Until 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, it's just ... us!"

"Angel, I love the way you think!"

"Is that all you love?"

"I'll make an itemized list upstairs!"

"In triplicate," Daniel ordered as he kissed his husband, and then they went upstairs to physically renew their love once again.

"I hate this waiting," Jack complained as he roamed the backyard.

"Jack, we may not hear anything for hours."

"The Abracadabra guy said he'd decide today, right?"

Daniel laughed at Jack's insistence at getting the man's name wrong.

"Abayomi," Daniel corrected.

"Whatever."

"Jack."

"I'm just ... I want this, Daniel."

Daniel rose from the patio steps on which he had been sitting and walked to Jack. He put his arms around his lover's neck, gently caressing the skin.

"You do, don't you?"

"Why is that such a surprise?"

"I don't know. It's just ... when we met ..."

"When we met, I was an idiot."

"Oh, Jack," Daniel spoke softly, then nibbled on Jack's upper lip, and following up with a full-blown kiss.

"Oh geez. Not again," Jennifer said walking outside.

Chenoa giggled as she began her childhood taunt, "Dad and Daddy, kissing on the lawn."

"Noa, stop being silly," the teenager chastised. Then she looked back at her parents. "Daddy, I need help with a history paper. Do you have some time?"

"Sure, Jen." Daniel kissed Jack again and whispered, "I'll be back."

"Oh brother," Jennifer said, turning around and heading for her bedroom.

When Daniel returned a half-hour later, Jack was in Katie's play yard.

"What are you doing?"

"Katie wanted to go on a dig."

"Find anything exciting?"

"Actually, yes ... a fifty cent piece."

Jack held up the coin, flipping it back and forth in his hand.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. Okay, girl, that's enough for me."

Jack petted Katie and then stood up and walked to Daniel, wanting a kiss and a hug. Daniel backed away, holding both hands up.

"Oh no, not until you wash up."

Jack glared, but he desperately wanted to snuggle, so instead of arguing, he headed inside. When he returned several minutes later, Daniel was lying on the sofa with Bijou on his stomach. He was laughing and petting the mama beagle. Jack shook his head. Daniel was so beautiful, and any time Jack saw him with any of their kids, including the girls, he just couldn't describe the warmth that he felt at the sight.

He crossed the floor to the sofa and chose not to disturb Bijou, so instead, he settled at the end of the couch, raising Daniel's feet and placing them on his lap. Jack removed Daniel's shoes and socks and began a tender massage.

"That feels so good, Babe. Thank you."

"Believe me, Love, this is my pleasure."

A couple minutes later, the phone rang, and Jack went to answer it.

"Jackson-O'Neill residence ... hold on one minute please." Jack pushed the mute button on the cordless phone. "I think this is it. Here ..." he handed the phone to Daniel who had risen from the couch.

"Hello, this is Daniel Jackson-O'Neill ... yes ... yes ..."

Jack listened as Daniel began to speak Arabic. After ten minutes, the conversation ended.

"Well?" he asked anxiously as Daniel placed the phone on its pad. "Daniel? What's the verdict?" Daniel sighed. "Danny?"

"Well, they said it was close, very close. It came down to us and some other company out of Chicago."

"And? Daniel, for crying out loud, what did they say?"

"They said ... we're hired!"

Daniel's grin was huge.

"Hired? Really?" Daniel nodded. "YES!"

Jack went to Daniel and lifted him up, spinning him around in a circle.

"Jack, one of these days, you're going to break your back, and then I'll be very unhappy."

"I love you, Angel. We're hired!"

"I love you, too. Jack, I really have a good feeling about this. I think there's more there than meets the eye. The watching brief will show that."

"And then we go to Egypt."

"Finally ... our dig. It's our dream."

"That it is, Angel. Our dream."

Jack pulled his love closer and kissed him tenderly.

"We have a lot to do. We should talk about it tonight during our family time," Daniel suggested, a smile still on his face.

"Everything is going to work out, but maybe we should wait to tell the kids until we know more details."

"You're probably right, but Jen already knows something is up because of Sam and Teal'c's little show a while back."

"Good friends," Jack said softly.

"Yeah. Oh, and we should call Megan. She'll want to know."

"Let's do that ... later," Jack said, having a more urgent need for Daniel's attention ... and Daniel was happy to oblige.

"Megan, don't worry about the expense on this. We need to get some solid shots from the air so we can evaluate where something might be ... if something is there, of course."

"I've already contacted a couple of photographers in Cairo. I think we'll be able to get some top-notch aerial photos from them."

"Keep me posted."

"I will. Oh, Daniel ... this is so exciting! I hope it pans out for us."

"Me, too. Bye."

It was 8:30 p.m., and Chenoa couldn't sleep, so Jack took her to the roof deck and showed her his telescope.

"This was a gift from Daddy when we got married. I never look through it without thinking about him."

"What is it?"

"It's called a telescope, and when you look through it, you can see the stars."

Chenoa looked up at the night sky and smiled, her voice enthused as she said, "Noa see stars."

Jack laughed. He told his daughter how to look through the scope, and then he let her gaze through the lens up at the night stars, thus demonstrating the difference between looking up at the sky and through the telescope.

"Fun!"

"Yeah, but you know something, Noa, nothing beats this. Just ... looking at the stars. Come here."

Jack held the curly blonde's hand and walked over to the spot where he and Daniel so often sat. He leaned back against the wall and slid down. The toddler continued to stand, Jack maintaining a secure hold on both her arms. She was a bit bouncy as she stood, which amused Jack.

He looked up into the sky and made a visual recon of the stars. Then, he smiled.

"Noa, remember Hercules?" The toddler had watched the Disney video several times. She nodded her affirmation. "Okay, now, follow my hand and look up ... riiiiiight ... there!"

"Stars!"

"Yeah, that's Hercules."

"Herc is stars?"

"Hercules is a lot of things, including a legend, and a constellation. That's what those group of stars are called -- a constellation."

"Con'lation?"

"Con-stel-la-tion. We'll practice that. It's a long word." Chenoa nodded, and Jack teased, "Long words should be banned from the English language."

"Banned," Chenoa echoed, laughing.

Jack pulled his daughter to sit on his lap, and began to tell her about the story of Hercules.

"His father was Zeus, the greatest god of them all. Of course, if you weren't a child of Zeus, you pretty much didn't exist. Anyway, old Herc was a great warrior, so great that Zeus honored him by putting his image in the night sky so that he'd always be remembered."

"HerCULessssss," Chenoa laughed.

"Right. He was once a slave according to the legend."

"Slav'ry bad. T says so."

"T is right, but this was a sort of self-imposed penance."

"Pen-nuts?"

Jack chuckled and explained, "Penance means doing something to make up for something bad. Let's see. Remember last week when you ate David's piece of pie without asking?"

"Noa bad," she said softly.

"Not bad, Princess, just hungry, but that was David's, and you knew that and ate it anyway, right?"

"Hun'gry," she said softly, looking down as guilt flowed through her tiny body.

"And when David found out, he ..."

"David sad."

"Yes, he was. He was studying hard, doing his homework, and wanted the pie as his treat before going to bed. Okay, so remember what you did the next day?"

The toddler smiled and answered, "Noa give cupcake."

"That's right. You gave up your cupcake so that David could have it. You wanted to say you were sorry by doing something so that he would know you were really sorry and wouldn't do it again."

"Never 'gain."

"So, just like with you and David, Hercules had done a very bad thing, and he needed to do something to show that he was sorry, even though he only did it because Hera caused him to go insane for a little while."

"What's insane?"

"Crazy, bananas, nuts, not in your right mind."

"Like 'nanas and nuts."

Jack laughed and explained, "Insane means you can't think clearly, and sometimes you do silly things that you wouldn't normally do."

"Noa not ... 'nanas."

"No, you're not, Sweetheart," Jack chuckled, squeezing her affectionately. "So, Hera, who was the wife of Zeus, made Hercules a little crazy, and as a result, he did a very bad thing."

"What he do?"

"Hmmmm ... not tonight, Chenoa. We'll save that for another time, but just know that when Hercules realized what he had done, he felt very bad. He knew it was wrong, so he went to the great Oracle of Delphi and sought advice."

"What's an or'go?"

"Oracle. An oracle is a very wise person or shrine that was supposed to represent the gods, like an advisor."

"God?"

Jack paused. This one was a little trickier to make sure she understood.

"No, Honey, not the God you pray to, and it's important not to confuse the two. We've talked about that before, right? About the God who loves us and helps us and how that's different from regular people who pretend to be something they aren't."

It was simplifying the difference, but Chenoa was still just a toddler, and Jack didn't think she could grasp anything more than what he had already said. She nodded that she understood, so Jack continued on.

"So the oracle told Hercules that to make up for the bad thing he did he had to become a slave to Eurystheus. They were," Jack hesitated, "kinda like cousins. That's another long part of the story, but the point is, Eurystheus didn't like Herc, so he made him work really hard, putting Hercules into danger for twelve long years."

"Long time."

"Very, especially when Eurystheus gave Herc tasks to complete that were almost impossible, and in order to be free again and to be cleansed of the bad thing he did, Hercules had to complete all of these tasks."

David had gone into the master bedroom to say goodnight to his dad. He saw the door to the roof deck was open, and he could hear Jack talking. It sounded interesting so he quietly moved out to the roof deck and sat down to listen in. He saw both his father and little sister looking up at the sky.

Jack continued, "One of the things Hercules had to do was retrieve the golden apples."

"Golden apples?"

"Yep, they were very special, and were kept in a garden a long way from where Eurystheus lived. Herc traveled a long ways and then captured a prophet; that's, uh, someone who is good about guessing at things. So, this guy was able to tell Herc where the garden was."

"We eat gold apples, Dad?"

"Not those. They weren't edible. You'd loose all your teeth," he chuckled.

"Ewwww. Need teeth."

"Yes, we do, but anyway, those apples were made of gold."

"Herc'les get apples?"

"It took a while, and he had to travel far, through several countries, but eventually, he did. There's some differing opinions on how he got them. Some say he stole them by ... uh, sneaking past the snake that was guarding them, and others say he sort of tricked Atlas into getting them for him."

"Atlas? Book?"

"No," Jack chuckled. "Atlas holds the world on his shoulders."

"Heavy."

"You got that right. So, however he got them, Hercules brought the apples back to his master, and then, probably to protect his own skin from the wrath of Zeus, Eurystheus gave the apples to Hercules to keep."

"Why?"

"Because it wasn't lawful to have the apples. I think he thought Zeus would find out and punish Hercules."

"Herc'les keep apples?"

"He gave them to Athena, and she returned them to the garden for safe keeping, or maybe she gave them to Atlas to return. Again, different people think different things, but the apples were returned to their home."

Downstairs, Jennifer had asked Daniel if she could attend a concert in the park the next day. Daniel had told her that he didn't have a problem with it, but to check with Jack in case he had plans and needed Jennifer to be home for some reason. The teenager headed upstairs, and like her brother, heard Jack telling Chenoa the tale of Hercules. She found herself enthralled, and, smiling at David, sat down next to him, both still undetected by the retired Air Force General.

"What hap'ned Herc'les?"

"He was freed. Once Hercules successfully finished his labors, the tasks he was assigned, he was a free man and had done his penance."

"He go home?"

"Well, he went to a lot of places and had a lot of adventures. He rescued the princess of Troy from a hungry sea monster, and he helped Zeus save Olympus from a bunch of big bad giants"

"What's limpus?"

"Olympus. It was the headquarters for the gods. Zeus' big palace. If you were a god, you lived in Olympus."

Chenoa yawned and rubbed her eyes. She turned and snuggled up against Jack.

"Princess, you ready for bed now?" She nodded, and that's when Jack looked over and saw Jennifer and David. He smiled. "How long have you two been here?"

"A while. You're a good storyteller, Dad," the teenager said.

"Left out a few things though," David interjected.

"Yeah, well, Noa doesn't need to know all the finer points just yet," Jack said as he carefully stood up, the toddler in his arms. "She's asleep."

Jack put his daughter to bed and hugged David goodnight, and then walked down the stairs with Jennifer.

"Dad, how long are you going to hedge on those finer points?"

Jack took a breath and turned to face his daughter.

"Jen, there's enough reality in this world to go around. Noa isn't even three-years-old yet. Old Herc can afford to be thought of as a simple hero and warrior until some of the reality hits Noa in the face."

"I'm not complaining, Dad. I kinda like your edited version better myself. There's so much death and violence in mythology, not that it isn't interesting, but ... like you said, we see it on the news every night." Jennifer leaned forward and placed a kiss on Jack's cheek. "Let Hercules be a hero for as long as you can, Dad, and I'll try to help with that, too."

"Deal."

"Oh, the reason I came upstairs. There's a concert in the park tomorrow afternoon, and Daddy said I could go if you didn't need me for anything."

"Jen, I always need you, but you can go. Details?"

Jennifer smiled and proceeded to give Jack all the answers he needed about the upcoming event.

"Daniel, what do these photos tell you?"

Jack spread the various black and white photos down onto the table in the study. The photos had just arrived via courier, and the two were meeting at the "office" so that they could leave the photos for Megan to work with the following day. It was early evening, about 6 p.m. Sara and Mark were babysitting the children since Jack and Daniel had some shopping to do that evening.

"That if there is something there, it's probably here, near the cliffs. It's a protector thing."

"Protector thing?" Jack asked.

"Um, yeah, protection against the enemy. The cliffs would have meant a means of protection for whomever lived there." Daniel saw Jack's understanding nod and continued, "Abayomi's hotel site can be built in any of this area," Daniel pointed to a large square on the biggest photograph, "but this spot right here is his first choice."

"By the cliffs."

"Yeah, so we need more information. I'm going to have Megan order a sweep with a magnetometer."

"That's the thing that measures ground density, right?"

"Exactly. It will help us more accurately determine if there are building foundations and other structures. Sometimes, the sweep will even show a path." Daniel paused as he considered options. "Jack, it's expensive, but I'd like to send one of our people to do this."

"Which one?"

"James. He's shown some expertise with this, and I'd rather keep as much as possible of what we do in the family, so to speak."

"Okay, we'll send him."

"I have another idea, and this is extremely serious."

"Okay, I'm braced. Hit me with it." Jack was pleasantly surprised by a loving smile and then a passionate kiss that took his breath away. "I love your ideas."

"I thought you might, Babe."

Daniel proceeded to ravish his husband, their love as powerful and all-consuming as ever. Shopping would wait for another day ... or night.

On to Chapter Four...