In the end, it took him a little over two hours to call the florist and order two buttonholes, pick up his Class A dress uniform, swing by Daniel's apartment to grab his best suit, get a haircut, pick up the buttonholes and collect what he'd had made for Daniel's Christmas present. He was back on the base by fourteen hundred even after stopping for a lunch which, uncharacteristically nervous, he'd only managed to eat half of.
Through it all, he'd focused strictly on the task at hand, keeping his mind a careful blank. But as he signed in and rode the elevator down, he could feel the faint stretch and burn of the aftermath of sex, really good, energetic sex. Sex with Daniel, to whom he was, in only a few short hours, going to commit to spending the rest of his life with. And how the hell he was supposed to explain that to his team, let alone to the other teams, he had absolutely no idea. Jack changed back into uniform as quickly as he could, reached his office, hung up the suit carriers, placed the small box of flowers on the desk, then locked the door and sank into his chair. He leaned forwards, head between his knees, waiting for the roaring in his ears to quiet down. He breathed slowly, deeply, as his lunch threatened to make a reappearance.
'What am I doing?' What the hell am I doing?' he muttered, eyes screwed shut, hands fisted on his knees. There was a knock on the door. Jack concentrated on his breathing. The knock came again, followed by someone trying the handle.
'Jack? Come on, open up.'
It was Daniel. Jack found himself on his feet, opening the door, pulling Daniel through and into his arms, all without conscious thought. Daniel held him, strong arms tight around his shoulders, said nothing as Jack buried his face in Daniel's neck and breathed in the clean scent. When he finally relaxed, Daniel pulled back a fraction, enough to look into Jack's eyes.
'Freaking out, huh?' It was said with a soft smile, and Jack found himself smiling sheepishly in return.
'Yeah, a bit,' he admitted. He sat down again and Daniel perched on the corner of his desk, nudging the box with his hip.
'So?' Daniel reached out a hand and Jack took it, threading their fingers together, thinking distantly that it was a paradox that the man who had spent two days taking his breath away was the one who now made it possible for him to breathe at all, and maybe Carter should investigate that.
'Hammond's happy for us. He's going to talk to the other team leaders. At fifteen hundred, we get to explain all this to Carter and Teal'c. We have a go for eighteen hundred hours. I thought the Gate Room. Is that okay?' It came out in a rush and he watched anxiously as Daniel processed the information.
After a tiny pause, Daniel dipped his head, looking at Jack over the top of his glasses with a gleam that invariably meant he had an idea for causing mischief. 'So we have an hour?'
Jack nodded, throat going dry.
'And we're still technically on downtime, right? Hammond gave us forty-eight hours to sort this out.' The corners of Daniel's mouth twitched.
Jack licked his lips. 'Uh, yeah. But...'
'Come on.' Daniel stood, tugging Jack to his feet. 'I know a storeroom with a dark corner.'
Jack let Daniel tow him out into the corridor. He locked his office and followed, down the corridor, down a couple of levels in the elevator, along more corridors, until at last there was a door that Daniel opened and inside the room, racks of metal shelving and in the corner, right at the back, a stack of cardboard boxes and just enough space for two men to press together from shoulder to knee and kiss like it was some brand new invention, worthy of exploration to the nth degree.
They arrived at the briefing room a couple of minutes late and a little flushed. Jack had run his hands over his hair, glad that the short military cut kept it from getting too out of control. Daniel's hair was longer, though, and despite their combined efforts in the elevator, still looked as though someone's fingers had brushed it every which way. Which, Jack reflected, was at least accurate.
Carter and Teal'c were waiting for them, sitting together facing the windows that overlooked the Gate Room. They murmured a greeting and Jack could feel the two pairs of eyes scrutinizing him and Daniel, mapping, cataloguing, could almost hear Carter's brain working as she tried to figure out what was going on.
'Hi,' Daniel said, slipping into a seat opposite. Jack busied himself pouring two mugs of coffee, handing one to Daniel before taking the chair beside him.
He plastered a smile on his face. 'So, I guess you're wondering about the past couple of days, huh?'
Sam leaned forwards with an inquisitive turn of her head that always reminded Jack of a bird. 'We had a mission scrubbed at the last minute and you and Daniel vanished and no one would tell either of us what was happening, if either of you were ill. Anything could have been going on and we were deliberately kept out of the loop. So, yes, sir, I suppose you could say Teal'c and I are a little curious.'
Jack winced. 'Yeah... Sorry about that, Carter, Teal'c.' He looked down at his hands cradling the mug and thought for a second how impossible it was to have to explain him and Daniel to their team. More impossible than travelling across the galaxy through a wormhole; more impossible than falling in love with his best friend without ever noticing it. He sighed.
'I really don't know where to start,' he said helplessly, shrugging. He looked up again to see those eyes fixed on him again, but this time he registered the compassion, the concern in those brown eyes, in those big baby blues. He shifted, his knee brushing Daniel's, and the contact gave him strength.
'Sir?' Carter asked, worry evident in her rising tone.
'Okay, I'm just going to lay it all on the table here.' Jack took a deep breath. 'So... it turns out that Daniel and I are actually... in love with each other, and thanks to our alternate selves, the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff think Earth has a better shot at not being invaded or destroyed if we actually, you know, get together. And we're getting married later today.'
It all came out in a rush, jumbled, muddled, not at all the clean, clear, military summary he'd hoped for.
'Nice going, Jack,' Daniel said and Jack could hear the amusement curling through his voice. 'I think they understand perfectly now.'
'Be my guest,' Jack snarled, scowling at his coffee. 'You try explaining it.'
'Oh, no, nope. I couldn't possibly, not when you've covered it so well,' Daniel countered.
'Fuck you,' Jack groused. Daniel laughed.
'Sir? Daniel?' Carter's bewilderment was evident.
'O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, it might help if one of you were to relate events from the beginning.' Teal'c's level baritone put a dampener on Jack and Daniel's sniping.
Daniel leaned forwards, pressing his leg against Jack's under the table. 'What Jack's trying to say is that, thanks to a letter and some survey data from his future self from an alternate universe, which came through to Area 51 a little while ago, the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff believe that it would be in Earth's best interest for Jack and I to get married. We talked it over-' Daniel ignored Jack's cough and splutter and carried on, 'and we think we can do this. Hence getting married, to each other, later on today.'
Jack risked a look across the table. Sam was staring at them both, jaw well and truly dropped, and Teal'c's eyebrow was raised about as high as he'd ever seen it. He muttered to Daniel out of the corner of his mouth. 'You think if we run we can make it to the door before they do?'
Daniel had that 'rabbit in the headlights' wide-eyed look. He shook his head slowly, almost imperceptibly, as if hoping not to trigger an attack by something fast and poisonous, like a cobra or a scorpion. 'Too late...' he whispered.
'Uh, guys? Want to say something? Anything? I'm starting to freak out a little here,' Jack said, louder, tapping his fingers on the tabletop.
'Is this some attempt at humor, O'Neill?' Teal'c asked, gravely. 'If so, I do not believe it is the correct month for pranks of this nature.'
'Huh?' Jack frowned. 'Not following you, big guy.'
Teal'c raised his other eyebrow. 'Is not the first day of April your 'fool's day'?'
'Yeah... This isn't so much a joke, Teal'c. Or if it is, it's a cosmic one.' Daniel flashed a pained smile, scratched his eyebrow, blinked. 'The alternate universe future SGC conducted a survey of closely related Earths looking to find out what could improve our chances of survival, and it seems that the most important factor they could find was the relationship or lack thereof between Jack and myself.'
'But neither of you is gay!' Sam burst out. 'You were both married! To women!'
Jack didn't have to look to know Daniel was pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to ease a building headache. 'Apparently we're a little more... flexible... than we thought,' he grimaced. 'If it's any consolation, it came as a bit of a shock to me, too.'
'Are you sure there isn't some kind of... alien influence at work here, sir?' Sam asked with a touch of desperation. 'Has Janet checked you both out?'
Jack did his best to ignore the blush which rose at the thought of Janet conducting any kind of a physical on either of them right at the moment. 'Some kind of alien whammy? No, I'm pretty sure there isn't.'
'It was all investigated thoroughly before it ever reached here, Sam,' Daniel said. 'I've done some pretty crazy things under the influence of a whole range of alien influences, and I'm certain this is me, my own feelings and thoughts and responses.'
'It's illegal, though!' Sam looked as though she was hanging onto her composure by her fingertips. 'Here in Colorado, two men can't legally marry, and even if you could, it's against all regulations. The Colonel would have to retire. Do you really want to do that, sir?'
Jack shifted again, pushing away his mug. 'That would be where the President, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a bunch of lawyers come in, apparently. In our case, those regs no longer apply, including don't ask, don't tell, and the General had the marriage license before he even called us into his office.'
Sam's shoulder's sagged. 'Oh.' She thought for a moment. 'Is this another undercover operation you can't tell us about?'
'After the last one? God, no,' Jack shuddered. 'This is just our usual crazy, weird-assed SG1 shit.'
'No one may force you to marry if you do not wish it, O'Neill,' Teal'c rumbled.
Jack took a breath, then placed his hand lightly over Daniel's, where it rested on the tabletop. 'The thing is, Teal'c, I pretty much do want to.' He waited an endless moment for the reactions of his team mates, his friends, his family, but then Daniel turned his hand over, lacing their fingers together and when Jack looked at him, he lost himself in those clear blue eyes, full of compassion and love, fierce intelligence and honesty. Jack swallowed hard against the sudden lump in his throat, telling himself that it didn't matter so much that he was losing his team if he had Daniel beside him.
'Congratulations,' Teal'c said, breaking the spell Daniel's eyes cast on Jack. He blinked and looked back in time to see Teal'c incline his head gracefully, a tiny smile of satisfaction playing at the corners of his mouth. 'I wish you many years of happiness together.'
'Wow,' Sam murmured, looking a little shell-shocked. 'I felt that all the way over here. I, um, I suppose, congratulations.'
'Thanks,' Daniel said softly. 'Are you going to be okay with this? Because it means a lot to me, to both of us.'
'Are you going to have to split up the team?' Sam asked, struggling to regain her professional demeanor.
Jack shook his head. 'Nope. Things will go on pretty much as normal.'
'Apart from the whole being married thing, obviously,' Daniel added.
Sam blew out a shaky breath. 'Is there going to be a reception?'
'Need a drink?' Jack grinned. 'We can always head out to a bar afterwards.'
'Sounds like a great idea, sir,' Sam managed a pretty sincere smile.
'Is there any way in which we may assist you in your wedding preparations?' Teal'c asked. 'As I understand it, there are many customs and traditions surrounding marriage which I do not believe either of you will have had chance to observe, such as the bachelor party.'
Daniel squeezed Jack's hand tightly in alarm. Hastily, Jack said, 'No offence, Teal'c, but I don't think either of us is big on bachelor parties. No, I think everything's covered, but if you'd like to be my best man, I'd appreciate it.'
'I would be honored to stand at your side, O'Neill,' Teal'c nodded.
'I hadn't thought of that,' Daniel pouted. 'Sam, would you be my best, well not man, but-'
'Of course I will, Daniel,' Sam hurried to accept. 'We're a team, right? We stand together.'
A band of tension around his chest that Jack hadn't even been aware of loosened and he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Yeah, we're a team.'
He stood, moving round the table and Daniel followed. They shook hands with Teal'c, Daniel hugged Sam and the awkwardness abruptly dissipated when Sam laughed and kissed Daniel's cheek and said, 'Just the same-old, same-old. Sure. So, what time should we be ready?'
'I asked Hammond to clear the Gate Room for eighteen hundred hours,' Jack said.
'Okay, Teal'c, if you meet the Colonel in his office around a quarter to, and Daniel, I'll come to your office.' Jack relaxed further, reassured as Sam discussed details with brisk efficiency. 'Do you have your good suit?'
Daniel looked quizzically at Jack.
'I grabbed it when I swung by your place this lunchtime. It's hanging up in my office.' Jack smiled. 'And yes, I fed your fish.'
'Thanks,' Daniel's face lit up with an answering smile. 'I'll come pick it up in a bit. I need to go talk to Nyan about that translation...'
'Go, talk, translate,' Jack waved them away. 'I have another meeting.' He sauntered to General Hammond's office, knocking lightly against the doorframe.
'How did it go, Colonel?' Hammond asked, looking up from yet more reports.
'Good. Better than I was expecting,' Jack confessed. 'Major Carter seems to be coming round to the idea, since it doesn't mean splitting up the team, and Teal'c actually smiled.'
'I'm glad to hear it. I must say I'm a little concerned about how these developments could affect SG1's performance.' The General looked serious. 'Orders from the President aside, I'm loathe to jeopardize my flagship team.'
'I'll do my best not to let it, sir,' Jack assured him.
'I know you will, Colonel.' Hammond shuffled his papers together and placed them in his desk drawer. 'The other team leaders will be here in twenty minutes. Do you want to be present?'
Jack's eyebrows twitched as he thought it over. 'I should be there,' he said at last. 'Who's coming?'
'SG3, SG9 and SG11 are off-world and I'll brief them on their return. Do you want Doctor Jackson involved here?'
'No, better not. I think he's going to be challenging DA/DT loudly enough over the next few days. Weeks. Months...' Jack smiled ruefully. 'I have a sneaking suspicion we're going to need that clarified for the rest of the base pretty damn soon.'
'You're not the only one. It's already giving me a headache.' Hammond's smile mirrored his own before worry wiped it from his face. 'With the best will in the world, I can't guarantee there won't be repercussions. Attitudes won't change overnight.'
Jack nodded. 'I know. I don't expect them to. According to scuttlebutt, I've been doing Daniel for years. I suppose it's a little late to get in on the betting pool.' He rolled his eyes. 'I'll have as many people as possible watching out for him and if the worst comes to the worst, I've retired before and I can do it again. Besides, civilian consultants get paid more.'
'I'm hoping it won't come to that. The people who make it here at the SGC tend to be a little broader-minded than the rest of the military. Still, I've asked MacKenzie to set up a program. Awareness, sensitivity training, counseling for those who want it. I know you don't have a high opinion of the man, but I think he'll do a good job here.'
'So he knows about this?' Jack asked in surprise.
'Not the specifics, no,' Hammond said quietly. 'I simply told him that there were some new regs coming with regards to homosexual conduct and we're being used as a test bed. It's close enough. Things are going to have to change around here, no matter what the official regs say.'
'Daniel reckons they'll have to scrap don't ask, don't tell and I think he's right,' Jack agreed.
'He usually is, Colonel. Shall we?' The General stood and indicated the door. Together, they went into the meeting.
General Hammond took the seat at the head of the table and Jack sat in the free seat to his right. He took a moment to appreciate the symbolism before nodding a greeting to the team leaders occupying the rest of the seats.
'Gentlemen, thank you for coming,' Hammond said. 'I called this meeting because I need to discuss something of a rather sensitive nature.' He glanced at each of the team leaders in turn, making sure he had their undivided attention. 'I need each and every one of you to be on board with this, because you are going to have to lead not only your teams, but act as an example for the rest of the personnel here at the base. If you do not feel able to do this, I would appreciate it if you would remain silent when the subject is raised outside of this room as it undoubtedly will be. My door is open; you may come and talk through any concerns you might have. Doctor MacKenzie is also available to you and to anyone else who has any issues or problems. Do you understand me so far?'
Ferretti spoke up. 'Not really, sir, but I'm sure I will any time now.'
Jack ducked his head, appreciating Feretti's attempt at lightening the mood.
The General stared hard at the Major. 'This isn't a laughing matter, Major.'
'Sorry, sir.' Ferretti did his best to look repentant and was moderately successful.
The General stared a moment longer. 'This concerns Earth security. I can't tell you the details, but the President and the Joint Chiefs of Staff have taken it seriously enough to begin to change policy.' A rustle went round the table as the officers shifted in their seats. They settled as the General continued. 'As a result of certain information we have received from somewhat unusual sources, Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson have been asked to consider an... unorthodox undertaking.'
Jack forced himself to meet the eyes which turned on him. His attempt at a smile wasn't at all successful.
'Later today, the Colonel and Doctor Jackson will be getting married. This will not affect Colonel O'Neill's standing in the military. He is still the 2IC of this base and the leader of SG1. Neither he nor Doctor Jackson will be transferring from SG1. Do any of you have any questions?' Hammond looked round the table at his team leaders. They stared back at him, gaped at Jack.
After an uncomfortable pause, Jack raised his eyebrows. 'What? Aren't any of you going to congratulate me?'
Ferretti was the first to recover. 'Congratulations, sir! I'm sure you'll make a wonderful couple.' He leaned over and offered Jack his hand. When Jack shook it, he grinned and asked, 'So, will you be wearing white, or will Doctor Jackson?'
'Wiseass,' Jack smiled.
One by one, the other team leaders added their good wishes. Jack made a note of the ones who looked most uncomfortable, who had difficulty meeting his eyes.
Once they were settled again, the General continued. 'Gentlemen, I need to know if you feel you can't work with either Colonel O'Neill or Doctor Jackson. I will not tolerate prejudice on this base and I want you to make that very clear to your teams. So let me make this perfectly clear to you. This marriage is in no way indicative of a pre-existing relationship between the Colonel and Doctor Jackson. It has to do with the continued safety of our planet. Can I count on you for your support?' He went round the table until every team leader had answered him in the affirmative. 'Good. Any questions?'
'What does this mean with regards to don't ask, don't tell?' Ferretti asked, getting down to business.
'That no longer applies to Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson. It still applies elsewhere, at least for now,' the General answered. 'The same goes for fraternization regs and conduct unbecoming to an officer.'
'And when other gay couples want recognition? No offence, Colonel,' Major Reynolds said. Jack was relieved he'd asked the question; he hadn't been one of the uncomfortable ones.
'Then we deal with that as we come to it,' Hammond said. 'We can't offer formal recognition right now, but unless I'm presented with absolute evidence that such a relationship is based on an abuse of power, that it compromises this facility or the people involved - and by that I mean actual damage, rather than the old catch-all of being vulnerable to blackmail - I will not take action against people simply for pursuing a same-sex romance. And the corollary to that is that I expect any such relationships to be as discreet as any other relationships on this base, to not affect the running of this facility in any way. Gentlemen, we are the front line against Earth's enemies. We can't fight them, all the people here on this planet who would dearly love to destroy the SGC and fight among ourselves too.'
He clasped his hands together, leaning forwards as if to impress upon each and every one of them the importance and sincerity of his words. 'I happen to believe that I command here, some of the very finest people currently serving in our military, to say nothing of overseeing some of the finest minds in the world with our civilian contractors. And that's before I count those who stand with us from off-world. If we let something as trivial as sexual preferences undermine us, then the very best we have to offer doesn't mean a damn thing. Do you understand me now, gentlemen? Major Ferretti?'
'Yes sir!' the Major snapped, echoed by Major Reynolds and the others around the table.
'In that case, unless there are any further questions, you are all dismissed,' the General said. After a pause in which no one asked any more questions, he rose to his feet, followed by Jack and the others. Hammond was the first to leave, but Jack paused in the doorway and turned to face his fellow officers.
'Thanks,' he said with no trace of his customary levity. 'If there's anything you'd like to say to me, anything you want to ask, feel you need to get off your chests, I'll be in my office for the next hour or so. After that, you know how it is, things to do, civilian consultants to marry.'
'I got a question,' Ferretti said, looking extremely serious indeed. At the twitch of Jack's eyebrow, he asked, 'How the hell did a cranky, beat-up old s.o.b. like you pull a babe like Doctor Jackson?'
'Hey!' Jack was outraged. 'What do you mean old?'
Ferretti held onto his straight face for a moment longer before he cracked up laughing. Some of the other officers joined in. Grinning, Major Reynolds walked up to Jack and thumped him on the shoulder. 'Gotta admit it, Colonel, he's got you there. You're no spring chicken any more.'
'Bastards,' Jack grumbled. 'I'm going. I don't have to stand here and be insulted.'
'No, we can always insult you in your office,' Ferretti grinned.
'I'm locking my door!' Jack turned on his heel and marched off, throwing a half-hearted wave over his shoulder. He stopped off long enough to grab a cup of coffee before settling down to some overdue paperwork which, try as he might, couldn't hold his attention. A couple of team leaders stopped by for long enough to assure him of their support, but after that, he was left to his own devices until a knock disturbed him. He glanced at his desk clock. Seventeen forty hours.
'Come in, Carter,' he called.
'Sir.' Wearing her dress uniform, Sam entered and stopped a couple of feet from his desk.
Jack got up, handed her the box of buttonholes, took Daniel's suit from the back of his door. 'Walk with me, Major,' he said.
'I'll take that to Daniel for you,' she said, frowning. 'You need to get ready.'
'I have time. Come on.' Jack closed his door. 'Are you really okay with this? It's a little freaky, even for SG1.' He watched her out of the corner of his eye, half catching the expressions that flitted across her face.
'I... It is a pretty big thing, sir. It's a lot to take in. But... Yes, ultimately, I think I am okay. With this. With you and Daniel.' Her stride didn't falter, and when Jack glanced at her, he could see she was sincere.
'Okay, good.' They reached Daniel's office in silence.
Hunched over his laptop, surrounded by books and papers and frowning almost as furiously as he was typing, something eased inside Jack. Absently, he noted it was something he'd felt before; in fact he'd felt that same lift pretty much every time he saw his friend. Maybe he should have realized sooner...
'Hey, Daniel,' Sam said, walking into the office. 'All set?'
'Hi Sam,' Daniel replied without looking up. 'What for?'
'Oh, nothing much. Just, yanno, our wedding,' Jack drawled.
'Jack!' Daniel's head shot up. 'Oh! God, yes, of course. Sorry! I was just, um... Am I late?'
'Relax,' Jack grinned. 'I have your suit here. You have fifteen minutes to get ready.'
'Fifteen minutes? Shit!' Frantically, he saved his work.
Jack let Daniel panic for a moment before hastening to reassure him. 'Don't worry, Daniel. It's not like we'll lose our slot if we don't show up on time. Besides, I hear it's traditional for the bride to be late.'
Daniel spluttered and snatched his suit carrier out of Jack's hand. 'Fuck you, Jack!'
'That's my boy,' Jack put on his most infuriating smile, unmoved by Daniel's glare. He waited until Daniel had hung the carrier off the shelf of one of his bookcases, then fished in his pocket. 'Carter, would you mind?'
'Of course.' Sam hurried out of the room.
'Shouldn't you be getting changed?' Daniel asked, scowling at Jack.
'I'll be ready. Here, I have something for you.' Jack held out a small wooden box. 'I had these made for you for Christmas, but I think you should have them now. If you don't want to wear them, that's fine. I just, I hope you like them, anyway,' Jack finished awkwardly, watching as Daniel took the box and opened it, staring at the contents until Jack shifted uncomfortably. 'I should get back. Teal'c's probably waiting,' he offered lamely, but then Daniel looked up at him, blue eyes impossibly wide, shining with emotion.
'Jack, these are beautiful!' Daniel stepped in and kissed Jack. 'They're perfect. Thank you.' He looked down again and lifted out one of the cuff-links Jack had commissioned. The fastening was gold plated, and the front was a gold oval set with lapis lazuli the color of Egyptian skies. Inlaid in fine gold wire was a pyramid with a line coming out of the top and to either side, a small triangle. 'The Abydos cartouche,' Daniel murmured. When he looked at Jack again, his eyes glittered with unshed tears.
'Hey, none of that,' Jack said roughly. 'Leave the tears to Walter.' He leaned in and kissed Daniel lightly, cupping his cheek with a hand, feeling the smoothness of freshly-shaved skin under the brush of his thumb. He broke away, took a deep breath. 'I'll see you soon.' He turned on his heel and stalked out into the corridor where Carter was leaning against the wall.
'He's all yours, Carter,' Jack said, taking the cardboard box from her and extracting one of the buttonholes and a pin. Giving her the box back, he nodded briskly and jogged back to his office.
