Anunnaki Part 2
By Michele
Rating: PG Jack/Sam...Jack/Daniel
Summary: Daniel and Davis tease the troops, T'Keet shows off the humans to her parents, and Jack takes psychotherapy sessions from Nate.
During dinner, Daniel and Paul sat close, their legs touching, and shared a juice pouch. Paul plucked a piece of grass from Daniel's hair and brushed his shoulder. In the morning, Daniel wiped a spot of shaving cream from Paul's ear, and Paul helped Daniel straighten up his tent with the ease of long time familiarity. Daniel didn't know what Jack hoped to accomplish, but he did notice that several of the men were getting a little antsy. Reynolds and Bosco weren't quite sure what they were up to, but were putting it down to Jackson weirdness and ignoring it; if the general didn't care, neither would they. Nate was highly amused, having figured out exactly what Daniel sprang on Jack over the weekend. It probably wasn't helping that their new friends, the Sua, were approving of Daniel and Paul's behavior as proper clan-mate behavior.
At one point, Daniel noticed Jack arguing with Allegash and Crawford who jutted a head in his direction once or twice. Jack cut them off and ordered them out onto the field for a little Jaffa training. Daniel wondered if one of them had anything to do with the email; they both certainly had access to Jack's private email but he didn't see what either of them would gain by the little stunt.
M'Net, with T'Keet bouncing around his feet, brought one of their teachers in after breakfast. Daniel gave Jonas the assignment of teaching a third of their recruits how to make an initial search of the area with an archaeological eye, while Sam took another third to figure out how to scout alien terrain, and the rest were given over to the Jaffa for combat training, which many of the Sua warriors watched with great interest until a few stepped forward to follow the moves that were being taught. With a gleam of insanity in his eyes, Bre'tac paired off Tau'ri and Sua, and let the humans deal with hands-on combat training with an unknown species. Jack stood on the sidelines and chuckled softly as one human after another was tossed to the ground. He looked across the field at saw Daniel sitting with three Sua, listening as they talked. One of the cubs was curled up asleep on Daniel's lap, another cub draped across M'Net's shoulders, half hidden by the thick mane. Jack smiled quietly, thinking not for the first time that Daniel needed a child of his own to love. A shout took Jack's attention and he looked back at the training field. The action had stopped. A crowd gathered around two figures. Jack strode over to find Davis standing over Philips, one boot planted in Philips' side and his right hand twisting an arm up and back.
"What's going on?" Jack demanded. Davis released the man.
"It's taken care of, Sir," Davis said.
"That wasn't what I asked, major," Jack informed him. A couple of men tried to help Philips up but he brushed them aside and got to his feet on his own.
"The airman seems to have an issue with my private life, general," Davis said. "I corrected him."
Jack looked from one to the other and gave a nod before walking away. Not a full day, and the pot was beginning to boil over; Daniel could push buttons without even trying. And for a small man, Davis had long since proved himself to be capable of guarding SG-1's back.
"Jack." He heard his name over the radio. He looked over at Daniel who waved for him to join them.
"Babysitting?" Jack asked as he came within speaking distance. Daniel smiled and stroked the cub.
"The males are the main caregivers," he said. "Which is why the cubs are with them instead of in the home. It's a hands on training from day one, post-nursing that is, no matter what the job is. With the warriors, the cubs are taught to hide in trees, mainly. I think T'Keet likes me. M'Net is one of his…her…parents. Seems that his mate has three consorts including him. Two to three is the norm for consorts. Their clan has four cubs, T'Keet is the youngest. Their mate doesn't want anymore, so she will probably be the last."
"Still think she's a he?" Jack asked, giving the soft fur a stroke.
"Yes, I do," Daniel nodded and gave his prediction to the Sua who hooted in amusement. The teacher, T'Lan, watched them.
"His scent is one of sadness, if I am reading him correctly," T'Lan said to Daniel.
"He had a child once," Daniel said. "His child died unexpectedly long ago."
The Sua arched their whiskers and expressed their own sadness for Jack.
"But what of the one with the mane of sunlight?" M'Net asked.
Daniel smiled slightly. "They are still getting to know each other," was all he said. "Sometimes our past catches up with us in mysterious ways."
"Truth," T'Lan agreed.
"Jack, T'Lan had a few interesting stories," Daniel said. "Part of their myths and legends bardic cycle. One of them talks about a furless people who were at war with themselves and took the Sua as slaves. On one side, the slaves served willingly and were loved and cared for by their masters, and on the other side they were forcibly taken and usually killed in battle or tortured. Apparently, they take this as a morals story about surrendering one's will to the Great Mother. Things are much better when we surrender."
Jack snorted. "Surrender, my ass," he informed Daniel.
"Not all forms of surrender are bad, Jack," Daniel said. "This story ends with the two sides battling in the sky. The sun apparently disapproved of their fighting and sent a ray at them, making them disappear. About 5 kilometers east of here, the Sua say is a large depression in the ground. Their legends say that this is where the village of the furless used to be and that when the sun sent her rays at the ships in the sky, it also took the village which was on the ground directly under the ships."
Jack pet one finger across the velvet, furred ear of the sleeping T'Keet. "Hmmm. The Asgard would have taken soil samples," he commented. Daniel nodded.
"Do you have any stories about another race of beings?" Daniel asked T'Lan. "Also furless but with large eyes? Smaller than us?"
T'Lan flicked his ears back. "There are demon stories with creatures such as you describe," he admitted. "It is considered bad fortune to speak of them."
"I understand," Daniel said, doing his best to tread carefully. "Jack, I don't think I'll get anything out of them, they consider it bad luck. I'd say have Sam take another round of samples and examine the area. Sometimes the Asgard are so far advanced that they overlook minor details. And it was a thousand years ago; lots of growth has happened since then."
Jack nodded and excused himself to go and find Sam. The Sua watched him leave.
"May I ask a question without intent to harm?" M'Net asked Daniel.
"Yes, certainly," Daniel said.
"I am confused as to your pairings," he said. "You said one male and one female. Usually. And yet, that one you call friend….when he is around you, his scent is one of a consort who had deep affection for his clan mate, both who are in service to their queen."
Daniel ran over the commentary in his head, trying to find the translation.
"I'm not sure what you are trying to say," he admitted. "Jack, Sam, and I have worked together for a long time, so yes, we have affection for each other."
M'Net said something in Sua to T'Lan who thought about it and turned to Daniel.
"His scent is as though he wishes to mate with you but is afraid to approach you. The scent of another is on you, from the recent past; maybe… J'k…does not wish to intrude into another's clan. It would be honorable of him to remain away. Maybe his mate will find a proper second consort for him to take to his pillows."
Daniel struggled not to laugh hard enough to wake the cub. The idea of Jack having 'affections' for him….
"Not all of our males have that kind of affection for each other," Daniel said. "Most don't. I don't believe Jack would ever look at another male as a sexual partner. I know he loves me, but not in a sexual way. And Sam wouldn't allow a second consort in their home; most of our females don't approve of it. Just one male, one female."
The Sua thought about it, acknowledging Daniel's words but not quite believing him. After all, their noses told them different, and unless one is ill, noses are never wrong. These humans were confusing. They hooted softly.
"What's so funny?" Daniel asked.
M'Net twitched his ears. "I believe my mate would become tired of my face alone every day," he said. "And I do not know what I would do if I didn't have my brothers to lie with in the evenings."
Hearing a connotation in that, Daniel leaned forward and dove in.
Jack went to Sam who was showing her trainees how to process samples in her field lab.
"Sam, according to the locals, there is a battlefield spot about 5 kilometers east of here," he said, pointing out over the tree line. "They have some sort of legend that talks about an air battle between two furless peoples and something about the sun taking out both the ships and the village on the ground. Daniel suggested deep samples."
"Residual radiation?" she suggested, already throwing a kit together.
"Right."
She frowned, thinking. "The Asgard would have picked up on that. They do sometimes overlook the obvious, though."
Bre'tac and Rya'c, along with Reynolds, Bosco, and Colins were left at the main site while the rest trouped out on the hike. After a three hour walk, with local cubs and warriors to guide them, Sam stood on a ridge looking down on a field. The entire valley had a strange bowl shape to it.
"Looks like someone came along and scooped out some ice cream," Jonas said, looking down at it. Sam nodded.
"That's what I was thinking."
"And the Asgard didn't get anything?" he asked.
"No," Sam said. "But they have a tendency to miss minor things. We see a grain of sand, the ant sees a boulder."
Jonas looked at her.
"Or something like that," she said with a smile and a shrug. "Daniel, do you see any place in particular you'd like to start?"
"No," he said, looked around. "I think I'd like everyone to spread out, take the rim first, and walk in toward the center with a top soil sample and a deep soil sample about every three yards. And be on the lookout for artifacts."
She called out instructions to the troops, had them pair off, and sent them into the bowl.
"Is there anything we can do to assist?" M'Net asked Daniel who relayed it to Sam. She shook her head.
"Not really," she said. "Unless they want to send someone with each team to watch out for any poisonous plants or animals."
M'Net acknowledged and sent a warrior with each team. He then called to a couple of the older cubs, spoke briefly, and sent them scampering back to their homes.
"You're sure this is the spot?" Daniel asked T'Lan. The Sua arched his whiskers and pulled a scroll from the pouch on his back. He carefully unrolled it and showed it to Daniel.
"This is one of the oldest renderings of that tale," he said. "Here you can see the Mountain of Flame, the Forest of Journeys, and the River of Peace."
Daniel looked at the crudely drawn map and compared it to the landscape in front of them. They looked like a match to him.
"Why is the mountain called the Mountain of Flame?" he asked, looking at it towering into the sky. Most of the mountain was green but the higher it went, the browner it became, with the very top capped in snow.
T'Lan rolled the scroll back up and put it away. "That mountain is rich with deposits of gem stones and minerals. A couple times a year, the star's rays reflect on them and the mountain lights up. It can be seen over two days' journey from here."
Daniel nodded thoughtfully as he watched the teams slowly make their way into the bowl, pausing to dig in their core samplers every few yards and scrape top soil into small tubes, labeling them and setting flags to mark the sites.
It was late afternoon by the time the teams were halfway through their task. Sam called the site and gave the watch a list of needs for them to pass on to the SGC. Cubs came bounding to the Scoop, as Jonas called it which Daniel then had to try and explain to the locals, and with the cubs came more locals, most of whom were carrying dishes and trays. They brought food and drink to the grateful humans.
M'Net introduced the leader of their village, S'Tik, his own mate, N'Sa, and his brothers, R'Nik and K'Mar. Daniel explained that to the Sua, brothers also meant consorts of one's mate. One wife, multiple husbands. Biological siblings were nest-mates. He gave a polite greeting to the ladies and said,
"We do not know your customs, so please forgive any mistakes we may make." M'Net translated it into Sua.
"Most females are not warriors and therefore do not know that language," he told Daniel.
"Well, I'm sorry we are not made to speak your language; the sounds are very pleasing," Daniel said. "Our throats don't work with the sounds of your language."
The females understood and promised to make allowances. T'Keet climbed up Daniel's back to his shoulders and chatted away with her mother and clan-fathers about her new friend. They listened indulgently and made appropriate noises.
"Clllawww," T'Keet said in English, pulling on Daniel's hair. He held his hands out.
"No claws," he said, flexing his fingers, much longer than the Sua's but lacking a vital aspect. T'Keet went on, apparently informing the adults of the strange physical characteristics of their visitors. Daniel came to that conclusion when the cub pushed his hair aside and tugged at an ear. Whiskers arched in amusement.
Jack sat gratefully on a downed tree and tried the various food items on his dish. He knew if he didn't, Daniel would give him a look that made him feel about the size of that cub that was always climbing on him. He had to admit that there wasn't too much Daniel was wrong about; most of the foods he had tasted did agree with his taste buds. A few made him nauseous, and a couple had made him sick. Since they didn't make the others sick, he put it down to a food allergy. When asked at home about food allergies, Jack could honestly say that he wasn't allergic to anything on Earth.
Sam sat next to him and dug into her dish, making happy tummy noises. She had a few things Jack didn't so he shared her plate, too, as they commented on the various foods. He pouted when Sam stabbed him with a fork as he went after more of a warm, nutty flavored mash.
"Is it me, or does Levin keep looking down her long, pointed nose at me?" Jack asked, sipping carefully at the local cider. It had a crisp, refreshing burst to it.
"Does she?" Sam asked. "Hadn't noticed. If she was going to be a problem, why'd you include her?"
"Because she has a gift," Jack said. "Seems she has this internal direction thing. She always knows where she is. Blind-folded, stirred around, flown up and over, and she is still able to pinpoint her spot on a map. We have a lot of odd personalities in the Mountain, one more won't kill us."
"Hmmm. Could be very useful." Sam took the last of the mash before he could get it. "You considering navigator on a ship?"
"Thinking," he acknowledged with a nod.
Teal'c and Nate came over and sat down with their dishes. Nate held out something to Sam.
"One of the locals showed me this," he said as Sam took it. "Some of them have earrings? The stone in them is made from this. He said it's from that mountain over there."
Sam turned the piece red something over in her hands, holding it up to the setting sun.
"Looks almost like melted sand," she commented.
"Glass?" Jack questioned. She nodded.
"Yes, but something turned it red. Can I keep this?" she asked Nate. "Or at least take a small piece to examine?"
"Knew you'd ask that," Nate said, pleased with himself. "The local, A'fal, I think his name is. Said he'd be happy to trade the entire piece for one of your gardening forks. Seems his mate is quite the gardener and they don't have anything like your nifty fork. That piece of glass is apparently worth a great deal as is a one-of-a-kind, genuine alien, gardening tool."
Sam smiled. "It's a deal," she said. She reached for her bag and pulled the fork out. Teal'c called to A'fal who politely bowed to Sam and delicately took the fork from her.
"He thanks the lovely, generous mistress of our warrior leader," Teal'c translated.
"You're welcome," Sam said in careful Goa'uld. A'fal went away happy, showing off his new toy to his brothers.
"How do you know he won't use that as a weapon against us?" Allegash asked from nearby. Sam looked over at him.
"They have claws longer than those tines," Sam said. "Have you seen their claws? If they wanted to attack us, they could have done so at any time."
"O'Neill, this is ridiculous," Allegash said impatiently. "All we have done is walk around and dig in the dirt and I…."
"KP."
Allegash stopped in mid-sentence and stared at him.
"What?"
"KP," Jack repeated. He held out his dish. "Bitch and moan, Bob, bitch and moan. Make yourself useful for a change. You get KP tonight. Move."
Outraged, Allegash looked over to Maynard who was talking with Philips and playing with a cub, ignoring the incident. Allegash yanked the dish out of Jack's hand and stalked off, pushing the oncoming Davis out of his way.
"Not enjoying the meal?" Davis asked, sitting down. He held out a plate filled with various lumps of things. "Desserts," he said. They each took a lump, sniffing and examining before tasting.
"Mmmm, sort of like baklava," Sam said, nibbling at hers.
"Really?" She held it out and Jack took a bite.
"What's that?" Daniel asked, coming over and joining them.
"The local baklava," Davis said. He held out a piece and popped it into Daniel's mouth. Daniel moaned in pleasure and looked around for more.
"This one is a spice cake," Teal'c stated, biting into his.
"Almond walnut cookie," Nate said.
"Date bar," Jack said.
Daniel took a plate, indicated to a cub each of the various types of desserts, and sent the child off. She quickly returned and handed the full plate to Daniel who horded his horde.
"You're a pig, Daniel," Jack informed him after getting his wrist smacked.
"Yes, but I'm sure I can work it off," Daniel reminded him, nudging Davis' knee.
"Not in front of the children," Jack said, looking at the cub.
"Jack, you're a big boy, I'm sure you can deal with it," Daniel said, popping a cookie into his mouth. He was almost sure he saw something strange cross Jack's face.
"Honey, you're closer, you hit him," Jack said to Sam. She leaned back against the log, kicking her long legs out.
"But he's right, Jack, you are a big boy," she informed him, blinking innocently. Nate choked on a piece of cake as Teal'c deigned to smile. A little smile.
"Does your husband know what a brat you are?" Jack asked her. Sam smiled and nodded.
"Yes, and he loves me anyway," she grinned up at him.
"You've got him conned and wrapped around your little finger, is what it is," Jack sagely informed her.
Sam nodded again. "He tells me I have very talented fingers," she said. Jack flushed and hung his head as the others laughed.
"Give it up, Jack," Daniel said, laughing. "You know she'll never let you have the last word." Something in the darkening sky took his attention.
"Sam, did you see that?" he asked, taping her on the shoulder.
"No, what?" she asked. He pointed.
"Something…I don't know… looked like a shimmer." He turned, looking, and called out. M'Net and T'Lan came over.
"It is the sky gods," T'Lan said. "We see them often in the night time sky." The Sua didn't give any indication of a malevolent presence, so SGC personnel didn't take it as such.
A section of the sky shimmered again.
"Huh," Sam commented under her breath.
"Hey, guys, they…" Jonas broke off his excitement as he followed Daniel's pointing finger. "Weird," he commented, seeing the shimmer. "Anyway, they're breaking out the drums and building a bonfire. Seems meeting aliens is a special occasion for them. Come and dance!" Jonas ran back down into the Scoop where Sua were towing in large tree trunks and stacking them. Nate was up and quickly followed, pulling his t-shirt off and tucking it into the back of his BDU's. Davis tried pulling Daniel to his feet.
"Too full," Daniel said. "I'll throw up if I get into tribal dancing now. Let my stomach settle and I'll join you in a bit."
Most of the younger humans followed, the others holding themselves proud and watching. Jack nodded permission to their trainees. Maynard and Crawford stayed behind as did Allegash and Philips. Shan, Levin, and Gaafar trotted down the hill.
Daniel continued to watch the shimmering.
"Jack, are you ok with me and Paul?" he asked, sliding to the ground and leaning back against the log.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, you seem a little…out of it, lately," Daniel said. "If this bothers you, I want to hear it."
"Daniel, it doesn't bother me," Jack assured him. "I'm a little surprised by it, but I'm not bothered. You could have told me that you…liked….guys."
Daniel glanced at him and smiled. "At what point in the past 8 years was there a conversation which would have been appropriate for me, smack in the middle of a mountain filled with jarheads and fly-boys, to announce that I'm bi? By the way Jack I'm bringing my boyfriend to dinner please pass the salt?"
Jack nodded. "Point taken," he said.
"I like women as much as you do, Jack, just once in a while I find myself with a man in my bed. Paul is comfortable. He's a good friend, and we don't have to think about security clearances when we talk."
"Just a friend?" Sam asked, looking back over her shoulder at him.
"Just a friend," Daniel chuckled, giving her back a rub. "Friends who play together once in a while. It's a release. We aren't compatible enough to live together."
"Why?" Sam asked. Daniel shrugged.
"Other than the fact that he's even prissier than Jack, our needs are too different," he said. Jack scowled and Sam giggled. "He wants things sometimes that I can't do. I have nothing against them, I'm just not comfortable with them for myself. If he finds someone who is able to do those things for him, I don't want to be standing in his way."
Sam understood his double-talk but Teal'c and Jack looked at each other.
"I'm not prissy. What are you talking about?" Jack asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Anyone who makes hospital corners is prissy, Jack," Daniel said, shaking his head. "The rest is Paul's business; I'm not comfortable sharing his personal stuff. I probably said too much as it is."
"It's just us, Danny," she said. "SG-1 business stays with SG-1."
Daniel put his other hand to her back and gently squeezed her shoulder muscles. Sam moaned in appreciation. Jack glanced at them, twitching his mouth in amusement.
"Oh, hey, Sam," Daniel poked her. "I found out why we see no private parts on the Sua who don't wear much of anything."
She lifted her head. "Really? Why?"
"Internal," Daniel said. "M'Net said that under all that fur, which he pulled aside to show me they have no concept of modesty, is what looks almost like a woman's vulva but is actually skin covering cartilage which protects the inner organs. Just like when a woman is giving birth her cervix opens? So does this cartilage when they have sex. The male's penis is actually retractable. He doesn't move his hips during sex. Thing just goes in and out all by internal muscles."
"Oh, that opens many possibilities," she commented.
"Hey!" Jack protested.
"Shush, honey. So what about the females?" she asked Daniel.
"From what I understood, their females aren't pleasure oriented," he said. "Actually, they sound a little Vulcan to me. Just the males are pleasure oriented. The females have almost the exact same set-up but the canal that houses the penis in the males, is what sounds like a vagina for the females. With no pleasure spots."
"Bummer," Sam said.
"The females are mainly the leadership here. They spend all their time concentrating on that and really don't care about sex unless they are trying to get pregnant, which sounds a little like genetic tinkering the way they choose their consorts. I'm thinking that's why they have multi-consort households. The males are sexual with each other. From what M'Net said, the area directly beneath their tails has a dual opening. One for excretory use that closes off and opens a secondary space during sex. Both their penis and this secondary canal have their own lube."
"Oh, God," Jack groaned. "It's a gay paradise."
Daniel reached around and back-handed him on the arm.
"Sounds like a healthy vagina," Sam said, ignoring her husband. Daniel nodded.
"And inside the human penis, we also have a dual canal. One for urine, and the other for sperm and semen. And looking at the rest of their physical make-up, internal reproductive organs make sense; I watched a few of them sparing yesterday and they were heavy with the claws on all four paws. A lot of kick-boxing. Bellies took most of the hits. With claws like that, it would be easy to ripe off some guy's dick and balls if they were just hanging there in the open."
Jack and Teal'c looked at him in horror.
"Don't worry, boys," Jack whispered, looking down. "I'll keep you safe."
Daniel shook his head as Teal'c looked down and contemplated his own 'boys'.
"That shimmer is bugging the crap out of me," he muttered, reaching to find his spy-glass.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I've been looking for insect swarms, but I don't see or hear any. Nothing on the ground seems to be reflecting, there aren't any storm clouds, no added moisture in the air, either. I think I'd like to call for a UAV tomorrow and take a closer look, see if there are any electrical readings. Or anything else." Jack agreed; he'd put in the call first thing in the morning.
"Nothing," Daniel said, putting the optical back in his pocket. "Weird."
Drumming shook the valley below them as the fire grew higher. Sam turned, settling herself against Jack's leg. He slid to the ground and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close as they watched the fire and everyone stomping and spinning around the blaze.
Jack was shaken on the shoulder. He jumped, was still for a moment, and groaned as he rubbed his eyes. It was quiet, the horizon beginning to pink as the sun came up.
"You fell asleep," Daniel said quietly. "You started to thrash a bit, are you alright?"
"Yeah, fine," Jack said, clearing his throat as he looked around. Piles of Sua were scattered around the area and sleeping humans were covered in blankets. The bonfire was a smoking ruin, drummers and a few humans asleep by the blackened pile. "Where's Sam?"
Daniel pointed a few yards away. "Jack, you spoke my name. Was I in your dream?"
"I what? Don't remember, sorry if I woke you," Jack said, stretching out a kink in his back. "I need to find a tree, be back."
Daniel nodded and lay back down, thinking.
Jack walked farther than he needed to, clearing his head with clean air. His bladder sent him a reminder and he stopped, watered a tree, and turned to make his way back toward the others.
"Hey."
He stopped and looked up. Nate was sitting on a boulder, looking out over the valley.
"Morning," Jack said and started to walk again.
"Jack." He stopped. Nate slid down the large rock, brushing his butt off. "We really haven't talked. We probably should, at some point. When we get back home. Just a reminder, though; I have all your memories up until two years ago. That includes all your feelings about everyone you have ever met. I know what you dream about, Jack, I have the same dreams once in a while."
Jack frowned and turned to walk. "No, don't do that," Nate said, reaching out. "Come on, Jack. I'm going to say this and you're going to hear it."
He walked around Jack to stand in front of him. "No one else may have noticed the nuances crossing your face, but I have. If you don't get a grip on these feelings, and I mean sit down with Daniel and TALK with him, you are going to explode and you will ruin more than one relationship."
"No." He stopped Jack from moving, releasing the taunt arms a moment after the warning look. "I'm not done. We can do this in private or we can do this in front of the others. I'd prefer private." He waited and finally got a nod from the older man.
"If you haven't talked with Sam, you need to. Tell her what happened."
"I did," Jack reluctantly growled.
"Good," Nate nodded. "Looks to me like her heart is as big as those eyes of hers. Did you tell her how you feel about Daniel?"
Jack took a step and half turned away, setting his hands on his hips as he looked across the valley. "She knows. This is pointless, Nate, like I told her; I'm not going to be doing anything with it."
"Maybe not," Nate conceded. "But this thing between Daniel and the Major is tweaking you big time, no matter how much of a smiley face you put on it. Daniel needs to know, Jack. It isn't fair to him not to know. The day you finally blow up at him, he isn't going to understand why and it will destroy him. He's awake now; take him for a walk before the others are up."
"And tell him what?" Jack turned on him, snarling under his breath. "That I'd like to kiss him but I'm married now and it's too late?"
"No."
The men turned, startled. Sam stood a few yards away. They didn't hear her approach. She came forward, took Jack's hands, and slid into his arms. Nate scrubbed his face and leaned back against the boulder.
"Nate is right," she said. "You need to talk with Daniel. He's part of us, Jack, and I know this is weird for you. It's weird for me, too. I don't share, Jack. I will never accept another woman in your bed. I will zat her out of existence and do some serious damage to you." Jack reluctantly smiled and held her tight. He held her face between his hands and kissed her.
"I don't want anyone else," he promised.
"You want Daniel," she whispered. Jack closed his eyes. "Honey, I told you, he doesn't threaten me. Talk with him. Tell him what's going on inside. Tell him what happened. If he feels the same, if he wants you, too, I will accept him in our bed. This isn't a concession, Jack; I love him, too. He's ours; we have shared him for years. We have spent so many years wiping blood and tears off each other, watching each other's back, taking bullets for each other, that we can't not love each other."
She wiped Jack's face. "Look at me." She waited until she had his dark eyes.
Jack took a shuddering breath. "I…I can't….with Daniel…"
"You can't what with me?"
They turned. Jack threw his arms into the air and stomped off to sit at a tree. "Is the entire camp up and listening?" he complained, wiping his face on his t-shirt.
"No," Daniel said, answering literally. "Just us." He walked slowly into their circle, looking from one to the other. "You can't what with me, Jack?"
"Nothing, Daniel, just…."
"Jack, tell him," Nate said. "It's Danny, Jack; you know he won't judge. I give you my word I won't tell him once we get back; it's yours to tell, so tell."
Daniel crouched low near Jack.
"Whatever it is, you can say it to me," Daniel promised softly.
"Daniel," Sam called to him. He looked at her as she wiped her face. "I'm going back to the others. So is Nate. Whatever needs to happen, you have my permission for it to happen."
Before Daniel could ask her what she meant, Sam took Nate's arm and pulled him away. Daniel watched them for a moment and then sat near Jack. He hadn't seen Jack cry like this since a session of Charlie mourning after a case of beer and a couple of nasty missions that messed with his head. Daniel held his arms out. Jack shook his head, sniffing.
"I…I've been fighting this," Jack choked out. "And this is such an inappropriate place and time."
"Maybe so," Daniel said with a nod. "But looks to me like you need to let it out."
Jack gave a semi-hysterical laugh. "My shrink is going to graduate me from class for this one," he commented to the sky. He began to haltingly tell Daniel a story.
Much later, Daniel's head was spinning with shock. He scooted forward and pulled Jack into his arms. When Jack was calm, Daniel pulled away.
"You know none of it was your fault," Daniel said, watching Jack's face.
"I know," he said. "I've never taken the fault for it. It's been years since it's really bothered me. I think what brought all this up was at our wedding reception." Daniel cocked his head. "We noticed you and Davis. Sparking, Sam calls it." Daniel quirked his lips and nodded. "I really don't mind, Danny, and that may be the problem. I fought myself thinking about you like that for a long time. Even if I could have gotten up the nerve to…try…something, I was sure you'd not only reject me but report me. I have never felt like such a coward."
Daniel's eyes opened wide. "Do you mean you…." he circled a hand. Jack nodded.
"You hit me hard, Daniel," he admitted. "I thought falling in love with Sam would have kicked it out of me, but it hasn't. She said I spoke your name a few times while we…."
Daniel felt like a ton of bricks just hit him. "Jack…I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to," Jack said, shaking his head. "There's nothing to say. She's been trying to get me to talk to you about this, so I'm talking. I don't see the point, but I'm telling you anyway. Daniel, even if I did try something with you, I couldn't…. complete it."
"Why?"
That wasn't what Jack expected to hear, if Daniel was going to say anything.
"Why what?" Jack asked.
"Why wouldn't you be able to have sex with me?" he asked bluntly.
Jack looked at him through a blurry eye. "You know, you're taking this better than I thought you would."
"And you're deflecting," Daniel said, touching Jack's arm. "Are you going to answer the question?"
Jack knocked the back of his head against the tree as he looked at the sky. "Danny, anything thicker than a couple of Sam's slim little…"
"I get the picture," Daniel said. "Jack, a lot of men don't like to be entered. And having a doctor's finger shoved up our asses every time we come back from a trip, is not my idea of fun. Anal intercourse is not a necessary part of a relationship. I can be on top or bottom, I like both." He was amused at the flush that spread across Jack's face.
"Now tell me what Sam thinks about this. Is this what she meant by giving her permission?"
Jack nodded. "She said you're the only person other than her that she would accept into our bed," he confessed. "She told me about you and her making out."
Daniel nodded. "Yes, we did," he admitted. "A few years back. Didn't work out too well."
"Why?" Jack asked. Daniel shrugged.
"I think I was nervous," he said. "I kept imagining you knocking at the door or calling."
Jack chuckled. "That's about what she said. Danny, if you had my permission, would you still be too nervous?"
Daniel frowned. "Ok, what's running through my mind at the moment is an opening for a threesome, and I never figured either one of you for something like that."
"Neither did we," Jack said. "Sam said you're part of us. I have to agree with her; I can't picture our future without you in it, in one way or another. I don't cheat, Daniel. I never cheated on Sara, and I'm certainly not about to cheat on Sam. I worked too long and hard to get her, and I love her more than I can ever express. At the same time, I do have feelings for you. For some reason, neither Sam nor I consider you to be cheating. I'm a little confused by it, I'll admit that. I really don't know what to do about this, if I should be doing anything about it."
Daniel looked at him, carefully considering. "I think this entire speculation is a moot point if my presence is going to freak you out," he said. "I'll be honest, Jack; yes, I wouldn't mind sleeping with you. And yes, with your approval, and if she wants to, I wouldn't have any problem being with Sam. I think before we table this discussion until we get home, I'd like to kiss you, though. If we don't have sparks, it's all pointless. And I think we have sparks, Jack."
Jack nodded and nervously sat up. Daniel slowly touched his face, keeping watch for any signs of traumatic distress. He touched Jack's lips with his own, slowly, softly caressing. He knew Jack was alright when he felt arms go around him and a hand touch the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair. From the butterflies dancing in his stomach and getting lower, Daniel knew he and Sam were going to need to have a long talk. Jack tightened his arm around Daniel's neck, opening his mouth to touch Daniel's tongue.
"Does the no entry clause include not entering me?" Daniel asked against Jack's mouth. "Because I do like it."
Jack laughed, reddening, and pushed him.