So Many Hickies, So Little Time
Anunnaki Part 7
by Michele Rating: NC-17 (Jack/Sam/Daniel)
Summary: Information gets to the internet, Sam makes nice with Jack, Daniel gets caught by his own game rules, and our three musketeers go visiting Jack's family.

The second time Daniel took Jack, there was only a small amount of struggle before Jack relaxed into his Danny-mantra and began to participate. Jack did request to remain on his back; his knee was killing him. Daniel did his best to kiss the boo-boo all better. The third time, after a much needed shower, Jack initiated the contact and actually spent time exploring Daniel with fingers and mouth. Daniel talked him through the process of relaxing the anal muscles so that more than a finger could be taken comfortably. Jack got in three and managed to suck Daniel off without gagging. Daniel was pleased with the progress. Jack declared a holiday for his butt and they took their third shower for the evening. Morning. The sun was up by the time the third shower came along.

The doorbell rang and Daniel gave the clock a mild look of disapproval. No one should be knocking at 7am. Sam wouldn't have rang, she would have walked in. Daniel slid a robe on and went to the door. He found Edward and Sylvia standing there, two of the computer people from the base.

"We have a problem," they announced. Whatever it was, they weren't very upset about it. They looked around Daniel as Jack came into the living room. He had only a towel wrapped around his waist, having just gotten out of the shower.

"Good morning, Jaaaack," they crooned at their ex-general impudently. The general crossed his arms and glared at them. Behind them, a car parked and Sam came up the walk. Seven a.m. and it was Grand Central at Daniel's house.

"Morning," she called out. She went around the two at the door, who watched, expecting a jealous rage. Sam strode into the house, passing out kisses on her way past Daniel and Jack. Edward and Sylvia filed away the interesting information.

"So, what's the problem?" Daniel got around to asking the two. They did their best to look repentant. Daniel was afraid.

"We were working on notes, finalizing a few Mountain things, and we accidentally pressed the wrong button," Sylvia said.

"What does that mean?" Daniel asked.

"It means all our SGC files were accidentally uploaded," Edward said.

"Uploaded to where?" Jack asked, stepping forward with a suspicious eye. Sam was a step behind him.

"To the World Wide Web. We're really, really, really sorry 'bout that," they mournfully expressed. Edward handed Daniel a wrapped present, Sylvia gave Jack's furry chest an amused glance, and left the house.

Jack groaned and collapsed onto the couch, wincing slightly and adjusting his placement, and Sam fell next to him. Daniel opened the package. It was a DVD. The Core. Daniel pulled his lips in, trying not to smile, holding in the laughter as he tossed the movie onto the couch.

"Dumb movie, entertaining for a light afternoon, the very end will interest you," he told the two on the couch. Jack wasn't ready for it.

"How'd you know where I was?" Jack asked Sam, throwing an arm around the back of the couch. She looked him over and grinned as she touched a small purple spot next to a nipple. Jack looked down and flushed.

"Would you believe a bird told me?"

Jack groaned and held his head. "Zu is still around? Oh, no."

Sam nodded, pleased with herself. "Oh, yes, he's here. I asked him why he wasn't with his own people and my mind was suddenly filled with some very interesting images."

Jack flushed and fell sideways across her lap, pulling a cushion over his face. She kissed his shoulder and patted him, running her hand over his hip as she chuckled.

"There's more," she reluctantly said. Jack peeked at her. "The images were broadcast to the room. Katie got it. So did Sara. She was there picking up Katie. I think the image of you guys startled her more than the alien bird did."

Jack yelled into the pillow. "Oh, I can see this isn't going to be a good day," he whimpered. "That bird is being plucked, skewered, and barbequed. What did Sara say? Dare I ask?" Anyone but his ex-wife, pleasepleasepleaseplease……

"She's expecting lunch and full disclosure. About everything."

"Ok." Jack turned over onto his back and flopped his arms out, sacrificed on Sam's lap. "And Katie?"

"Her exact words? "Uncle Jack, does the word condom hold any meaning for you?""

Jack yelled into the pillow again and Daniel burst out laughing, quickly putting the cups of coffee on the table before he spilled them. Sam laced her fingers with Jack's and brought them to her mouth.

"Are you ok?" she asked him, stroking his hair with the other hand.

"I'm a lot better," he assured her. He told her of his initial reaction and, "By the third time, I was almost jumping him," he confessed. "He….."

"Three times?" Sam squeaked in surprise. "Are you sure you're in one piece?"

Jack grinned. "Well, he did split me right down the middle, honey. I'm a little sore, but I feel good. I had so much still left in me and I didn't know it. It was like I had buried it, instead of getting rid of it. Daniel tore it right out of me." Daniel sat on the side of the couch and leaned down to kiss him, taking his time with Jack's lips before sitting up.

"What were you whispering at the beginning?" Jack asked him, linking his other hand with Daniel's.

"You said you wanted what the boys were doing with Ninurta," Daniel said. "So I was saying an ancient incantation to exorcise demons."

Startled, Jack laughed. "Well, whatever it was, something about it was relaxing."

"Say it for me?" Sam asked. Daniel spoke the ancient words and she nodded thoughtfully. "Something about the tempo," she said. "It sounds pretty."

Daniel nodded. "It was a beautiful language," he said. "Very sibilant. It flows. And there would be a tempo to the incantation, they were meant to be chanted or sung." He repeated the incantation, this time chanting it. An energy swirled in the air around them and goose bumps were raised.

Something in another room pinged and Daniel stood up. "I started a search for whatever it was Edward and Sylvia did," he said. Jack and Sam followed him. They took one look at the search results.

"Shit," came three voices.

There were over 5,000 hits all pertaining to SGC, aliens, and Battlefield Colorado. Their own names were frequently listed.

"What are we doing?" Sam asked.

"You will be doing what your general asks of you," Jack said. "Daniel and I are private citizens and we will wait for the military to come to us. Whether or not I chose to submit to interrogation, is another matter."

Sam nodded and went to call Vidrine and warn him of the upload.

"They can recall you again," Daniel quietly reminded him. Jack didn't want to be reminded.

"They may think otherwise when they get told you're part of my package," Jack informed him. "I'm not hiding this, Daniel, it may be new territory, but I'm ready to tackle this particular cliff."

"You saw what Paul went through, and he's just a major. Are you ready for that?"

Jack bent down and kissed him. "Let 'em take all the pictures they want," he said against Daniel's mouth. "I'm not afraid of this, Danny," he said, stroking Daniel's damp hair. "You and Sam are my family and if the military doesn't like it, they can shove it because I didn't request their blessings."

Sam came back into the room. "General Vidrine said he'll call when they make a decision. He'll talk with Maynard. He doesn't feel there's going to be an immediate reaction; it'll build as word gets around. He wants to see which way the public wind is blowing before deciding on a course of action."

Jack went into the living room and turned on the TV, turning the channel to a news station. It took him a while to find it; Daniel had the satellite programmed to all the history channels.

"Hey," Daniel said softly in the other room. He took Sam's hand. "Make love to him today," he requested. "You need to reclaim him. It's part of the ritual. Just love him, Sam, let him know how beautiful you find him. Give him a little time; he came four times in four hours. I'd be surprised if he gets anything up at the moment. I don't think I could get anything up at the moment. In fact, why don't you take him home and have a quiet day to yourselves. Go hiking or something."

"Daniel!"

Daniel sighed and stood, walking into the living room. Jack pointed.

"How is he doing that?" Jack was pointing to the large red bird that sat on the back of a dining room chair.

"You didn't let him in?" Daniel asked.

"Of course not," Jack insisted. "I was finding the news, I turned around, there he was."

Daniel looked at the bird. "Zu, how do you do that?" Zu snickered at him.

Jack glared at the bird. "We have rules in our house," he informed the bird. "What's done in our house, what's said in our house, stays in our house. That means you do not go informing the entire world about our sex lives. Especially ex-wife and my niece. You talk to us only. Got it?"

A splat hit the chair seat.

Sam got Jack to dress and he followed her home in his truck. He kissed Daniel long and sweet before leaving. Once more, Daniel refused to spend the day with them, he wanted to get some work done. He would be over for dinner, though. Zu stayed with Daniel, chattering away in Sumerian. Daniel couldn't believe some of the outrageous stuff the bird came up with.

Not having had any sleep, Jack collapsed onto the bed when they got home. Sam tucked him in and kissed his head. She checked in with the Yard and was told that they were stepping up security. She wasn't needed at the moment; take her days off. A while later, she heard the toilet flush and she went into the bedroom. Jack looked at her and fell onto the bed, pulling the pillow over his head. Sam grinned at him and sat on the side of the bed, leaning over to nuzzle the back of his neck.

"Are we a happy camper?" she asked teasingly.

"We are a sore camper," came the muffled response. Sam gave his tush a caress.

"Poor baby," she pouted. She pushed his t-shirt up and kissed his back. "Is it a good sore?"

Jack turned over and put the pillow where it belonged. He was slightly flushed as he smiled at her. "It's a very good sore," he said. He patted his chest and she lay on top of him. He liked the feel of her weight covering him; it gave him a strange sense of security, of being cocooned by her. Jack held her for a while, running his hands lightly up and down her back as her feet played with his. "I never thought it was possible to be in love with two people at the same time," he said quietly. "I've heard people say it before, but I never believed them. Whether this is right or wrong, I don't know, but I do know what I'm feeling."

"I know," she said, touching his mouth with a finger. "I love him, too. I keep looking around, expecting to see him here. He belongs here, with us. I keep getting the feeling that he's deliberately keeping a slight distance but I'm not sure why."

Jack thought about it. He hadn't noticed it before but now that Sam mentioned it, he could see it. Daniel was going out of his way to give them space. That was going to end, if Jack had any say in the matter.

Sam slid her long legs to the side and straddled Jack's middle. She kissed him, taking her time with his mouth, the raspy feel of his unshaven cheeks pleasing and tickling her face. He tried to move and participate but she held him down, taking her time as she kissed and licked his skin. She placed her mouth over the love-bite Daniel had placed on Jack's chest and reinforced it with her own. Jack hissed when she moved her mouth just to the left and covered his nipple with her lips. She suckled and teased one nipple and then made her way to the other, nuzzling fur on the way. She loved the musky, clean scent of his chest, the masculinity of him infusing her with energy. She moved down his torso, playing with the line of hair on his belly. The dark blond line was a major turn on for her; it was an arrow that called out to her, "Follow me, follow me." She followed it. She sat back and smiled after taking his pajama bottoms off. She and Daniel actually argued about the hair; Sam declared it dark blond, Daniel said it was light brown. Jack was no help, not with his hair (via Nate) getting blonder the longer it got, while the roots stayed dark.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked huskily, staring up at her. She touched the inside of his thigh with a caressing finger.

"Daniel left his mark all over you," she grinned. Jack sat up on his elbows and looked down. She lifted his leg and he could see another purple bruise. He hadn't even noticed it when he took his shower.

"Probably a good thing I don't have to report in for a physical," he said. Sam lifted his leg higher, looking below. She bit her lip, her blue eyes dancing with light. "What?" She turned him over onto his stomach and licked the sweet crease below his butt, at the top of his thigh.

"Another one right there," she informed him. Jack groaned, silently swearing to kill their partner.

Sam straddled his butt and laughed lightly into his ear, licking and suckling at the lobe. "Now you know how I feel when he goes completely oral on me," she teased him.

"After watching him eat his way through the commissary for 8 years, we should have guessed that one," Jack said in amusement. Sam nibbled his neck. She lifted his arms above his head and played with the pit hair as she licked down his back. He twitched slightly when she ran her hands down his sides. He heard a low snicker and was about to call foul on the tickling when he felt her rub against his butt. He moaned at the erotic feel of her hair and her heat against his ass. She leaned into him, putting her mouth to his spine, biting, licking, sucking between his shoulder blades as she rubbed herself possessively against him.

"God, baby, that feels incredible," he groaned. He'd swear she gave a low growl as she sank her teeth into his back, continuing to pleasure herself on his ass. Something primal grew in him and he gripped the sheets in his fists, threatening to tear them as he held on. He already owed Daniel a sheet.

Sam shuddered against him and he could feel moisture dripping down his cheeks to pool on the backs of his balls. She released her teeth from his back and lifted slightly.

"Turn over," she whispered. Jack turned carefully between her legs and she lowered herself onto him. Her full breasts heaved as she caught her breath from her orgasm. He lifted his knees and she settled back for her ride, loving the feeling of him filling her. Jack watched through half closed eyelids. He could see their joining, his cock slick with her juices as she rode him. He held her hips steady and let her take what she wanted, take him as she wanted. It occurred to him what she was doing –she was claiming her property. It wasn't a Jack kinda thing to do, bottom to other people, but there he was, less than 24 hours and he was taken by both his partners. He had surrendered to them both and he had never felt so strong for it.

"Rub my clit," he heard her say. Love burst inside of him as she found her voice, finally making a specific request of him without Daniel teasing her into it. He reached down and fingered her clit, circling the way she liked it. She drew a breath and caught herself on his chest. She concentrated through the waves rushing through her and forced herself to continue her ride.

Jack took his own deep breaths, willing himself not to come until she had her fill of him. She leaned down, her forehead to his chest as she pleasured herself on him once more. She took a nipple between her teeth and bit him before sucking at him, tugging with her teeth. Jack gasped at the pain mingling with the pleasure. Something in her had been opened and the animal side had come out to play. She was beautiful, glowing, a radiant goddess taking her consort for her own pleasure, claiming him, marking him as belonging to her.

He could feel her quivering getting stronger as she took him and when she cried out, clamping down on him, he held her in his strong hands as he released into her. She collapsed onto his chest and he held her, remaining inside of her until she was ready to move.

She lifted her head to kiss him, brushing her lips with hers as they caught their breath together. She held his face between her hands.

"Mine," she stated in a husky whisper. "No one will ever again take what is mine."

Jack shuddered and held her tight.

He counted five hickies by the time evening rolled around. It was a VERY good thing he had no physicals to go in for. The little internet issue was on the news and the phone began to ring. Jack turned it off. After talking with Sam, Jack decided to fly Katie home and out of the way of the immediate community. He was in enough trouble with her parents, he didn't want her in the middle of what was coming up. He let Daniel in on the plans when Daniel came over for dinner.

"And you're coming with me, Danny," Jack warned him.

"Me? Why?" Daniel stared blankly at him.

"Because you are part of this family," Jack told him. "And I'd like you at my side. Unless you object, I want the entire world to know that the three of us are together, and we start with my family. You wanted hand-holding, you're going to get hand-holding."

Jack was getting dressed for going out to dinner as they talked. Daniel stopped him and looked at the bruises on Jack's back and chest. He lifted an eyebrow.

"You started it," Jack said, flushing. Sam had been thorough in her claiming of him. "You put a hicky on my ass, Danny."

"It's a cute ass, Jack," he was informed. "It's an ass worthy of a hicky."

"You're an ass."

"And mine's worthy of a hicky, too." Daniel snuck in for a kiss, smiling at Jack.

"I'm exhausted, Daniel," Jack whined. "I came six times since 2am. I can't remember the last time it was more then three in 24 hours. You two are wearing me out. I think my dick is broken."

Daniel chuckled. "We'll check the plumbing later," he promised Jack, giving the front of Jack's pants a light caress. Jack swatted him away and told him about Sam's animal side emerging. Daniel nodded and smiled.

"Good," he said. "I knew she had it in her."

They found Sam on her cell phone talking to Major Davis. Seeing the men were ready, she exited from the call.

"Davis said things are heating up at the Pentagon," she said. "He was told to prepare for a "Special Announcement from the Whitehouse. Sometime this week."

"We'll be ready," Jack said. "I called the air field, there's a transport heading out first thing in the morning and they do have room for four. I already called Sara and told her we'd be picking Katie up on our way."

"Zu, mind the house!" Jack called out as they left. The bird squawked something at them.

"He wants us to bring back a piece of chicken," Daniel translated. "Preferably the leg."

Walking into the restaurant, Daniel walked a few steps away from Jack and Sam. He took the seat further away from the other two at their table, practically sitting across from them instead of an even third. Jack didn't say anything. They put up with high-fives from other patrons, and fielded someone in the parking lot with aluminum on his head.

"To keep the aliens from reading my mind," the man informed them. The three agreed that it was a good idea.

Once they were home, and presented Zu with his chicken leg, Jack turned to Daniel.

"Danny, it's game time," he informed the younger man. Daniel looked blankly at him. "Q&A, 20 questions, truth or dare, whatever you want to call it, I have a few questions. You made Sam talk, I'm making you talk. Honey. Strip and have a seat."

Jack pushed the coffee table out of the way and pointed to the floor.

"What? Jack, you know all you have to do is ask," Daniel said, confused. Jack shook his head. Daniel noticed Sam standing by, her arms crossed and that no-nonsense look on her face. Something was up; Jack was in Big Daddy mode and Daniel didn't remember doing anything.

"Humor me," Jack requested. Daniel's eyebrows flew around but he complied and dropped his clothes. Jack sat down and patted the floor between his legs as Sam sat on the chair. Daniel took the seat and leaned back into Jack's chest. Jack carefully removed Daniel's glasses and handed them to Sam. He raised his knees and Daniel placed his hands on them.

"Good," Jack said, his breath tickling brown hair. His arms hung limp over Daniel's shoulders.

"I'll tell you what this is about," Jack said. "We noticed something today. You've been deliberately keeping a distance from us. I though about it, wondering if I was imagining it, but I don't believe so. Looking back, you always seem to be on the outside looking in, and I'm curious as to why. No." Daniel tried to get up and Jack clamped his arms around Daniel's chest.

"Jack, you…."

"I'm not done," Jack interrupted him. "Your game rules, Danny." The hands never left Jack's knees. Daniel hesitated and then sat back again. "Thank you. Tell me what you've been doing."

Daniel huffed for a moment. "Jack, I've had a lot of work lately, that's all."

"Bullshit," Jack said. "You always manage to find an excuse to NOT spend quiet time with us. I'm a little confused; this is the Truth seat, Daniel, so do you want this togetherness or don't you?"

"Yes, of course, I do," Daniel said, shutting his eyes and leaning his head against Jack's shoulder.

[Jack "Then tell me why we're not getting YOU."

[Daniel "This is me, Jack, I'm a bookworm, I always have been."

[Jack "Why?"

[Daniel "Why what?"

[Jack "I like to read, too, Daniel, but I know when to put a book down and join the living….. Ah. Books don't betray us and history is already set in stone."

Jack held on tight as Daniel struggled. The hands never left his knees, though. Jack gently shushed him. Eventually Daniel settled down.

[Jack "Daniel, part of being in a formal relationship is that we are responsible to each other. I failed Sara in that, and I don't intend on failing anyone else again. I should have opened up with her and I should have been open for her. Sam opened to you, as did I. You haven't opened to us. If you aren't ready, that's fine, but we are here for you as much as you are here for us. The dark brown roots may grow out blond, or they used to, but don't think the jokes go with it. Do you love us?"

[Daniel Taking a hard swallow. "Yes."

[Jack "Do you trust us?"

[Daniel ….."Yes."

[Jack "You hesitated. Why?"

[Daniel "Jack, I trust you."

[Jack "No, you hesitated; what were you thinking about?"

[Daniel "I…. I keep wondering…when the other shoe is going to drop."

[Jack "What other shoe?"

[Daniel "The one that tells me to leave or to get out of the way or mind my own business."

[Jack "What….Daniel, I'm not understanding."

[Daniel "I….I don't know how…to do this. I'm going to mess things up."

[Jack "Ignoring the fact that we all fuck up once in a while, what is it that you don't know how to do?"

[Daniel "Be in a formal relationship. I've never had one, so I don't know what to do."

[Jack "What do you mean, you've never had one? You stayed on Abydos for Sha're, you risked life and limb for her, what do you call that?"

[Daniel "I was her teacher, Jack. I was her first lover. She was 16, according to our clock, did you know that? Half the time, I felt like her father. She had never even been kissed before I kissed her. She was an adult according to their rules, perfectly marriageable, but I was still almost twice her age. That's a parent's relationship with a child; I don't know what to do with US."

Jack thought about it, looking at Sam from behind Daniel.

[Jack "You've never even been engaged before?"

[Daniel "No."

[Jack "Dating?"

[Daniel "Just dating. Casual."

[Jack "Lovers?"

[Daniel "Just lovers."

[Jack "What about your Sarah?"

[Daniel "I messed that one up, too. I cared for her, very much, but work came first."

[Jack "What about your foster parents? You must have learned something from them?"

[Daniel "I learned how to keep quiet with books. It kept me out of the way."

Jack held him, pressing his mouth to Daniel's neck as he thought.

[Jack "Did they hurt you?"

[Daniel "No, they did the best they could, I think, but they didn't know what to do with an 8-year old who wanted to go on digs in North Africa to find his parents. My foster sibs went overboard in the Mummy jokes. They bought me books on ancient history and showed me where the library was. It kept me quiet and out of their hair."

[Jack "Daniel, listen to me. They did you a great disservice. By keeping you out of their hair, they didn't teach you how to socialize with others. They didn't teach you how to be in adult relationships. I don't want you out of my hair. Even if Sam and I are arguing about something, your place is with us. If you want to close your ears to it and leave the room, that's your prerogative, but don't do it just because you think you may be in the way. There is no conversation that we can have, however loud, that you are not welcomed to hear or participate in. If I'm being an ass, tell me I'm being an ass. If we are sitting quietly and talking, or just holding each other, you are welcome to be with us. It is your right, as part of US, to get close and BE with us. You said you wanted the arguments and the hand-holding and the whole nine yards, but you've been holding yourself away from it. It confuses me because it makes me think that you don't want this. I…we want this very much. I'm happy with us, Danny, I want you to be happy, too, but I don't know how to make this real for you. Tell me how to get through to you."

Daniel was silent, his eyes closed as his head lay on Jack's shoulder, his deep, soft voice in Daniel's ear.

[Daniel "Do you know what I miss most about my parents?"

[Jack "No, babe, what?"

[Daniel "Being held. My parents were always touching me, stroking my hair, kissing me. They loved me and I knew it. That father in you is what first got to me; you were physical with me. I never realized how parent-starved I was before you started petting me. Don't worry, I'm not confusing my father with my lover. Sam was never my mother but she was my big sister. I love spending time with her, -with you, I mean, Sam. I like snuggling in for a movie and holding you on a camp-out. You even know when to show up with chocolate. And as much as I bitch about it, I even like it when you add and delete from my closet. Most of my wardrobe is updated because of you, and you have very good taste in clothes. The queen in me keeps trying to come out when I'm with you. I'm surprised you never noticed."

[Jack "As my shrink would say, you're deflecting. Daniel, I don't mean to bring up a bad memory but I remember the Game Keeper. I remember your parents trying to send you away from them. Did they spend a lot of time pushing you away?"

[Daniel "No, they didn't. Those were very heavy rocks that were being positioned. They sent me away for the very reason they died; the rocks slipped. If they hadn't sent me away, I would have been under the rocks with them. And I wasn't deflecting, I was digressing. Jack, I need physical contact. Lots of it. How long are you going to put up with it before you push me away?"

[Jack "That isn't a fair question, Danny. We all need space just as much as we need contact. I'll do my best not to be self-centered, more than usual, anyway, but at the same time, you need to learn when to give the space and not take it personally if I ask for it. Yes, I will snap sometimes. I'll try not to, but it happens. When I was growing up, I had cousins running in and out of our house all the time. I may be on the outs with most of them at the moment, but this is an Irish Catholic family; there are lots of kids and we all lived in the same area. You don't have that kind of experience to fall back on. I got used to having someone around all the time but I also had my own space. I could hang a Go Away sign on my bedroom door, and people would go away without taking offense. When I did want to be around people, they were there. Why do you think I was always inviting you guys out here for fishing? Sounds to me like your fosters gave you only one option. Give this some time, Danny; don't run and bury your head in a book at the first inkling of irritation. You're not afraid to speak your mind with me, you never were, so don't start now just because we're sleeping together. If you feel I'm being distant, just tell me. I'll tell you what I would like: I'd like it if you didn't distance yourself when we go out. If you're uncomfortable with public stuff, tell me, but I'd rather you didn't sit halfway across the restaurant. I don't give a flying fuck what people think, Daniel, I never have and I never will."

[Daniel "What if I do?"

[Jack "Do what?"

[Daniel "Give a flying fuck. Jack, like it or not, you have a reputation that you need to uphold. Sam is still held libel for not only her professional life but also her private life. I've never been in the closet, you guys just never noticed. All my academic workmates know about me and no one cared mainly because we are all weird to begin with. This is out, Jack, I don't doubt that, we haven't exactly been secret, but I'd still like to avoid anything unsavory being said about you or Sam. Especially Sam; she has a hard enough time in this man's military, the last thing she needs is to be seen as a slut and have her record questioned. Do you know how I see myself in this? Really think of myself?"

[Jack "No, how?"

[Daniel "I'm bringing this out of game."

Daniel took his hands from Jack's knees and half turned between his legs to look at Jack.

"I think of myself as your consort," he told Jack. "I am second consort to Sam. Don't argue with me about this, Jack, it's a place I'm comfortable in. I'm not an alpha, not like you. I can lead, I can Top when I need to, and I quite often get off on it, but ultimately my heart is the heart of a consort. In my mind, your place is next to Sam, and mine is standing behind the both of you. If you want me to be more front and center, I need to hear it. I don't know how to be an equal partner because it isn't part of who I am."

Sam slid off the chair and sat with them. She took Daniel's hand, looking intently at him. "Are you saying you think you are less than us?"

"No," Daniel said, shaking his head emphatically. "Sam, does everyone in the military have what it takes to be a General?"

Sam shook her head. "No, the higher the rank, the more of a certain type of character the person needs. Not everyone has that character, even though they are good people."

"Right," Daniel said. "I am not General material and admitting it doesn't make me any less of a good person nor am I making less of myself; I am being honest with who I am. I will always place your marriage first. That doesn't mean I don't have my needs with you or with Jack, it doesn't mean I won't be disappointed if a date gets canceled. I have feelings, too. I would love to walk into a restaurant holding your hand or Jack's hand, but that might place your marriage into a secondary position, and I won't do that."

Sam frowned as she listened and thought. "I almost feel as though we're speaking two different languages," she finally said. "So I'm going to spell this out as I see it. I want one big, king-sized bed. For all three of us 24/7/365. Daniel, I appreciate you giving a flying fuck for my career, but at the moment, the only reason I'm still there is because you guys insisted. Jack, you offered to build an addition to the house, and if it can be done, I would like it. An office for me and one for Daniel. Large enough to hold our projects and a small seating area with a fold-out couch. That way, if one of us feels like being alone, we can.

"I would like for us to not end a day with things left unsaid. I don't want someone not in bed just because of an argument. I do like this idea of being naked with the truth, so I'd like to keep it. If one of us needs to wake up the others in the middle of the night for a Truth Talk, then that's what we need to do. I lived in a home for too long with people who didn't talk to each other, and I don't want it here, too.

"Since I'm going to be in Nevada quite a bit of the time, I'd like to know that you two are bonding well. Jack, you and I are fairly quiet people and we can go an entire day without feeling the need to chatter. Daniel likes to talk. If he needs to learn when to back off, you need to learn when to be receptive. His studies excites him and he needs to share. Our neighbors are going to know something is up when he officially moves in. They will really know something is up if he decides to jump you on the dock, which I wouldn't put past him. So I would suggest being open with the neighbors right from the start. Daniel, how do you want to be introduced?"

The men were looking at her as she spelled out the facts.

"Uh, as your consort," Daniel said. "We're already the alien guys from the Mountain; I don't think introducing me as your consort is going to cause any more eyes to blink faster than they already are."

Jack looked at him, uncertainly dripping from him. "Mr. and Mrs. Neighbor, this is our consort, Daniel?"

"Would you rather introduce me as Daniel your lover, Daniel your boyfriend, or Daniel your husband? Daniel your partner works, too."

Jack twitched. "Ok, I may be able to get used to consort and partner," he acknowledged.

"You may not realize this, Jack, but Colorado is a kinky state," Daniel informed him with amusement. "Between the BDSM people and the poly crowd, not too many people will blink at a married couple who have a consort. Do a web search for BDSM Colorado or polyamory Colorado. You'll be surprised."

Jack smiled and pet Daniel's hair. "Are we ok now?" he asked. "No more distancing yourself?"

Daniel leaned in and kissed him. "The next time I feel I may be getting in the way, I will try and remember to stop myself and make you aware and ask for clarification of the situation."

Jack chuckled and took Daniel by the ears to shake his head. "There's our Danny."

After doing nothing more than sleeping in a pile, softly stroking and kissing each other in calming reassurance, they awoke in the morning and prepared for the coming events. Knowing Sara would be questioning him, Jack left early to pick up Katie. He and Sara took a long walk and he told her everything. He knew it had been rough on her, not knowing what he had been up to and that he couldn't tell her during their marriage why he had been gone so much. All she could be told was that it was military and national security. Now that the cat was out of the bag, he told her about the aliens, about how Daniel became important to him, and about the scene Zu showed her. He wouldn't acknowledge the Stargate yet; the geeks had actually kept that secret to themselves. At least they had some sense of propriety. That was a can of worms Jack wasn't ready to deal with. As far as the public was aware, Cheyenne Mountain was working with alien technology for weapons and aircraft, and had succeeded in gaining alien allies over the past 8 years. It was purely by chance that two alien aircraft decided to slide into Colorado for their little tiff.

Sara had known about Jack's time in Iraq, it had been hell on them when he got home. She understood, on some basic level that most women could understand, what was going through Jack's mind when he surrendered himself to Daniel's arms. Sara wiped her face and put her arms around Jack. She knew Jack would never have done that if he didn't truly love the man. It was weird, this being Jack, big, macho, sports loving, career military Jack who was sleeping with another man, but everything was getting weird. Something in the past 8 years had changed Jack; she wasn't sure what it was, but according to Katie, the three were happy together. After seeing the air battle on TV, just as the rest of the world did, Sara might be able to begin to understand if that was a sample of what the three had endured together for all those years.

She did have to admit that Sam seemed to be a nice person, willing to be friendly if Sara wanted to play nice. Sam seemed to have no issues about her spending time with Katie, which was good because Jack wasn't the only one changing diapers on nieces and nephews.

Later in the day, they landed in Minnesota. Upon boarding the transport, someone shouted and the men all jumped to their feet and offered salute. Jack paused, not expecting it, and returned their honors. He waved them down and was serenaded with the Air Force theme. He passed out a lot of hand shakes before the flight was over. The Army transport was been loud and their ears were ringing when they got off the plane. Jack rented a car and drove them out to his home town to find a hotel room before descending on the family. Daniel wasn't sure about his being there, but he spoke up and Jack told him he could find something to do if he wanted to, but as far as Jack was concerned, Daniel had every right to be there, just as much as Sam did. Katie had impudently begun to call him Uncle Daniel and insisted that he meet the family. She was entertained by the notion of introducing Uncle Jack's boyfriend to her parents. Daniel could see why Katie's parents may have a small problem with the miniature, feminine version of Jack, especially after she had just spent a month playing with alien children, helping to nurse large, two-footed felines, and talking back to an alien bird that does nothing except talk back. The adults were thankful that Katie didn't understand Sumerian, or they'd be answering for her new language problem, too. Not even Daniel was willing to translate some of Zu's more colorful phrases. They left him home with orders to watch the house. Jack wasn't angry enough with his family to subject them to Zu. Although the way Zu tended to simply disappear and reappear, he wasn't too sure the bird would obey and stay home. Sam had stopped trying to work out the physics of Zu's apparent abilities.

Jack called his parents to let them know he was in town and promised to play nice. He had already warned Sam and Daniel that all hell may be breaking loose by the end of the day. But he would do his best to play nice. Sam double checked the luggage to make sure Jack hadn't brought a gun.

The cities were strange lately. Extremes of all kinds of behaviors were rampant. Daniel gave them a long lecture on the psychological state of the typical person after discovering that the Earth wasn't alone in the universe. All law enforcement officials were on heavy duty rotation with crime being up, as well as depression and the suicide rate. Spirituality was in an upheaval, which Daniel felt impatience over; he understood the politics behind religion, but the appearance of aliens shouldn't negate the ethics and morals that were taught by the different religions.

They got to Katie's house and once more made her promise to say nothing about Zu and his activities on the innocent minds of children. Katie zipped her lips and tossed the key, declaring it icky anyway. Her house was in a nice, suburban neighborhood, with perfectly manicured lawns, two-car houses, children playing outside, and barking dogs. A front door opened and Katie was suddenly swept up in the arms of a crying woman. A man came out and Jack handed him Katie's bags as he looked over Sam and Daniel. Dressed in his geeky best, Daniel was dismissed as a non-entity.

"She's fine, Andrew," Jack said. "She was never in danger." Because she wasn't even on the planet during the air battle, but they weren't going to tell that to the parents….

"Jack, you want to tell us about what's been on the news lately?" Andrew asked. "Besides your little light show?"

"Actually, no, Andrew, I don't," Jack said. "When the Pentagon tells me I can discuss it, I'll let you know."

Sam and Daniel didn't like Andrew. It was contempt at first sight. Katie sniffled and turned to introduce her new Aunt Sam and Uncle Daniel.

"Are you telling us THAT rumor is true, too?" Andrew asked in disbelief.

"What rumor?" Jack asked, honestly not having heard a rumor.

"That you and your new wife are…consorting…with this man?"

Jack turned and looked at them. "Daniel, you hit that one dead on. Consorting –consort…very nice. Yes, Andrew, it's true; Daniel is our partner. Get over it, it isn't your business."

"I like Daniel, Daddy," Katie informed him. "He's nice and he took good care of me when Uncle Jack and the aliens were fighting."

"Go to your room, Katherine Anne," her father pointed at the house. Katie burst into tears and ran into the house. Jack shook his head.

"You'll never learn, will you, Andrew? Lay one finger on her, and I'll have you up on charges," Jack promised him.

"Uncle Jack!" Megan protested.

"Megan, we're staying at the Piermont for a few days. We'll be at Mom and Dad's for dinner tonight. I would like to say hi to the boys before we leave."

They got back into the car and left. Jack drove with one hand while dialing his cell phone.

"Wow, Jack," Daniel muttered. Jack gave him a noise of agreement.

"Michael. Mom called you?" Jack said into the phone. "We're staying at the Piermont. Don't start with me. A better place for you to start would be at Megan's. I don't trust Andrew not to beat the shit out of his daughter. Michael, if there is one mark on her, I'll have all three kids taken out of that house. The private number of President of the United States is on my speed dial, do you understand? Good."

He hung up and let out a noisy breath.

"Jack," Sam began.

"I know, baby," he said. "I know he's under a lot of stress, just like everyone else but unfortunately, I've never trusted Andrew. He's gotten worse, the older he gets."

"Has he hit the kids before?" Sam asked.

"Don't know," Jack said. "Neither Meg nor the kids have every said anything. I bathed the kids when they were younger and didn't notice any marks on them. Other than the usual kid scrapes. The mood he's in, though, I wouldn't put it past him."

"Will Katie know to call if there's a problem?" Daniel asked.

"She had the sense to cross the country to find me," Jack reminded him. Daniel nodded. "Although I wish she would have called, instead. I take it I'm not imagining it? Andrew is hostile?"

They both nodded. "Looked explosive to me," Sam said.

"Actually, his response seemed out of proportion to the situation," Daniel said. "Granted, he was probably scared when she ran away, but he didn't seem the least bit relieved at her return. He barely looked at Katie; he seemed more interested in expressing his disapproval over you. If my kid was returned to me, I'd be hugging her and promising to be a better dad."

Jack glanced at him and then back to the traffic. "Danny, you're kid wouldn't have run in the first place."

They got to the hotel and checked into their suite, taking showers and a naps before heading over to Jack's parent's house for dinner. Daniel was a little worried about meeting the parents. He had met them briefly at Jack and Sam's wedding, but that was as a friend, not their son's male lover.

"Don't worry about them," Jack assured him on the drive over. "Believe me, my folks are a lot more down to earth than Michael's tree branch. They're both in their 80's and they act like teenagers."

"Did you already tell them about us?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, I did," Jack confirmed with a nod. "Dad asked me if I were a pod person and Mom wanted to know if you were a good kisser. I told her yes, but she needed to get her own boyfriend, no kissing on mine."

Sam laughed and gave Daniel's red face a stroke.

"Kiss him."

Not minutes after Daniel was introduced, again but in a different context, Jack's mother looked them up and down, folded her arms, and snorted.

"What?" Jack looked at her.

"I won't believe it until I see it," Margaret O'Neill informed him. "Kiss him."

"Mom, you have got to be kidding," he protested, flushing. "Dad, can't you do something about your wife?"

Tom O'Neill blew his cigarette smoke off the porch and away from the screen door. "When, in the past 63 years, have I ever had a say in what your mother does?"

"Jack, if you don't want to kiss me in front of your parents, I understand," Daniel said. "Maybe your mom would settle for a description of that hicky I put on your….mphf…" He was silenced with Jack's mouth. Jack was flushed when he stepped back. Sam wasn't helping, sitting on the porch swing and snickering at them.

"Where did you say that hicky was?" Maggie asked Daniel.

"Which one?"

"Daniel!"

The new son was taken into the house and shown the cookie jar. Jack took the cigarette out of his father's hand, took a long drag, and handed it back before heading into the house. His lungs protested the smoke, not having had any for almost 9 years, but the chemical rush made him feel better prepared for this encounter.

"I'm not kissing you until you brush," Sam informed him, following him into the house.

Daniel had been settled at the kitchen table with a plate of cookies and a large glass of milk. Sam took a cookie, dunked it in his milk, and sat in on the feast. The house smelled of the pot roast that was currently sizzling gently in the oven.

"You been kissin' on that one, too?" Maggie asked her, wiping her hands on a towel and nodding toward Daniel.

"Yes, ma'am," Sam said with a grin. She had gotten to like Jack's parents while they were visiting for the wedding. His mother made Sam feel welcome, although she did make a few cradle-robbing comments.

"Don't blame you there," Maggie said. "Both of them so good looking, I don't know that I'd be able to decide between them."

"Mom!" Jack hung his head and fell into a chair. Sam laughed.

"Oh, believe me, there are nights I don't bother with trying to decide," Sam informed her.

"HA!" Maggie handed her a plate of her own cookies.

"I knew this was a mistake," Jack informed the table under his nose.

"Well, Jonathan, I expected this during the late 60's, not 35 years later," his mother said, giving his hair a stroke as she walked by. "Your mid-life crisis has taken an interesting turn, fighting aliens and having a three-some with another man."

Jack's head shot up. "This isn't a mid-life crisis!" he protested.

"You know you won't win, son, so let her have her way," Tom told him as he walked into the kitchen and sat next to Jack.

"Men become strange when they hit 45-50," Maggie advised Sam. "Tom's mid-life crisis consisted of fox hunting. Still haven't figured out where that one came from. Thankfully, it didn't last long."

Jack took an envelope out of his jacket pocket and held it up.

"What's this?" Maggie asked.

"Something else for you to rag on me about," he told her. "I figured we'd get it all out in one shot."

Maggie looked at the pictures that fell out and she sat heavily into a chair.

"Oh, my," she breathed. She passed them, one by one, to her husband. "Jack, when…?"

"He showed up a couple years ago, Mom," Jack said gently. At least he had gotten her attention. "I didn't know about him. He's starting to come around to the idea of meeting relatives. He's a big boy, so I left the decision to him. He's also Jonathan, but he prefers Nate." Sam and Daniel looked at Jack, not having expected this.

"Who's his mother?" Maggie asked, tearing up.

"Doesn't matter," Jack said with a shrug. "Just a one-time thing. She isn't in his life, hasn't been for a long time. I think he's a little skittish about all this, he's been on his own for quite a while."

"Where is he now?" Tom asked, his hands slightly shaking as he looked through the pictures.

"In Colorado Springs," Jack said. "He lives with his girlfriend, a very nice young lady that we've known for a long time. Cassandra. There, that's her," he fingered one of the pictures.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Maggie asked, wiping at her cheek. Jack reached out and took her hand.

"Because he wasn't ready for a family," Jack said. "I didn't want to get your hopes up only to tell you that he didn't want to meet anyone. He doesn't look to me as his father; I'm just a guy who happens to share his DNA. He and I are still getting acquainted. He just got out of high school and will be starting college in the fall. He's very independent, he lived on his own the entire time, took care of himself. I signed his emancipation papers, and not much else. You can ask Katie about him, she spent some time with him during our little situation a few weeks ago. I had them both stay on base. I gotta tell you, Mom, Dad, after what I witnessed at Megs this afternoon, I'm not sure I want to subject him to this family."

Jack sat back and told them the situation from the moment Katie showed up at his house until they took her home earlier in the day. It got their minds off Jack's love-life.

"What is going on over there?" Jack insisted on knowing, tossing a thumb in the general direction of outdoors. "I don't usually deal in vibes, but I'm ready to pull those kids out of there based on nothing more than the creep factor I'm getting."

His parents looked at each other. "We're not sure what's going on," Tom admitted. "We know Katie's been stressed, and the boys aren't their usual sparky selves. Katie was caught with pot last year. Now, don't go off, Jack, Megan made us swear not to tell you. Katie promised not to do it again, and as far as we know, she's kept her promise. If it continued, we would have called you. Matthew's been throwing his temper around, and Davy doesn't talk much about anything."

Jack scrubbed his face, taking a deep breath. "We were never able to get Davy to shut up," he said. His parents nodded. "I want to talk to the boys. Alone. Sam, Katie didn't say anything that would ring bells, did she?"

"No," Sam shook her head. "She didn't talk about her family much." Daniel also denied hearing anything from the girl.

Jack nodded and took his cell phone out, walking out into the back yard. He dialed Sara first and then Nate and Cassie, asking them all if Katie had said anything.

"She said something about not being allowed to breathe," Nate commented. "I tried to get her to elaborate, but she wouldn't. Said Andrew was always yelling at them about one thing or another. Matty got a B on something, algebra, I think it was, and Andrew apparently told him to keep his mind out of his pants and on his school work. Said it in front of others and humiliated the kid."

Jack frowned and thanked him. "I outted you," Jack told him, changing the subject. "Mom and Dad would like to see you, if you want to."

Nate sighed, puffing into the phone. "How do you feel about it?" he asked Jack.

"I wouldn't have said anything to them, if I wasn't alright with it. Family is important to us; I'd be missing the hell out of them, if I had gone for years not seeing or hearing from them."

"They're your parents, Jack," Nate said. "I don't have that right to them. I can settle into the grandson routine, but can you deal with that relationship? Everyone is going to be looking at you as my father, with those expectations."

"They'll get over those expectations. You take care of your relationship with the parents, and you and I can start spending time getting to know each other," Jack said. "I know, we already know each other, but I've noticed a few things diverging and I'd be interested in hearing about them."

Jack heard his own voice chuckle at the other end of the line. "Diverging? Jack, I'm not the one sleeping with a guy."

Jack chuckled. "Mom's decided he's my mid-life crisis. She wanted some kind of proof, so she made me kiss him. Sneaky bastard threatened to tell her about the hicky he put on my ass, so I kissed him. She's currently plying Daniel with milk and cookies."

"You should have known," Nate taunted him. "There're horns under that halo. On your ass, huh? Are you alright?" Jack knew what Nate was saying.

"I am now," he said. "It was rough, but I'm glad it happened. I'll go into details with you later, if you'd like. This is probably something you and I should be talking about, anyway."

"We can if you'd like," Nate said. "I'm fine, though. It was one of the first things I labeled as Jack-crap and chucked out."

Jack doubted it but acknowledged it. He took a deep breath, and went back into the house, handing the phone to his mother.

"Say hi, Mom," he said. She teared up and took the phone in trembling hands, walking into the living room with it. Tom followed her.

Jack sat back into a chair and breathed. Sam took his hand.

"It's the right thing to do," she told him.

"It's weird, Sam."

"Tell me," she said. "How many times have I looked at myself standing in front of me?"

Jack put her hand to his mouth. "Point." He told them what Nate had said of his own conversations with Katie.

"I'm smelling psychosis, here," Daniel said, looking toward the cookie jaw. "Why don't you call your shrink and get some professional input?"

"I haven't called him in about 2 months," Jack admitted. "I'll call him after I talk with the boys."

It was a while before Jack's parents returned his cell phone. Maggie made herself busy with dinner. Sam offered to help; Jack and Daniel stopped her.

"We let Sam fix the cars," Jack told his mother. "Daniel is the kitchen elf. He's better than any world class chef. Get him to cook before we leave Thursday morning."

Sam smiled and leaned back sideways into Jack's chest. He laced his fingers with hers over her shoulder and kissed her neck.

"I've seen father and son look-alikes, but this one takes the cake, Jack," Tom said, his voice a little gruff. "If I didn't know better, I would have said that was you on the phone."

"I know," Jack nodded. "He called the house and Daniel started talking dirty to him." Daniel threw a towel at him.

"Maggie, any baby Jack pictures sitting around?" Daniel asked her. She twinkled at him and promised to dig them out for dessert.

"Not!" Jack protested.

"Yeah, I want to see the hair color," Sam put in.

"Blond, honey," Maggie said. "Very light. It started growing in darker the older he got. Brown when he was a child. We didn't know the blond was still in there until he let it go a little long. Looked like one of those surfer boys until the Air Force made him cut it."

"Blond. Explains a lot, Jack," Daniel said.

"Watch who you're calling a blond," Jack warned him, tugging on Sam's golden locks.

"Sam's an honorary brunette."

Jack started to swear at him but stopped. "I can't even swear at you anymore," he complained. "You'd take it as an invitation."

"Swear at me tonight," Daniel invited him. "You know what words do to me."

Maggie pushed into Daniel. "Ooooh, kinky. Tell me," she encouraged him.

"Mother! Daniel, don't you dare. Dad, I thought you were monitoring her internet access."

"She broke through the password encryption," Dad was sorry to inform him.