Fun and Games
Anunnaki Part 20
By Michele
Rating: R
Summary: While the Major is away, Jack and Sam will play. Matthew has been a good boy and gets a treat and gets a lesson in leadership, the new HomeSec offices are done, Jack has a little fun with Paul's parents.

Note: for information on the Air Force ROTC program and junior ROTC /AFROTC for high school, go here: looked at the IM that popped onto his screen.

"Are the kids in school?"

"Yes," he typed back.

"Is Davis here?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else or anyone expected?"

"No."

"Good. Would you please send the Major out for a VERY long lunch?"

"Major, you've been working hard, why don't you take a long lunch?" Jack suggested.

"Sir?"

"A very long lunch."

Paul wasn't sure he wanted to know what was behind the expression on Jack's face, but he turned his computer off.

"Yes, sir. Can I bring you back anything?"

"No, thank you, major, I'm sure I'll be well satisfied by the time you get back."

Davis considered that and nodded.

"Yes, sir. I'll return in…. two hours?"

"That should be fine."

Davis escaped and Jack typed.

"He's gone."

A few minutes later, Sam came into his study holding a uniform. She had her dress blues on.

"Why, Col. Carter, what ARE you suggesting?" Jack purred. She sauntered in and draped the uniform across his desk.

"Flyboy."

Jack flew out of his chair at the speed of light and began to quickly change clothes while she cleared his desk of papers and laptop.

It wasn't the first time Davis had been asked to excuse himself while one of Jack's partners were home during the day. He hadn't figured out which of the three were more insatiable and he never expected the general to be so….gung-ho about it. For someone about to turn 55, the general had more stamina than a prime bull.

It had been interesting, watching them from the inside. He had always been a little intimidated by Jack, even when he was a colonel, although Davis would stand his ground when he needed to. If he could take on world leaders, he could swallow the anxiety and take on Jack O'Neill. THIS gay boy wasn't a wuss. Davis wondered if Jack realized that, thanks to the Homeworld Security contract, Jack had the power to put 18 countries under marshal law, if he needed to. And any other country that signed up. Technically, Jack was now the most powerful person on the planet but anyone watching him wouldn't think so as he kicked personnel out for a noonday romp, rolled around on the grass with his nephew and step-daughter, babysat a cub, or argued with a bird over the latest ball game. Turned out Zu had taken a liking to European football and rooted for Macedonia (on general principle) while Jack was shouting for Ireland.

Watching Daniel had become interesting, too. Daniel had recently sat with Stacy through a Body Human tape and discussed babies and sex. Trust Daniel to make a project out of it. The conversation occupied breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and turned to various off-world races which Sam jumped in on. Stacy actually tried to follow Sam as she explained the Human-Serakkin genetics. Jack and Matthew went to a movie. Despite Daniel's anxiety over fatherhood, he had taken to it like a fish to water. He had discovered a higher calling and moved other projects aside without a fuss. He no longer bitched about not going off-world, and when he did have to go, he was anxious to be back by dinner. He was absolutely fascinated by a little girl with his eyes.

Col. Carter had developed a rapport with the pilots and personnel of Area 51. She was well-liked and admired at the Mountain but she was more at home tinkering with alien-human hybrid space ships than she was playing commando off-world. She did keep an office at the Mountain for the occasional emergency fix-its. When she was tinkering at her home lab, neither Jack nor Paul wanted to know what the strange smells were coming from the attic. More than once, she had come into the study holding something up to them and looking at a display screen. She would scowl at the readings and go back to the lab.

Only once did Jack get called to school because of something Matthew did. It was his first year of high school and Matthew got into a fight with the gym teacher. He didn't want to shower after class. Jack got out of him that all the other boys were much bigger and he was picked on for being short and skinny. He showed Matthew pictures of himself at 14, short and skinny. He didn't shoot up for another year, and it came with pimples and a major voice change. Ask Nate. And he didn't start to fill out until he was about 20 and the chest hair didn't fill in until his late 20's early 30's. Matthew didn't quite believe that that was actually normal for most men. Davis wasn't much help, there, neither was Daniel; both were bare-chested. Sam told Matthew that a lot of women preferred furless men because they didn't like having to stop and pull hair from their mouths. Matthew colored nicely over that comment.

Jack had started working out at the gym and Major Bryce was putting him through Jaffa hell. Jack was REALLY out of practice. Even Daniel came in and clobbered him. Teal'c shook his head in disappointment and started showing up at the house at odd times to pull Jack out onto the lawn for a workout. Matthew stared curiously at Teal'c's bared stomach until the Jaffa stopped and talked about the baby symbiotes that Jaffa carried for the Goa'uld.

When Mathew went three weeks without a problem, and a clean pee-test, Jack took him out to the new offices which were being filled in with furniture and personnel under the supervision of Major Davis who tossed orders around like a pro. Jack had a treat for the boy. Jack took Matthew to the locker room, handed him a flight suit and put his own on. Matthew didn't know why because there weren't any planes nearby. They went out to the back field, the size of ten football fields, and were met by Sam who was also in a flight suit.

"Keys are in the ignition, general," she said snappily, tossing him a small device.

"Even your wife has to call you by your rank?" Matthew asked, leaning in.

"It's protocol," Jack told him. "When on the job, yes, she does. Believe me, she makes me pay for it later." Sam grinned at him and her co-pilot, Col. Jeffries, hid a smile. He had taken to being her flying partner when she was at Area 51. Jack approved of the man; he was quick, had a talent for accurately second-guessing his partner and an excellent flight record in the Bosnian-Serb war prior to taking out a few death gliders.

Matthew still didn't see where they were going other than walking into a field. Jack pressed a button on the device Sam gave him and there were suddenly two ships sitting in the field.

"Whoa," Matthew breathed, wide-eyed, coming to a sudden stop. "Are those….?"

"302's," Jack said, giving Sam a proud papa pat on the shoulder. "Come on, Matty, we're going to play."

The boy was practically hyperventilating as Jack got him buckled into the back seat. The space in the cockpit was so small, Matthew suddenly understood the differences he was seeing between pilots and ground troops; pilots tended to be thinner, less bulky muscles and more sinewy muscles. Jack got himself buckled in, checked in with Sam and Jeffries, warned Matthew not to touch anything except the JC bars, and cleared them for flight.

They were in space faster than Matthew expected and he couldn't believe it. Earth was below them, blue and green and beautiful. Jack and Sam played tag around the planet, taking pot-shots at each other with Sam's version of paint balls; energy beams which registered only on the computer. Jack told Matthew it was one of the training tools invented for the space pilots. 302's and 303's all trained with it. Matthew was then startled when a large ship de-cloaked just ahead of them.

"Daedalus, this is O'Neill. Permission to board?"

"This is Col. Caldwell, general; welcome, sir," Caldwell responded.

To Matthew's amazement, they approached the large ship and Jack expertly docked, Sam and Jeffries just behind them. Matthew was a little shaky on his feet when he climbed out of the cockpit.

"Take a minute, get your sea legs," Jack told him. "You get used to it."

They were met by a bald man standing tall and proud, hands comfortably behind his back.

"Colonel, thank you for indulging us," Jack said. He returned the salute and introduced Matthew to Col. Caldwell, commanding the Daedalus. Caldwell didn't ask why Jack had brought his teenage nephew up, and in a 302, at that.

Caldwell showed them around the ship, taking pride in her. Sam couldn't resist tweaking a few things as they walked. She asked Caldwell a few specifics which went right over not only Matthew's head but also Jack's. When they got to the engine room, Matthew had another shock. There was a little gray alien standing behind a consol.

"Hermiod, having fun?" Jack asked. The Asgard muttered. "Language, little buddy," Jack chuckled. "Maybe next time you'll think twice before telling Thor he's a little overweight. You know how sensitive he is."

"I called him a fat-head, O'Neill, not fat," Hermiod informed him.

"Not what he said, but that's between you guys," Jack said. He assumed Hermiod was a guy….

"Is that why he got babysitting detail?" Caldwell asked, amused.

"Oh, yeah," Jack nodded. "You should have heard Thor. He was so angry I thought I heard his voice raise."

The chief engineer was a tall, thin woman, seemingly scattered. She looked at Jack and hiccupped. Hermiod sighed and shook his head, saying something to her. She snapped something back at him.

"Relax, Novak," Caldwell told her.

"Yes, hic sir."

"Nervous – hiccups," he quietly told Jack.

"Ah," Jack nodded. "Dr. Novak, this is my nephew, Matthew. Matty, tell her I'm a pussycat."

Matthew looked at him and then at the lady. And back to Jack. Silent. Jack swatted his arm.

"Even Sua cubs can push him around," Matthew finally smiled and told her. Startled, Novak gave a small laugh. And hiccupped.

"Not," Jack said indignantly.

"Uncle Jack, you haven't once said no to T'Keet and made it stick," Matthew told him.

"Have, too," Jack insisted. He ignored Sam's snort.

"Name one thing," Matthew dared him.

Jack tried a few times. "She's a baby," he finally said. Sam gave a gentle push at his shoulder and he swatted at her.

At least Novak had stopped hiccupping.

"Dr. Jackson has asthma problems," Jack mentioned to her. "He used to sneeze every time he changed climates. Try avoiding THAT on gate travel. He's on meds for it, now, but sometimes it still happens. Believe me his sneezes are more annoying than a few hiccups, especially when one shares a tent with him."

Novak laughed, more relaxed, and went back to her tinkering.

They went back to the tour of the ship, ending up on the bridge. They went for a short hop around the solar system and when they returned to Earth, Matthew almost didn't recognize it.

"It's upside down!" he exclaimed.

"No, we are," Sam said with a smile. She nodded and the pilot, who was playing with the kid, righted the ship.

"Wow, how come it doesn't feel like we're upside down?" Matthew asked as the planet spun in front of them.

Sam explained inertial dampeners and the fact that gravity didn't have the same immediate effect on them when they were in space.

Matthew was completely in love by the time they left the Daedalus. Jack and Sam both told him what it took to become a 302 pilot, confirmed by Col. Jeffries and Col. Caldwell. Katie had already joined junior ROTC, which would do just as well as junior AFROTC. Both were leadership training programs, not an automatic entrance into the military. The entrance age is 14, so Matthew qualified on that part. He'd have to pass the rest of the exam, which was mostly physical, and Jack was sure he'd have no problem providing the drugs were in the past. He had to keep a grade point average of 2.0, but Jack wanted him, and his sister, to be at 3.0 or above. He'd have to make it on his own; Uncle Jack wasn't going to play favorites. In fact, Matthew and Katie both would have to do better than average BECAUSE of their uncle, and if he passed 9th grade with a 3.5 or above, Jack would take him up in the 302 again. Matthew promised. Katie's interest lay more on the technical side of things. She wanted to either play with Sam's toys or do something with the aliens; she wasn't sure yet. Jack told Matthew if he and his sister kept their grades up, he'd pay their scholarship.

On their way home, Jack gave him careful instructions and let Matthew take the controls. After a few tricky starts, Matthew guided the 302 around the planet. Jack took the controls back to take them through the atmosphere and landed them back home. Matthew was breathless when he climbed out of the ship. He threw his arms around Jack and hugged him hard.

In the morning, he walked into the kitchen to find Jack and Daniel in the middle of a serious, heavy duty lip-lock.

"Guys, ugh, kid in the room," Matthew complained, holding a hand up to shield himself from the sight. He was still half asleep as he gathered cereal materials. Jack and Daniel together didn't go through the amount of milk and cereal the boy did, they had no idea where it was being put, and God help any leftovers in the fridge. Sam told them it indicated a growth spurt coming in the near future. Like T'Keet always napping.

"I happen to like kissing," Jack told his nephew as Daniel chuckled. Daniel went back to preparing his perfect cup of coffee, his project before Jack cornered him.

"Whatever, Uncle Jack."

It took a day or two after he got there, but Matthew quickly got used to seeing the guys together, although he was more startled when he saw Daniel and Sam making out and when Uncle Jack walked in on them he didn't say anything except to glance at them, smile a little, and continue to wherever he was going. Shortly after Matty came to the house, Matthew knocked on Jack's bedroom and went in when invited. He lay across the bed, watching his uncle writing on a report.

"Uncle Jack, how come you don't mind another man kissing your wife? I don't think I'd like someone else kissing my girl."

Jack glanced up over his reading glasses, smiled, and went back to the report.

"Believe me, I don't share well," Jack told him. "If it were anyone else, I'd beat the shit out of him. But I didn't expect to fall in love with a man, much less Daniel. So, it makes me feel good to know that the two people I'm in love with also love each other."

"You really do love Daniel?"

"Very much."

"Is it like loving a girl?"

"Well, they're two different people, so I love them each differently. I love you and your brother and sister, but I could never choose which one I love more because I love you all very much just differently. I love Sam very much and I love Daniel very much."

Matthew picked at the bedding. Jack glanced at him again.

"What do you want to know, Matty?"

…… "I kissed a girl this summer," Matthew told him, flushed. "It was…weird. Nice, I liked it, but weird."

Jack smiled. "The weirdness is always there but it becomes a really good weird," he said.

"Do you like kissing Daniel?"

"I like it very much," Jack said.

"Is it different than kissing a girl?"

"No, not really. Lips are lips. A man's lips aren't as soft as a woman's, but the kissing part is still good."

….. "And….guys really do more than kissing?"

Jack glanced up again. "Yes, we make love, just like I make love with Sam. And they make love together. And yes, that's ok with me, too. Sometimes all three of us make love together. It's very nice."

"But how…I mean, she…." He stopped, not knowing how to say it.

"Making love is more than a penis and a vagina, Matty," Jack put down the report and told him. "We kiss, and touch, and taste each other. When you make love with a person, you love their entire being, not just one part. When Sam and Daniel are together, I can still kiss them, touch, and taste, them. It makes me happy to watch them together. Sam watches me and Daniel together, and she participates the same way, with her other senses. When I'm making love with Sam, Daniel participates in other ways, too."

Matthew was completely red, blood pounding in his ears. "How…I mean….do guys…make love…inside each other?"

"Sometimes," Jack said. "When you are preparing to make love, like kissing and making out, called foreplay, your body changes a little. Hormones happen and they tell your body to be open and receptive to your partner. It's the 'turned on' part of it all. So by then, it feels good when one of us enters the other. Sometimes we just like to touch each other."

Matthew thought about that. "Did you ever have a boyfriend before Daniel?"

"No," Jack shook his head. "I've never been interested in a man before. Daniel's the only man I've made love with."

"Everyone says it's wrong for men to be together."

"Well, that's their opinion," Jack said. "And not everyone says so, because there are millions of people who are gay or lesbian or bisexual, meaning they love both men and women. People who disapprove do so because it has to do with religion, more than anything else. I don't think it's wrong to love another person, man or woman. Love is a good thing. And I don't believe God would disapprove of people loving each other. If you don't want to be with a man, that's up to you. It's your body, your choice, and don't ever let anyone tell you different. I never thought I'd be with a man, never in a million years. But I fell in love with one and I didn't have much control over that."

Jack took his reading glasses off and put them on the side table.

"Matty, there's responsibility that comes with being adult enough to make love to someone," he said. "You are responsible for that person's feelings. If you hurt that person, you are at fault. There are also physical responsibilities. You wear a condom. There are a lot of diseases that can be passed from person to person during intimate moments, whether it's making love or oral sex. Some can be transmitted mouth to mouth. Never kiss someone with an open sore on their mouth. I don't wear a condom when I'm with Sam and Daniel because we are committed partners. We don't see anyone else. If I was still single and I was with someone, I'd wear a condom. Even during oral sex. Have you seen the news? A lot of kids are getting sexually transmitted diseases through oral sex, so I want you to promise me you'll wear a condom, even if it's just oral. If she doesn't want you to wear it, you tell her it's a no-go, and you won't let her touch you without it. Promise me."

Matthew's face was hotter than a furnace in January, but he nodded.

"Are you getting close to that with anyone?" Jack asked. "Have you done that yet?"

"No, sir," Matthew quickly shook his head. Jack had noticed that his nephew was picking up a few manners from the military at the gym and around the house. With everyone under the sun sir-ing Jack, it was bound to happen. Even Stacy had sir'd him a couple times. He reached back into Daniel's cupboard. Daniel played clean with his toys; he used condoms to cover anything insertable. He handed a small packet to Matthew.

"That is a condom," he said. He opened a second packet and held two fingers up. "You roll it onto your penis like this." He rolled the condom over his fingers. "If you notice any cracks in it, do not use it. Throw it away. It's rubber, so it doesn't last forever. And they don't wash, so don't try and reuse one. The next time you are hard, and don't tell me you don't masturbate, I want you to try it. It goes on after you are hard, not before. When you're done, wrap it in tissue and throw it away."

"Father Andrew at church said I shouldn't do those things and if I do, I have to confess it," Matthew told him.

"My opinion is that it's none of his damned business, you don't need to tell anyone, but that's your choice, you do what you feel you need to do," Jack told him.

Jack touched Matthew's hair and then took his chin. "My dad couldn't talk about things like this," he said. "It embarrassed him too much. I will always be open to talking with you, understand? We can talk about anything. There is a section in the library downstairs on human sexuality. It's on one of the lower shelves so that Stacy can reach them, if she wants to. There are a couple of very good DVDs, one of them is about sex and making love. There's a couple, actually. Stacy watched the kids one, the other is more for older teenagers or adults. If you are ready, you can watch it. Take it to your room, whatever. We can watch it together, or you can watch it and ask me questions, if you have any. You can ask Daniel, too. There's a DVD about guys, too, you can watch if you're curious. They are not x-rated, they are human sexuality tapes. If your mother finds out, it might make her upset, so tell her to talk to me, I told you that you could watch it."

To the growing boy's eternal embarrassment, he got his cheek kissed by his uncle. Jack was satisfied with the conversation; he had wanted to have it with the boy for a while but didn't know if Matthew was ready for it.

He did work up the courage to watch both DVDs one day when everyone was out of the house, and knew exactly what Uncle Jack and Daniel did behind closed doors. It was icky.

"Uncle Jack, can I ask you something?" he asked after catching them in the kitchen the morning after the space ride.

"Of course you can," Jack said. He sat and poured his own bowl of cereal.

"The other day, someone at the gym offered me pot," came the surprising statement. "Are you testing me?"

Jack and Daniel both turned to look at the boy.

"No, I'm not, Matty," Jack told him. "Who was it?"

Matthew considered it; he had gone this far in tattling and one just didn't lie to Uncle Jack…. "An airman, Hatcher."

"I'll take care of it," Jack said.

"Uncle Jack, he'll know I told," Matthew complained. "None of the guys will talk to me."

Jack took Matthew's jaw and lifted his chin. "Leadership is standing up and taking responsibility for the actions of not only oneself but also the actions of those you lead," he told the boy. "That airman did something wrong. There's a time for everything, and this is a time to suck it up and stand up."

He told the boy exactly what to say to someone who attempted to punish him for speaking the truth. Daniel thought Jack was being a little hard on the kid, but also understood that Matthew needed strong direction considering his life until that moment was filled with conflicting signals. He had heard about the 302 expedition and listened to Matthew talk nonstop about it the night before. If he wanted to fly, he needed a few life lessons now, not just before he stepped into the cockpit of his own ship.

Sara showed up a while later to take Matthew for the weekend. Jack had called her and asked her if she would mind talking with the boy about her experience with divorce, tell him the emotional hell she went through and give him an idea of what his mother is going through. Jack had already talked with Matthew about his side, was honest and took the blame for the pain he caused his wife. Sara thought about it and agreed.

Matthew packed an overnight bag and had to be reminded to take Sunday clothes. After noticing that none of the adults in the house were going to take him to church when he first got there, he had a talk with his uncle. Jack said there was a Catholic church about 4 blocks away and if he wanted to go, that was up to him. Daniel sat down with Matthew and explained that none of them were religious. They each had their own spirituality, but there was a difference between religion and spirituality. They didn't believe in the God of the Bible, but did believe in a higher power; they just weren't going to put a name on It. Daniel didn't consider the higher power to be a god, it was just something on a higher order of life. So Matthew considered it and decided that, since his grandfather, great grands, and mom were expecting him to complete Catechism and Confirmation, he would go to church. After that, he'd think about it.

Jack had no issues with that; the boy made an informed decision.

On Monday afternoon, Jack showed up at the gym. He had two SF with him as he strode into the main workout room.

"Hatcher!" he barked. The startled airman hopped front and center as the others all came to a sudden stop and stood at attention at the tone in Jack's voice.

"Sir!"

Jack held out a cup.

"Pee, airman. Now. No, here." Jack pointed to the floor in front of him when the airman looked toward the locker rooms. With no time to fake a sample, the still warm urine tested positive for drugs. The SF placed him under arrest and took him away.

"As you were!" Jack left with the SF. There was quiet in the room for a moment.

"Carmichael!" Bryce came into the room and looked around.

"Sir?" Matthew came forward from the back of the towering crowd of men. He was pale, knowing he was about to be taken down for tattling. Major Bryce backed him up until he bumped into someone's mile wide, hard as a rock chest. Matthew gulped.

"Only one person could have squealed to the General," the Marine informed him with a quiet, deadly snarl. "Anything to say?"

Matthew considered his options and took a deep breath.

"SIR! THAT AIRMAN IS A FUCKING BASTARD WHO DISGRACED HIS UNIFORM BY OFFERING DRUGS TO A MINOR! SIR!"

Well, that's what Uncle Jack told him to say….

There was silence for a moment. A loud "Whoo-ah!" rattled the walls and almost broke his ear drums as he was lifted high, shaken, and passed around.

"Good boy," Bryce said, smiling and ruffling Matthew's hair. He went back into his office and returned the general's earlier call.

Matthew went home a week later with a new attitude and a goal to focus on.

Jack was depressed.

"You're missing Charlie," Daniel guessed.

"I could have helped him through things like this," Jack said.

"Did you ever think maybe Charlie had a hand in this?" Daniel asked. "Maybe he helped to bring those kids back into your life?"

Sam was back at the base, so Jack was lying on the couch with Daniel wrapped around him, watching TV. Stacy was lying on her stomach on the floor, legs swinging in the air as she watched TV with them. She knew what was going on, they didn't hide things from her. Daddy had a long talk with her about drugs. Dad talks a lot. She also knew who Charlie was and what happened to him.

"Don't worry, Jack," Stacy said, not taking her eyes from the TV. "Give me a few more years and you can zat my boyfriends."

Jack's new offices were pretty much set to use, so he forced himself to get dressed in the morning and go to work. Jack had a suite to himself for his admin and assistant, along with a private conference room. His assistant declared that he also needed an admin, so a second admin was attached to their offices. Davis was playing ferocious guard dog and not allowing anyone through him to the general without a damned good reason. Jack hated being behind closed doors, though, so he could often be found strolling through the center. The new personnel would have to get used to the various aliens their general called his friends and it became part of the new personnel orientation to be told not to worry about people disappearing and reappearing before their eyes. If the general disappeared, and the major was flipping out about it, THEN people could worry.

Several generals showed up during the week to see the new digs for themselves. They were surprised to find a ring platform had been not only installed but it also had a lock which wouldn't allow it to activate without permissions, just like the Stargate. Ships with beaming capabilities were instructed to use the ring room for beaming in and out. An alien bad guy brig was installed in the basement and set with a self-destruct in case of a major problem. The field had its own air tower and flight control center which included monitoring of the solar system; can't have ships speeding out of the atmosphere only to have them crash into another space ship. The infirmary had all up to date equipment that was programmed for off-world problems. Just in case. Although the SGC was still the main site for such needs.

Jack had Nick come in and make a run through the security system. He found bugs in the system and fixed it. Jack was also amused to watch Nick around Paul. The big bad assassin completely melted around the Major and even managed small smiles, revealing deep dimples which made his green eyes sparkle even more. Jack had mentioned to Daniel that for a supposedly submissive man, Davis sure bossed Nick around. And Nick took it.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Daniel asked before pecking at Jack's mouth. He had come in to take a walk around. Davis' admin, Heidi Sands, was flustered to meet Daniel. Davis whispered to Daniel that she was a fan of his royal cuteness. Jack laughed out loud as Daniel flushed. Daniel shoved Paul and handed him something wrapped. Paul tore the paper off and took out a framed print.

"Daniel, thank you," he said, surprised, and hugged Daniel. Jack looked at it. He vaguely recognized Hebrew letters and a menorah.

"What's it say?" Jack asked.

"Shalom ayhem," Daniel said. Jack waited. They blinked at each other.

"Daniel!"

Daniel chuckled. "It means Peace Be With You."

"You couldn't have just said that?" Jack whined as Davis looked around for a good place to hang it as he rubbed at his arm. "Major, are you Jewish?"

"Yes, sir," Davis nodded. He'll hang it next to the door, a reminder every time someone leaves.

Jack was stumped and Davis smiled at him.

"Just because I sleep with heathens, doesn't mean I am one. Sir."

Daniel grinned.

"No star necklace, I haven't noticed you doing anything….Jewish," Jack said. Daniel laughed and shook his head.

"Jack…."

"It's ok, Daniel," Paul said good-naturedly. "I've added Jack-speak to my language collection. I do my own thing, Sir, I'm not orthodox or anything like that. I'm more spiritual than religious. In fact…." He turned back to them and perched on the edge of his desk, giving his arm another rub.

"Could we jump into the personal realm for a moment, sir?" Davis asked. Jack nodded.

"Unless something's going on, I don't want to stand on ceremony here," he told Davis.

"Thank you. Actually, it's a ceremony I'd like to talk about. More of a ritual, really. I'm going to do a private ritual which involves piercing my chakras. It's extremely private, and I'd like a few close friends to be witness to it. Daniel, I'd like for you to be there, and you, too, Jack, if you feel you can appreciate the spirituality behind it."

Daniel was glad they had dropped the formalities during down-time. Jack didn't realize that a lot of Paul's formality had more to do with Paul seeing Jack as a Master than it being a rank issue. Daniel wasn't going to tell him; it would freak Jack out.

Jack frowned. "What's it about?" he asked.

"Well, it's about opening up my chakras and cleansing them," Davis said. "I have an old friend coming in from DC to perform it. She's going to pierce my chakras which will force them open, and then she will perform a cleansing ceremony and close them again. Inside, I may fly a bit, I may do any number of things; I won't know until they happen. But it also opens my soul for a brief time, which is why I'm careful about who I ask to witness. I have six witnesses, including Nick and if you both will attend. You don't need to do anything, you'll just watch and respect the space."

"Doesn't sound Jewish," Jack commented.

"It isn't," Davis said. "It's a combination of things, but it's been adapted by a small group of kinky folk for spiritual purposes. I'm sure Daniel has told you a little about me. It's ok, Daniel, I expected it."

"Not much," Daniel said. "Just updating my partner on my past contacts." Davis nodded in understanding.

"Jack, I know what he's talking about," Daniel said. "He'll need to be naked for it, but there's nothing sexual about it. It's just a very private, personal thing for his own benefit, witnesses are there for emotional support and to be open for him. I would be honored to attend, but I won't speak for you, Jack. I can get you a historical background on ritual piercings from other cultures. Some Native Americans have the Sun Dance, and there's a big Polynesian festival every year which involves piercing. Some people have begun combining it with a Hindu ritual involving the chakras, which are energy points in the body. A small sector of the leather crowd have picked it up for other aspects."

"And it's a spiritual thing?" Jack asked, not quite believing him.

"Yes, it is," Daniel nodded. "I will explain leather and spirituality to you later. Paul, I accept, thank you, we'll let you know about Jack later, but I think it would be good for him to experience this. When is it?"

"In a couple of weeks," he said and said the time and date.

"Is there a protocol?"

"Leather or silk, black, Nick and I are catering, so don't worry about bringing anything. My other guests are leather, I'll let them know that you're not," Davis said. "Leather protocols won't be expected from you."

"Kinky folk have protocols?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir," Davis nodded with a grin. "Actually, they're based on military protocols, so you may see a few things that are familiar. Sir/Ma'am, subordinates waiting to be acknowledged, asking permission for whatever, a hierarchy, things like that."

"Hmmm." Jack nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, let me talk some more with Daniel about this ritual, and I'll let you know. I do appreciate the invitation, though, and the depth of its meaning." He really was touched that Davis would ask him to attend what sounded like an extremely personal event.

"You don't want Sam there?" Daniel asked.

Paul bit his lip and winced. "I mean no disrespect toward her, I like her, but…"

"No connection," Daniel finished. "It's ok, we'll tell her it's guys only. Paul, why are you rubbing your arm? Did you hurt it?"

"Sort of," Paul said with a small smile. "I got a tattoo. It's itching. Making me crazy." He rubbed his arm again, careful not to scratch.

"Really? Can I see?" Daniel asked, lighting up. Davis lifted the sleeve of his dress shirt.

"It's a Tau'ri sigil," Daniel noted, gently twisting Paul's arm around to get a good look. Jack peered at it. It was well done, the lines crisp and clear. Starting to peel slightly.

"Yeah, it's actually part of my piercing ritual," Davis told him. "I realize that I'm in the US Air Force, but I've pledged myself to Earth. Tau'ri. A few people have been getting them."

"No, Daniel," Jack said.

"I didn't…."

"I know but I happen to like your skin the way it is," Jack said. "Preventive measures."

"Do you like the sun freckles across his shoulders?" Paul asked him.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said. "Sometimes I make pictures with them."

"And then he claims he has to be the one to scrub the marker off because he's the one who made the mess," Daniel told Paul. "At least he uses the washable markers."

Paul laughed. "I never thought about using a marker, that's good." The general played connect the dots with his male partner's freckles….

"You know, maybe the two of you working together isn't such a good idea," Daniel suggested.

"Nonsense," Jack stated. "I still have a lot to learn about this guy stuff, and Paul will be an excellent source of information. What else is a good assistant for?"

Daniel looked at them. "Uh huh. Paul, we need to have dinner. Soon."

As they left, Daniel thought he heard a female sigh.

Davis looked at his admin. "He's taken. I'm sorry."

Caught, Heidi flushed. "He is? Of course, he is. Is she at least nice?"

"Yes, she is," Davis nodded. "And you should know the she in question is O'Neill."

Davis explained it and Heidi, stunned, looked out the door in the general's direction. With the testosterone levels the general exuded, she assumed he was completely women only.

"Wow. I thought that was against military rules?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Davis said. He thought he saw something cross her face. "Heidi, my partner may visit once in a while, too. If this is going to be a problem, I'll sign a transfer order. Just be honest with me."

"No, sir, I'm sorry, it'll be fine. I was just surprised, that's all."

Paul knew this might happen, so he had a reserve of applicants to choose from.

Jack called him in a while later.

"Paul, any particular reason you'd like to beg off the California trip?" he asked. "We need to check on that new monitoring center. I really need you with me." He was looking at the email Davis sent him. With both of them running around, it was easier to communicate by email. Jack really didn't need to do this himself, but he was asked nicely by Gen. Maynard to personally visit the new monitoring stations as a good will gesture to the various cities. There were twenty going up all over the world; they couldn't count on the Heaven's Bow staying in orbit indefinitely as their fly-swatter. The first station to be completed was in Northern California near the Nevada border. The station gave jobs to about 10 locals and six military personnel. How hard was it to sit on one's ass and watch a monitor 24/7? Jack was told to get civilians involved, make 'em feel useful, so he was.

"Sir….Emerson is my home town," Davis reluctantly told him. "My parents haven't spoken to me since I came out, and my father and I in the same town is not a good thing."

"Well, I appreciate that, major, but we're not visiting with your parents," Jack told him.

"Actually, we are, sir," Davis said. "You've been invited to dinner with Mayor Davis and please bring your party with you."

It took Jack a moment. Davis was such a common surname, it didn't occur to Jack to question it. "I see. Yes, that could be a problem. Alright, you're excused, I'll take someone else."

Jack took Daniel. And was overly solicitous as they met the mayor. He sometimes held a hand at Daniel's back, touched his hand a few times, brushed a crumb from Daniel's shirt, and 'accidentally' called him 'honey' once as he slid an absent arm around the back of Daniel's chair. Silar, Jack's choice to check the new West Coast Solar System Monitor, paid them no mind, having years of experience with these two and their shenanigans. Jack had warned him not to mention the major.

The guys noticed that Paul looked like his mother, Rita. Thankfully, he didn't have her annoying, nasal voice, which she used to bombard the men as she extolled the virtues of their town. They had two synagogues, and although they had only one rabbi to share between them, they had a rabbi. Rabbis were in short supply and had to be shared between multiple temples, unlike Christian houses of worship who couldn't get on without a man of the cloth in each and every one. She said something in Yiddish and Daniel winced, automatically correcting her pronunciation. She wasn't happy with the correction but she went on, telling them about the high family values of their town and that their local school board was about to approve the Intelligent Design class for all their schools. They were an open-minded town and felt that it was inappropriate to include the discussion in science class, but it should be part of the Earth History courses. Daniel gave her the title of a series of books that did a good job at breaking down as many creation stories as could be found by the printing of the books, and it was on a junior high to high school level, so….. Mrs. Davis told him they'd be using the Old Testament, but thank you for your suggestion; the children didn't need to know about other religions halfway around the world, just the ones here. Daniel said the Old Testament came from halfway around the world. Mrs. Davis wasn't happy with Daniel.

"General O'Neill….," Mayor Ed Davis started.

"Jack, please," Jack invited, waving a hand. Daniel was amused by Jack the butch queen.

The mayor cleared his throat. "Jack… may I express a concern?"

"Certainly, Ed."

"My concern is the new rules for military personnel. We're a strong nation, and I'm afraid these new protocols will weaken our boys and girls, and through them, our country."

Jack nodded, frowning in hard thought. "Yes, I understand, Ed, I've had a lot of folk come up to me with concerns. All I can say is I'm doing my best to bring us up to, or surpass, the strength of our enemies. I'll be honest with you, Ed, it's sheer luck we've held our own all this time. With minds like Dr. Jackson's," patting Daniel's hand and giving it a squeeze. "We are jumping ahead at astonishing rates. I have to give large credit to my assistant, Major Paul Davis; he's been invaluable. He negotiates with world leaders and alien allies and we come out on top every time. He held the fort during the Colorado battle, took my place at the SGC while I was on the field. He's gone on off-world missions with us and saved my ass more than once. Pardon, Ma'am. He's even had a hand in the creation of our space ships. That boy is brilliant. Our allies are very happy with our progress, actually they're amazed at the speed we've become a galactic power. Nine years, and we're kickin' alien butt. Ma'am. This isn't public knowledge, Ed, but one of the gods recently dropped in for a visit, and when I told him I wasn't giving up what he wanted, BOY was he pissed. Ma'am." Jack crossed his legs primly and examined his nails.

"….if the major can keep that boyfriend of his in line, relatively, I certainly trust him with MY office…"

"….Oh, Daniel and I have known each other a long time. We've only recently gotten together, though; he was dating Major Davis for a few years…"

"….kids these days, I tell ya; I don't know WHAT my son is doing. I don't think he knows what he's doing. Teenagers. Is it Cassie or the Major, Cassie or the Major, on and on... I grant you Major Davis is cute but really!..."

"…thank you, Ed, the new offices are perfect, and they went up so fast! Davis orchestrated the entire thing, from building and remodel, to getting all the personnel hired. There isn't one other person I would rather have as my right hand; in fact, the General I stole him from is pretty upset with me. He kept our Pentagon offices running, too…."

"…I'm not worried about China; the Major will whip them into submission. So to speak…."

Their SF escorted them to the waiting car after dinner.

"Do you know how completely evil you are?" Daniel asked him. "I give you an 8 on the evil purity scale."

"Daniel, what a nice thing to say," Jack cooed and patted Daniel's butt as he handed Daniel into the car.