Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“So, are you telling me that you convinced Oma to defeat Anubis on our behalf?” General Jack O'Neill raised his eyebrows in astonishment.

“Well, no defeat as in terminated,” Dr. Daniel Jackson clarified. “Just let’s say she will keep him out of business for… ahem… forever.”

“That’s a lot of time.”

“Mhm.”

“Sweet.” Jack grinned from ear to ear. Not only had they gotten rid of a formidable enemy, but he had Daniel back, alive and whole, after the archaeologist was killed for the umpteenth time several days ago.

Sam watched the exchange with amusement. It was good to see the general smile again. He had been quite distraught those last days, when they all had thought Daniel was gone for good. Although truth be told, the general had refused to believe the evidence since day one. Yeah, it was certain that the two men shared a strong connection, even so, she wondered what had made the general so adamant in his denial bearing in mind that the last days' events pointed to the worst.

The colonel sighed internally and pushed the question away. Daniel, her dearest friend, her brother, was back, and that was everything that mattered. 

Sitting next to his daughter, Jacob Carter smiled fondly. Teal’c mirrored him from the place he occupied at the briefing table opposite to Sam. Next to him, Master Bra'tac looked pleased as well, even exultant. Sam thought of the wide grin that had crossed the older Jaffa's face the moment Daniel had appeared in the briefing room with a flag covering his nudity. It had been rather… creepy.

That had happened only six hours ago, and Sam couldn’t still believe their luck. Jack had sent Daniel straight to the infirmary, where Dr. Brightman had confirmed that, indeed, he was the one and only Doctor Daniel Jackson, alive and healthy, and not a product of their grieving imagination. So there he was, explaining his tale about his trip to Oma's world and planting an honest smile on every one of their friends’ faces.

“So,” Jack clasped his hands, “since looks like things are going to be quiet for the time being, you can take the rest of the week. What the hell, let's take an entire week, me included. I think we all deserve a vacation.”

All the presents raised their eyebrows in surprise. It wasn’t often that the general indulged himself with some free time.

“Thank you, Sir,” Sam grinned, her eyes sparkling.

“Yeah.” Jack looked at the ceiling, daydreaming. “I can hear the loons calling me from here. No replicators, no Goa'uld, no glowy octopus around… just me, a deck chair, a fishing rod, a few packs of beer, and miles, and miles of nothing but the woods surrounding me.”

“Sounds, uh, fascinating.” Daniel adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “I think I, uh… I'll take the chance to catch up on some reading at home.”

“Talking about *fascinating*,” Jack made a face. Daniel scowled at him. “So T, any fascinating plans for you?” The general drew quotation marks with his fingers.

“Indeed, O’Neill,” the Jaffa bowed his head. “I must depart with Master Bra'tac to Dakara. The Jaffa have finally achieved the freedom we have dreamed of for so long. We have chosen the holy ground of Dakara as our new homeworld. There is much to build.”

“That, uh, that doesn’t sound like a week's goal,” Daniel frowned.

“Yeah, that sounds more like a lifetime goal,” Jack observed, a hint of panic in his voice.

“Indeed.” 

“You… you’re leaving? For good?” A lump grew in Daniel’s throat. He had just tricked death, hoping to enjoy a tranquil stage of life together with his friends, his family, and now his brother was leaving?

“Hey, I just gave you a week's downtime,” the general protested. “I said a week, right? Right?” He looked at his subordinates in search of support. Daniel and Sam felt both so shocked that they basically ignored him.

“What about SG-1?” the colonel asked, visibly upset by the news.

“I joined you in the fight against the Goa’uld so that one day my people would be free,” Teal’c replied solemnly. “My goal has been fulfilled, but the resulting society is fragile. I must now devote myself to the cause of building a strong Jaffa nation.”

Bra'tac noticed the slight waver in his friend’s voice and clasped his shoulder in support. He was aware that Teal’c’s had forged a strong bond with the Tau'ri, and he knew how difficult was for his friend and disciple to utter such words.

“There is nothing we can say to change your mind, isn’t it?” Daniel asked forlornly. The archaeologist knew something about abandoning his family in order to fulfill greatest goals. It hadn’t turned out so well for him. He hoped Teal’c had better luck.

The Jaffa smiled and bowed his head, acknowledging his friend's sorrow for his departure.

“Ok, I buy that,” Jack said, attempting to sound casual. “But I want to see you here at least once a month. There will be a barbecue. And cake. And I won’t accept a no for an answer.”

“I will do my best, my friend. Over the years, I learned to appreciate your charred pieces of meat.”

“Now I think he just insulted me.” Jack looked at Daniel. “Did he just insult me?”

“You'll get over it,” the archaeologist rolled his eyes.

Bra'tac grinned. Those Tau'ri people were something different. He had learned to care about them as well, although he wondered what was that *barbecue* thing O'Neill seemed so fond of.

“Selmak and I want to express our congratulations on your achievement,” Jacob said. “We speak in the name of all the Tok'ra when I say we hope both our races will work to solidify their alliance.”

“Thank you, JacobCarter. This is my wish as well.” Teal’c bowed his head.

They accorded to meet in the gateroom in one hour to say goodbye and Jack dismissed the group. He and Daniel went to their respective offices, Teal’c and Bra'tac went to the Jaffa's quarters to get some stuff, and Sam and her father headed to the mess hall to grab a bite.

“So, are you feeling like going to St. Diego to visit Mark?” Sam dug into her blue Jell-O.

“Not really,” Jacob replied as his spoon surfed his bowl of fruits. “I'd rather enjoy a few relaxing days here, you know? Selmak would like to know Pete better.”

“Who?” 

Jacob’s eyebrows crawled upright. “Pete? Pete Shanahan? The guy you’re going to marry? Ring a bell?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Sam forced a laugh. “I had my head in the clouds for a moment.”

“Sammy, are you alright?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“You’re not having second thoughts about the wedding, are you?” Jacob cocked his head questioningly.

Sam blew out and looked away.

“Sam?”

The colonel stared at her father and hesitated for several seconds before talking.

“Can we go to talk somewhere else? Somewhere more… private?”

*** 

A few minutes later, father and daughter were strolling through the wooded area outside the base.

“So, will you tell me what is all this about?” Jacob inquired.

“I, uh…”

“Sam?”

“I… I'm not sure I love Pete the way he deserves,” the colonel confessed to her boots.

Jacob sighed soundly. “I see. Who is he? Daniel, Jack, or Teal’c?”

Sam's heart skipped a beat. She stopped cold in her tracks and stared at her father in shock.

“Wha- what?”

“Pete seems a great guy, so if he isn’t enough to fill the hole in your heart, this means the post is already taken. I know you don’t go out much, so it has to be someone from the SGC, and you have never talked about anyone other than your teammates. I'm not blind, Sam, and neither is Selmak. We've seen the way you look at them, especially Daniel and Jack. Selmak believes it’s the general. I'm more inclined to Daniel.”

“I… I…“ the colonel chewed her lower lip. 

“So?” 

Sam sat on a rock, and Jacob joined her. The colonel’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “The general. It’s the general.”

“Really?” Jacob raised his eyebrows.

“You don’t approve?” Sam looked at him with concern.

“Does it matter?” he shrugged. “The question is, do you love him?”

“I think so.”

“You think so?” The man made a face.

“Well, no, I mean, yes, I Iove him, but we haven’t even gone out alone. I mean, what if it’s not like I have imagined it? What if I kiss him and I don’t feel butterflies in my stomach? I know he has feelings for me, too, but what if they aren’t strong enough to act on them? What if we get involved and I find out it has nothing to do with my fantasies? I mean, I see the soldier and my heart runs wild, but do I know Jack O'Neill, the man? Will I be able to love him as much? And what about our careers? What if…?

“Hey, hey, kiddo, stop! You’re giving me a headache!” Jacob gripped his daughter’s knee to stop her blather.

“Sorry, sorry.” Sam buried her face in her hands. “Oh, dad, what should I do?”

“Only you can answer this question,” Jacob said kindly, “but whether or not you decide to pursue this fantasy, you shouldn’t marry a man when your dreams are riddled with images of another one.”

Sam raised her head and looked at her father. Anguish was written all over her face. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it affectionately.

“Stop thinking about it for a while and try to listen to your heart. In any case, you’re not being fair to Pete. You must make your choice, and you have to do it soon.”

Sam nodded.

They got up to go back to the base and Jacob swayed. Sam grabbed his arm to steady him. 

“Hey, you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I got up too fast.”

“That and that you didn’t finish your fruits,” the colonel pointed out.

“I wasn’t hungry.”

“Dad?”

“I'm fine.” Jacob rolled his eyes. “C'mon, you don’t wanna miss Teal’c’s departure.”

*** 

Half an hour later, they all met in the Gateroom to see Teal’c and Bra’tac set off. Somehow, they all knew they wouldn’t meet again for a long time. The six friends shared hugs and clasps, and the two Jaffa warriors left.

“Well, Minnesota is waiting for me!” Jack exclaimed cheerfully as soon as the wormhole disengaged. “Be good and don’t do anything I wouldn’t. See you in a week. Lady, gentlemen.” He made an exaggerated reverence and left, humming on his way. 

“Have fun, Sir,” Sam said to his back. 

Jack raised a hand and waved, never turning around. “I will!”

For a brief moment, Sam thought the general was going to ask her to go with him. She kicked herself mentally for her own naivety. Of course he wouldn’t invite her. The general thought she was in love with Pete. God, her father was right. She needed to make up her mind once and for all. This situation wasn’t fair to any of them.

“I, uh, I need to pick up some books in my office,” Daniel excused himself. “See you in a few.” And he left after Jack, leaving the two Carter alone.

“So, ready to go home?” Sam asked her father.

“I think I'll stay here, in the base,” Jacob said. “I'm going to turn in early.”

Sam frowned in concern. “Dad, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, just a little tired. It’s been a long day.”

“Are you sure nothing else is wrong?”

“I'm sure. Actually, I might go to visit Mark after all. You need some time alone to… you know. Use that time wisely.”

“Ok,” Sam said, not very convinced. “We'll talk tomorrow.”

They kissed on the cheek, and Jacob left. Sam watched him leave, her brows knitted in concern.

***

That night, the colonel tossed and turned for hours. No matter how much she tried to listen only to her heart, her rational mind kept interfering. On the other hand, if Daniel’s last death had taught her something, it was that life was too short, and bearing in mind their occupation, it could well end overnight. She had lost enough time already, hadn’t she? 

In the end, exhaustion took over the colonel, and she dropped off. She woke up before dawn, and suddenly, her thoughts were ordered and clear. Only then did she fall into a peaceful sleep.

*** 

Chapter Text

It was 6:30 when Jack pulled in next to the gas station on the outskirts of Denver. His passenger was already there waiting for him, as accorded. The general watched the well-built body leaning against the wall. Faded jeans, black half-zip polo shirt slightly open, black leather jacket, black boots… Jack swallowed at the view of his particular Adonis. He stopped in front of him and rolled down the window.

“Hello, stranger,” the younger man said.

“Hello, handsome. Want a ride?”

“That depends. Where are you heading?”

“Minnesota. A cabin in the woods, a cozy fireplace, warm food…”

“A warm bed?”

“Oh, yeah,” Jack grinned.

“I must admit it sounds interesting.” The younger man licked his lips.

“The offer is on the table until... let’s see…” Jack checked his watch, “0633.”

“I might need some more time to think about it,” the other man said seductively, not leaving his position against the wall.

“For crying out loud, Daniel! Will you get your ass in the truck already? I’m chilling with that window open and I'm not getting any younger here!”

“Oh, c'mon!” the archaeologist whined. “I was having fun. You just spoiled the mood,” he pouted.

He threw his sports bag on the rear seat and got into the vehicle. Jack rolled up the window and leaned to capture his lover’s lips in a gentle kiss.

“Mmmmmm, missed you,” Daniel purred.

“I missed you too, baby.” Jack cupped the younger man’s face and stared at his bright blue eyes. “God, I couldn’t wait to be alone with you.”

Daniel's heart hurt at the sudden anxiety reflected in his lover’s voice. Ten days. He had stayed dead for ten days this time, and the only moment they could spend alone after his return was fifteen minutes in the locker room while he put on his clothes. A soldier could have entered any moment, so they didn’t even dare to hug each other, much less kiss, but the urgency was so strong that Jack proposed the getaway to the cabin, which of course, Daniel accepted without question.

“Hey, hey, I'm here,” the archaeologist replied softly. “You, me, and an entire week to compensate for the lost time.”

“I knew you’d come back,” Jack breathed. “I knew it, and still…”

“I know, I know…”

Their lips met again in a much more hungry kiss than before. When they pulled away, they were both panting, their cheeks flushed.

“You better start if we want to make it to the cabin this century,” Daniel suggested.

“Right.” Jack did as told and stepped on the pedal.

A few minutes later, they were riding the highway. Jack’s mind wandered to that moment, several days ago, when Carter came back through the gate and told him that a beam had taken Daniel in front of her very eyes. At that moment, the general had felt an imaginary dagger burying into his gut. His stomach churned at the memory, and he grimaced.

“Jack, are you alright?” Daniel asked as soon as he noticed the gesture.

Jack’s only answer was to grab his lover's hand, entwining their fingers together, and place it on his thigh. The general continued lost in his thoughts. Daniel could easily imagine what had caused his lover’s sudden gesture of discomfort. He had died again, after all, and although Jack’s faith in him had remained strong, he had had to suffer the unimaginable during those never-ending days, without knowing for sure whether they’d meet again. And although Daniel had been the one who had crossed the pearly gates, his mind had been so focused on understanding what was going on, and later on stopping Anubis, that he hadn’t had time to dwell on the loss. Besides, the perception of time was clearly altered on the other plane of existence. Jack had agonized for ten days, while for Daniel, it felt as if only two days had passed. The older man had endured the greatest part of the torment. Even so, the archaeologist had the feeling that there was something more.

“A penny for them?” he finally asked.

“Oh, you know, same old, same old. You disappearing, dying on me, coming back to me, having to suppress my need to squeeze you into my arms in front of everyone, having to orchestrate all this sham so I can be with the man I love…”

“I'm sorry,” Daniel told his lap.

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Jack squeezed the younger man’s hand. “In any case, it’s mine. I'm the one that serves in the military, remember?”

Daniel cursed the regulations internally but said nothing. They stayed silent for several minutes until Jack talked again.

“You only have to say the word. You know it, right?”

“Jaaaack, we’re not discussing your retirement again. You’re too valuable to the program.”

“You’re more valuable to me than any program, Daniel,” Jack replied firmly.

Daniel's heart swelled at his lover’s words.

“I love you, you know?” he said with emotion.

Jack sent the archaeologist a quick glance before concentrating on the road again.

“I know.”

“But you’re still not retiring.”

Jack laughed. “We'll see.”

The general kept driving, a soft smile crossing his face.

***

Sam woke up when a sunray filtered through the curtain and bathed her face. The moment she opened her eyes, the events of the previous day rushed to her mind. She mentally stood by the decision she had taken before falling asleep. The colonel smiled. Today was the first day of her new life. But there was something she needed to do before setting off after her dream. Sam was a woman with a plan. She sat cross-legged on the bed, grabbed the phone, and dialed Pete. They agreed to meet at midday. Pete insisted on meeting at the house he had bought for them. Sam didn’t think it was a good idea, bearing in mind what she wanted to tell him, but he insisted and she finally agreed. The colonel hung up the phone, lay on her back on the mattress, drew up her knees, slid a hand under her panties, and brought herself to climax as she breathed Jack’s name.

***

Jack took the exit to the service area. He had been driving for four hours now. Time to grab a coffee and stretch their legs. He pulled in at the parking lot and stopped the engine. The general looked at the passenger seat. Daniel had fallen sound asleep a couple of hours earlier. Even with his eyes closed, the archaeologist looked exhausted. Jack doubted he had slept much last night. His lover’s dreams had probably been plagued with nightmares. He scolded himself in his mind for not having spent the night with him. Then he reminded himself that it would have been unwise. Daniel sleeping in his house when he was setting off to Minnesota the next day would have been odd. No one needed to know, but even so, it wasn’t the smartest movement. They needed to be cautious. What they had was way too important to risk it foolishly.

Jack traced every inch of Daniel’s face with his eyes. God, he looked so young, so beautiful, like an angel sculpted in heaven. The general’s gaze moved to the archaeologist’s chest and watched the rhythmic rise and fall. Daniel had told them how he had died, how Replicator Carter had pierced his chest with a blade. Jack shuddered at the thought of his lover dying alone and in excruciating pain in the middle of nowhere. He felt the urge to feel his heartbeat, to make sure he was really alive and well. The general raised a trembling hand, placed it on the younger man’s chest, and closed his eyes. He sighed internally when he felt the thud under his palm. A few seconds later, he felt long, slender fingers carding his silver hair. Jack looked upright and met a pair of sapphire eyes staring at him.

“I'm real, Jack,” said Daniel, who could read his lover like a book.

“Don’t do it again,” the older man replied. “I don’t think my heart can take more of this crap.”

“I'll do my best. I promise.”

“I love you so much… If I ever lose you for good…”

“Shhhhh.” Daniel put a finger over the older man’s lips. “Don’t dwell on that. We have an entire week for us, far from everything," the archaeologist insisted. "Let’s take the best of it.” Next, he captured the older man’s mouth in a gentle kiss.

Once he pulled away, Daniel looked around questioningly.

“Where are we?”

“A few clicks from Sutherland. I thought we could use a coffee.”

“Oh, yessss. I love you.”

“Definitely a cheap date.” Jack chuckled.

They got off the car and headed to the cafeteria. It was almost empty, so finding a table in the corner was easy. Jack ordered only coffee, but Daniel added waffles to his order.

“Hungry?” Jack asked in amusement.

“Well, they say it’s the natural substitute for sex, and I've had a dry spell lately.” The archaeologist grinned.

“Wait until I get you in the cabin,” Jack smirked. “I'll nail you to the mattress so hard that you won’t be able to get up for a week.”

“Promises, promises.”

The waitress served them and Jack watched with a grin planted on his face how his lover wolfed down the waffles with gusto.

A young couple came into the cafeteria and sat at a near table. They ordered some coffee and chatted animatedly while holding their hands on the table. Their eyes sparkled with love and lust. A pang of longing hit Jack’s heart. It used to be like this with Sara, and he'd do anything to be able to do that with Daniel. Would it be possible someday? He doubted that. Jack loved the archaeologist with all his heart and soul. He considered him his partner to all effects and hated the secrecy that surrounded their relationship. The general dreamed of a day when he could stand in front of the world and shout “I'm in love with Doctor Daniel Jackson!” at the top of his lungs, but he feared this would never happen.

“Hey, you ok?” Daniel asked seeing the change in his lover's expression.

“Yeah, sorry. I, uh… I guess I was brooding over again.”

“Then don’t, ok? C'mon, we still have a long way to go.”

They paid for the meal and hit the road again.

***

Pete Shanahan looked in shock at the ring Sam had just put on the palm of his hand. He had been afraid of that moment, but he had refused to believe in his suspicions until now. Strangely, the pain in his heart was less than he had expected.

“I knew from the beginning. Guess I just thought when you said yes…” he sighed and looked at Sam. “You were worth the risk. Don’t say I deserve better. Can’t get much better than you.”

“That’s not true,” Sam said in a strained voice. God, that was harder than she had imagined.

“I hope you get what you want, Sam,” he said, resigned to his fate.

“That’s it?”

“What do you want? You want me to get down on my knees and beg?” At that moment, he felt angrier than hurt. She should have told him sooner. She should have never let him go that far.

“God, no! Of course not!” Sam exclaimed. “I just ... I thought you would react differently.”

“Goodbye, Sam.” He stood up and walked away.

“Pete ...”

Sam watched how the cop stopped in front of the sign advertising the house for sale, peeled off the *Sold* sign so that it read *For sale* again, and he walked away. The colonel’s eyes welled up and for a moment she felt tempted to yell at him to come back. Had she done the right thing? Was she throwing away the best relationship she had ever had, a real thing, to pursue a fantasy that could or couldn’t become reality? No. She cared about Pete, but she wasn’t in love with him, and sure he wasn’t the main star in her wet dreams. No, she loved the general, and the general loved her. She was sure of it. He had confessed it years ago. He was a safe bet. Everything would turn out alright. She wiped out the wetness of her eyes, walked to her car, and drove away.

***

When the colonel arrived home, she was tingling all over. The first thing she did was go to the kitchen, fill a cup of white wine, and swallowed half of it in a single gulp. Too bad red wine usually caused her heartburn. It seemed more appropriate for the moment. Next, she sat down cross-legged on the couch and dialed the base. The colonel hoped her father hadn’t set off for San Diego already, because she really needed to get it off her chest. Fortunately, Jacob was available.

“Dad.” Sam sounded next to tears.

“What is it, Sam? What happened?”

“I… I talked to Pete. I…” She sniffled and blinked back tears.

“Sam?” Jacob insisted, concerned.

“I broke the engagement, dad. I made my choice.”

“I see.”

“I'm going to Minnesota. I… I'm going to meet him.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. Yes, I'm sure. I… God, I… need to tell him, dad. If I don’t do it now, I might never do it.”

“Then I hope everything turns out alright, kiddo. You deserve to be happy. If this is what you need, go for it.”

“Thank you, dad. Your support means a lot to me.”

“I wish you the best, Sam. I love you.”

“I love you, dad. We'll talk in a few days.”

“Bye, kiddo.”

“Bye.”

When Sam hung up the phone, tears of joy were running down her cheeks and a grin crossed her face from ear to ear. The decision was made and moreover, she got her father’s blessing. The excitement almost cut her breathing, and she inhaled a few times, trying to relax. Her heart was pounding wildly against her chest. The colonel finished the cup of wine and she felt herself relax a bit. She blew out and grabbed the phone receiver again. She bought a commercial air ticket to Minneapolis for the next morning and headed to the bedroom to do the luggage. She had recently bought some new pieces of lingerie that Jack would likely appreciate.

***

Jacob sat on the edge of his bed and scrubbed his nape.

“You shouldn’t have encouraged her.” Selmak's voice resounded inside his head.

“For God’s sake, Selmak, will you leave it alone?”

“I was right before and I'm right now,” the Tok'ra insisted.

“No, you’re not,” Jacob stated adamantly.

“I care about your daughter as much as you. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

“She won’t get hurt.” Jacob was starting to lose his patience.

Selmak went on pushing.

“You should call her, tell her she should be ready for any possible outcome.”

“The only thing I'm going to do is lie on this bed and rest. You're getting weaker by the second.” What could he say to convince his stubborn companion?

“You don’t want to discuss it because you know I'm right.”

“I don’t want to discuss it because Daniel is a man!” Jacob threw his hands.

“So? Many humans are involved in same-sex relationships.”

“Jack is a general in the Air Force, for Pete’s sake!”

“Does it make him less human?”

“You know? All this is very easy for you. You don’t even have a gender,” Jacob retorted.

“Whether or not they are in a relationship, they love each other. You know I'm right.”

“Selmak, shut up.”

Jacob lay on the bed. He felt how his symbiote had weakened considerably during their argument. He only hoped they could live enough to see Sam’s dreams come true because if Selmak was right, she would need someone to pick up her pieces, and he wouldn’t be available by then.

***

Chapter Text

Oblivious to everything that was happening in Colorado Springs, Jack and Daniel continued their trip. It was almost midnight when the couple arrived at the cabin. They had shared the driving and stopped only the necessary time to grab a bite and relieve themselves, so all in all, they made it in a good time. Jack went to start the generator while Daniel carried the luggage into the small wooden house. It was cold inside, so the archaeologist left the bags in the bedroom and grabbed a couple of blankets. Jack came in and hurried to light the fireplace.

“It will get warm soon,” he said.

Daniel nodded. He wrapped a blanket around his shaking body and watched the gray-haired man work. When Jack finished, he stood in front of the younger man. He was home, in Minnesota, far from nonsense rules and narrow minds, and the person he loved more than life itself, the man he had feared lost forever, was standing in front of him, looking at him with sparkling eyes full of love. And they were finally alone. Alone and safe.

Suddenly, all of Jack’s walls crumbled down, and he pulled his lover into a ribs-crushing hug. He buried his face in the hollow of his neck and sniffed to capture his unique scent. The archaeologist returned the gesture with equal strength. He felt the sluices of his heart open and allowed himself to fill it with the flood of love. A few seconds later, Daniel felt moisture passing through his shirt. He tightened the embrace and held his lover as he released the accumulated stress with silent sobs. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for putting the general through so much pain.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” Daniel whispered, his eyes moistening as well.

“Not your fault, God, Danny, not your fault,” Jack choked.

They pulled away enough to give room to their lips, which met in a passionate and salty kiss.

“Daniel… love you… love you baby… need you now.”

Daniel’s heart broke at the desperation coming from the older man’s voice.

“You have me… you have me… I'm here, love… I'm here… not going… anywhere.”

They continued sucking and nibbling as if there wasn’t tomorrow while they started to remove each other’s clothes, the urgency burning their insides. Both men's legs buckled, and they fell on a tangle of limbs in front of the fireplace, but that didn’t stop their frenzy. Daniel lay on his back on the blanket, the cold forgotten, and Jack took off his pants and boxers in a quick yank. The archaeologist’s cock was already leaking in expectation. Jack kneeled between his legs and, without further ado, he licked the pearl of pre-come.

“Oh, God!” Daniel arched his back to the sudden pleasure. His lover usually enjoyed teasing him for a while before attacking his member, not that he was complaining about the change of strategy.

“Missed you, Jack… please… I want to feel you… inside… me… please…”

Jack chose to devour his lover’s mouth again as he fondled his balls. Daniel writhed in need and pleasure, his chest rising and falling sharply, his breathing coming in short gasps. He managed to remove the rest of the general's clothes and both men gasped as their shafts clashed.

“Oh, Danny, Danny…”

“Jack, please, now, do it now!” Daniel opened his legs in desperate invitation.

This time, the older man complied. He grabbed the tube of lube they usually kept under the couch cushion and coated his middle finger. He put a pillow under the archaeologist's butt, slid his finger along his perineum until it found the target, and pushed inside. Daniel let out a gasp, followed by a long moan. Jack stretched his lover’s passageway with two, three fingers, repositioned his body, aimed the tip of his cock at the younger man’s hole, and entered him.

“Oh, fuck, yesssssss…”

Jack quickly sped up the pace, and both men got carried away by the mind-blowing sensation, the last days' events momentarily forgotten. Daniel pumped his own shaft as Jack thrust into his ass vigorously. The cabin was filled with a recital of moans and other expressions of pleasure, being *harder* and *faster* the most re-uttered pieces.

They didn’t last much. One last thrust and the colonel exploded inside his lover as Daniel’s seed spouted, bathing their chests and bellies. Despite the still fresh temperature, both men were sweating and tiny rivulets rolled along their flushed skin. Jack moved to lie next to his lover, wrapped an arm around his waist possessively, and kissed his shoulder. Daniel shifted to his side and hooked his leg on Jack’s. The general traced the outline of his lover’s face with one finger.

“You’re so beautiful…”

“Jaaaack…”

“It’s true, Daniel, and not only on the outside. I love you so much. You mean everything to me. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to feel more in love than I am feeling right now.”

A lump grew in the archaeologist’s throat. Jack O'Neill, the badass colonel who insisted repeatedly on how terrible he was when it came to talking about feelings, was, in reality, an inspired poet when the right circumstance arose. Emotion didn’t allow Daniel to talk, but Jack could read everything in his bright blue eyes. He finally managed to whisper a cracked *I love you* without bursting into tears. They had almost lost everything during Daniel’s last mission. If the archaeologist hadn’t found out the way to come back, with Oma out of commission, he could have gotten lost forever. Jack shuddered at the thought and Daniel wrapped him in his strong arms. He didn’t need to ask the reason for the sudden shivering.

They kissed again, long and gently this time. When Daniel noticed the older man had calmed down, he lay on his back. Jack propped up on one elbow so that he could enjoy a good view of his lover’s well-toned body. He grabbed one end of the blanket and removed the rest of Daniel’s cum from his torso, and repeated the operation on his own body. The general ran his hand down the archaeologist's chest and stroked his now clean belly lovingly. He leaned downwards to peck the younger man's navel before gluing his eyes on the sparkling sapphires again.

“Mmmm… love you, Jack…” Daniel purred.

“I wish it could be like this every day.” The yearning was noticeable in the general's voice.

“Yeah…”

“Daniel, I… I know you don’t want to hear it but…”

“Then don’t say it,” the archaeologist smiled.

“Ha, ha, funny.” Jack patted his lover’s stomach.

“Ouch.”

“Seriously, Danny. You… hell, you died again, dammit. I don’t think I can do this anymore. I had to swallow my grief and keep playing the good general, pretending that my best friend hadn’t gone MIA. I almost lost it a few times. I snapped at Carter. I think she might suspect something.”

Daniel stared at those beloved chocolate eyes and read the conflict of emotions reflected in them. He reached out a hand and ran his long fingers through the colonel’s silver strands.

“You love your job, Jack. I don’t want to be the reason for your retirement. I… I can’t. As much as I'd love to have you in my bed every night, I can’t ask you to change who you are. Sooner or later, you would beat yourself up about it, and I… I couldn’t stand to see the regret in your eyes.”

Jack raised his hand and cupped the younger man’s face.

“This is what I'm trying to say, Daniel. I used to love my job, but things are different now. Being the man is tougher than I thought. I used to enjoy the missions, the action, but I certainly don’t enjoy flying a desk and much less sending good men and women to their deaths, and for sure I didn’t enjoy sending you to your death.”

“Jack…”

“Hear me out, please.” The protest died in Daniel’s mouth, and Jack ran his thumb across his lips. “My days of action are over forever, and I won’t lie to you. I miss them, but they’re gone to never come back. If it makes you feel better, let’s put it this way- I want to retire for my own good and you’re the icing on the cake.

“Oh.”

“Oh, yeah. I gotta tell you, I rather spend the rest of my life making pottery and being your husband than keeping my ass glued to that leather chair sending good people to die.

“You… you’re serious.” Daniel stared at his lover's mouth agape.

“I've never been more serious in my life,” Jack replied, his gaze digging into his lover’s soul.

They had talked about the subject several times during the last months, but for the first time, Daniel dared to consider the possibility.

“Ok, let’s see how things settle down first,” he said. “I mean, we just finished a war. Let’s tie the loose ends first, and if you still want to retire afterward, I won’t object.

“Sweet.” Jack pecked his lover. “So, about the husband thing?”

Daniel’s eyes wide opened in surprise. “What? You… you’re proposing?”

The general's answer was a wide grin.

“Jack, we… we can't!”

“Yes, we do, if we make a trip to Canada.”

“Oh.”

“I love you, Daniel. You and Charlie are the best thing that ever happened to me. I lost both of you, but I got you back,” Jack’s eyes shone with love and devotion, “and I want to spend the rest of my life celebrating how lucky I am, so please, do me a favor and don’t die again, will ya?”

“Wow, that’s, um… wow.”

“Is that a yes?”

Daniel blinked repeatedly and considered everything Jack had told him. The fact that Jack wanted to retire out of disenchantment with the new job made things different.

“Jack, I… wow… I mean, yes, of course that’s a yes! Yes, and a thousand times yes!”

The colonel’s grin extended toward his ears.

“God baby, I love you so, so much,” Jack whispered before capturing his lover’s mouth in an ardent kiss.

Only when their lungs threatened to burst from the lack of air did they unglue their lips and lock gazes again.

“Don’t worry, no one has to know,” Jack said as he ran his knuckles along the archaeologist’s chin. “You'll be safe on the base.”

“How are we going to explain us living together?”

“We'll think of something when the time comes,” the colonel reassured him.

They kissed and caressed for a while longer as they exchanged words of love and commitment before going to shower together, hence engaging in a new round of touches and kisses than continued later on the bed when they went to sleep.

***

The next day

The next day rose rainy in Colorado, but that didn’t lessen Colonel Samantha Carter’s mood an inch. Today was the first day of the rest of her life, the day when her dreams would come true. Maybe she should call Jack and warn him about her visit, although… no, that would ruin the point entirely. She wanted to surprise him, see the look of utter astonishment when she launched into his arms, see the joy in his beautiful brown eyes when she told him she had left Pete for him. Sam shivered at the expectation.

The colonel called a cab, and two hours later, she was flying after her destiny.

***

The day rose sunny and warm in Minnesota. As usual, Jack woke up first. The bedspread had rolled down during the night and it was now resting below Daniel’s belly button, totally exposing his bare torso. Once again, Jack stared mesmerized at the rhythmic rise and fall of his lover’s chest. He used to do the same after Daniel descended for the first time. The colonel rejoiced in the view for a while, and next, he dove under the covers to give the younger man a good morning blowjob.

“Jaaaaack… oh God… oh fuck… oh yes… right there… ohhhhhh…”

Daniel came into the older man’s mouth and Jack swallowed every drop. The gray-haired man immediately crawled upwards to greet the archaeologist with a fervent good morning kiss.

“Mmmm, I could get used to doing this every day,” the archaeologist purred.

“Soon, love, soon,” Jack said before savoring the younger man’s lips again.

The need to pee forced the two men to get up, and they met in the shower, where Daniel returned the favor after bathing his lover’s full body with his tongue.

“Oh fuck… fuck… Danny… oh fuuuuuuuuck…”

Later, they shared breakfast and let the day run its course. No plans, no pressure. Jack fished while Daniel read on a deckchair next to him. Later, they walked to the creek and picked some wild berries. At lunchtime, they prepared sandwiches and ate them on the porch together with the berries, and afterward, Jack chopped some logs while Daniel napped on a blanket on the grass. It felt good, it felt safe, and at that moment, that was everything that mattered in their world.

***

Sam fought internally to keep her hand firm as she put the key into the ignition and started the rental car. She took a deep breath to control her excitement. She would be free to release it once she met Jack at his cabin. At that moment, she just needed to stay focused and drive. She still had a two-hour trip ahead, so she better concentrated on the road if she wanted to make it one piece. It was sunny when the airplane landed half an hour ago, but clouds were approaching from the north, and they threatened rain.

The colonel programmed the GPS with trembling fingers and stepped on the gas pedal.

***

Daniel woke up with a start when a drop of water fell on his nose.

“What the…?

“Hey, Sleeping beauty,” Jack chuckled as he approached him. “Looks like there's going to be a rainstorm. We better go inside.”

Daniel looked at the sky and made a face.

“No kidding. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you looked too cute drooling all over yourself,” Jack grinned.

“What? I… I don’t drool,” Daniel pouted.

“Yes, you do.”

“Don’t.”

“Do.”

“Don’t. “

“Do.”

“Jaaaack!”

Several drops fell onto both men.

“Saved by the bell! We better run,” Jack urged.

A thunderbolt resounded all over the woods, and suddenly, they found themselves under a downpour.

“Oh, shit!” 

Jack helped his lover to stand, and they sprinted towards the cabin. By the time they made it inside, they were already soaked from head to toe and guffawing, nonetheless.

“Jack, you should have woken me earlier,” Daniel laughed.

“What? And missing my favorite view? A wet Daniel?” Jack ogled his lover.

Truth be told, the archaeologist’s white t-shirt left little to the general's imagination. It had gotten stuck to his body like a second skin, revealing the hardened nipples, highlighting his abs, and showing his navel where the dampened cloth dipped into it.

“Jaaaaack…”

“No matter how much I'm enjoying the view, you better take it off before you catch a cold,” Jack sighed. “But first thing first…”

The general wrapped his arms around the younger man and kissed him passionately. Both men's cocks hardened instantaneously.

“Bed,” they chorused.

They made it to the bedroom between touches and kisses and miraculously avoiding to clash with the furniture. Jack took off his t-shirt and Daniel was starting to remove his own when the general gripped his wrists to stop him.

“Wait. Let me,” he said huskily.

Jack stood bare chest in front of the younger man and he ran his fingers from the collar to the waistband, feeling every hard, every soft under his fingertips. He grabbed the hem of the wet t-shirt and peeled it slowly, delighting at every inch of flesh as it was being gradually exposed.

“So beautiful…”

“Please, Jack, make love to me,” Daniel said out of breath.

The colonel tossed the dripping garment to the floor, and their lips met again. They took off the rest of their clothes while kissing and soon they were laying on the bed, Daniel on his back and Jack on top. The colonel kissed the old scar on the archaeologist’s chin and ran a trail of wet kisses down to his chest and belly. Daniel received his lover’s ministrations with a repertoire of moans and writhes, and a jolt the moment the gray-haired man swirled the tongue into his navel.

“Jack… oh, God… I need you inside me!” Daniel panted.

“Patience, grasshopper.” Jack smiled against the softness of the younger man’s lower belly.

He licked his way to the appendectomy scar and kissed it ceremoniously. Next, he slithered upwards and did the same on the spot the replicator had stabbed the archaeologist to death.

“How come Oma only fixed the fresh wounds, but she never repaired the old ones?” Jack asked, genuinely confused.

“Yeah, I thought of that, too. I wouldn’t mind if she had fixed my eyes,” Daniel replied, breathing through his achy hard-on.

“What, and miss my favorite view? A bespectacled archaeologist?”

“I thought your favorite was a wet Daniel.”

“Bespectacled wet Daniel.” Jack licked his lips like a starving man in front of the most appetizing dish.

Daniel laughed. “Jack, you’re crazy.”

“It must be love.”

“Or you might have a stroke.”

“Or definitely love,” the colonel said before attacking the willing mouth again.

Another thunderbolt subscribed to Jack’s words.

***

The muddy dirt road plus the heavy rain that splashed against the windshield had nothing to do with the nervousness that spread through Sam’s body as she approached the cabin. The GPS showed ten minutes to her destiny. She repeated in her mind the speech she had prepared to deliver once she stood in front of the general.

I had second thoughts about the wedding for a long time. The thing is, the closer it got, the more I got the feeling that I was making a big, huge mistake. So I broke the engagement. I'm sorry to bother you with this, but see, there’s actually a very good reason that I'm bothering you with this, and if I don’t tell you now, I might never do it. The reason is, I love you, Jack. I've been in love with you for a long time.

Too lame? Sam whimpered in frustration. She needed something stronger. Jack wasn’t a man of words, he was a man of action. Shoot first and ask questions later. Maybe she should just jump on his bones and do the explanation afterward. Too aggressive? The colonel whimpered again.

***

Jack redid his way down and this time he went directly to claim the main course. He licked the tip of Daniel’s member and next, he engulfed it in his warm mouth to the root.

“Oh, God, yesssssssssss…”

Jack swirled his tongue along the hard shaft and Daniel arched his back, urging his lover to go on. The general worked the younger man’s cock with great skill, sucking and nibbling the spots he knew excited Daniel the most, while he teased his sphincter with one finger. The archaeologist gripped the sheet and rocked his hips to increase the friction. Perhaps he had died after all, because it felt like heaven.

“Jack… oh, God… love you, oh yes, ohhhhhhhh shit! Oh, shit! Stop! Please, stop! I want to come with you inside me!”

Jack let go of his prize with a sharp swirl that almost sent Daniel to the edge.

“Jesus, fuck!”

The archaeologist struggled with all his might to stop the incoming orgasm.

“Don’t… do that… again…” he panted.

“You loved it,” Jack smirked.

“Fuck, I thought I was going to combust.”

They kissed briefly, and Jack prepared the younger man for penetration. Once the passage was stretched enough, he coated his aching cock with a good amount of lube and entered his lover slowly until the full length of his shaft disappeared inside.

“Jesus Christ, baby, so tight, so good…”

“Oh, yeah… oh… love you… do me hard… do me hard!”

Jack started to move his hips back and forth, increasing the speed gradually. Thunderbolts and the heavy rain joined their concert of shouts, gasps, and moans.

***

Sam pulled in several yards before the cabin. She didn’t want to alert Jack about her presence just yet. She didn’t want to miss the expression of utter surprise on his handsome face when he saw her at the door. Bearing in mind how heavily it was raining, it was highly likely that the general was in the house. Sam grabbed her umbrella and got off the car. She walked on the grass that grew aside from the path. She'd hate leaving the cabin floor all dirty and muddy on their first encounter. By the time she made it to the front door, her heart was pounding furiously against her ribcage.

“Oh, get a grip, Carter,” she muttered to herself. “I'm a colonel in the Air Force, for Pete’s sake! Ok, terrible choice of words. Here goes nothing!”

Sam raised her hand and knocked. At that very moment, another thunder resounded over the cabin, almost making the walls shake. She realized the general would never hear her with all that noise. The colonel tried the doorknob, and it gave way easily. She cracked open the door, took a deep breath, and peeped inside. There was no one in sight, but she was quickly aware of the sounds coming from behind an ajar door. Sam frowned. Did it sound like… grunts? Maybe the general was working out. She pictured a sweaty Jack lifting weights and smiled. She folded the umbrella, left it leaning against the wall, and stepped inside.

***

Chapter Text

Sam tiptoed towards what she guessed was the general's room. And then she heard something, something that made her stop cold in her tracks and her heart skip a beat… or two.

“Oh, yeah, baby… so hot… oh, fuck… so fucking good…”

OhGodOhGodOhGod. Definitely, that didn’t sound like working out. Sam covered her mouth to suffocate the gasp that threatened to uncover her position. Oh, God. The general… the general was having sex?!

Sam blinked repeatedly to clear her mind. This couldn’t be. She would have known if Jack was seeing someone, wouldn’t she? Unless… of course. This had to be a one-night stand. Jack was a lonely adult man, and he believed she was going to marry Pete. He was probably releasing his anger and frustration on that poor woman. Could she really blame him? She had been fucking Pete until recently, after all. But who was she, anyway? A hooker, perhaps? Sam wrinkled her nose at the idea of Jack paying for sex. So what to do now? Leave discreetly and come back tomorrow when things were calmer and pretend she had heard nothing?

Sam was ready to turn around when she heard something else. Something that made her blood freeze in her veins.

“Oh God, Jack! Harder! Faster! Oh, God! Harder!”

No. Nonononononono. The colonel shook her head in disbelief. This couldn’t be. That sounded like… Daniel?

Jello-O's legs carried Sam to the ajar door. She squeezed her eyes shut and took several deep breaths before she dared to reopen them and peep inside. What she saw drained what was left of the color on her face.

Daniel lay naked on the bed, his back arched, his head tilted backward, his eyes tightly shut, his lips parted, one hand squeezing the linen while the other one pumped his leaking cook, his calves resting on… God, on Jack’s shoulders! And the general… the general was on his knees, his hands clutching Daniel’s hips, and he was thrusting fiercely into the archaeologist’s ass as if there wasn’t tomorrow.

A new thunder silenced the lustful sounds momentarily. Sam tightened the grip on her mouth and her eyes welled. Oh, God. The general and Daniel? This couldn’t be, no way! This was a mistake! Jack… Jack loved her. He had loved her for years! This had to be something else. Maybe… maybe the general was just happy that Daniel had descended again and things had gotten out of control.

Oblivious to their unexpected audience, the two lovers continued lost in their frenzy.

“Oh, God… Jack… love you… love you… oh, God… harder! Oh, God, so goooooood…!

Sam clenched her jaw. Love? Daniel loved Jack? Huh. What was the general waiting to stop that fallacy? Why was he continuing to nail Daniel to the mattress like a possessed man? Why hadn’t the general shoved the archaeologist away, told him that this wasn’t about love, that he loved Carter and this was just a pity fuck? For a moment she thought of storming into the room, throwing herself on Daniel, shoving him off the bed, and claiming the general for herself. Fortunately, her common sense prevailed, and she stopped before making a fool of herself.

“Love you, baby… forever,” Jack panted. “And if you think… this is good… wait to the… honeymoon.”

Sam's eyes widened open in shock and her heart sank to the floor. Honeymoon? They… they had planned to marry? OhmyGodOhmyGod. This couldn’t be!

For the first time since she had caught Jack screwing Daniel, Sam dared to look, really look at the image in front of her. The easiness of both men’s movements screamed it wasn’t a casual affair. Both men knew each other’s bodies well, and they had done it for a long time. Suddenly, Daniel opened his eyes, and he looked at Jack with such an amount of love and adoration that what was left of Sam’s heart had no other option than to abide by what her eyes were seeing- two people totally and unmistakably in love. That look, those movements, the intensity in their words… Sam doubted she possessed so much passion in her.

Eventually, the colonel couldn’t stand it any longer. She turned around, staggered to the front door, and left the cabin. Suddenly, the urge to run away was overwhelming. She grabbed the umbrella and sprinted to the car. She slumped on the driver’s seat, tossed the umbrella to the floor, and she allowed the tears to flow.

***

Meanwhile, Jack and Daniel continued diving into their ocean of ecstasy. The archaeologist felt jolts of electricity igniting his innards every time Jack's glans hit his prostate. For his part, Jack was certain he could die of pleasure if it lasted much longer.

“Fuck, baby… gonna come, oh, God, Daniel… love you… Danieeeeeeeel!”

One last sharp thrust and Jack climaxed powerfully inside his lover. As for Daniel, the huskiness in the general's voice, the sensation of his semen filling him, bathing his prostate, and one last pump sent Daniel to a rollercoaster of sensation. He arched his back to the impossible, lifted his hips, and he exploded violently, sending jolts of cum in all directions as he screamed Jack’s name. This time, however, instead of his usual convulsions, Daniel held his hips upright for a few seconds, and suddenly, his body went limp on the mattress. Jack squeezed his eyes shut as he dealt with his own spasms, so he didn’t notice the change in his lover’s usual behavior. Once he calmed down, the older man slumped down next to the younger man.

“Holy shit, that was…” he waited for the archaeologist to finish the sentence, but a faraway thunder was the only reply. “Daniel?”

Jack looked at his lover and saw that the younger man was lying motionless on the mattress. His eyes were closed, and the rise and fall of his chest were almost imperceptible.

“Daniel!”

Jack sat bolt upright and patted his lover’s cheek.

“Daniel! Daniel! Wake up!”

The archaeologist didn’t react and Jack felt a lump growing in his throat and cutting his breathing. He pressed the younger man’s jugular with two fingers. There was a steady pulse and Jack could take an intake of air. He grabbed his lover's shoulders and shook him.

“Daniel, wake up, please! Wake up!”

The archaeologist moaned and stirred. Jack patted his cheek again.

“That’s it, baby. You with me?”

Daniel wondered why Jack sounded so anxious. Had anything happened?

“J’ck?” he croaked as his eyes fluttered open.

“God, Daniel, you scared me to death!” the general continued in the same tone.

“Wha' happen’d?”

“I think you passed out.”

Daniel looked at his lover in bewilderment. “Really? Wow.”

“You alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Daniel reassured the older man. “Many people pass out after having intense intercourse, and well, that was… intense. There is nothing to worry about. I guess my body is still adjusting after my last… you know.” He pointed at the ceiling.

“Are you sure? Maybe I should call Dr. Brightman! Or take you to the hos…!"

“Jack…”

“… pital!”

“Jack, calm down, love. I'm fine, I promise.”

Suddenly, Jack pulled his lover into a sitting position and engulfed him in a bear hug. The general was trembling all over.

“Fuck, Danny, for a moment I thought… don’t do this again, God, I love you, I can’t lose you, I can’t lose you…”

Daniel wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist and pulled him closer.

“Shhhh, I'm here, I'm here and I'm fine.”

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Jack sobbed like a child on Daniel’s shoulder. No matter how much military training the general had received in his life, nothing could prepare a person for such a rollercoaster of scares, not when their partner was on the receiver's end.

The archaeologist held his lover tightly against his chest and rocked him back and forth. The general promised himself that as soon as he'd be back at the base, he'd hurry to tie up all the loose ends left after their victory against Anubis. Then, no matter how much Daniel protested, he would retire and would devote the rest of his life to loving and take care of the man who meant life to him.

“I love you, Jack. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere.”

***

Sam hit the steering wheel in a mixture of anger, pain, and frustration. Jack had been in love with Daniel all along? Damned him! Damned the two of them! They knew how she felt about the general! They should have told her!

The colonel felt like screaming, punching, and kicking something, or rather someone. How could they have done this to her?! To hell with Jack and his fucking slut! Why did Daniel have to come back, anyway? Couldn’t he have stayed dead, for a change? That fucking lying bastard!

Sam stayed sitting in the car, the images of what she had witnessed playing in an endless loop in her mind. Her breathing, labored, came in sharp gasps. She gripped the steering wheel, closed her eyes, and concentrated on evening out the intakes of air. Little by little, she managed to slow them down. Finally, reality kicked in. There was no room for interpretation. Jack and Daniel were in love with each other, and they had probably been for years. God, how could she have read the signals so wrongly? And why did Jack confess his feeling for her four years ago during the zra'tac incident if it was Daniel the one he loved?

And then Sam realized something. She had obviously misunderstood Jack’s words big time. He led her to believe that he loved her, but he never really said he was in love with her. But she had chosen to believe that Jack was talking about romantic feelings. Out of what? Arrogance? Flattery? To rejoice in the feeling that she had managed to seduce a great leader? Suddenly, everything was so confusing. Had she been living a lie all those years? The words her father uttered a couple of days ago echoed in her mind.

Stop thinking about it for a while and try to listen to your heart.

Sam closed her eyes again and tried to figure out what she was really feeling. It was like a web of burning filaments raised from her gut, spread upright, and wrapped around her heart. But if she had to be honest with herself, she felt angrier than hurt. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Whatever she was really feeling, she wasn’t going to find it out sitting in a car parked nowhere. She needed to put her thoughts and feelings in order, and she needed to do it in the tranquility of her home. The colonel wiped out the tears with the heels of her hands and started the engine.

***

By the time Sam arrived at the airport, she had managed to sort some things out. It was certain that she had lusted after the general for years, but she was no longer sure about the big “L” word. She had lived caught in a fantasy created by her own imagination and fueled by those alternate realities where she and Jack were a couple, not to mention the hallucination she suffered when she got trapped in the Prometheus. So she had laid and waited like a sleeping beauty of sorts, believing that if it had happened in those realities, it would happen here, eventually. But her biggest mistake was to belittle the fact that in those realities, Jack never met Daniel. What an idiot!

So, was she really in love with Jack, a man who she barely knew out of the field, or was she in love with the idea those other Carter had projected? What if she was merely in love with the idea of having a torrid romance with her CO? After all, she backed out the moment Pete told her about getting a dog. And Jack loved dogs. If he had retired for her, he would have got one for sure. Sam pictured the image of she and Jack living in a house with picket fences and a dog. She couldn’t help but shiver at the idea. Next, she pictured Jack in his combat clothing, all geared up and brandishing his P-90 to the enemy. Wetness spread south.

“Oh, shit,” she choked.

The colonel rested her head on the steering wheel and wept.

***

Jack and Daniel cuddled on the bed for a while before going to shower separately. Jack went first, while Daniel washed the mess of water and mud they had left on the floor on their way to the bedroom. He never noticed a third set of footprints next to their own.

Jack prepared lasagna while Daniel showered and they played chess until the oven timer went off. They ate at the table, and later, they lay on a tangle of limbs on the couch. Jack didn’t have a television in the cabin, so the archaeologist read in his lover's arms while Jack enjoyed his favorite pastime- Daniel-gazing while listening to music in an old transistor. When the younger man started to yawn, they decided to call it a night. Both men were expended after their previous round of lovemaking, so they just shared a few kisses and strokes. Then Daniel snuggled against the older man and he promptly fell asleep. Jack sighed in contentment and followed him a few minutes later.

***

Eventually, Sam put her brain into gear, got off the car, and headed to the airport information desk. Unfortunately, the last flight to Colorado had already departed, and she had no option but to buy a ticket for the first flight in the morning. What to do? She didn’t feel like staying in a hotel room. Actually, she felt like doing nothing. At the moment, she wished she was a turtle so she could hide in her shell and forget about the world for a while. The idea of hibernating and not waking up in one or two centuries sounded quite appealing to her. Sam paid for the air ticket and headed to the VIP lounge. She showed her Air Force credentials to access the room, flopped down on the first couch she saw, and kept ruminating on what had gone wrong.

Sam had no idea how much time she had been sitting on the couch dwelling on her discoveries when suddenly, a cup of coffee appeared in front of her nose. She blinked in confusion and raised her head. A tall and attractive man in his forties was standing before her, holding the cup.

“I thought you could use one,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“I've been watching you for a while and I noticed you’re shaking, so I thought a coffee would do you some good,” he shrugged.

Sam stared at him in shock. Her frown deepened. She hadn’t even noticed that someone else had come into the room.

“You’ve been watching me?!” Ok, maybe it came out harsher than intended.

“Oh, no, no, I didn’t mean like this!” The man actually blushed with embarrassment. “I'm sorry. I made a fool of myself, didn’t I? My apologies. I didn’t mean to bother you. It’s just… well, you seemed quite upset, and I, uh… I only wanted to help, honest.”

Something in the man's tone made Sam’s attitude soften. It sounded gentle but radiated determination at the same time.

“No, I'm sorry I snapped at you,” she said. “It’s been a crappy day. You’re right, I could use a coffee, so thank you, I guess.” The colonel took the offered cup.

“You’re welcome,” the man smiled. “Although maybe you would use better a cup of red wine.”

“I don’t think so,” Sam replied. “Red wine gives me heartburn.”

“Really?” The man cleared his throat. “Do you mind if I…?” he said, pointing at the empty seat next to Sam.

“I'd rather not, sorry,” Sam made a face. “I, uh… well, I have a lot of things in my head at the moment and, uh… I really need to be alone.”

“Oh, ok, no problem,” he said. “I'll be around if you change your mind. Enjoy your coffee.”

And with that, he left and went to sit on another couch on the other side of the room. Sam was grateful that he was able to respect her need for privacy. On any other day, she would have even found him attractive, but not today. The colonel took a sip of her coffee and appreciated the warmth that spread in her throat. She looked towards the man, intending to send him a grateful smile, but he was concentrated on a newspaper. Sam drank her coffee as she continued trying to put in order her life. After a while, she realized the man had lain on the sofa and was sleeping. The colonel looked at her watch and her eyebrows raised in surprise. It was almost midnight. No wonder she felt not only mentally, but also physically exhausted. She copied the man’s position and closed her eyes. Sam didn’t think she could sleep, but at least she hoped she could rest for a while.

***

Chapter Text

Jack woke up at the first whimper. He quickly switched on the bedside lamp and looked at the body curled up next to him. Daniel was bathed in sweat, his face scrunched in pain, and he was clutching his chest as he struggled to draw air into his lungs. His legs moved in sharp spasms while tremors ran through the rest of his body. The archaeologist mumbled some intelligible words between whimpers. The only one Jack could catch was *Sam*. It was obvious what the younger man was dreaming of. The general lay on his side, facing his lover, gripped his shoulder, and shook him.

“Daniel, wake up!”

“Nnnn… not S-Sam… (intelligible mumbling)… nnnno… Sam…”

“Daniel, hey, c'mon, wake up! You’re having a nightmare!” Jack shook him harder.

“Nnno-o-o… S-Sam…”

Jack grabbed the distressed man’s face with both hands and patted his cheek.

“Daniel! Wake up!”

“NnnpllSmmmm…”

“Daniel!”

The archaeologist gasped and snap-opened eyes clouded with horror. Jack held his face and forced eye contact.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok. It was only a nightmare,” Jack soothed his partner. “You with me?”

Daniel’s eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out where he was and what was going on.

“Ease, ease, baby. C’mon, look at me!”

Daniel finally focused his gaze on his lover and blinked several times.

“So-sorry for waking you,” he said, still trying to even out his breath.

“A bad one?”

Daniel gulped and bobbed his head in a nod as much as Jack’s firm grip allowed him. The general let go of his lover’s face and the archaeologist snuggled against the older man’s warm body. He sneaked an arm around Jack’s waist and rested his head on his chest. The general held him tightly and kissed the top of his head.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Daniel swallowed and said nothing for a while. When he finally talked, the best he could manage was a cracked whisper.

“Do you know what the worst part was? I mean, beyond thinking I would never see you again.”

Jack tightened the embrace to encourage the archaeologist to continue.

“It wasn’t the pain. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was, uh… bad,” Daniel let out a sound between a laugh and a sob, “but the worst part was that the last thing I saw was Sam’s face smirking at me in sheer satisfaction and contempt.”

“Jesus, Daniel,” Jack brought his lips to the younger man’s temple. “That thing wasn’t Carter. She would never hurt you. You know it, right?”

Daniel nodded against the older man’s hairy chest. “Yeah, it was nothing like her, even so, seeing her face looking at me like that…” the archaeologist shuddered. “I don’t want to see that again. Ever.”

“You won’t.” Jack stoke his lover’s arm. “It’s just a bunch of galactic dust now, remember?”

“Yeah…” Daniel sighed and stared blankly at nowhere.

Jack noticed the tension growing in the younger man’s body.

“What worries you, baby?”

“What if…” Daniel took a deep breath and swallowed, “what if Sam hates me when she finds out that you and I… you know?”

The archaeologist raised his head and looked at his partner with concern.

“What? You are still subscribing to the theory that she has the hots for my old bones?”

“You never saw her all those times you went MIA, Jack. Just let’s say she made it obvious she feels for you something more than friendship.”

“And you never saw her all those times you went KIA. She went nuts. I'm telling you, Danny boy, that woman loves you to pieces.”

Daniel shook his head. “I don’t know, Jack. It hasn’t been the same since the first time I descended. Something changed. I don’t think she cares about me as much as she used to.”

Jack thought of the last ten days. While he had clung to the hope that Daniel would come back, Sam had insisted on having a memorial service for the archaeologist. It was like she wished nothing but to bury her friend and forget about him. The general kicked himself mentally for even considering such an idea.

“You’re imagining things, Danny,” he said.

“You still don’t believe she’s in love with you, do you?” Daniel’s voice sounded fragile.

Jack looked at the younger man intently. “Look, whatever feelings you think she might have for me once, she got over them. She’s gonna marry Shanahan, for crying out loud.”

Daniel considered his lover’s words for a moment.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he breathed. “I guess that nightmare messed with my head.”

“Try to sleep some more.” Jack pecked at the younger man. “You'll see things differently in the morning. Not to mention I'll remind you who's the only owner of my heart.”

Daniel smiled at his lover’s words.

“Good night, Jack.” The archaeologist rested his head on the older man’s chest again and sighed in contentment.

“Sleep well, baby. I love you.”

“Love mmm you too.”

***

Sam woke up with a start. It looked like she had managed to get some sleep after all. As soon as she was conscious of where she was, the memories of the previous day rushed into her mind. She felt a pang of anger rising from her gut and settling on her chest. Those who she had trusted the most had betrayed her to the core.

And once again, the doubts appeared one step behind the anger. Jack never telling her specifically “I love you”, much less “I'm in love with you”, Jack going ballistic every time Daniel was in danger, Jack kissing the alternate Sam and feeling nothing… and the list went on and on for eight long years. Then, together with the anger, the doubts, and even the anger towards herself for being such a fool, the still present love made its reappearance. Love towards those two men who not only had given their friendship to her but had risked their lives for her and also Teal’c countless times. She knew they both cared about her, and although the general didn’t love her the way she had longed for, there was love, nonetheless.

The colonel looked at her watch. Her flight would depart in two hours. The man she had met the previous day was nowhere in sight. She was ready to stand up to go to the restroom when the door opened and the man came in. He was carrying two cups of coffee. The moment he realized Sam was awake, his lips curved in a bright smile. He approached the colonel and offered her one cup. Sam hesitated for a second before taking it.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

The man nodded, never losing his smile, and left. Once again, Sam was grateful that he was able to catch on to her unwillingness to talk. The colonel savored the coffee and headed to the restroom. She cringed at the image that looked at her from the mirror. Her hair was disheveled and there were rests of tear tracks on her face. She looked like shit. No wonder the stranger had thought she could use a coffee. It surprised her that he hadn’t offered her a shot of whiskey!

Sam washed her face, used the toilet, and changed her shirt. She wasn’t hungry, so she skipped breakfast. She didn’t have luggage to check in, so she showed her Air Force credentials to skip the security control and rolled her trolley bag to the departure gate.

***

Faithful to his promise, Jack woke up his partner with the mother of all blowjobs.

“Oooooooooohhhhh, Jaaaaaaaaaaaack! I think I died for good this time, 'cause this is heaven!”

“Oh, no. No more dying,” Jack said. “I can make it an order, you know? Actually, I order you specifically to never die on me again, capeesh?”

“Sorry. Bad choice of words,” Daniel said as he notice a hint of angst in his lover’s voice.

Jack lay next to the archaeologist and covered half of the youngest body with his own in an unconscious gesture of protection.

“Mmmm, Jack blanket. I could stay in bed like this all day,” Daniel sighed.

“No argument here,” Jack agreed.

“Too bad I have to pee,” the archaeologist whined.

“Gnnnnn,” Jack protested. “Ok, I'll let you get up with one condition.”

“Which is?”

“Join me in the shower.”

“Ok, as long as you let me take care of this.” Daniel pointed at Jack’s still throbbing erection.

“Again, no arguments here.”

“Wow, two agreements in a row?” Daniel’s eyebrows crawled upward. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Jack O'Neill?”

“Smartass.” Jack launched an attack of tickles.

“Jaaaaack,” Daniel laughed, “nooo, please, stop! I'm gonna wet myself!”

“Ok, ok,” Jack joined the laugh. “I'll stop, but only because I just changed the linen.”

“Who is the smartass now?” Daniel made a face.

“You see? And they say we have nothing in common!”

The general jumped off the bed and pulled his lover with him. They headed to the bathroom, where Daniel complied with Jack’s condition and his own promise.

“Oh, Daniel… oh, fuck… fuck… oh, yes… Danieeeel!”

***

Sam occupied her assigned seat in the airplane and leaned against the tiny window. This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. She was supposed to be at the cabin with the general making out in bed, learning to know each other’s bodies, figuring out the truthfulness of their feelings… Sam groaned. Her inability to stop thinking about it was giving the colonel a headache. She almost regretted not having engaged in a conversation with the man she met last evening. She could have used the chat as much as the coffee.

“Well, good morning. We meet again.”

A familiar voice sounded at Sam’s right, and she turned her head. Huh, speaking of the devil. The stranger she met before occupied the seat next to her.

“I'm not stalking you, I swear,” he smiled. “It’s only a coincidence that I got this seat assigned.”

“Oh, no, I wasn’t… I mean, no, no, it’s fine,” she stammered. At the moment, she felt sorry for cutting him off last night. The guy seemed really nice, and he had probably only tried to help.

“Oh, no worries,” he added. “I know you need to deal with those things in your head, so I'll leave you alone.”

“No, no, it’s ok. Actually, I, uh… I could use the distraction.” Sam almost smiled. Almost.

“Bad day, huh?”

“Let’s say some things didn’t turn out as I expected.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” he sighed. “Actually, I came to Minneapolis to sign the divorce documents and pick up some stuff.”

“I… I'm sorry.” The colonel lowered her gaze.

“It’s ok,” he shrugged. “I guess some things aren’t meant to be. Oh, by the way, I'm Carl.”

Sam raised her head, and her lips drew a smile this time.

“Samantha.”

They shook hands, and they stared at each other briefly. For some reason, it didn’t bother her. Perhaps it was the fact that Carl's hazel eyes radiated an unusual warmth.

“Pleased to meet you, Samantha.”

“Please, call me Sam.”

“Sam.” Carl's smile widened. “So, are you coming or going?”

“What?” The colonel blinked in confusion.

“Do you live in Minnesota and you’re going to Colorado on a visit, or is it the other way around?” Carl clarified.

“Oh, that. No, I live in Colorado. I just came to visit a… a friend.” Sam couldn’t help a crack in her voice. Her lower lip started to quiver and she bit it.

Carl knitted his eyebrows together with worry. “I… I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I could try to trade seats if you…”

“No, no, it’s ok,” Sam interrupted him. “I… I just need to get over it.”

“It might help if you talk about it, you know?” Carl suggested.

“You’re not a psychologist, are you?” Sam frowned.

“No, no, I'm not that kind of doctor. That was the other Carl Rogers,” the man hurried to say.

“You're a doctor?”

“Oh, sorry. Let me introduce myself properly. Doctor Carl Rogers. Nephrologist.”

Carl offered his hand again and Sam took it.

“Dr. Samantha Carter,” she smiled.

“Really?” Carl raised his eyebrows. “Which specialty?”

“Oh, uh… astrophysics.”

Their eyes met again. Sam felt her cheeks blush, and she promptly looked away. The airplane started to move, and they stayed silent during the take-off. Once they reached the clouds, Sam started to talk in a soft voice.

“I was going to marry,” she said. “I broke my engagement two days ago. I left Pete because I didn’t love him the way he deserved.”

“There is someone else,” Carl deduced.

Sam took a deep breath and nodded. “The general. I thought I was in love with him and that he loved me back. I came here to tell him, only to find out he's in love with someone else.” The colonel scrunched her face and fought to control the imminent tears.

“That sucks. I'm truly sorry,” Carl said with empathy.

Sam squeezed her eyes shut and nodded her thanks.

“I guess you feel like pulling out her hair, huh?” Carl made a face.

Sam didn’t bother to correct his wrong assumption about the gender.

“That’s the problem.” Her shoulders slumped. “He’s in love with one of my best friends. They both suffered so much in their lives, that no matter how much I want to hate them, I… I can’t. They deserve to be happy. If they found that happiness in each other’s arms, then I'm happy for them, too. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m still mad as hell over the fact they didn’t tell me, but I know I'll get over it. Eventually.”

“It sounds like you really love them both,” Carl observed, “but it makes me wonder… if you refer to that man as *the general* perhaps you’re not so in love with him as you thought.”

Sam looked at Carl, dumbfounded. “This is what I've been asking to myself for the last hours.”

“Did you reach a conclusion?”

“Not yet. But I'm closer. I think.”

Sam had to admit to herself that talking to Carl made her feel a bit better. They went on chatting during the flight. She learned that the doctor had been married for five years, no kids, but her wife got tired of his lousy hours and she left him for another man. Shortly after they separated, Carl accepted an offer in Colorado Springs and left. Sam didn’t tell him much about herself, only that she had her father, a brother, a nephew, and a niece and that she was on vacation and was thinking of going to San Diego to see them.

After three hours and forty minutes of soaring through the sky, the plane reached its destination and prepared for landing.

“Sam, uh, as was wondering,” Carl cleared his throat, “since we now live in the same town, would you like to go out someday? You know, to share a coffee, a little chat…”

“I, uh, I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Sam excused herself. “I mean, it’s been nice meeting you, but… may I be honest with you?”

“Of course.”

“No offense, but you’ve got *danger* written all over you, if you know what I mean.” Sam made a face.

“None taken,” Carl laughed. “Actually, I think I'll take it as a compliment.”

“I really enjoyed our chat, Carl. You made me forget for a while, and under other circumstances, I'd love to have coffee with you,” the colonel said sincerely. “But there’s too much in my head right now, and I need to sort out my feelings before I start socializing again.”

“I understand,” Carl said. “I hope everything turns out alright for you.”

“Thank you. You too.”

“And who knows? Colorado Springs is not New York. Maybe we'll happen to meet again.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

When the plane finally landed, they shook hands and went their separate ways.

***

Daniel was washing the breakfast dishes when he heard Jack stepping into the cabin.

“Everything ok out there?” the archaeologist asked.

“Yeah. No damage on the roof or any other place, for that matter.”

“Good,” Daniel smiled.

After the heavy rain, Jack had feared the appearance of a leak. It wouldn’t have been the first time. The general approached his lover from behind, sneaked his hands under his shirt, and rested his open palms on the warm stomach. Daniel jumped and soapy water splashed the window.

“Shit, Jack! You’re frozen!”

“The temperature dropped after the storm. I need you to warm me up.” The general nuzzled against the younger man’s neck as he ran circles on the smooth chest and belly with his chilly hands.

Daniel moaned loudly. There was nothing he adored more than feeling his lover’s hands on his skin. He relished the sensation for a while before turning around and capturing Jack’s lips with a fervent kiss.

“Mmmm… love you…”

“I love you, too, baby.” Jack pulled away but left his hands on Daniel’s hips. “There isn’t a single cloud in the sky. Do you wanna walk to the creek?”

“Sure,” Daniel agreed. “Let me finish with the dishes and I'm all yours.”

“I'll make the bed,” Jack said.

***

A few minutes later, the two lovers left the cabin and headed to the dirt road. They were talking animatedly when all of a sudden, Jack stopped and frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked.

“Here.” Jack pointed at the ground with his finger. “There are tire tracks. Someone stopped here and then turned around.”

“I haven’t heard any car since we arrived here,” the archaeologist pointed out.

“The marks are deep in the mud. They probably came during the storm,” Jack observed.

“Lost travelers?” Daniel suggested.

“I guess so,” the older man shrugged. “The signs in the crossroad are broken again.”

“I hope they made it before it poured.”

“Yeah.”

They resumed the walk without giving the issue a second thought.

***

Sam was heading to the cab station when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it and frowned the instant she saw the caller's ID- Base. She picked up the call and identified herself.

“Carter.”

The words that came from the other side of the line made her heart leap to her mouth and her legs shake.

“… medical emergency… general Carter… infirmary…”

“Ok, I'm on my way,” she said before hanging up and rushing out of the building.

***

Chapter Text

“Daniel!”

Jack instantly squatted next to the fallen man. Daniel blinked behind askew glasses from where his ass had hit the ground. Jack quickly assessed his lover’s condition, his heart constricted in fear.

“Are you alright?! Are you hurt?! Double vision?! Tell me your name! Birthday!”

Jack let out the battery of questions while his hands roamed around Daniel's body. The archaeologist pushed them away.

“Jack, stop! What’s got into you?”

“You could be seriously injured!” the general insisted.

Daniel looked at the older man in bewilderment.

“For God’s sake, Jack! I just slipped in the mud! I'm fine!”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

Daniel adjusted his glasses and stood up nimbly to prove his point. He brushed the dirt off his pants and stood in front of the general. He knew exactly what had caused Jack’s exaggerated reaction. The archaeologist cupped the older man’s jaw and stared at the chocolate orbs that were looking at him with anxiety.

“I'm fine, Jack,” he said softly, “and I’m not going to leave you again.”

“You can't control that,” the general replied.

“Exactly,” Daniel said firmly. “Things happen. We both have seen our world crumble in the blink of an eye, but this can’t make us stop from living. We are here, we’re together, and we’re safe. Don’t blow things out of proportion.”

“Just promise me you’ll take care of yourself, ok? That you know your life matters.” Jack pinned the younger man with his eyes.

Suddenly, Daniel realized something.

“Is this why you didn’t let me help you check the roof before? Or why you didn’t let me help you chop the wood yesterday?”

Jack looked away guiltily.

“Oh, Jack…” Daniel pulled the older man into a hug and squeezed his muscular body. This time, the general acted in proportion and clutched his lover back.

“I’m sorry,” Jack whispered into his lover’s ear. “I know it’s irrational, but I can’t help it. If something happened to you again… Oma won’t be there for you again, you know? Next time it will be… final.”

“Then let’s hope next time will be many years from now.”

“I can’t lose you for good, Danny, I can’t…” Jack’s voice broke.

“You can’t go on functioning this way, love. I can’t lose you either, but this…”

“Hey, I'm not the one who's been picking daisies here and there,” Jack interrupted him.

Daniel pulled away, and sapphire met chocolate.

“Ok, I admit that if our positions were reversed, I would probably freak out just the same, but you can’t keep me wrapped in cotton wool.”

Jack sighed in defeat, knowing he had already lost the argument.

“We've lost so much, Jack.” Daniel’s slender fingers stroke the older man’s face. “Let’s not spoil the good we got from it with worry and unreasonable fear.”

“Carpe diem, huh?” Jack forced a smile.

“I see you got the idea,” Daniel grinned.

“I love you so much, baby.” Jack’s eyes shone with emotion.

“Me too, love.” Daniel pecked him. “Oh, and I'm chopping the wood later.”

“Danieeeel…”

“Jack?” The archaeologist scowled at his partner. “What did I just say? Cotton wool?”

“Alright, alright, you chop the wood.” The general slouched his shoulders. “Just take care, ok?”

Daniel rolled his eyes, although he knew he couldn’t blame Jack for feeling that way.

“Stop worrying, Jack. I'll be fine. C'mon. The creek awaits.” The archaeologist grabbed his lover’s hand and interlaced their fingers. “I've got you and I'm not letting you go.”

The firmness in Daniel’s voice settled in Jack’s heart. The general nodded, and they went on walking along the muddy trail.

***

Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw, SF specialist, watched Colonel Samantha Carter approaching from where she stood guarding the ISO room. The colonel’s face was contorted in worry, nothing unexpected, bearing in mind it was her father, General Jacob Carter, the man lying on the bed inside the room. Lydia's heart hurt for Sam. People like Colonel Samantha Carter shouldn’t have to wear that kind of expression on their faces. She was a role model, everything a woman in the military should be, incredibly smart, trustworthy, strong, even funny, and moreover, beautiful.

Lydia had been watching the colonel for years trying to emulate her, dreaming of becoming like her someday. The airman's first step had been studying physics and engineering. She would get her double degree in a few weeks, so she would officially become a scientist as well. Next step, taking a doctorate. If she studied hard and fulfilled her military duty impeccably, she would climb ranks fast. She couldn’t wait until the day she would finally fulfill her goal and become Colonel-Doctor Lydia Crenshaw, the new version of Colonel-Doctor Samantha Carter, loved, admired, and respected by everyone.

Although Sam was dressed in her civvies, the moment she approached Lydia, the Senior Airman stood at attention and saluted, her green eyes sparkling with admiration. The colonel rushed into the room and her heart skipped a beat. Jacob lay on the bed attached to an IV, his eyes closed. He looked pale, ill. Sam moved closer without realizing she had left the door ajar. At that moment, Jacob opened his eyes and looked at his daughter.

“Dad?” Sam said hesitantly.

“I'm sorry, kiddo. We both are,” Jacob sighed.

“About what? What's going on?” Sam’s mind was reeling with a thousand questions. Her father was fine two days ago, a little tired, he said, but he also said he would go to San Diego to visit Mark.

“I don't wanna ruin everything like this,” the former general said.

“Dad?” Sam grabbed her father’s hand.

“It's Selmak. He's dying.”

“Oh, my God. I'm sorry,” Sam said sincerely. She was aware of the strong bond her father had forged with his symbiote.

“It's Ok,” Jacob smiled. “He's ok. He led a pretty full life.”

“I didn't live with Jolinar that long, but I think I have some idea what it's like,” Sam nodded.

“Well, this is a little different, Sam. As you know, when a Tok'ra symbiote dies, they can prevent their host from dying as Jolinar did with you,” Jacob explained. “The problem is, that last selfless act requires a certain amount of energy and a conscious effort.”

Sam’s brow furrowed, and her heart pounded faster. She didn’t like where this conversation was going. “What are you saying?”

“By all rights, Selmak should have been dead weeks ago. I wouldn't let him go. I thought we needed him, that I needed him to help you stop the Replicators.”

Was it Sam’s imagination or did her father sound weaker by the second?

“Dad?”

“He hung on as long as he could, but by the time we fulfilled our mission, he was already too weak. He slipped into a coma shortly after we talked on the phone.”

“And you said nothing? You just encouraged me to go?” The crease in Sam’s brow deepened. At that moment, she didn’t know whether to get mad at her father as well.

“I didn't wanna spoil your plan. Now, I thought we could get to see the outcome. Maybe new wedding plans?”

Sam stared at him, her brain finally catching the implication of her father’s words. The colonel’s eyes filled with tears.

“We?" Her voice cracked.

Jacob threw the bombshell. “He's barely alive. I'm gonna die with him, Sam.”

Sam shook her head in denial. No. No, no, no, no! This couldn’t be! He couldn’t lose her father and Jack at the same time! The hand that was holding Jacob’s started to shake noticeably.

Outside the room, Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw couldn’t help but hear the conversation through the ajar door. She knew she should have shut it to ensure the colonel’s and her father's privacy, but her curiosity took the best of her. Now it was too late. Lydia had heard Jacob’s confession. If she shut the door now, they would know she had invaded their privacy and she would probably die of embarrassment, so the airman just kept her firm position next to the door.

“There has to be something the Tok'ra can do,” Sam said in a trembling voice. “They can remove the Goa'uld. In the last few years, you've almost perfected the process of saving a host.”

Jacob shook his head. “That process instantly kills the symbiont before it releases toxins. It's too late for that, Sam. I'm sorry. I hate to do this to you, but I should have been dead four years ago. Since then, I've been all over the galaxy. I've done things most men never dream of.”

“Oh, dad, dad,” Sam sobbed.

“So, where is old Jack? Didn’t he come with you? I'd like to do of my blessing my last official act,” Jacob teased her daughter.

Sam’s tears flowed faster and her shoulders shook harder.

“Sam?”

The colonel squeezed her eyes shut, bit her lower lip, and shook her head as fresh drops dampened her cheeks.

“Sammy, what happened?” Jacob asked in concern.

“The… the general… he… he… oh, God, dad…”

“What? Did you see him? Did you tell him how you feel? What did he tell you?”

“Oh, dad,” Sam choked, “I… I went to see him, but I… I… I didn’t talk to him.”

Jacob’s heart constricted at the misery reflected in his daughter’s voice.

“What do you mean you didn’t talk to him?”

“I… I couldn’t. He… he wasn’t alone, dad.”

Sam looked at the ill man directly in the eye. Jacob’s eyebrows raised at the implication. His mouth drew an O.

“Daniel was also there.” Sam sniffled between sobs.

“Daniel? You mean our Dr. Daniel Jackson?”

“I saw them, oh, God, I saw them…”

Jacob was at a loss. At first, he thought Sam was talking about feminine company, but Daniel was probably Jack’s best friend. It wasn’t so strange that the general had invited him to the cabin, right?

“I don’t get it. How did Daniel being there prevented you from talking to Jack? You’re all friends. I'm sure he would have welcomed you as well.”

“Oh, no, he wouldn’t, believe me,” Sam half laughed-half sobbed.

“Sam?” Jacob’s confusion did nothing but increase. His weakened state wasn’t helping, either.

“They’re together, dad.”

“What do mean they are together?”

“Together, together.”

“As in…?”

Sam nodded to the floor.

“Are you sure, kiddo?”

“I saw them, dad. You definitely don’t do those things with a friend,” the colonel spat bitterly.

“Holly Hannah!”

Jacob’s eyebrows crawled to the ceiling.

Sam covered her puffy eyes with a shaking hand.

Outside the room, Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw’s blood boiled.

General Jack O'Neill was having a sexual relationship with that pitiful civilian that was Dr. Jackson? Had the man completely lost his mind? Lydia had always thought Dr. Jackson was gay. In her book, such a well-mannered man could be nothing but homosexual, but… the general? No way! Something else had to be happening! Lydia’s brain cells worked frantically to find an explanation. Those people used to deal will all sorts of alien beings and artifacts. What if the archaeologist had found a way to enchant O'Neill? The man had to be under some sort of spell, because no way he would have chosen Dr. Jackson over Colonel Samantha Carter! She was everything a woman should be! Everything!

Lydia pictured the general and the archaeologist together, and her stomach churned. She clenched her jaw and fists. This was wrong, and she needed to do something to fix it. Colonel Carter deserved all the happiness in the world, and she was clearly in love with the general. That idiot! She needed to do something to get rid of Jackson, that bastard! Take him out of the way so that Colonel Carter could get the man she loved.

At that moment, a nurse approached, entered the room, and injected something into Jacob’s IV. She assumed Sam’s tears were the natural reaction to her father’s imminent death. She smiled at the couple empathically and left, closing the door after her, preventing Lydia from hearing the rest of the conversation. Anyway, the airman had already heard everything she needed. Her mind started to plot.

“Maybe… maybe they were just comforting each other,” Jacob opined. “Maybe it isn’t serious. If you told Jack how you feel…”

“No, dad,” Sam interrupted him. She raised her head, and they locked gazes again. “You know, even before I caught them, the thing I was afraid of was not being able to love the man as much as I love the general. When Daniel looked at him… God, dad, there was so much love in his eyes, and the general was just… Jack. I realized at that moment they love each other, really love each other for what they are, not only for the things they do, and it was… revealing. I wanted to hate them, you know? I still do but I… I can’t, I can’t and… it hurts, but the truth is, it didn’t hurt as much as it should, and everything is so confusing. I no longer know how I really feel. I don’t know if I ever knew. I don’t know what I've been doing with my life, dad.”

Jacob sighed and sank into the mattress. “I so hoped that Selmak was wrong…”

“He knew?” Sam frowned. “Huh! Of course he knew! He was also right about me. God, when you think about it… they were so obvious! How did I miss it? I feel so stupid!”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, kiddo. He cares a lot about you, too. It’s understandable that you got the signals wrong. I did it as well.”

“Like father, like daughter, right?” The colonel managed a half smile before her eyebrows knitted together again. “God, I'm so furious at them for not telling me!”

“You know what’s at stake, Sam,” Jacob said softly.

“Still. Damned them. They knew how I felt about the general. I mean, they had to, right?”

Jacob didn’t know how to answer that. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I won’t put myself in the way, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Sam’s voice sounded strained, but the tears flow had finally stopped. “After everything they've gone through, God knows they deserve to be happy. It will take me a while to be at peace with this, if ever. I don’t know, maybe I'll ask for a transfer. I don’t think I can stand working at their side for the time being.”

“Don’t take any rushed decision. You should take some time to think about what you really want to do.” Jacob was starting to sound exhausted.

“Oh, dad, I'm so sorry. You’re losing your battle and here I am complaining about my love life!” At that moment, Sam would have kicked her own ass. She was alive, still young and healthy. She had the chance to rebuild her life. Her father, however…

“I'm so sorry I won’t be here for you.” Jacob’s eyelids dropped.

“Shhh, try to sleep for a while.” Sam squeezed the old man’s hand. “I'll be here for you all the time. You won’t go through this alone.”

The former general fell asleep even before his daughter finished the sentence. Sam adjusted her body on the chair. Her father needed her, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

***

Jack and Daniel came back from the creek and prepared sandwiches for lunch. This time, after eating, Jack took care of the dishes while Daniel went outside to chop a few logs. The general tried not to worry, but he couldn’t help but watch his lover through the kitchenette window. Not that Jack didn’t trust the younger man's abilities, but the archaeologist wasn’t a stranger to the weirdest situations, so it was always a good idea to keep an eye on him.

Daniel took off his shirt and left the tank top on. He put on the work gloves and started to work. Jack observed the well-built muscles that sculpted the archaeologist’s arms, how they tensed and relaxed at each stroke. If years ago someone would have told the soldier that he would drool over another man’s muscles, he would have sent them to the looney bin and thrown away the key. But Daniel wasn’t only a man. To Jack, he was the center of the universe, and the day he realized that not only he loved Daniel’s heart and soul, but lusted after his body as well, the then colonel knew he was lost forever. Nowadays, there was nothing Jack enjoyed more than exploring the archaeologist's body and diving into the blue pools that enhanced tenfold the natural beauty of his face.

Jack felt his cock twitching at the view. Yeah, Daniel's physique had improved noticeably in eight years, and Jack’s love for the younger man had grown along the way. The general didn’t think he could function anymore without his lover around, and he knew Daniel felt the same. Two hemispheres of the same heart, two halves of the same soul. Jack smiled as he watched the best part of himself work.

There was only one thing missing in their relationship. Jack would love to feel the archaeologist inside him, but this wasn’t possible because of the secrecy of their relationship. Since the moment they became physical, both men agreed to maximize precautions. Over four years, already. They celebrated the anniversary of their first kiss one month ago. By then, Jack was leading SG-1. Both he and Daniel underwent physical examinations periodically, so Dr. Fraiser would have easily realized someone was screwing the colonel. Of course she realized Daniel was having regular intercourse, but since the archaeologist was a civilian and the “don’t ask, don’t tell" policy didn’t apply to him, she didn’t really care. So Janet just gave him some advice and wished her friend the best.

So for four years, Jack had topped while Daniel had bottomed. The older man was now a general, and his physical exams had reduced considerably. Even so, both men agreed that changing things wasn’t worth the risk. The two lovers were enjoying the best rounds of sex ever. They fitted like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Still, Jack was looking forward to the day they could reverse roles and feel his lover filling him.

Daniel got the feeling he was being observed. He raised his head and looked at the house. Jack was watching him from the kitchen. Daniel frowned at first, but then he thought he couldn’t blame his lover for being worried. The archaeologist knew he was the reason for Jack’s silver hair. Although truth be told, it wasn’t worry what the general’s face was showing at the moment. Actually, it was Jack’s usual face to express admiration.

Both men smiled at each other at the same time, and Daniel felt his cock jump. Jack looked absolutely edible in his black turtleneck. The archaeologist observed the handsome face that stared at him through the glass. Four years, four years since their first kiss, and he still couldn’t believe his luck. They had been looking for Sha're for over two years, and he hadn’t even realized that he had fallen for the colonel along the way. Only after the secret operation in which Jack told the archaeologist that their friendship didn’t have a foundation did Daniel realize he was hopelessly in love with him. Never in his wildest dreams did he dare to imagine that Jack might love him as well, but then, one year later, his dream came true.

Daniel stuck the axe in a log and headed to the cabin, never leaving Jack’s gaze. The archaeologist licked his lips and the general's member hardened instantaneously. Jack rushed to the front door, where he greeted his lover with a tonsil-sucking kiss. One minute later, they were laying on a blanket in front of the fireplace worshiping each other’s bodies, and after a while, they were both climaxing screaming each other’s names.

“Will we be able to make it to the night someday?” Daniel teased his lover as he fiddled with the hair on his chest.

“No, if you keep posing like a Greek god,” Jack chuckled.

Daniel laughed.

“What?” Jack made a face.

“I'm just surprised you know what a Greek god looks like.”

“Hey, I always pay attention to your geeky presentations,” the general protested.

“You mean between yawns?” The archaeologist looked at the older man from under his eyelashes.

“Hey, I need to keep my reputation.”

Daniel laughed again, and Jack’s heart swelled.

“May I ask you something?” The archaeologist said.

“Shoot.”

“What were you thinking before, when I was outside? You seemed… I don’t know, distracted.”

“Honestly?”

“Of course.”

Jack held the younger man closer and Daniel snuggled against the warm body. The general stared at his lover with bright, sparkling eyes.

“I was thinking of our first kiss, of how stupid I was for missing the signals until then, of how I felt my heart plummeting when I saw you on the other side of the balcony, of how I felt my soul slipping away out of my body when your heart stopped during our way to the Stargate, of how I realized at that moment that you’re my life, that not only I loved you but I was in love with you, of how our lips met for the first time in that Goa'uld palace, of how much you changed me for the better, of how happy I am that you chose me as your life partner, of how I can barely breath when you look at me like you’re doing right now.

Jack referred to the expression of sheer adoration coming from the archaeologist’s eyes. Daniel wondered if one could burst from feeling so much love. He wanted to voice it, but a huge lump blocked his throat. Tears found their way through the archaeologist’s lacrimal ducts and sprang to the surface.

“I love you too, baby,” Jack said, knowing exactly the meaning of Daniel’s tears.

The archaeologist clung to the older man as he continued releasing his joy.

***

Chapter Text

Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw finished her work shift and left the mountain. No matter how much she tried, she couldn’t take the conversation between the two Carter out of her head. Samantha was the more outstanding woman Lydia had ever known. She deserved to see all her wishes fulfilled. If she craved after General O'Neill, that’s what she would get. One way or another, Lydia would make sure of it.

The soldier drove to her apartment, prepared a light sandwich, grabbed a soda, and slumped on her beanbag chair. She nibbled the bread and cheese absently as her brain cells worked on the issue at hand. There had to be something she could do to help the colonel achieve her dream.

Think, Lydia, think!

The SG teams were constantly dealing with alien devices and substances. Perhaps one of them could be useful. After all, Lydia was convinced that Daniel had used some sort of alien technology or drug to seduce the general. Otherwise, virile General Jack O'Neill would have never in a million years fallen in love with that weenie fagot. The simple thought made her want to puke.

Lydia remembered something that happened at the base five years ago, during her first month working there as a member of the Security Forces. That particular device… yeah, that thing opened a world of possibilities.

The soldier went on brooding on the subject until two hours later, her lips curved upward in a smirk. Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw was a woman with a plan.

***

Sam watched the sleeping form of her father. Perhaps she should call the general and tell him about the situation. He and her father were friends, after all. But… what would be her true purpose if she did that? Would it be a pitiful attempt to spoil the guys' holidays? Sam growled internally. She was so mad at them that they were the last people she wanted at her side at such a delicate moment, so she finally discarded the idea.

Jacob stirred and his eyelids fluttered open.

“Sam?”

“Hey, dad.” The colonel smiled softly. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Thirsty,” he rasped.

“Here.” The colonel grabbed the cup of water from the nightstand and aimed the straw at her father's dry lips.

“Wh’t time's it?”

“Almost midnight,” Sam replied.

“Go home, Sammy. Have a rest.” Jacob struggled to keep his eyes open. “Have you even left that chair? Eaten anything?”

The colonel bit her lower lip guiltily. Jacob sighed.

“Go eat something. Take a shower. Change your clothes. I’ll still be here when you come back,” he chuckled weakly.

Sam stroked the old man's temple. “Please, dad, don’t joke about this.”

“I'm sorry,” Jacob rasped. “But please, go eat something. You look exhausted.”

Sam finally capitulated. She kissed her father’s forehead and did as asked. The idea of calling Jack crossed her mind again, but she got to the same conclusion as before.

One hour later, the colonel returned to Jacob’s bedside and held his clammy hand until Morpheus claimed him again.

***

“Carter! Don’t… no... nooooooooo!”

Jack jerked awake and sat bolt upright. He quickly realized he wasn’t at the SGC but in his bed in Minnesota. His scream woke up Daniel, who quickly switched on the bedside lamp.

“Jack? Hey, it’s ok. You were having a nightmare,” the archaeologist said as he sat next to his partner.

“Jeez, Danny,” the older man said out of breath, his chest heaving.

He bent his knees up, rested his elbows on them, and pressed his eyes with the heels of his hands in a futile attempt to erase the images his brain had just created. Daniel ran soothing circles on his bare back.

“A bad one?”

Jack swallowed and nodded. He raised his head and looked at his lover with haunted eyes.

“Carter. She, uh… you know.” Jack pointed at the archaeologist’s chest and then waved a finger across his own neck.

Daniel brought his hand to his lover’s nape and squeezed it gently.

“You said it yourself, Jack. She’s just a bunch of dust floating in the space. She’ll never hurt me again.”

“She wasn’t the replicator,” Jack clarified. “In my nightmare, I mean. She was our Carter.”

“Jack, she'd never…”

“I know, I know.” Jack blew out. Although he knew the mere idea of Carter hurting Daniel in any way was ridiculous, the nightmare had left the colonel shaking all over.

“Jack, you’re shivering. Come here.”

The general leaned against Daniel. The archaeologist embraced him and covered his body with the bedspread. Daniel’s arms had grown stronger with every passing year, and it was there, between those comforting arms, the only place where Jack allowed himself to show his vulnerability. He had never reached this level of intimacy with anyone before, not even with his ex-wife, Sara. But it was so easy with Daniel. This was one of the reasons he had fallen head over heels for the archaeologist. To Jack, the real mystery was what the younger man had seen in him.

Daniel kissed his lover’s temple gently.

“Better?”

Jack nodded and buried himself further into the embrace. Daniel smiled internally. Jack had always played the role of protector, not because he thought Daniel was some sort of weak damsel, but because that was Jack’s nature. The archaeologist was grateful for those moments in which their roles were reversed. Not that he enjoyed seeing his lover suffer, but in those moments, he had the chance to return the comfort Jack was always ready to give. In Daniel’s book, that balanced their relationship, made them equals.

“Come on, let’s try to catch some more sleep,” Daniel said as he slid under the covers, dragging Jack with him.”

“I'd rather make love to you,” the general said.

The archaeologist looked at the older man and saw the need, even despair, in those beautiful chocolate eyes he adored so much. So Daniel let him, and Jack did.

***

The next day

Senior Airman Lydia Crenshaw checked in the security control one hour earlier than usual. She had something to do before starting her shift. The soldier went to the locker room to change into her uniform. She grabbed three books she kept in her locker and headed to level 19th, to the lab where Dr. Alan Granger worked together with other scientists.

Lydia had met him two years ago when she went to the lab asking for help when she got stuck on a physics project. All the scientists basically ignored the young soldier or told her they were doing some serious work down there and didn’t have time to waste, much less on a *school project*. All but Alan. Dr. Granger had been nothing but kind to her. He didn’t have a family waiting for him at home and he was short on social life, so he offered Lydia his help.

They started to meet regularly, sometimes at Dr. Granger’s apartment, sometimes at Lydia’s, and as weeks went by, the soldier realized Dr. Granger was developing a crush on her. Lydia was a very smart woman, and although she didn’t possess Samantha’s Carter natural beauty, the soldier was far from ugly. She was well aware of her attributes and sex appeal, so she took advantage of the situation. Dr. Granger lacked social skills, but he was a genius in his field. Thanks to his good advice, Lydia’s project got the highest mark and a special mention. After that, Alan gathered all his courage and asked her out. Bespectacled scientists with overweight didn’t turn Lydia on, precisely. She fancied the soldier type, so she turned him down politely, telling him she had to concentrate on her studies. Alan understood she might be interested in the future, so he kept asking from time to time. Lydia played along to keep the *friendship*. One never knew when a scientist could become handy, and right now, Dr. Alan Granger would be really, really handy.

“Knock, knock!” Lydia exclaimed cheerfully as he leaned against the lab doorframe.

Three people were working in the lab at the moment. Dr. Granger plus two scientists whose names Lydia couldn’t remember. Not that she cared, anyway. Alan and the other male scientists looked at the door. The female scientist didn’t even bother to raise her head from the microscope. The second he spotted the young soldier, Alan’s face lit up.

“Lydia! It's been a while! Where have you been?” A wide grin crossed the scientist’s face. His colleague just ignored the soldier and refocused on his work.

“Oh, you know, busy, busy,” Lydia sing-sang.

“So, what brings you here? Do you need help with your new project?” he asked, seeing the thick books she was carrying.

“Yeah, something like that.” The soldier smiled seductively. Dr. Granger felt the air rush out of his lungs and coughed. “Can we talk somewhere more… private?”

“O… of course,” Alan stammered. “I was ready to go to the mess hall. Do you wanna join me?”

“Yeah,” Lydia agreed. “I could use a coffee.”

“Great.” Dr. Granger breathed. “Shall we?”

***

“Mmmmmmm, love you,” Daniel purred as he took the cup of coffee Jack offered to him.

The archaeologist pecked his lover and sat at the table. The general turned on an old transistor and tuned a radio station that displayed music from the 60s and 70s. Soft music filled the cabin. He sat in front of the younger man and watched how he clamped his lips on the mug and savored the dark beverage almost obscenely. Jack’s cock twitched.

“You keep drinking your coffee like this and not only we won’t make it to the night. We won’t make it to the afternoon!” the general exclaimed.

Daniel’s reply was to lick the cream on his lips veeery slowly.

Jack moaned. “Bastard.”

Daniel bat his eyelashes and Jack growled.

“Jesus Christ, Daniel, stop it or I'm gonna come in my pants like a fucking teenager.”

“Too much for you, old man?”

“Danieeeeeeeel.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Daniel laughed. “I'll behave, I promise.” He kept drinking the coffee normally, and Jack cleared his throat and adjusted his pants.

“I've been thinking,” the general said once he regained his composure, “when I retire, maybe I'd like to get a dog. What do you think?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows. “Um, I don’t know. It’s ok, I guess.” The archaeologist twitched his lips. “I never had a dog.”

“Never? Not even when you were a kid?”

“My parents traveled a lot,” the younger man shrugged. “And my foster parents, well, they basically ignored me as long as I didn’t make trouble, so…”

Jack saw the flash of sadness that clouded his lover’s eyes momentarily and her heart hurt for him.

“I'm sorry you missed it,” he said. “That and so many other things.”

“It’s ok. That happened a long ago, and to be honest, having a dog never crossed my mind. Did, uh, did Charlie have one?”

“Yeah.” Jack smiled with sadness at the memory. “You know the rule. Every kid has got to have a dog. His name was Santa. You know, the Simpsons... Never mind. The poor thing died prematurely a few months before Charlie. He loved that furry ball so much... I was thinking about getting another one when he… you know.”

Jack’s eyes clouded as well, his thoughts lost back in time. Daniel grabbed his hand, and they stared at each other for several seconds, giving and receiving comfort through the touch and their gazes, until their minds traveled forward to the present, and the usual brightness returned to their eyes.

“Ok, then. I guess we can get a dog,” Daniel said.

“Sure? You don’t mind?”

The archaeologist squeezed his lover’s hand. “I'd love to have a dog if you really want one,” he said sincerely.

“Sweet,” Jack grinned. “Have I told you recently how much I love you?”

“No, not in the last twenty minutes, no.”

“Then I do. Love you, I mean. So much that sometimes it cuts my breath.”

“I love you too, Jack,” Daniel replied with sincere emotion.

At that moment, the first notes of *Wonderful world* by Sam Cooke sounded on the radio.

“Come, dance with me,” Jack said. He abandoned his mug, stood up, and approached his lover.

“Wh-what?” Daniel looked at him open-mouthed, stunned.

“Please. I love this song. It makes me think of you.” Jack gripped the archaeologist’s hand and pulled him into his arms.

“Jack! You’re crazy!” Daniel laughed.

The general reached out a hand and turned up the volume. He wrapped his arms around the younger man and started to move, following the rhythm as he sang into his ear.

Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book
Don't know much about the French I took

But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you love me too
What a wonderful world this would be…

The archaeologist felt a tidal wave of sheer happiness engulfing his entire being and laughed louder as Jack made him spin and then pulled him again into his firm arms.

“Remember when I told you it sometimes cuts my breath?”

“Mmm.”

“It’s one of those times.”

They went on dancing as the music and Daniel’s joy filled Jack’s heart and the entire house.

***

Sam washed her face and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It evinced the stress accumulated during the last hours. Dark bags hung under her eyes and twin lines framed her mouth from the nostrils to the chin. The colonel sniffled and blinked back tears. Her father was losing his strength fast. He wouldn’t last much longer. The fact of having to deal with it without her team, her family, made it much worse. Despite the circumstances, Sam missed them terribly. She was tempted to call the general once again, and once again she cast the idea aside. The colonel damned the two lovers for the umpteenth time. She inhaled long and deeply and blew the air out slowly. She repeated the process until she was confident she wouldn’t break down any time soon.

The colonel left the restroom and headed to the mess hall to grab a coffee before going back to the infirmary where a barely conscious Jacob was waiting for her. Her father was her only family now. Also her brother, Mark, although she wouldn’t be able to contact him until everything was over. Then she would have to come up with some excuse, maybe tell him that their father had suffered a sudden and fatal heart attack. She didn’t want to deal with it now. She'd do it at the right time. At the moment, she only wanted to spend time with her father, tell him all those things she had never had the courage to say before. Like three years ago, when Daniel died and she told him how she felt about him when the archaeologist was almost gone, just like her father. Just like she had waited to tell Jack how she felt about him and look where this had taken her. The great, courageous Colonel Samantha Carter. Huh, what a joke. Sam knew she was as guilty as them, and she wasn’t sure if that made her feel worse or better. Who cared? The truth was a thick feeling of loneliness was settling in her heart, and it had probably come to stay for a while.

Sam took another deep breath before coming into the cafeteria. The Special Forces would change the shift in a few minutes and the place was quite crowded. She spotted her colleague, Dr. Granger, sitting at a table in the corner talking with a soldier with short blonde hair similar to her own, although she couldn’t see her face. Alan looked altered, but Sam didn’t really care about the scientist’s problems at the moment.

The colonel grabbed a muffin, ordered a coffee, and waited.

***

“Have you lost your mind?!” Dr. Granger whispered in shock, the cup of coffee stopping halfway towards his lips.

“It’s the only way,” Lydia insisted. “I'm telling you, my sources are one hundred percent reliable. The entire planet is at stake. This is the first line of defense and our leader isn’t fit for duty. We are all at risk.”

“Then, if you’re so sure, why don’t you report him yourself?” Alan asked innocently.

“Oh, please, Alan. A Senior Airman reporting General O'Neill? This man is a hero to all these people! I'd end up cleaning latrines in Elmendorf in no time. Is this what you want?”

Panic rose from Dr. Granger’s gut. The mere idea of not seeing Lydia again was too painful to even consider it. Two years of friendship had developed into a full-scale crush. Alan has never felt so enamored in his entire life, but what she was asking…

“And do you realize what will happen to me if I get caught? I could end up in jail!”

“Jail? Alan, don’t you see it? You'll be hailed as a hero! And you know I have a thing for the hero types, don’t you?” Lydia grabbed Alan’s hand and squeezed it slightly.

The scientist gulped. Lydia’s hand felt so soft and warm.

“I'll be really grateful, you know?” she added in her most seductive voice. “I might even let you accompany me to that property my family has got in Aspen.”

Alan’s heart started to pound faster. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal, after all. He only needed some excuse to go to Area 51 to do some research. He was the usual liaison between the SGC and the base in Nevada, after all. He visited the place often. Once inside, getting the device would be a piece of cake. And then all his dreams would come true. Lydia was worth the risk.

“Alright,” he agreed. “You can count on me.”

Lydia smiled. Her soul roared with laughter.

She turned around in time to see Sam leaving the mess hall with a cup of coffee and a small container. It seemed that fate was at her side. Could the timing be more perfect to carry out the second stage of her plan? “I owe you one, Alan!” she exclaimed before standing up and running after her heroine.

***

The elevator opened in front of Sam. She stepped aside to allow three soldiers to get off, went into the car, and stabbed the button to level 21st. Lydia rushed inside the moment the doors started closing. She *accidentally* tripped and dropped the books at Sam's feet.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so clumsy!”

“Are you alright? Let me help you,” Sam said as she bent down to pick up the books. The colonel couldn’t help but notice the titles and authors. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “This is good stuff. Are you into physics?”

“Yes, I'll get my double degree in a few weeks,” Lydia replied animatedly.

“Double degree?” Sam looked impressed. “In?”

“Oh, Physics and Engineering.” Lydia took the books. “Thank you, ma'am. I'm sorry for the trouble.”

“No problem… Crenshaw,” Sam read the uniform tag. “So, what are your goals, Airman?”

“Oh, hopefully, I'll get promoted to Staff sergeant soon after I get my degrees. I think my knowledge can be useful in a place like this.”

“Will you go for the doctorate?”

“Of course, Ma'am. I dream of becoming a brilliant scientist and leader like yourself.”

“You’re giving me too much credit,” Sam smiled slightly.

“Are you kidding?! The idea of building a particle beam generator to rescue general O'Neill when he got stuck for one hundred days on that planet five years ago was brilliant!”

Sam was impressed by the airman's energy and resolve.

“Which are your current duties, airman?” she asked.

“Oh, uh, I… I'm assigned to the infirmary. Actually, I'm in charge of security in General Carter’s room. I'm heading to the armory. My shift starts in fifteen minutes.”

“That’s why you look familiar.” Sam rolled her eyes. “I'm sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

“It’s ok, Ma'am. I wanted to say how sorry I am for your father’s situation. I wish I could do something to help.”

“You’ve already done it, Crenshaw,” Sam said sincerely. After two days of being in deep shit and more to come, the little chat felt like a breath of fresh air to the colonel. “Come to see me after you get your degrees. I might find something interesting for you.”

Lydia’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, Ma'am!” She saluted vigorously.

The elevator reached level 21st, and the doors slid open. Sam got off while Lydia continued towards her floor. A grin crossed her face from ear to ear. This was going even better than she had planned. Soon everything would be back on track.

***

Chapter Text

After a nightmare-free night, Jack and Daniel enjoyed another perfect day at the cabin while Sam endured the tough vigil at her father’s deathbed. It was incredible how the old body clung to life, even knowing there was nothing anyone could do to reverse his situation. During the minutes he was awake, Jacob took the chance to voice his regrets. Apparently, he wouldn’t let go until he had expressed them all. This could take a while.

***

Soon after talking to Lydia, a highly motivated Dr. Granger went to see Colonel Reynolds, temporary CO, and convinced him of the urgency to visit Area 51. Soon that same afternoon, the scientist arrived at the Air Force facility in Nevada. He took a deep breath as he stepped into the familiar building. That brief trip would determine a before and an after in his dull life.

***

Lydia complied with her duty of guarding Jacob’s room impeccably. Sam left the infirmary briefly twice, and both times the airman saluted her with sparkling eyes. The second time, Sam brought a coffee for the airman and excused her from duty as they shared another brief chat about the young woman's projects. Lydia took advantage of the moment and displayed all her charms. Once again, Sam got dragged by the soldier’s enthusiasm and could forget about the recent events for a little while. The colonel went back to the ISO room thinking that under the right circumstances, Crenshaw would make an excellent friend.

That afternoon, when she finished her shift, the senior airman didn’t go home. She drove to Denver and purchased all the necessary equipment to carry out the third stage of her plan.

She paid cash.

***

Alan Granger knew how to move around Area 51, so it wasn’t difficult for him to steal the device once he located it. The guards at the checkpoint knew him well. They never imagined the sheepish scientist could entail any danger, so they basically ignored him when he left. They didn’t even notice the unusual tension in his body, which disappeared as soon as the plane took off.

Alan smiled internally all the way back to Colorado Springs. Lydia would be pleased.

***

The scientist arrived home past midnight. He would go see Lydia in the morning. The airman would be in downtime for the next two days, so she would probably be at home.

Alan sat at his desk and spent the next two hours manipulating the device so that Lydia could use it for her specific purpose. Once he finished, he observed the stolen device for a while as he daydreamed of his future trip to Aspen with Lydia, their naked bodies cuddling in front of the fireplace. He kissed the piece of technology, hid it under his pillow, and promptly fell into a peaceful sleep.

***

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, oblivious to everything that was happening in Colorado, Jack and Daniel celebrated life, filling the cabin with orgasmic screams. A few minutes later, both men were snoring softly in each other arms. Once again, no nightmares haunted their dreams that night.

***

The next morning, Dr. Granger went to see Lydia at her apartment as planned. The moment the airman saw the device, her emerald eyes glimmered.

“Are you sure this is the one?”

“Positive,” he stated firmly. "However, those alien never got to use it on Colonel Carter, so I had to adjust it to her specific DNA."

“Did you test it?”

“Me?” Alan looked at her, horrified. “It would have been too… weird.”

Lydia yanked the circular object off his hand and stuck it to her chest. It glowed blue. She went to the bathroom to check the result. Colonel Samantha Carter’s face greeted him in the mirror. Using Sam’s mouth and teeth, Lydia grinned.

The airman removed the device, and Sam’s body morphed into Lydia's original shape. Dr. Granger watched the scene in fascination.

“Will you let me accompany you? To Aspen?” he blurted out excitedly.

“You can count on that,” Lydia said absently, her gaze glued to the small object he held between his fingers.

“Next weekend?” Alan asked expectantly.

“I'll tell you when the time comes,” she said. “Meanwhile…” Lydia approached the scientist, entwined her fingers with what was left of his hair, and pulled him into a fierce kiss.

When she pulled away, a very flushed Alan gasped for air.

“Oh… ah… uh… wow.”

“More to come,” she winked at him. “But now, I've got a lot of things to do, so if you excuse me…”

Lydia walked to the front door and opened it so Alan could leave.

Still hypnotized by the more-than-welcome kiss, the scientist left the house carrying a goofy grin that would accompany him for the rest of the day.

Lydia shut the door and quickly started to plan her day.

***

The day brought nothing new to Jack, Daniel, and Sam. The boys spent another tranquil day at the cabin, fishing, reading, and making some small repairs on the house. The memories of the tragic events that led to Daniel’s last death were quickly being replaced by fresh memories of coziness and joy, and lots of sweaty sex. Jack felt himself relax and started to feel confident that he wouldn’t lose Daniel any time soon. The big threats that loomed over Earth were history. The general foresaw a relatively calm future, and Daniel was a young and healthy man, so he was safe, wasn’t he? Of course, accidents happened. No one knew that better than Jack, but he would not go there. Daniel had reached his quota for at least ten lives. The archaeologist deserved a break, a long, long break, and the general would do anything in his hand to keep things the way they were right now.

As for Sam, she went on keeping vigil at her father’s bedside. They still shared a few short conversations, but most of the time, Jacob lay asleep or unconscious. Sam wasn’t sure which. The colonel struggled to look strong during the few minutes her father stayed awake. The rest of the time, she let the tears run freely down her face. Everything would be over soon, and she would face it alone.

***

Deputy sheriff Harold Crenshaw taught her daughter all his tricks before he died, so for Lydia, breaking into a house was a piece of cake, even if said house belonged to an Air Force general. The airman shook his head disapprovingly at his neglect. The man hadn’t even installed an alarm, for God's sake. And this was the man in charge of the SGC? She hoped Colonel Carter would drill him into the matter once they were together.

Lydia searched Jack’s house, looking for some evidence of his relationship with Dr. Jackson, but she couldn’t find any. It looked like he wasn’t so reckless in that matter as he was with the security of his house. Time for Plan B. She looked for the best emplacement in the bedroom, opened the sports back she was carrying, scattered the contents onto the bed, and started to work.

***

"It’s good to see you smile again,” Daniel told his lover as they cuddled on the couch after dinner.

“Yeah, well, I decided it’s not worth dwelling on what happened. I got you back… again, so let’s make the best out of it.”

“Mmm, I wish we could stay like this forever,” Daniel purred.

“You'd be bored out of your skull in two weeks,” Jack laughed.

“Nah, I don’t think so. There are plenty of interesting activities to do here.” The archaeologist snuggled deeper against the older man.

“Oh, yeah? Such us?”

“Well, you know how much I love exploring…” Daniel sneaked a hand under his lover’s t-shirt and stroked his stomach. Jack moaned softly  “… touching…” he brushed Jack’s nipple with his thumb. The general gasped, “and tasting.”

The archaeologist straddled the older man and devoured his mouth hungrily. Jack rocketed to seventh heaven. Oh, yeah, not a dull moment with Daniel at his side.

***

Meanwhile, in Colorado, Jacob struggled to crack open his eyes.

“S-Sam?”

“I’m here, dad.” The colonel squeezed the clammy hand softly.

“Go have some rest, Sam.” Jacob’s voice was barely audible.

“I'm fine, dad,”

“S-Sam?”

“Yes, dad?”

“I love you, kiddo.”

“I love you, too, dad.” The colonel’s voice cracked.

“T-Tired.”

“It’s ok. Try to sleep some more.”

Jacob closed his eyes. He would never open them again.

***

Lydia looked at the results of her work. The cameras were perfectly camouflaged inside the alarm clock and the ceiling lamp, and the transmission to the computer looked perfectly sharp and without interference. The images showed a clear view of the bedroom and the king-size bed. The airman smiled proudly. She gathered all the remaining materials and the tools and put them in her bag, together with the laptop. She made sure everything looked untouched and left the house.

Half an hour later, she was at her apartment sitting on her beanbag chair, with the laptop on her thighs, and a glass of red wine in her hand. The screen rewarded her with a perfect view of Jack’s bedroom. She ran some tests. Everything worked perfectly. She couldn’t wait to see that fagot of Dr. Jackson kicked out of the project and General O'Neill where he belonged- in Colonel Samantha Carter’s arms.

A cricket chirped outside and Lydia sighed in contentment. Summer was coming, and the good weather fitted her mood. One thousand miles away, several chirps echoed in the woods of Minnesota and joined two lovers in their display of grunts and moans. Another cricket gave itself away outside of the Cheyenne Mountain complex. Twenty-one levels underground, an exhausted Colonel Samantha Carter missed the sound.

***

Daniel’s eyelids fluttered open, and the archaeologist found himself looking at his favorite view. Jack lay popped up on one elbow, staring at him with a soft smile planted on his handsome face.

“You were watching me sleep?” Daniel asked drowsily.

“I can’t think of a better thing to do with my time,” the general answered softly. “Besides, it’s our last day here. After today, who knows when I'll be able to do it again.”

“Yeah, back to our world of lies,” the younger man sighed in resignation.

“Daniel…”

“Sorry, sorry, but you know how I feel about it. Sam and Teal’c are family and I hate having to conceal our relationship from them. They deserve to know. Don’t worry, I understand the reasons why we can’t tell them, but I can’t help but feel bad about it.”

“You’re the most honest person I’ve ever known.” Jack carded his lover’s silky hair. “I'd be worried if you didn’t care, but things will change soon. I promise.”

“I know.”

Their lips met in a gentle good morning kiss that led Jack to blow his partner with such a skill that left the archaeologist floating for the rest of another perfect day.

***

Lydia Crenshaw headed to her post at the infirmary, celebrating the fact that, although very weak, Jacob was still alive. That would give her more time to approach Samantha.

Apparently, good fortune was on the airman's side. The moment she was going to get into the ISO rooms area, Sam opened the door and they met face-to-face.

“Colonel,” Lydia saluted.

“Airman. Are you starting your shift now?” Sam asked.

“Yes, Ma'am. I'll be guarding your father’s room.”

“Good, good,” Sam nodded.

Crenshaw frowned at the colonel’s aspect. She was very pale and the bags under her red-rimmed eyes had darkened since the last time they met.

“Excuse me for the intrusion, Ma'am, but how's he doing?”

“Not well,” Sam said, trying to sound whole. “He, uh, he lost consciousness yesterday and they don’t think he’s going to wake up again. It’s a matter of hours, two days tops.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Lydia said in the gentlest tone she could come up with. “I know what it’s like. My father died six months ago. I miss him every day. If you need, you know… talk... someday…”

“Thank you, Lydia. I really appreciate your concern,” Sam said sincerely. Now that she thought about it, with her teammates away, Lydia was the only person Sam had chatted with in a friendly way since she had come across Dr. Carl Rogers on the airplane three days ago. Bearing in mind how things were at the moment between her and her friends, maybe she would take the airman’s offer. God, she missed Janet so much. Lydia was smart and caring, someone who might be worth knowing better. But not yet. Jacob was still alive, and she would devote all her time to him for now.

“I… I was going to grab some coffee,” Sam said. “Do you want anything?”

“I'm good, Ma'am, thank you,” Lydia refused with a kind smile.

Sam nodded and the two women went their separate ways. They met again twice during the airman’s shift and both times they shared a little talk. Lydia was ecstatic that Sam seemed to enjoy their chats, although bearing in mind the situation, the airman concealed her enthusiasm well. Things were going much better than Lydia had dared to imagine. General O'Neill and his whore would come back the next day. Crenshaw was looking forward to giving him the fatal blow.

As soon as she ended her shift, Lydia drove directly home. She turned on her laptop and checked the connection to Jack’s bedroom. Everything was ready. Tomorrow night would be a great night.

***

The next day, Jack and Daniel left the cabin early in the morning. Hopefully, they would arrive home before midnight. They were due back to the SGC in twenty-four hours.

Meanwhile, in Cheyenne Mountain, Jacob went on slowly webbing away, his organs gradually shutting down. Sam dozed out leaned against the mattress out of exhaustion, but she still refused to leave her father’s bedside until everything was over. Needless to say, Lydia didn’t miss a chance to share a few words with the colonel every time she left the room.

***

Jack and Daniel arrived at Denver around 23:00. The general pulled in next to the gas station where he had picked up his lover six days earlier. He stopped the engine, and both men stared at each other.

“I'll miss you tonight,” Daniel said forlornly.

“Hey, in a few weeks you’ll get tired of sharing your bed with me on a daily basis,” Jack chuckled.

“I will never get tired of that, Jack, never.” The archaeologist’s eyes sparkled.

Jack cupped the younger man’s jaw and stroked his cheek tenderly. The general leaned forward and let his lips do the talk. They pulled away and Jack brushed Daniel’s swollen, moist lips with his thumb.

“Drive carefully. See you tomorrow at the base,” he whispered, his heart aching at the prospect of having to pretend in front of their colleagues again.

“Bye, Jack. I love you.”

“I love you,  too, baby.”

Daniel got off the vehicle and headed to his own car, which he had left parked a few yards away. Jack watched how the love of his life drove away and cursed for the umpteenth time the unfairness of their situation.

“Soon, love, soon,” the general whispered to the moving form.

He restarted the engine and followed the same way. One hour later, both men slid under the covers of their respective beds. It was supposed to be almost summer. Then why was it so cold?”

***

Senior airman Lydia Crenshaw watched the screen of her laptop in expectation. General O'Neill was due back at the base tomorrow, so he was supposed to arrive home sometime during the evening.

The airman’s patience was rewarded at midnight when the cameras captured the image of Jack coming into the bedroom. He went directly to the bed, lifted the covers, and slid between the linen. The general lay on his side in a sleeping position and turned off the light.

“He’s alone, dammit,” Lydia swore.

Well, they would have a rendezvous sooner or later. All Lydia had to do was have patience. And when the goal was worthy, Airman Crenshaw could be a very patient woman.

***

The next day

Jack arrived at the SGC determined to fulfill the promise he had made to Daniel. First step, talking to Colonel Reynolds, his second in command, and catch up on whatever had happened in the base during the week. He found the colonel in his office.

“Reynolds!” Jack greeted. “I see the base is still in one piece! I assume no alien incursions of any kind, no reassembled mechanical bugs, or, in the lack of them, no other potential threats to wipe out the planet?”

“No, Sir,” Reynolds saluted. “Everything is calm. Well, except for General Carter’s situation.”

“Jacob?” Jack raised his eyebrows. “What about him?”

Reynolds frowned at his CO's confusion. “Colonel Carter didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“He's in the infirmary, Sir. He… he’s dying.”

“What?!” Jack bleached.

“He collapsed shortly after you left,” Reynolds explained. “The doctors think he won’t make it through the day. Colonel Carter is with him.”

“Shit.”

Jack launched towards the telephone on Reynolds’ desk and dialed quickly.

“Walter!” he bellowed. “Tell Dr. Jackson to meet me at the infirmary as soon as he arrives! And send a message to Teal’c on Dakara!”

Jack didn’t wait for an answer. He hung up the receiver and strode out of the office, wondering what was wrong with Carter. Why the hell hadn’t she contacted them? They were her family, for crying out loud! Ok, she knew he was far away in Minnesota, but they let her think Daniel was at his apartment, and she hadn’t called him either. The archaeologist had diverted all his calls to his cell phone, and she never called. Why? She had to know they would be there for her, wouldn’t she?

Jack pushed those thoughts away. This wasn’t the time to scold a subordinate. It was time to help a dear friend to get through one of the worst moments of her life. Whether or not she liked it, they would be there for her.

***

Chapter Text

Jack found Sam outside the ISO room talking to the airman guarding the door.

“Carter!”

The yell startled Sam, who swayed. Lydia gripped her arm to stabilize her.

“Are you alright, Ma'am?”

Sam nodded her thanks. She turned around to face Jack, and the general gasped at the pallor on her face. The colonel’s heart fluttered at the view of the man she believed to be the love of her life until a few days ago.

“Jeez, Carter. Are you alright? How is he?”

“Not good, Sir,” the colonel sniffled. “It’s gonna be over soon.

“God, Carter. I'm so sorry. You should have called us. We would have been here for you.”

Before Sam had time to react, she found herself wrapped in Jack’s arms. She didn’t move at first. Actually, she wanted to push him away, yell at him that she hated him, that she only wanted to be left alone, but she quickly got lost in the comfort of those strong arms. And almost as quickly, the colonel also realized that the embrace was, indeed, heartfelt, but it lacked the passion of a lover’s hug. Jack loved her. She had no doubts about that, but he wasn’t in love with her. That privilege was reserved only for Dr. Daniel Jackson.

Sam finally returned the gesture and the second her hands touched the general's back, she bursted into tears. Jack tightened the embrace, and to Sam, it still felt like nothing beyond a good friend’s hug.

“Thank you for being here for me, Sir,” Sam choked.

“Always,” Jack whispered in her ear.

A few feet away, Lydia struggled to maintain her composure. She felt like yelling at Jack, asking him where the hell he had been all those days while the woman he loved stayed here suffering all alone. The airman took a deep breath and focused her gaze on an invisible spot on the opposite wall. She would fix everything soon. She only needed to have patience.

Jack broke the hug but kept his hands on Sam’s shoulders.

“What happened?” he asked.

Sam explained the situation to him.

“How long?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know. He suffered a crisis a few minutes ago. I think it’s Selmak. Dr. Brightman is inside now. She asked me to wait here.”

Jack let go of the colonel and scrubbed his face with his hands, visibly affected by the news.

“How do you know I didn’t call Daniel?” Sam blurted out.

“What?”

“You said, *you should have called us*. How do you know I didn’t call him?”

Shit. Of course, Sam didn’t know they had spent the week together, and he had slipped it without thinking. Jack said the first excuse that came to his mind.

“Well, he isn’t here, right? Besides, had he known, HE would have called me.”

At that moment, the door opened, and the doctor came out, followed by two nurses. Saved by the bell.

“How is he?” Sam hurried to ask.

“The symbiote is dead,” Brightman confirmed. “Your father is very weak. It won’t be long now. Three, four hours tops.”

Sam took a shuddering breath and nodded before rushing into the room. Jack followed her. The colonel grabbed the old man's hand and squeezed it gently, fresh tears sliding slowly down her cheeks. Jack stood next to her.

“Where is Shanahan?” Jack asked innocently. “You should call him. He should be here for you.”

Sam squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

“Carter, what’s going on?” The general squinted in suspicion. The colonel hadn’t called him or Daniel, her fiancé was nowhere in sight…

“I… I broke the engagement a few days ago.”

“You what?!” Jack half whispered-half squeaked. “Why?!”

Sam swallowed hard. “I… I didn’t love him enough,” she shrugged. “I thought…” She bit her lower lip and stopped the sentence in time.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she sniffled. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Jeez, Carter. Your timing really sucks.”

The door opened and a flushed Daniel with a face contorted in worry came into the room.

“Sam! Walter just filled me in. God, I'm so sorry.”

The colonel's stomach flip-flopped. She raised her head and looked at the newcomer. If Jack didn’t know her better, he would have sworn he saw a glint of hostility shining in her eyes. Daniel moved closer with the clear intention of hugging his distraught friend. Sam chose that moment to sit down. Daniel stopped cold in his tracks and wrapped his arms around his torso. He and Jack exchanged looks of confusion.

Seeing the two lovers in the same room was more than Sam could stand. Images of their intercourse in the cabin displayed in full technicolor in her mind.

“Listen, guys, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but… I'd rather be alone.”

“Sam? What…?” Daniel started.

“Daniel, please,” the colonel interrupted him. “If you ever cared about me…”

“What? What do you mean if I ever cared? Sam?”

The archaeologist blinked, utterly confused. What was with the sudden animosity?

Jack put a hand on his lover’s shoulder.

“Let it go, Daniel.”

The archaeologist looked at him questioningly, but the determination in Jack’s eyes killed the next words before they could leave his mouth. Daniel found himself nodding and being pulled out of the room.

“Call me if you need something,” Jack whispered to the colonel before shutting the door after him.

“Jack?” Daniel’s brain was trying unsuccessfully to understand what had just happened.

“Not here,” Jack cut him.

They left the infirmary and headed to the archaeologist’s office.

“Jack, what was all that about?”

“Carter broke up with Shanahan,” Jack explained.

“What?” Daniel’s mouth drew a perfect O. “No wonder she’s so angry with the world.”

“Yeah. Selmak died a few minutes ago. Dr. Brightman says Jacob will follow soon.”

“God, poor Sam.” Daniel fell on his stool.

“Although I’ve got the feeling that there’s something more.” Jack frowned.

“More than losing your boyfriend and your father the same week?”

Daniel’s heart hurt for his friend's lousy luck and it was clearly reflected in his tone. Jack wished nothing more than to engulf the younger man in his arms. Carter was losing her father, but they were losing a friend, after all. The general saw the need reflected in his lover’s eyes, and he reinforced his decision to retire as soon as possible. Soon he would be able to hug Daniel whenever and wherever he wanted with no consequences.

Suddenly, the loudspeakers in the corridor interrupted Jack’s thoughts.

“Unscheduled off-world activation. General O’Neill to the control room!”

“This could be Teal’c,” Jack said. “Let’s go.”

The two lovers rushed toward level 28th. Once there, Walter gave them confirmation that, indeed, the ID signal belonged to Teal’c. Jack gave the order to open the iris and he and Daniel went down to the gateroom to greet their Jaffa friend.

A few seconds later, the event horizon undulated and Teal’c materialized on the metallic ramp.

“O'Neill. DanielJackson. It’s good to see you, friends. I received your message. What has transpired?”

Jack and Daniel filled Teal’c on their way to the infirmary. Once they arrived at the ISO rooms area, Daniel stopped the two men.

“Jack, uh… is this… is this such a good idea? I mean, Sam told us she wanted to be left alone.”

“Well, she’s clearly hurting, and she’s confused. I can’t imagine a single reason why we shouldn’t at least try again to comfort her,” Jack replied firmly. "We're all family, for God’s sake!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Daniel sighed.

Lydia watched the exchange from where she stood next to the door. The simple vision of the archaeologist turned her stomach. She tasted bile in her mouth and she swallowed hard. Jack knocked and cracked open the door.

“Carter, I’m sorry. I know what you said, but Teal’c is here.”

The colonel stood up, and the jaffa came into the room.

“ColonelCarter,” he said gravely.

The two friends met in a heartfelt hug. Teal’c held her as she sobbed on his broad shoulder. Daniel felt as if they had punched him in the gut. Jack saw how all the color drained from his lover’s face. He quickly gripped the younger man’s arm and dragged him out of the area. There were cameras hovering over them at every corner. Dammit! The general made his lover follow him to the only place camera-free. The locker room. Once inside, Jack made sure no one was there and wrapped his arms around the slightly smaller body.

“Jack, someone could come in any second,” Daniel warned him.

“I don’t care.”

Jack tightened the embrace. Daniel automatically reacted and hugged him back.

“Well, you should care,” the archaeologist replied.

Jack pulled away and cupped his lover’s cheek with his hand.

“Listen, I don’t know what’s got into Carter, but I'll talk to her. I promise.”

“Don’t, Jack. This isn’t about me. She’s… she’s hurting. I understand.”

“Well, I don’t. And I want to know why she doesn’t have any problem accepting comfort from Teal’c and from me, but she doesn’t seem to be able to stand near you.”

“She… she let you hug her, too?” Daniel asked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Yeah,” Jack sighed.

“God, Jack. Don’t you see it?”

“What?”

Daniel started to pace nervously.

“Why did she break the engagement? Did she tell you?”

“She, um… she said she didn’t love Shanahan enough,” Jack shrugged.

“God, she wants you, Jack. I… I just know.”

“Oh, here we go.” Jack ran his fingers through his silver strands. “Danny, even if it was true, what does it have to do with her attitude towards you? She doesn’t know we're together,” Jack stated firmly.

“Doesn’t she?” Daniel threw his hands. “Maybe she figured it out, eventually. I'm sorry, but I can’t come up with any other explanation. God, we should have told her from the very beginning.”

Jack thought about Sam’s words, how she had thanked him for being there for her, and how her behavior changed diametrically the moment Daniel stepped into the room.

“Daniel, stop. Stop!” The archaeologist complied and Jack grabbed his shoulders. “I'll talk to her when all this is over. You did nothing wrong. It’s all my fault and I'll fix it.”

“No. I… I'll talk to her. I don’t need you to fight my battles, Jack.”

Jack was about to protest when SG-11 came into the locker room to get ready for their next mission. They saluted Jack and he and Daniel left the place and went separate ways.

***

Three hours later, Jack was in his office, trying unsuccessfully to concentrate on his work, when the phone rang. It was Dr. Brightman. Jacob had passed away.

Jack thanked the doctor, hang up the phone, and buried his face in his hands. He left his office and went to meet Daniel at his lab.

“Jacob’s dead,” he announced solemnly.

Daniel closed his eyes briefly and nodded. “Let’s go see Sam.”

Jack said nothing. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and waited for his lover to join him at the door. They walked side by side to the infirmary without uttering a word. When they arrived, they saw Teal’c holding a weeping Sam while two orderlies were pushing a gurney with a body, Jacob’s body, covered with a sheet. The airman who usually guarded the door, Crenshaw, Jack read on her tag, escorted them on their way to the morgue.

“My condolences, Col… Sam,” Jack said softly. “We'll all miss him.”

They hugged awkwardly. Jack no longer knew what to expect.

“Thank you, Sir,” she said past the lump in her throat. “He left happy, satisfied with the last years of his life, and I'm grateful for that.”

“I'm terribly sorry, Sam,” Daniel muttered. “If there’s anything I can do…”

Leave the general alone! the colonel was tempted to say. She immediately kicked herself mentally. She knew she was being unfair to Daniel, but Jacob’s illness and death had come as a shock and it had interrupted her attempt to deal with her discovery.

“Thank you, Daniel,” she simply said.

The archaeologist had his arms wrapped around his middle and Sam once again didn’t show any intention of hugging him, so he left them there.

“Will you be alright?” Jack asked with concern.

“Yeah. I got a few days to get ready for this.”

“There’s no way to get ready for something like this, Sam,” Daniel said empathically.

“Yeah, he's right,” Jack supported the younger man. “Take the rest of the week, and whatever you need, just… name it.”

“Thank you, thank you, Sir,” she nodded. “And now, if you excuse me, I need to call my brother.”

“Come to see me before you go, ok?” Jack said. “I'll be in my office.”

She nodded again and left.

“So, T,” Jack clasped his friend’s shoulder, “it’s been a few days. Wanna come to grab a bite?”

“As I already informed ColonelCarter, I can’t stay longer,” Teal’c informed his friend. “I postponed an important meeting to come here, but I can’t delay it any longer. Things are being more difficult than expected in Dakara.”

“I'm sorry to hear that,” Daniel said.

“Ah, politics!” Jack sighed.

“Take care of ColonelCarter,” the jaffa said. “I will come back for the funeral.”

Jack and Daniel accompanied their friend to the gateroom, and he left through the Stargate. The moment the wormhole disengaged, Daniel’s face scrunched in a deep frown.

“What?” Jack asked as soon as he saw the gesture.

“Nothing. I know you don’t agree with my theory, so I was just wondering why Sam kicked us out of the ISO room, but apparently, she let Teal’c stay with her until the end.”

Jack didn’t know what to reply to that. For him, being the general, it would have been inappropriate to accompany Sam in her vigil, but not for Daniel, who the colonel had always considered one of her best friends. Truth be told, Carter’s attitude towards Daniel has been totally out of character, to say the least. Anyway, he knew she loved the archaeologist like a brother, so he tried to come up with a logical explanation.

“Well, for starters, he doesn’t talk much. You know neither of us can stay quiet for long. Maybe it was the kind of comfort she needed.”

“I'm gonna talk to her,” Daniel said. “She needs to know we’re here for her.”

“She knows,” Jack assured his lover.

“Still. I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in a moment like this.”

“Ok, then. See you later?”

“Sure.”

Jack climbed the stairs to his office while Daniel headed towards the elevator.

The archaeologist heard Sam talking even before he reached her lab. He peeped inside hesitantly and saw the colonel sitting on a stool talking on the phone. For the few words he could gather, he realized she was talking to her brother. He didn’t want to interrupt such a poignant moment, so he left discreetly promising himself that he would talk to her later.

***

When Sam hung up the phone, she was tingling all over. She just wanted to advance the clock and put the last week far, far behind. She took a few minutes to put herself together and went to see Jacob at the morgue to give him the last farewell. Next, she went to see Jack.

“I just told my brother,” she said. Jack nodded but uttered no word. “He will arrive the day after tomorrow. I, uh… I told him our father suffered a heart attack while he was here on a visit.”

The colonel crossed her arms over her torso and shifted from one foot to the other.

“It’s hard, you know? Having to lie to the people you love.”

“You know what’s at stake,” Jack replied.

“It doesn’t make it easier.”

“No. No, it doesn’t.”

Sam held the general’s gaze a bit longer than necessary. Here it was again, the hint of hostility on her face. A crease appeared between Jack’s eyebrows.

“We'll have to move the… body,” she said. “My brother wants to see him, say his farewell.”

“It’s understandable,” Jack agreed. “Don’t worry about it. We'll take care of everything.”

Sam just nodded.

“Go home, Carter,” he finally said. “Get some rest. I'll call you once we settle everything.”

“Yes, Sir.” Sam bowed her head and walked towards the door. She suddenly turned around. Jack had already given his attention back to the report on his desk.

“Sir?”

The general raised his head. “Yes, Carter?”

She opened her mouth and closed it again. “It’s… it’s nothing.”

“Go get some sleep, Colonel. I bet you haven’t in a while.”

“Bye, Sir,” she whispered before leaving and closing the door after her.

The moment he heard the click, Jack blew out. He felt the same uneasiness he had felt the day she had shown him the engagement ring. Definitely, there was something odd in her beyond the natural desolation from the recent events. But it couldn’t be what Daniel had suggested, could it? The colonel had to know he didn’t love her that way.

Jack made up his mind. He'd talk to her after the funeral and they would straighten things out once and for all.

***

Daniel left the base at 18:00 and drove directly to Sam’s house. The archaeologist knocked on the door softly. He didn’t want to wake her up in case she was sleeping. He doubted she had left Jacob’s room at all for the last few days.

He was ready to turn around when Sam cracked open the door.

“Hey, Sam,” he said softly, almost apologetically.

The colonel’s first instinct was to shut the door, but one didn’t make it to colonel if they lost total control of their primary emotions, so she stepped aside and let him in. They stood at the entrance, each one of them caught in their turmoil of emotions. Sam kept her arms tightly wrapped around her middle, so Daniel buried his hands in his pockets.

“I, uh… I just wanted to see if you’re alright. You know… if you need to talk, or a shoulder to lean on.”

“I'm fine,” she replied rather coldly.

Daniel had hoped that Sam’s previous reactions to him had been a product of his imagination, but the tone confirmed to the archaeologist that the colonel was holding a grudge against him.

“This isn’t only about Jacob, is it?” Daniel knitted his eyebrows together.

Sam's heart constricted. God, she couldn’t do it. She had thought she could. She had let him in, but she couldn’t face him just yet. The archaeologist’s frown deepened when he saw her tightening her self-embrace.

“Sam, is it something I did? Cause I…”

“The world doesn’t revolve around you, Daniel,” the colonel spat.

“What?” Daniel stared at her open-mouthed.

“You better go.” Sam looked away.

“Sam, what the hell is going on?” Daniel’s mind wandered to five years ago, to the day Jack told him their friendship had no foundation. His stomach churned both at the memory and Sam’s words.

“Please…” Sam’s voice broke.

“Sam…?” Daniel felt absolutely hopeless. He couldn’t understand his friend’s behavior. Sam was clearly suffering, and he saw no way of comforting her.

The colonel squeezed her eyes shut to stop the imminent tears. “Please…” she repeated brokenly.

Daniel blinked several times, trying to process what was happening. He decided to leave it alone for now. Sam saw her father die only a few hours ago. She was hurting deeply. It wasn’t the moment to confront her.

The archaeologist nodded weakly and turned around to leave. Sam saw him reaching out his hand toward the doorknob. A flood of contradictory feelings assaulted her. She was still mad at him for having concealed the truth for so long, but so was she at the general. It wasn’t fair to punish only Daniel for it. And she needed him as a part of her life, as much as she needed the general and Teal’c. They were family, and everything would be back on track in time, but not if she broke it irreparably.

“Daniel, wait…”

The archaeologist stopped the movement and slowly turned around. All of a sudden, he found himself with his arms full of Sam. Daniel froze at first. Sam buried her face in his chest and started to cry. The archaeologist slid his arms around her body and pulled her closer.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” she sobbed.

Daniel felt utterly confused, but he hugged her tightly, anyway. The archaeologist felt the weight on his heart lift and he could breathe normally again. He held his friend for a long minute until she pulled away.

“Sam, what’s going on?” he asked.

“I… I can’t talk about it now.” The colonel sniffled. “All I can say is that everything is gonna be alright, but I need some time.”

“What is it, Sam? I might be able to help.” Daniel tried to seek some answers in her eyes, but he couldn’t put a name to the emotions expressed through them.

“Is this about Pete?” he tried. “Jack told me you broke up.”

Before Sam had time to answer, the telephone rang. Daniel followed his friend to the living room.

“Carter… I'm fine, Sir… Daniel is here now… yes, everything is fine…alright… alright… ok, thank you for calling, Sir.”

She hung up and looked at Daniel.

“It was the general. There will be a memorial service at the base tomorrow,” she informed him. “General Hammond and several Tok'Ra representatives will come. Then they’ll move the body to a funeral home so that my brother can see him. My only regret is that Mark will never know how much our father did for this planet during his last years.”

“Having to lie to the people we care about is probably the hardest part of our job,” Daniel agreed.

Sam looked at him, bewildered. His eyes showed deep sorrow, and she knew he wasn’t talking only about Jacob and Mark. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to the colonel. Daniel was one of the most honest, empathic, and caring people she had ever known. Having to keep his relationship with Jack secret had to be hell for him, and she realized he was doing that not to harm her, but to protect the general. Still far from disappearing, Sam’s resentment decreased another notch.

“That’s… that’s the same thing I told the general,” she said.

“Yeah. It sucks, right?”

Sam felt a surge of love toward her friend, but the still-present frustration swept it away. It was still too soon.

“Daniel, I really appreciate your support and your wish to help, but a lot of things happened and I need… I need time to sort some things out, and I… I need to be alone right now. I hope you understand.”

Daniel thought about those tough days after Sha're's death. He had felt exactly the same. Even Jack’s presence had bothered him by then.

“Ok. Just… call if you need something, ok?”

“Yeah, ok. Thanks.”

The archaeologist squeezed her arm briefly. “See you tomorrow.”

Sam chewed her lower lip and nodded. Daniel left, and the colonel went to the bedroom to try to catch some sleep.

***

Chapter Text

Daniel drove directly to his apartment, took a shower, and changed into sweatpants and an old t-shirt. He was heading to the kitchen to prepare a hot sandwich when Jack arrived, carrying two bags from the archaeologist's favorite Chinese restaurant.

“Mmmmm, love you.” Daniel greeted his lover with a kiss and a hug.

They grabbed beer and wine from the fridge and sat on the couch to share the meal.

“So, how were things with Carter?” Jack asked.

“Odd,” Daniel replied as he tossed his Chow Mein with the chopsticks. “One second she was kicking me out of her house and the next she was clinging to me like a drowning man.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Odd,” Jack agreed. “So you two are good?”

Daniel told his lover everything about his encounter with their friend. The general's brow tensed.

“I've been thinking about your theory,” he said as he chewed a piece of wonton. “It doesn’t explain Carter’s behavior. If, according to you, she left Pete 'cause she drools over me, why didn’t she call me to tell me? And why did she kick us both out of the ISO room? Shouldn’t she have been glad to have me there to comfort her?”

“Yeah. You’re right,” the archaeologist sighed. “Unless she found out we’re together and she’s mad at us both,” he pointed out.

“There’s no way she could have found out. This has to be something else.”

“She said everything was going to be alright.”

“See? You're brooding on this too much. And now, enough of Carter.” Jack left the wontons box on the coffee table and proceeded to eat his lover’s mouth instead.

Half an hour later, they were both cuddling on the couch, enjoying the post-orgasmic bliss.

“I don’t want to spoil the mood,” Jack said, “but tomorrow, after the memorial service, I must accompany General Hammond to Washington.”

Daniel's reply was to snuggle closer against his lover’s body.

“They’re not happy that I went on holiday so soon after we defeated our enemies,” the general explained. “Besides, they say my report is a little… sketchy,” he chuckled. “As if I could concentrate on anything after having you back wrapped in that flag!” Jack’s eyes shone at the memory of one of the happiest moments of his life.

Daniel looked at him and smiled, his eyes also twinkling with love.

“So I'll tell them what they want to hear and I'll start to tie those loose ends. And next step, retirement, so that I can enjoy the rest of my life with the person I love.”

The general claimed his lover’s lips again.

“I love you so much, baby,” he said. “I wish I could stay tonight.”

“And I wish I had your dress blues in my wardrobe so you didn’t have to leave.” Daniel wrinkled his nose.

They shared a new round of passionate kisses, they washed, and Jack left.

***

Senior airman Lydia Crenshaw clenched her jaw as she looked at the screen of her laptop in frustration. It was almost midnight when General O’Neill finally came into his room, alone again, and went directly to bed. Dammit. He had surely met Dr. Jackson in his apartment. She should have put a camera there, too. Fuckfuckfuck.

Lydia left the camera in Jack’s bedroom recording, just in case, and she went to sleep.

***

The next day, Jack and Daniel met General Hammond, Teal’c, and the Tok'Ra representatives at the mountain. Sam arrived a few minutes later, and they all gathered in the gateroom to give their condolences to the colonel. She looked pale and puffy-eyed, but she insisted she was fine.

The memorial service was brief and emotional. Once it was over, Sam allowed everyone to hug her, Daniel included, and Jack could breathe again.

They said their last farewell and Teal’c and the Tok'Ra representatives left through the Stargate. Jack and Hammond set off to Washington immediately, and Daniel headed to his office while Sam went to meet Lydia and another airman, Reid, who were assigned to take Jacob’s body to the funeral home. Sam followed the special vehicle with her car, trying to push her turmoil of thoughts and feelings away and concentrate only on the road. Once they arrived, the soldiers wheeled the gurney with the box into the building, where the staff would get the corpse ready so that Mark and his family could see him the next day.

The moment the members of the SGC stepped outside the funeral home, an extreme feeling of loneliness struck Sam to the core. Her father was dead, so was Janet, Cassie was studying abroad, Pete was history, she couldn’t stand being near Jack and Daniel for too long, Teal’c was back on Dakara, her brother wouldn’t arrive until the next day, not that their relationship was too close anyway, and she had been so focused on her job that she hadn’t had the time nor the energy to cultivate any friendship outside the SGC. Once again, she cursed her friends for having fucked up her chance to be happy, only to immediately regret the thought. She was a grown woman, and she was ultimately responsible for her happiness, wasn’t she? That thought wasn’t enough to stop the misery she felt at the moment. Not yet, anyway.

“Are you alright, Ma'am?” Lydia asked, seeing the colonel’s expression of distress.

“Lydia, would you join me for lunch at the town?” Sam blurted out.

Lydia’s eyebrows crawled upward. “Uh, I'd love to, but I haven’t finished my shift.”

“Don’t worry about that. I relieve you of duty for the rest of the day.”

“Ok, then,” Lydia agreed. “But what about our uniform? And my bike?”

“Oh, you’re right,” Sam chewed her lower lip. “You can go back to the mountain with Airman Reid to change your clothes and take your bike. How is that?”

Lydia nodded. They agreed to meet at a restaurant in the center in one hour and they went their separate ways.

***

Lydia’s heart was fluttering with joy as she rode to meet Sam. She couldn’t believe her luck. Everything was going according to her plan. If only General O'Neill took his whore at home so that she could get proof of their affair! But the general would be in Washington for a couple of days. That would have to wait.

When the airman arrived at the restaurant, Sam was already there.

“Colonel,” she greeted.

“We're off duty, Lydia. Please, call me Sam.”

“Sam,” the airman smiled from ear to ear.

The two women enjoyed a pleasant lunch. Lydia displayed all her charm and Sam bought the act confidently. Again, Lydia’s energy made her forget about her current situation for a while. The colonel wanted to know more about her studies, and Lydia displayed her intelligence and wit. Sam ended up smiling sincerely for the first time in many, many days. She hadn’t felt so at ease with another woman since Janet.

Sam needed to go to buy supplies for the wake and she asked Lydia if she would accompany her. Needless to say, the younger woman said yes. Sam was pleasantly surprised to see that Lydia owned a motorbike the same model and color as her own. Definitely, the girl had good taste. Lydia followed the colonel to the supermarket and then to her house, where she helped to put the groceries and other stuff away. Lydia also offered her help to prepare the wake, which would take place in two days, and Sam gratefully accepted.

They were sharing a coffee on the couch when Daniel called to check on Sam. The colonel assured him she was fine. He offered to come over and give her some company, but Sam told him she was with a friend and the archaeologist didn’t insist.

Lydia listened to the conversation struggling to keep a smile on her face. That fagot! He was the only one responsible for Colonel Carter’s unhappiness! Lydia pushed Daniel’s image away so that she could keep the recently swallowed coffee in its place.

Sam hung up and the two women continued savoring the coffee and chatting. The airman left the house in the evening and she smiled at the feeling of sheer satisfaction she carried on her way home.

***

That night, Jack called Daniel at his apartment from Washington. Things were going well, and the general told his lover he would be back the next day at night. They still needed to be discreet, so they agreed to meet directly at Jacob’s wake in a couple of days.

***

The next day

Sam went to pick up her brother and his family at the airport. The colonel’s house was small, so they would stay at a nearby hotel. Once they settled, they all went to see Jacob and gave him the last farewell. Jacob had asked to be cremated, so next, they proceeded with his wish.

***

Jack arrived home late in the evening and called Daniel to let him know. They agreed Jack would pick up Teal’c at the SGC the next day and they would meet directly at Sam’s for the wake.

Once again, Lydia watched in frustration how General O'Neill went to bed alone. Colonel Carter couldn’t be wrong, could she? No, no way. Sam said that she had caught the two men in bed, so Lydia convinced herself that eventually, she would catch them as well.

***

The next day

The next morning, Lydia went to help the Carters to have everything ready for the wake. General Hammond came accompanied by several members of the Air Force, former Jacob’s colleagues who knew nothing about the Stargate program. Several personnel of the SGC came as well, and of course, Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c, who had to play *Murray* again.

There was an awkward moment when Sam introduced her brother to her team or rather former team. Lydia took advantage of the situation. She accompanied Sam to the kitchen to get some drinks and carried on with another stage of her plan.

“Sam, may I ask you something?”

“Of course,” the colonel replied.

“I've noticed that… how to say that… your relationship with General O'Neill and Dr. Jackson seems… tense.” Lydia used her most innocent tone. “I thought all of you were good friends.”

“We were… are… it’s just…” Sam sighed and slumped on a stool.

“What’s wrong, Sam?” Lydia asked with fake concern.

“Let’s say we had a difference of opinion about something,” the colonel snorted humorlessly.

“You had an argument.”

“Not… exactly,” Sam replied enigmatically. Lydia was proving to be a good friend, but she wasn’t ready to share with her some intimacies just yet.

“Sam, I, uh… I noticed that your fiancé, Mr. Shanahan, didn’t come to see General Carter. He didn’t attend the memorial service either, and he's not here today.”

Sam’s eyes moistened at the memory of all the last days' events.

“We… we broke up last week,” the colonel gulped. “Just before my father…”

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” Lydia lied, faking surprise.

“So many things happened in a few days,” Sam’s voice broke. “I think I need to reevaluate my entire life.”

“You know? A friend of mine found herself in a similar situation a few years ago,” Lydia continued lying. “She went to Europe for three months, and she came back as good as new. You should try it. Go away, far from everything. It’s the only way you’ll be able to clear up your mind.”

“Well… I certainly have several issues to deal with, some things to sort out.”

“You see?” Lydia grabbed the colonel’s hand, squeezed it affectionally, and continued pushing as she showed the kindest of her smiles. “My family owns a cabin in Aspen, but since my father died, no one goes there. It’s small but very cozy. I would gladly lend you the key. You could stay there for as long as you need. It would do you great good.”

“That’s very generous of you. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea,” Sam agreed. “I'll think about it.”

“Good,” Lydia smiled.

“Lydia… I wanted to thank you for your help,” Sam said sincerely. “Not only for today but for your support during the week. If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure I would have made it in one piece.”

“Aw, Sam, don’t mention it!” Lydia pulled her into a heartfelt hug. “We’re friends now, right?”

“Of course!” Sam returned the hug with affection. It felt nice to hug someone without having to think about second intentions for a change.

They pulled away, grabbed the drinks, and carried them to the living room. Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c watched them from where they stood at a certain distance from the others in the backyard.

“This woman looks familiar.” Jack squinted his eyes. “Where have I seen her before?”

“She is AirmanCrenshaw,” Teal’c said. “She was the SF soldier guarding Jacob’s room.”

“Oh, that's why she rang a bell. I saw them talking at the infirmary, but I had no idea they were close,” Jack said casually.

“They aren’t,” Daniel frowned. “I mean, not before now, anyway. We would have known if they knew each other, right?”

“Well, it seems like she’s been keeping some secrets lately,” Jack pointed out.

“So have you and DanielJackson,” Teal’c observed.

“What?” the two lovers chorused, mouth agape.

“Are you denying that the two of you are together?”

Jack and Daniel bleached. “What?!”

“You… you knew?” the archaeologist stammered.

“Of course he knew,” Jack threw a hand to his Jaffa friend.

“H-how?” Daniel couldn't get over his surprise.

“Such things can’t be concealed from a well-trained Jaffa,” Teal’c replied stoically.

“And you said nothing? You’re ok with this?” Jack drew circles with his finger between Daniel and himself.

“I have no reason to be against it,” the Jaffa bowed his head. "This did not affect your performance in the field.”

“Huh.”

“Does Sam know it, too?” Daniel dared to ask, his heart pumping faster to get ready for the answer. Next to him, Jack tensed as well.

“She does not,” Teal’c stated. “ColonelCarter harbors great affection for you, O'Neill. Had she known, she would have been visibly affected and it would have altered her performances on the missions.”

“Oh, crap.”

“We need to tell her, Jack,” Daniel said.

“Are you nuts?” the general exclaimed. “Her father just died, for crying out loud! What do you want me to say? I'm sorry for your loss, Carter. By the way, Teal’c says you've got the hots for me. I'm sorry to tell you that nothing will ever happen between us because I've got the hots for a certain archaeologist.”

Daniel wrapped his arms around his middle and looked away, visibly hurt. Jack sighed and stroke his nape.

“I'm sorry. You’re right. We should have told them long ago. I promise I'll talk to her in a few days. Let’s Jacob’s body cool first, ok?”

Daniel looked at his lover from under his eyelashes and nodded.

Mark Carter and his family approached Sam and Lydia.

“Hey, sister. I still can’t believe it. How are you doing?”

“Yeah, everything went so… fast. One second he was talking to me and the next he crumpled to the floor,” Sam lied.

“I'm sorry I couldn’t make it sooner,” Mark said. “Why don’t you come to San Diego for a few days? It’s been ages since we spent some time together, and we are your only family left now.”

Sam wanted to tell them that this wasn’t true. That she had a family here, too. Maybe they didn’t share blood ties, but they were bonded one to the other much stronger than many families. The colonel sought with her eyes her former team among the guests. She found them outside, in the backyard. At that moment, Jack and Daniel looked at her and smiled softly. A new wave of opposite feelings engulfed Sam’s heart. God, how she loved them both! She wished nothing more than to get over her lust for the general and seek comfort in their company, but she wouldn’t be able to pull herself together with them around. Sam felt tears rising and blinked them back.

“I… I appreciate it, Mark, but a lot has happened recently and I think I just need to be alone for some time,” she said.

“You could stay at the cottage we’ve got at the beach,” Cynthia, Mark’s wife, offered. “This way you could be alone and we could meet whenever you need.”

“Excellent idea, honey,” Mark agreed. “Come on, Sammy, say yes. We barely see each other and I miss you. The kids will be happy to have their auntie near, too. Right kids?”

“Yes, please, auntie Sam,” David, Mark's son, bounced on his feet. “You gotta teach mom how to make those chocolate cookies. Hers aren’t as good as yours!”

“And she has to meet our new kitty!” Lisa, his sister, added.

Lydia panicked. If she wanted her plan to work, she needed Sam isolated from the world.

“I'm sure your kitty is lovely, honey,” the airman smiled fondly. “but sometimes when grown people are sad, they need to be really alone for a while. Your auntie can visit you when she feels better, and I'm sure you’ll have a great time.”

Sam looked at her brother and his family. Their relationship had been always quite distant, and although she could see the sincerity in their offer, the colonel didn’t think this was what she needed right now.

“I appreciate your offer, I really do, but Lydia offered me a place in the mountains a while ago and I think that’s what I need right now. As long as your offer is still on the table,” Sam looked at the airman.

“Of course it is! I told you, you can stay there for as long as you need.”

“Alright, then,” Mark agreed. If that’s what you want.” Lydia breathed in relief. “But if your change your mind, just tell us, ok?”

“Thanks, Mark.” The siblings kissed on the cheek.

“I'll have to ask the general for some personal time,” the colonel sighed.

“That won’t be a problem.” Lydia hooked Sam's arm with hers and pulled her closer. “You’ll see.”

Sam responded to the gesture with a fond smile.

Jack, Daniel, and Teal’c watched the scene from the distance.

“Shouldn’t we be the ones doing that?” Jack asked, his eyebrows up.

“You don’t approve ColonelCarter's friendship with AirmanCrenshaw, O’Neill?”

“No, no, it’s ok that she got a life. But am I the only one who is feeling… how to say it?”

“Excluded,” Daniel finished for him.

“Yeah, that.”

“Indeed.”

The lately present feeling of uneasiness that inhabited Jack and Daniel’s guts grew stronger.

“She said everything would be alright,” Daniel reminded his lover as he tried to convince himself of that. “We should trust her, Jack.”

“Well, I guess we can do that.”

At that moment, Sam left the group and approached them.

“Hey, guys. Sir, can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Sure,” Jack nodded.

Daniel and Teal’c left to talk to General Hammond.

“I'd like to ask for some personal time,” Sam told her CO. “A lot has happened recently, and well, I'd like to go away for a while, you know, have some time alone to digest it all.”

The general knew something about loss, so he understood perfectly what the colonel meant.

“Of course,” Jack said. “Take all the time you need.”

“Perhaps three, four weeks?” Sam bit her lower lip. “Is that ok with you?”

“Take a month, Carter. Although, about going away… we're your family. You don’t need to go through this alone.”

“Yes, I do this time. Please trust me on that.”

“You sure?” Jack frowned, not very convinced. The colonel had been acting quite out of character recently, and now this?

“Positive,” she said firmly.

“Carter, I know you keep saying this but, are you sure you’re ok?”

“I will be. Trust me on that, too.”

Jack studied her for a few seconds. “Ok. Ok,” he finally said.

“I, uh… I'll go back inside. My niece wants to tell me everything about her new kitty.” Sam shrugged.

“Sure.”

The colonel headed to the house, leaving a rather confused general sipping beer in the backyard.

***

That night, Lydia slumped on her beanbag chair in a mental and emotional state that fluctuated from excitement to frustration. On the one hand, Sam would stay away for at least one month. She'd make sure the colonel didn’t come back until things were right. On the other hand, it was the third night in a row that General O'Neill went to sleep alone. If things didn’t change soon, she would buy new material and try to set the trap in Dr. Jackson’s apartment. One way or the other, and sooner than later, she would catch them in the act.

***

Chapter Text

The next day, Lydia went to Sam’s house first thing in the morning and gave her the keys and directions to the cabin in Aspen. Sam thanked her with a heartfelt hug and they said their goodbyes. Only an hour later, Sam got into her car and started the five hours trip.

As for Jack and Daniel, they enjoyed a couple of tranquil days at the SGC. Daniel caught up with some delayed translations while Jack kept preparing his well-deserved retirement.

Jack had to fly to Washington again on Thursday and would stay there for a couple of days, so Daniel met the general at his house for dinner and a new round of hot, sweaty sex. As usual, they didn’t make it to bed. Once they started to kiss and touch flesh, their clothes quickly vanished and they ended up making love on the couch.

“You know? I'd like to make it on your big, comfy bed from time to time,” Daniel laughed.

“You kill the chances every time you start batting those impossible eyelashes of yours while we are on the couch,” Jack replied in the same mood. “I have no other choice but to jump on your bones right away.”

“Ok then. Next time, I'll refrain until we’re in the bedroom.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Their lips met in an extra round of passionate kisses and a silent dialogue in which their shining eyes did the talk.

A few miles away, Lydia clenched and unclenched her fists as she stared in disbelief at the screen of her laptop. They were at the house, she was sure of that. The camera was capturing muffled sounds, probably coming from the living room, and it undoubtedly sounded like two men doing intercourse. That wasn’t enough evidence, damn it! She needed a clear picture of the colonel’s affair. What was wrong with those two? Didn't they use beds like normal people? Was it a fagots' thing?

There was a moment of silence, and a few minutes later, Lydia heard the muffled sound of water running. That nauseating piece of scum was having a shower and had dragged the general with him. The airman snorted. No matter how much Dr. Jackson washed, he would never remove the grime from his slimy skin.

The sound of the water stopped, and Lydia watched the screen intently.

“C'mon, go to bed already, you motherfuckers.”

To the airman’s dismay, there were a few more minutes of silence and then the sound of the front door shutting.

“No! Son of a bitch!”

The moment she saw Jack stepping alone into the bedroom and going to bed, Lydia roared.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”

The airman shoved the laptop away and pulled out her hair. She stood up, kicked the beanbag chair furiously, paced angrily for a while to pull herself together, swallowed a cup of red wine, and went to bed. She started to plot a Plan B, without knowing that soon her patience would be finally rewarded.

***

Two days later

“Daniel.”

The moment Jack opened the door and saw his lover standing on the threshold, the gray-haired man's face lit up like a Christmas tree. The archaeologist came into the house, kicked the door shut, and launched into his lover’s arms.

“Missed you, baby.” The colonel sniffed to capture the younger man’s scent.

“I missed you too, Jack,” Daniel replied with emotion. “Please, tell me what you told me on the phone is true.”

“What? The retirement thing?” Jack asked nonchalantly.

“So it’s true?” Daniel’s eyes sparkled.

“Not yet, but almost.” Jack pecked him. “They approved my request. They’ll send my replacement in one week, two tops. General Hank Landry. He’s a teddy bear. You’ll like him. And then, farewell, Air Force, hello, rest of my life with the person I love.”

“God, Jack!” Daniel captured the older man’s lips with a fervent kiss. “I love you, love you, love you…” he said as he ran a trail of kisses along the general's jaw.

“I thought you didn’t approve of my decision to retire,” Jack chuckled.

“I lied,” Daniel said as he went on worshiping his lover’s face.

“You’re really something,” the general laughed.

“I want you, Jack. I want you now,” the archaeologist whispered before attacking his lover’s mouth again.

“Patience, grasshopper. It’s dinnertime. Don’t you wanna eat something first?”

“The only thing I want to eat is just in front of me.” Daniel unbuckled Jack’s pants, sneaked his hand inside, and gripped his lover’s hardening cock.

Jack growled. “Bed. Now.”

They stumbled towards the bedroom, removing each other’s clothes in their way. Daniel was eager to feel the general inside him, so this time, they didn’t waste too much time with foreplay. Jack lay on his back and the archaeologist straddled him. A few kisses and nibbles here and there, a quick preparation, and Daniel impaled himself with his lover’s rock-hard shaft.

“Oh, God!” both men chorused at the powerful sensation.

Daniel arched his back and tilted his head backward, offering Jack an open view of his leaking member and his chest and belly. The general's mouth wetted at the perfection of the younger man’s body. He reached out his hands and stroked Daniel’s pecs and flat stomach. The archaeologist shivered at his lover’s electric touch and started to move his hips up and down rhythmically, impaling himself deeper and deeper at each move, and accompanying every action with a loud moan. Their sparkling eyes locked.

“Oh, God, Jack… love you… love you so much…”

 “Love you, Danny… Danny… so good baby…”

Jack curled his fingers around the younger man’s shaft and Daniel gasped at the added pleasure. The pace of the archaeologist’s moves increased. Jack gripped his lover's hips and thrust upward in synchrony, making both men get lost in a mantle of bliss. The usual recital of *harder* and *faster* filled the room, and both men complied.

They didn’t last much. A few more movements and Daniel exploded screaming Jack’s name. The orgasm tightened the muscles of his ass around Jack’s member and that made it for the general.

“Jesus Christ! Danieeeeeeeeeel!”

The convulsions shook their bodies for a minute, and after that, Daniel's still trembling form collapsed onto his lover. They didn’t move while they tried to catch their breath. Then, the general encircled the slightly smaller body, and their lips met in a fervent kiss. Daniel pulled away and lay on his side facing his lover, who wrapped his arms around him possessively. Jack carded the younger man’s hair and stared at him with eyes full of love and endless devotion.

“I love you so much, baby. I don’t think I know how to live without you anymore. If anything happened to you…”

Daniel put his fingers on the general's lips.

“Shhh. Don’t start again. Nothing will happen to me. No more risky missions, remember? From now on, only boring, tedious scientific missions in double-checked boring planets.”

“Triple-checked.”

Daniel laughed, and his stomach growled.

“Ok, I think I could eat something now. What’s on the menu?”

“Well, the thing is that this sexy, gorgeous, with eyes to die for, came to my house and I got distracted, so…” Jack tickled his lover’s belly and Daniel let out a new round of laughs and stomach growls.

“Sorry, sorry,” he breathed between guffaws. “Call the pizza place. I'm buying!”

“See? That’s what you get for spoiling my plan?”

“You had a plan?”

“Of course, I had a plan,” Jack said in mocking seriousness. “I'm a general of the USAF. I make plans for a living!”

“Oh, yeah?” Daniel fiddled with the older man’s chest hair. “And what plan was that?”

“Call the pizza place, of course!”

“Jaaaaack!”

Daniel threw his pillow to Jack’s face, and the result was a new round of tickles and laughs.

***

Senior airman Crenshaw locked her front door, kicked her sneakers off, and went to check the computer as she used to do every time she arrived home from work. The moment she saw the images displayed on the screen, her jaw dropped. Yesyesyes, about time! General Jack O'Neill was naked on his bed, tickling an equally unclothed Doctor Daniel Jackson. She turned on the volume. The two men seemed to be having a great time.

A few seconds later, they got off the bed and left the room. Lydia heard the muffled sound of the shower running. She quickly checked the video the computer had recorded while she wasn’t at home. If her jaw had dropped before, now it hit the floor. There, in full color, was the evidence of the two men’s affair.

The airman covered her mouth and swallowed bile the moment she saw Daniel impaling himself with Jack’s shaft and started to move up and down.

“Oh, gosh, that’s gross!”

The image left no room for doubt. Lydia watched the rest of the recording, struggling not to throw up. When she finished, an evil sneer twisted her face.

“Gotcha. Get ready, Colonel Carter. You’re about to get your man.”

***

Jack and Daniel cuddled on the couch to watch some tv, his bellies full of pizza and his hearts full of hope.

“Stay tonight,” Jack said.

“Jack…” Daniel sighed.

“We can use the usual excuse with the neighbors; you know- yeah, Mrs. Bishop, Danny boy here took one beer too much, fell asleep on the couch, and I didn’t have the heart to wake him up.”

The archaeologist laughed. “You need new excuses. She’s going to think I'm an alcoholic.”

Jack looked at him with eyes full of love. “I adore hearing you laugh. In a few days, we'll no longer need excuses, and I'll devote the rest of my life to making you laugh.”

Daniel stared back, his blue pools twinkling with adoration.

“I love you so much.”

“C'mon, stay. You know how I love waking up with your body snuggling into me, looking at those gorgeous blue eyes,” Jack insisted.

“And you'll do it soon.” Daniel pecked him. “But until then, we better be cautious.”

Jack growled. “Alright, but once I'm retired, I'm going to retaliate.”

They engaged in a round of gentle kisses until Daniel stood up to leave.

“See you tomorrow at work.”

“Sweet dreams, baby. I'll miss you.”

“Yeah, me too. I love you.”

“I love you. Bye.”

And Daniel left.

***

Lydia hovered the cursor over the *send* button. She checked the e-mail addresses in the BCC field. Colonel Reynolds, the SGC second in command, was at the head of the list, followed by all the SG team leaders and their seconds.

Alright, recipients, checked. Attached file, checked. Sender- Samantha Carter, checked. Lydia snorted. It hadn’t been difficult to hack the colonel’s account.

Lydia smirked as she clicked the *send* button. She poured some red wine into a cup and sent a toast to the computer.

“Yeah,” she hissed as she made herself comfortable on the beanbag chair and drank the wine with delight.

A few minutes later, she checked the computer again. She saw Jack going to bed alone. It didn’t matter now. She lifted the cup of wine again in front of the screen.

“Cheers, General. Tomorrow will be the first day of the rest of your life. I'm sure you’ll enjoy the ride.”

***

Jack smiled as he parked his truck at the place reserved for the general. Yeah, life was good. No alien threats hovering over Earth, and the best of all, he was in love, Daniel requited his feelings, and they would be together soon.

The general whistled happily as he walked towards the first security checkpoint. The airmen in charge saluted him and Jack continued towards the second point. He frowned at the squad of Military Police standing on the other side of the barrier. Had anything happened during his absence? The frown deepened. Colonel Reynolds, his second in command, would have called him if something serious had occurred.

Jack passed the checking point and was ready to ask for an explanation when suddenly, the MP squad pointed his weapons at him.

“What the hell…?”

“General O'Neill, you are under arrest,” one of the MPs declared firmly.

“What?” Jack stared at him in shock.

“If you resist, we'll be forced to open fire.”

“What?!”

“Wilkinson.” The MP soldier in charge made a signal with his head to a younger teammate.

The man named Wilkinson moved behind Jack and handcuffed him. The general was too shocked to resist, not to mention there were three guns pointing at his chest.

“What are the charges?” the gray-haired man scowled at the MP in charge.

“Violation of the Public Law 103–160, Title 10 of the United States Code §654,” the other man sneered at him. “C'mon. Let’s throw this piece of scum where he belongs.”

The MP pushed Jack through the corridors. The general’s mind was reeling with a thousand questions. Law 103-160. People who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts are prohibited from serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck. How did that happen? He and Daniel had been extremely cautious during those years. How the hell did they find out? Only Teal’c knew about them, and he would have never reported them. God, Daniel! Would they arrest him as well? No, Daniel was a civilian. That law didn’t apply to him. But the news would spread like wildfire if they hadn’t already. Everyone on base would know Daniel was involved in a same-sex relationship. God, no! Jack knew what some soldiers were capable of doing to people like him. Something much worse than throwing him in jail. He needed to protect Daniel at all costs! He needed to warn him! But how, dammit, how?! They probably wouldn’t let the archaeologist see him. Shitshitshit. The only thing he could do for now was not to admit the accusations.

Alright, don’t panic, Jack told himself.

Perhaps it was only a misunderstanding after all. There was no way they could have any evidence. For now, all he had to do was stay silent until he knew what was really going on.

The group arrived at the holding cells area. Wilkinson removed the handcuffs, and they kicked Jack into one cell with no more explanations. They locked the door and two of them left while Wilkinson and one of his teammates stayed to guard the cell.

“I hope you enjoy the view, General,” Wilkinson scoffed at him. “This is gonna be your home for a looong time.”

Both MP laughed out loud. Jack clenched his jaw and fists but refrained from replying to them. He couldn’t fall into their provocations. That would be like admitting the accusations. He felt like pacing to alleviate some of the nervousness that had gathered in his body, but that was a bad idea, too. Jack appealed to his military training and approached the tiny cot at the bottom of the cell. He sat down stoically and waited while the two MPs went on mocking him.

***

A few minutes later, Colonel Reynolds arrived. He snapped his fingers to dismiss the two guards and approached the cell.

“What’s going on Reynolds?” Jack asked harshly from the cot he was sitting on.

“You’re in deep shit, Jack,” the colonel said. “There’s evidence of your actions.”

Jack frowned. Evidence? What evidence could they possibly have?

“What are you talking about?” The general moved closer and gripped the cell bars.

“I received an e-mail, and apparently I'm not the only one. Several SG team leaders came to see me first thing in the morning.”

“What e-mail? What are you talking about?”

“There was a video attached,” Reynolds gulped.

“What video?!” Jack was starting to lose his patience with so much talking around.

“The video of you and Dr. Jackson having… uh, intercourse.”

“What?!!!”

The general's eyes popped out of their sockets, and their knees buckled. Fortunately, the fingers wrapping around the cell bars prevented the fall. This couldn’t be. It has to be a mistake. There was no way that someone could have caught them in the act. They had been extremely cautious. That had to be something else.

“There’s no room for mistake,” Reynolds added. “It’s the two of you in the video. The images are pretty clear.”

No way, this couldn’t be!

“For crying out loud, Reynolds! Didn’t occur to you that it might be a setup?! You know I've got a few enemies! You just believed that and threw me in jail?!”

“The source is reliable, Jack.” Now Reynolds looked truly uncomfortable.

“Reliable, you say?” The older man made a face. “Care to enlighten me?”

“Jack, the e-mail… there’s no easy way to say it.”

“Then just say it!” the general scowled at the younger man.

Reynolds took a deep breath and forced himself to hold Jack’s gaze. “The video was sent by Colonel Samantha Carter.”

Jack froze. His heart forgot how to function for a few seconds. He gasped the moment the air finally found its way to his lungs. He wanted to yell out again, but all he could manage was a weak whisper.

“What?”

“There’s no mistake,” Reynolds said firmly. “It was sent from her official account. I'm sorry.”

Jack looked at his second in command, dumbfounded, and blinked repeatedly. Carter? This… this couldn’t be, no way. She would never harm them! They were all family, for God's sake. The colonel loved Daniel like a brother and loved him like… Oh, God… What if Daniel had been right all along? What if Carter was really in love with him, had found out about their relationship, and had acted out of jealousy? Nonono, this couldn’t be. Carter was one of the most trustworthy people he had ever met. She would never… never…

The thick turmoil of thoughts barely allowed Jack to listen to half of Reynolds’ words.

“Listen, I don’t care what you do in your free time,” Reynolds said. “I already suspected about you and Dr. Jackson the moment you saw him in Vis Urban. I didn’t think it was any of my business then and I don’t think it is now. You’re the best in your job, you’ve always been. It’s obvious that your affair with Doctor Jackson doesn’t interfere with your functions. Hell, for all I know, maybe he’s the reason you’re so good at what you do. If I had been the only one who watched the video…. But many people have seen it. We're not over the law, Jack. You know I had to report you to Washington. I recommend you not to say a word until you get a lawyer.”

Suddenly, the issue of Daniel’s security hit Jack’s full force.

“Reynolds, I'm not admitting anything here, but you need to warn Daniel! You said all the SG leaders received that mail, right? You know what some of those men are capable of!”

“You know I can’t protect him all the time.”

“You can try!” Jack exploded. “I swear to you that if something happens to him, there won’t be a cell deep enough to hold me!”

Huh, he could have well confessed to Reynolds his undying love for the archaeologist.

“I'm really sorry for everything,” the colonel said. “There aren’t formal charges against you yet. I'll keep you informed of the instructions I receive from Washington.”

And with that, Reynolds left and the two PMs came back. Jack went back to sit on the cot. He rested his back on the wall, his feet on the mattress, and his arms on his knees. He stayed like that, staring at the opposite wall, straggling to keep his composure while the two MPs continued provoking with their comments. Losing his cool now would only serve to confirm the accusations and jeopardize Daniel further. Dammit, they always knew there was a risk of getting caught, but he still couldn’t understand how this had happened. Was even possible to get out of that mess? If he was court-martialed… God, he would end up in jail and they would kick Daniel out of the program! He couldn’t start to imagine a life without Daniel. Shitshitshit! He should have retired years ago, the moment they realized what they meant to each other!

I'm sorry, Danny, so, so sorry, he repeated mentally while he strived to ignore the MPs and keep his gaze glued to the wall.

***

Chapter Text

Daniel arrived at the base while Colonel Reynolds was still talking to Jack in his cell. Oblivious to everything that was happening, the archaeologist headed to the locker room to change into his BDUs. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t even notice the scowls that some soldiers sent him on his way. However, the marine that *accidentally* collided with him in the corridor was difficult to ignore.

“You should watch your step, Doctor Jackson,” the soldier smirked.

“Uh? Oh, sorry.”

Both men went on walking, Daniel massaging the shoulder where the soldier had hit him. Odd. The archaeologist would have sworn that it was the other man who had thrown himself over him.

Daniel frowned in confusion when something similar happened a few seconds later when another soldier tripped him up and he almost fell sprawling on the floor.

“What the…?”

The soldier didn’t even bat an eyelid. He went on walking as if nothing had happened. Daniel stood scratching his head for a few seconds, utterly confused, and continued towards the locker room.

He didn’t make it to his locker. As soon as he came into the room, the archaeologist was greeted with a sucker punch to the stomach. He gasped in pain and doubled over. He was still trying to catch his breath, not to mention figuring out what was going on, when someone grabbed him from behind and held him upright so that another goon could deliver a second and a third blow. Daniel couldn’t bend over this time, and the tension in his abdominal muscles increased the pain tenfold. Another blow, this time to the kidney from behind, sent the archaeologist to the floor in a heap.

“They say you’re a quick learner,” an unknown voice hissed. “I hope you got the first lesson, you fagot.”

The man spat and his saliva landed on Daniel’s ear. He and his friends left, leaving the archaeologist gasping and writhing in pain on the cold tiles.

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on taking deep breaths. What the hell had just happened? That guy called him fagot. Who the hell was he, anyway? Everything happened so fast that he couldn’t see their faces. Besides, they wore caps. The only thing he was sure of was that they were marines.

Oh, God. Did they find out about his relationship with Jack? This couldn’t be. They had been extremely cautious. Perhaps someone imagined something and spread a rumor? He needed to find Jack and tell him what had happened. He might be in danger as well.

Daniel struggled to stand on his knees. Dammit, his stomach and back hurt like hell, although it didn’t feel like he had any serious injury. The archaeologist wrapped an arm around his middle and stopped to catch his breath. When he felt confident that he wouldn’t collapse, he used the wall as support and stood up. He sat at the bench in front of his locker and stayed there, with his arm wrapped around his abused stomach, until he could manage the pain. Then he washed his ear with a towel, changed into his BDUs, and walked slowly towards his office, avoiding eye contact with the soldiers he came across on his way.

Daniel made it without incident, but the moment he stepped into his lab, his heart skipped a beat. Several of his precious books and artifacts lay scattered on the floor.

“What the hell…?”

He did a quick scan of the room and saw that none of the items seemed to be seriously damaged. What was that? Some sort of prank? Or was it related to the attack he just suffered in the locker room?

And then Daniel saw that his computer was on and displaying a video. And the moment he recognized the images, his blood ran cold.

There, in full HD, were he and Jack on the colonel’s bed, convulsing through their orgasms.

The archaeologist’s eyes wide-opened in horror. His heart started to pound furiously in his chest, sweat sprang from every inch of his skin and his already sore stomach cramped. He fell rather than sitting on his stool and quickly turned off the computer. His body was shaking so hard that he missed the button twice. He stared at the now black screen in disbelief.

OhGodOhGodOhGod. Thisisn'thappeningThisisn'thappenningThisisn'thappening…

There was a piece of paper attached to the edge of the screen. Daniel grabbed it with trembling hands, unfolded, and read it.

You’re dead, you fagot. No one corrupts an Air Force general and lives to tell the tale.

Oh, God, Jack! What would happen to him? He needed to warn him! Although it might be already too late. He had seen his truck in the parking lot, so the general was already in the base. But where was he? Had anything happened to him, too? Daniel’s anxiety rocketed. Oh, God, if something had happened to his lover…

The archaeologist was ready to run in search of the older man when Colonel Reynolds came into the room. He didn’t seem surprised by the state of the office, although the seriousness of his features portrayed nothing good. Daniel just stared at him aghast, completely terrified of what the colonel had to say. The lack of color on the archaeologist’s face told Reynolds what he needed to know.

“Doctor Jackson,” he said firmly. “I take you received the video as well.”

Daniel nodded weakly, visibly in shock. Reynolds spoke again.

“I came to inform you that General O'Neill was arrested this morning, accused of violating the law that forbids those who serve in the armed forces of the United States to engage in homosexual relationships. He's currently in a cell in this facility, waiting for instructions from Washington.”

Daniel’s mouth dried. His heart sank. Godnonononono. No! This was a nightmare. It had to be! He would wake up any moment now in his bed covered in a cold sweat, and Jack would be safe. Yeah, Hewouldbesafehewouldbesafehewouldbesafe…

But he didn’t wake up, and Reynolds went on talking.

“You’re a civilian so that law doesn’t apply to you. However, I recommend you to take some downtime until we clarify the situation.”

“Is Jack alright? I want to see him!” Daniel exclaimed anxiously.

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Reynolds shook his head. “If you run to him, it will only serve to confirm the accusations.”

“What? Yeah, right, right.” Daniel ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He didn’t seem to be able to make his brain cells work properly.

“Go home, Dr. Jackson,” the colonel said softly. “I already told Jack, personally, I don’t care about what you do in your free time, and I promised him I'd do everything I can to keep you safe.”

“What?” The archaeologist looked at the soldier in confusion for a few seconds until he could form a coherent thought. “No! I mean, I'm not going anywhere! This would confirm the accusation, too!”

“Listen, this is obviously a retribution,” Reynolds said as he waved his arms pointing at the items scattered on the floor, “and the general hasn’t even been formally accused yet, but as far as I know, a lot of people watched that video. I’m sure many of them don’t really care. Not everyone is a bigot, but there are others… you’re not safe.”

“Jack is my friend, above all,” Daniel stated firmly. “I won’t go home to wrap myself in cotton wool while he stays in that cell.”

“Daniel…” It wasn’t often that Reynolds used the archaeologist’s first name.

“I won't hide.”

“Alright,” Reynolds sighed, “Alright. Just… be careful. And you should report this.” He pointed at the mess again.

“Uh? Oh, yeah, of course.”

“Dr. Jackson, uh,” Suddenly, Reynolds looked even more uncomfortable, if possible. “Daniel… there is more.”

The archaeologist looked at the colonel, dumbfounded. More? More than the fact that the man he loved could be court-martialed and thrown to jail for years? More than the fact that if it happened, all their promises, their dreams would go to hell? The simple thought made Daniel sick. A few hours ago he was thinking that he couldn’t imagine a life without Jack, and now… he felt as if they had buried a knife in his heart and he was bleeding slowly and painfully. How could possibly be more than that?

But there was because Reynolds’ next words felt as if he had twisted that knife and cut asunder the archaeologist’s heart.

“Colonel Carter sent de video.”

Daniel froze. He blinked. And blinked again. There had to be a problem with his ears because he could have sworn that Reynolds just said that Sam, his sister in everything except blood Sam, sent the video.

“S-S-Sam?” the archaeologist’s voice wavered, full of incredulity.

“I'm sorry.” Reynolds looked away, unable to hold the gaze of sheer horror tattooed on the other man’s face.

“N-n-no. This can’t be. This has to be a mistake. Sam would never do something like that.”

“Wouldn’t she?” Reynolds questioned. “You know how she feels about the military. It’s her life, and if there’s something I know about her, is that she respects its values above all.”

Daniel couldn’t stand the colonel’s words. This couldn’t be. Not Sam, please, anyone but her. The archaeologist felt overwhelmed by the situation. His last coffee crawled upright through his esophagus and swallowed hard.

“I… I need to be alone if you don’t mind.” His voice cracked.

“I'll keep you posted about Jack’s situation.”

The archaeologist nodded absently, and Reynolds left, closing the door after him.

The moment the metal door slid shut, Daniel’s throat tightened and his lungs refused to fulfill their function. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees. The camera in his office forgotten, the archaeologist wrapped his arms around his midsection and doubled over, gasping for air. He wasn’t sure the burning in his gut had anything to do with the punches. Daniel’s eyes welled, and no matter how much he tried to stop them, the first tears escaped and rolled down his cheeks.

This had to be a mistake. He knew Sam had a crush on Jack, but this… She couldn’t be behind this! Reynolds had to be mistaken!

God, this wasn’t helping Jack. He needed to compose himself, relax, think clearly, and find a way to get out of this mess. But how, dammit?! They were well aware of the laws, had decided to take the risk, and had lost. Maybe… maybe the punishment wouldn’t be too severe. Maybe… maybe they would just kick Jack off the Air Force, maybe… shit! There was no point in doing suppositions. They would have to deal with things whenever they happened, and he would be there for his lover, no matter what.

Daniel swept the tears away furiously with his sleeve and began to pick up the books from the floor.

***

Lydia stopped at the first control gate and opened the shield of her helmet to reveal Sam’s face. The airman guarding the gate saluted.

“Good morning, Colonel.”

Lydia smirked. Yeah, that alien thingy was gold! The poor airman never suspected that under the features of Colonel Samantha Carter lived the one and only Senior airman Lydia Crenshaw. Besides, her motorcycle was identical to Sam’s. He only had to put on a fake license plate.

Lydia saluted and continued toward the parking lot. She saw Jack and Daniel’s cars parked in their usual places. Yeah, this was going to be fun!

Dressed in Sam’s body, Lydia passed the rest of the checking points without problems and went directly to see Colonel Reynolds, the accidental leader of the facility, at his office. The moment the man saw her, his eyebrows crawled upwards.

“Colonel Carter? Weren’t you supposed to be in downtime?”

“I came to fulfill my duty as an officer of the Air Force, Sir.” Lydia/Sam saluted. “Such duty implies reporting confirmed violations of military law and looking out for the compliance of said law. No matter what, my loyalty to the Air Force goes first. I came to make sure you received my e-mail and acted on it.”

“Yeah. I have already taken care of the issue,” Reynolds said. “General O'Neill is currently in custody in this facility, waiting for instructions from Washington.”

“And what about Doctor Jackson? I assume you kicked him out of the base.”

Reynolds frowned. Lydia/Sam's eyes were glinting in… contempt?

“That particular law doesn’t apply to civilians,” the colonel clarified, “but of course, you already know that. I'm expecting instructions from Washington regarding him as well. Until then, he is free to move around the base and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Lydia/Sam clenched her jaw. She couldn’t believe that pervert hadn’t been punished at all.

“This can’t be!" She exclaimed. “We can’t allow such depraved behavior, much less coming from the civilians that corrupt our men! General O'Neill is an honorable man who swore to serve this country. I'm sure it was Dr. Jackson who tricked him in some way. We must interrogate him!”

Reynolds’ frown deepened. She didn’t sound like Colonel Carter. He got the feeling that she was taking the issue personally rather than acting as a good soldier fulfilling her duty. But what could she have against the general and Dr. Jackson? Weren’t they all supposed to be good friends?

Anyway, whatever the reasons she had, the question was that the images of the video showed clearly that General O'Neill had violated the law, so he had had no other option than to take action. However, there was something in her…

“As I told you already, I am waiting for instructions from my superiors,” Reynolds said firmly. “Besides, I must say that sharing that video with the entire base exceeded your obligations with the Air Force. Honestly, Colonel, I think you went way too far.”

“I knew they were having a relationship, but I had no proof,” fake Sam defended herself. “Would you have believed me if I had just reported them? Would anyone? These men were heroes! I had no choice!”

“Anything else, Colonel?” Reynolds was starting to lose his patience. He was dying to ask how she got the images, but it was better to leave it for the official investigation.

“Uh… no, Sir,” the woman said, rather puzzled. Was that everything the colonel had to say?

“Dismissed.”

Lydia/Sam hesitated for a moment and finally left, wrinkles of confusion distorting her fake features. Reynolds hadn’t seemed too enthusiastic about her actions. What was wrong with that man? He should have praised her like a hero! She needed to launch the next step of the plan as soon as possible and get rid of Jackson as soon as possible. This wasn’t over. In fact, it was only the beginning.

***

Two MPs came into the area of the cells and substituted the ones who were watching over Jack. One of them hit the bars with his nightstick, but the general had been concentrating on keeping his cool since the moment they locked him up, and he didn’t even flinch.

“Hey, you fagot! They say the marines gave your Doctor Jackson a warm welcome!” he yelled out. “They say he’s crying like a baby in his office, wah, waaaaah!”

Both men guffawed.

Jack tensed every nerve of his body. He swore to himself that if any of those motherfuckers harmed Daniel, he would make sure that sooner or later, one way or another, they suffered the unimaginable.

“wah, waaaah!”

Jack knew they were just mocking him. Daniel was one of the strongest men he had ever known. He would never cry for that, no matter what they did to him. He only had seen him cry when an emotional issue overwhelmed him... oh, shit. Surely Reynolds told him that Carter was the one behind all that mess. That could definitely make his lover cry.

“What, you don’t believe us? He tried to hide in his office,” the MP laughed. “Jeez, don’t those nerds know there are cameras everywhere?”

“Apparently not, nor do generals!” his mate joined him in his guffaws.

“I've heard those marines have some interesting plans for that nerd,” the other MP sneered at Jack, who continued staring impassively at the wall. “Are you listening, Sir? We should get a dustpan to pick up the pieces!”

Another round of laughs followed. Jack closed his eyes and concentrated on taking deep breaths. He was supposed to be a well-trained soldier, immune to provocations and mental torture, right? Then why were his heart running wild and his stomach churning? Because this time, it was personal. This time, he wasn’t in a cell in Iraq, enduring torture to protect his country, risking no other life than his own. This time, he was at home, being mocked by his own people, and the target wasn’t himself, but the one he loved the most.

And why was Daniel still in the base, anyway? He asked Reynolds to protect him. Why hadn’t he sent the archaeologist home? Then Jack thought that if their positions were reversed, he would have stayed, too. No way he would have let Daniel go through something like this alone. The same proportion of love and fear filled Jack’s heart.

God, Danny, please, take care of yourself! There’s no one here watching your six!

The door to access the area of the cells slid open, and Jack heard steps approaching, but he didn’t bother to open his eyes. And then, the stranger spoke, and the general felt a stream of bile raising from his gut.

“Oh, my God! Jack!”

The general's eyes snapped open. He had to appeal to all his self-control for not throwing himself toward Sam and breaking her neck. Anyway, the iron bars wouldn’t allow it.

Lydia/Sam dismissed the two MPs and rushed towards the cell.

“Jack, are you alright?”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jack’s eyes sparkled in anger. “I gave you a month of downtime.”

“I couldn’t leave! I figured out what Jackson was doing to you! You need my help!”

“Cut the crap, Carter. I know it’s you who set us up!” The general stood up and approached her, his face scrunched in anger.

“So you’re admitting it’s the two of you in that video!”

“I'm not admitting anything,” he hissed.

“Can’t you see I did it for you?”

“What?!” Jack stared at her in shock. “Have you gone beyond nuts?!”

“It was the only way to stop that madness,” fake Sam defended herself. “You’re the most honorable man I've ever met. You would have never done that willingly. I’m convinced Dr. Jackson did something to you, I don’t know. Perhaps he blackmailed you or drugged you, and I'll prove it!”

Jack looked at her in total disbelief. This wasn’t the Samantha Carter they all loved. This was some sort of monster wearing her face. God, perhaps the last days' events had driven her totally crazy. Her breakup with Shanahan, Jacob’s death…

“I’m sorry I had to do something so drastic, but it was the only way they believed me,” she said, almost apoplectically.

“Drastic? Drastic?! The entire base has watched that video, Carter! The entire damned base!!! Do you have any idea of what they can do to Daniel?! Do you?! Do you?!!” Jack hit the metallic bars with his fists. He didn’t remember being so furious in his entire life.

“Just what he deserves,” she replied coldly.

Jack couldn’t believe his ears. “Get out,” he sent spades to her.

“Jack, I did it for you,” fake Sam blinked, confused. Couldn’t that idiot realize she had done it for his own good? Jeez, how someone so stupid had made it to general? He couldn’t recognize a good plan even if it bit him in the ass!

“As long as I'm still wearing this uniform, it’s *Sir* to you, Colonel.” Jack clenched his teeth until they actually hurt. “And now, get the hell out of here!”

She looked at him in astonishment. “Sir…?”

“I said GET OUT!!!”

 Jack’s eyes were black with fury. God, what was wrong with that woman? And what was that shit she said about proving Daniel’s guilt? There was nothing to prove. They were both adult people, and they had gotten into that mess together. They had taken a risk, and they had lost. He would probably end up in Leavenworth and Daniel would end up kicked out of the program. A new pang of yearning hit the general full force. A life without Daniel wouldn’t be a life at all. The simple thought cut Jack’s breath and caused such agony in his heart that he feared he might suffer a coronary where he stood. The general felt like screaming, kicking, and trashing the cell.

The two MPs came back carrying the same attitude as before. Jack swallowed his despair and went to lie on the cot. He crossed an arm over his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. In, out, in, out… Daniel, God, I love you no matter what. Stay safe, please, please…

Chapter Text

Daniel put the last book in its place and next, he sat at his desk. What to do now? He wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything while Jack was in that cell. He needed to do something to help his lover out of that mess, but what? He couldn’t go and tell that the video was fake because it was real as life itself and any expert in the matter could determine that. Besides, the way to get out of this mess couldn’t involve more lies. Perhaps with an honest speech, making them understand that the fact they were involved didn’t affect their job. Hell, they had saved the world countless times since they were together! That had to count for something!

Daniel buried his face in his hands. God! Who was he trying to fool? The military laws made no exceptions. No matter how many times Jack had saved their asses, to them, what the general had done was the greatest of offenses. It was so unfair! Daniel couldn’t even start to comprehend that stupid law. What did it have to do the way a person loved with their ability in their job? It was so absurd! And now, no matter how much Jack had done to protect the entire planet, he would pay the highest price only because he had chosen to love the wrong person. The unfairness of the situation was overwhelming. Daniel felt like screaming and hitting something until his fists bled.

“What did you do to him?”

Daniel froze at the unexpected voice. He turned around to face the instigator of his nightmare- Colonel Samantha Carter, former sister in everything but blood. Sam, who was supposed to be in Aspen, mourning his father. What was she doing here? Not happy with reporting them, did she have to come and rub salt in the wound?

“Me?” the archaeologist shook his head in disbelief. “You put him behind bars!”

“No. YOU put him behind bars,” fake Sam hissed. “I will take him out.”

“What are you talking about?” Daniel blinked in confusion.

“It is you who corrupted the general.” The woman's eyes were dark with hatred. “I always suspected you were a fucking fagot. You tricked him in some way, I'm sure of it, and I'll prove it. It is you who will end up in jail, you geek, and Jack will end up where he belongs- in my arms, and in my bed.”

Daniel stared at her in total shock. Until now, he hoped Reynolds had been mistaken, that Sam had nothing to do with their situation, but this… the archaeologist’s first thought was that she might be affected by some alien influence, but she hadn’t been off-world since several weeks ago. His second thought was that perhaps jealousy had taken the best of his friend. The archaeologist had always suspected that the colonel had a crush on Jack, but now… it was obvious that what she had was an obsession with the man.

“You… you planned all this to get Jack? God, Sam! You can’t force him to love you!”

“I won’t force anything,” she retorted. “Once you’re out of the equation, he'll realize where he belongs. With me.”

And with that, she left, leaving a heartbroken archaeologist staring mouth agape.

Thisisn’thappeningthisisn’thappenningthisisn’thappening…

Oh, my God! He needed to warn Jack and he couldn’t count on Reynolds. He had left it pretty clear that he wouldn’t do anything without precise orders from Washington. Ignoring the colonel's advice, Daniel dashed off his office and rushed towards the holding cells area. He kept his gaze glued to the floor, avoiding eye contact with the soldiers that scowled at him on his way. At the moment, those bigots were the last of his problems.

The second the archaeologist arrived at the area, two SF guards blocked his way.

“I need to see the general!” he exclaimed anxiously.

“What? You need someone to take you up your ass, you fagot?” one of the soldiers snorted.

“Please! This is really important!” he ignored the man.

“Then I'm sorry, but visits are not allowed.”

Daniel knew he would never convince those goons with nice words, so he tried to walk past the two men.

“Jack!!!”

The soldier who had spoken before gripped the collar of the archaeologist’s BDU and shoved him against the nearest wall. The blow rushed the air out of Daniel’s lungs. A guard pointed his gun at the archaeologist. A few yards away, Jack heard his lover screaming his name. The general jumped off the cot as if it was scalding and ran until the iron bars stopped his way.

“Daniel!”

“Hey, back off!” The MP guarding the cell hit the bars with his nightstick.

Jack ignored him. “Daniel!”

The MP introduced the nightstick between the bars and hit the general on the chest. Jack had no option but to step backward.

“You son of a bitch!” he exclaimed in a mixture of pain and anger.

Outside the cells area, Daniel heard his lover’s voice, and the sound gave him the necessary strength to do what he had come to do.

“Jack! Sam set us up! Don’t listen to her!”

“Daniel!”

The SF soldier holding Daniel clutched his nightstick and hit the archaeologist brutally on the thigh, just under the hip. Daniel cried out and fell to his knees, but he still found the strength to warn his lover.

“Jack! Don’t listen to Sam!”

“Shut up or I'll shoot you,” the SF guard number two yelled out.

His colleague decided not to give Daniel any chance to go on talking. He kicked the archaeologist in the ribs twice in succession. The civilian grunted in pain and crumpled to the floor.

The muffled sounds gave Jack an idea of what was happening on the other side of the door.

“Get your hands off him, you motherfuckers!”

A few yards away, Daniel writhed on the cold concrete for the second time in the same morning. Those guards wouldn’t allow him to speak anymore. He hoped Jack had listened to him. He was aware his message had been kinda cryptic, but he hoped he was enough to warn his lover. Who knows what dirty tricks Sam would use on him.

Daniel felt himself being lifted from the floor and dragged a few yards along the corridor. Whoever was holding him stopped in front of a storage room, opened the door, and shoved him inside. The archaeologist bounced on a shelf and collapsed to the floor. A wave of nausea hit him and he swallowed to stop the imminent vomiting. God, his whole body was on fire, especially the back where he had hit the wall and the ribs where that brute had kicked him. He tried to move, but he ached too much. He managed to roll on one side, wrapped his arms around his torso, and curled up into a ball, trying to ease the pain. No matter how much he hurt, the experience served to confirm that he couldn’t leave the base, as Reynolds had suggested. Had he been home, he would have never known Sam’s plan and couldn’t have warned Jack. It was likely that he'd suffer more attacks, but he didn’t mind, as long as his presence on the base could be useful to his lover.

***

Several floors above, in the video control room, Sergeant Summerfield selected the footage containing the beating against Daniel and pressed the *delete* button. Next to him, Airman Alice Mercer looked at him in confusion.

“With all due respect, Sir, what are you doing? We need this footage to report the assault to Colonel Reynolds.”

“What footage are you talking about?” Summerfield raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.

“Sir, the DADT policy protects him. We must report this,” Mercer insisted.

“That queer is not even in the military,” the sergeant retorted, “therefore, the military laws don’t apply to him.”

Mercer looked at his superior, open-mouthed. She had never cared about who slept with whom as long as they were good professionals, and as far as he knew, General O'Neill and Dr. Jackson were the best in their fields. To her, the law regarding homosexual relationships was plain stupid.

“Do you have a problem with that?” Summerfield sent daggers to the young woman.

“Sir, this isn’t right,” she insisted.

“Are you telling me you sympathize with that fagot, Mercer?” the sergeant scowled at the young soldier. “Because it that’s what you’re saying, what they did to him will be nothing compared to what they will do to you. So, I'll ask you once more- do you have a problem with that, Airman?”

“N-n-no, Sir,” Mercer swallowed and bowed her head, her face pale. Sometimes she regretted her professional choice.

***

Jack paced furiously along his cell. If those sons of bitches had hurt Daniel, not even Leavenworth would stop him from breaking their neck. Dammit, not being able to protect the younger man, knowing that he was at the mercy of those fucking bigots… God, this was sheer torture! Jack knew that most of his men were tolerable people who, although shocked, would never harm the archaeologist. There were others, however… even if they were only a handful, Daniel could end up in serious trouble.

One of the MPs, who had gone to check what had happened, came back and approached Jack’s cell with a sickening smile on his face.

“Looks like your boyfriend got a little bruised, and he’s licking his wounds in a storage room,” he laughed.

“What?! They left him there?! Sons of bitches! Take him to the infirmary, now!” Jack roared.

“You’re not in a position to give orders, General.”

“If something happens to him, I swear…!”

The MP smashed his nightstick against the metal bars. “You swear, what, Sir? You better save your speech for your defense. You’re doing a poor job so far.”

Jack clenched his jaw. Fuckfuckfuck. That bastard was right. He sounded like a hysterical lovesick. ‘Cause he was a hysterical lover sick with worry, dammit! The general knew this attitude wouldn’t help anyone, so he swallowed his next words and went back to lying on the cot. He closed his eyes, crossed his hands over his chest, and concentrated on evening out his breath as he begged an unknown power that the nightmare didn’t get worse.

***

“Hi, AG.”

Doctor Alan Garner raised his head from the microscope and turned around, expecting to see Lydia. She was the only one who called him AG. Not even his family and closest friends did that. To his surprise, he found himself looking mouth agape at Colonel Samantha Carter.

“Colonel?” he frowned, puzzled.

“Oh, c'mon, AG,” Lydia giggled. “Don’t you recognize me?”

“Holy mother of God,” Alan whispered, stunned. “Lydia?”

“This alien thingy is amazing, isn’t it?” The airman opened her arms to show her new brand fake body.

“Oh, my God,” Alan gasped. “You did that, right? You sent that video! You threw the general to jail!”

“Those two were endangering the entire base. I saved us all. Don’t you see it?” She approached the doctor and stroke his arm with the back of her hand. “So, lunch?”

“Like this?” Granger’s eyebrows rose two inches.

“Why not?” fake Sam shrugged. “No one will notice, you'll see.”

“O-o-ok.,” Alan gulped.

Although not totally convinced, the doctor let his friend drag him outside the room.

***

Daniel didn’t know how much time he had been lying on the cold floor, but the pain had lessened to a manageable level. The archaeologist uncurled his sore body and sat upright. The movement made him gag and stopped to take some deep breaths. Then he stood up slowly and walked blindly until he found the light switch. Once he was sure his feet held him steady, the archaeologist left the room.

Daniel struggled to keep a steady pace on his way toward his office. Once there, he shut the door from the inside and sat at his desk. He needed to clear his mind, think of a way to stop Sam if that was even possible. But what could he do? The archaeologist didn’t know what was on her mind. The colonel was convinced that he had tricked Jack somehow, and she said she'd proved it. But there was nothing to prove because his relationship with Jack was totally genuine. Then what? Should he just trust that the colonel would give up after being unable to find any evidence at all? Or was she plotting some dirty plan to incriminate him and free Jack? What if she falsified those pieces of evidence and he ended up in jail, as she had threatened? If that was the case, how to catch her? Daniel needed an ally, and he knew the perfect man, or rather alien, for the post. He grabbed the phone and dialed the control room. Master sergeant Walter Harriman answered the call.

“Walter, it’s Doctor Jackson,” Daniel said. “I need to contact Teal’c on Dakara.”

“Uh, I'm sorry, Dr. Jackson,” Walter swallowed, “but all your privileges have been revoked by the order of Colonel Reynolds. I'm not allowed to activate the gate without his express consent.”

“I see.”

“For what it’s worth, sir,” Walter added in a low voice, “I don’t think General O'Neill or you deserve to be punished for… well, you know. You’re the best professionals I've ever had the honor to work with and I really hope everything will turn out alright for both of you.”

Daniel’s throat tightened. It was the first time he heard some comforting words since the nightmare started.

“Thank you, Walter,” he said with emotion. “This means a lot to me.”

The moment the archaeologist hung up, he felt overwhelmed by a great feeling of abandonment. Jack was isolated in that cell, Teal’c was unreachable, Sam seemed to be possessed by her evil twin, and Hammond was no longer there. Not that it would help, anyway. No matter how open-minded the man was, being a major general in the Air Force, he would be the first one to condemn him for his actions.

Daniel decided that the best course of action would be dealing with the situations as they were presenting themselves. After all, they hadn't formally accused Jack yet. Reynolds said he was waiting for instructions from Washington. It was likely they would send someone to investigate. Well, the only thing Daniel could do was wait and see what happened from there. That, and pray to all gods and false gods that they could get out of this mess relatively unscathed.

The archaeologist grabbed his notepad, opened the thickest book on the table, and focused his attention on giving sense to the stone tablet SG-11 had brought from P6S-441.

Daniel forced himself to concentrate on his work. It was the only way to stop his way toward the swirl of despair that swallowed him every time he thought of Jack.

***

The archaeologist had been working for one hour when suddenly, a rough noise coming from the door startled him. He looked at the floor and saw a piece of paper which, obviously, someone had just slipped under the door. The archaeologist frowned.

“What now?”

He picked it up and unfolded it. His entire body tensed automatically. It was a picture taken from the video footage of him and Jack in bed last night. It showed Daniel straddling his lover as they were having intercourse. Both men's faces were clearly visible, but what made the archaeologist’s hair stand on end was the digital manipulation they had made on the photography- a gunshot wound with blood spraying in all directions had been pasted right on his chest. With Daniel’s back arched and his head tilted backward, it gave the impression that the archaeologist had just been shot. Daniel couldn’t help but shiver. He automatically crumpled the piece of paper, threw it into the basket, and sat at the table again. Only when he reached for the pencil did he realize how hard his hands were shaking. The archaeologist took a deep breath. He wouldn’t give those bigots the satisfaction of seeing how much he was suffering with the whole situation. He approached the stool at the table and continued with the translation as though nothing had happened.

Daniel worked, or rather tried unsuccessfully to concentrate on his work for several minutes, but to no avail. Suddenly, a knock at the door took him out of his turmoil of thoughts. The archaeologist stiffed. What now? More bigots wanting to put their two cents? Although they wouldn’t knock, would they?

“Doctor Jackson? Uh… Daniel?”

“Nyan,” Daniel breathed in relief. The archaeologist’s young assistant sounded worried.

“Come in,” Daniel told the closed door.

The door slip open and Nyan came in, followed by Dr. Lee. Both men wore anxious looks on their faces.

“We heard the rumor,” Nyan said with his characteristic cautious tone. “Are you alright?”

Daniel sighed. “Not really,” he confessed.

Bill Lee gulped. He had seen that man going through torture almost without blinking an eye. If he said he was not alright, then he had to be feeling really, really bad.

“We hope everything turns alright for you and the general,” the scientists said. “You don’t deserve all this shit. We want you to know that there’s a lot of people in the base who support you both.”

“You did nothing wrong, Daniel,” Nyan added. “There was a similar law on my planet. I didn’t agree with it there, and I don't agree with it here. It’s just plain stupid.”

Daniel sighed again. How come everyone was certain that the video was real? How come no one questioned him about the veracity of those images before punishing him or comforting him? Had he and Jack been so obvious?

“Thanks, guys,” the senior archaeologist replied sincerely. “I really appreciate your concern.”

“It’s not only us, Daniel,” Bill said. “We talk in the name of most civilians and some soldiers as well.”

“Really?” Daniel’s eyebrows rose at that.

“There are a lot of them who don’t agree with those laws either, but they must obey them,” Nyan explained excitedly. “They can’t show their support publicly, but believe us, please. You’re not alone.”

“Thank you.” Daniel’s words sneaked through the lump in his throat. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“If you need, you know… talk, or share a coffee…” Bill offered.

“Perhaps later,” Daniel nodded.

The other two mimicked the gesture and left. Daniel went back to the translation. It was nice to know that his friends hadn’t pushed him away after hearing the news. Too bad there was nothing they could do to help Jack.

***

Colonel Reynolds entered the cells area, dismissed the two MPs, and headed towards Jack's cell. The moment the door slid shut after the guards, the general shot off the cot.

“Have you seen Daniel?” he blurted out edgily.

“Uh, no since early in the morning,” Reynolds replied with a frown.

“Fuck!” Jack scrubbed his hair. “You gotta go see him! Check if he’s fine!”

“Why shouldn’t he?”

Jack gripped the iron bars. “He came to see me, but they didn’t let him!”

“You sure?”

“Of course I'm sure! I heard him! And then I heard those goons hitting him in the hallway!”

“If what you say it’s true, someone had to see it from the video surveillance room. No one reported anything.”

“Reynolds!” Jack scowled at the younger man.

“Alright, alright. I'll go to see him.”

“Good. Thank you,” the general breathed. “And Teal’c! He needs Teal’c here. You must contact him on Dakara, tell him what’s happening.”

“I'm sorry, Jack.” Reynolds shook his head. “I can’t no longer take orders from you, and I can’t justify opening the Stargate for that. Unless he's in trouble on Dakara, Teal’c will come only if they need his testimony during the investigation, but not before.”

“Fuck, Reynolds! I'm telling you Daniel needs protection!” Jack exclaimed frantically.

“Dr. Jackson is free to go home,” the colonel said. “He chose to stay at his own risk.”

“Oh, for crying out loud.” Jack scrubbed his face as he paced like a caged lion. He suddenly halted and pointed his finger at Reynolds. “If something happens to him, I'll make you responsible!”

The colonel ignored him.

“I came to tell you I've got an answer from Washington. They will send someone to take control of the SGC in a couple of days. And regarding your situation, they want to press charges, but they’re afraid that if you are court-martialed, it will draw too much attention. That might make it difficult to keep the program secret, so they’re still thinking of how to deal with the subject discreetly.”

“My heart bleeds,” Jack retorted sardonically.

“Well, I only wanted to inform you of the news,” Reynolds said, visibly uncomfortable. “I'll keep you posted.”

The colonel left, the MPs came in, and Jack went back to his cot. The general could feel the tension overtaking every cell of his body. Reynolds was right. The officers in the video surveillance room had to see the guards beating Daniel. They should have reported it. Damn, damn, damn! It was likely they were also in the business! The archaeologist was swimming in a river of piranhas with no means of defending himself, not enough, at least. Forget the loyalty. He needed to tell him to go home before someone went too far and he got seriously hurt. But how? Jack had no way of contacting his lover and Reynolds didn’t seem willing to discuss with him more than was strictly necessary. Who to trust? A few names came to the general’s mind.

“Hey, I want to see Sergeant Harriman,” Jack told the MP guarding the cell.

“And I want a blowjob. Maybe you could help. “

The two MP bursted into laughter.

“I still have my rights. I demand to see Harriman,” Jack insisted through clenched teeth.

“You lost your rights the day you stuck your cock into Jackson’s ass.”

Another round of guffaws.

“Bastards,” Jack muttered to himself.

He would never get past those goons. He had to trust that Daniel would be smart enough to detect the danger and fall back on time. Huh. Who was he trying to convince? He was talking about the man who didn’t hesitate to throw himself in front of a staff blast to save his life long before they became lovers. Jack’s heart sank.

***

Chapter Text

Lydia headed to the laboratory next to the infirmary with a smile planted on her fake face. Several people had seen her having lunch with Alan and no one gave any indication of not buying her act. On the contrary, some of them approached her and offered their condolences for Jacob’s death. To all of them, she was the one and only Colonel Samantha Carter. Lydia’s smile widened. It was time for the next stage of her plan. She entered the lab, searched for what she was looking for on the computer, found it easily, took a few samples, and left. Everything without raising any suspicion in the technicians that were currently working there. She was Colonel Carter, after all, one of the most trustworthy people in the base.

***

Daniel didn’t know how much time he had spent on the translation, but bearing in mind how exhausted he felt, it had probably been many hours. Not his best job so far. He had barely got three or four sentences right. His mind kept wandering to Jack, to how they were treating his lover, to what would happen next, to how much he had to be suffering in that cell, to how much he missed him, to the real possibility of never feeling his touch again…

The archaeologist suppressed a sob. This line of thought helped no one. He needed to think constructively, find a way to help Jack. He was supposed to possess the highest IQ in the entire base. Why couldn’t he come up with something? Sure as hell he wouldn’t with that level of exhaustion. Daniel tossed the pencil on his notepad, switched off the lamp, and went to lie on the tiny couch he had in his office. He made himself as much comfortable as possible and closed his eyes. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, but he could try.

Meanwhile, two levels above, Jack was trying to relax as well, but it looked like it was mission: impossible. His mind couldn’t stop coming up with the worst potential outcomes to his situation, not to mention that he was worried sick about his lover. He wouldn’t be able to keep his cool much longer, but he had to try, he had to… the general felt a sudden sting on the palms of his hands. Jack looked at them and frowned. He had been clenching his fists so hard that he had dipped his nails into the flesh and he was bleeding.

“Fuck,” he breathed. He rubbed his hands on his pants and intertwined his fingers over his chest. He closed his eyes and tried it again. In, out, in, out, in, out… no way. The knife in his gut and the slab on his heart had settled there to stay.

***

Lydia pulled over and stopped her motorbike. Well, things were going as planned, except for the fact that Jackson continued walking freely around the base. The airman sneaked a hand under her clothes and detached the alien device. She could feel her body turning into its original form. He had to admit she felt rather uncomfortable riding Sam’s body. The colonel was almost three inches taller than her, and her breasts were much bigger, and for what she was about to do, Lydia needed her usual agile body.

The airman put the alien device into her pocket and started the bike. A few minutes later, she pulled in beside Daniel’s apartment building. Now what? There was a doorman guarding the place. She couldn’t just waltz in front of him, not even wearing Sam’s body.

Lydia walked around the corner and saw the fire escape. It was already dark, and she was wearing black clothes, so no one would see her. Using the tricks her father had taught her, Lydia climbed the stairs and broke into Daniel’s apartment through a window. She headed to the bathroom, rummaged in her backpack, got what she was looking for, and hid it in the toilet water tank. She looked at the two small containers floating in the water and smirked. Jackson would never get out of this. She covered the tank and left the apartment steadily. She foresaw a bubble bath and a cup of red wine in her near future.

***

Daniel woke up with a start, and the first thing he noticed was that he couldn’t breathe. He opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see anything through the object someone was pressing against his face. It was soft and smooth. A pillow. Someone was holding a pillow against his face and he was suffocating.

The archaeologist tried to escape, but his limbs were pinned against the couch. Someone was suffocating him while someone else was holding him down. Daniel struggled to get rid of his attackers, but the grips were tight. He could lift his hips a few inches, but other than that, his body lay totally pinned down. The archaeologist started to panic. To make things worse, a hand clutched his crotch and squeezed it hard. Daniel clenched his teeth at the unexpected pain.

Suddenly, the pillow disappeared, and Daniel popped open his eyes and gasped for air. He had barely filled half of his lungs when the pillow reappeared and squashed his face even harder than the first time, and so did the hand on his crotch. The archaeologist could hear voices, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. His brain was busy enough giving orders to his body to fight against those brutes.

Daniel felt his throat tightening and a jolt of acute pain hit his lungs. God, he was going to suffocate for real!

The assailants lifted the pillow again, and again they pressed it down before the archaeologist had time to take a decent breath. The hand on his crotch kept its position. They repeated the same operation twice more. Each time, Daniel struggled to free himself, but to no avail. This time, they held the pillow longer. God, the archaeologist’s lungs were on fire and he felt extremely dizzy. Shining stars glittered in front of his closed eyes. His movements became weaker by the second, and the very moment Daniel felt he was going to pass out, they removed the pillow again, only to be substituted by a fist slamming brutally into his stomach.

The archaeologist gasped long and loudly. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his middle. At that moment, he realized the goons were no longer holding him. He could hear several men laughing, but oddly, the sound was fading away. So either the men were leaving or he was losing the battle with consciousness. The voices disappeared, and the pillow didn’t come back. The archaeologist was still conscious, so he deduced the goons were gone. As he strived to draw oxygen into his abused lungs, disorientation made him roll to one side and he fell to the floor. Daniel curled up into a fetal position and went on gasping for several minutes until his lungs remembered how to function properly. The episode awakened all the previous pains, and a wave of nausea hit him. This time, he couldn’t help but throw up half on the floor and half on his uniform. The archaeologist rolled his body away from the stinky puddle and lay there coughing and wheezing until the pain lessened and his breathing evened out.

***

Up in the video surveillance room, Airman Mercer watched in horror how three marines came into Dr. Jackson’s office and tried to suffocate him with a pillow.

“Oh, my God! We must report this!”

She reached out a hand to grab the telephone, but Summerfield gripped her wrist and stopped her.

“All we must do is enjoy the spectacle,” he said, his eyes never leaving the monitor.

“But, Sir…” The young woman looked at her superior in astonishment.

“You already forgot my warning, Mercer?”

She couldn’t understand this attitude. Who cared who Dr. Jackson slept with? She had several gay friends, and they were all good people who deserved nothing but love and respect. She even had to admit the image of the archaeologist doing General O'Neill was kinda hot. Both of them were attractive men. Besides, Dr. Jackson wasn’t just a regular human. He was a hero. Mercer was well aware that he and his team, SG-1, had saved the planet several times. Those idiots knew that, too, but for them, the fact that he was gay invalidated all the above.

Mercer saw with relief how the marines left the office and the archaeologist fell to the floor gasping, but alive. She saw Summerfield smirk in satisfaction and she felt sick. The airman swallowed hard and continued watching the monitor to make sure Dr. Jackson was fine.

***

Several minutes later, Daniel stood up, took off his stained shirt, and tossed it over the puddle of vomit. Next, he dragged his sore body to the sink and washed his mouth. The archaeologist tried to drink some water, but he choked and spat it in the drain. He tried it again, slower this time, and he managed to swallow a mouthful. The episode seemed to have sucked all the strength off his body. Daniel collapsed to the floor and leaned against the wall. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness engulfed his heart.

Why did they care, anyway? Alright, there was that military law that forbade homosexual people to serve in the military, but when one thought about it… why? What was so terrible about the fact of loving another man or woman? Why did some have to be people so shallow, judging each other only for their sexual attributes? What he and Jack had was beautiful. Who cared if both of them had penises? They had transmuted the worst experiences of their lives and had built an unbreakable relationship based on love, respect, understanding, sharing… gender was something irrelevant in their relationship. Their bond was made from the heart and from the soul. Why people couldn’t understand that? How could some people think their relationship was something unacceptable when it filled both men’s hearts with so much joy? To Daniel, it was clear those bigots didn’t think on their own. The only thing they did was follow that stupid law blindly, unable to see beyond the gender issue. It was likely they didn’t even see him as a human being, but as a part of a plague they had to eradicate. Daniel’s heart ached. Jack was the one who always made him feel better in moments like this. His strong arms were his comfort. But Jack wasn’t there. The general was locked in a cell two floors above his head, and everything pointed at the fact that they would never allow them to be together again. It was their life, dammit! They had no right to tell them who they could or couldn’t love!

Unable to hold such nonsense anymore, Daniel wrapped his arms around his middle, bowed his head, and wept, not only for them but for all the people around the world who might be in a similar situation. He knew that someone might be watching him from the surveillance station, but he didn’t care. It was obvious the guys up there banded together with the attackers. The guards had beaten him in the hallway before, so the surveillance team had had to witness it, but apparently, no one said anything. So what if his tears fueled those bigots? This wouldn’t make things much worse.

***

Up in the cells area, two new MPs entered and substituted the ones guarding Jack’s cell. The general lay on the cot, pretending to be asleep. One of the MP hit the bars with his nightstick.

“They say your boyfriend is crying in his office again,” he laughed. “Seriously, Sir, how could you get involved with such a sissy?”

Jack forced himself to stay still and not react. The simple thought of Daniel hurting to the point of not being able to hold back his tears twisted the general’s gut.

“Gee, how is that possible that such a wimpy was a member of SG-1?” Guard number two snorted.

“Easy, he fucked the boss, that’s how!” his teammate laughed.

“Yeah, no way that pushover had made it any other way,” the other guard agreed.

The two guards bursted into guffaws. Their mistake was to bend over and turn their back on Jack. The moment one of them stood upright, Jack flung his long arms through the bars and grabbed him around the neck. The MP gasped in surprise and shock and the other one turned around to see what was happening. The second MP wide opened his eyes in astonishment. The general, who was lying on his cot one second earlier, was now clutching his teammate's neck and squeezing his body against the cell bars. The gray-haired man's eyes were bloodshot with rage.

“Daniel is the bravest man on Earth,” he hissed through clenched teeth into his victim’s ear. “Screw it. The bravest human being in the entire galaxy. None of you are even fit to tie his shoelaces, and none of you would be alive today if it wasn’t for him. You owe him your pitiful life, you son of a bitch. I hope you enjoy the cold, because I may end up in Leavenworth, but sure as hell, you’ll end up in Elmendorf cleaning latrines with your tongue.”

And with that, Jack shoved the MP forward with such strength that he ended up sprawled on the floor. His colleague raised his gun and pointed at the general.

“Back off! Back off, you motherfucker! Back off or I'll open fire!”

Jack basically ignored him and went back to lie on the cot. Four SF soldiers bursted into the room. They looked at the scene in puzzlement. Whatever had happened, it was over. They helped the fallen MP to stand up, and once they checked that Jack had calmed down, they left the room. The MP who Jack had attacked approached the general's cell and spat inside.

“Fucking fagot. They should hang you all to the highest tree and let the crows peck your balls.”

***

Daniel swept the tear tracks with the heels of his hands and stood up. He looked for his glasses and found them laying broken on the floor next to the couch.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

Fortunately, he had a spare pair in the drawer. He put them on and sighed. He stank, but having a shower in the locker room didn’t seem a wise idea. The archaeologist didn’t want to leave the base while Jack was in that cell, but maybe he could go home for the necessary time to shower and change his clothes, and then come back and sleep in his office. Although it wasn’t the wisest idea either, at least he’d be near his lover.

Daniel made up his mind. He left his office and took the elevator to the surface. The moment he reached the parking lot, he realized he wouldn’t make it too far. Someone had slashed the four tires of his car.

“Damn.”

The archaeologist pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. Couldn’t those bastards give him a break? Daniel hesitated for a moment. He felt too tired for this. He finally turned around and went back to the base. The shower would have to wait.

The archaeologist made it to his office without incident. He set the alarm clock for 3:00 AM and lay on the couch. He really hoped those brutes wouldn’t repeat their last performance. Although not specifically painful, it had been far from pleasant. However, it wasn’t a new attack that disturbed Daniel’s sleep this time, but a nightmare.

Jack and Daniel ran through a creepy forest. The steps of their chaser echoed behind them.

“I can’t run anymore, Jack!”

“Yes, you can, Danny. You can and you will! I'm not leaving you behind!”

The archaeologist tripped and fell flat on his face.

“Daniel!”

Daniel tried to stand up, but his feet sank into the ground and he fell to his knees. He looked at his lover with panic-filled eyes.

“Jack! I can’t move!”

Suddenly, a white light blinded them. Once they could focus their eyes again, they saw a smiling Sam standing in front of them. The colonel reached out a hand and her arm morphed into a sword.

“Carter! No!”

Jack tried to stop her, but she went through the man as if he was made of mist. Daniel stared in horror. Sam approached him, withdrew the sword backward to gain momentum, and next stabbed the archaeologist in the chest.

“Daniel!!!” Jack screamed in despair.

Sam withdrew the sword, and Daniel clutched at his chest. Blood leaked through his fingers, but strangely, he couldn’t feel any pain, only an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness. Sam’s sword turned into a limb again and she approached Jack, who seemed unable to move.

“You’re mine,” she hissed. “No one will separate us now.”

Suddenly, huge wings grew on her back, and her hands turned into claws. She clutched Jack and flew away, carrying her prey.

“Daniel, Danieeeeeeeel!” Jack screamed as he rose towards the sky.

Daniel wanted to scream, but his mouth was full of blood and all he could manage were some unintelligible grunts. Suddenly, agony exploded in his chest. As Jack went away, Daniel felt himself falling into an endless pit of pain and despair.

Daniel jerked awake and clutched his chest as he gasped for air. He felt disorientated for a moment, but he quickly realized he was at his office. He sat upright and took some time to even out his breathing. What was that pitch that was piercing his ears, anyway? Daniel frowned, confused, until he realized it was the alarm on his watch. 3:00 AM. The archaeologist stopped the alarm and rested his head on his knees. He took several deep breaths to regain his composure and proceeded with his plan. Daniel opened the door of his office and peeped outside. Everything seemed calm. He left the semi-security of his lab and headed to the locker room before he had time to give it a second thought. Fortunately, he only came across a couple of soldiers on his way, and they basically ignored him.

The archaeologist made sure no one was around and came into the locker room.

“The fastest, the better,” he muttered to himself.

Daniel winced as he stripped. He looked at his torso and saw the reason for his discomfort. Several bruises decorated his torso. Some of them were on the stomach because of the punches and some were on his ribs where that brute had kicked him. It was likely there were some more on his back. The archaeologist grabbed a towel and headed to the shower stall. He didn’t waste time adjusting the temperature of the water. He just stabbed the shower knob with the heel of his hand and stood under the water spray. Dammit, it was cold, but this was the last of his problems. The archaeologist washed his hair, soaped up his body, and rinsed it out in record time. He was ready to grab the towel when he heard the locker room door opening. Daniel froze.

Shit.

The archaeologist heard steps approaching, and he glued to the wall. His heart was pounding so fast that he feared it might give away his position. Daniel was totally aware of his situation. He was a civilian tagged as a fagot, standing naked in a shower stall at a top-secret military base. Not good. Not good at all. The steps approached and Daniel swallowed.

Shitshitshit…

The steps stopped and Daniel heard the sound of a locker opening, then indistinguishable noises, and next, the locker shutting. Then a cough. A woman. A woman’s cough. Daniel still didn’t dare to breathe. Until now, all his attackers had been male. She wasn’t of them, but that didn’t mean he was safe. Steps again. Steps fading away and then the locker room door opening and closing.

Daniel still didn’t move. He kept his position for a few seconds until the lack of noise made him trust there was no one in the room. He finally grabbed the towel, wrapped it around his waist, headed to his locker, and he quickly put on a clean pair of BDUs. The archaeologist dashed off to the locker room without even bothering to dry his hair. Once at his office, he sat on the couch and buried his face in his hands. Was this how things were going to be from now on? Well, Jack used to say that the first goal in any hostile situation was to stay alive and as much unharmed as possible. If walking around the base like a thief in the night was the price he had to pay to be near Jack, he would pay it gladly.

Daniel checked his watch. 3:34. He didn’t think he could sleep any more that night. He went to sit at his desk and continued with the translation he had left abandoned before. His stomach hurt and he rubbed it. A sudden twinge of pain made him double over. Was it possible that he was more seriously injured than he thought? His stomach growled and realized what the problem was. He had eaten nothing since the coffee he had in the morning. No wonder he felt worn out. He opened the drawer, grabbed a power bar, and chewed it absently as he forced himself to focus his attention on the alien words. It didn’t work. His mind couldn’t escape from the constant mental torture more than his heart could stop hurting for Jack.

***

Chapter Text

Jack paced in his cell after a long, sleepless night. The absence of news about Daniel was killing him. Was he alright? Had they hurt him again? Why the hell wasn’t Reynolds keeping him informed about the archaeologist's status? Jack felt like hitting something hard. Preferably one of those fucking MPs who had made mocking him their favorite pastime. Speaking of the devil…

“What’s wrong, General? You miss your lover boy? Your ass got cold at night?”

Don’t react… don’t react… don’t react…

“I bet those marines kept your boyfriend warm,” MP number to joined the provocation.

Don’t react… don’t react… don’t react…

“Tell me, General. What’s in him that made it worth risking your career? They say he’s a linguist. Is he that good with his tongue?”

Don’t react… don’t react… don’t react…

“Phew, Porter, thanks for the picture, man,” the other MP wrinkled his nose. His colleague ignored him.

“So, what do you prefer? Suck or be sucked?”

Don’t react… don’t react… don’t… oh, screw it!

“You know, Porter, for being such a het role model, you’re suspiciously interested in the mechanics of gay sex.”

“Shut up, you piece of scum,” Porter scowled at the general, who had stopped pacing and was now staring at him with his arms folded over his chest.

“Well, well, well. It looks like I hit a nerve,” Jack smirked. “You better watch your six,” the told the other MP.

“I said shut up!” Porter yelled out.

“Or what?”

Porter aimed his gun at Jack.

“Huh. Killing a defenseless general in cold blood, that… let me do the maths… two plus two four, then we add… (mumble)… plus… (mumble)… oh, yeah, death penalty.”

“I'll do the maths,” Porter hissed. “Killing a bigmouth fagot…”

“Death penalty.” The other MP gripped Porter's arm and made him lower the gun. “Do you really want to take that risk?”

Porter clenched his jaw. His nostrils flapped. He finally holstered the gun, but not before spitting at Jack. The gray-haired man dodged the projectile and went on pacing. The last of his problems were those two idiots.

***

“Doctor Jackson.”

Daniel turned around and met Reynolds. The archaeologist checked his watch. 7:30 already?

“Colonel,” Daniel blinked. “How uh, how is Jack?” he asked, trying to sound calm. It wasn’t easy when you felt as if a horde of carnivore ants were having your gut for breakfast.

“I'm going to see him now,” Reynolds nodded. “Actually, I came to see how are you. It’s the first thing he’s going to ask.”

The colonel observed Daniel. Ashen skin, dark bags under his eyes, but no visible bruises. However, he seemed to have problems sitting upright. Bruised ribs, perhaps?

“Tell him I'm fine.” The archaeologist’s cheek flickered in a ghost smile.

“Are you sure you have nothing to report?”

“No, of course not.” Daniel looked away.

Reynolds frowned. The archaeologist had always been a lousy liar.

“Listen, the law protects you. If someone has…”

“You mean the same law that has fucked up my life?” Daniel interrupted him with a scowl. He immediately regretted his comment and diverted his gaze again. “Sorry, I, uh… I guess I'm kinda tired. I didn’t sleep much.”

“That’s understandable,” Reynolds nodded. “I, uh… I'll give Jack your message.”

“Thanks.”

The moment Reynolds left, Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing. He needed coffee. He made a fresh pot, took another power bar from the drawer, and went back to work.

***

As Reynolds had foreseen, Jack’s first words after Reynolds dismissed the two MPs were to question Daniel’s condition.

“He’s fine, Jack,” the colonel assured him.

“The hell he is!” Jack exploded.

“He is fine,” Reynolds insisted. “I just talked to him five minutes ago. He looks exhausted, but that’s all.”

“I'm telling you they’re harassing him,” the general's dark gaze pierced his 2IC.

“C'mon, Jack.” Reynolds threw his hands. “There are cameras everywhere. If someone had assaulted him, as you keep insisting, the guys in the security room would have reported it.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe someone so naïve made it to colonel.”

Reynolds clenched his jaw. He was getting tired of the general’s paranoia.

“Listen, I came to see tell you a liaison from Washington will be here tomorrow to start an investigation. I suggest you use the day to calm down. Honestly, Jack, your attitude only serves to confirm the evidence.”

The general sent daggers to the younger man.

“Fuck you, Reynolds. You know Daniel, Carter, and Teal’c are my best friends, my family. Although I guess you can remove Carter from the list. But Teal’c… you know I'd be concerned for him the same, so keep your innuendos for yourself.”

Reynolds held the general's gaze for a few seconds, but ultimately he was the first one to look away. Even behind those bars, Jack’s presence had a je ne sais quoi that made him feel small. The colonel didn’t know what to add, so he just left.

He found Sam waiting for him outside his office, fidgeting. Well, at least he thought it was Sam. Never in a million years would he have suspected that the blonde woman was actually Airman Crenshaw wearing the colonel's body.

“Colonel,” Reynolds greeted her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“You must send a team to search Jackson’s apartment!” she blurted out excitedly.

“Excuse me?”

“I've been thinking.” Sam/Lydia followed the man to his office. “General O'Neill would have never betrayed the Air Force like this. He’s a hero, an honorable man from head to toe.”

“Yeah, you said that before.” Reynolds sat at his desk.

Sam closed the door after her and approached the table.

“I'm convinced that Jackson did something to him.”

“Yeah. You said that, too.”

“Well?” Fake Sam folded her arms over her chest.

“Well?” Reynolds tilted his head to one side.

“You must send a team to search his apartment!” Sam/Lydia insisted. “There has to be something! Some drug, potion, or alien artifact. Something he used on the general to make him do that, that… filth!”

Sam’s eyes sparkled in anger. Reynolds frowned. Was paranoia contagious?

“A liaison from Washington will come tomorrow,” Reynolds informed her. “You can make your demand to them.”

“I can’t believe this,” the blonde shook her head. “You will let that piece of scum walk freely while the general rots in that cell?”

Reynolds couldn’t help but snort at that. “Two days in jail hardly rot anyone. And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of work to do. Dismissed.”

“That’s it? God! How can you be so blind!” she yelled out in rage.

Reynolds’ dark blue eyes pierced Sam’s grayish ones.

“You are one word away from being arrested for insubordination, Colonel.”

The woman's chin quivered, but she said nothing. She sent a last dagger to the man, turned around, and left. Reynolds scrubbed his face. What was wrong with those people? Had everyone suddenly gone nuts?

***

Lydia was fuming. One more day wasted! She couldn’t wait to see the archaeologist kicked out of the base, or even better, thrown in jail to rot like the disgusting roach he was. The only thing she could do for now was to make sure he suffered his last day in the base.

Fake Sam headed towards the archaeologist’s office. She stormed into the room without waiting for an invitation. Daniel raised his head and cringed at the view.

“Get out of my office,” he said firmly.

“You suckered Reynolds, too, right?” she accused. “What did you do? You fucked him, too?”

Daniel looked at who he thought was his former friend, in utter shock and disbelief.

“My God, Sam. Your jealousy has blinded you completely!”

“It is them who are blind!” the fake colonel exploded. “The general would have never fallen for such a wimp! Christ, I can’t understand why Reynolds doesn’t use all his means to expose you!”

Daniel stared at the woman in horror. Never in his craziest dreams, he would have dared to imagine that Sam could become such a vindictive person. He didn’t recognize his friend. Had she really been holding that grudge all along? Daniel was tempted to call Reynolds and ask him to get the colonel tested for some alien influence, but who was going to listen to him? Overnight, the archaeologist had become the civilian who had deceived the entire base. Right now, it was likely he was the most untrustworthy person around. Reynolds would never listen to him.

“Why are you doing this, Sam?” Daniel strived to keep his voice steady. “You have to know that Jack and I loved you like a dear friend, like a sister, that we would never have hurt you on purpose.”

Sam’s fake eyes flashed with animosity.

“Maybe you loved me like a sister, but the general… he loved me as a woman. I know it! He told me!”

“Stop it! Stop it!” Daniel stood up and took a step forward. “Stick this in your head once and for all,” he hissed. “Jack never told you he was in love with you. You decided to believe that. We never meant to hurt you, but what you have done… you acted with sheer malice and contempt. You claim to love him, but I think you don’t even know what that word means.”

Daniel flinched at his own words. They reminded him of that time long ago when he got addicted to the sarcophagus and confronted Sam in a similar way.

Lydia/Sam got struck by the intensity of Daniel’s gaze and took a step backward. This would take her nowhere. If she hadn’t been able to convince Reynolds, it was worth trying again with Jack.

“This isn’t over, Jackson,” she said before turning around and storming out of the room.

Daniel took an unconscious step backward and slumped bonelessly on the stool. He was shaking all over. Cold sweat sprang and bathed his skin. His heart hammered against his ribs. The archaeologist closed his hands in fists and brought them to his temples. He squeezed and squeezed them, but he still couldn’t stop the tremors. Relax. He needed to relax. Focus on taking one breath after the other. And stop thinking. Yeah. That sounded like a good idea. Stop thinking. If he could stop thinking, it would stop hurting so much. Easier said than done. Ok, one thought pushes away another. Ok. Thinking of good stuff. The sand of Abydos. Abydos meant Sha're. Sha're meant love and death. Pain. He blinked. Egypt. His childhood with his parents. A slab made of stone. Pain. Blink. His career. Major discoveries. Rejection. Pain. Blink. SG-1. Family. Family going away. Pain. Jack. Love. Passion. Life. An impending court-martial. Pain. C'mon, c'mon! There had to be something in his life that didn’t lead to pain! Books. They had always been his comfort. Books usually trapped his mind so that he didn’t have to think, at least beyond the writing. Daniel stood up and checked the shelves. Sufi tales. He grabbed the book, sat again at the desk, and started to read.

***

The moment Jack saw fake Sam coming into the cells room, his body went rigid like a metal bar. The two MPs left.

“Go away,” Jack said coldly.

“No. You've got to listen to me!” Lydia/Sam moved closer. “I can take you outta here!”

Daniel’s words echoed in Jack's mind.

Sam set us up! Don’t listen to her! Don’t listen to Sam!

“I'm not interested in anything you have to say.”

Jack lay on his cot, stared at the ceiling, and started to hum O Fortuna from Carmina Burana. Sam gripped the bars and said something about Daniel deceiving him, about the archaeologist using alien substances to dupe him. The louder Sam spoke, the louder Jack hummed. She ended up yelling out, and the general overlapped her singing at the top of his lungs.

Sors salutis
et virtutis
michi nunc contraria,
est affectus
et defectus
semper in angaria.
Hac in hora
sine mora
corde pulsum tangite;
quod per sortem
sternit fortem,
mecum omnes plangite!!!

Lydia/Sam growled in frustration. Dammit. She had to seduce Jack, or at least plain the terrain for Samantha. How would she do that if the general didn’t even listen to her? The fake colonel turned around and went away. She made a beeline to the gym, where she discharged her rage against an innocent punching bag.

***

A sudden blow to the back made Daniel's already sore ribs clash against his desk. Shit. That hurt! What had they hit him with, anyway? Before the archaeologist had time to react beyond a strangled cry, he found himself with his head squeezed against the table, his left arm twisted on his back, and his right arm pinned down on the book in front of him.

“Still around here, you pervert?”

Daniel recognized the voice. It was the same group of marines that had attacked him the day before. Not good. Not good at all.

“I thought they'd had kicked you out of the base by now.”

The brute behind Daniel twisted the arm on his back harder and his victim grunted. The archaeologist tried to move his head to put faces to his attackers, but the hold was tight and he could only move his eyeballs, which darted crazily around the room, but the angle was wrong to recognize anyone.

“I thought you’d get our message the first time,” the unidentified marine continued. “Perhaps we didn’t make ourselves clear enough.”

He made a gesture to his teammate. The other man held Daniel’s right arm against the table with one hand while he used the other one to take a cigarette off his pants pocket, bring it to his lips, and lit it with a lighter. He sucked it twice until the tip got red hot. Next, without warning, he squashed it on Daniel’s wrist.

The archaeologist let out a strangled cry through clenched teeth. The marine added pressure until the pain brought tears to his victim’s eyes, but Daniel still resisted the urge to cry out aloud. Fuck, fuck! That hurt like hell! But he refused to give them the satisfaction of knowing how much.

The marine in charge bent forward and hissed into the archaeologist’s ear.

“You better get the message this time, you fagot.”

He gripped Daniel’s hair, lifted his head a few inches, and slammed it against the desk. The archaeologist saw stars. Suddenly, the cigarette disappeared, and the brutes let go of him. Daniel didn’t see how the goon with the lighter climbed on a chair and approached it to the smoke detector. The three marines dashed out of the room just before the fire sprinkler system activated.

A shower of cold water fell over Daniel and all the books, notebooks, and artifacts scattered on the table. The archaeologist didn’t move. He was busy enough trying to recover his senses. He couldn’t decide what hurt the most, whether his back, his ribs, his head, and his burned wrist. Ok, maybe the wrist could be listed as number one, followed closely by his head and ribs. Daniel tried to sit upright, and a wave of dizziness hit him. Dammit. He needed to stop the sprinklers before the water damaged his material. Some of those books were irreplaceable. He watched with despondency how the water blurred the ink on the notebook with the translation of the tablet from P6S-441.

Suddenly, he felt four powerful hands gripping him and dragging him out of the office. Daniel’s troubled mind thought the marines had come back to finish the job, and he struggled to get free, but to no avail. Once in the hallway, he realized two voices full of angst were calling his name as both sets of hands held him upright. They didn’t sound like the marines. Daniel took off his spotted glasses and found himself looking at the worried faces of Sargent Siler and Colonel Coburn.

“Are you alright, Sir?” Siler asked with noticeable concern.

Daniel’s face scrunched in discomfort.

“We better take him to the infirmary,” Coburn suggested.

“W-w-why?” Daniel asked, dumbfounded.

“This burn in your wrist could get infected,” Siler explained.

“No,” the archaeologist said. “I mean, I mean… why are you helping me?”

Coburn looked at the scientist’s haunted eyes.

“Not everyone in the base is a bigot, Dr. Jackson,” he simply said.

And Daniel hadn’t imagined when Siler called him *sir* before, right? The archaeologist saw the honesty in both soldiers' eyes and nodded. They accompanied him to the infirmary, where Dr. Brightman took care of him. The moment she saw the archaeologist, her eyebrows met her hairline. Daniel was soaked from head to toe and was clutching his right arm against his chest. There was a small but deep burn on his wrist.

“What happened?” She asked as she rushed towards his patient.

“Fire sprinklers,” Siler answered. He and Coburn were wet as well, but not so much. “About the rest, we’re not sure.”

“Alright, thank you. I'll take it from here.” She accompanied Daniel to a bed. “Bring me a pair of scrubs here!” she yelled at a nurse that passed by. Then she drew the curtain.

“You need to remove these clothes,” she said. “Let me help you with…”

“No!” Daniel wrapped his arms around his torso and winced, which only increased Brightman’s concern.

“How did you get that burn on your wrist?”

“I… I… I spilled my coffee,” Daniel stammered.

Brightman put her hands on her waist and frowned at her patient.

“Do you really think I'm that stupid?”

“W-w-what? No! I, uh… no…” The archaeologist bowed his head guiltily.

“Now take off your clothes and show me what you’re hiding.”

Daniel’s head lashed up and looked at the doctor with what she could only describe as fear.

“I'm waiting.” Brightman tapped the floor with her foot.

Daniel sighed in defeat. He removed his BDU blue shirt and let the doctor help him with the black t-shirt. The absence of clothes revealed the colorful bruises on the archaeologist’s back, chest, and stomach.

“Who did that to you?” Brightman asked, visibly displeased.

“No one. I fell down,” Daniel lied.

“Where from? A spiral staircase? Three times in a row?”

The archaeologist stared at her in confusion.

“You've got bruises in different stages. Some of them look at least twenty-four hours old and some of them are just emerging.”

Daniel gulped. “I fell down,” he insisted.

“Weird fall. There are knuckles marks on your stomach.”

The archaeologist said nothing. The nurse appeared with the scrubs.

“Put this on,” Brightman told the man. “I'll be with you in a moment.”

Daniel obeyed, and the doctor came back one minute later carrying some medical equipment. She treated and dressed the wound and examined the bruises.

“There’s nothing broken, but it looks like it was close,” she informed her patient. “You should report this.”

“There’s nothing to report,” Daniel replied, in a failed attempt to sound casual. “Can I go now? I've got a lot of work to do.”

“Dr. Jackson…”

“Please, please,” he implored her. “Leave it alone.”

Brightman sighed soundly. Jackson’s stubbornness was legendary.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

She prescribed him some painkillers and let him go. As soon as Daniel left the infirmary, Dr. Brightman called Colonel Reynolds and informed him of the situation. The colonel told her that unless Jackson reported it, there wasn’t much he could do. Even so, he called the video surveillance room to ask some questions. Unfortunately for Daniel, Summerfield answered the phone. The sergeant assured Reynolds that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, that Daniel had burned himself accidentally with the coffeemaker. That definitely simplified the colonel’s life. He hung up the phone and continued working on the tower of reports that filled his desk. Up in the surveillance room, Airman Mercer’s heart sank. This wasn’t right, but what could she do?

***

When Daniel arrived at his office, he was surprised to see several members of the staff, both civilian and military, working to dry his belongings. Siler, Coburn, Walter Harriman, Nyan, and Bill Lee were among them.

“Guys,” the archaeologist warned of his presence.

“Doctor Jackson, are you alright?” Walter asked in concern.

Some people stopped what they were doing and went to greet Daniel.

“It’s just a minor burn,” the archaeologist explained. “Dr. Brightman said it’s likely it won’t even leave a scar.

“It’s good to hear that,” Nyan smiled.

“I, uh… thank you for your support,” Daniel said with contained emotion. “You will never know how much this means to me.”

“It’s the least we can do,” Siler said.

Daniel nodded his thanks. He joined the group and one hour later, the archaeologist’s office looked as good as new. Fortunately, no books had suffered irreparable damage, although a considerable number of pages ended up slightly crumpled. Daniel’s notebook had taken the worst part since the water had blurred the ink, but most of the words were still legible.

Needless to say, the news of Daniel’s visit to the infirmary reached Jack's ears in no time. The general went frantic with worry, but common sense made him keep his reaction to the minimum. It was one of the hardest tasks the gray-haired man had done in a long time. While his face strived to show impassiveness, his heart was breaking painfully inside his chest.

***

Chapter Text

The day brought Daniel two more nasty situations. It would take time for his books and notebooks to dry; moreover, the water had damaged the archaeologist's computer. Two technicians came to repair it. Daniel left them working at his office and went to see Reynolds. He insisted he wanted to see Jack, check that the general was okay with his own eyes, but Reynolds refused to let him go, claiming that it was for his own good.

“People made their judgment already. I don’t see how it can get much worse,” Daniel said, showing his wrist wrapped in gauze.

“I'm sorry, Dr. Jackson. You can ask the new commanding officer when he arrives tomorrow from Washington.”

“I need some air,” the archaeologist said before dashing out of the room.

Daniel made a beeline to the elevator and headed to the surface. He was so worried about his lover! Not being able to see and comfort each other was sheer torture.

Once outside, the archaeologist went to the forested area surrounding the base and walked without direction. He felt sore all over and the burn on his wrist stung like hell. Even so, he forced himself to keep a steady pace.

He didn’t know how much time he had been out there when he heard the sound of dry leaves cracking. There was someone around, and bearing in mind the noise, there were at least three or four of them. The marines again?

Daniel grabbed a branch from the ground and held it upwards. He wouldn’t surrender without a fight. The archaeologist looked in all directions, but he couldn’t see anyone approaching. He could still hear the leaves breaking. It sounded as if the group had stopped somewhere and were moving around the same spot. Daniel stood still. He didn’t want to give away his position. The stick slipped in his sweaty hands and he tightened his grip. His heart pounded hard, and he took a deep breath to calm down.

Several minutes later, the group walked away. Daniel heard the steps fading away until they disappeared altogether. Were they really gone, or was it a trap? The archaeologist pushed those thoughts away. He was getting paranoid. They were probably a group of soldiers doing regular maneuvers. As a precaution, Daniel moved forward holding the branch as if it was a baseball bat.

The moment he reached a small clearing, his blood froze in his veins. There was a latex inflatable doll hanging by a tree. Its neck was wrapped with a rope, which was tied to a thick branch. They had attached a pair of eyeglasses to its face, and there was a message written with a marker on its chest.

I fucked the general.

A shiver ran down Daniel’s spine. He wanted to think it was only a prank, but considering the events of the last day… would they really go that far? The archaeologist wanted to think they weren’t stupid, that they wouldn’t risk their careers only for punishing him. They had hung the doll too high to even consider taking it down, but not too high to reach its feet. Daniel searched on the ground until he found a sharp stone. He sliced the doll's feet, and it quickly deflated. Without looking back, he threw away the stick and began to walk back to the base.

Hadn’t he walked over fifty yards, when suddenly, he heard again the sound of military boots stepping on the dry leaves. He quickly regretted getting rid of the bat.

Before Daniel could analyze what was happening, four figures dressed in camouflage combat fatigues emerged from behind the bushes and tackled him. The archaeologist fell to the ground with a loud thud. All the previous pains awakened and he couldn’t suppress a cry. Three of the soldiers pinned him down to the floor while the other one slid a rope with a noose down his head and wrapped it around his neck.

“Let go of me, you cowards!” Daniel yelled out. “Ugh!”

The man holding the rope backhanded him in the face.

“Shut up, you fagot. Guys! Pull him up!”

No matter how much he struggled, the archaeologist wasn’t a match for those four brutes. They easily lifted their victim to his feet. The soldier who was holding the rope threw it over a thick branch and pulled it down. Daniel moved upwards. The other three soldiers let go of the archaeologist and helped their friend to pull the rope down. Soon Daniel’s feet were floating over the ground. The archaeologist sneaked his fingers between the rope and his skin and tried to loosen the noose, but to no avail. Daniel choked and coughed.

One of his torturers stood in front of him and withdrew his combat knife. The archaeologist panicked. Oh, shitshitshitshit! What was he going to do with that?

Daniel struggled desperately, but the rope cut his breath, and he quickly lost his strength. The soldier used the tip of the knife to disentangle the archaeologist’s t-shirt from the waist of his pants, slinked the weapon under the garment, and rested the tip on Daniel’s belly. The archaeologist’s eyes popped out of their sockets. His heartbeat rocketed beyond reason.

OhGodohGodohGod, they were going to disembowel him! Daniel had never felt so vulnerable in his entire life. Godnononono, this couldn’t end like this. Just couldn’tcouldn’tcouldn’t… oh, God, Jack, I love you, I love you so much, please God, don’t let it end like this!

To Daniel’s relief, the soldier used the knife to cut open his t-shirt and sheathed it again. Next, he grabbed a marker from his pocket and wrote something on his victim’s chest. Daniel was losing the battle with the rope. The moment he thought he was going to pass out to never wake up again, his attackers let go of the rope and the archaeologist fell to the ground, gasping. Several kicks on his back and ribs followed. Daniel was still struggling to draw air into his lungs, so he endured the beating in silence. When it finally stopped, he loosened the rope with trembling fingers and lay on the dry leaves. He curled up into a ball, coughing and spitting. Well, at least he wasn’t spitting blood, so no internal injuries so far, although it didn’t make it hurt any less. He barely registered the sound of the boots walking away. This was getting old, but he couldn’t go home, no while Jack was in that cell.

It took several minutes for the archaeologist to regain his breathing and control the pain. He sat upright, loosened the noose, and took off the rope. Then he checked his bare chest. As he had suspected, the words *I fucked the general* glistened on his skin. He took off the sliced t-shirt and rubbed his chest, but apparently, those brutes had used a permanent maker. He would need soap, perhaps even alcohol. The archaeologist buttoned the BDU blue shirt, and still coughing from time to time, he made his stumbling way back to the base. His clothes were dirty with mud and leaves, and it was likely that his face was, too, but going to shower in the locker room wasn’t a good idea. He shook off the dirt the best he could and went back to his office.

The technicians were still working, so where to go to have some privacy? Maybe he could use Teal’c’s quarters. His Jaffa friend wouldn’t mind, although it wasn’t a great idea, either. For security reasons, the private quarters couldn’t lock the door from the inside and the area was less transited than level 18th, where his lab was, and after what happened there last evening… Daniel decided to go there anyway, but to his dismay, Teal’c’s old access code didn’t work.

“Damn,” the archaeologist muttered.

Privacy would have to wait. He thought of going to see Nyan and help him with his work for a while, but he discarded the idea, too. His throat and his cheek and lips, where that brute had backhanded him, throbbed. It was likely that both areas were bruised, too, and he didn’t feel like answering questions. The archaeologist went back to his office and transcribed the blurry translation in a clean notebook while the technicians finished their work.

It looked like the guys were also on the bigotry team, because once they left, Daniel found the nasty surprise they had left on his computer. Instead of the typical screen saver showing Egyptian figures dancing, what appeared on the screen was a series of pictures of him and Jack on the bed, playing in a constant loop. The pictures were partially dyed in red, giving the impression that blood was sliding on their bodies.

“Geez, don’t they really have anything better to do?” Daniel muttered angrily.

He quickly deleted the images, reset his usual screen saver, and started to work.

***

As usual, Jack paced non-stop in his cell. He felt overwhelmed by a mixture of anger, concern, fear… did he mention concern? Extreme concern? The news about Daniel’s last attacks reached his ears in no time. The general felt himself going crazy. Those bastards! No matter how many years they threw him in jail, the first thing he'd do when they released him would be to chase every one of those motherfuckers and make them pay. God, who knew how far they would go! And that jellyfish of Reynolds! Why wasn’t he doing anything to stop it?! Had he known he was such a spineless, he would have never named him his second in command. Jack wanted to hit something, or better someone, so badly, starting with those bastards that had made of mocking him their favorite sport. Ignoring them was getting harder, but Jack knew that if he lost it, it would only make things much worse for Daniel.

Jack chose the only viable option. He clenched his teeth and went on pacing in silence.

***

Lydia rode her motorbike as her mind recited a bunch of expletives against Reynolds. That pushover. Why couldn’t he just give the order of searching Jackson’s apartment? She hoped the new CO would be a more reasonable man. Christ, she needed a cup of wine. The airman pulled in beside the grocery and headed to the shelf where they usually kept her favorite brand of red wine. She grabbed two bottles and walked towards the register.

“Samantha? Sam? Sam Carter?”

Lydia raised her head to see the person who was blocking her way. Dammit. In her haste, she forgot to detach the alien device, and she was still looking like Colonel Carter.

“Do I know you?” she frowned at the tall, attractive man standing in front of her.

“Carl. Carl Rogers. We met at the airport a couple of weeks ago, remember?”

“We did?” she made a face.

“I thought red wine caused you heartburn,” he said, pointing at the bottles in her hands.

“What? Who told you such foolishness?” she deepened her frown.

“Uh, well, you said… uh…”

“Look, Carl, it’s Carl, right? It’s been nice to meet you, but I gotta go. See you around. Bye!”

And with that, she paid for the bottles and left. Carl watched her leave as he scratched his head, pensive. Huh. She didn’t seem the same person he had met in Minneapolis. Carl decided not to give it a second thought. She hadn’t been interested in him the first time, anyway. The doctor paid for his items and left.

***

Daniel worked for several hours until exhaustion overcame him. He checked his watch. Midnight already. He set the alarm for 3:00 AM and lay on the couch. He really hoped they didn’t repeat the performance with the pillow.

Fortunately, they didn’t. The wrong side was that the tension didn’t allow the archaeologist to sleep a wink. He tried some of the meditation exercises Teal’c had taught him. It worked at first, but soon his mind was overflowed by thoughts about Jack and their situation. He prayed because they were treating his lover ok. As long as Jack was fine, no matter how much those bigots harassed him, he felt strong enough to endure it.

The alarm in the archaeologist’s watch went off at 3:00 as planned. He walked discretely to the locker room to take his shower. He needed an extra dose of soap and a lot of scrubbing to erase the mark on his chest. The old and new bruises on his torso didn’t make the task any easier, but all in all, he managed to wash and get dressed without incident. No unexpected scares this time. The archaeologist went back to his office, but he still couldn’t sleep. The new commander would arrive in the morning. He hoped things would advance from there because the uncertainty was a way worse torment than any of the beatings he had endured so far.

***

The next morning

Lieutenant general George Hammond straightened his uniform as he got off the elevator. He was not eager to carry out the mission that his superiors in Washington had ordered him to do. Next to the general walked the legal expert Major Katherine Morrison. Their orders were to determine if there was enough evidence to court-martial General O'Neill. Not that Hammond had never suspected Jack and Daniel, but he thought they were smart enough not to get caught. Not to mention that he would have never thought that Colonel Samantha Carter would be the one to report them. Although he also suspected the colonel had been in love with O'Neill for years, he would have never imagined she was vindictive to the point of exposing that video to the entire base. No matter if Jack and Daniel were guilty, that had been low, to say the least. Even so, if seven years running the craziest base on Earth had taught Hammond something, was that usually there was more than met the eye, and the general was determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

Reynolds was waiting for the couple in the briefing room. The moment he saw the general, the colonel stood at attention.

“General! They didn’t say it was you who was coming!”

“At ease, Colonel.”

Hammond made the introductions, and the trio sat at the table. Reynolds updated the other two about the situation, although he skipped the part in which Jack insisted they were harassing Daniel. He honestly thought the brigadier general was exaggerating about that. Once Hammond and Morrison got the necessary intel, they went to greet Walter Harriman, who didn’t hide his contentment about Hammond’s takeover. The Chief Sergeant updated Hammond regarding the scheduled missions. At that moment, there were only two teams off-world on a diplomatic mission. No emergencies were expected. The major general ordered Reynolds to inform the rest of the base about his reincorporation, and the couple went to see Jack.

Jack wasn’t less surprised than Reynolds of seeing his former CO there. As soon as he stepped into the room, Hammond dismissed the two MPs guarding Jack’s cell, and they left.

“General!” Jack shot out of the cot.

“General.” Both men skipped the official salute. “I'm resuming the command of this base until we settle the issue at hand.”

“You are?” Jack didn’t dare to think if those were good or bad news. Hammond had always been a reasonable and fair man, but this was a totally different situation.

“Let me introduce you Major Katherine Morrison. She's a lawyer and criminologist. She will help me determine if the evidence against you is solid enough to press official charges.”

“General,” Morrison saluted.

“Major.” Jack studied the small figure in front of him. With a frame similar to the late Dr. Fraiser, her gray eyes sparkled with the same determination. Again, Jack couldn’t decide if it was a good or a bad thing.

“You mean they haven’t decided court-martial me already?” Jack raised his eyebrows.

“After all the weird situations I've witnessed in that base, I learned not to jump to conclusions," Hammond said. “You could be all affected by an alien influence, for all I know.”

Jack decided that having Hammond there was a good thing, but he still couldn’t see a way out of this mess.

“Have you seen Daniel? Is he alright?” Jack asked, failing to conceal his angst.

“I was going to see him next.”

“Don’t let him fool you! They’re harassing him! Please, tell him to go home! Who knows what they can do to him!”

“Are… are you sure of that?” Morrison asked.

“I heard it. I heard those bastards beating him in the hallway! Those motherfuckers. None of them would be alive if it wasn’t for Daniel!”

“Colonel Reynolds didn’t mention anything,” the major frowned at Hammond.

“No. No, he didn’t." The Texan clenched his jaw. “What about you? Are they treating you ok?”

“I'm the general who fucked his male subordinate. What do you think?”

Hammond exhaled angrily. “Bring me those MPs,” he told Morrison.

“Yes, Sir.” She asked the two men to come in.

“Get the prisoner out from behind these bars and move him to a private cell,” he ordered.

“Yes, Sir,” the two MPs chorused.

One of them grabbed the handcuffs from his belt.

“That won’t be necessary, right, General?” Hammond looked at his friend.

“No, Sir.” Jack agreed. As much as he wished to turn those sons of a bitch into a bloody pulp, at the moment, that wouldn’t do any good to anyone.

The MPs opened the cell and Jack accompanied them obediently to the private holding cell. If nothing else, he'd be more comfortable there. The cot was bigger, there was a table and chairs, and the metallic door with the tiny opening ensured more privacy.

“I'll leave you with Major Morrison while I go to see Dr. Jackson,” Hammond said. “I'll come to see you later.”

Jack and Katherine got into the new cell, and Hammond left. The General found Daniel at his office as expected.

“Doctor Jackson.”

The hand holding the pen froze. Daniel blinked. That voice…

“General?” he said, keeping his head bowed over his notebook.

“They sent me from Washington. I'll be in charge of the base until they determine the future of General O'Neill.”

Daniel nodded, his gaze still glued to the piece of paper.

“Major Katherine Morrison came with me. She’ll be in charge of the investigation,” Hammond explained. “I hope you cooperate in whatever she needs.”

“Which, uh… which are our odds? In your opinion?” Daniel finally raised his head and Hammond could see the bruises on his neck and cheek and his swollen lip.

“My God, doctor, who did this to you?” Hammond asked, horrified.

“It doesn’t matter.” Daniel bowed his head again.

“Yes, it does.” The Texan moved closer. “No matter what they think you did, such behavior won’t be tolerated on that base.”

“What they think I did?” The archaeologist couldn’t help but stare at the older man. “Don’t you believe I'm guilty as well?”

“As I told Jack, seven years running this madhouse taught me not to jump to conclusions.”

Daniel stood up abruptly. The sharp movement made him wince. “You've seen Jack? How is he? Is he alright?” he asked anxiously.

“He’s physically fine. Morrison is with him now,” Hammond said. “But he’s worried about you.”

“I'm fine,” Daniel lied.

“Your bruises say otherwise,” Hammond observed. “How many more are you hiding under your shirt?”

“Wha- wha- what? The archaeologist looked at the older man, aghast.

“Tell me who did this to you,” Hammond asked firmly.

Daniel's rear hit the stool again. “I don’t know. I never saw their faces. Either they wore caps or camouflage makeup. All I know is that they wore Marines uniforms.”

“How many?”

Daniel sighed. “I’m not sure. Three of four.”

“And attacks?”

“Same.” The archaeologist looked away briefly, but he quickly looked at Hammond again. “Please, don’t send me home. I need to be here for Jack. I know there’s nothing I can do for him while he’s in that cell, but I… I just need to be here.”

“You’re taking a great risk staying, you know it, right?” Hammond frowned.

“Please, General. They didn’t hurt me seriously. They’re only having some fun. I can take it.”

Hammond sighed. If the archaeologist’s attitude wasn’t a love confession, he didn’t know what it was. He might well have confessed he loved Jack at the top of his lungs.

“Listen, doctor, I'm talking off the record now,” he said. “I didn’t make the laws and regulations, and I don’t have to agree with all of them, but I took the oath to obey them, so did Jack. You two are the best assets in this base. God knows Earth would be history long ago if it weren’t for you two. What I mean is that I really hope Major Morrison will find evidence that the video is fake, but my greatest fear is that she won’t.”

“And, uh… off the record, Sir,” Daniel cleared his throat, “in case she proves the video is authentic, what happens next?”

“Some members of the Joint chiefs wanted to court-martial Jack right away. Some others think it’s too risky. They fear it could give the program away. Best-case scenario, given the relevance of the program, he would be discharged without honor, all his medals withdrawn, no pension. They don’t agree about you, either. Some of the big wheels wanted to remove you from the program right away. Others think your knowledge about the Ancients is priceless.”

Daniel swallowed. “Jack doesn’t deserve this. None of them would be alive if it wasn’t for him,” he stated firmly.

“That’s exactly what Jack said about you.” If it wasn’t for the seriousness of the situation, Hammond would have laughed at that. Those two were like peas in a pod. “I'll be in my office. I'll inform you of our progress.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

The second Hammond went through the doorframe, Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. Morrison was with Jack. The investigation had started. They wouldn’t find anything but the truth, and the truth was that he and Jack were in love and they had been for a long time. They were toast. With luck, Jack would be discharged and left with nothing but humiliation. Worst-case scenario, he would be court-martialed and thrown into jail. It was so unfair! Daniel couldn’t contain his frustration and rage against that stupid law. He angrily shoved all the items off the table. Books, notebooks, and pens flew in all directions. The movement strained the archaeologist's sore muscles and he let out a strangled cry. He rested his elbows on the desk and clutched his head with his hands. Even so, with everything that was happening, there was something Daniel didn’t regret, and it was his love for Jack. He would be at his side, no matter what. They had committed to each other long ago and they would go through this as one.

Suddenly, an idea came to the archaeologist’s mind. Until now, he had thought the court-martial was something inevitable, but Hammond said the Joint chiefs were hesitating about it. He needed to find a precedent, some case in which, under similar circumstances, a military man or woman, had skipped the court-martial. He was a linguist/anthropologist/diplomat, for God’s sake. He had broken intergalactic treaties with aliens, with Unas! With enough information, he could convince Hammond and Morrison to advocate in favor of Jack.

With renewed strength, Daniel went on working.

***

Chapter Text

Instead of going back to his office, Hammond headed to the infirmary to talk to Dr. Brightman. The doctor confirmed that Daniel was hiding several bruises under his clothes, and they belonged to at least three different attacks. A fuming general strode to the video surveillance room. As soon as he stepped inside, Summerfield and Mercer stood at attention.

“General, Sir! Colonel Reynolds informed us you’re back in charge,” Summerfield said.

“Indeed, I am, Sergeant, and this isn’t a courtesy call. I want to know if you have observed any obnoxious behavior against Dr. Jackson on your watch.”

“No, Sir,” Summerfield lied. “Dr. Jackson has spent most of the time in his office, working quietly. He only left a few times to go to the surface.”

Next to him, Airman Mercer tensed. Hammond didn’t miss it.

“Airman?”

“N-no, Sir.”

“Did you notice anything different about him when he came back?” Maybe those Marines had attacked the archaeologist in areas with no surveillance, after all.

“No, Sir,” Summerfield replied. “He seemed to be perfectly fine.”

Hammond squinted suspiciously. “I want a copy of all the video recordings showing Dr. Jackson since the moment they arrested General O'Neill.”

“Yes, Sir,” Summerfield saluted. “We'll take care of delivering it to your office when ready.”

The moment Hammond left, Mercer looked at her CO with fear-filled eyes.

“He’s going to notice the cuts,” she said.

“No, he won’t,” the sergeant raised a threatening fist. “And you better say nothing, or you’ll regret it.”

Mercier bowed her head. “Yes, Sir,” she gulped, her voice small.

***

Hammond went to his old office and started to organize his job. A few minutes later, Major Morrison met him there.

“General O'Neill didn’t answer any of my questions,” she informed Hammond. “He keeps saying he and Dr. Jackson did nothing to endanger the program or the planet, for that matter. I never thought I could meet someone more stubborn than my uncle Zach. Uh, sorry, General.”

The general sighed heavily. “Yeah, that sounds like old Jack. Wait to meet Dr. Jackson.”

“Do you mean he's… worse?” the woman made a face.

“I'll arrange a team for you,” Hammond said. “I want you to go to General O’Neill’s house and check if all the items, furniture, and whatever details match with the images on the video.”

Before the general had time to grab the phone, Lydia, dressed in Sam’s body, planted herself in the man’s office.

“General! Oh my God, it’s so good to see you here!”

“Colonel Carter. Let me introduce you to Major Katherine Morrison. She’s in charge of the investigation regarding General O'Neill and Dr. Jackson.”

Fake Sam sat down next to her. “Please to meet you, Major.” They both saluted.

“So you are the one who reported them, aren’t you?” Morrison asked. “

“Yes, and I've got important information about the case, but Reynolds refused to listen to me! I hope it won’t be too late!”

“What information are you talking about, Colonel?” Hammond’s eyebrows joined in his brow. He had never seen the colonel so agitated.

“You know General O'Neill as well as I do. You know he’s a man of honor who devoted his life to the Air Force long ago.”

“I am aware of his resume, Colonel. What are you getting at?”

“I'm totally sure Dr. Jackson did something to him!” fake Sam exclaimed.

“Something?” Morrison tilted her head.

“Yes! Like drug him, or cast some alien spell on him!” Sam/Lydia waved her hands to emphasize her statement. “That man has access to a lot of stuff! You need to go to check his apartment! I'm sure you’ll find something to incriminate him!”

“You seem truly convinced,” Hammond pointed out. “Thousands of men and women serving in the military, who also devoted their lives to serve, have been discharged for the same reason since the implementation of the DADT policy. Why not O'Neill?” he shrugged.

“I know my CO, General.” Sam/Lydia’s tone became more resolved, if possible. “We went through the Stargate for seven years. He’s not gay! I've seen the way he looks at women. I've seen the way he looks at c…!”

Lydia stopped just in time. She had almost blown up her cover. Shit. She needed to be more careful, keep her cool.

“What about Dr. Jackson? You used to be her friend. Don’t you think he's an honorable man, too?” the Texan inquired.

“That cock-tease should have never been admitted in the program, much less travel off-world,” fake Sam hissed.

“Colonel!” Hammond entwined his hands on the table and leaned forward. His cerulean eyes sparkled in annoyance. “You say you know your CO, and I'm supposed to know my subordinates. However, I barely recognize you.” What was happening on this base? Had everyone suddenly gone nuts?

Lydia/Sam gulped, unable to give an answer to that.

“General, any clue that can shed light on this mess is worth following,” Morrison opined.

Hammond looked at the two women. To his old eyes, Colonel Carter seemed to be suffering an acute case of jealousy. He thought she had gotten over O'Neill long ago. She had been dating Shanahan for two years, for God’s sake. But that insistence in blaming only Daniel… Jackson would never do what the colonel was suggesting. Hammond knew the archaeologist well… or at least he thought he did until two days ago. Anyway, the sooner they solved the situation, the better.

“I'll take it under consideration,” Hammond said. “You’re dismissed, Colonel.”

“But General…!”

“I said dismissed. Or do I have to arrest you as well?”

“Yes, Sir,” fake Sam whispered. She had no option but to leave. That stubborn old man! What did she need to say to convince him of Jackson’s culpability? Had he drugged him as well?

Lydia/Sam headed to the gym for a new round with the punching bag.

***

Morrison left with SG-14 to search Jack’s house and Hammond headed to see the brigadier general. Colonel Carter’s behavior was bugging him, and there was something he needed to ask his subordinate.

Jack welcomed Hammond into his cell. Both men sat at the table.

“Jack, I want you to know this is a visit off the record. You have my word that nothing you say here and now will never leave my mouth, but if I want to help you, I need to know.”

“You want to help me?” Jack looked at the older man in confusion.

“Jack, you know I've covered your ass more times than I can count. I won’t lie to you, this is big, and honestly, I can’t see a way out right away, but after everything you’ve been through, even if you were guilty, I don’t think either you or Dr. Jackson would deserve to be punished severely for it.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Thanks. I think.”

“So, let’s go to the point. Was there ever anything between you and Colonel Carter?”

“What?!”

Jack stood up abruptly and started to pace. “What sort of question is that?”

“One that could shed some light into this mess,” the Texan replied quietly.

Jack kept pacing for half a minute under Hammond’s scrutiny until he finally scrubbed his scalp furiously and went back to sit on the chair.

“After the incident with those zatarac detectors, I thought there might exist a possibility that I was in love with her,” the gray-haired man confessed, “but after what happened with the Enkarans, I totally dismissed the idea.” Jack aimed his unfocused gaze at the wall opposite him. “Carter knew I was wrong, and still, she built that bomb. She just followed my orders blindly. Of course, as my subordinate, this is what she was supposed to do, but even so…” Jack leaned against the back of the chair. “When I’m with her, I'm not but the badass colonel I used to be when I was with Sara. Dating her would have ended up in disaster. Daniel, however… he’s not afraid of telling me when I'm wrong. It’s like that, among other things, has devoted his life to making me a better person. He even thought I was worth ascending. Can you believe that? Ah, Danny. Even when I was so scared of losing him that I treated him like shit, even then he saw the good in me.”

“What about Colonel Carter?” Hammond inquired.

“What about her?” Jack echoed.

“Do you think she’s in love with you?” Hammond leaned forward.

“You should ask her,” the younger man shrugged.

“Humor me, Jack,” Hammond made a face. “What do you think?”

Jack took a deep breath. ”Daniel thinks she has the hots for me. I don’t know. I never really paid attention.”

“Did you tell her? Did you ever tell her you didn’t want her like that?”

“We never had a conversation in those terms. The issue just never popped up,” Jack shrugged. “Why are you asking me this now, anyway?”

“Well, I've got the impression she acted out of jealousy. And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that she broke her engagement only a few weeks before she recorded that video.”

“What? You think she set us up? That she had everything planned all along?” Jack’s eyebrows knotted together. “’cause that’s Daniel’s theory as well, you know?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what to think,” Hammond blew out. “All I know is that I had never seen her like this before.”

“Like what, Sir?”

“I think obsessed would be an appropriate word.”

***

Hammond’s presence in the base didn't stop the most radical bigots from continuing to harass Daniel. The archaeologist was involved in two nasty situations that day. He was working in his office when suddenly, he felt lightheaded. His diet of the last two days comprised two power bars and an indecent amount of coffee. It was likely that his sugar level had dropped beyond the floor. Daniel opened the drawer, and he found it empty. He thought of skipping lunch again, but he had to admit that if he wanted to keep his strength to work on helping Jack, he needed some food. The archaeologist had no other option but to go to the mess hall. He just hoped the bigots he might find in the way would leave him alone. He wasn’t so lucky.

Daniel rode in the elevator surrounded by three soldiers. No one said a thing during the ride, but the moment the metallic doors slid open, the archaeologist found himself flying and hitting the floor hard. His bruised body rattled from head to toe and the archaeologist couldn’t help but to cry out in pain. He couldn’t tell which one of the three soldiers had shoved him. For all he knew, they could have been the three of them. The doors slid shut, and the elevator continued its trip with the three laughing soldiers inside.

Daniel felt some hands on his body and looked upright. What he saw was Siler's worried face.

“Are you alright, Dr. Jackson?” the sergeant asked in concern.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,” Daniel said, trying to keep his voice steady to conceal the pain.

“Did you see who did this?”

“No, I didn’t pay attention to the names,” the archaeologist breathed.

Siler helped him to stand upright. “Are you heading to the mess hall?” he asked.

“Yeah, I thought I could grab a bite,” Daniel said.

“Me too. Are you sure you’re alright? Can you walk? The sergeant asked, seeing the younger man wincing in pain.

“Yeah, no worries. Nothing new here.”

The two men went together to the mess hall, and they both grabbed a sandwich, which they shared at the same table together with some small chat. Daniel had to admit that it felt good to feel normal for a while.

“Aren't you afraid they could retaliate if they see you talking with me?” Daniel asked at one point. He hated the idea that they could hurt someone else because of him.

“Don’t worry, they won’t do anything to me,” Siler said, very seriously.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I've got the wrenches and I know how to use them,” the sergeant said impassively.

Daniel almost laughed at that.

Once they finished the meal, Siler insisted on escorting Daniel to his office. The archaeologist protested, saying that he could take care of himself, but Siler insisted harder. The sergeant had been serving in the military for many years and he knew what some soldiers were capable of. Daniel capitulated eventually. He said nothing, but he had to admit to himself that it felt good wandering around the base without fear, for a change. This time, the archaeologist arrived at his office without incident.

However, another nasty surprise was waiting for him there. As soon as Daniel turned on the computer, he saw the flag of a new email. When he opened it, his lunch almost made a dramatic reappearance. Three photoshopped pictures popped up on the screen. They were three versions of Daniel’s body murdered in the most macabre ways- beheaded, impaled, and disemboweled.

The archaeologist swallowed the bile that climbed up his esophagus, deleted the images, and went on working. His concern for Jack was killing him inside. He had been working nonstop to find documented cases of military men and women who hadn’t been court-martialed after being found guilty of having same-sex partners. He found only a handful, and all of them had been dishonorably discharged. Apparently, their lives hadn’t been a bed of roses after that.

“There has to be something more,” the archaeologist muttered to himself nervously. He filled his mug with fresh coffee, rubbed his red-rimmed eyes, and continued working.

***

For his part, the isolation of Jack’s private holding cell did little to reduce the MPs' mocking. Moreover, like Daniel, the brigadier general's concern for his partner didn’t allow him to rest, neither physically nor mentally. As the man of action that he was, the impossibility of doing anything was killing him inside. If it wasn’t for his military training, he would have already gone nuts. Every time he thought of the possibility of not seeing Daniel for a very long time, Jack could literally feel his heart constricting and his throat tightening, effectively cutting his breathing. The need to hold his lover in his arms was overwhelming. The general never imagined it would arrive a day that he regretted his enrollment in the Air Force. Well, the day had arrived. He had given his life to the Air Force, and now they had taken away from him the most precious thing in his life. They could all go fuck themselves.

Dammit, how much longer would they have to wait to know the final decision from Washington? Jack lay on the cot and rested an arm over his closed eyes. At least his interview with Morrison had gone well, in the sense that he had been able to dodge all her questions. If she wanted him to confess, she would have to change her tactics or she wouldn’t get much. Although thinking of it, this would only extend the agony. Maybe he should just confess and cross his fingers that the punishment wouldn’t be too hard.

Daniel, I love you. And I miss you. I miss you so much, so much…

“Hey, you fagot! Thinking about your boyfriend again? You better forget about him. The marines are keeping him entertained, you know? Your dear archaeologist is going to think about it twice before offering his ass from now on.”

As usual, several guffaws, hits with the nightstick, and a round of similar comments followed the MP's words.

Jack stayed silent on his cot, his jaw and fists clenched to the impossible, his gut painfully cramped in a mixture of fear and anger, and his mind reciting from A to Z all the ways he knew to kill a man. Slowly.

***

Morrison and her team came back with evidence that pointed out that the video was authentic. All the items in Jack's house fit with the film, and moreover, they had found the video cameras hidden inside the alarm clock and attached to the ceiling lamp. Even so, Hammond wanted to be one hundred percent sure, so he ordered the major to do a more thorough analysis. It was already evening when she got the final results. There wasn’t room for doubt. The video was authentic, and it had been recorded in Jack’s house.

“Maybe we should take into consideration Colonel Carter’s accusation,” Morrison suggested.

Hammond tapped the desk with his fingers and stayed pensive for a while. He didn’t like the idea. Daniel tricking Jack in such a way was unthinkable, but if they wanted to progress in the investigation, they couldn’t ignore any clue.

“Very well,” he finally agreed. “Go to rest now. You will take your team to search Dr. Jackson's apartment tomorrow, first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, Sir.” Morrison retired to her quarters for the night.

“I'm too old for this,” the general sighed in front of the closed door.

None of them could sleep a wink that night

***

The next day

First thing in the morning, Morrison and SG-14 left to search Daniel’s apartment while Hammond read SG-1's mission reports for the last six months. The general examined them thoroughly three times, looking for clues that could explain Sam’s behavior. Perhaps she had been exposed to an alien substance, or she had been affected by some alien artifact. He came up blank. There was nothing in the reports that could suggest that Colonel Carter had been affected by any other substance other than her own jealousy.

Hammond was finishing to re-read the last report when Major Morrison arrived carrying a briefcase. The general didn’t like one bit the grim expression on the young woman's face.

“Major, report.”

“I wish I had better news, Sir,” she said in dismay.

“Major?”

“Colonel Carter turned out to be right. We found… something at Dr. Jackson’s apartment.”

She opened the briefcase and extracted a plastic bag, which she placed on the general's table. There were two vials inside.

“We found this inside the toilet water tank.”

“What am I looking at?” Hammond grabbed the bag and inspected the items closer.

“We still don’t know for sure, but according to Lieutenant Robins, who found those items, these are the type of vials and labels they use here in the laboratory. For the color and density, she believes it’s the narcotic SG-11 brought to the base several months ago. I was going to send them there to analyze, right away.”

“Do you think someone could have put it there to incriminate Dr. Jackson?” Hammond asked. This definitely wasn’t Daniel’s style.

“We didn’t see any evidence of breaking and entry, but we took some fingerprints. We'll analyze them as well.”

Hammond grunted and grabbed the phone.

“Take Dr. Jackson to a detention room immediately and wait for me there,” he ordered firmly. He hung up and sighed. “Let’s see what he has to say about this.”

***

Chapter Text

Daniel was working in his office, still struggling to come up with something to help Jack and himself, when two MPs appeared wearing grim expressions on their faces.

“Doctor Jackson, we have orders from General Hammond to escort you to a detention room to be interrogated.”

Daniel hesitated for a moment. Was the order really coming from the general, or was it part of some other orchestrated attack? The archaeologist read the tags on the uniforms: Wilkinson and Porter. The names didn’t ring a bell, and as far as he knew, the MPs hadn’t been involved in the attacks.

“You can come with us willingly or we can use force,” Porter sneered at him as he patted his handgun holster.

Daniel decided he had no choice. The trio left the office with the archaeologist sandwiched between the two MPs. Fortunately, there was no hidden plan. They escorted Daniel to the detention area without incident. The MPs accompanied him into one room, where the archaeologist sat at the table and waited.

A few minutes later, Hammond and Morrison came and dismissed the two soldiers. Daniel stood up and talked anxiously.

“General! What’s this about? Is there any news about Jack?!”

“Please, sit down, Doctor.” Daniel complied. The other two sat in front of him. Hammond showed him the plastic bag. “Do you know what is it?”

The archaeologist studied the object for a few seconds with a frown.

“They look like a couple of vials, Sir.”

“Have you seen them before?”

“Of course. They have plenty of them in the infirmary lab. I'm sorry, I don’t understand it. What does it have to do with Jack?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Someone apparently stole those vials from the lab. We found them in your apartment, hidden in the toilet water tank.”

“Whaaaaaat?!” Daniel’s eyebrows bounced on the ceiling. “I didn’t steal anything! I never saw those vials before!”

“You just admitted you've seen plenty of them in the lab,” Morrison pointed out.

“You know what I meant,” Daniel scowled at her.

“Do I?”

The archaeologist just ignored her and gave all his attention back to Hammond.

“General, what’s this about? I didn’t steal those vials and sure as hell, I didn’t hide them in my bathroom! Why the hell should I have done that?!”

“Perhaps to drug general O'Neill and put him in your bed?” Morrison suggested.

“What?!” Daniel stared at her in shock. Suddenly, his brain cells made a connection, and one piece fit into the puzzle.

“Sam!” he blurted out. “She… she said she’d get evidence to put me in jail! It’s possible that she orchestrated all this to get Jack for herself!”

“So you’re admitting you and General O'Neill are in a relationship,” Morrison stated.

Daniel looked at her, dumbfounded. “I… I didn’t say that. General?”

“I don’t want to reach any premature conclusion,” Hammond said. “Major, take those vials to the laboratory for a thorough analysis. I want you to make this a top priority. I’m sorry, Dr. Jackson, but you will have to wait here until we get the results.”

“Yes, Sir,” Daniel gulped.

***

Hammond was back at his office when Sam, or rather Lydia wearing her face, strode into the briefing room and towards his office.

“You found something, didn’t you?” she asked in a rush.

“Colonel Carter, you’re not in charge of this investigation,” Hammond said firmly. “You'll be called as a witness when the time comes, if ever. Meanwhile, I suggest you step aside and let the investigators do their work.”

“But you found something, right?!” Fake Sam insisted. “I've heard that you’re keeping Jackson in a detention room. Is that true?”

The Texan just glared at her, wearing a deep frown. Lydia/Sam took it as a yes.

“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “That slimy worm manipulated O'Neill! What are you waiting to throw him in jail?!”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to do my work, Colonel,” Hammond spat, his patience with his subordinate reaching the end of the rope.

“But general…!”

“Dismissed, Colonel.”

“But…”

“Dismissed!” Hammond sent daggers to her. He took mental note of putting her through an extra psychiatric evaluation.

Fake Sam dashed to the lab, where she made sure they had found the vials she had left at Daniel’s home. When the airman saw one of the lab technicians working on them, her eyes sparkled. Dr. Jackson would be arrested soon, Jack would be free, and she would gain Colonel Carter’s infinite trust and gratitude. Sam might even ask her to join her team of scientists. Lydia moved Sam’s mouth upward in a sneer. She couldn’t wait for the results. Fake Sam stayed in the laboratory pretending to do some work as she kept an eye on the technician. It wasn’t rare to see the colonel in the lab from time to time, so no one questioned her. A couple of hours later, she saw how the technician printed the results. Fake Sam approached her.

“Lieutenant,” she said, “are these the results for General Hammond?”

“Yes, ma'am,” the young technician confirmed.

“You did a good job, uh… Dunham. I'll take it from here,” Lydia/Sam said as she tore the folder out of the technician’s hand.”

The young lieutenant looked at her, mouth agape.

“Dismissed,” fake Sam said firmly.

“Yes, ma'am.” Dunham retired, her brow scrunched in confusion.

Lydia/Sam left the lab and quickly opened the folder to read the report.

TX3-42… strong narcotic… used to neutralize an individual’s fee will…

Perfect, just perfect. She grinned from ear to ear. The fake colonel strode towards the general's office. The moment Hammond gave her permission to come in, she rushed into the room and tossed the folder on the desk.

“Sir, here’s all the evidence you need!” she exclaimed triumphantly.

“What’s this?” Hammond glowered at her. He was getting really tired of her attitude.

“See for yourself.”

Hammond skimmed the report.

“How did you get this?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s the evidence you needed to put Jackson behind bars.”

“Enough. You’re one second far from being arrested yourself, Colonel,” Hammond spat. “I don’t even have a word to describe your behavior. However, I'm going to give you the same benefit of the doubt I'm giving Dr. Jackson. Therefore, I'm ordering you to report to the infirmary for a complete evaluation.”

Lydia/Sam paled. That was inadmissible. They would give her away in no time!

“But Sir…”

“Are you refusing to obey a direct order?”

“N-n-no, Sir.”

“Dismissed!”

Lydia/Sam left the office too stunned to protest further, although she didn’t have the slightest intention of going to the infirmary. She headed towards the detention area without hesitation. She never heard Hammond calling Dr. Brightman and summoning her to his office immediately.

Fake Sam walked smugly into the detention room where they were keeping Daniel. The two MPs guarding the archaeologist didn’t seem bothered by the irruption.

“Well, well, well. Look who's one step from being locked up for the rest of his life,” she laughed.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Sam's increasing hostility shook Daniel intensely.

“You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. I was right. You drugged General O'Neill to put him in your bed. The evidence is in Hammond’s hands. I've seen the report. He must be ordering your arrest as we speak."

Daniel tensed. Had Hammond decided he was guilty? How could that be? He didn’t steal those vials. Had they found some recent evidence? Obviously a fake one?

Wilkinson and Porter, the two PMs, looked at each other. That fagot had drugged O’Neill? There was solid evidence? The general was a victim? Of course, he was! No way General O’Neill was gay! This was big. Oh, man, this was huge!

“Enjoy your last minutes of freedom.” Fake Sam waved her hand. “You won’t see the sunlight in a looooong time.”

And with that, she left laughing, leaving a very appalled archaeologist and two fuming MPs behind.

***

Meanwhile, Hammond and Morrison were having a rather revealing conversation with Dr. Brightman in the briefing room.

“This is the report concerning the substances that were found in Dr. Jackson’s apartment.” The Texan slid the folder with the results across the table.

“It’s ready?” Brightman’s eyebrows met. “I wasn’t notified.”

“Apparently, Colonel Carter intercepted it and gave it to me. What can you tell me about this substance?”

Brightman read the report thoroughly.

“It’s the substance that SG-15 brought from PK4-733 a few months ago,” she said.

“It’s a powerful narcotic, isn’t it?” Hammond asked.

“Yes, Sir,” the doctor confirmed with a nod. “Major Palmer and Captain McQueen from SG-15 were severely affected during the mission. Hadn’t Colonel Grant and Dr. Lewis stopped them, they would have murdered the planet’s king.”

“So it is used to control other people’s minds,” Hammond suggested.

“Definitely.”

“Do you think it’s possible Dr. Jackson used that substance to subdue General O’Neill’s free will?”

“General O’Neill? I don’t think that’s possible, Sir.” Brightman shook her head.

“Now I'm confused,” Hammond admitted. Next to him, Morrison wasn’t doing much better.

“Do you remember the situation with the Goa’uld Hathor several years ago?” Brightman asked.

“Yes, of course,” Hammond confirmed. “Hathor was a Goa'uld that infiltrated the base and subdued all the male personnel using a powerful narcotic,” the general explained to Morrison, who nodded in understanding. “What does it have to do with all this?” he asked Brightman.

“Hathor used a substance called nishta, which affected all the male personnel,” she reminded the general. Hammond nodded. He remembered the incident as if it had happened yesterday. “Well, Sir, I wasn’t working here at that time, but if what I read in the reports is true, one year later Hathor captured SG-1 again. She had to orchestrate a scam because she couldn’t use the nishta. Since the first incident, Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson are immune to it, as are all the male members of the staff who were affected by the drug the first time.”

“Yes, I remember that,“ the Texan confirmed.

“Sir, the TX3-42 is almost identical to nishta. Therefore, it didn’t affect Colonel Grant and Dr. Lewis in PK4-733. Major Palmer and Captain McQueen weren’t here during the incident with Hathor, so they weren’t immune to the substance. However…”

Hammond opened his mouth in astonishment. “…Colonel Grant has been working in that base since we started the project. He was affected by Hathor's nishta like all of us, and Dr. Lewis is a woman.

“Exactly,” Brightman confirmed. “And if they’re immune to TX3-42, that means…”

“… that General O'Neill is immune, too. No way Dr. Jackson could have controlled his mind with that.”

“Dr. Jackson said Colonel Carter might be responsible for this,” Morrison observed.

“I don’t think that’s possible either,” Brightman shook her head. “Colonel Carter knows about the similarity between both substances. She has to know that TX3-42 wouldn’t affect general O'Neill. She would have never made such a mistake.”

Hammond’s mind reeled with a thousand questions. Far from clarifying things, this new information only added more questions to the matter.

“What about the fingerprints in both O'Neill and Jackson’s homes?” he asked.

“We have only found both men’s fingerprints so far, in both houses, which is normal, even if they were only friends.”

“I want you to take SG-14 and go back to Dr. Jackson’s apartment,” Hammond ordered Morrison. “Comb it up and down until you find something that can explain who put those vials there.”

“Yes, Sir.” Morrison left.

“Dr. Brightman, I sent Colonel Carter to the infirmary a while ago. Make sure you examine her thoroughly, both physically and mentally.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Brightman went back to the infirmary and Hammond headed to see Daniel.

***

As soon as fake Sam left the detention room, Porter and Wilkinson exchanged conspiratorial glances. That fagot would have what he deserved, but that wasn’t the place. If they attacked him now, general Hammond would know and they might end up in jail as well. So no matter how much they were willing to make the archaeologist pay for his actions, they just stood in their position, currents of rage running through his veins.

Meanwhile, Daniel sat at the table reproducing his conversation with Sam in his head. It was clear to him that she had something to do with those vials. How far was she willing to go to get rid of him and get Jack? If being separated from his lover wasn’t crushing enough, the idea of Sam hating him that much hurt the archaeologist to the core. Nothing made sense. Sam showed her animosity towards him when they arrived from Minnesota, but later, she apologized and hugged him at her house and later, at Jacob’s funeral. Then she asked Jack permission to go away, only to come back and spread the video around the base. Did she even get to go away? Had she planned it all along? Or had something else happened? Something in between that he didn’t know? Maybe he should talk to Hammond after all, try to convince him to examine the colonel from head to toe, make sure she wasn’t suffering from some mental disorder or some alien influence.

Daniel was struggling to make sense of everything when general Hammond came into the room and dismissed the two MPs.

“Doctor Jackson.”

“Sir?”

“According to Dr. Brightman’s experience, it’s very unlikely that neither you nor Colonel Carter are responsible for hiding those vials in your apartment.”

“How is so?” Daniel asked, confused.

Hammond told him about the similarity between the nishta and the TX3-42, and the archaeologist had to agree. Sam would have never made such a mistake.

“However, the investigation is far from closed,” Hammond continued. “I sent Major Morrison to your apartment to make a new search. They might have missed something the first time. Meanwhile, you can go back to your office, but under no circumstance you are allowed to leave that base. The unfulfillment of that order would mean your immediate arrest. Understood?”

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise. Obviously, Sam knew nothing about Brightman's opinion. And the colonel had nothing to do with the vials? Odd. He could have sworn…

“Understood. Thank you, Sir.”

Both men left the room and Hammond informed the MPs that Daniel was free to move around the base, and gave them the order to arrest the archaeologist if he tried to leave the mountain. The two MPs looked at each other, confused. What was happening there? It looked like the archaeologist had managed to manipulate Hammond as well. Enough. They needed to stop that bastard before he took over the entire base.

***

Daniel went back to his office, sat at his desk, and buried his face in his hands. Could things be more confusing? Sam had sent the video, but she hadn’t put the vials in his bathroom? Who else could be interested in getting rid of him to get Jack? Was there someone else in the base that was in love with the brigadier general and had taken advantage of the situation? What if there was a fourth person in the equation trying to sink them all? But who? And why? This was a possibility, but it didn’t explain why Sam was all apologies and smiles one day and a vindictive bitch the next.

The moment Lydia/Sam heard Daniel was no longer in the detention room but moving freely around, she rushed towards the archaeologist’s office with a single idea tattooed in her mind- make the archaeologist confess.

“You!” she yelled out, her face flushed with anger.

Daniel's head jerked up. Huh. Talking about the vindictive bitch.

“Get out of here now, Sam.”

“No!” she exploded. They got the proof! They found the vials in your house! You stole them! Hammond ordered the analytics. I've seen the results, you bastard! It’s a narcotic! You used that drug to subdue O'Neill! And there’s only one explanation for why Hammond didn’t throw you into a cell! You drugged him, too!”

Daniel felt a pang of anger hitting every one of his cells. Jealousy, craziness, or alien possession, Sam’s attitude had gone too far.

“Stop! Stop it!” the archaeologist shouted. “You know as well as I do that nothing of that is true! There’s evidence that I didn’t use those drugs on Jack or anyone else for that matter. You've got nothing, so stop it!”

And then, the most unexpected thing happened. Sam continued yelling false accusations when suddenly her body flickered. It was brief, but enough to tell Daniel there was something really wrong with the colonel.

“What the…?”

Apparently, Sam didn’t notice the movement, because she continued yelling expletives at the top of her lungs. And then it happened again. For half a second, Sam’s body destabilized. She shrank about three inches and her eyes turned green. 

“Oh, my God… You… you’re not… who the hell are you?” Daniel muttered in shock.

Lost in her rage, fake Sam didn’t even hear him. Daniel’s mind quickly went through eight years of missions to find something that could explain what he had just seen. He came up with only two plausible theories that could explain the reaction in Sam’s body. One, she was an alternate Sam. That would explain the flickering, but not why Sam looked like another person for half a second. And two, she was another person using some sort of technology that made her look like Sam. Of course! The foothold situation five years ago! He had been unconscious most of the time, but that fit with what his friends had told him and with what he had read in the reports!

“… and I can’t wait to see you where you belong! Rotting in jail!” Sam finished her heated speech turning around and storming out of the room. From her position, she hadn’t noticed the flickers, so she didn’t realize Daniel had discovered her trick.

Daniel sat on his stool, mouth agape. He needed to warn Hammond! Even if his credibility was currently in question, he needed to tell the general what he had seen, that someone was using Sam’s body to undermine him! Whoever that person was, if she knew nothing about the similarity between the nishta and the TX3-42, she was probably the one who had put those vials in his apartment to incriminate him!

Daniel was ready to leave his office to go see Hammond when Wilkinson and Porter, the two MPs who had escorted him to the detention room a few hours ago, appeared over the threshold.

“Doctor Jackson, by order of General Hammond, we must escort you to the detention room for a new interrogation,” Porter stated firmly.

Well, that was fortunate, Daniel thought. That would give him the opportunity to explain in private what he had just witnessed.

“C'mon,” he said. “I also need to see the general immediately.”

The trio headed towards the elevator and waited.

“C'mon, c'mon!” Daniel bounced on his feet nervously. He couldn’t wait to share his theory. The more he thought about it, the more sense it gave to the big picture.

The doors slid open, and three people left the car. The archaeologist and the two MPs stepped inside. Daniel saw how one of them stabbed with his finger the button to level 25th. The detention room was on level 16th. However, the locker room, one of the few places on the base without surveillance cameras, was on level 25th. Crapcrapcrap. This wasn't good. It was a trap. It was a trap, and he had fallen into it to the hilt.

***

Chapter Text

***

Daniel tried to run past the two MPs, but Porter shoved him backward. The archaeologist stumbled, but he didn’t fall. The elevator doors slid shut, and the car started to move.

“Look, I don’t have time for this!” Daniel exclaimed. “I really need to go to see General Hammond!”

“You don’t have time for this?” Porter shoved the archaeologist again and this time he hit the metal wall.

“You don’t understand! This is really imp… ouf!”

A blow to the stomach made Daniel double over in pain. He wrapped his arms around his middle, gasping for air. He was still struggling to recover his breathing when a kick to the head sent him flying sideways until he crashed against the lateral wall. The blow left him dazed for a moment. Before the archaeologist had time to process what was happening, Wilkinson grabbed him from behind and gripped him against his broad chest. Daniel struggled to free himself, but the MP had him caught in an iron grip. God, he didn’t have time for those idiots. He needed to warn Hammond about Sam, or rather whoever was posing as the colonel! The situation came with a terrifying question. If that woman wasn’t really Sam, then where was she? Was she alright? Did she ever make it to Aspen? Had that woman done something to his friend? Was she injured or kept somewhere? Was she even alive?

“Please, please, hear me out,” he gasped. “Colonel Car… ouf!”

A knee to the crotch made it this time. With that brute holding him from behind, Daniel couldn’t double over to ease the pain, which traveled mercilessly in all directions.

“Please, you must… agh!”

A blow to the kidney from behind and two more sucker punches to the stomach cut effectively Daniel’s attempt to talk. The archaeologist fought to draw air into his lungs as he struggled unsuccessfully to manage the pain. Suddenly, he felt something hard pressing against his lower back. And then he heard the *click*.

“No, it’s you who must be quiet and do whatever we say, understood?”

Daniel didn’t reply, so Wilkinson dug the gun into the ribs harder.

“Understood?!”

Daniel nodded weakly, but the gun still didn’t move from its place. To make things worst, Porter immobilized the archaeologist’s arms and handcuffed his wrists at the front.

“Please, you don’t know what you’re doing! We might be all in danger!” For all Daniel knew, it might be other people affected. Was only Sam, or was it a new alien incursion? “Ouf!”

God, the stomach again.

The elevator reached its destination and the two MPs pulled Daniel out. The archaeologist tried to resist, but a punch to the solar plexus subdued him. Not that he was a match for two brawny MPs and a gun, anyway. They half pulled- half dragged him towards the locker room, and once there, they shoved him inside. Daniel fell on his knees at first, but a kick to the kidney left him sprawled on the floor, panting. Someone gripped a flock of his hair and lifted his head. The archaeologist found himself looking at a marine wearing a balaclava. There were three more standing next to him.

“We heard the news, you slut, of how you drugged O'Neill to put him in your bed. You’ll wish you had never touched him.”

Between the MPs and the Marines, the group dragged the protesting archaeologist to the showers area and pinned him to the floor. This couldn’t be happening, not now, dammit! He had to expose fake Sam! Who knew what she had planned for Jack! Who knew what he had done to the real Sam!

“Please, you don’t understand! Agh!”

The blow to the head plus the concern for his lover and his friend didn’t let Daniel think clearly. He was barely aware of the marine's next order.

“Strip him!”

No matter how hard Daniel tried to resist, those brutes quickly removed all his clothes. The contact of the cold tiles against his back made the archaeologist shiver. Or perhaps it was the fear of what might happen next. The two MPs held Daniel’s cuffed hands over his head while three marines pinned his legs against the floor. The leader, the only one who had spoken until then, straddled Daniel's thighs, drew his handgun, and, without warning, he shoved it into the archaeologist's mouth. Daniel’s eyes wide opened in horror.

“It looks like you enjoy sucking cocks, right? Let’s see how you do it, you fagot. C'mon! Suck it!”

The mixture of fear, pain, and daze didn’t allow Daniel’s mind to process the order. He just stared at the dark eyes behind the balaclava in confusion.

“I said suck it!”

Daniel just blinked, but his mouth still didn’t move.

“Suck it, you son of a bitch!”

The marine clutched Daniel’s testicles and squeezed them hard. The archaeologist let out a muffled cry. His jaw clenched automatically and bit the barrel.

“Suck it or I'll swear I'll shoot and I'll spread your brains all over the place!”

The marine squeezed Daniel’s genitalia again. The archaeologist's brain finally got into gear and his mouth started to move. With tears of pain, rage, and frustration leaking through his eyelashes, Daniel’s tongue and lips moved around the cold metal in a sickening parody of a blowjob as the gun fucked his mouth. The marine pushed the gun deeper into the quivering cavity and Daniel gagged. The brute removed the gun and pressed it against the archaeologist’s neck.

“I bet you can do better,” he hissed.

Next, the marine ran the gun down along his victim’s torso. Daniel followed the movement with panicked eyes, his chest rising and falling sharply, cold sweat bathing his trembling body. When the weapon reached the archaeologist’s belly, the marine dipped it hard into his navel. Daniel grunted in pain.

“So, out of curiosity, how did you do it?”

The gun twisted and sank deeper into Daniel’s belly button. The archaeologist panicked. Both the sweat and the tremors increased. Oh, God, oh, God. He wouldn’t actually shoot, would he?

“Did you put the drug into his drink?” the marine continued talking. The gun dipped deeper and Daniel grunted again. “Or did you blow it on his face like that Hathor bitch?”

“I… I didn’t drug him,” Daniel croaked.

“Wrong answer!”

The gun disappeared from the archaeologist’s navel and clashed with his face. Daniel felt his nose and lips explode.

“Turn him around!” gunman ordered.

He stood up to free his prey and the others flipped Daniel’s body so that he was facing the floor.

“Now you'll learn what happens to those who dare to corrupt good generals.”

The two MPs held Daniel’s arms and head against the tiles, while the marines spread his legs and pinned his calves down. Next, they lifted the archaeologist’s hips, leaving his ass completely exposed. OhGodOhGodOhGod. They would not do what he was thinking, right?

Unfortunately for Daniel, the marine's plans were even worse. Gunman ran the weapon along the archaeologist’s back and down the crease of his buttocks, and without warning, he rammed it into his ass. Daniel let out a bloodcurdling scream, but soon a hand clasped his mouth, effectively blocking the sound. When the marine started to move the gun back and forth, tearing the muscles apart, tears sprang from Daniel's eyes. At that very moment, the archaeologist only wished to die. The agony that ran through his innards was like no other pain he had experienced before. It felt like a wildfire spreading from his anus up to his rectum and belly. It was unbearable and yet, Daniel fought with all his might to stay conscious. Sooner or later they would leave him alone, like all the other times, and he still needed to warn Hammond about Sam.

After a few minutes that felt like hours, the marine finally removed the gun and Daniel crumpled on his side on the cold tiles. Bearing in mind the stickiness between his thighs, there had to be a considerable amount of blood flowing from his anus. Also, considering the excruciating pain that assaulted his innards, Daniel thought perhaps they had actually shot the gun, after all. Although… no. No detonation, no smell of gunpowder… the archaeologist discarded the thought, although it didn’t make it hurt any less. In fact, considering the torment his body had endured, it was a miracle that his brain could generate a thought at all.

Suddenly, Daniel felt his body being lifted, and next, freezing cold hit every cell of his body. At the same time, he felt like drowning. The shower. They had dragged him into the shower stall and turned on the cold water. What the archaeologist didn’t realize was that those brutes had wrapped the shower head with the chain of the handcuffs so that their victim was hanging like a farm animal in a slaughterhouse, or rather a punching bag. Because next, the six brutes started to punch and kick their victim wherever they could reach. Daniel’s back and sides received most of the blows. The archaeologist endured the punishment with two single thoughts settled in his mind. First, staying conscious no matter what, so that he could warn Hammond. Second, staying alive enough time to tell Jack how much he loved him, and that none of that was his fault.

Jack, I love you, I love you so much, please forgive me…

The beating stopped abruptly and Daniel felt himself falling and hitting hard the cold, polished white floor of the shower stall. He stayed there lying in a broken heap, wrapped in unbearable pain, unable to move, and feeling how what was left of his strength was fading fast. He had no idea how much time had gone by when, suddenly, he was aware that there were no sounds. No voices, no steps, only the water running. Had those brutes really left? Daniel sluggishly moved glassy, unfocused eyes in all directions, but he saw no one. The brutes were gone. He needed… he needed to get help, he needed to warn Hammond… he needed… he needed…

Daniel tried to move, and a jolt of excruciating pain struck his back, rectum, and belly. The archaeologist squeezed his eyes shut and tried to breathe through the agony, but the air barely reached his lungs. God, he hurt, he hurt so much! But he couldn’t give up. For Jack. For Sam.

“J'ck… h'lp… Sam… no… S'm… pl'ase… Sam… no…”

***

From the video surveillance room, Airman Alice Mercer watched anxiously the monitor aimed at the locker room entrance. She had seen four marines, SG-21, getting into the room, and a few minutes later, two MPs had dragged Dr. Jackson inside. It didn’t take a genius to understand what was happening in there. Mercer looked at her CO with pleading eyes.

“You saw nothing, Mercer, you got it?” he scowled at her. “I'm going to deliver the general the tapes he asked for. Don’t do anything stupid meanwhile.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said, almost in tears.

Summerfield left and the airman kept staring at the monitor, praying internally that those brutes didn’t go too far.

After several minutes, she saw the MPs and the marines leaving the locker room. They were rubbing their knuckles, patting each other shoulders, and laughing out loud. Mercer swallowed hard. She kept staring, almost without blinking, hoping that Dr. Jackson appeared at any moment, hopefully not badly hurt. But minutes passed by, and no one came in or out of the locker room. Mercer’s knee bounced nervously.

“C'mon, Dr. Jackson. Be ok.”

Nothing.

“Something’s wrong,” she muttered to herself. “Something’s very wrong.”

The airman hesitated for a moment, but her gut feeling kept insisting that something serious had happened. The airman shoot off her chair and dashed out of the room.

Mercer ran towards the elevator. She was a few yards away when the doors slid open. Summerfield got off the car and saw with surprise how Mercer ran past him and jumped into the cubicle.

“Mercer! What do you think you’re doing?”

The airman ignored him. She stabbed number 25 furiously and the doors quickly slid shut.

“You’re dead, you hear me, Mercer?!” Summerfield yelled out in rage. “You’re dead!”

***

The elevator reached level 25th and Mercer flew towards the locker room. Once in front of the door, she hesitated briefly. If Dr. Jackson was fine, she would make a fool of herself.

“What the hell,” she said. Getting rid of the constant uneasiness in her gut was worth a bit of embarrassment.

Mercer opened the door cautiously and peeped inside.

“Doctor Jackson?”

She could hear a shower running. Perhaps they had just stunned him and he was refreshing himself. Mercer’s instinct made her continue forward.

“Doctor Jackson, are you alright?”

Nothing. Only the shower running.

Mercer tiptoed towards the shower stalls and quickly identified the source of the sound. Also, there was water pouring outside the stall. Pink water.

“Oh, shit.”

Mercer ran. The moment she saw Daniel, the airman gasped in shock. The archaeologist lay crumpled in a heap on a pool of blood, motionless, except for his eyes, which darted sluggishly around looking for something, or someone. His mouth was slightly open, but only gurgling whimpers came from it. The archaeologist's body was badly bruised, and blood flew from his nose, mouth, and between his thighs. When the airman moved closer, she realized that his hands were handcuffed at the front. Mercer turned off the water and kneeled next to the injured man in a flash.

“Doctor Jackson! Oh, my God! Doctor Jackson! Can you hear me?!”

“S-s-s…”

“I’m gonna get help!”

“Nnn… nno… no… S… Sam… no… Sam…”

And with that, Daniel’s eyes rolled back and his body went slack. Mercer rushed to the nearest telephone and yelled out for help.

***

Hammond was in his office trying to make heads and tails of everything when suddenly, the speakers came to life.

Medical team to the locker room, level 25th. Medical team to the locker room, level 25th.

Hammond’s old fox instinct, plus the urgency in the voice, told the general to go and check personally what was the emergency about. He arrived at the entrance of the locker room at the same time that the medical team, led by Dr. Brightman. They all rushed inside, and when they saw the nature of the emergency, all of them gasped in shock.

“Doctor Jackson!” Hammond exclaimed, his face suddenly colorless.

Daniel lay in the rescue position on a poodle of blood, his head resting on Airman Mercer’s lap. The body was covered with a big towel, but they could still see the bruises on the visible parts. Mercer was carding the archaeologist’s hair gently with trembling hands while thick tears rolled down her cheeks.

“He… he’s not breathing,” she sobbed.

“Please, Airman, give us room!” Brightman exclaimed anxiously.

Mercer didn’t move, so Hammond took action. He helped the young woman to stand up and half dragged her to sit on a bench. She was shaking from head to toe and crying uncontrollably. The Texan wrapped a comforting hand around her shoulders.

“Airman, what happened?” Hammond asked, utterly shocked by the image displayed in front of him.

The medical team worked frantically around Daniel. The moment Brightman moved the towel to check the damage, Hammond had to fight to keep his lunch where it belonged. There wasn’t an inch in the archaeologist’s body that wasn’t bruised, but what made Hammond’s stomach churn was the flow of blood running between the injured man’s thighs.

“It’s all my fault!” Mercer sobbed inconsolably. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… please, Dr. Jackson, don’t die! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!”

The general was at a loss. What the hell had happened here? And how that young woman could be responsible for that?

More medical personnel arrived.

“Some help here,” Hammond said.

A nurse attended to Mercer, while the others joined Brightman and her team.

Hammond brought his attention back to Daniel. He saw how the medical them injected something into the archaeologist’s arm, then inserted an IV cannula and injected something more into it. A nurse attached a respiratory mask to Daniel’s face and began to pump it frantically. Then they moved him onto the gurney and whisked him away. Two nurses stayed behind to assist Mercer. They injected something into her arm and moved her onto a gurney as well. Hammond followed them on their way to the infirmary.

When they arrived, Daniel was nowhere in sight, but a parade of nurses kept coming in and out of the operation room area. They wheeled Mercer to a bed and helped her to lie on the mattress and covered her body with a blanket. The young woman was still shaking, but not as hard as before. Whatever they had injected into her, it was already taking effect. Hammond moved closer.

“She’s in shock,” a nurse informed him. “She’ll feel better after resting for a while.”

Hammond nodded and approached the distressed woman. The moment she saw him, Mercer struggled to sit upright. The Texan placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“You need to rest, Airman,” he said, “but if you’re up to it, I want you to tell me what happened and why you insisted it is your fault.”

Mercer squeezed her eyes shut and nodded. When she opened again, they tinged her expression with deep sorrow.

“I saw them through the monitors. I saw them going to the locker room,” she explained between sobs and hiccups. “And then they took Dr. Jackson there. I knew what they were up to, but I did nothing.”

“Who? Who did this to him?” Hammond asked, rage raising from his gut.

“The marines. SG-21. They were SG-21 and two MPs. I don’t know their names,” Mercer sobbed. “SG-21 has been harassing Dr. Jackson since all this began. I… I wanted to report it, but he said they would do the same to me.”

“Who? Who told you that?”

“My CO. Sergeant Summerfield,” Mercer sniffled. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It’s all my fault, all my fault.”

Hammond’s blood boiled. He was ready to look for a telephone and ordered their arrest when Mercer stopped him.

“Wait. There is more.”

“More?”

“Doctor Jackson,” Mercer gulped. “He said something before he lost consciousness.”

“What? What did he say?” Hammond asked.

“He… he said… *no, Sam, no, Sam*.”

Hammond’s eyebrows met. “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

Mercer brushed away the tears with her sleeve and nodded.

Sam. Colonel Samantha Carter. Hammond’s blood exceeded the boiling point.

Suddenly, the general remembered he had sent Carter to the infirmary a while ago, but the colonel was nowhere in sight. At that moment, a nurse, Lieutenant Evans, passed by carrying a tray with medical instruments.

“Lieutenant!” Hammond stopped her. “Have you seen Colonel Carter? I ordered her to report here a while ago.”

“I've been in the infirmary all day, Sir,” she answered. “She didn’t come here today.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Hammond grabbed the first phone he could find and ordered the immediate arrest of SG-21 and Sergeant Summerfield and the detention of Colonel Samantha Carter.

***

They found SG-21 celebrating their actions in the mess hall. The team didn’t resist the arrest. Not that they could do much against six SF soldiers pointing their weapons at their heads.

As for Summerfield, they caught him trying to erase the tapes containing the images of the MPs shoving Daniel into the locker room. Fortunately, they made it in time. Hammond and Reynolds headed to the surveillance room, where they checked the tape. They quickly recognized the two MPs involved in the attack: Porter and Wilkinson. Hammond ordered their immediate arrest, too. Next, he left Reynolds momentarily in charge and asked him to inform him as soon as they detained Colonel Carter. Hammond went back to the infirmary to wait for news about Daniel. He would deal with those scumbags later. The general checked on Mercer, who was now sleeping under the effects of the sedatives. He would deal with her later, too. Although her quick intervention might have saved Daniel’s life, she had failed to report her CO. Hers was not a simple case to deal with. Hammond was thinking about that when Major Morrison arrived. She felt horrified by the news about the attack. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any good news to share, either. The search in Daniel’s apartment had shed no new light on the case. Hammond ordered her to interrogate the suspects of the assault, and she left.

***

Chapter Text

***

“Hey, O'Neill!” The MP in charge of Jack’s holding cell opened the small aperture in the door. “They say they did a number on your boyfriend!” he laughed.

Jack appealed to his toughest military training to not react. He stayed sitting at the table, hands entwined on the wood, his gaze focused on the wall.

“Are you deaf? I'm telling you, they crushed him to a pulp!” The MP hit the metallic door with the nightstick.

Jack kept staring at the wall. He was bluffing. It had become their favorite sport. They beat your boyfriend. They harassed your boyfriend. They blackmailed your boyfriend… Except for the day he witnessed the beating, or rather heard it from his cell, Jack had no way of knowing if the stories the MPs told him were real or a clumsy attempt of breaking him. He feared that most of them were real, but the idea of Daniel being crushed to a pulp was too horrific to even consider it, so the general decided that the sick bastard's words were nothing but another crude attempt to bombard his psyche. Well, it wouldn’t work. Daniel was fine. No one would be so stupid as to risk their careers like that.

“Hey, O'Neill! You hear me?!”

Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine…

“They say they found him on a puddle of blood…”

Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine…

“… and that he wasn’t breathing when they picked him up!”

Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine…

“What? You don’t believe me? Huh. Then don’t say I didn’t warn you.” And with that, the MP closed the small aperture and Jack was left alone in the coldness of his cell.

Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine…

If only he could believe that! Several minutes earlier, Jack’s inner alarm had gone off, his gut feeling telling him something was very wrong. And now this? All of Jack’s muscles and nerves tensed like piano strings. His mind insisted that no one would be so stupid as to harm the archaeologist seriously. However, the general's heart was telling him otherwise. Unable to cope with what his heart was telling him, Jack joined forces with his mind.

Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine, Daniel’s fine…

***

Airman Lydia Crenshaw was habitual in the infirmary, so when she took a position guarding the entrance to the OR, no one raised an eyebrow. The moment she heard the news about Jackson, her heart had flip-flopped with expectation. The rumors said he was in pretty bad shape, that he wasn’t even breathing when the medical team had picked him up. Lydia struggled to keep a poker face. Bearing in mind the circumstances, seeing the airman guarding the OR grinning from ear to ear would raise some suspicions, right? Lydia rolled her shoulders to loosen the muscles. It felt good to wear her own body for a change. Colonel Carter's body was bigger and heavier and Lydia felt rather awkward riding it. Her own body was more agile, and the familiar sensation, together with the news, made the airman feel as if she could fly.

Lydia frowned when she saw General Hammond sitting on a plastic chair several feet away. What was he doing there, anyway? The lack of color on his face… it wasn’t possible that he was worried about that fagot, was it? He was a three stars General, for God’s sake! Something else had to be going on. Lydia suddenly remembered the general had ordered *Colonel Carter* to report at the infirmary. What if he was there waiting for *her*? Well, if that was the case, the man would be rather disappointed. Little did he know that the real Samantha Carter was still in Aspen and her doppelgänger had just exchanged suits. Lydia laughed internally. Geez, every second was more difficult to keep that poker face!

Suddenly, the door that led to the OR area opened and Dr. Brightman appeared wearing a very serious expression on her face. The moment Hammond saw her, he stood up and strode towards her. Lydia cringed at the fear reflected in his eyes. It looked like the man had been waiting for news about Jackson, after all. What was wrong with him? Was it a generals' thing? Did the stars come with a free ticket to get out of the closet? Lydia shuddered at the thought.

“How is Dr. Jackson?” Hammond asked, unable to conceal his concern.

“Please, General, come to my office,” Brightman said earnestly.

Hammond gulped and followed her. Lydia walked discretely after the couple, and when they got into the office, she stood guarding the door.

Brightman sat at her desk, and Hammond occupied the chair in front of her.

“I've got bad news,” she said.

“Is he…?” Hammond didn’t dare to finish the sentence.

“No, not yet. He’s hanging on there, but his odds are practically non-existent.”

Hammond’s face lost what was left of its color.

“I never saw anyone with so much damage whose heart was still beating,” Brightman breathed tiredly. “We stopped the bleeding in his anus, but the rest… He suffered multiple contusions all over his body. All his organs are affected and there’s extensive internal bleeding. Of all the damage, the kidneys got the worst part. Even if we managed to stop all the bleeding, both kidneys are beyond repair. I'm expecting a multiple organ failure any time.”

“How long?” Hammond asked past the lump in his throat.

“One day. Two tops.”

“Will he regain consciousness?”

“No, Sir. We're keeping him heavily sedated. The minimum we can do for him is to keep him comfortable and in no pain. If there’s some family with the clearance you need to contact, now is the time.”

Outside the office, Lydia Crenshaw had heard enough. Yes, yes, yes! Could the situation be more perfect? That fagot would be history soon. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself about the drug possession, and O'Neill would be free! She couldn’t wait to tell Sam everything she had done for her! She would become officially the colonel’s best friend and she would climb the ranks in a flash!

Lydia left her post discreetly and headed to the surface. In her excitement, she didn’t even bother to exchange bodies.

Meanwhile, in Dr. Brightman's office, Hammond wasn’t ready to give up on Daniel yet.

“You said his chances were practically non-existent,” the Texan remarked. “In my book, this means there is a possibility. So, is there any chance to increase the odds?”

“Of survival?” Brightman raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think so, Sir. Stopping the internal bleeding might extend his life one more day, two tops, but other than…”

“That would give us more time to contact our allies. One day could make a difference, don’t you think? Hell, one minute could make a difference!”

“Well, yes, I guess in that case…”

“Then do it. Stop those bleedings. Do everything you can to gain time.” Hammond ordered. “I'm not ready to give up on Dr. Jackson just yet. If someone can beat the odds, he is the one.”

“Yes, Sir.”

***

Hammond left Brightman’s office carrying a heavy heart. He went to see Walter and ordered him to contact Teal’c on Dakara and send a message to the Tok'Ra and the Asgard. The Lieutenant general left the control room. He had a mission to face, one he wished with all his heart he didn’t have to fulfill- telling Jack about Daniel’s condition.

The Texan straightened his uniform and headed to the elevator. Once he arrived at the cells area, he dismissed the MPs guarding Jack’s holding cell, took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped inside. Jack was still sitting at the table, tapping the wood with his fingers as if it was a piano.

The moment the gray-haired man heard the door, he lifted his head. The second he saw the expression on Hammond’s face, he wished he hadn’t.

“No,” he whispered.

“Jack, I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news,” Hammond said as steadily as he could manage. Not an easy task when you could feel an invisible fist squeezing your heart.

“No!”

“There is no easy way to say this, Jack,” the Lieutenant general said solemnly. “Doctor, uh… Doctor Jackson was assaulted a few hours ago. He’s in bad shape, Jack. Barring some last-minute miracle, Dr. Brightman believes he’s not gonna make it.”

Jack’s body convulsed as if he had been shot. It was fortunate that he was already sitting because otherwise, he would have plummeted to the floor. He looked at his chest and frowned in confusion. He would have sworn that someone had just stabbed him in the heart and was twisting the knife, but there was nothing. No knife, no blood, nothing that could explain the unbearable pain that ran across his chest like wildfire. He raised his head to show Hammond a face contorted in agony. What George had said… This couldn’t be… Danny… no… Dan-ny…

“Da… Danny?”

“I'm sorry.”

Jack shook his head in denial, but Hammond’s serious expression gave no room for mistake.

“How… how did this happen?” Jack’s voice started low and increased the volume as he talked. “We're in a secret military base! There are cameras everywhere! I warned Reynolds! I warned you! How did this happen, dammit?!”

“We already identified the assailants,” Hammond explained. “The marines, SG-21, and two MPs, Porter and Wilkinson, are responsible. They were banded together with Summerfield, the sergeant in charge of the video surveillance. That’s why they never reported anything. By the time I suspected him, it was already too late. When they went to arrest him, they caught him trying to erase the evidence. Who knows how many other attacks Dr. Jackson suffered before this one. I promise you, Jack, that if he doesn't make it, they will all be charged with first-degree murder.”

“No! No!!! The gray-haired man hit the table with his fists. “Daniel’s not gonna die, you hear me?! No! I won’t accept it!”

“Jack, there’s too much damage. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but you know better than anyone that there are times…” Hammond stopped before he had to regret his words.

“No! We're talking about Daniel here!” Jack exploded. He stood up and kicked the chair furiously. The piece of furniture flew until it crashed against the wall, and it broke into several pieces. “He has beaten the odds before! Dammit, we have buried him before!

“Jack, this time is different.”

 “And what about our allies?! Some of them might be able to help him!”

“I already gave orders to contact them,” Hammond said. “However, Dr. Jackson only has a few hours left, two days tops. You know the odds of contacting any of our allies before that time are very slim.”

“Forget the allies, then! All those advances in medicine… there must be something the doctors can do! Fraiser worked miracles in this base! Brightman is the CMO now. Don’t tell me she just gave up!”

“They’re repairing the internal bleeding as we speak,” the Texan explained, his voice extremely serious. “It’s the only thing they can do for him, but this will only serve to buy us some time.”

“So there’s a chance!” Jack’s eyes were dark with a mixture of pain and anger.

“Jack, I'm telling you that if our allies don’t contact us soon, there is nothing we can do.”

“No, George,” Jack hissed, his eyes sparking in fury. “What you’re saying is that you’re leaving him to die like a dog in a ditch without trying everything you can.”

“Don’t think you’re alone in your feelings, Jack, but Dr. Brightman says Daniel’s kidneys are beyond repair. Only this is enough to kill him.”

“How can she be so sure? As far as I know, she’s not a specialist in kidneys. Is she?” Jack’s orbs darkened further.

“She’s a good doctor, Jack,” Hammond replied firmly. “The best. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be in charge here.”

All the gray-haired man’s walls crumbled, and he let out a choked sob. “Get a specialist. Please, George.” His voice was now tight with emotion. “Ask for a second opinion. She might be missing something. It might be something they can do. Please.”

The Lieutenant general took a deep breath. This was even harder than he had expected.

“I understand your pain, Jack, but being unreasonable won’t change the way things are,” he said, his voice slightly harsher now. Jack’s denial wasn’t helping anyone.

The Brigadier general looked at the older man, dumbfounded. He understood his pain? God, Hammond had no idea of what he was feeling at the moment.

“With all due respect, Sir, have they ever ripped your heart out and torn apart your soul only because the world wasn’t ready to accept the one you loved?” Hammond stiffed, and Jack read the movement as an open book. “I didn’t think so. So don’t tell me you understand my pain because you have no idea what it feels like. You’re right. I know better than anyone that there are times that nothing can be done, and I don’t give a squat if this sounds unreasonable to you.” At that point, Jack’s voice broke completely. “I lost Charlie, and I can’t lose Daniel, too. And if you think you must punish me for these words, go ahead. I don’t care. I only hope that you’ll allow me to mourn him for what he means to me. After that, you can do whatever you want with me.”

“This could make things worse for you. You know it, right?” Hammond didn’t want to see Jack destroyed more than he didn’t want to see Daniel dead.

Jack stared at his old friend, and the Lieutenant general got struck by the intense sorrow reflected in those dark eyes. And the voice, when Jack spoke, was so full of despair, that Hammond couldn’t help but feel distraught by what fate had planned for the two partners.

“Don’t you see that If Daniel dies, there’s no life left for me?”

The Texan forced himself to talk past the lump in his throat.

“I give you my words,” he said solemnly.

Suddenly, it was as if all the energy left Jack’s body altogether. He stumbled backward until he hit the cot. His knees buckled and his ass hit the mattress. The gray-haired man brought his trembling hands to his face and buried his features there as he struggled to suppress a sob. Hammond watched the shaking form with his heart in his mouth, trying to ignore the love confession that had just left the distressed man’s lips. Jack took several deep breaths to compose himself and looked at Hammond again.

“I need to ask you one last favor. Let me stay with him until it’s over. I won’t let him die alone.”

“I can’t do that, Jack. I'm sorry, but you’re still under arrest.”

“Then let me see him at least to say goodbye,” Jack begged with watery eyes.

“I'll let you know as soon as he leaves the OR.”

Jack nodded absently and Hammond left, dejected. Jack lay on the cot and curled up into a ball facing the wall. Free of witnesses, he finally allowed the tears to fall. This couldn’t be happening. Brightman was wrong. She had to be. Daniel was strong, the strongest man Jack had ever known. The doctor didn’t know the archaeologist as he did. She had only been working on the base for a year. She had never witnessed Daniel’s miracles. She didn’t know what he was capable of. There had to be something they could do. And even if there wasn’t, Thor would come. They had saved their little butts from the replicators. Daniel had taken a crucial part in their victory. They would have never shot the weapon on Dakara if Daniel hadn’t frozen those bugs. The Asgard owed him their lives. The minimum they could do was to save him in return. They had the means, and they owed him, dammit. They saved his clone a couple of years ago after Fraiser threw in the towel. Thor would come. He would come and save Daniel, too.

Jack had to cling to that possibility because the option of losing Daniel for good was just unthinkable. The Asgard would save him, and then… then nothing. He had just confessed to Hammond openly about his feelings for the archaeologist. They would throw him to jail for who knew how many years. Would Daniel wait for him? Would they have any future after that?

The second and more terrifying idea, the possibility of the Asgard never making it in time, kept meddling with Jack’s thoughts. If that happened and Daniel died, then for sure there was no future for General Jack O'Neill.

The gray-haired man was barely aware of the MPs hitting his door and laughing at his disgrace. He concentrated on remembering the dozen of ways he knew of killing a man with his bare hands, and the half dozen of ways he knew to terminate his own existence with no weapons at hand.

And this time Daniel wouldn’t be there to stop him.

No one would be there to stop him.

***

General Hammond considered Jack’s words. He was right about something. A second opinion wouldn’t hurt. He went to his office and called the Academy hospital. They told him a new nephrologist had started to work there a few weeks ago. The man was brilliant. If there was a chance for Jackson, he could tell. The hospital agreed to send him to the mountain as soon as possible.

The Texan left his office. He was heading to the infirmary to tell them about the new doctor’s arrival when an SF soldier stood at attention in front of him.

“General, Sir, we have been unable to locate Colonel Carter.”

“Have you checked the infirmary?” Hammond suggested.

“Yes, Sir. My men have combed the entire base. She’s not here.”

“What do you mean, she’s not here?” Hammond made a face, utterly confused.

“I… uh, I mean she’s not currently in the base… Sir.”

“Thank you, Sergeant.”

Hammond changed his direction and went to Sam’s lab with the small hope of finding her there. She wasn’t. She wouldn’t have left the base, would she? Not after he had ordered her to report to the infirmary. Next, the general went to see her fellow scientists. He found Dr. Alan Gardener working on some odd alien device.

“Ge… General!”

“Doctor, have you seen Colonel Carter?”

Cold sweat sprang from Alan’s palms, and the screwdriver slipped from his hands. Hammond ignored him. The scientist cleared his throat.

“I… I haven’t seen her in a while, Sir.”

“Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“Uh… no, Sir.”

The Texan frowned, pensive.

“Is there a problem, Sir?” Alan asked nervously. He should have never left Lydia to convince him. Impersonating Sam? Jesus, the whole idea was crazy! Who knew what mess she had put herself into.

“You can say that,” Hammond said sharply. “Is there any phone I can use?”

“Of… of course, Sir. Here.”

Alan offered the general his telephone, and Hammond called the checking point at the surface. They confirmed that Colonel Carter hadn’t left the base. He ordered them to check if her car or motorbike was in the parking lot. They weren't. Apparently, the colonel had managed to leave the base undetected. Hammond gave the order of going to check on Colonel Carter’s house. In case she was there, the orders were to detain her and take her to the infirmary for a complete evaluation. Hammond hung up and went to his office. It was time to update Washington about the situation.

***

Lydia drove her motorbike with a feeling of glee that livened up every cell in her body. She checked mentally the plans for her near future- arrive home, call Sam and inform her about the situation at the base, fill the bathtub, fill a cup with red wine, and savor it under a mountain of bubbles while she rejoiced in the success of her plan. The only thing she hadn’t foreseen had been Hammond’s arrival. The man was much less malleable than Reynolds. Sending her to the infirmary had not been part of the plan. Maybe she shouldn’t have pushed the old man so hard, but they had left her with no other option. Fortunately, the general seemed to be too concerned about Jackson’s situation to care about her. He would probably forget about the order, and if he didn’t, well, the real Sam would be there soon. If she left Aspen right away, the colonel would be in Colorado Springs in less than five hours. Then, together, they would come up with an excuse for the delay. When the colonel reported to the infirmary, the medical would find nothing wrong with her and she would be free to fall into O’Neill's arms. Yeah, everything had turned out as planned. Life felt good!

The next second, the image of Sam hugging her in gratitude and recommending her for a promotion filled Lydia’s mind.

The next second, there was the curve.

The next, there was the deer standing in the middle of the road.

The next, there was the scream, the jam on the brakes, the skid, and the bike flying toward the woods.

The next, there was the cliff.

The next, there was nothing.

***

Chapter Text

Colonel Samantha Carter pulled in beside her house and got off the car. She retrieved the luggage from the trunk and walked steadily towards the front door. With every passing minute, she was more convinced of her decision. Going to Aspen had been a good idea. She took mental note of thanking properly Lydia for the offer. The comfort of the cabin, the long strolls in the woods, the tranquility of the environment… it had been the perfect formula to stay in contact with herself and in the end align her mind with her heart. It had been during a stroll to the waterfall a couple of days ago, while she was walking under the pleasant sun of spring, when Sam reached her catharsis, the conclusion that brought nothing but peace to her whole being. She could no longer deny the truth- she wasn’t in love with Jack, never had, and never would, The anger, jealousy, and hatred had slowly faded away to give way to a warm feeling of sympathy and love towards both men, her best friends, her brothers. If Jack and Daniel had found happiness in each other’s arms, then she was more than ok with that. God knew they both deserved it.

After such emotional release, Sam realized she couldn’t stay away longer. She had decided that she needed to talk to both Jack and Daniel, tell them the whole truth, confess how she had found out about their relationship, and that although it was certain that her jealousy had taken the best of her at first, she had come to terms with their relationship.

She was so ashamed of how she had treated Daniel. He didn’t deserve such inconsideration, much less from her. She owed the archaeologist the mother of all apologies. The colonel only hoped that the archaeologist could forgive her.

So, only ten days after she left her house, Sam walked through the threshold, closed the door after her, and carried the luggage to the bedroom, where she proceeded to unpack. Next, she headed to the bathroom, where she enjoyed a long, hot shower.

She was finishing getting dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt when the doorbell rang. The colonel frowned. Who could it be? All her friends, co-workers, and relatives thought she was still in Aspen.

Sam went to open the door, and the crease in her brow deepened the moment she saw two MPs, a man and a woman, standing at the doorstep. Her initial confusion quickly turned into alarm. Had anything happened at the base during her absence? To Jack? To Daniel? Oh, no, please God, let them be alright!

The woman spoke.

“Colonel Samantha Carter, we have orders from General Hammond to escort you back to the base.”

Sam's face contorted in shock. “Wh-what? General Hammond? He’s at the base? Oh, God! Did anything happen to General O'Neill?”

“You can ask all those questions when you arrive at the base,” the man answered rather harshly.

“Ma'am?” the woman said impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah, of course.”

Sam didn’t bother to change her clothes. She grabbed her handbag, locked the house, and followed the couple into the car.

They made the trip in silence. Sam’s brain worked non-stop trying to comprehend what was happening. If Hammond was in charge of the base, that meant something terrible had happened to General O'Neill. A dark, heavy rock settled in the pit of the colonel’s stomach. Then another question arose. How did those MPs know she was at home when everyone believed she was in Aspen? Sam knew none of her questions would find an answer until she arrived at the base. She tried to bring all her attention to her breathing. In- out- in- out- in- out… it didn’t work. Her concern for her friends didn’t allow her to concentrate.

Please, guys, be alright, be alright.

***

When the car went through the first checking point, it was already dark. Sam could feel her heart slamming against her sternum. A handful of worst-case scenarios kept popping into her mind. The car stopped and the two MPs escorted the colonel into the base. Sam thought they were taking her to see Hammond, and her eyebrows knitted in utter confusion when she realized they were taking her to the infirmary. What was all this about? Her bewilderment increased tenfold the moment they made her sit on an examination table and handcuffed her to it.

“What? What’s going on?”

A medical team appeared on the scene, and the two MPs moved aside and stood in a guarding position.

“Dr. Carmichael, what’s all this about?”

“General Hammond’s orders,” he simply said.

“What? What’s General Hammond doing here? Where’s General O'Neill? Did anything happen to him? To Dr. Jackson?”

“You’re perfectly aware of their situation,” Carmichael said. “Now lie down.”

Sam’s confusion gave way to sheer fear. “Situation? What situation? What’s going on?!”

“Colonel, calm down or I'll have to sedate you,” Carmichael threatened.

“I don’t want to calm down! I want to know what’s going on! Why are you doing this?! Why is General Hammond here?! Where is General O’Neill?!”

Carmichael looked at one nurse and nodded. Sam felt a prick on her arm, and suddenly she felt lightheaded. She stopped struggling and her head lolled to one side. A few yards away, she saw a nurse escorting a doctor toward the operation rooms area. Sam blinked.

“Carl? Carl Rogers?”

The figure became blurry, and a few seconds later, the gray faded to black.

As Lieutenant Evans accompanied Doctor Carl Rogers through the unfamiliar infirmary, the man couldn’t help but notice the woman handcuffed to the examination table. Her yells were hard to ignore. The moment he recognized her, his eyebrows climbed upwards in astonishment.

“Samantha Carter?”

The woman lost consciousness, and he looked at the nurse in puzzlement.

“That woman, she’s Dr. Samantha Carter, right?”

“Please, Doctor,” Evans rushed him. “Dr. Brightman is waiting for you.”

Carl allowed the lieutenant to guide him through the maze that was the SGC infirmary, utterly perplexed. She didn’t seem to recognize him when he came across her in the grocery a couple of days ago, but this time, he had seen clear recognition in her eyes. What was wrong with that woman? He would have time for questions later. Apparently, his patient, a certain Dr. Jackson, didn’t have much.

***

General Hammond shot off his chair the moment he heard the claxons and the speakers announce an incoming traveler. He arrived at the Gateroom in time to see Teal’c stepping through the event horizon.

“General Hammond?” The Jaffa’s grave voice resounded in the room. “I received your message. What has transpired?”

“Welcome, Teal’c. I wish it was in better circumstances. Come. We'll talk in my office.”

Hammond’s words spread a feeling of dread in the Jaffa’s gut. He promptly followed the general, uttering no more words. Once in his office, Hammond explained Teal’c the situation. The Jaffa’s heart constricted in sorrow. His jaw and fists clenched in anger.

“Who did that to DanielJackson?” Teal’c's eyes glistened with unshed tears. His brother’s life was hanging by a thread, and at the moment, the Jaffa wished nothing more than torture until the end of times the criminals who had brutalized him.

“The responsible are already arrested. Our justice will take care of them. I assure you they will be locked up for a long time. Perhaps for life, if Dr. Jackson dies.”

“You said that DanielJackson's kidneys are irreparable. That his chances are nonexistent.” Teal’c's lower lip quivered.

“Dr. Carl Rogers, a recognized nephrologist, came from the Academy hospital a while ago. I only hope that he can find a way to save those kidneys, or Dr. Jackson won’t live enough to see another day,” Hammond said earnestly.

“What about O'Neill? What are his chances?”

“Honestly, there are too many loose ends in this story. Best-case scenario, he will be dishonorably discharged. Worst, they will court-martial him and throw him in jail.”

“How can you talk about justice, when your system uses the same punishment for murderers as for men whose only crime is to love another of their kind?”

Hammond stared at the Jaffa, mouth agape. He honestly didn’t know what to answer to that.

“I'm also greatly perturbed by Colonel Carter's behavior,” Teal’c said. “As you say, it doesn’t seem like her to act on those terms.”

“I agree. This is why I ordered them to put her through an exhaustive evaluation. It wouldn’t surprise me if they found some alien influence making her behave like that.”

“ColonelCarter hasn’t traveled off-world since the last time I saw her, and she acted normally by then.”

“Yes, that’s what’s bugging me since arrived here. It’s like she’s a completely different person.”

The two men stayed pensive for a few seconds.

“I can take you to see O'Neill if you wish,” Hammond said.

Teal’c accepted with a bow of his head.

***

Jack lay on his cot with his eyes closed, and his mind using all his military training not to become crazy. On the one hand, he kept focusing on the idea that Daniel would make it. On the other hand, he feared the moment Hammond would come to deliver the final blow. For that reason, the very moment he heard the door of his cell opening, his stomach cramped and his heart got stuck in his throat. He braced himself mentally, expecting to hear Hammond's voice. What he didn’t expect was the familiar tone that echoed in the small room.

“O'Neill.”

Jack’s eyes popped open, and his head lashed towards the door.

“T?”

“It is I, O'Neill.”

Jack stood up to greet his friend, and before he had time to react, he found himself wrapped in a bear hug.

“Watch out, T,” Jack said when they pulled away. “Someone could get a weird idea.”

“You are my friend and you’re in need of comfort. Is as simple as that,” Teal’c said stoically.

Hammond cleared his throat, and the three men sat at the table. The Lieutenant general told Jack about Dr. Carl Rogers' arrival, and Teal’c expressed his wish to dismember slowly those who were responsible for Daniel’s condition. Jack couldn’t agree more. Teal’c was expressing his disagreement with the law that had put Jack in jail when one of the guards interrupted his speech.

“General, Sir, you've got a call.”

Hammond left and came back one minute later.

“Dr. Jackson is out of surgery,” he said.

“I wanna see him!” Jack stood up abruptly.

“Let me go check the situation first,” Hammond stopped him.

“You said…!”

“I know what I said, Jack. I can’t allow you to leave this cell for long, so let me check if he's up for visits.”

Jack nodded and sat down again. Hammond left, leaving the two friends alone.

“DanielJackson is strong. He has beaten the odds before,” Teal’c commented.

“He has also died before.” Jack squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block the images of Daniel wrapped in gauze slowly dying of radiation sickness. None of their allies had made it in time by then, and the gray-haired man was terrified that it happened again.

***

General Hammond met doctors Brightman and Rogers and Major Morrison in the debriefing room. The good news was that they had stopped all the internal bleeding. The bad news where that Carl agreed with Brightman’s diagnosis about Daniel’s kidneys.

“I ran some extra tests to be one hundred percent sure,” Rogers explained. “I’ll get the results in a few hours. In the meantime, I administered Dr. Jackson some new medication. It won’t save him, but it can buy us some more time to explore the options. Although I won’t lie to you, Sir. It’s unlikely that we come up with any.”

“Can I see him?”

“They’re moving him to an ISO room as we speak,” Brightman explained. “You can visit him there.”

“Very well. Now, what can you tell us about Colonel Carter’s condition?”

“According to Dr. Carmichael, there is nothing wrong with her. All the tests came up clean. Fluids tests, scans, electros… I don’t know exactly what you expected to find, but there’s nothing out of the ordinary, except, of course, for the fact that Dr. Carmichael needed to sedate her to run the tests. According to him, the colonel was hysterical. We're keeping her sedated.”

Hammond’s features tensed. He could have sworn…

“Excuse me,” Carl interrupted the general’s thoughts. “That Colonel Carter you’re talking about, she’s Dr. Samantha Carter, right?”

“You know her?” Morrison asked. “I thought you were new in Colorado.”

“I met her at the airport two weeks ago. She didn’t tell me she was a colonel in the Air Force, although neither did I, for that matter. We shared the flight from Minneapolis,” the doctor explained. “She seemed to be alright. Did anything happen to her?”

“Wait a second.” Hammond's hands interlaced on the table. “She went to Minnesota!?” He and Morrison exchanged glances.

“General O’Neill owns a property there, right?” the major asked.

“You bet he does,” Hammond confirmed with a deep frown.

“She said she had gone there to meet a general,” Carl said.

“Dr. Brightman, you’re dismissed,” Hammond said. “Dr. Rogers, please stay.”

Brightman left, and the Texan leaned his body over the table. “Colonel Rogers,” the general deliberately used the doctor’s military rank, “we're facing a rather sensitive situation concerning General O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, and Colonel Carter. Therefore, I'm ordering you to tell me everything about your encounter with Samantha Carter in Minnesota.”

“I met her at the lounge on the evening of May the 3rd,” Carl explained. “She looked distracted, and I bought her a coffee. I tried to engage in a conversation, but she said she had a lot of things in her head and needed to be alone, so I left. The next day we met again on the plane. She told me,” the doctor stopped for a second to clear his throat, “she told me she had just broken the engagement with her fiancé. Pete, I think that was the name.”

“Shanahan, right?” Morrison asked the general. The Texan nodded. Carl went on with his tale.

“She told me she left him for a general. I guess she was referring to General O'Neill. She said she thought the general loved her back, so she went to Minnesota to meet him, but when she arrived there, she found him with another woman.”

“Another woman?” Hammond and Morrison chorused, confusion obvious in their tone.

“Are you sure she said the general was with another woman?” the Texan inquired.

“Well,” Carl thought about it for a moment, “now that you mention it, she said the general was in love with her best friend, but she didn’t specify… I mean, I just assumed… do you mean that…?” the doctor’s eyebrows rose a few inches. “The general and Dr. Jackson?” he finally put two and two together.

Hammond ignored the question. “How would you describe her mental state at that moment, Doctor?”

“Well, she was furious, but she said that they both deserved happiness and he'd get over it in time. The truth is that she sounded quite reasonable to me. We enjoyed a friendly chat for the rest of the flight.”

“This doesn’t make any sense!” Morrison exclaimed.

“Which part?” Hammond agreed. “So she was fine the last time you saw her?”

“Well, she was that day,” Carl said, “but I came across her in the grocery a couple of days ago and she was… well, how to say it?”

“Doctor?”

“She didn’t recognize me, Sir. She was kinda rude, nothing to do with the nice woman I met in Minneapolis. Not to mention that she was carrying two bottles of red wine after telling me it caused her heartburn. And today, when I arrived here, I saw her in the infirmary. She clearly recognized me this time. I found it kinda… odd.”

“Would you say she was hysterical, as Dr. Brightman pointed out?” Morrison asked.

“That would be a yes, Major,” Carl nodded.

“Very well,” Hammond’s jaw clenched. “Major Morrison, see that Colonel Carter is moved to a holding cell. We'll question her as soon as she regains consciousness. Dismissed.”

***

General Hammond went back to meet Jack and Teal’c, who was still making company to his friend in the holding cell and updated them about Daniel’s condition.

“Can… can I see him?” Jack pleaded with his eyes.

“Can I trust you won’t cause trouble?”

“Yes, Sir,” Jack gulped.

Hammond sighed. “You can sit with him for half an hour. But I warn you, no tricks, or I'll have you handcuffed and back to your cell in no time.”

Jack nodded, and the trio left, Jack sandwiched in the middle. The brigadier general kept his eyes looking straightforward the entire time, so he didn’t see the glances the SGC personnel aimed at him along the way, some of them showing empathy, others disgust and even contempt.

The moment they stepped into the infirmary, Jack realized how hard his hands were shaking. By the time they stood in front of the ISO room where Daniel was, his entire body was trembling from head to toe. The gray-haired man took a deep breath to compose himself and followed Hammond into the room. It was useless. The moment he saw his lover’s inert body, his knees failed and Teal’c gripped him to stop the fall.

Daniel’s body was covered with a white sheet to the armpits, his arms over the linen. The little visible of the body, his arms, upper chest, shoulders and neck was a swollen collage of red, purple, and blue. His body was connected to a ventilator among other machinery, so the only visible parts of his face were the bruised cheeks, the swollen black eyes, and the relatively unscathed forehead. The only evidence that the archaeologist was alive was the numbers dancing unsteadily on the monitors attached to his body. If they had to rely on what they were seeing, they would all have sworn they were looking at a corpse. And that was only the visible part. God knew what was hidden under the cloth.

Jack’s heart constricted painfully, and he let out a strangled sob. Yell-O legs carried him to his lover’s bedside.

“Dan-ny…” he choked.

Next to him, both Teal’c and General Hammond grunted.

Jack sat on the plastic chair next to the bed and took Daniel’s hand in his. God, it felt so cold.

“Daniel, God, Daniel, I'm here, I'm he-re…” The brigadier general’s throat closed, and the tears made the talk. The pain that invaded his heart at the moment was only comparable to the agony he felt the day he held Charlie’s lifeless hand. That had almost killed him, and Jack knew for sure that if Daniel eventually died, one way or another, he would follow him to the grave.

“I'll send someone to escort you to your cell in half an hour,” Hammond said.

“I will stay with O'Neill and DanielJackson,” Teal’c said as he blinked back his own tears. Bearing in mind the visible damage, the Jaffa could imagine what the rest of Daniel’s body looked like, and he felt devastated to admit that it was likely the doctors were right. His friend would probably die, and for what? For loving another man? The unfairness of the situation made all the Jaffa’s muscle tense and his blood boil. He would seek revenge and no one would stop him until those responsible paid.

Jack ran his trembling fingers through the archaeologist’s short strands.

“I'm losing him, Teal’c. I'm losing him,” whispered Jack’s agonizing soul.

Unable to find words of comfort, the Jaffa placed his big hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“I love you, baby, I love you so much,” Jack whispered brokenly.

Although the cameras in the ISO rooms rarely recorded the sound, Teal’c shielded his friend with his body so that the cameras couldn’t record his lips either.

“Hang on, you hear me?” Jack went on with his plea. “Thor will come, I know it. If he bothered to come and save my sorry ass, there’s no reason he wouldn’t come to save you. You’re one thousand times more valuable than me, and he knows that. But you know he's a bit busy sometimes, so you have to hang on to give him time. I love you, baby. Please, hang on, hang on…”

Jack kept carding Daniel’s hair lovingly and squeezing his cold, inert hand, as thick salty drops splashed on the linen.

Half an hour later, two MPs came to escort the brigadier general back to his cell. The gray-haired man knew it was useless to protest, so he gave Daniel’s hand one last squeeze and went with them.

“I will look over DanielJackson, O'Neill,” Teal’c said.

Jack nodded. “Thanks, T,” he simply said, and walked out of the room, praying that it wouldn’t be the last time he saw his lover.

Once in his cell, Jack lay on the cot, rolled to his side, and closed his eyes, trying to picture Daniel in his cabin during those days when the only existing thing was his love. No matter how hard he tried, every time his eyelids dropped, the only thing he could see was his lover’s battered body.

Hang on, baby, please, please, hang on.

***

Chapter Text

The next morning

Sam woke up with a pounding headache and a blurry memory of the last evening's events. She opened her eyes, and the moment she recognized the interior of a holding cell, her memory sharpened instantaneously. The detention, the examination in the infirmary, Hammond’s presence in the base… if that had happened after a mission off-world, she'd think she had landed in an alternate reality. But she hadn’t gone through the Stargate in weeks, so something else had to be going on. Perhaps an alien incursion? Something that had come through the gate and had changed things in some way? Maybe the base had gone back in time? That would explain Hammond, but not Dr. Carmichael, who joined the SGC after the general left for Washington. The colonel discarded the time travel theory. Then what?

Sam got off the cot she had awakened on and stumbled towards the door.

“I want to see the general!” she banged the metal. “Is anyone there?! I want to see the general!”

One of the MP guarding the door grabbed the phone in the wall and dialed.

“Sir, Colonel Carter is awake.”

Sam continued yelling out and banging desperately at the door. Several yards away, Jack heard the fuss from his cell. That woman sounded like… Carter? They had arrested her too? Daniel said she had set them up. Had they found some evidence enough to incriminate her? Jack’s brain returned to his most immediate concern- Daniel’s health. The rest…

Two MPs opened Sam’s cell and pointed their weapons at her.

“Back off. At the table,” one of them ordered.

Sam gulped and did as asked. She sat at the table, but the MPs kept their weapons up. A few seconds later, general Hammond came in, followed by a woman. The insignia on her uniform identified her as a major in the Air Force.

“Handcuff her at the table,” Hammond ordered. “I'm not taking any risk.”

The MPs obeyed. Sam looked at the entire scene, utterly stunned.

“Ge… General Hammond? What are you doing here? Where is General O'Neill?”

Hammond and Morrison exchanged looks of confusion. The MPs left and the two Air Force officers sat at the table in front of Sam.

“Colonel, I suggest you stop playing games and start answering our questions,” Hammond said firmly. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Please, General, I only want to know what’s going on!”

“Do I make myself clear?!” he repeated, his cerulean eyes sparking in annoyance.

Sam looked at him in shock.

“Colonel?!”

“Ye… yes, Sir,” she whispered.

“The first thing I want to know is why you left that base after I ordered you to go to the infirmary.”

“What?” Sam furrowed her bow. “I… I haven’t been in the base since my father’s memorial service.”

“I warned you about not playing games, Colonel.”

“Sir, if I may,” Morrison took the floor. “We better start for the beginning.” Hammond nodded, and the major went on. “Colonel Carter, a witness situated you at the Minneapolis airport on May the 3rd. Were you in Minnesota that day?”

“Wh- what?” Sam’s eyes wide-opened in shock. This had to be with her trip to Minnesota? But she did nothing wrong. She didn’t even get to talk to Jack.

“Answer the question,” Hammond barked.

“Ye… yes. I was there.” Sam blinked repeatedly.

“Can you tell us the reason for that trip?” Morrison asked.

“Look, I did nothing wrong,” Sam said. “I went there to meet someone, but I didn’t even talk to him.”

“You went there to see General O'Neill, right? Tell us everything about that trip,” Morrison insisted.

“General?” Sam looked at Hammond in a desperate attempt to seek some sort of help.

“Answer the question, Colonel.”

Sam looked from one to the other. She didn’t know that woman, but she could say she had rarely seen Hammond that angry before. Sam slumped on her chair, defeated.

“It's true,” she told the table. “I went there to see General O’Neill.”

“For what reason?” Morrison’s tone hardened.

Sam stayed silent, gathering her thoughts. What was so terrible about her trip to Jack’s cabin? She didn’t break any law. Why did those two look so pissed at her?

“Colonel?!” Hammond’s voice resounded in the room.

“I… I…”

“You’re in love with General O'Neill, right? You went there to what? For a secret rendezvous?

Sam opened and closed her mouth like a suffocating fish. How could they possibly know that? Then she remembered. Carl. Dr. Carl Rogers, nephrologist. The man she had met at the airport. She had seen him in the infirmary just before losing consciousness. He had to be that witness they were talking about, but… why was he at the SGC? He said he was moving to Colorado to start a new job. Was it possible that he…

“Colonel, answer the question.” Hammond interrupted Sam’s thoughts.

“I… I… it’s true. I thought I was in love with him and it was reciprocal, but when I arrived at the cabin… look, I did nothing wrong. I didn’t even talk to him.”

“Why?”

Sam blinked at Morrison’s accusatory tone. Who was that woman, anyway?

“Why didn’t you talk to him?”

“He… he was with someone else. At that moment, I realized he didn’t love me as I thought he did, so I left.” Sam looked away.

“Who was with him in the cabin?” Morrison’s tone hardened.

The colonel turned anguished eyes to Hammond.

“You can’t ask me that, and I can’t tell,” she said, her voice cracking. Jack and Daniel were her best friends, her family. No way she was going to betray them.

“He was with Dr. Jackson, right?” Morrison accused.

“Major,” Hammond warned.

Sam looked at them both with panicked eyes. God, this wasn’t about her at all! This was about Jack and Daniel! Did they suspect their relationship? Were they trying to set them up?

“This… this is not what you think,” Sam’s voice broke completely.

“I'll tell you what I think, Colonel.” Morrison squinted her eyes. “I think you went to that cabin and found out about General O'Neill and Dr. Jackson’s relationship. I think you got so angry that you planned to end up their relationship. You recorded that video to expose them and then tried to put all the blame on Dr. Jackson so you could get General O’Neill for yourself.”

Sam’s confusion rocketed.

“Video? What video are you talking about?”

“I warned you not to play games, Colonel,” Hammond sent daggers to her.

“I… I know nothing about a video! And put the blame on Daniel? What for? He’s my friend. I would never do those things you said I did!”

“Are you denying now that you sent that video?” Morrison leaned over the table.

“What video?!” Sam exclaimed, exasperated.

“The one you shared with the entire base!” Morrison threw her hands. “The one that put O'Neill in a holding cell! The one that ultimately sent Dr. Jackson to the ICU!”

Sam’s eyes popped out of her sockets, and her jaw hit the table.

“Wha… what?” The sound that left the colonel’s mouth was an almost imperceptibly cracked whisper. “Daniel… Daniel is in the ICU? Oh, my God, oh, my God! What happened to him?! Is he gonna be alright? I wanna see him! Please, I wanna see him!”

“Why? So that you can finish him yourself?” Hammond spat.

“Finish? What? God, what’s going on here? I know nothing about a video! The last time I saw Daniel and the general it was in my father’s wake! I set off to Aspen the next day and stayed there for over a week! I came back home yesterday! How can I possibly have done everything you’re talking about? Sending a video? Blaming Daniel? Of what? This is so confusing! Where is General O’Neill? Is he here at the base? I want to see him!”

“Colonel! Stop pretending!” Hammond bellowed. “You set up General O’Neill and Dr. Jackson. You hid two cameras in O’Neill’s room and recorded them in the act. You shared that video with all the SG team leaders and then accused Dr. Jackson of drugging O'Neill to put him in his bed. How can you deny it now when you’ve been gloating about this for days?! Now I want to know if that video is authentic, or if you used some trick. And it's obvious someone helped you to hide the drugs in Jackson’s apartment. I've got some news for you, Colonel. Whoever you hired made a big mistake. O'Neill is immune to that drug. Since you would have never made such a mistake, I want to know who is working with you and I want to know it now!”

As Sam’s brain worked to complete the puzzle, her heart was breaking into tiny pieces. At the last one of Hammond's words, the colonel broke.

“I did nothing of what you say.” Tears sprang from her grayish eyes. “I recorded no video. I don’t know who did those things you talk about, but it wasn’t me. Please, you've got to believe me,” she sobbed. “I've been in Aspen. I’ve been there for several days. I… I came to terms with my feelings for General O’Neill, or rather the lack of them. I would never do anything to endanger him or Daniel. Please, let me see them, please…”

Hammond looked at Morrison and made a sharp movement with his head. They both stood up and left the cell, leaving Sam bent over the table, crying uncontrollably.

“Do you think she might suffer some kind of mental disorder?” Morrison suggested.

“Dr. Brightman said there was nothing wrong with her.” Hammond scratched his bald scalp.

“If we show her the videos of her presence in the base…”

“Do it,” Hammond ordered. “Meanwhile, I'm going to get the best lie detector in the base.”

***

General Hammond found Teal’c at Daniel’s bedside. The archaeologist looked worst that the previous day, if possible. The visible bruises had darkened, and the swelling had increased, too. Hammond’s heart sank at the view. Dr. Carl Rogers was there, too, checking Daniel’s numbers.

“General,” Carl saluted. “I was going to call you. I've got my final diagnosis.”

“Come with me to my office,” Hammond said. “Teal’c, I came looking for you. We've got a situation with Colonel Carter. She keeps denying her implication in the last days' events. She insists she stayed in Aspen for over a week. I'd like you to join Major Morrison in the interrogation.”

The Jaffa bowed his head to express his agreement, and the three men left.

Carl followed the general to his office, and they both sat at the desk.

“I wish I had better news,” Rogers said. “Unfortunately, my initial diagnosis was correct. There is nothing I can do to repair Dr. Jackson’s kidneys, and in this case, dialysis is not an option. His only chance would be a transplant but in his state… His chances to resist the procedure would be five, ten percent tops. That makes him not fit for a transplant. He would never make it to the list, and even if he did, they would put him at the end. Moreover, he has the most uncommon blood type. I’m sorry, general, but his odds are just non-existent. There is no hope for your man.”

Hammond tensed his features in an attempt to conceal the feeling of devastation the news just gave him. The Texan considered the options for a moment, never ungluing his gaze on Dr. Rogers.

“How long does he have left?”

“I'd say twenty-four hours, forty-eight tops.”

Hammond’s cerulean eyes clouded with sorrow.

“When you signed the non-disclosure document, you got aware of the nature of our work here, right?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then you must know we've got powerful allies with technology far superior to ours, who could heal his injuries,” the general said firmly. “We have tried to contact them, but we’ve got nothing so far. I want you to do whatever is necessary to keep that man alive for as long as you can.”

“Yes, Sir,” Carl nodded.

“Dismiss.”

“Sir, if I may,” Carl cleared his throat, “I've heard you’re having problems with Colonel Carter’s interrogation. I don’t know her much, but I'd like to try it.”

“Do you think you can help?” Hammond tilted his head, doubtful.

“Well, if I get her to admit we came across each other in the grocery two days ago,” Carl shrugged.

“Very well," Hammond agreed. "You can proceed when Teal’c finishes.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Dismissed.”

Rogers left and Hammond took a few minutes to prepare himself mentally for the next task. Update Jack about Daniel’s situation.

***

Hammond found Jack lying on the cot, facing the wall. The gray-haired man didn’t even bother to turn around to greet the newcomer. At first, the Lieutenant general thought the younger man was sleeping, but the noticeable tension in his body told him otherwise. Hammond grabbed a chair and sat down near the cot.

“Jack, the Academy hospital sent a specialist to assess Dr. Jackson’s state. He just got the results. There is nothing he can do. Daniel’s only chance would be a transplant, but the chances to get one in time are non-existent, and even if we did, his odds would be very, very slim. I'm sorry.”

Jack seemed to stop breathing for a long minute, and after this time, he slowly turned around. Hammond suppressed a gasp. Jack’s skin looked ashen, matte, and it was as if he had aged ten years in one night.

“Take mine,” he said hoarsely.

“Excuse me?”

“Take one of mine. I can live with one kidney, but I can’t live without Daniel. Please, George, if there’s a chance…”

The misery reflected in Jack’s voice broke Hammond’s heart. Could life be more unfair to that man?”

“Jack, you don’t even share the same blood type,” Hammond said softly. “As much as you like to help, it’s just not possible.”

“That’s it? We just give up?” Jack’s eyes welled up.

“Dr. Rogers bought Dr. Jackson one more day. That’s one more day to contact our allies.”

The brigadier general wrapped his arms around his middle and turned around. Hammond never saw the tears that streamed down the younger man’s face, although the small jerks in his shoulders were enough to confirm his emotional state.

“I'll allow you to visit Dr. Jackson in the afternoon,” Hammond said softly.

Jack didn’t reply, and Hammond dragged his heavy heart out of the cell. Once again, he ignored Jack’s love confession, although he feared all things considered, if Jack was finally court-martialed, there would be little he could do for his friend.

***

Sam watched in utter disbelief the images displayed in front of her. That woman moving around the SGC only two days ago couldn’t possibly be her, and yet, she was wearing her face and body.

“This… this can’t be. I was… I was in Aspen!”

“Can you prove it?” Major Morrison inquired.

“What?”

“Can- you- prove- it?” she repeated as if Sam was deaf. “Do you have any receipt of your credit card?”

“I… I didn’t use it. A friend let me use her family's cabin. I didn’t pay for it.”

“What about the food?”

“I bought it in a local grocery the day I arrived. I didn’t stay enough time to have to buy more.”

“Do you realize there’s no way you can prove you were in Aspen, and there’s solid proof that says you were here?” Morrison pointed at the tv monitor.

“I… I can’t explain it, but it’s not me!”

Sam’s heart was pounding so hard that she feared it might escape her chest through her mouth. It had no sense! She knew that the woman on the screen wasn’t her, but apparently, she didn’t have any way to prove it. The colonel looked at Teal’c, who had remained silent the entire time.

“Teal’c, you've got to believe me! You know me! You have to know I'd never do anything to hurt the general and Daniel!”

“And yet, you have done it before,” Teal’c said gravely.

“Wha… what?” Sam’s eyes became saucers.

“I would like to interrogate the prisoner alone,” Teal’c said.

Morrison hesitated for a moment, but she finally accepted. She had nothing to lose. The major left and the Jaffa straighten his body.

“I… I never hurt them.” Sam shook her head, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“During the years as a member of SG-1, you have constantly disregarded DanieJackson's contributions to the team. The stronger your feelings for O'Neill grew, the stronger you questioned DanielJackson.”

“That… that’s not true,” Sam denied. “Daniel is a valuable member of SG-1 and one of my best friends. I never hurt him on purpose!”

“I agree,” Teal’c bowed his head. “However, your subconscious knew he was a rival and took action.”

“Wha… what?”

“The Eurondans, The Enkarans, the meteorite, only to mention a few examples. Did you ever give DanielJackson credit for his actions? Through the years, I’ve seen you giving up on him every time we thought we had lost him. Your infatuation with O'Neill has kept your eyes blind for a long time. Did you even care for DanielJackson after he was tortured in Honduras? After he witnessed Dr. Fraiser's death? And you disobeyed O'Neill's orders and allowed your Replicator copy to escape. Your actions allowed it to kill DanielJackson a few months later. Hadn’t Oma Desala intervened, he’d be lost to us forever. You took advantage of O'Neill's affection, and you didn’t care if DanielJackson was sacrificed in the process.”

Sam felt as if she had been kicked in the solar plexus.

“This is not fair, Teal’c. You were also there.”

“Indeed. And I regret that none of those times I rose my voice to support my brother because I was focused on my own revenge against the Goa’uld. Now it’s too late. DanielJackson lies on his deathbed, and I will live the rest of my life with regret and shame.”

“What?!” Sam’s feeling of dread peaked. “Deathbed? He… he’s dying?”

“His injuries are too severe,” Teal’c said, deep sadness reflected in his voice. “According to the doctors, he will perish soon.”

Sam’s face contorted in horror. Daniel was dying? And they all thought it was because of something she did? The colonel considered Teal’c's words. Was it possible that she had disregarded Daniel so much? This couldn’t be. She loved him. She started to love him the very first moment they met on Abydos. And still… oh, God, oh, God… what Teal’c said… her Replicator twin shared her thoughts, even her emotions. The only difference was that he lacked her morals. And it killed Daniel in cold blood. Did that mean that deep inside, she wanted Daniel dead?

God, no. Nonono, this can’t be!

Sam had to admit that her love for her friend had always been shadowed by a layer of jealousy. She had been working for two years to figure out the Stargate, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, Doctor Daniel Jackson appeared and solved the mystery in two weeks. Later, he discovered the cartouche room on Abydos and came up with the idea to correct the stellar drift. And all those years in SG-1… the archaeologist had saved the day much more times than she had even been willing to admit. And then there was Jack. The connection between him and Daniel had been physically palpable since day one, their chemistry undeniable. Even during their infamous arguments, one could see the sparks. She had longed for that kind of connection with the general so much! Dear God, Teal’c was right. Deep inside, Sam’s subconscious had been wishing to get Daniel out of the way.

The colonel broke. Her shoulders bounced sharply at the rhythm of her sobs.

“You’re right, Teal’c, God, you’re right. I failed to recognize Daniel’s accomplishments, and I was jealous of his relationship with Jack, but I didn’t record that video you’re all talking about. I was in Aspen. I haven’t been in the base for days. Please, Teal’c, you've got to believe me, please, please, please…” Sam’s voice faded to nothing, and the room stayed silent except for her sobs.

The Jaffa studied the colonel for a moment, got the monitor, and left.

***

A few minutes later, Sam heard someone else getting into her cell. She swept the tears away and looked at the newcomer.

“Carl? Carl Rogers?”

“So you recognize me now?” the doctor asked as he sat at the table.

“Of course,” Sam sniffled. “We talked for hours on that plane.”

“You didn’t seem to recognize me the other day in the grocery,” Carl pointed out.

“What? Grocery? What are you talking about?”

“By the way, did you enjoy the red wine?”

“What?! I don’t drink red wine. You know that.” Sam found herself once more trapped in the clutches of utter shock and disbelief.

“That’s not what you said the other day.”

“God, has everyone gone insane?”

“Are you denying we came across each other in the grocery?”

“Of course I'm denying it! After our farewell at the airport, I didn’t see you again until yesterday, when I saw you in the infirmary.”

“Um.”

“Why… why are you here?”

“Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm Colonel Doctor Carl Rogers. So are you, right?”

“You are in the Air Force?”

“I guess both of us skipped some details.”

“Have you seen Dr. Daniel Jackson? They say he’s dying. Is that true?” Sam asked anxiously.

“I am sorry. I can't discuss his condition with you.”

Sam stared at the doctor with pleading eyes. “Carl, I don’t understand what’s going on. They say I recorded a video of General O’Neill and Daniel, but it wasn’t me!”

“He’s the man you went to see in Minnesota, right?”

Sam nodded. Carl didn’t need to ask who was sharing his bed in that cabin.

“Please, I need to know what happened. No one explained the whole story to me. Why did they send me here? Why is everyone so angry with me? Why do they say Daniel is in the ICU because of me?”

Carl considered it for a moment. Sam sounded like the nice woman he had met two weeks ago and nothing like the rude blonde he saw in the grocery. He told her everything he knew, which wasn’t much more than bits and pieces, but it was enough for Sam to put all the pieces together. Apparently, she had reported Jack and Daniel’s illegal relationship, had accused Daniel of manipulating the general, and that had caused a brutal attack against the archaeologist that had left him at the death’s door, his kidneys smashed beyond repair.

When Carl ended his tale, fresh tears were sliding along Sam’s cheeks. How could she defend herself when all the evidence pointed at her?

“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me, it wasn’t me…” she repeated in an endless, agonizing loop.

With his heart swimming in a sea of confusion, Carl left.

***

Chapter Text

Teal’c, Hammond, Morrison, and Carl met in the debriefing room. Morrison was convinced that Sam was lying, but Teal’c and Carl weren’t so sure about it. Hammond ordered the three of them to interview the colonel again separately. At least SG-21, Porter, Wilkinson, and Summerfield had admitted their participation in Daniel’s attack. They were sent to Leavenworth in pre-trial confinement. As for Airman Alice Mercer, she got a severe reprimand, a two-month suspension, and a free ticket to a training camp where she would relearn the Air Force values. If Daniel died, Hammond would reconsider the punishment, but for now, he got into consideration that the airman had eventually tried to save the archaeologist’s life.

They interrogated Sam several times during the next two days with identical results. The colonel kept insisting that she knew nothing about the video, much less about the clumsy attempt to accuse Daniel of drugging Jack. Her initial thought had been that they all had gone crazy. Now she was starting to think that she might be the one ending up in the looney bin.

What if they were right? What if she had suffered some psychotic episode of sorts, had gone back to Colorado Springs, and had done everything they did and, she didn’t remember? Aspen was just a four hours and a half drive, after all. Nonono, this couldn’t be! She had memories of Aspen! They were real, they had to be, they had to be, they had to be… After the last interrogation, Sam lay on her cot, curled up into a tight ball, and cried herself to sleep.

***

Meanwhile, locked in his cell, Jack felt himself falling into a bottomless pit of despair. None of their allies had responded to their call, and Daniel was slowly losing the battle.

As promised, Hammond let the gray-haired man visit the archaeologist in the afternoons. Jack didn’t fail to notice that the numbers on the monitors plugged into his lover were much worse. The brigadier general's routine comprised sitting on the plastic chair next to the bed and gently running his numb fingers through the archaeologist’s short strands as he prayed to whatever invisible force that was willing to hear him.

Danny, don’t leave me, please, God, I love you, I love you so much, don’t leave me, I can’t do this without you, I don’t want to do this without you, don’t leave me, hang on, baby, hang on…

***

Finally, seeing that Sam’s statement wouldn’t take them anywhere, Morrison and SG-14 went to search the colonel's house while Hammond and Teal’c met at the general's office to discuss the next course of action. They were pondering some options when the telephone rang.

“I am Sergeant Calvin Roberts, from the Colorado Springs Police department. Am I talking to the leader of this facility?”

“General George Hammond talking. What is this about, Sergeant?”

“Sorry to bother you, Sir. A group of hikers came across the remains of an accident early this morning. Apparently, a motorbike fell off a cliff a few days ago. The driver was dead. According to her driving license, her name was Lydia Crenshaw. We tried to contact her family, but we couldn’t find any close relatives, but we found out that she was a member of the Air Force. I assume she worked in the mountain. There is no evidence of criminality, but we need you to send someone to identify the corpse and contact her next of kin so we can close the case.”

“Lydia Crenshaw, you say?”

Teal’c raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Sir, that’s the name.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. I'll send someone as soon as possible.” Hammond hung up.

“It was the Police department,” he told Teal’c. “Apparently, a member of our staff died in an accident and they just found the corpse. Lydia Crenshaw. No one reported she was missing. I guess she was in downtime.”

“Lydia Crenshaw was ColonelCarter's friend,” Teal’c informed the general.

“She was?”

“Indeed. She was the airman guarding JacobCarter's room. They got close after his death.”

“Close?”

“It seems that it was the case. She helped ColoneCarter to organize her father’s wake, and she was the one who lent ColonelCarter the cabin in Aspen.”

Hammond’s brow furrowed extensively. “Don’t you think that’s a hell of a coincidence that she suffered that accident precisely now?”

“Indeed.”

“Did you know her well? Could you identify the body?” Hammond asked, hopeful that this turn of events could provide them with some new clue.

“I could,” Teal’c confirmed.

“Very well then. Take Colonel Reynolds. Try to find out everything you can about what happened. Sargent Roberts said there was no evidence of criminality. I want to be 100% sure about it.”

The Jaffa nodded and left. Forty-five minutes later he, Reynolds, and Roberts were standing in front of a corpse covered with a white sheet. The police officer lifted the cloth, and Teal’c grunted. Despite the injuries and the slight level of decomposition, Lydia Crenshaw's features were perfectly recognizable.

“She is AirmanCrenshaw,” Teal’c confirmed.

“Are you one hundred percent sure?” Roberts asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Alright then. I'll give you her personal effects and I'll arrange transport to take the body to Cheyenne mountain. I guess you guys will honor her with a memorial service or whatever stuff you usually do.”

“General Hammond wants to know whatever information you’ve got about the accident,” Reynolds said.

“We made the measurements on the spot. Believe me, Colonel, it was nothing but a run-of-the-mill accident. According to the brakes marks, she was riding too fast. It is likely that came across a deer after the curve and she lost control of the bike.”

“Yeah, well. Even so.”

Roberts sighed tiredly. Why were those military people always splitting hairs?

“Alright them. Give me an e-mail address and I will send your General Hammond a detailed report."

Reynolds did as asked and Roberts gave Teal’c a cardboard box with Lydia’s personal effects.

“There isn’t much,” the police officer said. “A purse, some keys, some chewing gum, and a strange round object. I guess it’s an amulet of sorts. My wife loves to collect stuff like that, but I never saw any like this one before. She might be interested in buying it.”

Teal’c opened the box and his eyes wide opened the moment he recognized the supposed amulet.

“You know what it is?” Roberts asked with curiosity.

“Indeed.”

“It’s an amulet, right? I give you ten bucks for it.”

Teal’c gave Roberts his most intimidating glare.

“You will speak of this object no further.”

Roberts gulped. He quickly lost all interest in the object. Her wife would have to continue her collection on her own.

***

“What was that about?” Reynolds asked Teal’c once they got into the truck to return to the base.

“See for yourself.” Teal’c opened the box and showed its contents.

“Jesus Christ.” Reynolds’ eyebrows reached the vehicle roof. “Is that what I think it is?”

“It certainly is.”

Reynolds grabbed the object, looked in all directions to make sure there was no one around, and put the object on the palm of his hand. The object shone blue, and the colonel looked at the rear mirror.

“Holy shit!” Samantha Carter’s reflection yelled out.

Reynolds quickly removed the alien device from his hand and looked at Teal’c in shock.

“Did you see that? I was her. I was Carter, I mean… that thing, holly fucking shit.”

“I believe that explains a lot,” Teal’c said solemnly. “We need to talk to GeneralHammond immediately.”

“No kidding.” Reynolds started the truck.

***

Once at the base, the couple rushed to Hammond’s office. The general was talking with Morrison at the moment.

“General, Sir! We've got something!” Reynolds blurted out.

“What is it, Colonel?”

“Something that might shed a ton of light into all this mess.”

“Indeed.”

Reynolds opened the box and showed Hammond its contents. The general stared at the items, mouth agape.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“You bet, Sir.”

“What is that thing?” Morrison asked, intrigued.

“Do you want to make the honors, Colonel?” Hammond invited.

“No, thank you, Sir. I already got one dose too much,” Reynolds swallowed.

“This technology doesn’t work with me,” Teal’c refused as well.

Hammond sighed in resignation. “Well, as they say, don’t ask your men to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.”

The general grabbed the item and put it on the palm of his hand. It immediately shone blue, and his body morphed into Sam's.

“Holy… buckets!” Morrison exclaimed, totally shocked. “Co… Colonel Carter? What trick is this?”

Fake Sam took off the device, and she turned into Hammond again.

“One that we learned a few years ago. I suppose this explains a few things. It also explains Dr. Jackson’s last words before losing consciousness. He wasn’t accusing Colonel Carter. I bet he was trying to warn us.”

“Do you mean he figured it out?” Morrison asked in astonishment.

“You'd been surprised by how many things that young man has figured out through the years,” Hammond said proudly. “The rogue NID used the same trick two years ago to accuse O'Neill of shooting Senator Kinsey. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”

“So Colonel Carter was right?” Morrison could barely believe what she had witnessed. “She was really in Aspen while someone supplanted her here? But who? And why?”

“Senior airman Lydia Crenshaw,” Hammond stated firmly. “About the why, I've got no idea.”

The general considered their options for a moment.

“Take your team and go search Crenshaw’s apartment. Teal’c, you may want to go with them.

***

Three hours later, the group came back with Lydia’s PC, which contained the evidence that she had been the one who recorded the video of Jack and Daniel's intercourse. The general grabbed the phone.

“Escort Colonel Carter to the debriefing room immediately.”

***

A pale and anguished Sam sat next to Teal’c and in front of Morrison.

“No handcuffs, Sir?” she asked hoarsely.

“That won’t be necessary,” Hammond said. “I'm glad to inform you that we found some evidence of your innocence.”

“S-Sir?”

Hammond introduced Major Morrison properly, and with Teal’c’s help, they all explained Sam the situation. When they finished, fresh tears were running down the colonel’s face.

“She… she used me? God, why? Oh, my God, the day we met… it looked so casual, and she had all this planned all along?”

“Colonel Carter, I want you to tell us everything about your relationship with Lydia Crenshaw,” Hammond ordered.

Sam did it.

When she finished, it was obvious to everyone that the airman had plotted everything carefully. It was also very likely that she was the one who put the vials in Daniel’s apartment. Only her motive remained unclear.

“Did you tell her about your feelings for General O'Neill?” Morrison inquired.

“No,” Sam shook her head. “I remember she asked me about my relationship with him and Daniel, but we hadn’t reached that level of intimacy just yet.”

“Do you think she could have guessed?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible. She was guarding my father’s room. I came back from Minnesotan pretty upset. It’s possible she heard something.”

“Well, here’s my theory,” Morrison said. “I believe Airman Crenshaw suffered an acute case of hero worship. She found out about your feelings for O'Neill, then she found out he was in a relationship with Dr. Jackson, and she tried to get rid of him so you could get *your* man.”

The other three looked at her, stunned. The good news was that Morrison's theory made a lot of sense. The bad news was that, according to that theory, General O’Neill was toasted. Sam panicked.

“You can’t be sure of that. She might have imagined everything. General O'Neill and Daniel might not be in a relationship at all!” Sam lied.

“That video Crenshaw recorded says otherwise,” Morrison pointed out.

“She plotted everything! She might have falsified that video in some way!” Sam insisted.

“I studied the tape thoroughly, Colonel. The video is authentic. There is no doubt of it,” the major said firmly.

Sam’s body trembled. Perhaps Lydia sent the video, but she was guilty as well. Nothing of that would have happened if she hadn’t run after Jack like a horny teenager.

“What… what will happen to the general?” her voice wavered.

“We must call Washington and update them about the situation. I guess we’ll know the answer to that question soon.”

“Can I see them now? Please. Please.”

Hammond nodded sharply. “Teal’c, accompany Colonel Carter to the infirmary. I'll go to update General O'Neill. Major Morrison, can you make that call?”

***

The moment Sam stepped into the ICU, Teal’c had to hold her to prevent her from collapsing to the floor. Daniel looked awful, but what scared the colonel the most were the numbers beeping on the monitors. They were bad. Very, very bad.

Sam approached the bed, Teal’c close in case she needed support again.

“Daniel, oh, my God, Daniel…” she choked.

She gently brushed the archaeologist’s bruised jaw with the back of her hand. Then she took a deep breath, grabbed the hem of the sheet, and lifted it. A loud gasp echoed in the room. Teal’c's jaw and fists clenched painfully. He hadn’t seen the extent of his friend’s injuries until now. Daniel’s chest and swollen abdomen looked like a grotesque painting combining different shades of purple and blue. Not a single inch of his skin showed a healthy flesh tone. Sam’s first thought was of using the Goa’uld healing device, but the last time she tried it, when Daniel was dying of radiation poisoning, she only made things worst, so she quickly discarded the idea. Shaking hands put the sheet back in place and Sam hit the plastic chair. She grabbed Daniel’s hand and brought it to her lips.

“This is my fault, my fault, oh, Daniel, Daniel, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, so sorry…” she said in a cracked whisper.

“You made a mistake, but you’re not responsible for this,” Teal’c squeezed her shoulder gently. “This is AirmanCrenshaw's fault, and those who did this.”

Sam shook her head. “It all started because of me.”

“Don’t you think O'Neill and DanielJackson have some responsibility in that, too? They engaged in a relationship knowing the risks.”

“For breaking the law and facing a possible court-martial, perhaps, but never for this, Teal’c. Nothing, nothing justifies what those beasts did to Daniel. Even if he broke that stupid law, even if he chose to live a life many people might not understand, he didn’t hurt anyone. I truly believe General O’Neill is a better man every day because of him. Whatever his punishment will be, this is going to destroy him. God, I'd do anything to help them. They deserve to be happy so much.” Sam stroke archaeologist’s inert hand. “My dear Daniel, my friend, my brother, you have always been the smartest one of us. Tell me, tell me what I can do to help. Anything… anything… anything…

***

Once again, Jack didn’t bother to turn around when Hammond came into his cell.

“Jack, I've got some news.”

The gray-haired man said nothing at first, but he eventually voiced his worst fear.

“Daniel?”

“No. He’s still alive. It’s about Colonel Carter.”

Jack’s body relaxed at first, only to become rigid again.

“Not interested,” he told the gray wall.

“You need to hear this. We know who did this to you and Dr. Jackson. It wasn’t her. The evidence is solid.”

That grabbed the brigadier general’s attention. He rolled to his back and looked at the Texan.

“Who? Who did this?” his eyes and nostrils flared.

“Come. Let’s sit. I'll explain everything.”

***

When Hammond ended the story, a multitude of mixed feelings burned Jack’s veins. Crenshaw was lucky to be dead. She would never know how much. As for Carter, it was a relief to know she had nothing to do with the report, but no matter who was responsible, that didn’t change their situation at all.

“How does it help Daniel?”

“What?”

“Look, I'm glad Carter isn’t the author of that video, but it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make me look less guilty, and sure as hell it doesn’t help Daniel, does it?”

Both men held their gazes.

“No. No, it doesn’t.”

“Thank you for the intel, George. I'd like to be alone now.”

“Colonel Carter asked permission to see you.”

“No.”

“Jack, did you hear what I said?” Hammond insisted. “She’s not responsible for this.”

“I know.” Jack's shaking hands covered his face. “I am. Even if Carter didn’t do this, it still has to do with me not being honest with her. I should have listened to Daniel. I should have told her I didn’t want her that way long ago. It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault, dammit!” He slammed his fists against the table.

“This doesn’t help Dr. Jackson either.” Hammond used his most empathic tone.

“I know,” Jack whispered. “My sweet Daniel. He and Charlie are the most precious gifts life gave to me, and I killed them both.”

“You know that’s not true. You’re being too hard on yourself.”

"Please, George.” The gray-haired man struggled to keep his voice steady. “I just need to be alone.”

The major general stood up. “You can see Dr. Jackson in the afternoon. And please, consider Colonel Carter’s request.”

Jack didn’t reply, and the Texan left. Jack lay on the cot. Once again, only the concrete wall witnessed his despair.

***

Sam went to her lab and sat at her desk. The image of Daniel battered to almost non-recognition had left all her nerves tingling. She would go back to the ICU room later, but for now, she needed to be alone for a while, giving some sense to the last days' events. She was supposed to be a smart woman. How could she have fallen so easily into Lydia’s trap? If Daniel finally died… God, when, when, not if. There was no hope for her friend, and she would have to live with his death in her consciousness for the rest of her life.

“Colonel?”

Sam turned around. One of her colleagues, Dr. Alan Granger, was standing under the doorframe.

“Dr. Granger, I'm sorry. This isn’t a good moment.”

“I heard… I heard… is it true?” Alan ignored her. “Lydia… Lydia is dead?”

Sam frowned. “You knew her?” She then realized Granger was shaking like a leaf.

Alan’s face scrunched in agony. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have listened to her. I shouldn’t, I shouldn’t, and now she’s dead.”

“How is this your fault? What are you talking about?”

“God, I can’t take it anymore. I'm sorry, so sorry…”

“Alan!” Sam shouted to catch his attention. “Tell me what’s going on.”

The scientist moved closer, wrapped his arms around his chest, and sat on a stool.”

“I… I helped her. She said it was the right thing to do, but it has only brought violence and death.”

“Dr. Granger,” grayish eyes pierced brown ones, “what did you do?”

“I… I can’t…”

“Do I have to remind you that Teal’c is currently in the base?”

That did the trick. Alan told Sam everything. How he met Lydia, how he fell in love with her, how she asked him to steal the alien device from Area-51, and how the airman used it to supplant her. When he finished, Alan was crying like a baby, and Sam's blood was boiling.

“My God, Alan! All this for what? To jump into her panties?!”

“No! No, I… I loved her, I loved her! Oh, God, what am I going to do now?” Alan sobbed bitterly.

Sam was fuming. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Until she realized something. It had all begun because she wanted Jack to jump into her panties, too. “Oh, shit,” her voice broke.

“What is gonna happen to me?” Alan babbled. “I don’t want to go to jail. You know what they do to people like me there!”

“Nothing compared with what they did to Daniel,” the colonel spat.

“I didn’t want to cause him any harm, I swear! Oh, God, Lydia, why? Why?”

“I should…!”

Sam halted when a crazy idea crossed her mind. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to save Daniel’s life, but perhaps she could clean his name. And help Jack. The colonel glued her eyes to Alan’s.

“I can help you avoid prison. But you must do exactly what I say.”

Alan swallowed the lump in his throat, sniffled noisily, and nodded.

***

Chapter Text

When Sam went back to the ICU, she found Jack there in the company of Teal’c. The general, lost in his internal prayers, didn’t even realize the woman was in the room.

“Sir?”

The brigadier general's head jerked up and met grayish orbs clouded with pain. Jack's first instinct was to kick her out, but he suddenly remembered that she was the real Carter, the friend who had sincerely hugged Daniel in Jacob’s wake, and not that monster of Crenshaw wearing her body. Even so, he couldn't get his voice past the lump in his throat. Teal’c was the one who talked.

“ColonelCarter.”

“How… how is he?” She moved closer.

“DanielJackson is losing his strength fast.”

“I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry this has to end like this.” Sam's eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Jack looked at her, dumbfounded. “Why do you always do that?”

“Sir?”

“You always give up on Daniel when there’s still hope. Why?” he asked rather harshly.

“Sir, the odds…”

“With Daniel is never about the odds. It’s about hope, and as long as he's breathing, I'm not giving up on him," he said sharply, before bringing back all his attention to his agonizing lover.

Sam was about to protest, to tell him Daniel wasn’t really breathing, that a machine was doing it for him, but she stopped in time. She was doing it again, dammit. She had told Daniel once that he changed people, that she had changed thanks to him. Well, it was obvious that Jack had, but she wasn’t so sure about herself. Apparently, she still had a lot to learn, and she promised herself that she would pay more attention from now on.

“I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, my fault.” The colonel could no longer hold the tears.

“And stop apologizing, Carter,” Jack said as he carded his lover’s hair. “It’s my fault. I should have told you about Daniel and me long ago. I confused you, and Daniel paid the highest price.”

“Sir, the regulations, you… you couldn’t. I understand.”

“Well, Daniel didn’t, and he was right. Why has he always to be right?” Jack’s voice broke.

At that moment, Dr. Rogers came into the room.

“Carl, hey,” Sam greeted him as she brushed the salty drops away with her sleeve.

“Sam, hi. I, uh… I heard about your… stuff. Are you alright?”

“Not really,” she sniffled. “But I will have to be.” As much as Jack denied the evidence, the raw truth was that they were going to lose Daniel, and the general would need his friends, his family, to pick up the pieces.

“Colonel, Teal’c,” Carl greeted the others as he approached the archaeologist.

Jack stood up to give him room. The doctor checked the monitors and looked at the three friends. Wrinkles of concern distorted his attractive face.

“I don’t think he’ll make it through the night. I'm sorry.”

An iron fist squeezed Jack’s heart. He felt sick to his stomach and swallowed hard.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else you can do for him?” Sam felt her heart breaking.

“As I already told General Hammond, the only hope would be a kidney transplant, but it’s impossible he can get one in time, and even if he did…”

“Take one of mine!” Sam blurted out.

Both Carl and Jack’s heads lashed up. Teal’c cocked his head.

“What?” Jack asked, perplexed. That’s exactly what he had asked Hammond. Was it possible that Carter loved Daniel that much, not as a lover, of course, but as a real brother?

“Take one of mine,” Sam repeated. “Daniel and I have got the same blood type. We might be compatible! Take one of mine!”

“Is what ColonelCarter suggests possible, DoctorRogers?” Teal’c asked, doubtful.

“Well, technically yes. I would have to run some tests to be sure, and we're running out of time.”

“Then let’s start immediately!” Sam hurried.

“What are the risks for her?” Jack asked, still not daring to believe it. “As much as I want to save Daniel, I'm not trading one life for another.”

“She’s young and healthy. It’s still major surgery, but the risks for her are minimal. Although you must understand that if we do this, Doctor Jackson’s odds are still very slim.”

Jack nodded his understanding and his eyes met Sam's. “You might not be able to serve in the field after that. You know it, right?”

“I know. But that’s a tiny price to pay if I can save Daniel’s life.”

“Are… are you sure about this, Carter?”

“One hundred percent, Sir.”

Jack stared at the colonel, looking for the honesty in her eyes. When he saw it, he moved closer and pulled her into a rib-crushing hug, which made both of them burst into tears. Even Teal’c's eyes looked suspiciously bright.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Jack choked.

“You were right, Sir. There’s always hope,” she said with emotion.

“Sam, we’re running out of time,” Carl urged.

The two soldiers broke the hug. Sam bit her lower lip to stop the quivering.

“Good luck,” Jack said.

“You too.”

With the deep sentiment of the moment still filling the room, Sam left with Carl.

“I'll inform General Hammond,” the doctor said before closing the door.

Jack resumed his position at Daniel’s bedside and Teal’c stood next to him.

“There is hope, baby, there is hope. You just need to hang on a little while longer, you hear me? Only a little while longer.”

***

Hammond was on the phone when Walter came to tell him there was news from the infirmary. The sergeant waited until the general finished to talk and delivered him the news about Sam's decision of giving Daniel one of her kidneys. Those were good news. However, the ones he had just received from Washington weren’t.

Five minutes later, a troubled General Hammond arrived at the ICU.

“I've been informed of the situation,” he told Jack and Teal’c.

“Yeah, well, let’s not paint the town red just yet,” Jack run his fingers through his silver strands. “The doc needs to run some tests first. Carter might be non-compatible at all.”

“Then let’s hope she is,” Hammond said sincerely. “Doctor Jackson doesn’t deserve to end his days like this. But this is not why I wanted to see you, Jack.”

The brigadier general detected the extreme seriousness on the older man’s face.

“Sir?”

“I've received the resolution from Washington.” Hammond talked slowly as if regretting every word that left his mouth. “They consider the evidence against you to be solid enough. They’re going to court-martial you, Jack.”

The gray-haired man took a few seconds to digest the news.

“I see.”

“For what it’s worth, the President was against it. He doesn’t think a man who shows his value in the field should be judged for what he does behind the curtains.”

“This hasn’t helped much, has it?”

“An MP patrol will arrive in a few hours to escort you to Leavenworth. You’ll stay there in pre-trial confinement. And before you come up with some stupid idea, those who did that to Doctor Jackson are there, too. They’ll keep you in a different wing, so I hope that will be enough to keep you out of trouble.”

Jack needed a few seconds more to get the idea into his head. So that was it. Whether or not Daniel survived, they would be separated for a long, long time. The brigadier general’s stomach knotted. The unimaginable, the inconceivable, had become true. A life without Daniel, no matter what. If the archaeologist survived, Jack might find the will to go on through his prison sentence. If not… well, dying in jail while he killed those bastards didn’t seem a bad plan at all.

“I need to ask you one last favor,” Jack said. “Let me stay until the end. One way or another, this is going to end tonight.”

Hammond considered it for a moment. Jack was right. None of their allies had answered their calls. This might be Doctor Jackson's only chance. If Colonel Carter wasn’t declared a suitable donor, the archaeologist wouldn’t live to see another day. And even if she was, it was likely that Daniel died on the table.

“You can wait for the MPs here, but once they arrive, you’ll have to go with them immediately. I'm sorry, that’s the most I can do.”

Jack nodded his understanding and put all his attention on his lover again.

Hammond stayed for a while, but it was getting late, so he left. This would be a complicated night. He had a last meeting with Morrison, left orders of being notified in case there were changes, and both he and the major went to their personal quarters to rest for a while.

***

Jack didn’t remember feeling so anxious in his entire life. Well, that wasn’t totally true, but waiting for news about Sam’s compatibility went definitely to the top ten list. To make things worst, the news about his imminent court-martial had sucked what was left of his hope regarding an eventual happy ending. That was for movies and mushy novels, and his and Daniel’s lives were neither of that. Now he only hoped that Daniel survived and his punishment wouldn’t be too hard. They might still have a chance for their happy ending a few years away from now.

 Teal’c was now sitting on the floor in a deep state of meditation. Jack didn’t know how to thank him for his help. Even if he talked little, the Jaffa’s presence, solid as a rock, was enough to give some comfort. He knew he wouldn’t have survived Daniel’s ascension without his friends, although he had now serious doubts about Sam’s intentions by then. It would take him some time to feel completely at ease with the colonel again, but he had to admit that her willingness to give Daniel a kidney was a good start. When all of this finished, he and she would have to talk. As long as she wanted to visit him in jail, of course.

Jack wasn’t sure how many hours had passed when Carl finally returned to the room, followed by two nurses. Teal’c opened his eyes and joined the meeting. Jack saw the smile on the doctor’s face and he could breathe again.

“Doc?”

“She’s compatible,” Carl's smile widened. “And not only this. That alien substance she’s got in her blood, what’s its name?

“The naquadah,” Teal’c said.

“Yes, that thing! It may increase Doctor Jackson’s chances of survival. We are talking about 25/30% chances of pulling through now!”

“Then DanielJackson will, as you say, pull through. He has beaten much worse odds before,” Teal’c observed.

“You bet he did!” Jack punched the air with enthusiasm.

“Colonel Carter is in pre-op now. We must take Doctor Jackson to the OR immediately. We don’t have much time.”

Carl and the nurses hurried to prepare the archaeologist for the transfer.

Jack looked at Teal’c and grinned from ear to ear. Even the Jaffa showed a shy smile. They were silently celebrating when Hammond came into the room.

“Jack,” he said extremely seriously, “it’s time. Your escort is here.”

An iron fist slammed into Jack’s gut. He looked at the Texan with haunted eyes.

“Please, no, not yet, not yet. Carter is compatible! They’re taking him to the OR!”

“You know the orders, Jack. I'm sorry,” Hammond replied sincerely.

Jack’s gaze traveled back to Daniel. This might be the last time he saw his lover alive. And in case the archaeologist survived, he wouldn't be there when he woke up. Jack felt like he couldn’t get the air past the lump in his throat. There was still so much to say! He would give anything to stop the time and say goodbye properly, but he knew the MP wouldn’t wait.

“I wish you luck, O'Neill,” Teal’c said gravely as he clasped his friend’s arm. “I will go to visit you soon.”

“Thanks, big guy. Take care of Daniel for me, will you?” Jack asked with pleading eyes.

The Jaffa replied bowing his head. Hammond held the door so that Jack could get out. The gray-haired walked toward the door. He turned around one last time to say a silent farewell.

See you soon, baby. I love you.

Jack minus his heart gathered what was left of his demolished strength to put one foot out of the room, when…

Beep… beep… beepbeepbeepbeepbeep… beeeeeeeeeeeeep…

“He’s in VF!” one nurse shouted.

“What?! What’s going on?! Jack bleached. Teal’c and Hammond’s faces contorted in alarm as well.

Rogers and the nurses started to work frantically on the archaeologist while the continuous beeping drilled Jack’s ears. Dr. Brightman and another nurse appeared from nowhere. Orders barked, syringes injected, more orders and more needles, chaos, people running in and out of the room, paddles, shouts…

“Three, two, one, clear!”

Jack felt someone clutching his arms and trying to drag him completely out of the room.

“Sir, you must accompany us now.”

“No! I want to know what’s wrong with him! Daniel!” Jack resisted, his feet rooted on the spot.

More orders, more shouts, and the paddles again…

“Increase to 300! Clear!”

The MPs tried to drag Jack away, but the general struggled wildly.

“Let go of me! Daniel!”

Jack felt as if he was caught in a dream. At one point, he could no longer hear the voices. He could only see his lover’s battered body being shocked one, two, three times… Jack hadn’t seen the extent of the injuries until now. Jesus Christ, how could Daniel have survived so long with so much damage? Jack felt like screaming, or rather roaring. He wanted to kill the bastards who had done that to his Daniel so badly, so badly…

“Sir, we've got our orders!”

The MPs pulled Jack out of the room.

“No! Daniel! No! Daniel!” Jack managed to get rid of the two hunks and rushed toward his lover.

“Jack, please! Give them room to work!” Hammond exclaimed, his heart divided between his duty and empathy for his friend. He and Teal’c gripped Jack’s arm and stopped him from moving closer.

The fuss around the archaeologist lasted for several more seconds until it suddenly stopped and everything that was left was a single steady beep.

The hand that was gripping Jack’s arm went slack. Carl turned around slowly, looking for the gray-haired man. The moment the brigadier general saw the doctor’s eyes, he knew. Carl shook his head. An imaginary bazooka shot at Jack’s gut. His heart stopped.

“No.”

The two MPs immobilized Jack’s arms and handcuffed his wrists on his back.

“I'm sorry,” Carl said.

“No.” The gray-haired man felt completely numb. He didn’t even notice they had immobilized his hands.

This couldn’t be. God, not now, not now! They were so close! They had had hope!

“No, noooooooooo!!!”

Before Jack had time to build his next thought, the two MPs pushed him out of the room. The brigadier general had no strength left, so they moved him as if he was a puppet without strings. Teal’c and Hammond watched the scene with their hearts in their mouths. The Jaffa’s blood boiled. The bastards responsible for Daniel’s death would pay. Oh, yeah, they would all die painfully slowly.

And the moment Jack stepped through the doorframe, something unexpected happened. The brigadier general saw through the corner of his eye how a white, bright light engulfed Daniel, and one second later, his body was gone. And in the chaos, Jack couldn’t tell if it was an Asgard beam or Oma working her magic. But this couldn’t be. Oma was trapped fighting Anubis. This had to be… this had to be…

All the present looked at the empty bed, mouth agape. Some of them gasped. Meanwhile, the MPs, unaltered by what had just happened, keep dragging Jack out of the ICU area.

“Let go of me, bastards! Daniel Daniel!!!”

 And as suddenly as before, Jack felt himself being surrounded by a similar light. He knew that light! He knew that light! Yes! Yes! He knew that sensation! He felt as if a giant vacuum cleaner sucked him up, and he instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, a blurry view greeted him. His gaze quickly sharpened, and he immediately recognized the interior of an Asgard ship. A short gray alien stood bent up in front of a table of sorts. The moment he noticed Jack’s presence, he turned around.

“Greetings, O’Neill.”

“Thor?”

***

Down in the ISO room, Carl blinked repeatedly, trying to process what they all had witnessed.

“What happened?” he asked in astonishment.

“The Asgard have taken DanielJackson and O'Neill.” The Jaffa informed the doctor.

“I’m sorry, who?”

“Remember those allies I told you about?” Hammond said with a grin. “Don’t worry, doctor. Everything’s gonna be alright?”

“Alright?” Carl made a face, stupefied. “Sir, you saw what happened! Doctor Jackson is dead!” Carl exclaimed.

“Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem, right Teal’c?” The Texan sent the Jaffa a knowing glance. The rest of the staff seemed pretty tranquil as well.

“Indeed.”

“How can it not be a problem? He is dead!” Carl's confusion escalated.

“You better go inform Colonel Carter we won’t need that kidney,” Hammond suggested. “Oh, and tell her Thor took the guys,” he smiled. “She will explain it better than me.”

“Ye… ye… yes, Sir.”

***

“Thor! Where is Daniel?” Jack asked anxiously. “Tell me you can fix him! Tell me he’s gonna be alright!”

“I am already fixing his injuries,” Thor said. “See for yourself.”

The petite alien moved aside and pointed at the table. There was a capsule on it similar to the one he had used to save Jack after he was turned into a popsicle in Antarctica.

“Injuries? He's dead!”

Jack rushed towards the capsule. Daniel lay inside, totally naked. All the earthly wires were gone and several strange tubes were attached with suction pads to his chest and belly.

“I am sorry I had to wait, but the death process was necessary,” Thor said.

“Necessary? What the hell? Couldn’t you just come and save him before giving me the mother of all heart attacks?!”

“This would have made things more complicated.”

Jack looked at his alien friend, dumbfounded.

“More complicated? What’s more complicated than death?!” the human exclaimed, exasperated.

“You have computers in your world, don’t you?” Thor said as he manipulated some tactile buttons on a panel.

“Yeah? What does it have to do with Daniel?”

“When a program in your computer fails, is not often easier to restart the device rather than wait for the program to function again?”

“You’re resetting Daniel? He’s not a fucking computer, for crying out loud!”

Thor ignored the general's outburst and continued working.

“His injuries are severe. This will take a while. In the meantime, perhaps you would like to talk with him.”

“Are you kidding?” Jack made a face.

“I wasn’t trying to be humorous.”

“Just plug in that damned thing! And help me with that, will you?” he said, showing his still-cuffed wrists.

“As you wish.”

Thor removed the handcuffs, then touched some more buttons and the most beautiful sound in the world caressed Jack’s ears.

“Jack?”

“Daniel! Daniel, are you alright?!”

“Uh… that depends. What do you mean by alright?”

“Daniel!”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I feel fine but I can’t see anything. Where am I?”

“Thor?” Jack glanced at his gray friend.

“We are on board the Daniel Jackson.”

“I thought it was destroyed during the war with the replicators.” Jack’s eyebrows rose.

“That one was another vessel,” the Asgard clarified.

“I'm inside… me? That’s weird. Why am I here?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Your body ceased to live,” Thor explained. “I am fixing it.”

“I'm dead?!” Daniel exclaimed in horror.

“I'm not sure, to tell you the truth.” Jack scowled at the alien.

“I have already restored your life,” Thor clarified, “but I need time to restore your full state of health.”

“Oh, that’s comforting. So I'm plugged into the ship's computer?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, that explains a lot, then.”

“You need to rest now so I can complete the process,” Thor said. “You will regain your consciousness once your health is restored.”

“Oh, ok. See you later, Jack?”

“Of course. I'm not going anywhere.”

Thor severed the connection, and silence filled the spaceship.

“He didn’t seem to remember what happened,” Jack observed.

“I only gave access to one part of his consciousness. He will remember everything once he wakes up.”

“And that will be when?”

“In several of your hours.”

Jack made a face.

“You don’t happen to have a chessboard, do you?”

***

Sam couldn’t begin to explain the excitement she felt when Carl told her the news. She launched towards the doctor and wrapped him in a tight hug. The surprise didn’t allow him to react, and she quickly pulled away.

“Oh, sorry, sorry,” she said, alarmed.

“No problem, it happens sometimes. I understand,” he laughed. “You may want to get dressed and join the others,” he suggested.

Sam remembered she was wearing nothing but a hospital gown and blushed. “Oops, right.”

“I'll give you some privacy.” Carl turned out to leave, but he turned around as he reached the door frame. “I, uh, I wanted to say... what you did, offer your kidney to Dr. Jackson after everything that happened… well, I, uh… I think you’re an extraordinary woman, Samantha Carter.”

“You give me too much credit,” Sam said. “Daniel would have given me both kidneys, given the case. He’s a much better person than me, but I want to think I'm learning.”

“Then I’d say you’re a brilliant student. I'm impressed, seriously.”

“Thanks.”

They stared at each other for a few seconds, smiled, and Carl left.

***

Sam met General Hammond, Teal’c, and Major Morrison in the debriefing room. They agreed there wasn't much they could do. They had no option but to wait for Thor to bring Jack and Daniel back. Washington wouldn’t be pleased. Teal’c went to his private quarters to get some rest, while Hammond and Morrison went to the general’s office to make the call, and Sam reluctantly went home. Only after the general promised to call her if they had news of Jack and Daniel did she accept to go and have well-deserved rest. She came across Carl on her way to the surface. Since Sam had no means to go to the town, the doctor offered to give her a ride, which she gratefully accepted.

As soon as he started the car, exhaustion took over the colonel, and she fell asleep. Carl couldn’t help but glance at her from time to time. He liked her. He liked her a lot. And he got the feeling that she was attracted to him, too, even if it was just a little bit. When all this mess ended, he would as her again to share a coffee. He hoped this time she would say yes.

***

Chapter Text

Jack's renewed hope strengthened as he watched Daniel in the capsule. Little by little, the bruises faded away. It would still take some time, but his lover would be ok. He would be ok, and then… then nothing. He would face the court-martial, they would declare him guilty, and they would throw him to jail for who knew how many years. He knew Daniel would wait for him. They had talked about that possibility several times. If their positions were reversed, sure as hell he would wait for Daniel. No, the problem wasn’t their commitment. They felt like husband and husband to all effects. The problem was a closed-minded society that couldn’t accept that two people loved each other independently of their sexual attributes.

“Thor,” Jack cleared his throat. “You must have a long list of habitable planets, don’t you?”

“I have,” the petite alien confirmed.

“Do you know of any with pleasant weather? You know, nice people, a lake with fish, some stuff to keep Daniel entertained…”

“I know of some planets with those characteristics you describe.” Thor blinked slowly.

“Can you, you know, print a list for me?” Jack asked nonchalantly.

“Which would be the purpose of that?” the alien tilted his head in a clear sign of confusion.

“Oh, I'm just looking for a nice place to spend my holidays,” the general shrugged.

“This information is part of the Asgard database,” Thor explained. “I can only share it under extreme circumstances.”

“Thor, buddy, c'mon! I won’t tell, you won’t tell, no one will know!” Jack moved his hands in circles.

“I am sorry, O’Neil. I am not allowed to fulfill your wish.”

“You know what? Forget it.” Jack threw his hand in a sign of dismissal. “I bet Daniel’s got a database in his brain bigger than yours. He’ll come up with something.”

The brigadier general got comfortable on his seat and continued his watch.

***

The doorbell put Sam out of her slumber. Her instinct made her check the alarm clock. It was late in the morning. How come it was so late? Oh, yeah. When Carl dropped her at home, it was already dawn.

“Coming!” she shouted, even knowing that whoever was at the door couldn’t hear her from the outside.

The colonel checked that she was decently dressed and walked towards the door. She stopped for a few seconds at the entrance. The last time someone knocked at her door, she found two MPs at the threshold. Sam took a deep breath and opened it. The moment she recognized the visitor, she sighed in relief.

“Dr. Granger.”

“I've got it,” he laughed nervously. “Piece of cake.”

Alan opened the suitcase he was carrying and showed Sam its contents. The colonel grinned.

“Here. What I promised.” Sam wrote down a telephone number on a piece of paper. “Call this number. They will help you disappear. You can choose to go anywhere on the planet. No one will find you. Never. As long as you live a decent life, of course.

Alan grabbed the piece of paper with shaking hands.

“Thank you, thank you,” he said as he bobbed his head up and down nervously.

“And now get out of my sight before I regret our deal,” Sam said before shutting the door in his face.

***

“Doctor Jackson's major injuries are healed,” Thor announced. “He will still need several minutes to regain his full strength, but I can restore his full conscious state now, if you wish.”

“Do it,” Jack said firmly.

Thor opened a new panel, grabbed the controller attached to it, and rotated it to the right. The lid of the capsule slid open. Jack grabbed his lover’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“Daniel, wake up. C'mon, baby, I'm here. Let me see those baby blues. I haven’t seen them in a while.”

Eight days. Eight agonizing days had passed since the last time he had held the younger man in his arms, and half of that time Daniel had lain in the ICU fighting for his life.

Daniel's eyelids fluttered open, and they stopped at half-mast. He closed his eyes and tried it again.

“J'ck?”

Jack's restored heart started to beat again. Until that moment, he wasn’t completely sure Thor was going to succeed.

“Hey there,” he smiled affectionately. “How are you feeling?”

“Sor’ throat,” the archaeologist croaked.

“Yeah, this must be because of the ventilator,” Jack made a face.

Daniel’s eyes opened completely and looked at his lover in shock.

“Vent'lator? Wh't happ'ned?”

“You don’t remember?”

Daniel squeezed his eyes shut to help him concentrate. All of a sudden, he became agitated. He tried to sit upright, pulling the wires attached to his body in the process.

“Hey, hey, relax!” Jack exclaimed as he pushed him down. “You’re safe here. No one’s gonna hurt you here.”

“No! You don’t understand!” Daniel yelled out. “It’s Sam! She’s not… she’s not Sam! I need to warn Hammond! She might be in danger!” The archaeologist started to hyperventilate.

“Thor! A little help here!” Jack yelled out.

“Sam! Sam!”

The general saw how a green substance ran along one of the tubes attached to Daniel’s belly and disappeared inside. The archaeologist calmed down immediately. Jack ran his fingers through his sandy hair.

“It’s ok, baby. Carter is fine. We figured it out, eventually. Of course, you figured it out first,” he chuckled.

“She’s fine? Sam’s fine?” Daniel asked drowsily.

“Yes, she’s fine. We caught the one who impersonated her. She’s dead.”

“Who? How? Why?”

Jack summed the history up, including the detail that Sam was willing to give him one of her kidneys. Daniel closed his eyes for a while to digest everything.

“She… she really wanted to do that?” the archaeologist asked with watery eyes.

“She was already in pre-op when Thor beamed you up. I'm telling you, baby, that woman loves you to pieces.”

“I love her, too,” Daniel said with emotion. “God, Jack, how could I believe so easily she had gone dark side on us?”

“We all did, Danny. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Easier said than done,” he sighed. The archaeologist's eyes scanned the room before focusing on his lover again. “Why am I here?”

“I… fuck… I lost you, Danny.” No matter how much he struggled, Jack couldn’t stop the tears. “Your injuries… you hung on for over three days, but in the end… If it hadn’t been for Thor…”

“I was going to see Hammond when they attacked me,” Daniel said, barely above a whisper.

“I know. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.” Jack’s voice broke. “So, so sorry.”

Specific memories of the attack invaded Daniel’s mind. God, the pain when they… oh, God. The archaeologist gulped hard.

“I'm… I'm tired, Jack,” he said.

“Thor?” the general looked at the petite alien.

“It is better if he sleeps until his strength is fully restored,” the Asgard said.

“Rest for a while, Danny. You’ll feel better when you wake up. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The lid of the capsule slid shut. Thor injected some more fluid through the tubes and Daniel promptly fell asleep.

***

Sam tiptoed into Lydia’s apartment, looking for the best place to hide the devices. The colonel loved it when her military skills came so handy even out of the field. This time, she would use them for the benefit of her dearest friends, two people whose only crime had been to love each other in a world ruled by fear and narrow-mindedness. Some laws were so unfair, so what if she broke one or two for a good that harmed no one?

Suddenly, Sam spotted the perfect place. The colonel grinned.

***

When Sam arrived at the SGC, she went directly to Hammond’s office. Four MPs were waiting in the debriefing room. They had likely been sent to arrest Jack and take him to Leavenworth. Sam took a deep breath. Obviously, the general and Daniel were still with Thor. It wasn’t too late.

Sam knocked at the lieutenant general’s door, and he granted access. Teal’c was with him.

“General, Teal’c. I'm glad to find you both here,” she saluted.

“Colonel.”

Teal’c just bobbed his head down and up.

“I hoped Major Morrison would be here, too.”

“She went back to Washington this morning. They consider her investigation is complete,” Hammond said with sadness.

Sam swore internally. This might complicate things. Morrison was a very inquisitive person. It was likely that she would have approved her demand. The colonel would have to rely only on Hammond now and trust that he wanted the best for Jack and Daniel, too.

“This is what I wanted to talk to you about, Sir. I don’t think it is.”

The general squinted his eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, Sir, I've been thinking, and the thing is that there are still some loose ends. For instance, how did Lydia get the alien device? There are still some unanswered questions that I believe are worth investigating. I don’t know. It might only reinforce the evidence against General O'Neill, but there might still be more than meets the eye.”

“And may I ask what makes you think that?” Hammond entwined his hand on the table and leaned forward.

“Well, to begin with, did General O'Neill or Daniel ever admit the video was real?”

Hammond thought for a moment. Jack had slipped his feelings for Daniel more than once, but he had never admitted openly that they were in a physical relationship. Neither had Daniel.

“I don’t know, it’s just a hunch,” Sam continued, “but I've got the feeling we haven’t found out everything about Lydia yet.”

“Teal’c?” Hammond looked at the Jaffa. The warrior had always been a very intuitive person.

“I agree with ColonelCarter,” he said. “MajorMorrison made a lot of assumptions, but without AirmanCrenshaw's testimony, we might never know the whole truth.”

“What do you suggest, Colonel?”

“I’m not sure,” Sam shrugged, “but perhaps we should search Lydia’s place more thoroughly.” Sam stopped for a moment and then added. “I'm sorry, Sir, but I feel I failed the general and Daniel in so many ways that I… I just need to try everything in my hand.”

Hammond stared at his subordinate for several seconds. He had to remind himself that this wasn’t Lydia Crenshaw demanding hysterically to search Daniel’s apartment. This was the real Samantha Carter, a woman with more than recognized intelligence and integrity, the woman who had risked her own health to save his friend's life.

“Very well,” he said. “I suppose we've got nothing to lose. Take SG-14 and do the search. Teal’c, you can accompany them, too.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” Sam said, “I'd like to stay here in case General O'Neill and Daniel come back or contact us.” The truth was that knowing what she was looking for and where to find it, Sam didn’t trust she could keep a poker face during the search.

“Alright, then. Teal’c, you'll join SG-14. Colonel Carter, go to the control room and be ready in case Thor makes contact.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Teal’c bowed his head in agreement and stood up to leave. As he walked past Sam, the colonel took his hand.

“Thank you, Teal’c. Thank you for doing this.”

The Jaffa felt, more than saw, how Sam shoved a piece of paper into his hand. Although the gesture surprised him, Teal’c was able to keep his usual stoic expression easily. It was obvious that whatever it was, his friend didn’t want General Hammond to notice it.

The Jaffa went to the locker room to take the hat he usually wore out of the base. Only then did he look at the piece of paper that Sam gave him. He unfolded it and read it.

Beansbag chair.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow in incomprehension. Perhaps once he was at Crenshaw’s apartment, the note would make some sense. At that moment, SG-14 joined the warrior, and the group left.

***

“The procedure is complete,” Thor announced.

“Then what are you waiting for?!” Jack exclaimed impatiently. “Get him out of there!”

Thor opened the capsule and detached all the wires from Daniel’s body. The tiny holes left in his skin closed instantaneously. The archaeologist opened his eyes.

“Jack?” He sounded drowsy, but other than that, he looked fine.

“Daniel! Thank God! Are you alright?!” Jack exclaimed, relief clear in his voice.

“Yes, I feel fine,” Daniel reassured the older man.

Jack helped the younger man to sit upright and the two lovers joined in a long delayed hug.

“Oh, Danny, Danny, I thought I had lost you. Don’t do this again, you hear me? I can’t take more of this shit!”

Daniel felt wetness on his shoulder and tightened the embrace.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry…” The archaeologist’s voice sounded tight with emotion.

“Shhhhh, don’t you dare to apologize,” Jack cut his lover’s words. “Nothing of this is your fault.”

They pulled away a few inches, and their lips met in an ardent and salty kiss. Thor looked at the scene with curiosity. He didn’t know the two men shared such strong affection. That would explain the curious word O'Neill used to refer to Dr. Jackson- baby.

Daniel broke the kiss, but they kept their foreheads glued together.

“Jack, we've got company.”

“He won’t tell, right Thor?”

“I don’t know what you are referring to,” the small alien said with complicity. One didn’t get to be a supreme commander without learning how to ignore certain things.

“Before, what you told me,” Daniel asked his lover, “was I dreaming?”

“No, you weren’t dreaming.” Jack cupped the archaeologist’s head. “Thor restored your consciousness for a while.”

“So that woman…”

“… Crenshaw.”

“She supplanted Sam’s identity?”

“Yeah. That bitch.” Jack clenched his jaw.

“But why?”

“Apparently, she wanted to get rid of you and serve me to Carter on a silver dish. So it was my fault. You were right. We should have told Carter about us long ago.” Jack carded his lover's hair.

“Hey, don’t you dare to take all the blame. I am part of this relationship, too,” Daniel frowned at his lover’s words.

The two men stared at each other for a long minute and their silence talked about regret, understanding, unbreakable commitment, and love.

“I love you so much, baby, so much,” Jack said.

“I love you, too, Jack, my Jack, forever.”

Their lips and tongues met again in a wet, frantic dance. Suddenly, reality crashed on Daniel like a ton of bricks, and he pulled away again.

“Jack, the cell! You… how… they arrested you! How…?”

“Gentileza of our buddy here,” Jack pointed at Thor with his head.

“You went AWOL?!” Daniel exclaimed in shock.

“Of course not!” Jack pretended to be offended. “Technically, I was kidnapped. But I'm thinking about it.”

“What are you talking about?” The archaeologist shook his head, confused.

Jack cupped his lover's jaw with such tenderness, and at the same time, his chocolate eyes showed such sadness that Daniel’s heart leaped to his mouth.

“Jack?” his voice cracked.

“I got news from Washington a few hours before Thor brought us here. They…” the general cleared his throat, “they have decided to court-martial me.”

Daniel felt his newly restored heart shattering into a million pieces. He shook his head in denial. The video was authentic. No one knew that better than themselves. No way Jack was going to be declared innocent. All that angst, all that pain, and it had just been the beginning. What they were about to live would be much worst.

“Jack, oh, Jack…” Tears flowed and quickly reached the archaeologist’s chin.

Their bodies met again in a desperate hug that left them clinging to each other with such strength that it got difficult to breathe.

“This is so unfair, so unfair,” Daniel sobbed. “You’re the noblest man I've ever met. Your heart is so big, God, you don’t deserve to go to jail.”

“We knew this could happen,” Jack whispered.

“Does it make it fair?” Daniel squeezed the other man harder, if possible.

“No, of course not.” Jack buried his face in the younger man’s soft hair and sniffed his unique scent.

After several minutes, Jack broke the embrace and cupped the archaeologist’s beautiful face. He brushed the wet cheeks with his thumbs and pecked his nose.

“Let’s go somewhere to start from scratch.”

“Wha… what?”

“We've got a ship, you've got a full database of gate addresses in your brain. Let’s leave all that shit behind and restart somewhere else.”

Daniel looked at the older man in disbelief. “And then what? They know all the addresses I know. We would spend the rest of our lives running away from one planet to another. We would get caught, eventually. And then what? They would have even more reasons to put you in jail and throw away the key.”

Jack had to admit that his lover was right. Of all the options, the court-martial seemed to be the less fatal. Besides, perhaps they would have in consideration all that SG-1 had done for the planet during those years, and they wouldn’t condemn him after all. Perhaps they would just kick him out of the Air Force. He could live with that.

Jack stroked his partner’s face again.

“Thor, is there someplace on that ship where we can have some privacy?”

“Jack?” Daniel questioned his lover.

The general looked at those beautiful sapphire pools that were staring at him in a mixture of confusion and fear.

“This will be the last time we’re together in some time. We better take the best of it,” Jack half laughed-half sobbed.

“My mission has been fulfilled, and I must return to my planet as soon as possible,” Thor said. “I have been gone longer than expected.”

“Please, one hour. It’s all I ask,” Jack begged. “Please.”

Thor tilted his expressionless head to one side. One could never know what he was thinking.

“Very well,” he agreed. “Come with me.”

Jack helped Daniel to get off the capsule.

“Uh, Jack…” the archaeologist waved his hands in front of his nudity.

“Oh, shit. Uh, Thor, you don’t happen to have some clothes for Danny boy here, do you?”

“At the same time I beamed you here, I also beamed some of your attires,” the Argard replied. “I thought it might be useful to Daniel Jackson.”

“Great, thanks,” Daniel said.

Said attires were just a pair of cargo pants and a black t-shirt, but given the circumstances, it was enough. The archaeologist got dressed, and the couple followed Thor to a private room.

“I can give you one hour of your time,” he said. He slid the door shut and headed to the bridge.

***

Teal’c and the rest of SG-14 got into Lydia’s apartment using her own keys.

“We searched that place already,” Captain Nelson complained. “I don’t know what else they expect us to find.

“Shut up and do your job,” Major Peterson replied. “Don’t skip anything unusual. Apparently, that Crenshaw was a crackpot. There could be an alien cooking in the oven, for all we know.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The group searched the kitchen and the bedroom first, but they couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Next, they all headed to the living room, where they had found the computer the other time. Teal’c noticed the dog bed situated in front of the television.

“I was unaware AirmanCrenshaw possessed a canine,” he commented.

“She didn’t,” Peterson said. “What makes you think she had?”

The Jaffa pointed at the bed.

“What? The beanbag chair?” Nelson laughed. “This isn’t for dogs, look,” he said as he slumped on the big, soft bag. “Oh, yeah, very comfortable. I should buy one for myself.”

“Nelson,” Peterson warned. “Get out of there.”

“What? I'm only having some fun!”

Teal’c grabbed his knife and approached the chair. Nelson’s eyes wide opened in horror.

“What the fuck…? He said as he jumped off the bag.

Teal’c grabbed the object and slashed it with the knife. Thousands of tiny polystyrene beans spread on the floor.

“Teal’c, man, what are you doing?” Peterson protested.

The Jaffa spread the beans in all directions with his hands until a very familiar object surfaced.

“Holy shit!” the major exclaimed.

“There could be more,” Teal’c said.

The four members of SG-14 kneeled on the floor and joined the Jaffa. A few seconds later, Lieutenant Sanders came across a second device.

“There’s another one here!”

They all searched thoroughly among the beans, but they couldn’t find any other one. Sanders and Nelson held one object each.

“On three?” Nelson gulped. Sanders nodded.

“Be careful, guys,” Major Peterson warned.

“It’s ok, Major. We already know what these things do, right? One, two… three!”

Both Sanders and Nelson put the objects in the palm of their hand. The devices shone blue. Sanders’ body instantaneously turned into Jack while Nelson morphed into Daniel.

“Holly fucking shit!” Peterson exclaimed. “Teal’c, how the hell did you know?”

“A hunch.”

“Those Jaffa instincts, huh? You’re good, man. Oh, yeah, you’re good,” he patted the bigger man’s shoulder.

The two soldiers removed the alien device, and their bodies returned to their original forms.

“Well, that definitely changes things,” Nelson said.

“Indeed.”

***

Chapter Text

***

The moment Thor left the room, Jack and Daniel wrapped their arms around each other again and poured their souls into a new round of impetuous kisses. Ultimately, the lack of oxygen made their heads spin, and they dropped their bodies unceremoniously to the floor, their lips still latched. They separated for a second to catch some air, and they got down on business again.

“Love you… love you… I love you...” both men gasped between desperate kisses.

Jack guided Daniel to lie on his back. What they had expected to be a hard and cold floor turned out to be warm and strangely soft. Both men shrugged internally. They didn’t know what the Argard used that room for, and at that moment, they didn’t care.

They broke the last kiss and stared at each other with shining eyes full of devotion but also with hopelessness for what their lives would become once they went back to earth. Tears surfaced and swayed on Daniel’s lower eyelids. The instant one drop escaped, Jack kissed it away, and Daniel blinked back the rest. He didn’t want this for their last minutes together. Who knew when they would share a moment of intimacy again.

Jack attacked his lover’s mouth once more, and he sneaked his hand under the archaeologist’s t-shirt and up to his chest. Daniel moaned at the touch. There wasn’t anything he loved the most than feeling Jack’s warm hands on his skin. The general brushed the younger man’s nipples with his thumb and Daniel responded with something that sounded like a purr. The gray-haired man chuckled. Next, the general ran his hand downward, stroking every inch of smooth skin he found in his way. When he reached the younger man’s belly, he gently dipped a finger into his navel. Daniel stiffed instantaneously.

“No!” the archaeologist yelled out in horror.

He slapped Jack’s hand and crawled away from his lover until a wall halted him. He pasted himself on the metal, wrapped his arms around his midsection, and drew his knees to his chest. All of that while he locked at Jack with panic-filled eyes. The general quickly recognized Daniel’s reaction for what it was. The flashback of a very traumatic experience.

“God, Danny, what did they do to you?” he whispered.

The gray-haired man crawled slowly toward the younger man.

“Daniel, it’s me, Jack. You’re safe. We're in Thor's ship, remember?”

“I know…” the archaeologist panted. “It’s just… I… I'm sorry, I…”

“Hey, hey, there’s nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.”

Jack kicked himself mentally. They had beaten Daniel to an inch of his life and he had just recovered consciousness. What he had been through would traumatize the toughest of the soldiers, and there he was, only thinking about fucking him one last time.

Although Jack feared Daniel’s reaction wasn’t only because of the beating. He hated having to ask this, but he needed to know.

“Daniel, did they… did they abuse you?”

Daniel’s face scrunched in angst. He bit his lower lip and nodded.

“Those motherfuckers. I'm gonna kill them all,” Jack said through clenched teeth. “What did they do?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Daniel said. “It's over now.”

“The hell it doesn’t.”

“Jack, please, I… I don’t want to talk about it.” Daniel finished the sentence with a shuddering breath.

“Did they… did they… did they rape you, Danny?” Jack’s mouth dried.

“N-n-no… exactly.”

“What do you mean, exactly? Either they did or didn’t.” The general’s tone sounded harsher than intended.

“Jack, please,” Daniel’s voice wavered. “I can talk about this now, please,” Tears fell.

“Daniel, if they…”

“Please, please…”

The gray-haired man kicked himself again. His soul hurt at the misery reflected on his lover’s beautiful features and voice. Who knew what those beasts had done to him. Whatever it was, since his next stop was Leavenworth, the archaeologist would have to face it alone. Jack wouldn’t be there to comfort him during his nightmares. He wouldn’t be able to offer his shoulder to cry. The brigadier general screamed internally. Daniel was the most resilient person he had ever known. Even so, a few years of confinement would be nothing compared to what his lover was about to face.

Jack reached out a hand and brushed his lover’s leg. Daniel didn’t flinch. Ok, the leg was ok. Actually, the archaeologist had only reacted after he had dipped his finger into his navel. It was obvious those brutes had touched him there. The mere idea of those pieces of scum fingering his lover’s belly button made Jack feel like puking.

“Let me hug you, please, love. Please, let me give you some comfort. Please, I know it’s not much…”

“No, Jack, it’s… it’s everything.” Emotion broke Daniel’s voice.

He spread his legs and Jack moved closer. The gray-haired man placed his calves over his lover's thighs and they hugged tightly, chest to chest, crotch to crotch. This time, however, sex was the last of Jack’s urgencies. He ran circles on the younger man’s back as he rocked him back and forth. Daniel buried his head into the older man’s shoulder and welcomed the comfort.

“Promise me that if that shit overwhelms you and I'm not there, you will ask for help,” Jack said.

“Only if you promise that, too,” Daniel replied.

“I'm not the one who's been brutalized,” the general said, confused.

“Jack, you may end up in jail.” Daniel clutched his partner’s body. “I know you play tough for me, but you’re scared, too.”

“Daniel, my Daniel. No one knows me better than you.”

The two lovers stayed on the floor, legs and arms entangled, giving and receiving comfort as their hearts and souls reinforced, if possible, their bond of love.

***

When General Hammond saw the second set of devices, he could barely believe his eyes. The moment he witnessed Nelson and Sanders' bodies morphing into Jack and Daniel, he almost fell off his chair.

“Does that mean…?” The general’s mouth hung open.

“It appears that someone supplanted O'Neill and DanielJackson as well,” Teal’c said.

“So those two people in the video…”

“It is likely they aren’t our friends,” the Jaffa opined.

“Colonel?” Hammond looked at Sam, seeking her opinion.

“I agree with Teal’c, Sir. It seems the masquerade goes deeper than we thought.”

“Then if the people in the video aren’t General O’Neill and Doctor Jackson, who are they?”

At that moment, the emergency alarm went off and resounded through the base.

“Medical team to level 19th lab 3, medical team to level 19th lab 3!”

“This is next to my lab!” Sam gasped. Alan’s lab, she added mentally.

The general’s phone rang.

“Hammond.”

“Sir, we’ve got a situation in lab 3.”

The general dashed out of the room, Sam and Teal’c hot on his heels. When they arrived at the lab, the three of them stopped cold in their tracks and gasped in shock.

“Oh, God,” Sam covered her mouth with her hand.

Dr. Alan Granger hung from the ceiling, a belt wrapped around his broken neck. Two members of the medical team were standing on a desk, trying frantically to free the body. Teal’c joined them in a flash. A nurse was attending Dr. Megan Fowler, who was shaking uncontrollably, her face white as a sheet.

“What happened?” Hammond demanded.

“I… I went to the restroom,” Dr. Fowler explained, “and when I came back, I… I found him… I found him… oh, my God…”

They managed to lower the body to the floor, and Dr. Brightman hurried to check his vitals. It took her only a few seconds to determine Alan’s state.

“He’s dead,” she confirmed everyone’s suspicion.

“Why would he do that?” Hammond shook his head, utterly confused.

Sam’s eyes moistened. Why, Alan, why? I offered you a way out. Why didn’t you take it? Why?

It was then that Sam noticed the text on the scientist’s computer.

“He left a note,” she said.

Hammond and Teal’c joined her in front of the screen.

I fell in love with the devil, and I let her drag me into her madness. I stole those alien devices for her. I helped her to orchestrate her scam. I am as responsible for what happened to Doctor Jackson and General O'Neill as her. I can’t live with what I did to them, but the worst part is that I can’t live without her. I am sorry for all the harm I did. I hope this will help to restore some of it.

Alan Granger

Hammond let out something between a grunt and a sigh.

“I believe this explains everything.”

“Indeed.”

“I must contact Washington immediately,” Hammond said. “Colonel Carter, I want you to contact the Asgard. Tell me as soon as you succeed.”

“Yes, Sir.”

***

“O'Neill.”

“You said one hour,” Jack said, his face still buried in his lover’s sandy hair. He felt the younger man’s body tense in his arms.

“Jack?”

“It’s ok, Danny. We still have some time.”

“I received a communication from Earth,” Thor said. “It is Colonel Carter. She demands to speak to you immediately.”

“Tell her I'm busy,” Jack retorted.

“She said it is important. She insisted adamantly. She said she has got some good news.”

Daniel pulled away a few inches and looked at the older man.

“Jack, this could be important,” he said hoarsely.

“Nothing is more important than sharing my last minutes with you.” Jack pulled his lover closer again. Daniel clung to him.

Thor left and came back a few minutes later.

“I received a message from General Hammond. I believe their exact words were: the charges have been dropped. Bring your asses back to Earth immediately. There won’t be repercussions for any of you.”

The two lovers unglued their bodies and stared at each other in puzzlement. Jack turned his head to Thor.

“He said that?”

“How can this be possible?” Daniel asked, not daring to believe it.

“I don’t know, but I swear that if that’s some trick…”

The two lovers stood up and walked to the bridge with caution. The holographic images of Hammond, Sam, and Teal’c were waiting for them with huge smiles on their faces.

“Daniel!” Sam’s face shone. “It’s so good to see you well!”

“Sam? Is that really you?” the archaeologist asked cautiously.

“Yes, Daniel, it’s really me.” Tears threatened to reach the surface, and the colonel swallowed hard.

“Teal’c?” Daniel smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

“I am pleased to see you recovered your strength, my friend.” The Jaffa’s eyes shone with joy.

“So, General? Guys? What’s going on?” Jack asked, suspicious clear in his voice.

“We found out the truth about the video,” Hammond said. “Washington has dropped the charges.”

Jack and Daniel looked at each other in bewilderment. The truth? The truth was that the video was authentic. How could they drop the charges?

“And may I ask, Sir, what the truth is?” Jack’s eyebrows traveled to his hairline.

The three holograms explained the couple the last hours' events.

“He… he did that? Son of a bitch!” Jack felt sorry that Dr. Granger was dead. He would have enjoyed strangling the bastard himself.

“So, can we safely go back to Earth?” Daniel asked with hope. “Nothing will happen to Jack?”

“Nothing at all,” Hammond assured them.

“Show me your chest. All of you,” Jack demanded.

“Excuse me?” Hammond’s eyebrows crawled upwards.

“Sir?!” Sam's eyes became saucers.

“What? I just don’t know who is who anymore. I just want to be sure you’re who you say you are. Prove to us that you don’t have one of those doohickeys attached.”

“Fair enough,” Hammond said.

He unbuttoned his shirt and showed his upper chest. No alien devices were attached to the Texan-s skin. A visibly embarrassed Sam pulled the neck of her shirt a few inches down. No device either.

“That kind of technology doesn’t work with me,” Teal’c stated.

“All right then,” Jack said. “Thor, beam us down.”

The familiar beam engulfed Jack and Daniel’s forms and they materialized in the briefing room.

“Daniel!”

Sam launched towards the archaeologist, tears springing from her eyes. The two friends met in a heartfelt hug.

“Daniel, Daniel, I'm so sorry, so sorry for everything,” she sobbed on the man’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault,” his voice tightened with emotion as well. “It’s me who's sorry. I should have known that monster wasn’t you.”

“We all buy her act, Dr. Jackson,” Hammond said. “I believe none of us is proud of it.”

The two friends pulled away a few inches, and they stared at each other with watery eyes.

“It’s true what Jack told me? You… you were ready to give me one of your kidneys?”

“I would have given my life if with that I could have saved yours.”

“Oh, Sam.”

Their bodies met again.

“I love you, Daniel. You’re like a brother to me. I got mad at you for a while, but I never stopped loving you.”

“I love you, too, Sam. I don’t say it much, but it’s true.”

They broke the hug and next, it was Teal’c's turn to embrace his young friend.

“Thank you for being here, Teal’c,” Daniel said sincerely.

“I am glad I could offer some assistance.”

Hammond smiled fondly at the scene displayed in front of his eyes.

“So, now what?” Jack clasped his hands.

“It would be nice to have some shoes.” Daniel shrugged.

They all looked at his feet. The archaeologist was wearing only the t-shirt and pants Thor had beamed up, and those were at least one size too big.

“Of course, Dr. Jackson. Go and get dressed properly. You might want to eat something, too. We'll meet here to debrief in one hour. Dismissed.”

“I, uh… I'll go to change my clothes. Meet you guys at the mess hall?” Daniel suggested.

“I'll accompany you,” Jack said.

“Jack, it’s only my clothes,” Daniel rolled his eyes.

“Daniel?”

“Jack?”

“Alright then,” the gray-haired man gave up. “See you in ten?”

Daniel nodded, and they all headed towards the elevator. The archaeologist got off at level 25th and the rest continued toward level 22nd.

Daniel walked absently towards the locker room, and the moment he stood in front of the door, he froze. His heart started to pound wildly against his chest, and sweat bathed the palm of his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try to compose himself, but to no avail. Images of the attack in full technicolor popped into his mind. He could hear the attackers' voices, even smell their sweat. He couldn’t go back there, he couldn’t, just couldn’t… Daniel felt the urgency to run away, but where to go? They had attacked him in his office, too, and also on the surface. There was one place… one place he went to hide once. No one found him that day, not even Jack.

The elevator was out of the question, too, so Daniel rushed to the stairs and ran towards the infirmary.

***

Down in the mess hall, Jack checked his watch. Fifteen minutes already.

“Shouldn’t Daniel be here already?” Sam asked, her spoon deep inside her blue Jell-O.

“Crap, crap, crap!” Jack exclaimed.

“Sir?”

“Are we idiots or what? We left him alone in the locker room!”

“Yeah?”

“It’s where they attacked him! No one told you that?”

Jack stood abruptly and dashed out of the mess hall, Sam and Teal’c close behind him.

“Sir, I'm sure he’s alright,” the colonel said, trying to keep up. “Hammond already informed the entire base about the falseness of the video. Besides, the bad guys are either dead or in jail.”

“Not all of them.”

“Sir?”

“Not to mention he suffered a flashback in Thor's ship.”

They ran. 

***

“Daniel! Are you there?!” Jack shouted as he and Teal’c stormed into the room.

SG-15 was there, gearing up for their next mission.

“General?” Colonel Pierce, their leader, asked.

“How long have you been here? Have you seen Dr. Jackson?”

“We've been here for fifteen minutes. We haven’t seen him, Sir.”

“Damn.”

They met Sam in the corridor, and they all headed to Daniel’s office. The archaeologist wasn’t there either.

“May I suggest you call the surveillance room, Sir?” Sam suggested.

“Good thinking.”

Jack called the room and asked them to track Daniel’s steps since he left the elevator on the 25th floor. He got his answer after a couple of minutes.

“He’s in the infirmary. ISO 2.”

Jack thanked the woman and slammed the receiver to the cradle, wondering with concern why, of all places, Daniel had chosen the room where he had died three years ago to hide.

***

“I better go in there alone,” Jack told his friends the moment they arrived at the ISO rooms area. “You go see Hammond and tell him what’s going on.”

Sam and Teal’c reluctantly left. Jack stepped into the room. There wasn’t any patient at the moment, so it was dark. The general didn’t turn on the light for not to scare his lover.

“Daniel?”

Silence.

“Daniel, it’s me. I'm alone.”

Jack moved deeper into the room. He heard the sound of clothes brushing against clothes and followed it. He quickly spotted Daniel in a dark corner, knees pressing against his chest like in the Asgard ship, his entire body shaking, his face contorted in fear.

“Daniel, what are you doing here?” the gray-haired man asked softly as he squatted in front of the younger man.

“I… I’m not sure,” the archaeologist replied in a small voice.

“Come. We need to get you some clothes.”

“I… I can’t go back in there.”

“You don’t have to. Let me accompany you to your private quarters. I'll take your clothes there,” Jack offered.

Daniel thought about it for a moment and he finally nodded.

“I… I'm sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

“Hey, it’s ok. You went through a lot. No one is gonna think less of you if you’re jumpy for a while.”

Daniel crawled from behind the column that was shielding him, and Jack opened his arms to welcome him with a hug.

“No,” Daniel said. “The cameras.”

“What? Daniel, I've hugged you in public before, even before we became lovers.”

“Jack, please. We just got out of this, and I still don’t understand how. I'm not taking any risks. I… I can’t go through that again.”

“Ok. Ok,” Jack agreed, his heart heavy. “No hugs in public. C'mon. Let’s go.”

“I… I'd rather go to my quarters alone.”

“What?”

“Look, I feel like an idiot right now. I… I overreacted. Please, tell General Hammond I'll be a bit late for the debriefing.” Both men stood up.

“You don’t need to play tough with me either. I can ask him to postpone it if you’re not up to it.”

“No, no, I'll be fine, honest.”

“Daniel…”

“Jack, please, just… just let’s get out of here.”

The general let it go for now, but he swore to himself he'd keep a close eye on the younger man.

No matter how much Daniel protested, Jack accompanied him to his quarters and asked him to wait there while he got him some clothes. The general said nothing, but the fact that Daniel ignored him during their way bothered him big time. Jack went to the locker room to get his lover’s clothes, and they agreed to meet in the debriefing room in a while. Not wanting to risk another episode, he asked Teal’c to keep an eye on the archaeologist. The Jaffa complied with the order discreetly. He pretended to come across Daniel in the elevator, and the two friends walked together to the meeting.

***

It was a long debriefing. Both Jack and Daniel explained their experiences in the base since the moment the brigadier general was arrested. They identified the SF who beat the archaeologist in the corridor and the MP who had been mocking Jack all along. Hammond ordered their immediate arrest. He also sent someone to fix Daniel’s car.

The official report stated that Dr. Granger had stolen the three devices from Area 51, and he had used them together with Airman Crenshaw to record the video of Jack and Daniel's intercourse in the brigadier general’s house while he was in Minnesota. Since both suspects were dead, there was no way to interrogate them, but Washington considered that Dr. Granger’s confession of sorts was enough. Although they had decided to court-martial Jack before getting the new evidence, no one in Washington was eager to risk the secrecy of the project, so they were more than happy to rectify, stamp the *case closed* mark, store the file, and forget about the incident.

Hammond dismissed the group and things were back to how they were two weeks ago, with Jack processing his retirement and his substitute, General Hank Landry still in Washington being filled with the secrets of the Stargate.

“I need about one hour to settle some things, and then I'll take you home,” Jack told Daniel.

“You, uh… you don’t need to bother. I can go on my own.” The archaeologist looked at his feet.

“Daniel, the tires of your car are slashed, remember?”

“What? Oh, yeah, of course.”

“I can take you home if you want,” Sam offered.

The archaeologist adjusted his glasses. “That, uh… that would be great. Thanks, Sam.”

The couple left, leaving a stunned Jack behind.

“Oh, Jack,” Hammond stopped the brigadier general before he could leave the room. “I want you to know that our private conversations will remain private.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“I will stay until your substitute arrives. Meanwhile, take care of that young man.”

“Yes, Sir.”

***

Chapter Text

Jack climbed the stairs two steps at a time. He hadn’t liked one bit the expression on Daniel’s features when they had said goodbye at the SGC. Not that he had seen much of his face, anyway. The archaeologist had avoided eye contact during the entire debriefing, and the way he had hurried to accept Sam’s offer to drive him home had left Jack more than concerned about his lover’s mental state.

The gray-haired man reached the apartment and punched the doorbell with his fist. He waited for several seconds, but no one opened it. The general rang again. Nothing. Next, he pounded at the door.

“Daniel, open the door. It’s me!”

Still nothing. Jack knocked harder.

“Daniel, you there?!”

Inside the apartment, Daniel stood paralyzed on the balcony. He was holding the railing so hard that his knuckles turned white. How could he be one hundred percent sure the visitor was Jack? What if there were more bigots they hadn’t detected and one of them had stolen the alien devices?

“I'm coming in!” he heard Jack’s voice yell, concern obvious in his voice.

The general used his spare key and came into the apartment. His eyes swept the entrance and living room, and the moment he saw his lover standing unmoving on the balcony, the general’s concern increased tenfold. He was only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, no socks, or glasses. Memories of another balcony from another time popped into the general’s mind, and he pushed them away. At least this time, Daniel was standing on the right side of the railing. Uneasiness spread in Jack’s gut as he approached the younger man.

“Hey,” he said softly, not wanting to startle his partner. Daniel was staring blankly at the horizon, and the brigadier general wasn’t sure whether he had heard him arrive. “Didn’t hear me calling you?”

“Uh, Jack?” the archaeologist half turned his head to greet the older man, but his hands didn’t leave the railing. His voice sounded hoarse. Fuck, Jack thought. Daniel had been crying again.

The gray-haired man moved closer. The archaeologist’s body stiffed.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?”

“I, uh… it’s just, uh…”

Daniel turned around and unconsciously waved his hand in front of his chest. Jack quickly realized what the problem was. He pulled up his t-shirt and tank top to show his bare chest with no alien device attached. The archaeologist blushed, embarrassed.

“Sorry, sorry. That was stupid of me,” he breathed.

“After everything that happened, no one can blame you for being cautious.”

Jack took a step forward and opened his arms in invitation, but Daniel walked past him and got into the living room. Jack’s inner alarm went off.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jack asked, confused. His lover had never refused a hug before. “It’s me, Daniel. It’s really me.”

“I know.”

Daniel pushed an inexistent strand of hair behind his ear. Jack had only seen him doing this once, that time the archaeologist was unjustly locked in that padded room. The simple gesture told Jack everything he needed to know about his lover’s current mental and emotional state.

Jack moved closer, and the archaeologist wrapped his arms around his middle. “Daniel, what were you doing out there?”

“Thinking. Probably overthinking, I don’t know.” A sad laugh escaped the archaeologist’s lips.

“About?”

“I can’t do this anymore.” Sapphire eyes fell away.

“This? What?”

“The secrecy. The hiding.”

“It will change soon, you know that. No more Air Force, no more hiding.” Jack took a step forward. Daniel backed away.

“How, Jack? How is it going to change? What difference will it make?” Daniel stared at the older man with haunted eyes. “Will I be able to hold your hand on the street? Will I be able to kiss you in the park? Will I be able to feed you with my spoon in a restaurant?”

“You're right, it sucks, but you knew what we were getting ourselves into from the beginning, Daniel.”

The archaeologist closed his eyes and nodded. 

“You shouldn’t have come,” he said after a few seconds of silence.

“What?” Jack frowned with incomprehension. “It’s obvious you’re hurting. How could I not come?”

“There could be cameras here, too, they could…”

“There are no cameras here,” Jack interrupted his lover. “They searched your apartment, remember?”

“Even so. It’s too risky.”

“Baby, we’re safe here. What’s got into you?” Jack was at a loss. It all had ended well for them.

“What’s got into…?” Daniel blinked in disbelief. “I almost lost you, Jack. You almost end up in jail because of me!”

“Don’t you dare to take the blame for this,” Jack said in a warning tone. “Besides, we don’t know that for sure if they would have condemned me, but you… you said you almost lost me? I lost you, Daniel, for real! You died in front of me! Have you already forgotten that?! But you know what? All I want is to go on with my plans for retirement and put all this mess behind. We got out of that one, I still don’t know why and I'm not going to ask,” Jack didn’t say it, but he suspected Carter and Teal’c had a great deal to do with it. “It all ended up well for us, and all I want is to enjoy this new chance with you.”

“I can’t go through that again.” The archaeologist’s face scrunched while anguish made his voice shake.

“You won’t,” Jack replied firmly. “I'll be a former Air Force in a few days,” he insisted. “It won’t happen again.”

The general tried once again to move closer, and Daniel automatically tightened his self-hug.

“You don’t know that!” the younger man shouted, his body trembling. “It happened in the SGC this time, but it could happen in a dark alley tomorrow, and Thor won’t be there to beam us up!”

“We’re no longer talking about me going to jail, are we?” Jack’s frown deepened. “We’re talking about what they did to you.”

“It might happen again, and you know it.” Daniel’s voice dropped to just above a whisper. He squeezed his eyes shut, and the tremors that shook his frame increased. A shuddering sob escaped his lips.

A dark, heavy ball settled in Jack’s gut. Daniel had gone through a lot of nasty situations in his life. He had been tortured and killed who knew how many times, and he had always come back stronger. What happened this time that left him so spooked? Jack started to think the attack had been even worse than he had dared to imagine.

“God, Danny. What did they do to you?”

“Jack, please. I don’t want to talk about this. I… I just want to forget it and go on with my life. It’s just… I don’t know how to do it, and I don’t think I’ll find the answer here.”

“Daniel? What are you saying?” The general was having a terrible feeling about all that.

The archaeologist looked at his lover, his eyes so full of sorrow that Jack’s heart skipped a beat or two.

“I love you, and I want to be with you more than anything, but I need to figure out how. And I need some time to do it. Far from here. Far from...”

“… me?”

“I don’t know. Perhaps.” Daniel stared at his bare feet.

Jack’s heart stopped altogether for a few seconds. Could he panic already?

“You… you’re dumping me?”

“What?” Daniel's head jerked up and looked at the older man, his face contorted with shock. “No! No! I told you! I love you! I committed to you long ago. I can’t even imagine a life without you!”

“Then what are you saying? Because forgive me, Daniel, but you’re not making sense at all!”

“What I'm saying is that I'm tired of hiding and I can't expose our relationship publicly either. And I love you so much. You’re my life, too, but I don’t know how to make it without freaking out at every corner, and I feel… I feel like I can’t even think here.”

“Then let’s move together. We could go to Canada, get married, live a normal life,” Jack’s suggestion sounded full of despair.

“What? You want me to retire, too?” Daniel let out a sad, sharp laugh. “I’m thirty-nine years old, Jack. I'm not ready to give up my work. The Stargate program is way too important.”

“Dammit, Daniel. You’re constantly contradicting yourself. You say you want to keep your work, and at the same time you say you want to leave?”

Daniel's gaze found the ceiling. He blinked back tears before focusing on his lover again. “You know I love my job, but going through the Stargate entails so many risks… uncertainty, constant peril… There were two places where I felt safe against all that madness- my office and your house. It was home, my refuge, the safest place in the universe…”

“…and they spoiled it,” Jack continued for him. “The moment they broke into my house, hid the cameras, they stole that from you.”

Daniel’s chin met his chest.

“Listen, I also wanted to run away from everything when I came back from Iraq,” Jack explained. “I shut everyone down and ran away, but it didn’t work. I went to the cabin alone. I stayed there for two weeks until Sara came for me. I was drunk, and we had a hot argument until she played Charlie’s card and dragged me home. I can’t be more grateful for what she did. I won’t lie to you. It wasn’t easy from there, but I couldn’t have made it without them.”

“This is totally different.” Daniel shook his head. “You had a place where to feel safe.”

“I know, but you still have me. Don’t shut me down! I did it with Sara again when Charlie died, and look how it ended. But I finally learned the lesson. We're in this together, Daniel. We're partners. Doesn’t it mean anything to you?”

“Of course it does.” Sapphire met chocolate again. “It means everything, but I feel… I feel like I can’t breathe here. I need to put some space in between.”

“Then where? Where do you want to go?” Jack asked, fearing the answer.

Daniel glanced at the horizon through the balcony window. “The Dedalus sets off to Atlantis in three weeks.” His gaze went back to his lover. “I want to go with them.”

An invisible fist slammed into Jack’s gut.

“You selfish bastard,” he hissed.

Daniel looked at the older man in horror. He didn’t seem to be able to make Jack understand why he needed to go.

“It wouldn’t be forever. One year tops.”

“One year?!”

Jack turned around abruptly and started to pace.

“Didn’t you listen to anything I said?!” the general exclaimed, exasperated. “If you think that coping with what happened to you is hard, imagine doing it surrounded by strangers!” Jack lost the control he had been fighting to keep until now.

“I'm sorry. I don’t know what else I can do!”

“I've sulking in that cell for over a week, worried sick about what the marines might be doing to you, dying slowly before the possibility of going to jail and not being able to see you in years, and now that we can be together you decide to leave to another galaxy?! Don’t you think I have something to say on the matter? You can’t make a decision like this for both of us! I’m your partner! We are in this together! I'm retiring for you, dammit!” the general shouted out of frustration.

Daniel’s face contorted in shock.

“You bastard.” He shoved the older man away.

“What the fuck?”

“You promised me you wanted to retire for yourself!” the younger man accused with his finger.

“I swear to you that sometimes you’re worse than Sara.” Jack regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. This wasn’t what Daniel needed right now. Way to go, O’Neill, you son of a bitch.

Daniel’s face paled more, if possible.

“Fuck you.”

“Shit, Danny, I'm sorry.”

This reminded Jack of his argument with Sara all those years ago. If he had learned something that day, it was that when people were hurting deeply, they could say a lot of bullshit. The general stepped forward and embraced his other half. The archaeologist tried to push him away, but the general held him in an iron grip.

“I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to say, but I’m at a loss. You’re hurting, and I don’t know what to do to help, and it’s killing me inside.”

Jack took a deep breath to compose himself. He broke the hug and cupped his lover’s jaw with both hands.

“Look, I didn’t lie to you about the retiring thing. Flying a desk isn’t my thing, although I don’t deny that our relationship rushed things a bit. I want to be with you more than anything, and I thought you wanted it, too, and now you say you’re leaving. I… I'm confused and scared. The simple idea of losing you again for an entire year…”

“Don’t you think it breaks my heart, too?” Deep sorrow masked the younger man’s voice.

“Don’t do it, Daniel. Don’t bury yourself in your work. It might have helped you before, but it won’t help you this time.”

“Then what can I do?”

“Staying with me would be a good start!” the general exclaimed, harsher than intended.

Daniel stepped backward and self-hugged again. Jack’s heart sunk deeper. It was obvious his lover was hurting deeply and, as he said, he couldn’t think clearly. The general couldn’t blame him for feeling that way. Daniel had lived the most terrible experience a person involved in a same-sex relationship could go through. He would need time to trust his own shadow again, but the general had learned the hard way that leaving wasn’t the solution. And Daniel wanted to go to another galaxy, no less? Then something occurred to Jack. When Daniel’s parents died, he had to cope on his own, surrounded by strangers. He might think that was the only way, but he was so wrong.

Jack put his left hand on his hip and ran his right fingers through his silver hair.

“Listen to me, Danny. If you leave, they win. They broke your body. Don’t let them break us.”

“You… you don’t understand.”

“Then explain it to me! This isn’t like you, Daniel. You have never run away from anything. What did those bastards do to you? What aren’t you telling me?”

The archaeologist just shook his head.

“Daniel, please. I love you. You’re my life. I want to help you.”

The archaeologist's arms squeezed his own body harder, if possible. He tried to push the memory of the attack away. He just wanted to forget about it, but he couldn’t. It was there every time he closed his eyes. It would likely be his night companion for a long time.

“Baby, please, let me help you.” Jack reached out a hand, but he didn’t dare to touch his lover. He got the feeling that if he did, the younger man would burst or anything worst.

Daniel still didn’t talk.

“Please, don’t shut me out, please…”

The archaeologist’s chest heaved sharply as if he had been holding his breath, and when he finally spoke, his voice sounded alarmingly fragile.

“He… he had a gun.”

“What?!” A mixture of confusion and alarm knitted Jack’s eyebrows together. Gun? What gun? No one said anything about a gun.

No matter how hard he tried to push them, the archaeologist felt the memories overwhelming every corner of his being. He closed his eyes, trying desperately to contain the tears.

“Da… niel?” Jack choked.

“He had a gun!” Daniel popped open bloodshot eyes. A ragged sob and a completely broken voice followed the yell. “Do you really want to know what they did to me?! Do you?!”

“God, Daniel…” Jack felt utterly terrified about what the younger man was about to say.

“He put the barrel in my mouth and made me suck it!” A first tear escaped from the corner of Daniel’s eye.

Jack’s hair stood on end.

“He said, suck it or I'll pull the trigger! When he was satisfied, he ran the gun down my body, dipped it into my navel, and fucked it!”

Daniel was crying openly now. The general stared at him, horrified. He felt a raw rage building in his gut. Those motherfuckers! Sons of bitches! No wonder the archaeologist had reacted the way he did when he touched his belly button in Thor's ship! But Daniel’s horror tale didn’t stop there.

“In the end, he… God… he… he shoved the gun into my ass! He fucked my ass with that barrel, Jack, and it hurt so much… so much… I… I wanted to die, I… I only wanted to die… I only wanted to die…”

Jack felt as if he had been shot in the gut and stabbed in the heart simultaneously. Oh, God, oh, God… the unbearable torture his lover had suffered! No wonder he only wished to run away! The general no longer wanted to kill those bastards. He wanted to torture them over and over again, then kill them, then find a Goa’uld sarcophagus and start it all over again.

Soul-wrenching sobs filled the apartment. The bullet in Jack’s gut and the knife plunged into his heart sank deeper. The general couldn’t hold it anymore. Shaking legs pushed him forward, and he engulfed his lover in a rib-crushing hug.

“It’s over, it’s over, you’re safe now…” Jack repeated in a constant loop.

The general felt his own tears flow and dampen the younger man’s clothes. Daniel’s knees buckled and Jack accompanied him in a controlled fall to the floor. They sat in a tangle of limbs. Jack promised himself that he would devote the rest of his life to protecting and cherishing his lover no matter what.

Daniel’s sobs became silent, but Jack didn’t let go of him. The general continued rocking his lover back and forth as he whispered words of comfort into his ear. After several minutes, the archaeologist's body went limp in his lover’s arms.

“Hey, are you getting asleep on me?” Jack whispered.

“Sorry,” Daniel said drowsily. “I'm just so tired.” He let out a long, melancholic sigh.

“You’re entitled to be. Come. Let’s sit you on the couch.”

Daniel gasped the moment he realized the position they were sitting on the floor.

“Jack, your knees.” The archaeologist sounded exhausted.

“Hey, it’s not that bad.” Jack disentangled their limbs and stood up. “I'll make us a sandwich. I bet you haven’t eaten in a while.”

“I'm not hungry,” Daniel whined.

“Even so, you need to eat something.”

The colonel helped his lover to accommodate on the couch and went to the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later with two sandwiches and a pot of coffee.

“You alright?” Jack asked his lover as he gave him the food.

The archaeologist nodded his thanks. He sipped some coffee, bit a small piece of bread, and chewed absently.

“Since my parents died, I've been bouncing from one place to another,” he explained wearily. Jack listened with attention. “I've felt like an outcast most of my life. Foster parents who couldn’t understand the orphan who didn’t accept a hug, classmates who couldn’t understand the boy who preferred to bury himself under a ton of books rather than play baseball, the archaeologist community… and when I finally found a place where I'm accepted, even respected for my knowledge, they condemn me for the way I love.”

Jack wanted to say something to comfort his lover, but nothing seemed to be appropriate. He grabbed his free hand and squeezed it tenderly. Their eyes met. There was so much pain in those beautiful blue orbs. Jack shuddered internally. Daniel deserved nothing but happiness. How could be life so cruel with such a gentle soul?

“C'mere.” The general sneaked an arm around his partner’s shoulder and pulled him to his chest. Daniel snuggled against his lover, who held him tightly as he swallowed another tiny bite of his sandwich.

“What happened to us exacerbated my feeling about the unfairness of the situation, you know?” Daniel explained, his voice barely above a whisper. “I mean… I… I can understand that some people don’t accept the idea of same-sex relationships. They teach us it’s wrong. But torture and killing me only because I'm in love with a man? And it’s not only the military. Dr. Granger was a civilian, and although he ultimately realized what he did was wrong, he did it nonetheless. Bigotry is everywhere. And you know what? It pisses me off beyond reason and saddens me in the same proportion. It doesn’t matter that we saved the planet countless times. All they saw was a pair of fagots. This planet is not ready for people like us, Jack. I have to stay alert every time I go off-world. I don’t want to have to walk looking over my shoulder here, too. And I'm sorry if it sounds plaintive to you, but I've had it. I just… I need a rest. If you don’t want me to leave, then give me another option because right now, I don’t know what else to do. All I know is that I can’t stay here. I’m haunted by the idea that someone could do to you what they did to me, and it terrifies me.”

Ok, time for a full-blown panic attack. Daniel just admitted he was terrified? The man who had succumbed to the radiation poisoning without batting an eyelid? All of a sudden, everything made sense. Daniel wasn’t scared about his own fate, but his lover’s.

“Maybe… maybe you should talk to someone.”

“What? A shrink?” Daniel’s eyebrows knitted together.

“It could help,” Jack shrugged.

Daniel pulled away a few inches.

“I'm not telling a total stranger how they shoved a gun up my ass, Jack.”

The general scrubbed his face. It seemed that he made things worse every time he opened his mouth.

“Alright, alright, no shrinks.” The gray-haired man took a deep breath.

Jack pulled his lover against his chest again. The worst thing was that the younger man was right. He couldn’t promise that nothing would happen to him. What to do? What could he say from stopping the younger man from doing the worst mistake in his life? HE needed to think of something. Usually, it was Daniel who came up with the brightest ideas, but at the moment, he was too traumatized to think clearly. It was time for the general to return his lover the favor, but he needed some time, too. He hoped three weeks would be enough.

“I'll think of something. Just… don’t make any rush decision,” Jack said. “Everything is too recent. You may see things differently in a few days.”

Daniel stared at those warm eyes that meant the world to him. He so wished to sleep the rest of his life wrapped in Jack’s strong arms and wake up to those beautiful chocolate eyes! The idea of asking Jack to go to Atlantis with him crossed his mind, but he quickly discarded it. Things wouldn’t be so different for them there, would they?

“Ok, ok,” the archaeologist whispered. “but if either you and I haven’t come up with something by the time Dedalus leaves…”

“We will. I will. I promise.”

Daniel felt he could breathe slightly better. Maybe Jack was right and he would see things differently in a few days.

“I love you, Jack.”

“I love you, too, baby.”

Jack leaned forward for a kiss, but Daniel stopped him.

“Please, not before you retire.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Jack swallowed his frustration. “Listen, uh… take a week, relax, have a good rest. That will help you get some perspective.”

“Ok. Ok.” Daniel accepted. For once, he wasn’t eager to go back to the SGC. The archaeologist yawned and Jack realized his eyelids were hanging half-mast.

“Come. Let’s put you into bed.”

Once again, the archaeologist didn’t resist. He lay under the cover, and Jack tucked him.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Jack asked warmly.

“Yeah, yeah, I think so.”

“I need to go back to the base in the morning, but I could stay through the night.”

“Please, Jack, we’ve already talked about it.”

“I hate leaving you like this.”

“I'll feel much better knowing that you’re safe at home,” Daniel breathed.

“Daniel…”

“Jack, I'll be fine, I promise.”

“Promise me also that you will call if you need anything, ok? Even if you just need to talk.”

“Mhmmm.”

“I love you, Daniel. More than anything.”

“Love you toommm…”

Jack left carrying a heavy heart and praying that the nightmares to come wouldn’t be too hard. He needed to come up with something soon because an entire year without Daniel around was totally out of the question. He was a General in the Air Force, after all. He designed strategies for living, and this was the most important battle he had ever faced. He had to find a solution that satisfied both parts, and he would.

Suddenly, a crazy idea crossed his mind. How come he hadn’t thought of that before? Jack didn’t even know if that was physically possible, but he had to try.

***

Chapter Text

***

The next morning, Jack found Sam in her lab, working in one of those alien doohickeys she loved so much.

“Carter.”

“Sir.”

“You’re supposed to be on downtime. I gave you a month, remember?”

“I know, Sir, but after everything that happened, I… I guess I need to have my mind busy,” she made a face.

“Yeah, that I can understand,” the general scrubbed his head.

“How, uh… how’s Daniel?” Sam asked, genuinely concerned.

“He’s not well,” Jack replied. “He can’t stop thinking of what those bastards did to him.”

Sam’s heart sank. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for what had happened.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Jack said. “He needs his friends, his family around, but he doesn’t want me near him, not until I’m officially retired. He says it's too risky. Besides, I’ve got to go to Washington and I have no idea for how long. It might be for a few days or for a few weeks. My replacement will arrive in one week, General Hank Landry, a good person. Hammond will stay until then.”

“I will keep an eye on Daniel,” Sam stated. “I think both of us could use the distraction.”

“That, uh… that would be great, Carter. Just don’t tell him I said anything, ok?”

The colonel nodded. “How about you? Are you alright?”

“I will be in the moment I see Daniel smile again,” Jack said, his eyes clouded with sadness.

“He'll get through it,” Sam said. “He always does, right?”

“Everyone has a limit.”

The colonel swallowed. She got the impression she had said the wrong thing.

“Yes, Sir,” she whispered just before Jack left the room.

***

That afternoon, Sam and Teal’c went to Daniel’s apartment. The archaeologist didn’t open the door at first. Actually, he only did it when his friends identified themselves. The moment he opened it, Sam suppressed a gasp. Daniel’s clothes were crumpled, his hair disheveled, his eyes puffy and red-rimmed, and he hadn’t shaved.

“Hi, guys,” he said wearily.

“It’s good to see you, DanielJackson.”

“Daniel.” Sam pulled her friend into a brief, heartfelt hug. “Are you alright?”

“Been better,” he shrugged.

The archaeologist let his friends come in and they headed towards the living room. There were books scattered all over the place.

“Daniel?” Sam questioned. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, I'm arranging my books and notes, you know, to choose the ones that are coming with me.”

“Are you leaving, Danieljackson?” Both Teal’c and Sam frowned in confusion.

“Didn’t Jack tell you?”

“Tell us? Tell us what?” Sam asked, her eyes wide with alarm. The general said nothing about the archaeologist leaving. No wonder he had looked so devastated.

“I’ll ask for a transfer to Atlantis,” Daniel said.

“What?! Why?!”

Sam and Daniel sat down on the couch while Teal’c occupied an armchair. The archaeologist summed up what he had told Jack, although he skipped the details of the attack. When he finished, both his and Sam's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

“Please, Daniel, don’t take a rush decision based on your pain,” Sam implored. “I understand you want to protect the general, but you’re meant to be together. If you go to another galaxy, you won’t be able to come back in a long time, if ever.”

“I believe ColonelCarter’s words are wise,” Teal’c said stoically.

“Jack told me the same,” Daniel sank on the couch, “but it seems the best option at the moment. I need to put a significant distance between me and what happened.”

Sam leaned forward, rested his elbows on her knees, and covered her mouth with her hands in concentration. One could see her gears running at full speed. Once she ordered her ideas, the colonel sat upright and grabbed Daniel’s hand.

“Let’s go somewhere for a few days,” she said. “On vacation. The three of us.”

“Wha… what?” The archaeologist’s eyebrows met his hairline.

“Daniel, you need to stop thinking about all this for a while, get some perspective. I went to Aspen after my father’s funeral and everything looked so different after only one week. A getaway would help you clear your mind, but I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

“I believe ColonelCarter idea is very appropriate,” Teal’c opined. “Unfortunately, I will not be able to accompany you. Things are being difficult in Dakara, and I must go back as soon as possible.”

“Oh, Teal’c, “Sam's lips curved downwards. “So what do you say, Daniel? Just the two of us?”

“I… I don’t know. Where would we go?”

“I don’t know, but I've got enough mountains for a while. What about the beach?”

“The beach?”

“Yeah, we could go to California, or Florida, or even better, Hawaii!” Sam suggested.

“I, uh… I've n-never been to Ha-Hawaii,” Daniel stammered.

“Then Hawaii it is!” Sam exclaimed excitedly.

“Sam, are you sure about this?” the archaeologist asked, still not very convinced.

“To be honest, I think I need this myself,” Sam said. “I had a lot of time to think in Aspen. I realized my obsession with the general made me grow away from you. You’re my best friend, Daniel. I think that I’ve loved you since the instant I met you, and I feel I've been so unfair to you. I would like to have the chance to reconnect.”

Daniel thought about Sam’s words for a moment. He had to admit the idea warmed his heart. She was right. They had drifted apart during the last years, and he missed the closeness they used to share at the beginning of their adventure.

“Ok,” he finally agreed. “Ok, let’s do this.”

“Great!” Sam hugged her friend. From the armchair in front of them, Teal’c smiled with satisfaction. “Let me make some calls,” she said. “I'll arrange everything!”

Daniel and Teal’c played some chess while Sam was on the phone. The primary goal of the trip was to relax and reconnect, so Sam rented a private cottage on Anini Beach, on Kauai Island. The colonel joined her friends with a huge grin brightening her face.

“I love the advantages of working for the Air Force, she said. “Pack your trunks. We leave in the morning!”

***

The three friends shared a pizza, and Sam and Teal’c left. Daniel and the Jaffa shared a quite emotive farewell. Who knew when they would meet again. The archaeologist was preparing the luggage when the phone rang. It was Jack. The general informed his lover that he would set off to Washington in the morning, and it was likely that he would stay there for several days. Daniel told the older man about his and Sam’s plans. Jack sent a mental hug to the woman. Way to take care of Daniel! He owed her big time!

The two lovers said goodbye without daring to express their feelings on the phone. Daniel finished the luggage, took a shower, and went to sleep. Sam would pick him up at 6:00 sharp. Even so, no matter how hard he tried, the archaeologist couldn’t sleep a wink. He tossed and turned the entire night, his mind struggling to find a solution to his situation that wouldn’t involve getting separated from Jack for a year. By the time the alarm clock went off, Daniel was wide awake. Sam came to pick him up as planned, and the couple left Colorado behind.

***

The two friends didn't chat much on the plane. Daniel wasn’t really in the mood, and after his sleepless night, he drifted off as soon as they reached the stratosphere. The archaeologist was caught in a nightmare and jerked awake after a while. Fortunately, Sam's quick reaction avoided that he made a spectacle in the aircraft. The episode repeated a few hours later. Once again, the colonel hurried to soothe her friend. She didn’t ask. That would be a question for another time.

***

The plane landed at Lihue airport on time. The two friends rented a car and drove to the cottage on Anini beach. The place looked taken directly from a postcard. It was a wooden house with two large rooms with a king-size bed each and an even larger porch. It was beautifully decorated, and there was a piano in the living room. Native vegetation surrounded the house, and a colorful path led to the beach. All in all, it was a private paradise.

Daniel and Sam left their luggage in separate rooms and went to taste the water. It felt warm but not excessively hot, and they both enjoyed a pleasant swim. It was late in the afternoon, so they sunbathed for a little while and went back to the cottage. Daniel put his luggage away while Sam took a shower, and they changed roles afterward. They went to have dinner at a restaurant nearby and went back to the cottage to relax. Sam prepared some coffee while Daniel played the piano. The colonel left a tray with two mugs, milk, and sugar on the coffee table and Daniel joined her on the couch.

“That melody, it sounded sad,” Sam said.

“Kinda fits the mood,” Daniel shrugged.

Sam grabbed his hand and looked at him with empathy.

“Sorry. We're supposed to be here to relax,” the archaeologist said.

“We’re here to heal,” Sam corrected him with a soft smile.

Daniel slid an arm over the colonel’s shoulders and pulled her closer. She put her feet on the couch and leaned against the archaeologist's shoulder as she cradled her mug against her chest.

“You know, I hadn’t realized until now how much I missed you, the closeness, the feeling of having a second brother. I was so obsessed with the general that I didn’t pay attention to you since… God, I don’t even remember the last time I look, I mean, really, really looked at you.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Sam.” Daniel rubbed her arm. “We should have told you. We let you rejoice in your fantasy, and it wasn’t fair to you.”

“Yes, you should,” Sam sighed. “But I understand why you didn’t.”

“It was a recurrent argument between Jack and me, you know? He always denied that you had feelings for him. If he didn’t acknowledge it, he didn’t have to deal with it. I guess he thought that since he wouldn’t act on them, you'd get tired of waiting and would find someone else, and when you started to date Pete… I should have insisted further. I'm sorry I let him convince me otherwise.”

“Ugh, Pete,” Sam covered her eyes with her hand. “I analyzed our relationship in Aspen, and I concluded I used him to make the general jealous.” The colonel looked at Daniel and bit her lower lip. “I'm a terrible person, aren’t I?”

“No, Sam, you aren’t. You’re only human. Don’t try to be Superwoman. You made a mistake, and you fixed it before it was too late.”

“You’re too good to me. I don’t deserve you as a friend,” she snuggled against the warm, firm body.

“You have me anyway,” he smiled softly.

“I should have guessed it myself. I mean, about you and the general. When I think about it, I don’t understand how I missed it. I didn’t want to see it, I guess.”

“Oh.”

“I realize now there were so many moments that screamed *we're an item*,” Sam sighed. “For example, that day at the general’s house, the second time he got the knowledge of the Ancients downloaded in his head.

“What about that day?” Daniel asked, not knowing what the colonel was referring to.

“I went to see the general first, remember? I thought of telling him about my, you know, feelings, and when I arrived there… huh, we didn’t even know what to talk about. You’re supposed to feel comfortable with your potential partner, but it was so awkward. He told me I was a national treasure at one point, and I was stupid enough to think that, well, you know. I was thirty-six years old, and I behaved like a teenager with a crush.” The colonel rolled her eyes. “And then you and Teal'c arrived.”

“Yes, I remember that,” Daniel nodded.

“Everything changed the moment you stepped through the threshold, Daniel. Jack's face brightened. You were so at ease with each other. We drank beer and joked. I wanted to believe it was because you were long-term friends, you know, pals, that typical guys' thing. But it was so much more, and I didn’t want to see it.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Sam shook her head. “What you have is beautiful.”

They remained silent for a moment, and then Sam looked at her friend.

 “Do you want to know the funniest thing?” she grinned at the archaeologist mischievously.

“What?”

“The day I met you, I wetted my panties.”

“What?!!!” Daniel squeaked. He looked at Sam, his eyebrows hitting the ceiling.

“It’s true,” the colonel giggled. “The pic in your profile didn’t make you justice at all. When I saw you, all tall and gorgeous, dressed in those robes, with those eyes to die for...”

“Go… gorgeous? E… eyes to die for?” Daniel blinked, stunned.

“You’re a looker, Daniel. Live with it,” Sam laughed.

“Ok, now you’re scaring me. Are you sure you’re, you know… you?”

The colonel saw a hint of fear on the archaeologist’s face and kicked herself mentally. She pulled away a few inches and stared at her friend.

“Oh, God, Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn’t want to upset you.”

“No, you… I mean... you, you didn’t, it’s just, for a moment, you didn’t sound like, you know… you.”

“I'm sorry. I rarely talk so openly about those things, but I am feeling so comfortable here with you… I guess I just got carried away.”

“It’s ok, Sam, I understand. Come back here, you.”

Sam cuddled with the archaeologist again.

“So you, um,” Daniel cleared his throat, “you think I'm attractive?”

“Yes, Daniel. You’re very attractive. I would have seriously considered you, you know? But you were so in love with Sha're that I pushed those thoughts away… and by the time she… well, I had developed my crush on Jack.”

“Uh… thanks, I think.” the archaeologist’s eyebrows bounced again.

They stayed like that, Sam resting on Daniel’s chest until the archaeologist yawned.

“Time to go to bed. I bet you didn’t sleep much last night, did you?”

“Not really,” Daniel admitted.

They used the bathroom in turns and hugged briefly before going to their respective rooms. Daniel lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He had to admit that being here with Sam was making him feel safe, and he had been able to relax a bit. That and the fact that last night the archaeologist didn’t sleep a wink made that in a few minutes, he fell into Morpheus’ arms.

***

“No, noooo, let go of me! Noooooo!”

Sam's military training kicked in and she rushed towards Daniel’s room at the first scream. She found her friend fighting with the sheets, eyes wide open in horror, without realizing that every movement tangled his limbs further with the piece of cloth. The colonel turned on the light, approached the distressed man, and gripped his wrists as she whispered soothing words into his ear. She had to dodge a couple of kicks before she was able to calm the distressed man down. Daniel finally focused his gaze on her eyes and quickly remembered where he was.

“Sam, God, I… I'm sorry. Did I wake you? Sorry, stupid question. Of course, I did.”

“It’s ok, Daniel. You’re entitled to have bad dreams. I'm here to help, remember?”

“Yes, I know. Thanks. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me.”

“Move aside,” she said.

“Wha… what?” the archaeologist looked at her dumbfounded.

“That bed is huge. If I sleep here, I'll be able to wake you at the first sign of distress,” the colonel reasoned.

“Sam, I, uh… I'd prefer you didn’t do that,” Daniel said, visibly uncomfortable.

“Why not? It won’t differ from sharing a tent,” she replied happily.

“Sam, please…”

The archaeologist’s face was a mask of angst. A crease formed in Sam’s bow.

“Daniel, what…?”

The archaeologist’s face scrunched further. After everything that happened, the only body he wanted to have in his bed was Jack’s. It’s not that he didn’t trust his friend. Cuddling with Sam on the couch had been really pleasant, but that was something different. He was convinced that if he collided accidentally with Sam’s unfamiliar body in his sleep, the chances of freaking out would be astronomical.

The colonel studied her friend's face with curiosity until a horrible idea crossed her mind, an idea that would explain Daniel’s reaction to her innocent proposal.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Did they…?”

All color drained from Daniel’s face. Sam’s eyes became shocked saucers. A trembling hand moved upward to cover her mouth.

“Oh, Daniel, Daniel,” her voice broke.

“Sam, please, I… I need to be alone now.” The archaeologist fought to contain the tears that threatened to fall.

Daniel’s expression left no room to argue.

“I'm sorry, so sorry,” she breathed before leaving with wobbling steps.

The colonel rushed to her room, collapsed on the bed, and bursted into tears. She buried her face in the pillow so Daniel couldn’t hear her. The archaeologist had enough with his own distress to add fuel to the fire. A pang of guilt hit the colonel again. If it hadn’t been for her stupid infatuation with the general, nothing of that would have happened.

She thought of returning to Daniel’s room and comforting him, but the archaeologist had left it pretty clear that he wanted to be left alone. Sam didn’t know how to help him with such a sensitive issue. She hoped the archaeologist had enough resources to get over the episode. She would go to check on him in a while, anyway.

Daniel curled up into a tight ball and concentrated on his breathing. In… out… in… out… in… out… the memories of the nightmare were fading away, but only to be substituted by the actual memories of what happened. He hated the expression of pain and confusion he had put on Sam’s face, but he just couldn’t share some details with her. It was way too painful and intimate. Only Jack knew what those brutes had done to him, and he was the only one allowed to comfort him for that.

Daniel grabbed the phone and dialed his lover’s cell phone. The moment the general picked up the call, the younger man felt as if they had injected a calming balsam.

“Daniel?” Jack quickly did the maths. It was 2 AM in Hawaii. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Jack?”

“Yes, Danny, it’s me. Did anything wrong happen?” Uneasiness spread in the general’s gut.

“Wrong?” The archaeologist let out a nervous laugh. “No… yes… no… I mean, I, uh…”

Jack quickly realized the younger man wasn’t running on all cylinders.

“Where is Carter? Let me talk to her.”

“Don’t… don’t wanna bother her,” Daniel replied with a tremulous voice. “She can’t… she can’t help… no… no one can.”

“Daniel, did you have a nightmare?” Jack guessed.

The archaeologist said nothing. He just tightened the ball formed with his body and clutched the phone with shaking hands. At that moment, he wasn’t aware that Jack couldn’t see him.

“Daniel!”

“Sorry, sorry, yes, nightmare, only that… it wasn’t… a nightmare I mean, at first, when they… Sam… can’t tell her… can’t… she can’t help…”

“Hey, hey, Daniel, focus,” Jack said with determination. Shit, why had he thought that letting his lover go alone with Carter was a good idea? “Listen to me, it's over, ok? No one can hurt you there. Everything is gonna be fine. I'll take care of it, but I need you to be strong. You can do this. You’re the strongest person I've ever known.”

“I don’t feel strong right now, Jack.”

“I know, I know, you’re hurting.” Jack clenched his jaw in frustration. He wanted to hold his lover in his arms so badly. It usually calmed him down, but since that wasn’t possible, he didn’t know what to do. “Tell me… tell me what I can do to help.”

“Could you just… you know, talk to me?”

“About what?”

“Anything. What are your plans for today?”

“Well, actually,” Jack cleared his throat, “I've got an appointment with the president in a few minutes.”

“Of… of the United States?” That grabbed Daniel’s attention.

“Do you know any other one?” Jack chuckled in an attempt to rise Daniel’s mood.

“Jeez, Jack, I'm sorry. You’ve got things to do. I shouldn’t have called you. It was stupid of me,” the archaeologist said, clearly altered.

“Hey, hey, I told you that you could, remember?” Jack said. “Actually, I recall encouraging you to do it whenever you need, remember?”

“Uh-huh. You, uh… you should get ready for your meeting,” Daniel said with a hint of resignation. “I'll go back to sleep.”

The archaeologist’s fading voice sounded as if he was going to hang up the phone.

“Wait,” Jack stopped him. “I want to help.”

An idea crossed Daniel’s mind, but he feared his lover would laugh at his demand.

“Daniel? I hear gears in your brain from here.”

The archaeologist gulped and decided to take the risk. “Could you, uh… could you leave your phone on while... I mean, while you… Sorry, sorry, it’s a stupid idea.” Daniel squeezed his eyes shut to his weakness. He hated feeling so needy. He was a grown man, for God's sake. He should be able to get over a stupid nightmare on his own.

“No, Daniel. It’s not stupid. I'll put the hands-free, ok? You try to sleep. And remember you can call me whenever you need.”

“Ok.” Daniel was dying to tell the older man how much he loved him, but he swallowed his words. The line wasn’t secure, and the last thing he wanted was to put Jack in danger again.

“Good night, Daniel.”

“Good day, Jack.”

The general put the phone on the nightstand and connected the hands-free. From 5,000 miles away, Daniel could hear his lover using the bathroom and getting ready for his meeting. The noises acted as a lullaby, and the archaeologist soon fell asleep. It was time for Jack to leave the room. He grabbed the phone and whispered his lover’s name. There was no answer, so the general understood that the younger man had fallen asleep. He severed the call and left. He really hoped his meeting with Hayes went as expected because no way in hell he was going to lose Daniel to Atlantis.

***

Chapter Text

When Daniel got up the next morning, he found Sam in the kitchenette brewing coffee.

“Sam, I, uh… I'm sorry for last night.” The archaeologist fidgeted. “I know you were only trying to help, and I kinda pushed you away.”

Sam offered him a mug and squeezed his forearm gently.

“No, Daniel. I am sorry that I couldn’t help you enough. I filled in the blanks, and I... well, I guess I kinda freaked out. I'm sorry if by asking I triggered bad memories. I don’t need to know what happened to you. All I need to know is that you’re hurting, and I want you to know that I'm here to help. You can tell me what you need any time.”

“Thanks. Thanks, Sam,” he said sincerely. “I really appreciate that.”

The colonel nodded. “So, we came here to reconnect. What do you wanna do today?”

“Feel like hiking?” Daniel shrugged.

“Hiking it is!” Sam grinned.

***

The two friends spent the morning strolling along the Wai Koa Loop Trail, and afterward, they swam and made some sunbathing at the beach near the cottage.

Daniel was having a shower when Sam’s cell phone rang. When the archaeologist left the bathroom, he found his friend sitting on the porch with the cell phone on her lap, pensive.

“Problem?” he frowned in concern.

“Daniel!” Sam snapped out of her thoughts. “No, it, uh… it was Carl,” she sighed.

“I'm sorry, who?” the archaeologist’s eyebrows rose.

“Carl, Carl Rogers, the doctor who treated you at the SGC.”

“Is there anything wrong?” he asked, confused. Why should his nephrologist call Sam? Was it possible that Thor hadn’t cured him completely after all? Sam saw the crease in her friend’s forehead and hurried to calm him down.

“No, no, nothing like that. He, uh… he asked me out.” The colonel looked away.

“He did? That’s good. I didn’t know you were close.” Daniel sat down next to his friend.

Sam told him how he had met Carl at the airport in Minneapolis and how she had met him again at the SGC.

“Hell of a coincidence,” Daniel smiled. “Looks like fate has something planned for you two,” he teased his friend.

“I'm not so sure.” Sam looked at Daniel and made a face. “I turned him down.”

“What? Why? I mean, from what you say, it’s obvious you’re attracted to him. You deserve to be happy, Sam.” The archaeologist’s frown deepened.

An unwelcome idea crossed his mind. What if Sam hadn’t gotten over Jack after all? Sam read him like an open book, and once again, she quickly reassured her friend.

“You know, that’s exactly what my father told me in my hallucination when I got trapped in the Prometheus last year,” she said.

“Because it’s true,” Daniel reaffirmed.

“I got a lot of time to think about my love life in Aspen.” The colonel let out a sad laugh. “Have you noticed that, except for a few exceptions, I've fallen for every man who has shown an interest in me? Jonas Hanson, Narim, Martuf, Orlin, Pete… even Joseph Faxon. They only needed to tell me how beautiful I was, and I was ready to lose my panties. God, I'm such a slut.”

“Sam! Don’t say that!” Daniel protested, horrified by his friend’s self-image.

“Am I not? What about a cock-tease, then?”

Daniel‘s face left clear his opposition to the colonel’s words.

“I never really loved any of them,” Sam continued talking, “but I loved the sensation of knowing that they had a crush on me. It made my ego rocket. But no matter how much they flattered me, it wasn’t enough. I needed to hear it from an outstanding leader like Jack, like… like my father,” she sighed. “As if their opinion was more valuable than mine. And while they didn’t, I took what I could from other men. As you can see, it looks like all this mess has resulted from an acute case of low self-esteem caused by a too-exigent father. I guess I'm a textbook case, huh?”

“Sam, I… I had no idea you felt like that,” Daniel said with sadness.

“This is why I turned Carl down. You’re right. I feel attracted to him, but I need to strengthen my self-esteem first. I want to be with a man because I genuinely want to, not because I need his flattery. Take Narim and Orlin, for example. How could they say they loved me? They barely knew me. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I know now they fell for my looks. I want a man who loves me for everything I am, not only because he thinks I'm pretty.”

“I think I know what you mean,” Daniel nodded. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I'm thinking about asking for a transfer, too. To Area-51. I don’t feel like going through the gate without you or Teal’c.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Daniel questioned.

“I need to stay in contact with myself for a while, find out what I really want, start from scratch. But enough of Carl. Right now, all I want is to enjoy my vacation with you as much as I can,” Sam said as she leaned against the archaeologist’s shoulder. “I know you have zero sexual interest in me, which means you’re with me only because you like me. Am I right?”

“Like you? Sam, I love you,” Daniel pulled her closer. “You and Teal’c are my best friends and I love you both, and I don’t need to tell you how wonderful you are because you already know it. You just need to look deep inside. It’s all there, and it has always been.”

Sam looked at the archaeologist’s bright eyes and saw the honesty in them. She kissed his cheek and snuggled closer.

“Thank you. That helps more than I can express with words.”

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other’s company. Later, they went to get dinner at a new restaurant and went back to the cottage, where they read for a while before going to sleep.

Once again, a nightmare disturbed Daniel a few hours after he got asleep. Sam comforted her friend as much as he let her, and things went smoother this time. The rest of the night, the archaeologist fell into a restless sleep, but at least this time, he didn’t have the vital need to call Jack to put himself together. That alone was an improvement.

***

The next day the two friends visited the Kilauea National Wildlife Refuge in the morning and relaxed at the beach after lunch, not an easy task, considering that Daniel was having a really hard time trying to forget the last days' events, not to mention that the imminent separation from Jack, even if it was only temporary, broke his heart.

That evening they tried a new restaurant at the seaside for dinner, and they both agreed this one was way better than the ones they had visited the previous days. Daniel savored his Lau Lau while Sam enjoyed her Lomi salmon. The colonel chose Haupia for dessert while Daniel opted for multi-savors ice cream.

“Holy Hannah, this is delicious!” Sam exclaimed as she tasted a spoonful of her pudding. “How come I didn’t order this before? Here, Daniel, you must taste it.”

She dug into her dessert and approached the spoonful to Daniel’s mouth. The archaeologist froze, and to his horror, his eyes welled up.

“Daniel? What’s wrong?” Sam asked in alarm.

The archaeologist didn’t trust his voice, so he just bit his lower lip and shook his head.

“Did I do something wrong?” The colonel covered Daniel’s hand with hers, and he jerked it away as if he had been burned.

“Daniel?” Sam’s eyes moistened as well. What could have possibly triggered such a reaction?

A waiter saw the scene and approached the couple, concerned.

“Excuse me, ma'am, is your husband feeling unwell?”

Hadn’t he finished the sentence that Daniel stood up abruptly and dashed out of the restaurant.

“Daniel!” Sam rummaged into her bag, grabbed some notes, and tossed them onto the table. “Keep the change,” she told the stunned waiter as she stood up and ran after her friend.

The colonel found the distressed man sitting on the beach with his knees up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his head hanging downwards. His shoulders bounced in a way that told Sam he was crying. The colonel moved closer cautiously and kneeled next to her friend. She had learned not to ask what had caused his distress.

“Please, Daniel, tell me what I can do to help.”

The archaeologist lifted his head and showed a tear-stained pale face.

“Can we just go back to the house? Please?” he asked brokenly.

“Of course,” Sam replied, her heart constricted with worry.

Daniel stood up slowly. Sam didn’t dare to touch him, in case she could upset him more, so they just walked one next to the other towards the rental car.

They made the way back to the cottage in silence. Sam drove while Daniel stared blankly through the window. When they arrived, the man made a beeline to the bathroom and Sam went to start a pot of coffee. The archaeologist met her in the living room several minutes later. The colonel noticed he had washed his face to get rid of the tear tracks, but his eyes still looked red-rimmed and puffy.

“I'm sorry you couldn’t finish your dessert,” he said as he accepted a coffee mug from his friend.

They both sat on the couch.

“No need to apologize, Daniel,” she said emphatically. “I am sorry for whatever I did that made you react like that.”

Daniel sank into the couch and sipped his coffee. He said nothing for several minutes. Then, he sighed long and deeply and started to talk, sorrow masking his tone.

“The last time I saw Jack, I resented the fact that we will never be able to act like a normal couple in public. He will never cover my hand with his at a restaurant table, he will never feed me with his spoon…”

“Oh, Daniel! So when I did it at the restaurant…” Sam covered her mouth with her hand. A lump grew in her throat.

“It’s silly, I know,” Daniel sniffled. “Jack and I talked about that several times. We accepted it had to be like this and we were ok with that. Quoting Jack, we knew what we getting ourselves into.”

“It doesn’t make it easier.” Sam hesitated for a moment before putting a hand on the archaeologist’s back and rubbing it as a gesture of comfort. Daniel welcomed the comfort, so she kept the hand in its place.

“No, no, it doesn’t. The thing is that I never really stopped to think about how unfair it is, but after everything that happened… Why, Sam? Why does seeing two men or two women showing their love to each other repulse people so much? Why is it ok that you feed me with your spoon and it’s wrong if it’s a man doing it? Thousands of years of evolution and when it comes to romantic relationships, we're still at square one. That waiter just assumed we were husband and wife.” Daniel let out a laugh that didn’t match the tears that were streaming down his face. “I mean, obviously I know the historical facts that led humanity to this. Homosexuals have been banished, tortured, and killed for centuries, and I understand back then people didn’t know better. But nowadays? Society talks about love, respect, freedom, acceptance, and tolerance and it still can’t get past the old prejudices.”

“I don’t know, Daniel,” Sam’s eyes moistened as well. “When I finally accepted it, I realized what you and the general have is beautiful. Way more beautiful than any of the het relationships I had. I wish people stopped being so close-minded. You both deserve to enjoy your relationship to the fullest, far from criticism and nonacceptance, and I wish you find the way.”

“I do, too,” Daniel said. “Because even if I believe Atlantis is the only place that can keep my mind busy, I'm afraid it won’t be enough.”

Sam stared at those anguished sapphire pools and cringed internally at the pain reflected in them.

“You really love the general, don’t you?”

Daniel nodded. “With all my heart and soul.”

The archaeologist broke completely, and Sam pulled him into her arms.

“Then you’ll find a way. Don’t doubt it.”

The colonel rocked her friend back and forth as he released his pain and frustration. The colonel felt her own tears leaking through her eyelashes. Daniel was right. No love should be banished only because it didn’t fit in the traditional standards. She had fallen into the trap herself, thinking that if Jack was going to fall for a member of his team, she was the only option because she was the only female.

After several minutes, Daniel pulled away.

“Sorry for dragging you into my shit,” he said as he removed his glasses and brushed the tears away with the heel of his hands.

“That’s what friends are for,” she smiled fondly.

“I, uh… I'd like to go to read to my bedroom for a while if you don’t mind,” he said, feeling quite embarrassed by his emotional downfall.

“Of course,” Sam agreed. I'll watch some tv for a while. Rest well, Daniel. Things will get better. You’ll see.”

“Thanks, Sam. Good night.”

“Good night.”

***

That night, Daniel’s nightmare came with an extra addition. Not only did he dream about the assault, but the nightmare also starred the replicator version of Sam. In Daniel’s dream, the mechanical monster gutted him while looking at him with loathe-filled eyes and a sadistic smile that would make Genghis Khan run away with his tail between his legs.

Daniel jerked awake and bit his fist to suppress a scream. The last thing he wanted at the moment was that Sam came to comfort him. The nightmare had left him tingling all over, and he curled up into a tight, trembling ball. Why that dream now, just when Sam was being nothing but kind to him? The archaeologist thought he knew the answer. He had to admit to himself that there was something about Sam that was still nagging him.

***

The next morning, Daniel got up first and started the coffeepot. Sam found him sitting at the kitchenette table.

“Good morning,” she greeted happily. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Sam.” The archaeologist bowed his head slightly.

The colonel sensed that something wasn’t right. Not that her friend had been a barrel of laughs lately, but he looked even more serious than usual.

“Hey, did anything happen?” she asked with a frown as she sat in front of him.

“Sam, I… I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me.”

Uneasiness settled into Sam’s gut. What could have happened to suddenly change Daniel’s demeanor? She had been nothing but honest with him since she had returned from Aspen. What could have made him believe otherwise?

“Ye-yes, of… of course,” she stammered nervously.

“Did you ever get to hate me?” the archaeologist blurted out.

“What?!” Sam paled. She jumped so hard that she almost fell off her chair. “Why do you think that?”

“I dreamed of your replicator copy last tonight,” he explained, his voice barely above a whisper, “and that forced me to face something I've been trying to ignore since the day she killed me.”

“Wha… what?” Sam was afraid of what her friend might say next.

“She told me she wasn’t so different from you, that your thoughts, memories, even emotions weren’t meaningless to her. Shortly after that, she stabbed me to death. I know she was only trying to provoke me, that she was nothing like you, but the way she looked at me while… you know…” Daniel waved his hand in front of his chest, “it hurt more than the stabbing itself, and for a moment, I thought, well… we… we were such good friends at first, and then we… we grew apart and…” the archaeologist ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “Shit, this didn’t sound so bad when I rehearsed it in my mind, but now that I hear it out loud… God, Sam, I'm sorry, you’re my friend. I can’t believe I even considered…”

“I did,” Sam interrupted the man. She rested her elbows on the table and buried her face in her hands. Tears sprang.

“Wha… what?” Daniel’s face contorted in shock.

The colonel took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at Daniel with eyes full of regret.

“The day I saw you with the colonel at the cabin I… I hated you so much for a while,” she said in tears. “I was so sure the general loved me, and I blamed you for my disgrace. I quickly came to my senses, but for an instant, I wished you were dead.”

“Sam, that happened after she killed me,” Daniel observed, confused.

“I know, but what if… what if it wasn’t the first time?” The colonel’s face scrunched in horror.

“Sam?” the archaeologist stared at her, confused.

“I reckon I've been jealous of you several times,” she confessed, “but what if there was more? You and the general have always been so close… I wanted to have that closeness with him, that easiness I never had. When the replicator killed you, the general kept insisting that you would come back, and I insisted on organizing a memorial service. I got upset when he refused. Don’t you see it? There was a part of me that didn’t want you to come back. And there were other times when I thought my life would be easier if you didn’t exist.”

“The Sams from the alternate realities,” Daniel's deduction came together with a deeper frown.

The colonel nodded. “Did you notice that every Jack who married a Sam never met a Daniel?”

Daniel nodded. He and Jack had commented on that particularity from time to time.

“I felt like getting you out of the way, sometimes,” Sam continued, tears falling down her chin. “Of course, my good feelings for you and my consciousness stopped me from harming you, but the replicator… she… she didn’t have a consciousness. She acted on the feeling without thinking about it twice, and she got it from me!”

“Sam, Sam, stop, please, please,” Daniel begged, totally devastated at being responsible for his friend’s distress. “It wasn’t your fault. You’re only human. Do you think I never had those kinds of feelings, too? I hated Teal’c for a while when I knew he was the one who had picked Sha're to be a host, and later when he killed her, but it’s over now.”

“No, noooo, oh, my God, I killed you!” Sam stood up abruptly and started to peace, her arms tightly wrapped around her stomach. “She took that feeling from me! She took it from me and she used it to kill you!”

“Sam, stop, please…”

“And it wasn’t only because of the general, “Sam continued with her tirade. “There were moments I felt jealous on a professional level, too!”

“Sam, what are you talking about?” Shock kept Daniel rooted in his chair. “You’re way smarter than me? How can you possibly feel…?”

“You opened the Stargate.” She stopped pacing and looked at the archaeologist. “You solved in two weeks the puzzle I had been working on for two years. One part of me admired you, but there was another one...”

“Sam, I had a stroke of luck” Daniel shook his head in disbelief.

“It wasn’t, and you know that,” the colonel insisted. “And it’s not only the Stargate, Daniel. During our missions, you used to come up with solutions I didn’t even start to imagine. I may have some knowledge, but you... you’re able to see beyond any physical boundary. It’s something innate. I… I can’t do that. And while I carved for Jack’s attention and recognition, it was you who never ceased to amaze him. Sure, I got medals and promotions, but I never got an honest smile from him.”

“Sam, that’s not true. Jack is proud of you. I know it.”

“And still, it wasn’t enough.” Sam shook her head. “It’s in my nature to compete, and I couldn’t help but feel I needed to compete with you. And you wanna know the worst part? You did nothing on purpose to stand out. It’s just who you are. I'm sorry it took me so long to accept it. But I did it. I swear I did it. I no longer feel that way. I no longer feel the need to compete against you. I love you, Daniel, I really do, and I would go to hell and back to get for you the happiness you deserve.”

Daniel stood up and took his friend into his arms. His own tears found their way to the surface.

“I know… I know you’re no longer feeling that way for me, the same way I'm no longer feeling that way for Teal’c. I love you, too, Sam. Dammit, I'm an idiot. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Yes, yes you should,” the colonel clung to her friend. “I'm glad you did. I feel better after getting it out of my chest.”

The two friends hugged tightly for several minutes until the flow of tears stopped. Sam pulled away and carded her friend’s hair tenderly.

“Promise me there won’t be more lies and half-truths between us,” she said softly.

“I promise.” Daniel kissed the colonel’s forehead. Of course, he did. Everything had started by concealing his relationship with Jack from his friends.

“May I ask you something, too?” Sam asked, her eyes still noticeably moist.

“Sure.”

“Why do you want to leave for Atlantis when it’s obvious that leaving the general behind hurts you so much?”

Daniel closed his eyes to the rush of emotions that suddenly overwhelmed him. He swayed slightly and Sam accompanied him to sit on the couch. Sam grabbed his hand. The archaeologist removed his glasses and covered his eyes with the other one. The colonel waited patiently as he took several breaths to compose himself and gather his thoughts. When the archaeologist finally raised his head only to focus on an invisible spot on the wall, she got struck by the mixture of fear and sadness that clouded his eyes.

“The assault…” Daniel cleared his throat, “don’t make me explain the details, but it was uh… bad.” He closed his eyes again for a long minute before continuing. Sam almost regretted the question, but she had the feeling that talking about it would help the archaeologist with his dilemma.

“Jack… Jack is retiring. The plan was going to live together,” Daniel explained. “Even if we don’t show gestures of affection in public, people will know. The simple idea…” Daniel gulped, “the simple idea that a banda of bigots could take Jack and make to him what they did to me…”

The archaeologist’s voice faded away at the last words, and fresh tears flew freely. He quickly swept them away with his forearm and put his glasses back in their place.

“Daniel, you can’t live with that fear,” Sam said. “It doesn’t have to happen again.”

“I know,” he nodded to his feet. “But I need some time for the memories to fade away, and I need to focus my mind on something before I go crazy and do something really stupid.”

“Like leaving Jack for good?” Sam guessed.

Daniel nodded again and looked at his friend.

“I love him, Sam. So much that it physically hurts. I can’t imagine my life without him, and I'm terrified of making a bad choice and screwing everything up.”

“That won’t happen,” Sam reassured him. “The general loves you just the same. I know it. He won’t let this end for good.”

“Then I don’t know how.”

“Do you trust him?” Sam asked.

“Of course.”

“Then that should be enough.”

That almost allowed Daniel to breathe a bit better. Almost.

***

Chapter Text

It was a rainy day, so the two friends stayed at the cottage most of the time, reading, writing, watching tv, and playing board games. It stopped raining for a while after lunch, and Daniel went to stroll on the beach alone while Sam napped on the couch. There were so many mixed thoughts inside the archaeologist’s head and so many emotions surfing his heart. He was glad that he had cleared up his relationship with Sam, but that didn’t help to find a solution to his situation with Jack. Perhaps now that he had solved all his doubts about his friendship with the colonel and felt completely at ease with her, a few more days of relaxation on the island would serve to clear his mind once and for all.

After what happened last evening, Daniel wasn’t in the mood to go out for dinner, so they asked for home-delivery pizza and ate on the porch. They were finishing their Volcano pizza when Daniel’s cell phone rang. It was Jack. The archaeologist went to talk in the bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the bedside lamp.

“Hey, baby, it’s done,” Jack said casually. “I'm officially retired. You’re talking to former General Jack O’Neill.”

Daniel’s heart fluttered.

“Great, that’s, uh… great,” he replied, not very enthusiastically.

“I know the circumstances aren’t ideal,” Jack replied with sadness. “I mean, we should be celebrating smooching on one of those beautiful Hawaiian beaches.”

“Jack…” Daniel’s sigh carried sorrow, desolation, longing, and hope all together.

“Hey, things will get better soon, I promise.” Jack tried to transmit all his confidence in his tone.

“So you keep saying, but I still don’t know how.”

“I also keep telling you to trust me, remember?”

“I do, Jack, I really do, it’s just…”

The former general’s heart constricted at the misery reflected in his lover’s voice. He knew what he was about to say would only add stress to the younger man’s shaken mind, but he didn’t want to get the archaeologist's hopes up and then disappoint him, in case things didn’t go as planned.

“Daniel, listen, I've got to leave the country for a few days. I came up with something but…”

“What? Where? Where are you going?” The archaeologist’s heart started to pound faster. Leave the country? What for? And how long? What if he didn’t come back before the Daedalus set off to Atlantis? What if he couldn’t see his lover, hold him in his arms, taste his lips one last time, and reaffirm his promise of coming back in one year?

At the other side of the line, Jack heard his lover’s breathing speeding up.

“Hey, hey, Daniel…”

“… I know, I know. Trust you.” The archaeologist nodded.

Jack’s lips drew a small curve upwards.

“I love you, baby, please, never forget that.”

There was a moment of silence, and Jack thought the connection might have severed.

“Daniel?”

“I love you, too, Jack, and I miss you. Things here with Sam are great. Actually, we've talked and cleared up some things, and she tries, she’s trying so hard, but I need… I need my lover. I need you. And I know it's me who asked for some time, and I still believe it’s the best option until I can trust my shadow again, but it’s tough, and I love you, and I need you, and, dammit…” Daniel took a deep breath to compose himself. His stomach hurt. He hoped the pizza wouldn’t make a dramatic reappearance. “I hate sounding so needy,” he said. “I'm sorry, I'm fine, I'm fine, it’s just for a moment… the memories overwhelm me sometimes, but I… I'll be fine. I'll be fine, I promise.”

The archaeologist leaned forward, rested an elbow on his knee, and rubbed his temples. Great. Now he was also developing a headache, too.

For a moment, Jack thought about forgetting his plan, taking the first flight to Hawaii, wrapping the younger man in his arms, and never letting go. But that would only increase Daniel’s agony in the long run. As much as he hated leaving him in such a state, that was the price they both had to pay to get their happily ever after. Besides, even if the archaeologist was clearly traumatized by last week's events, Jack trusted in his inner strength to pull through.

“Dammit, I hate leaving you like that,” the former general said regretfully.

“It’s ok, I'm fine,” Daniel repeated, also to convince himself.

“I might not be able to contact you in several days,” Jack informed him. “But I'll let you know as soon as I come back, ok?”

“You’re not into something dangerous, are you?” the archaeologist asked in alarm.

“No, baby, it’s nothing dangerous. Don’t worry, ok? I'll try to send you a message from time to time.”

“Ok.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The two lovers hung up at the same time. Jack kept staring at the phone while thousands of thoughts crossed his mind. His plan better worked, because Daniel deserved a life built on pillars of love, acceptance, recognition, and respect. The former general activated his cell phone again and texted Sam.

Call me in private.

***

That didn’t happen until two hours later, when Daniel retired to his room to sleep. Sam went to the porch and called her former CO and friend. She told him about her decision to transfer to Area 51, and Jack was ready to tell her about the details of his plan when she stopped him.

“I'm sorry, Sir, but Daniel and I promised each other no more lies from now on, so don’t tell me, because if you do, I will have to tell him as well.”

Jack got stunned for a few seconds, but he understood Sam’s reasons. Anyway, he made her promise that she would keep an eye on the archaeologist until he came back.

“Oh, and Carter, there’s no reason to think I won’t return, but if anything happened to me, talk to Hammond. He’s aware of everything.”

“You better don’t get yourself into trouble,” Sam scolded him. “I promise you that if something happens to you and you leave Daniel alone, Teal’c and I will chase after you in hell and we'll make you pay. Sir.”

Jack gulped. “Yes, ma'am.”

***

The rest of the week went by without major incidents, perhaps because after what happened at the restaurant, the couple didn’t go out much. They made some short ramble here and there, but they spent most of the time trying to relax at the cottage or the beach nearby. By the end of the week, both friends had got a nice tan.

However, Daniel's mood wasn’t better now than one week earlier. He missed Jack terribly, and the fact that he hadn’t found any other option to protect his lover and go on working for the Stargate program other than going to Atlantis, made him feel as if he was falling into a pit of hopelessness and despair.

He thought for a moment about leaving all behind and moving to Canada, as Jack had suggested, but he feared it wouldn’t work in the long run. After everything he knew, he couldn’t apply for a regular job. That would mean making of lies his modus vivendi and look where lies had led them to. He needed Jack, but he needed to satiate his thirst for knowledge, too. He had been pursuing knowledge all his life. It was part of who he was, and it wasn’t something he could leave behind. He had tried once when he stayed on Abydos, and it didn’t work. No matter how much he loved Sha're, after two months of poor intellectual activity, the archaeologist got bored out of his skull. Fortunately, just when he was starting to regret his decision, Daniel found the cartouche room. He often thought that hadn’t he found it, he had gone nut and it would have eventually destroyed his marriage.

“I don’t understand it,” Daniel said during their last dinner on the island. “I've been apart from Jack much longer than this, and I never felt so lost without him.”

“I think the circumstances of the separation have something to do with it,” Sam reasoned.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, to begin with, the other times it happened during a mission. Every time we went through the gate, we were ready for any unexpected situation and our body chemistry got ready to face anything. However, this time everything happened at home, the place where you were supposed to be safe. Did you know that totally unexpected situations can increase trauma tenfold?”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. I guess that explains the… you know.” Daniel drew circles over his temple with his fork.

“Stop it,” Sam said, visibly upset. “You’re not insane, you hear me? Which doesn’t exclude the fact that you could talk to someone.”

“No shrinks,” Daniel replied firmly.

“Why not? They could help you.”

“No, they can’t. Sam, please, trust me on that.”

Daniel’s eyes showed such a determination that the colonel stopped insisting. She almost regretted not having asked Jack about his plan. She could use a dose of hope.

***

The next day, Daniel and Sam left Hawaii behind, and the next, they went back to work. Daniel was received at the base as if nothing had happened. The soldiers who had looked at him with contempt several weeks ago were now saluting him with respect, and everything because they believed the video showing him and Jack having intercourse was fake. Far from calming the archaeologist down, that fact only spurred his will to leave behind the farce that was planet Earth.

The moment to go to the locker room to change into his BDUs was a tough one. He heard voices inside and waited until the team in question left the place. Once the archaeologist was sure there was no one inside, he came in, made a beeline to his locker, changed his clothes in less than a minute, and dashed out of the room.

Daniel and Sam met the new commander of the SGC, General Hank Landry. Both the archaeologist and the colonel requested their transfers, Daniel to Atlantis and Sam to Area-51, and Landry presented no opposition. Actually, the man seemed eager to make his own achievements, perhaps even build a new SG-1 from scratch, and rule the project as he pleased.

The moment Daniel went to his office was another tough one. The last time the archaeologist had been there, fake Sam had lost control, her face flushed with rage, his twisted mouth spitting venom, and after that…

Daniel swayed as memories of the attack in the locker room popped into his mind. He gripped the door frame to stabilize his body and took a deep breath.

“Get a grip, dammit,” he scolded himself.

“Daniel!”

The familiar voice startled the archaeologist. He turned around to meet his assistant.

“Nyan, Hi.”

“Are you alright?” the young Bedrosian asked, seeing the parlor of his boss' face.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Nyan's presence gave Daniel the courage to step into the office. The uneasiness he felt as he sat at his desk was discouraging. Too much had happened. He definitely needed a change of scenery.

The archaeologist took the opportunity to tell Nyan about his imminent transfer. The younger man wasn’t pleased with the news, but he offered his support to his boss and friend. The young Bedrosian went back to his office, and Daniel started to choose the material he would pack to carry with him to Atlantis.

***

Although Jack occupied most of his thoughts, Daniel managed to control his nerves during the time he spent at the SGC, except for the day he had to record his declaration about the attacks. Since he would be on Atlantis during the trial, that was the only way to get his testimony. Sam did her best to comfort the archaeologist, but Daniel really needed his lover that night. Nightmares exploded full force, and the archaeologist dragged himself to the bathroom to throw up a couple of times.

***

Daniel met Sam often at the SGC, usually for breakfast and lunchtime. They wouldn’t see each other in a long time, and now that they had reestablished their connection, the thought did nothing good to their mood.

The colonel offered his friend to meet for dinners as well, but Daniel refused adamantly, adding that he was a grown man and could take care of himself. He wouldn’t have a babysitter on Atlantis, so he better started to deal with his ghosts on his own.

Sam continued thinking her friend was making a huge mistake, but the archaeologist continued loyal to his plan. No matter the sacrifice, he needed to keep Jack safe. So if his lover didn’t appear miraculously with another plan, in a few days, Daniel would lend him his heart and soul for several months and would leave the galaxy behind, hoping to come back stronger and ready to face his life with Jack out in the open.

***

Daniel knew nothing about Jack for days, so his mental end emotional state did nothing but get worse. He couldn’t sleep at night and he could barely function during the day. The pallor of his skin and the dark bags under his eyes were evidence of his growing concern.

Why hadn’t he insisted on asking his lover where was he going? The archaeologist told Sam about his fears, and she called Hammond to ask him if he had some news about Jack. Hammond told her that everything was going according to the plan and Jack would be back in a few days. She transmitted the message to Daniel, and he could breathe again. So, apparently, Jack was doing one last errand for the Air Force, but what? And why the secrecy? He could tell Hammond, but he couldn’t tell him? The ghost of that time when Jack got involved in the covert operation to expose Meybourn's goons came into the archaeologist’s mind. No, no way. Jack would never get involved in something like that again. Daniel decided to stick to his lover’s words- trust me. Not that it helped him much to ease his anxiety, anyway.

***

One week after he and Sam returned from Hawaii, a new character appeared on the scene: Colonel Cameron Mitchell, the hero who played an important part in defeating Anubis' fleet during the battle in Antarctica one year ago. Apparently, Jack had told the guy he could choose any post he wanted, so he chose the SGC. He was going to be the new leader of SG-1. What Jack didn’t tell him was that SG-1 was no more. The disappointment was tremendous. Mitchel begged Daniel and Sam to stay. He even traveled to Dakara to try to convince Teal’c, but to no avail. The three former members of SG-1 stuck to their decision to leave the SGC, so Mitchell started to interview candidates to form his own team.

***

One week later

Nightmares, anxiety, fears…

All the above were Daniel’s companions that night. The archaeologist woke up covered in sweat. The Daedalus would take off in the evening. This would be his last day on Earth, and he hadn’t got news from Jack in days. He trusted him, God knew he did, but his hope had been fading away until he had become almost non-existent. Daniel repeated to himself over and over again that he was doing what was right. That didn’t loosen the fist that squeezed his heart.

The heavy weight in the archaeologist’s gut almost didn’t let him get off the bed, but he forced himself, and one hour later, he was at his office finishing packing up. He was closing a box when the klaxons announced a programmed incoming wormhole. No emergency, so he continued packing. A couple of minutes later, his phone rang. It was General Landry requesting his presence at the debriefing room. When Daniel arrived there and saw who was waiting for him, he automatically turned around to leave. Only Landry’s insistence stopped him.

“General, seriously, whatever it’s about, I don’t have time for this,” the archaeologist complained. There, standing next to the table, was Vala Man Doran, the space pirate who had kicked Daniel’s ass in the Prometheus several months ago. The woman started to prattle about a tablet written in Ancient that led to a fabulous treasure. Daniel didn’t want to hear anything about it. Knowing Vala, it was likely that everything was a trick to get who knew what.

“I'm sorry, sir. I really have to finish packing,” Daniel said.

Landry stood up and started to leave the room.

“The Daedalus doesn't leave for another twelve hours,” he said. “At least have a look.”

Daniel sighed in defeat, and Vala followed him to his office. She continued prattling about the tablet, where she had found it… Daniel wasn’t really paying attention. The speakers announced another off-world activation, but there wasn’t alarm in Walter’s voice, so the archaeologist ignored it and concentrated on ignoring Vala even more. He was succeeding until she opened a box she was carrying and showed Daniel the contents. There were two long metal pieces with Goa’uld symbols engraved on them. The archaeologist frowned. What did these pieces have to do with the Ancient tablet? Only Vala knew that the two objects were bracelets. Daniel grabbed one to study it closer, and Vala took the other one. While the archaeologist was distracted with the inscriptions, Vala raised her hand, pointed the Goa’uld bracelet at Daniel’s wrist and…

“Ouch!”

Vala turned around to see who had dared to grip her forearm to stop her. She found herself face to face with an attractive man in his fifties with silver hair and sparkling brown eyes.

“I don’t think so, lady,” he said.

Daniel froze. His eyes glued to the bracelet he was holding for a few seconds until he slowly raised his head to see the newcomer. Jack, his lover, the man he loved more than life itself, was standing behind a stunned Vala, restraining the pirate's arm tightly, and he was wearing such a warm smile that Daniel’s heart looped in his chest.

“Whatever deal you’re trying to get from Daniel, forget it.” Jack scowled at Vala, the woman who had assaulted his lover months ago. “Now get your tablet and get lost. The galaxy is a pretty big place. I'm sure you’ll find a hole you fit in.”

“Ja… Jack?” Daniel finally reacted.

“Yeah, sorry for the delay,” Jack grinned. “We had some unexpected problems activating the Stargate. Besides, I had to make a detour.”

“What? You were off-world?!” Daniel couldn’t believe his ears.

“Stop packing,” Jack grinned. You’re not going anywhere. Yet.”

***

Chapter Text

Daniel stared at his lover, mouth agape.

“Airman, escort this woman to the Stargate,” Jack said, pointing at Vala with his head. “I'm sure we'll find some planet suitable for her.”

“Hey, I've got permission from your General Landry to be here,” Vala protested. “You have no right…”

“You are no one to tell me about my rights,” Jack pinned her with his eyes. “Take her out of my sight.”

The soldiers did as ordered, and Vala left, carrying the tablet and the box with her.

“Jack, are you crazy?” Daniel whispered. “You’re retired. You can’t wander around the base giving orders like that.”

“Nice to see you, too,” the gray-haired man raised an eyebrow.

“No, no, sorry,” Daniel hurried to say, his heart hammering wildly against his ribcage. “I just wasn’t expecting to see you. I mean, I was hoping to see you, but I kinda, uh…”

“Lost hope?” Jack suggested.

Daniel looked away, ashamed of his lack of faith.

“I'm sorry it took me so long. I almost didn’t make it in time.”

“Jack, you went off-world? Is that your idea of going abroad?” Daniel looked at the older man, utterly confused.

“Yeah, well, your plan sucked,” Jack shrugged. “I needed to find a better option, but I couldn’t find any on Earth that could fulfill your needs, so…”

“Jack, what did you do?” The archaeologist’s confusion increased by the second.

“Well, you said Earth wasn’t ready for people like us, so I found a planet for us.” Jack grinned as he bounced on his heels.

“What?! Pla- planet? What planet? What are you talking about?” Daniel asked, visibly altered.

“Imagine a planet in which knowledge beats anything you could learn in Atlantis,” Jack said mysteriously. “All the knowledge of the Ancients, the Asgard, the Nox, and the Furlings put together and served in a silver dish.”

Daniel’s eyebrows knitted together. “Heliopolis. You’re talking about Heliopolis. But Heliopolis is no more. The castle crumbled into the ocean. All that knowledge got lost.”

“No, it didn’t.”

“Yes, it did.”

“Didn’t.”

“Did.”

“Didn’t.”

“Did.”

“Oh, for crying out loud! Will you shut up and listen?! We recovered from the gate! We recovered the pedestal of knowledge! It’s all there waiting for you!”

Daniel’s jaw hit the floor. He swayed, and hadn’t a stool been just behind his rear, his ass would have followed his jaw.

“Wha… what? You went to Heliopolis? You restored the Stargate?”

“Sir?”

“O'Neill.”

Jack turned around and saw Sam and Teal’c getting into the office.

“Hey, guys!”

“Teal’c?” Daniel’s eyebrows peaked. “When did you arrive?”

“Oh, he traveled with me,” Jack informed his lover. “Remember that detour I was talking about? I went to pick up him in Dakara. I asked him to bring Carter here.”

“He said it was a matter of life or death,” the Jaffa stated firmly.

“Yeah, well, I might have exaggerated a bit.” Jack rubbed his nape.

“Sir, what’s this all about?” Sam asked, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. “You just said you restored the gate in Heliopolis? How?”

“Well, there’s that new ship, the Odyssey, they needed to test it, you know, the inaugural flight, yadda yadda. I convinced the president to go to Heliopolis and have a look.”

“Have a look?” Daniel made a face.

“We never really knew what happened there. We assumed everything was destroyed, and we never bothered to go back on a ship,” Jack explained. “All we knew was that the Stargate was buried, but it wouldn’t be the first time we dig up one. And Ernest said the room with the pedestal was the safest in the castle, right? So I thought, what if it resisted the storm? What if it’s still there?”

“So you went there with the Odyssey and unburied the gate,” Daniel concluded, barely believing his ears.

“Yup.” Jack bounced on his heels proudly. “It’s safe outside now. Oh, and we borrowed a DHD from P3something. It took us longer to reach the pedestal chamber, but we secured it and it’s perfectly safe now.”

“Daniel, this is great,” Sam smiled. “You always wanted to go back there. This is your chance.”

“Actually, Carter, is more than that,” Jack said.

“More?” Daniel echoed his lover

“I convinced the president to build an off-world base there dedicated to studying the knowledge of those four alien races and gate travel in the interest of science and culture. You know, meaning of life stuff.”

“You did what?!” Daniel exclaimed, completely amazed.

“The base will be ready in several months, one year tops, and guess who's going to command it,” Jack continued happily.

“You, Sir?” Sam guessed.

“Try again.” The former colonel stole a glance at his lover.

“Daniel?”

“Bingo!”

“Wha… what?!!! The archaeologist almost fell off his stool.

“This is a wise decision, O’Neill,” Teal’c pointed out.

“I… I… I can’t command a base!” Daniel stammered. “I'm not in the military.”

“Me neither,” Jack shrugged, “but if you accept me, the president would like that I'd be the second in command.”

“So, this is going to be a civilian operation?” Sam asked.

“Jack, I…”

“Daniel, before you said anything, hear me out.” Jack looked at his lover earnestly. “The president respects you immensely. He wants you in charge. You've got the brains and the heart. Culture is your thing. This is about gathering knowledge to help humanity to develop in the right direction. No more searching for big honking space guns. The USAF will take care of the security, but you can choose your own team. All potential personnel will be carefully selected. Any person suspicious of bigotry or any other form of intolerance will be rejected automatically. And here comes the best part. The president's only demand is that we rule the base under international human rights law. As long as those are respected, we can create our own local laws. We could start legalizing same-sex marriage. What do you think?”

Daniel opened and closed his mouth like a suffocating fish.

“Let’s see,” Jack said, pensive. “We'll need someone to design a computer system, not to mention be in charge of the science lab, you know, to analyze whatever we found. So Carter, what do you say? Interested?”

“Me, Sir?”

“And of course, we'll need someone to be the head of security, some skilled warrior with demonstrable experience. What do you say, Teal’c?”

“Your offer is appealing, O'Neill,” the Jaffa said. “However, things in Dakara are complicated. It would be unwise to abandon my responsibilities.”

“Well, as I said, the base won’t be ready until several months from now,” Jack pointed out. “Think about it. Do your things, meanwhile.”

Teal’c bowed his head in agreement. “I will take your offer under consideration.”

“Good. Carter?”

“Well, it, uh… it was totally unexpected. Yeah, I… I'll think about it, too.”

“Daniel?”

Jack looked at his lover, who had remained silent for the last minutes. He was still sitting on his stool, his face pale, his expression unreadable. The former general frowned in concern.

“Daniel, are you ok? Did you hear everything I said? You'll get all that knowledge at your disposal and you will be safe. We both will.”

“Take me home,” Daniel told the floor in a cracked whisper.

“What?”

“Please, Jack, please, just take me out of here.” The archaeologists still didn’t look at his lover.

Sam and Teal’c exchanged looks of concern.

“Daniel, are you alright?” the colonel asked in concern.

“I… sorry, Jack, please, please.”

The archaeologist glanced at his lover briefly, and Jack nodded.

“Ok, ok, let’s go.”

They left the base, and Daniel gave the older man his car keys.

“I don’t think I'm in condition to drive,” he just said.

Jack realized that the younger man’s body was trembling from head to toe. He never expected such a reaction from his lover. He was supposed to be bouncing in excitement. Daniel’s silent reaction had Jack extremely worried. Did that mean he didn’t agree with the plan? Wasn’t Heliopolis enough? Was he still willing to go to Atlantis? Dammit, of course he still wanted to go to Atlantis! He had wanted to go for years! What was new about Heliopolis? Daniel had Ernest’s notes. Maybe that was enough for him. God, what had he been thinking? Atlantis was the city of the Ancients. Heliopolis was just a place where they used to meet. What to do now, dammit! Daniel was slipping through his fingers, and he couldn’t think of a single thing to say to make him stay!

“Your house,” Daniel said softly.

“Huh?”

“Take me to your house. I gave my apartment keys to Mitchell.”

Shit, shit, shit! Daniel sounded on the verge of tears. Dammit, O'Neill, you royal idiot! You fucked it up completely!

Daniel didn’t utter a word for the rest of the journey, and Jack was getting more nervous by the minute. Would that be their goodbye? No, no way in hell. If Daniel still wanted to go to Atlantis, he would go with him, and to hell with the Heliopolis project. They would find someone else to take care of it. He wasn’t ready to give up on his lover, no way in hell. Daniel was his life and he would fight with all his strength to stay with him.

By the time Jack pulled in next to his house, his heart was pounding so fast that his chest hurt.

“Daniel…”

“Not here.”

The archaeologist got off the car, and Jack followed him to the front door. He opened and Daniel rushed inside without waiting for an invitation. He headed to the living room and turned around to face the stairs. Jack got down cautiously, not knowing what to expect. And what happened next wasn’t precisely what he had in mind. As soon as the former general stepped into the living room, he found himself with his arms full of a shaking archaeologist. He didn’t remember being hugged with such strength in his entire life.

“Daniel, what…?”

The archaeologist tightened the embrace even more and Jack could feel the tremors running through his lover's body. The former general encircled the slightly smaller body with his arms and returned the hug with equal strength. He had missed that. After three weeks away, he had missed everything about Daniel, but what he had longed the most was to feel his body against his. Jack sniffed to capture the archaeologist’s familiar scent, and his heart swelled. However, his mind still couldn’t comprehend the meaning of the archaeologist’s reaction.

Daniel mumbled something, and his stubble scratched Jack’s neck. What was with the beard, anyway? Apparently, the archaeologist hadn’t shaved in three or four days.

“Sorry, what?” Jack couldn’t understand what the younger man was saying.

Daniel pulled away slowly and looked at his lover. His eyes were brimming with tears, and Jack’s heart skipped a beat. Oh shit, shit! Instead of making his lover happy, he had upset him big time.

Where is a hole in the floor to swallow you when you need one? Jack thought as he started to panic. The gray-haired man held his breath.

“You gave me a planet,” Daniel said, his voice barely audible.

“What?”

“You gave me a planet,” he repeated, his voice thick with emotion. “I told you Earth wasn’t ready for us, and you gave me a planet. Do you really love me that much?” The sudden smile didn’t match the tears that escaped Daniel’s shimmering eyes.

“I love you that much and more,” Jack replied, his eyes moistening as well.

Daniel launched forward and took the older man’s lips in a hungry kiss. Jack responded enthusiastically at first, but he needed to clear up things before getting carried away, so he pulled away.

“Wait, is that a yes?”

Daniel looked at Jack as if he had grown another head.

“Are you kidding? All the knowledge of the universe! I mean, not only the Ancients! This is the royal flush! Just when I thought I couldn’t love you more…”

Jack’s face lit up like a bulb.

“God, baby, I love you, I love you!”

The two lovers’ lips met again in a frantic kiss that only stopped when their lungs protested for the lack of air. Jack cupped Daniel’s chin with his hand and stroked the facial hair with his thumb.

“What’s with the beard?” he asked with a smile.

Daniel shrugged. “I wasn’t in the mood for shaving. I am now.”

“Nah, leave it for some more time,” Jack replied with a grin. “Scruffy Daniel, I kinda like it.”

The flow of tears stopped, the archaeologist sniffled, and Jack swept away the tear track with his thumbs. Daniel had wanted to go to Atlantis for so long that a part of Jack felt as if he was betraying his lover’s deepest wish.

“Listen, uh…” the former general cleared his throat. “the technicians estimated that the new base won’t be operational until next year. We don’t really have to go there until then if you don’t want to, I mean, you can do whatever you want for the next months, you know, I mean, you still could go to Atlantis in the meantime, I mean, if you don’t feel, uh… you know, and I, uh… I want to ask you to let me go with you, I mean, if you…”

“Minnesota.”

“What?” Jack looked at his lover, dumbfounded.

Daniel stared at his lover with shining eyes full of devotion.

“You love it up there, and you’re willing to leave everything behind for me. What you’re offering me in Heliopolis is a new life, a new home. We might never come back to Earth. The less I can do is allow you to enjoy your favorite place on Earth one last time.”

“You prefer Minnesota over Atlantis?” Jack felt his heart overflowing with endless love.

“I realized something during my vacation in Hawaii.” Jack grabbed his lover’s hand and placed it over his heart. “I needed you. Sam was great, a true friend, but I needed my lover. I was an idiot to think that I had to run away from everything, from you, to get over what happened. I'm sorry for everything I made you go through. Will you forgive me?”

Jack kissed the archaeologist’s forehead gently.

“Hmm, it might cost you a great sacrifice.”

“Whatever you want,” Daniel replied firmly.

“Give me a date for our wedding.”

Sapphire studied chocolate, and Daniel felt so loved at the moment that he felt that with Jack at his side, he could get over everything.

“October 20th,” he said.

“My birthday?” Jack raised his eyebrows. Next, his face morphed from one of a surprise to one of complete joy. “I can’t imagine a better gift,” he said as their bodies joined again in a hug, followed by the most passionate kiss.

***

Chapter Text

Ten months later

Daniel and Jack stood facing the shimmering pool, wide smiles brightening their faces. Nox, the beautiful and intelligent German Shepherd/ Irish Setter mix they adopted one month after their re-encounter, stood between the two men. The last months hadn’t been a bed of roses for the couple, but they were finally there, ready to face their new life as commanders of the SGH.

As they turned around to face the group of people ready to follow them to Heliopolis, both men’s minds wandered to the last ten months' events. They moved to Minnesota, as Daniel had suggested, where the archaeologist spent most of the time organizing Ernest's notes and training Nox while Jack fished, spoiled the dog, and enjoyed a well-deserved retirement. Before moving, the former general had his long delayed chat with Sam. It was rather awkward, but they worked out their issues and reinforced their friendship.

Nightmares disturbed both men’s nights for months, but finally, Daniel got over his trauma and fears and they were both enjoying their sexual life plenty again. Jack could finally bottom, which enriched their experience further.

They married on Jack’s birthday as planned, although they kept that secret for a couple of months except to their witnesses, Sam and Teal’c. Actually, they were still keeping the rings in their pockets. After some time, they told the president and Generals Hammond and Landry. None of them wrinkled their nose. Landry patted both men’s shoulders and wished them the best. Later, they told all the staff members who were selected to travel to Heliopolis about their wedding. Jack left it completely clear from day one that whoever had a problem with their marriage would never be accepted on the planet. As a matter of fact, when they made public that *don’t ask, don’t tell* wouldn’t apply to Heliopolis, several soldiers involved in same-sex relationships volunteered.

The couple had gate traveled to Heliopolis from time to time during those ten months to supervise the construction of the new base. Sam and Teal’c, who had spent some time in Nevada and Dakara respectively, had finally accepted Jack’s proposal. The two friends and other personnel, Walter and Siler among them, had already moved to the planet a few months earlier to get everything ready for the biggest group's arrival.

Sam had got therapy sessions to help her overcome her emotional issues. She was still working on them. She and Carl had gone out a couple of times, and who knew? Sam liked him a lot, and she felt she might fall in love with him. In some time, they would increase the medical staff on the planet. If she had been able to clear up her mind by then, she would ask him to join the expedition.

Also, a piece of news arrived from Leavenworth some weeks ago. The leader of SG-21 and Wilkinson, the MP, had killed each other during a fight. Daniel received the news impassively at first, but emotion finally overcame him, and the archaeologist released his relief in Jack’s arms through the entire night.

Jack and Daniel observed the people who would travel with them to Heliopolis in a few seconds. Each one of them was allowed to bring their pets with them, so there were six dogs and three cats in the group. The project would start with four teams whose mission would be to explore the galaxy in search of cultural and scientific advances. Colonel Cameron Mitchell, bored out of his skull after his frustrated attempt to rebuild SG-1, would lead SGH-1. Colonel Michael Coburn would be in charge of SGH-2.

Next to the two soldiers stood Nyan, Dr. Lee, Airman Alice Mercer, and the one, but not only Dr. Janet Fraiser. Daniel smiled at her, and she mirrored the gesture. The archaeologist thought of four months earlier when a dysfunction in the Stargate had sent many versions of SG teams through the gate. One of them was formed by Janet, Martouf, and two strangers. Their Earth had been just destroyed, and while Martuf had rejoined the Tok'Ra, Janet and the other two members of the team had decided to stay. Cassie had been pretty shocked at first. Besides, alternate Janet had never adopted her, and it came as a shock as well, but in the end, both women ended up being good friends. Daniel offered the doctor the post of CMO in Heliopolis, and she accepted gladly.

Behind the first row stood two dozen men and women who had decided to join the expedition, hoping to help humanity develop with their work.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to start a new life for the good of humanity,” Daniel spoke to the group. “I can’t begin to express how proud I am of you, who decided to devote your life to making this galaxy a better place. Are you ready for that new adventure?”

Vitores filled the room. Jack and Daniel grinned at each other. They saluted General Landry, who was watching the group from the control room. The couple turned around, looked at each other’s glimmering eyes for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and stepped into the event horizon, followed close by the rest of the group.

The Stargate was in the open. It had been one of Daniel’s requirements. No more bunkers. They had built the base half on the ground, half underground. They had built solid houses in different styles for the personnel. Of course, Jack and Daniel’s new home had its private pond. They would use the safety bunkers only when the annual storm hit the area. Anyway, Sam was working on a device similar to the weather controller they had discovered in Madrona years ago, so it was likely they could avoid the storm altogether.

Once on the other side, Daniel and Jack were received by Sam, Teal’c, and several other staff members.

“Welcome home, guys!” Sam greeted them happily.

“It’s good to have you here, my friends.” Teal’c inclined his head.

“It’s good to be finally here,” Daniel grinned.

The archaeologist started to walk down the stairs when Jack stopped him.

“Wait.”

The former general rummaged in the pocket of Daniel’s jacket and grabbed his ring. He took his husband’s left hand and slid the ring along his wedding finger.

“No more hiding,” he said with a soft smile

The former general rummaged in his pocket and offered his ring to Daniel. The archaeologist took it and put it on Jack’s finger.

“No more hiding,” he agreed.

They pecked, and next, Jack raised his hands to the sky.

“I'm in love with Doctor Daniel Jackson-O'Neill!” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Oh, boy, I married the local madman,” Daniel laughed.

Nox bounced happily, and the personnel around cheered. Jack entwined his fingers with his husband’s, and they walked together toward the rest of their lives.

The end