Archive of Our Own

Daniel woke slowly, his mind taking a long time to come online fully. Moaning as pain registered he rolled onto his side curling up slightly as he put his hands to his head.

What the hell happened? He wondered trying to grasp a hold of the events before now.

They had been on a routine mission, meet and greet standard, done a hundred times before, but something had been bugging Daniel from the moment they had stepped through the gate. Jack and Sam lead, with Teal’c bringing up the rear and Daniel in the middle, flicking through his journal as he tried to refresh his tired mind on what he had researched the night before.

“SG-11 said the village was about a mile from the gate. They said the people there seemed open and friendly. Here’s hope we’re home by six,” Jack said looking over his shoulder at Daniel.

“Yeah…maybe, ” Daniel answered, still looking at his book.

“Oh come on, Daniel. The match starts at eight. I want to be back, debriefed, and then home with a six pack and hockey!”

“I’ll try,” Daniel looked up with a half smile, “but I’m not promising.”

Jack rolled his eyes at him before facing forward and continued chatting with Sam, leaving Daniel to return to his notes. 

He doesn’t remember anything after that, just waking up here, his head feeling as though something was trying to crawl out. 

Forcing his eyes open a little, he tried to make out his surroundings but his glasses had gone missing and everything was a blurry mess. 

“Jack.” He tried, but his throat was dry, causing the sound to be nothing much more than a whisper. Licking his lips, he tried to gain some lubrication in his mouth before trying again. “Jack?”

“You are alone Doctor Jackson.” A disembodied voice answered loudly, sending another wave of pain through his head. 

“Seriously, why so damn loud?” he forced out grabbing, his head once again. 

Blinking again, he started to push himself up with his arms, eyes looking around trying to focus and make out where in the universe he was. “We came here upon a request, ” he started, believing there to be a misunderstanding somewhere. “Your people encounter some of our own and upon their departure, another meeting was scheduled to take place so our people could become allies, friends.”

“That is no longer necessary, Doctor Jackson.”

“Okay, then I request you let us go so we may return home.”

“I’m afraid that will not be happening.” This voice was different, the infliction and tone, the whole alien aspect of it obviously Goa’uld. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, finally getting to his feet, hands once again pressed against his head.

“Where is my team”

“Do not worry, Doctor Jackson.” The sound of a door opening behind him caused him to turn. A loud rumble shook him back to his feet as the ceiling above opened up and light flooded the dark room. 

Hissing in more pain, Daniel hid his eyes, ducking his head down as the room he was in seemed to lift, causing the bright light from the sun to blind him all the more.

“My Lords!” A voice came over a loud system and Daniel tried to look around him but, damn it, the pain in his head was becoming almost unbearable. “I present for your amusement, the Tauri we have all spent years hunting. Doctor Daniel Jackson and one Colonel O’Neill.”

Jack is here? Forcing his eyes open he blinked against the sun, trying to clear his vision, looking for Jack.

“Jack?” he called, his ears picking up on something close to a growl. For some reason, the sound caused his hair to stand on end and he stilled, his instincts telling him to stay low and small.

Hands out, he crouched down low, blinking hard, trying to see anything in the bright, overwhelming light.

“One of those before you is unchanged. The other injected with the rage drug used on gladiators through out the years. Which one will survive?”

Daniels heart rate suddenly increased, understanding flooding his system. Jack was there, his Jack, his friend, but by the sounds of it he had been altered.

Making himself focus, he finally caught sight of his friend and again his instincts screamed at him to be still. Jack was being held back by chains attached to his wrist and neck, five Jaffa in total holding him away from Daniel. The look on Jack’s face was pure hunger, madness and without any sign of recognition.

“Jack-“ Suddenly the chains dropped from Jack’s wrists and neck, freeing him, sending him tumbling forward, but he quickly recovered and spun to his captors, his eyes wide, teeth bared. A weapon was pointed at him, the blast hitting the sand at his feet causing him to step back in defence.

Daniel watched, not moving, knowing somehow that any sudden movement would cause Jack to turn on him. Jack continued to growl and hiss at the Jaffa, stepping away with each blast from the weapon yet slowly creeping forward when he could. It was like he had forgotten Daniel for a moment, unfortunately, it wasn’t to last.

A sudden blast hit right by Daniel causing him to react, moving away from the heat of the blast as well as the debris that went up into the air. Covering his head he waited for the rocks and dust to settle before looking up and finding Jack’s wild eyes upon him.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath as Jack started to run towards him. Standing Daniel stood his ground waiting to the last second to spin away, causing Jack to over reach sending the soldier flying pass him without out injury. As quick as he could Daniel back stepped causing a great distance between them hoping Jack would simply charge again. Watching Jack reorient himself he knew this couldn’t last, Jack was smart, a trained killer and Daniel, though trained in self-defence, was no match against his friend.

Jack started to charge again, this time a little slower, anticipating Daniel’s move. Daniel, again, waiting, feigning to the right, then changing just as quickly, to the left, again avoiding Jack’s attack. Around him the crowd booed and demanded blood. But their shouts and cries simply background noise to the sound of Daniel’s blood pumping around his body.

Daniel knew he had used up all his time to avoid conflict, knew that somehow Jack still had a grasp of his basic sense of conflict, but he didn’t seem to recognize Daniel at all.
When Jack turned to him once again, he was still judging Daniel as he started to creep once again slowly forward.

Daniel was definitely screwed now. Jack had learned. There was no way Daniel would be able to avoid an attack now. His only hope was to deflect until help arrived...or Jack killed him.

Going into a defensive crouch, one Teal’c had taught him, he waited, not taking his eyes from Jack’s.

“Jack, please, I know a part of you is in there, fighting this. Please help me out here.”

Jack leaped, but Daniel was ready. Catching Jack, Daniel rolled backwards and threw the colonel onto the ground before rolling back to his feet. But before he even got his bearings, Jack was upon him, snarling and ripping at his BDUs with unimaginable strength, his own pain diminished by the drug, as nails came away from nailbeds, thread and fabric cutting into his hands.
Daniel tried to bat him away, pushing and landing punches where ever he could, but it seemed to no avail.

“Jack!" He screamed as they both tumble to the ground. As Jack straddled Daniels's waist, he started to rain down punches. Raising his arms, Daniel tried his best to protect his face, his head but before long punch after punch broke through and he started to see stars.

“Jack...pl...ugh” a fist connected with his mouth, blood filling it instantly, causing him to choke and cough, sending blood spraying up into Jack’s face. The droplets that hit Jack caused Jack to flinch back, his brow furrowing as he whipped a hand over his face, causing the blood already on his hand to smear from his left temple down over his eyes and across his mouth were his tongue stuck out, licking the blood from his lips. Daniel watched through hazy swollen eyes. Jack bared his teeth, a low growl coming from deep within him.

“J... a... Please,” Daniel coughed again, sending more blood upward.
Jack’s eyes locked onto Daniel’s. Jack’s pupils that had been blown wide, suddenly shrunk, the black replaced by chocolate brown. The snarl upon Jack’s face vanished and a look of pure horror crossed his features.

“Oh my god....Daniel.”
Breathing hard, trying not to cry but failing, Daniel’s tears easily escaped his eyes.

“You,” Daniel started but Jack put a hand to his broken face trying to shush him. “Finish it.”

Jack’s frown deepened, compassion entered his eyes. Jack looked up and around him, taking in the cheering crowd for the first time, at the armed Jaffa and the hundreds of glowing eyes watching them.

“Finish...”

"Daniel, no.”

“They... Kill us.”

“Daniel, please. No.”

Coughing again, this time turning his head as blood seeped from his mouth, Daniel waited until he could catch a breath before looking back. In that time he could see blurry figures moving towards them.

“Look.” he indicated. He felt Jack stiffen above him as he took in the incoming figures.

“They plan to inject me again.” Jack sounded panicked. 

“Then finish it now, before you really tear me apart.”

Jack looked down at him. The look in Jack’s eyes telling him Jack knew that simply knocking Daniel out wouldn’t end this One of them had to die.

Lifting his hands, Daniel took hold of Jack’s, then placed the bloodied hands around his throat.

“Do it.” Jack looked down at his hands then up at Daniel as fingers tightened and pressure increased. Almost sighing in relief, Daniel allowed his lungs to empty. Waiting his body's defences kicked in, he tried to take a breath, but Jack already blocked his airway. Trying his hardest not to panic, Daniel’s grip on Jack’s wrists increased, as more tears spilled from his eyes, tears matched by the ones rolling from Jacks otherwise stone cold face.

It’s okay, it’s okay. He kept trying to project to let his friend known he was forgiven.
Trying to gasp, his mouth opened and closed instinctively as his vision began to blur, his fingers became lax around Jack’s wrist. Then slowly, he fell into darkness.

***

Gasping awake, Daniel shot up, his hands going to his throat as he coughed, out of remembering rather than the need to.

Still gasping he looked around then down, almost throwing himself out of the sarcophagus that had brought him back.

“Whoa, there.” Hands grabbed his upper arms causing him to spin then step back in fear.

Jack held his hands up in a show of non-threatening but Daniel found himself back in the arena being beaten bloody and fighting for his life.

Pain crossed Jacks eyes. He took a few steps back putting even more space between them. “Okay, okay, you’re safe. I’m not drugged. You’re safe.”

“What...what happened?” Daniel looked behind him at the sarcophagus. His eyes wide.

“They brought us back here, put you in that thing and then left.”

“Oh...oh...”Daniel finally felt panic, “this is not over. They plan to keep using us.“

“It would seem so.”

“Oh, god.” The panic over whelmed him, his breathing becoming harsh and fast.

“Breath, Daniel. It’s okay, just breath.”

“Jack.” The name on his lips was a plea and Jack closed the gap between them, wrapping Daniel up in his arms, lowering them both slowly to the ground. “I can’t... I... Not again.”

He knew Jack would understand, It wasn’t the dying. It was the use of the damn sarcophagus that scared him the most. The addiction that had almost killed him and Jack was suddenly a very real thing once again.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“Don’t let them, please don’t let them.”

Feeling Jack’s fingers in his hair, Daniel turned his face into Jack’s chest and allowed himself to cry.

***

Jack clung to Daniel as the other man let fear overwhelm him. He understood, he really did. When he had returned to earth after Baal, he had suffered as Daniel had, but Janet was more prepared for it and he spent most of his with drawl sedated, But there had been times when he was aware enough to feel the pain and longing for the one thing he couldn’t have.

Running his fingers through soft hair, Jack placed a soft kiss to the top of Daniels head. They needed to get the hell out, but he had no idea if they where even on the same planet they had gated to, or if they had been moved. He also had no clue as to where Teal’c or Carter were.

Pushing away his worries of his absent team mates, he focused his attention back on Daniel, the one he could do something about.
When Daniel had gasped awake, Jack had been beyond happy. After watching the life leave Daniel’s body at his own hands, Jack fell apart. A part of him had died. He knew if they didn’t get out soon he would be killing Daniel over and over again, something he knew would eventually destroy him.

***

When the drug raged through him, he had no concept of time, of personal feelings, of anything that made him, him. All that mattered was the lust to kill, to feel the life drain from another. Every time he woke up, his prey was always the same, a being that refused to die, to submit and just allow him to rip and beat and kill.

Snarling as his target once again looked fresh and alive, he crawled slowly toward the other being. Even from this distance he could feel the fear rolling off the other, saw the tension running though its body. He had no reason to believe this being was anything like him, as he was a coiled killing machine, wanting the taste of blood. And this being was weak, tricky yes, but weak. And he would have it easily, once he pounced.

The being tried to move away, to trick him, but he was ready this time. He very quickly had his prey pinned to the ground, teeth buried into flesh, blood exploding into his mouth as he ripped.

Gurgling sounded as fingers clawed at him, his prey fighting for its life.

“Jack...” the fingers stopped clawing, hands gripped his arms, holding him steady and then it disappear.

The rage faded as fast as it came. The drug on a time limit. Something he knew to torment him now that Daniel was dying.

Closing his eyes, he tried not to think of what his mouth was doing. As he slowly let go, his teeth removing flesh, causing more blood to fill his mouth. He promptly spat out the blood, then forced himself to look at what he had done.

Daniel laid in a pool of blood, his eyes open but the light fading quickly. The hand gripping his arms squeezed once then fell to the ground as the blue eyes closed and Daniel died, yet again.

Closing his eyes Jack let his head fall forward until it pressed to Daniels still chest. This was his torment, to wake as Daniel died, to watch his friend, the man his loved, die by his hands, over and over.

He had lost count of the amount of times he had been drugged, how many times he had killed then calmed Daniel when he awoke in the sarcophagus but it had to be close to fifty by now.

Feeling hands grab him, Jack let them take him, knowing others would pick up Daniel’s lifeless body and take them both to the healing chamber. Once there, someone would check him over looking for wounds or anything that would cause long term harm.

Daniel had once been able to cut across Jack’s chest and they had put him in the sarcophagus before Daniel, allowing him to heal before the other, but it was rare that Jack had any wounds to heal because Daniel almost always refused to fight back.

When they found no wounds on Jack, they placed Daniel in the sarcophagus and left, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts.

Today had been quick, straight for the jugular vain and death in minutes. Other times had been long, slow deaths. But today had been the first time he had used his mouth to kill and he could still taste Daniels blood in his mouth.

He knew he should be raging, demanding to be freed but he had no will left. 

They would both die here.

The sound of screaming brought him out of his thinking. Daniel was awake, and the scream was nothing new. It was a sound of fear, of frustration, and the longing for this to end.

Not moving from his spot, he waited for Daniel to emerge knowing when he did, one of two things would happen. Daniel would either crawl onto Jack’s lap seeking comfort or he would go to his corner, away from Jack, terrified of him. 

Both killed him.

Daniel sat up, his blue eyes turning straight to Jack. Jack kept his gaze down, waiting. Daniel would choose what he needed after living his last death over again in his head. Jack would wait his sentence.

Weight settled onto his lap, arms curled up into his chest and soft hair brush against his chin. Bring his arms up he wrapped Daniel up, his nose going into the soft hair as his eyes closed and he held the man in arms as tightly as possible.

***

Daniel shook. He was cold and tired, despite being healed fully. His mind was mentally exhausted, the trauma of what he was living through already a very real thing.

When he had woken, the pain and fear was still there. He had screamed out of the very real need to be heard. He never screamed in the arena, never gave the watching crowd the satisfaction of hearing his fear.

Today the chose to help Jack was a hard one. He just wanted to go curl up in his corner, hide away and not be seen, but Jack looked broken. Daniel had known that his choice would either break what little hold the two of them had left on reality or insanity.

Crawling onto Jack’s lap, pressing himself to Jack’s chest still covered in his own blood, he curled his arms up into himself and sighed as Jack wrapped him up in his arms.

“How many?” Jack asked into his hair.

“Fifty-six.” Jack’s arms tightened, the shake that went through his body was unmistakable as the older man cried for the very first time.

Daniel moved, lifting his head and bring his fingers to Jack’s face.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, placing a kiss to Jack’s temple. “It’s okay.”

Jacks tears continued to fall, his body shaking as he held back the sobs that obviously wished to be freed.

Daniel continued to stroke his face, placing kisses and whispering words of reassurance.
The kissing had started with Jack kissing the top of his head. Daniel had returned them by kissing Jack’s temple and eyes, but something was different this time. Jack needed more, and Daniel gently pressed his lips to Jack’s.

Jack moved back, blinking back tears as he looked down at Daniel. An unspoken agreement as lips crashed against lips. Shaking, Daniel moved slowly, not wanting break contact but wanting control. He moved until he was straddling Jack’s thighs and he was kissing Jack from above.

Jacks hand fell onto Daniels hips, pulling him down and forward. Daniel growled into Jack’s lips as his hardening cock met another. Jack gasped, allowing Daniel to delve his tongue into Jack’s open mouth. Jack allowed him complete control, not forcing anything, just responding to everything Daniel did, giving himself over, completely, to what ever Daniel needed. 

Daniel ripped at Jack’s clothes, at least what was left of them, before pulling his own tattered top from his totally unblemished body, thanks to the sarcophagus. But Jack’s hands seemed to find every bruise, every cut, every sore spot that should have existed and still existed with his mind. Gasping at the feel of skin on skin, Daniel delved his hands into Jack’s hair, pulling, changing the angle to allow deeper plunder of that amazing mouth. 

Before long the two of them rutted against the other, seeking friction on their hard cocks, both of them needing more but neither of them wanting to break apart.

Finally Daniel pulled back and looked down to undo his belt and fly, pulling free his cock, then going for Jack’s and freeing his as well. Both were leaking, but Daniel spat onto his hand, pressing the two hard pieces of flesh together. He started to pull the both of them off. 

Looking up, he found Jack watching, his hands gripping Daniels hips harder.

“Fuck,” he breathed, then looked back up at Daniel. Their lips met once again. 

Jacks hips thrust up in time to Daniel but Daniel needed more. 

“Jack... I need you.”

“I’m here baby. I’ve got you.”

“No, I need more, I need... Damn it I need you in me, please.”

“Daniel,” Jack looked up, his eyes searching. “I...don’t know, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Daniel could see the torment in his brown eyes. Jack had already hurt him, had killed him, ripped him apart in so many different ways. He couldn’t bare the thought of doing it willingly. 

“I’m in control,” Daniel answered, moving off Jack and ridding himself of the last of his ruined clothes. Once done he looked at Jack who simply stared for a moment then shifted out of his own clothing. Once both were naked, Daniel moved back onto Jacks legs, kissing him hard. 

“Daniel, we need lube,” Jack got out between kisses. 

Pulling back, Daniel took Jack’s hand in his own, a hand that had punched him bloody, that had ripped him to shreds. He took two of those fingers into his mouth, sucking them, coating them in saliva. He then lifted and moved Jack’s hand to his hole and holding the other man’s eyes, slowly pushed those fingers into him. 

“Oh jeez, Daniel.” Jack reached up with his free hand pulling Daniel down for another kiss. Daniel moaned into the mouth kissing him, moving slowly on Jack’s fingers, taking more and more. 

“Now.,” he said pulling back and shifting about until they where both happy, Jack still sitting up and Daniel moved further up.

Licking his hand, Daniel rub the saliva over Jack’s still hard cock before moving it and himself to line himself up, then slowly he lowered himself. The tip of Jack’s cock pushed through the tight ring. Daniel moved both hands to brace on Jack’s shoulders. Jack’s breath puffed against Daniel’s chest as he lowered himself ever so slowly until Jack’s cock was fully in. 

They both stilled, just letting the pleasure taken over before Daniel started to move. Jack’s hands tightened on Daniels hips but he continued to let Daniel have full control, letting the other man lead, letting him set the tempo. 

Moaning, Daniel lowered back down then up again, gradually increasing his movements. 

“Jack,” he moaned, forcing himself to look down. Jack kissed him, his hips moving slowly with Daniels movements. 

“Fuck me,” Daniel finally said, lifting up once again. 

“Are you sure?” Jack kept still  but when Daniel nodded, his hips jerked and the sound that escaped Daniel’s mouth was all the encouragement the other needed. He thrust hard and fast into Daniel, quickly feeling the pressure build. Reaching between them, he took Daniels cock in his hand pumped the other man in time to his thrust. 

They came together, Daniel starting and Jack joining him instantly. Shuddering together they kissed and kissed until they couldn’t breath and they both saw stars. 

***

Daniel came slowly back to himself to find himself lying on the floor, his head resting against Jack’s chest, his breath slow and steady. 

“Jack?”

“Shush, babe, just try to sleep.” Jack’s hand gently ran through his hair, sending Daniel back to sleep. 

***

Waking again, Daniel found himself outside in the blaring sun, still naked and surrounded by the crowd of nameless faces. 

Curling into himself, he closed his eyes and waited. Jack would come. He always came. He would kill him and he would be back in that damn thing, being brought back to life. 

The sound of feet on the sand was his first indication that Jack was there, a low growl letting him know the drug was once again in Jack’s system. Shifting, Daniel turned and slowly sat up, looking at the man before him. Jack was just as naked as him, his muscles rippling under what Daniel now knew to be soft skin. 

Brown eyes where black and teeth bared as Daniel reach out. 

“Quick...make it quick.” Daniel’s fingers brushed against skin. Jack growled but he didn’t move closer. 

“Mine.” A growl came from Jack’s lips. He moved closer to Daniel, but he didn’t attack. He instead leaned in and sniffed at Daniels hair, then down his ear, then his neck. 

“Mine!” Jack growled. Jack pulled away looking around. “MINE!”

Daniel sat transfixed as Jack shouted at the crowd. What the hell was going on?

Jaffa appeared, march toward them, but Jack got between them and Daniel. “MINE!” He shouted, once again, then charged at the Jaffa.

“No!” Daniel breathed out then he, too, was on his feet, running after Jack, his longer legs carrying him faster than Jack but Jack had a head start. The Jaffa stopped at the sight of the two running at them, their staff weapons raising. 

“Jack, no!” Damn shouted as each weapon opened ready to fire. 

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire rang across the area and the screaming that followed was by the crowd. The Jaffa looked away from Jack and Daniel but Jack kept running and Daniel had to stop him. 

“Jack... HELP!” he suddenly shouted. Jack skidded to a halt turning at Daniel’s voice. Wild eyes focused on him and he fell to the ground. “Jack, please,” he begged reaching out as chaos erupted around them. 

Jack went to him in a second. Scooping him up they ran for safety. 

***

They found themselves in a dark hall somewhere.  Jack still carrying him. 

“Jack.” He tried, his hand settling in the back of Jack’s neck. “It’s okay, we are safe, you can let me go.”

“Mine.” Came the growl. 

“Yes, always, but you can let me go, we are safe.” 

Jack looked down at him then let him down but kept his hand against Daniels back, pulling them closer. 

“We need to find clothes,” Daniel whispered, resting his head to Jacks shoulder. 

“Hmm.” Was the only answer as Jack nuzzled at Daniels hair. 

The sound of gun fire and staff blast were distant, a battle obviously being waged as the two of them stood in the dark hall. 

“Come on.” Daniel took hold of Jack’s hand and pulled him down the hall until they came to a door. Daniel tried it. It opened instantly. Looking inside he pulled Jack in and closed the door behind them. 

Jack was back sniffing at his neck but for now Daniel ignored him. He knew the drug still ran riot through the other man, it would take a while until it wore off. Looking around he opened chests and boxes, finding at last robes that he put on then helped to dress Jack. Tightening the sash around his own waist, he continued to look around, this time for something to use as weapons. 

In the end he came away with something that looked like a walking stick and a metal rod. He gave the stick to Jack, knowing the damage the man could do with a simple stick. 

“We need to find those with the guns,” he said, lifting a hand and cupping Jack’s face, the older man rubbing his face into that hand like a cat. “Jack, trust me?”

“Mine,” Jack said simply. Daniel understood. He couldn’t let anyone separate them. Jack would kill anyone that tried. 

“Yes,” Daniel nodded and then taking Jack’s hand, he led the drugged man back through the door. 

Keeping as quiet as possible they soon came across bodies of Jaffa, Tok’ra and SGC personnel. Daniel was able to swap metal rod for a gun but he didn’t trust Jack with a gun, not until the drug had stopped working. 
Soon a voice sounded, English, and then he could have sworn that was Sam. 

Moving slowly, he peeked around a corner finding Sam talking with some other soldiers , giving orders. Letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, he raised the gun he was holding hand and stepped into view.

Several guns turned on him and Jack growled once again. 

“Friendly!” Daniel shouted as Jack’s growl deepened. The guns fell and Sam pushed herself to the front, a smile as bright as day crossing her face. 

“Sam, wait. Stay there.” He could feel the tension coming off of Jack, could feel the need to attack, radiating from him. 

“Daniel?” Sam had stopped, the smile disappearing. 

“Jack is drugged. He won’t recognize you.  Right now, he only trusts me.”

“Okay, what can we do?”

“Get us the hell out of here, but do not allow anyone to separate us!”

“Mine.” Jack growled at Sam, pulling Daniel against him. 

Sam looked between the two of them then nodded. “Understood,” she said. Turning, she barked orders and the men departed, leaving her, Daniel, and Jack alone. 

“Teal’c?” Daniel asked. 

“Looking for you two, he knows you’re here, though, and will meet us outside.”

“Good, we didn’t know what had happened to you two.” Daniel turned to Jack, who was still glaring at Sam, his eyes still black. “Jack has been drugged. He’s...he will kill anyone if they threaten us. I’m surprise he hadn’t ripped me to shreds yet.”

“Why?”

“Because that is what has been happening... I’ll explain it all, later. Can we please just get out of here and go home?”

“Of course, come on.” She pulled her radio free as she turned and spoke into it. “I have them and moving towards the Stargate.  Are we clear?”

“Yes, Colonel.” Came the answer. Daniel raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t say anything, obviously, a lot had changed in the months they had been here. 

Following Sam, Daniel kept a tight grip on Jack's hand. He hoped the man understood he was safe, that Daniel was safe and he didn't have to hurt anyone.

Daniel thought back to the arena, to the moment he knew Jack wouldn’t hurt him, when the realization that on a very primal level, on the level Jack found himself in when drugged, he was now very much Jack’s. Their act the night before must have left something upon him that marked him as Jack’s, that allowed the other man in this basic state know that Daniel and he where bonded somehow.

Seeing the light ahead, knowing they were nearly free Daniel had to hold himself from running out, back to the Stargate and back home. But as he was about to step outside, he stopped and a pull he remembered but never accounted for pulled on him.

“No!” He shouted closing his eyes and feeling himself start to tremble. He knew that by now he should have been in the sarcophagus, his body clock very much reminding him he needed to go back to it and need to go now.

“Daniel?" Sam questioned.

“I need...fuck...Sam I've been in the damn Sarcophagus every day since being here.” He saw the shock in her eyes, then the concern.

“Daniel, if we need to sedate you, we will.”

“No, Jack will go crazy.”

“Then we sedate him first.”

“It won't work, he’s in a primal state, he...he should.” Eyes widening, he turned to a still drugged Jack, not understanding. “It should have worn off by now.”

“How long does it normally last?” Sam asked.

“Depends.”

“On what?” 

“On how long it took for him to kill me.” Daniel was looking into black eyes and he knew Jack would be lost if they didn't do this one last time. “It's my blood, my blood is what cures him.”

“Daniel, what are you saying?”

“He needs to kill me, one last time.”

***

Daniel turned, heading back to the arena.

“Daniel!” Sam shouted, running up behind them but Jack turned and hissed at her, the growl deeply sending a clear message. Daniel was not to be touched.

“Sam, find the healing room. It has the sarcophagus in there. When this is done, Jack will be back to himself but he won’t leave until I awake. Don't try to separate us.”

“What are you doing?”

“You will see, just find that room. Then get me there as soon as Jack wakes up."

He found the arena and stepped out for the first time into silence. Bodies were strewn across the arena floor and over the stands, but he didn’t really see them.

Once in the middle, he turned to Jack, ignoring the small crowd that had formed.

“Jack,” he said, pulling the other man to him.

“Mine.” Jack stepped forward once again burying his face into Daniels neck, smelling him, then flicking out his tongue and licking against the pulse point.

“No...I’m not. I will never be yours.” Pushing Jack away, Daniel aimed and shot at the ground at Jack’s feet. Jack reactive instinctively, growling and crouching as he glared at Daniel.

“Mine!” he growled.

“No!” Daniel shot, again.

“Die!“ Jack snarled.

Daniel dropped the gun. “Yes.” 

Jack attacked, sending them both to the ground. Shouts went up but Sam ordered not to intervene. Daniel closed his eyes as Jack rained punches, each one hitting its mark, causing pain to erupt through his face and head. Tears came unbidden. Then teeth where again at his throat, ripping and tearing at the flesh there. Not once did he scream, his hands, again, just grasping at Jack’s arms until the older man stopped and looked down at him with chocolate brown eyes.

A fist hit the sand next to him but he didn’t flinch, just reached up and touched his hand to Jack’s face.

“Hi.” He was able to get out before he slipped into darkness.

***

 Jack closed his eyes as Daniel stopped breathing, then a howl escaped him as he pulled the younger man into his arms. He waited for the hands that always came to get them, to take them both to the healing room, but when none came he finally looked up and found Sam staring at him with horror and empathy.

“He needs the sarcophagus,” he said simply, as more soldiers moved in around them. He moved back allowing them to pick up Daniel and take him to the one thing that would bring him back.

Still sitting in the sand, he stayed until hands gently picked him up, and Sam was holding out a canteen of water. Pushing it away, he started to follow the others with Daniel, not caring as words were spoken at him. He just needed to be there when Daniel woke.

***
The sound of the sarcophagus opening cause the sound of chatter to stop. Jack stayed where he always sat but he spoke loud and clear. 

“Out!” he ordered. 

“Sir?” Sam questioned. 

“Leave, get out, now!” He knew Sam looked at Teal’c, could feel their concern but he knew he had made himself clear and the handful of people within the room left. 

A few minutes later Daniel screamed that terrible scream and all Jack could do was wait. He begged that Daniel came to him, but he knew, how he knew he couldn’t say, but he knew Daniel would go to his corner, because this was over, and Daniel had die too many times for it not to take its toll.  Jack would be the last person he would need comfort from. 
So when a warm weight settled in his lap, soft hair brushed his chin, he collapsed, a sound ripping from him as Daniel curled up into him. Tears ran unchecked as he wrapped his arms around the trembling form in his arms. 

“It’s over,” Daniel whispered, clinging to the robe Jack wore. 

“No...but you won’t be dying again.” Jack muttered. They had a hell of a road ahead of them and Jack didn’t know if they would both make it. 

***

It took less than twenty four hours for the withdrawal to begin. It had started in the night, an ache in his bones, and he knew this was going to be so much worse than the first time. 

Moaning, he turned onto his side, finding Jack watching him. 

His throat closed and a pained sound escaped him as he reached out. Jack came instantly, wrapping Daniel up and then picking him up off the bed, only settle back down with Daniel curled up upon him. 

“Jack?” Janet came in as Daniels alarms sounded, something must have come loose. 

“He needs this,” Jack answered, as Daniel closed his eyes, soaking up the warmth of Jack, the smell of him, freshly washed for the first time in months. 

“Jack...”

“Janet, I don’t give a shit about how this looks or what the fucking rumours are. We have been to hell and back. I killed him over and over and I will give him anything he needs.  He needs this, and yes, it is by someone who he probably despises more than the damn Goa’uld right now, but that is what happens when his killer is also his only source of comfort. So back the fuck off.”

Daniel shrank at the sound of Jacks voice, not really registering the words, just hearing the growl behind them. A whimper escaped from his lips and Jack arms tightened.

“Sorry baby, I’ve got you.”

Daniel settled but before his long his body started to shudder, then his mind became foggy.  Janet must have put a sedative in his IV. 

***

When he woke again, it was to a seizure. He had no concept of what was happening, just his body was tense and his mind filled with electricity. 

A voice shouted, talked, reassured but he couldn’t  make out the individual’s words and once everything stilled, he was welcomed back to the darkness with open arms. 

***

Jack paced. 

It had been over a week, Daniel remained highly sedated, waking only when it became too low or a seizure ripped through his body. 
While he had nothing. No adverse effect from the drug he had been given every single day. The cure somehow within Daniels blood, blood that had passed his lips countless times, waking him from the blood lust that raged through him. 

Hammond had tried several times to debrief him, but Jack refused. He refused talking unless it was about Daniel and only when it was to do with his medical care. He never answers the questions about what had happened, never acknowledged the questioning gazes, just simply stayed at Daniels side. 

A moan caused him to stop pacing, all his attention on the figure on the bed. They had to restrain Daniel as the last time he had awaken he became violent, lashing out at the medical staff. 

The restraint were pulled once, twice and low snarl came from Daniel. 

“You’re okay,” Jack said gently, causing Daniel to still. When blue eyes landed on him, Jack took a step back, a sob caught in his throat. He had been waiting for this, for the moment Daniel finally looked at him with nothing but fear. 

“No... “ Daniel whispered “Get out... Get out, getoutgetougetout! GET OUT!!!!!!”

Jack closed his eyes as Janet and her team arrived. Jack turned and left, leaving Daniel to scream after him. 

***

Daniel fought and fought as Jack left, his voice screaming after him. 

“Get out!” he screamed one last time as Jack finally left. Then panic he wasn’t expecting came over him. 

Gasping for air, he kept pulling at his restraints, not paying any attention to the medical staff around him until the sedative started to take effect. “Jack... Jack, please!”
Eyes wide he looked at Janet. “Bring him back! Bring him back now!  Jack!”

“Easy, Daniel, easy,” Janet said softly as she nodded and more sedative was added. 

“No, please, I need him. Please, Janet!” Daniels tears fell thick and fast. They didn’t understand. Jack needed him as much as Daniel did and Daniel had just sent him away for the first time. 

“He needs me Ja

net, he needs me, please!” Janet frowned then spun on her heals and ran.

***

Jack walked to the armoury, ignoring everyone that he passed, determined to finally end it. Daniel no longer needed him. He couldn’t live with the memory of every single kill, of every single time he had seen the light leave those eyes, all because of him. 

So sure, he had no aftereffects due to the drug, but he had memory after memory after memory. While Daniel needed him he could keep them at bay, could bare the nightmares, the flash backs. But now, it was over and Jack just couldn’t bare it not any more. 

“Sir!” another distant voice, another unanswered salute. 

“M11,” he said, with no emotion as he reached the desk. 

“Cancel that, Major,” a voice said behind him, to which he turned to find Janet looking at him with worry. 

“Excuse me?” he growled, as he glared down at her. 

“Daniel needs you, Jack.”

“He just told me to get out. He made it very clear that he does not need me.”

“Jack, please come back to the Infirmary. He’s probably passed out again. I had to give him more than what I normally do, but he needs you.” Her voice was soft, worried, but he knew she knew what he had planned and there was no way she would let him leave with what he wanted. Maybe he could get a bottle of pills or something instead. 

“Fine, but if he freaks out again, I’m not staying.”

He saw her relax slightly. Turning, she nodded, leading him back to the infirmary. 
Once through the doors, Daniel’s voice sounded. It was weak but he definitely called Jack. Closing his eyes Jack stilled for a moment. 

“Janet, please get everyone out.”

“Colonel?”

“I need to talk to him, alone. Please get everyone out of here.”

“Yes, sir.” 

As he made his way to Daniel, he appreciated the quick and quiet manner Janet had her staff leave. He was totally alone by the time he reached Daniels side, undoing the wrist restraints instantly. 

Blue eyes watched him through a haze of drugs, but they never left him. Freeing Daniel he scooped the other man up and sat back down on the bed holding him in the way the two of them had come to rely on. 

“Ssso…rry,” Daniel slurred, clutching at Jack shirt. 

Jack buried his nose in the sweat soaked hair, loving the pure musk that was Daniel. 
“Don’t ever say sorry to me, Danny.”

“Don’t...go... Stay.”

“I will stay as long as you need me.”

“Always.” Daniel lifted his head, his lips brushing Jacks chin. “Jack.”

Looking down, he caught Daniels lips with his own, the kiss a simple press of lips. When he pulled back Jack pressed a kiss to Daniels forehead and talked against his skin. 

“Daniel, you should hate me, fear me. Why are you doing this when I know you don’t want to?”

“Mine,” Daniel growled and Jack understood. 
“Mine,” Jack repeated, tightening his grip and pressing another kiss to Daniels skin. 

This hell was far from over, but he knew no matter what, Daniel would be there. 

***

Daniel dozed, the sedative hard to fight against, but he didn’t allow it to fully take him, part of him aware as Jack laid with him, stroking his hair, his face, pressing kisses to his cheeks and lips, whispering words of comfort. 

He thought of what Jack had asked him. How could he want this, need this, when every dream was of Jack ripping him apart, beating him to death, ripping his neck with his teeth, pain and blood his only friend? 

Because, that hadn’t been Jack, that had been something created and used by their enemy, something to break them both. 

Opening his eyes, he looked at Jack who had stopped talking and touching, and was now just watching him.

“You remember it all,” Daniel stated. He had at the time thought Jack was unaware of his actions while drugged, but now, something seemed to slot into place and he realized he was wrong. 

“You let me, every single time, you let me, just took it all.” Jack said back. “You defended but not once did you hurt me.”

“Because it wasn’t your fault. You had no control.”

“I knew though. I could feel it all, every punch, every rip, every bite. I knew, I knew where to punch, how to rip, when to bite. Those instincts were mine and mine alone. I used each and everyone of them to kill you, not just once or twice but nearly sixty times. Sixty times you stopped breathing. Sixty times your heart stopped beating. And sixty times the light in your eyes went out. Each and every one of those times was caused by me and I had to watch, had to feel as your life ended. I have killed so many, Daniel. You know this, but I have never been so intimate with one of them, have never really felt it as their life drains from them. But you, you I know how it feels as you take that last breath, as your heart stops, as that light dies. I know it so intimately that it replays over and over in my head. I have to touch you, to feel your breath, to find your pulse just to assure myself your are alive.” Taking hold of Daniels face he leaned in and kissed him, slowly, beautifully. Daniel felt himself break. Tears streamed down his face as he kissed Jack back, then pulled away and cried into Jacks chest. 

“Daniel, why didn’t you fight me back?”

Daniel took a while to calm him self enough to answer, taking a few shaky breaths before finally talking. 

“You terrified me. My fear was overwhelming but I knew I couldn’t win, I would never win against your training, against your skill so what was the point in fighting? Also why give them the satisfaction? Why prolong the inevitably? They knew you would win each and every time and they enjoyed watching my death as much as watching your suffering upon waking. But me screaming in fear, fighting for my life, I would never give them that satisfaction. So I held you as you did what you had no control over, I whispered words to let you know it was okay, that I forgave you. Because I do, Jack. I forgave you each and every time and I will not let you blame yourself for what happened.” Taking a breath he let his eyes close for a moment, thinking of his next words, hoping Jack understood. 

“When I woke up from death, I screamed my anger and frustration at everything that was happening. Then I either came to you or I didn’t. Those times I came to you were because I saw your eyes as you awaken, saw the pain as you saw what you had done to me, and I knew.  But when I curled up in that corner, my last memory was fear and pain and utter loneliness. I was so lost on those days, I had no idea up from down or if I was even still alive. I think on those days, I simply was living , nothing more, just a mass of cells working together to form something living, yet not alive. I was like that when I woke and told you to leave. In that moment I was living but only with one emotion, fear. It took everything from me, until you left and I knew what you would do. So I sent Janet after you.”

“Good call.”

“Jack, please, don’t ever do that. Don’t take you life. I couldn’t...if you died, I wouldn’t be able to go on.”

He held Jacks eyes, trying to help the other understand but he could read the confusion in those beautiful eyes. 

“Damn it, Jack! I’ve been in love with you for so long. I thought in the beginning, with Ra, it was just lust, an attraction, but then you left and I couldn’t help but think about you. I loved my wife, but I still thought of you, wondered how you were. Then you came back and all hell broke loose. I tampered down my attraction to you, kept a firm lid on it until after Shar’a died. Then Keira happened, and as much as it felt like something was going to happen, nothing ever did because I knew it wasn’t what or who, I really wanted. I wanted you. I needed you. Then this happened.” He paused trying to find his words.

“I didn’t want this to be any worse on you, Jack. I never wanted you to feel like you really had to fight me. I made it easy because I hoped a part of you would understand that I didn’t blame you. Then we…made love and your reaction to me changed once you were drugged. I knew you had seen me as your mate, no longer your prey. Then I broke the bond, threatened to kill you and well, you know.”

“I killed you once again, one last time.”

“Yes, because if you didn’t you would still be drugged and very dangerous. I had to heal you before we came home, because at least then I knew I could be brought back.” Closing his eyes he shivered at the thought if the sarcophagus. 

“Daniel?” Jack asked concern in his voice. 

Daniels body tensed, pain erupting in his head, “Jack, please I need to go back, please.”

***

Jack knew he had lost coherent Daniel now, his withdrawal taking over. Wrapping Daniel up in his arms he held the younger man as he shivered and cried, begging to go back. 

“Why are you trying to kill me again? “ Daniel suddenly shouted, the words meant to hurt but Jack knew it wasn’t Daniel talking. 

“I’m not sweetheart.” Jack pressed a kiss to Daniels forehead then got up out of bed and strapped Daniels wrist back into the restraints. 

“No, Jack, no! Please don’t do that!” Daniel begged and moaned, fighting against his restraints. Going to the door, he called Janet back in which caused a howl of frustration from Daniel’s lips. 

Jack stood back as Janet and her team worked, ignoring the words coming from Daniels mouth, not daring to look into the blood shot blue eyes, eyes that just moments before had been clear and spoke the truth. 

Daniel had been in love with Jack as long as Jack had been in love with Daniel. They had both just been too stupid and stubborn not to say anything. Now Daniel was going through hell caused by Jack and from what Daniel had said to him, the younger man didn’t care as long as Jack was his. 

“Jack!” Daniel suddenly screamed and Jack was next to him, instantly, taking his hands. 
“I’m here,” Jack reassured, his other hand stroking through Daniels hair. 

“Help me.”

“We are.” Jack was grateful to Janet and her team then, as they backed off, closing the curtains around Daniel’s bed, allowing Jack to bend down and placed a soft kiss to Daniels lips. “Sleep, baby.”

Four weeks later. 

Daniel held his hand out watching the shaking increase. He was still in withdrawal, and his body knew the moment it was meant to get its next hit. Looking down at the book in his lap he closed it as Jack walked in, drink and pills in hand. 

“Three thirty-seven,” Jack said softly, coming to kneel next to the chair Daniel sat in. They had been put on medical level indefinitely, Janet being the only one that would allow them back. So Daniel had moved in with Jack while he continued to heal which was funny because despite everything, his body was fit and healthy. It was his mind and nervous system that was all wrong. 

Taking the pills, he passed the glass back to Jack and sighed as his tremors increased. 
“It bad today?” Jack asked, placing the glass down and reaching out push Daniel’s hair back. It had grown long again, and though he liked it he knew Daniel would cut it again before returning to work. 

“I think I pushed myself too hard this morning,” Daniel said. They had gone for a walk. When they returned he had been feeling more awake than he had for a while, so Daniel had been doing some of his at home project. But now he was exhausted. With the tremors also came the sweats and the agitation. Pushing Jack’s hand away he glared down at the other man, holding Jack’s eyes but saying nothing. They had both gotten used to this, this silent communication. He raged with his eyes and Jack took it, his brown eyes becoming sad. 

“Take me to bed,” Daniel suddenly said, standing, the book on his lap falling to the ground. Jack stood with him but didn’t move. 

“Daniel-“

“No, we have waited, and waited and waited. Do you want me or not?”

Jack sighed, stepping back but not anything more. 

“We are not doing this now, Daniel. Not when you are like this.”

“Oh fuck you, Jack!” Daniel pushed pass him, heading towards his room, a room he hadn’t used, having slept in Jack’s bed every night, but it was good to go rage in. 

***

As the door slammed, Jack turned and sat down, his head falling into his hands. He didn’t know how many more of these episodes he could take. Most days, Daniel took his tablets and slept. But others, he became mean, lashing out at Jack, making sure Jack knew it was all his fault this was happening, and even though he knew Daniel didn’t mean it, didn’t want to hurt him, it did, and it was so hard to move forward. 

Daniel’s recovery, this time, was so much worse than the first. It was taking twice as long and Jack was starting to think that it would never end, that Daniel was and would always be this way. 

It was the sound of glass breaking that broke through his thoughts, he was up on his feet in seconds and through Daniel’s door before he knew it. 

What he found caused his blood to run cold. Daniel was cross legged on the floor, broken glass from what was a painting all around him. A large shard of glass was held in his right hand, the point of it pushed against his neck. 

“Daniel... No.” Jacks voice was soft, barely a whisper as he sunk down to his knees. 

“What’s the point?” Daniel asked through tears, the glass cutting through skin causing blood to slowly ooze free. The sight of the blood make Jack dizzy. It was a stark reminder of all the times he had ripped through that neck, killing Daniel in an instant. But this time, there was no sarcophagus to bring him back. 

“Please, Daniel, don’t. I need you. Please, just give me the glass.”

Daniel’s eyes locked onto Jack’s, his hand tightening on the glass cutting into his palm causing more blood to run between his fingers, down his wrist and onto the carpet. Tears ran down his cheeks but his eyes were cold, like ice. Jack’s heart was beating so hard in his chest he was surprised he could hear Daniel talk over its roar. 

“I have died so many times Jack, death no longer scares me. It living that’s terrifying,  waking up each day knowing I’m still here and I have to keep going. I can’t do it any more, Jack! I can’t keep going on like this, living in a lie when all I crave is the darkness that I have been given so often! It’s like a warm blanket and I miss it. I crave it. And each day, at three thirty-seven, I am reminded of what was taken from me! I don’t want to be here anymore!”

“Then take me with you!” Jack shouted, tears now running down his cheeks. “I can’t do this without you, Daniel. And if you go, I go! Every night I dream of your death, and every night I wake up and you are there, breathing and very much alive. It is the only thing that keeps me going, that keeps me alive. So if you do this, take me first!”

He had moved while he spoke, unaware of the glass under his knees cutting into him. He just needed to get to Daniel. Once he did, he grabbed at the hand holding the glass and pushed the end of the shard to his chest over his heart. 

“Do it, please, Daniel. Do it before you do it to yourself because I can not watch you die again!”

Daniel’s eyes looked to Jack’s chest then back to his eyes,. He shifted, then coming up to his knees, the glass pushed through the shirt Jack wore, piercing the skin. They held each other’s eyes and the pressure increased on Jack chest, causing the cut to deepen. The glass slowly pushed its way into the muscle. 

“Do it,” Jack said, lifting his hands to Daniels face, holding it. 

***

Daniel stilled at Jack’s touch, the warmth of those hands seeping into cold skin. 

He would never lie. He wanted to know what it looked like as Jack died, his mind so twisted by what had happened to him, he longed to see it. He had been so angry at never getting the chance  to see the other die, was angry that it had always been him. 
“Do it,” Jack whispered once again, his eyes so sad, so broken. “Please, Daniel!”

Finally, the glass dropped between them and Jack gathered Daniel up in his arms, the both of them sobbing at what had just happened. They stayed, sitting in glass, for a long time, neither of them wishing to let go of the other, neither of them wishing to speak, to acknowledge what the hell had just happened. 

Daniel clawed at Jack’s shirt, then lifted his head and crushed his lips to Jack’s who responded in kind. Before long the two of them had divested the other of their clothing.  Jack was on his back with Daniel between his legs still kissing him, neither of them taking note as glass cut into skin, as blood smeared over skin, hair and carpet. After all they were used to this. Blood, sweat, and tears, something so known to them it was like coming home. 

Daniel bit and licked at Jack’s neck, down his chest and stomach until he took the whole of Jack’s hard cock into his mouth. Jack shouted out at the new sensation, his hands going to Daniels head as he tried not to fuck himself into that mouth. 

Daniel used all his skills to his advantage, suckling, licking, even nibbling until Jack was an incoherent mess. 

Using the hand covered in blood, he wrapped his fingers around the base of Jack’s cock and squeezed hard, denying Jack the release he would now be wishing for. Jack arched up against the floor, the sound of glass crunching adding to the sound of Jack’s cry of frustration at Daniel’s tricks. Looking up Daniel sucked harder, his throat contracting around the head of Jack’s cock, causing another cry as Jack became more sensitive. 
“Daniel…please...oh...Fuck!”

 As Jack spoke Daniel let go of Jack’s cock and swallowed hard several times, sending Jack over the edge and shooting hard, down Daniel’s throat. 

Pulling back, Daniel looked down at Jack, almost passed out on the floor. But Daniel wasn’t done with him, not yet. Getting up, he moved to the nightstand and pulled lube out of the draw. He then knelt on the floor, glass cutting his knees, but he didn’t care. Pushing Jack’s legs open, he squirted lube onto his fingers and pressed the still cool liquid to Jack’s hole.

***

Jack hissed as the cold lube hit his over heated, over sensitive skin, but he knew he had to give Daniel what he needed right now. At this moment Jack was Daniel’s prey, and Daniel wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted, and what he wanted was Jack senseless and so totally undone, he might as well be dead. 

Moaning as Daniel breached him with first one finger, then two, he opened his legs wider, allowing for better access. 

“I want you to scream, Jack. I want you to scream as I rip you apart, as I claim you as mine, as I make you bleed, as I destroy you.” Daniels words shot through him like lightning, sending chills through every nerve. He then was pushed into Jack. It wasn’t gentle, it was harsh and fast. It was fucking on a whole other level. All Jack could do was to hold on to anything he could get his hands on as Daniel pushed him hard into the floor, the glass cutting deeply, the carpet harsh. But none of it registering as Daniel went at him like a wild animal. 

Soon Daniel had found the perfect angel. Jack cried out as his prostrate was hit over and over again. Some how his cock hardened once again. Throwing his head back as Daniel upped the tempo, Jack’s eyes squeezed shut. He was sure that at any moment his heart would give out and he would die. Daniel would literally have fucked him to death. 

“Look at me!” Daniel suddenly demanded. Jack opened his eyes taking in the man above him, sweaty and covered in blood as he fell forward, bracing himself with his hands he claimed Jack’s mouth. They kissed and kissed, Daniel not slowing for anything. 

“Come for me Jack,” Daniel whispered in his ear.  Jack let out a scream. He came all over his stomach and chest, shooting hard and long as Daniel kept hitting his prostrate. 

When Daniel came, it was long and stuttering, their hips hitting hard until he was spent, then fell on top of Jack. 

***

Daniel wasn’t sure if he fell asleep or passed out, but when he woke he was wrapped up in bed. Rolling to his side, he was confronted with Jack lying on his stomach, arms tucked under the pillow and dark eyes watching him.
They looked at each other for a while, Daniel trying to read those dark eyes. Then the events of the day came crashing down.  He sat up wincing at the pain in his neck and the stiffness of his hand, but nothing compared to the state of Jack’s back.

%
“Fuck!” He breathed, reaching out with his good hand. Dry blood covered Jack’s back, and larger pieces of glass could be seen embedded in the skin. Pushing the covers from himself, he hissed at the stretch of the cuts on his knees but he pushed it aside, grabbing the first aid kit Jack had used on him as well as towels and a bowl of warm water. 

“Damn it, Jack! Why didn’t you wake me?”

“You passed out, the meds,” He answered quietly. 

Arranging everything, Daniel climbed back onto the bed and started to clean the blood as best he could. 

They stayed silent until Daniel finally removed the last bit of glass and was stitching up the worse of the wounds. 

“Why didn’t you stop me, Jack?” Daniel finally asked, tears blurring his vision. 

“You needed it, and so did I,” Jack answered in the same quiet voice.

“But this...”

“This is what we know, Daniel. This is what we were born from, and we have been denying it since we got back.”

“I...” Daniel started. He was about to say he never wanted to hurt Jack, but that was a lie. Everything that had led up to what happened proved that. Daniel had wanted Jack’s blood, had almost pushed that shard of glass into Jack’s heart but hadn’t for reasons he still didn’t know or understand. 

“We will tear each other apart Jack. I need you, god, do I need you, but not like this.”

Jack shifted slightly but not enough to stop Daniel’s work, but enough to be able to look at Daniel. 

“Then what do we do? I can’t be without you, Daniel. Your presence is the only thing keeping me alive."

Daniel applied ointment to stop any infection, then covered the cuts with several bandages. 

“We need to separate, Jack, to learn to be without each other.”

“No.” Jack’s panicked voice shot out. He moved to face Daniel, not caring about his back. 

“Jack, we have to. The last months have been hell. We many no longer be in that damn arena, but we are still fighting. We are still ripping each other apart in any way we can. Today proved that. Today I almost killed you, I was so close to doing it.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No, instead, I basically raped you.”

Jack frowned, reaching out, taking Daniel’s hand. “No... no Daniel. I wanted that. I needed that, just as much as you did.”

Daniel looked down at their joined hands and pulled his away, moving back on the bed as he spoke. “You allowed me to do it because you were scared of what I would do if I didn’t.” 

“No! Damn it, Daniel, no!” Jack said throwing his hands up in the air. “The first time we fucked was in that god damn hell hole. It was hard and fast, born out of need. This was no different.”

“Which is why we can’t keep doing this!” Daniel almost shouted. “Damn it, Jack! I love you! I don’t hate you. Yet every time I look at you, I’m back there, back on sand, in bright sun, with the sound of a roaring crowd and you’re beating the shit out me. I can’t keep pretending it’s not what I see because it is going to finally rip us apart, or worse.”

“What worse?”

“I’ll kill you.” He answered bluntly. 

“So your solution is to separate! That makes no sense, Daniel.”

“Yes, it does,” he said sadly. “We need to separate. It’s the only logical thing we can do.”

He could see Jack breaking, could see the pain, the doubt, the fear enter his eyes and spread through his body.

“No...no, nonononon.” Jack gasped for air as the panic attack hit full force. Daniel did the only thing he could. Gathering Jack to him, he laid down so Jack could lay on his chest, his hands running though soft hair as he shushed and used calming word.

“It will be okay, Jack, we can do this,” he finally said, his lips brushing Jack’s temple. Jack pulled him closer, his arms tightening around him as a sob escaped Daniel’s lips. “We will do this. We will get help, and, God, I hope after all this, when things are good, we can continue this.”

“That could...be years.”

Daniel closed his eyes, tears finally falling. “We lasted this long, Jack,” he said.

***

Jack fell asleep like that, lying across Daniel, holding him tightly, even as he relaxed. Daniel didn’t sleep, He couldn’t, because he knew what he had to do.

When he was finally able to get away, when Jack had turned away hours after he had fallen asleep, Daniel quietly got out of bed. Returning to the spare room, he stopped and stared at the broken glass, at the blood staining the carpet, the clothes ripped and discarded like trash. Closing his eyes, he could still feel what had happened, could taste Jack on his tongue, hear him screaming his name as he fucked him into the floor. This is why he had to leave. Why he had to leave, now.

Packing his stuff quickly, he dressed and headed into the kitchen for his meds, then to the living room for his books and keys. Taking his phone, he dialled Sam.

“Daniel?”

“Hey, Sam, I need you to come to the house. Jack will need you and Teal’c.”

“Daniel, what’s happened?”

“Just get here as soon as you can.” He hung up before she could say more, then turned his phone off and placed it on the coffee table.

Grabbing his bag, he headed to the door and was about to unlock it when a figure at the end of the hall caught his attention. Looking up, he dropped his bag and stalked towards Jack, closing the distance in a second and crushing their lips together. Jack responded in kind, kissing back and wrapping his arms around him, his hands touching what they could while they could. Then without a word, Daniel pulled away, walked back to the door and left.

***

Jack didn’t know how long he stood there, staring after Daniel, half hoping he would walk back in, half telling himself to run after him, but knowing that neither were an option. When he finally moved, it was to the guest room were he started to clear up, first the clothes, then the glass, all of it going into a plastic bag. 

Taking the bag outside, he was placing it in trash can when a car pulled up. His heart beat increased as he thought it was Daniel. But when Teal’c emerged out of the car, then Sam, he stared at them both, turned and headed back into the house, leaving the door open for the two of them. 

Luckily, he had put a shirt on before Daniel had left, hiding his back from his friends. He walked to the kitchen rather than the guest room where he had intended to rip up the carpet. Opening the fridge he grabbed a beer and leaned against the counter. Sam and Teal’c joined him. 

“Where is DanielJackson?” Teal’c asked, looking around. 

“He left,”  Jack replied, taking a long pull off the beer, then another until it was gone.  He grabbed another and down half of that before talking again. 

“He said we needed time apart, something about healing and fear and wishing me dead,” he said.  He finished the beer, then pull another one out of the fridge, laughing as he spoke, “the funny thing is, he may have just done that.”

The bottle in his hand dropped to the ground, his heart shattering as the glass did. 

“Jack!” Sam was at his side as he sank to the floor, his eyes blurring, his vision swimming, He was back in the arena hitting Daniel over and over. 

Six months later

Jack frowned at the report. Bloody politics at it finest, he thought, slamming the file shut. The report had something to do with budgets and blah blah blah. Not his area as far as he was concerned. He would pass it on to Walter or whoever. 

Running his hands through his hair, he sat back in his chair with a sigh. He had been back to work for week. Unable to travel through the gate, he was catching up on way too much paper work.  Sam was a colonel now, leading SG1 with Teal’c, a new guy named Marshall, and some linguist named Evans. They were a good team. He just wished he could join them. 

“In coming worm hole,” a voice suddenly sounded, followed by the alarms. Pushing himself up, Jack wasted little time getting to the control room, the gate opening as he got there. 

“SG-1, sir.” Jack heard, as he came up beside Hammond. 

“Open the iris” Hammond ordered.

“Early?” Jack said, as the iris opened and SG-1 stepped through the gate. Hammond nodded, saying nothing.

“Sir,” Sam called from the gate room. “We have a situation.”

“Briefing room now, SG-1.” Hammond called out. He turned and indicated for Jack to follow. 

Once he sat down, Jack looked at the team, and frowned, as none looked at him.

“What is it, Colonel?” Hammond finally asked. 

Rather than answering, Sam turned, and finally looked at Jack. Her eyes soft, sad as he looked back at the general. 

“We need to find Daniel, sir,” she said.

Jack stilled, but said nothing. 

“Why?”

“We have reason to believe he is key to helping us with something we have found.” Teal’c answered. 

“Which is?” Hammond asked. 

“It’s a gate, sir, unlike any gate we have come across. The writing in the hall we found it in...” She stopped, turning to Evans. 

“It’s Ancient, I believe. Far too advance for myself. As far as I am aware, Doctor Jackson is the only one able to translate it.”

“Why is it so important?”

“The gate we found, I don’t believe it’s for our galaxy.”

“Meaning?” 

“If I’m right, sir, this gate links to other galaxy gates. Meaning, it goes to multiple galaxies, galaxies that probably have their own gate system, meaning we may have just found one of the biggest finds since finding the Stargate itself.”

Jack leaned back in his chair looking down at the pen in his hand. This was huge. 

“Sir,” Carter said.  Jack knew it was aimed at him. “Daniel needs to be found. He not only needs to know about this, we need his help. The writings are, we think, addresses, but also information regarding the galaxies available to us. I know we have asked before, but do you know where he is?”

Jack closed his eyes, reciting a mantra his therapist had taught him, one to keep him linked to the here and now, before finally talking. 

“I don’t know where he is, Carter. He dumped everything, once he reach Europe. The trail goes cold after that.”

It was true. They had tried to follow Daniel. They had gotten as far as Italy, where they had found his passport, credit cards, bank cards and all other ID in a hotel room. Since then, there had been no sign of him and Jack had begged them to call off the search. Daniel had made it clear he didn’t want to be found, he didn’t want to return, at least not yet.

“Understood, sir,” Sam said sadly. She then turned her attention back to the General. “We need to find him.”

Jack stood and left the room. He couldn’t be apart of this, not yet, it was too soon. 

***

Brushing the sand away, Daniel wrote quickly, recording all that was before him, drawing and marking areas of interest before continuing to brush away yet more sand. 

He had been on this dig over a month now, never really staying in one place too long. He found it easier to keep moving, paying for everything in cash, crashing at friends places when he could, never giving a real name. 

At the moment, he went by David, close enough to Daniel but still different enough not to cause questions. He had been passing himself off as an amateur archaeologist looking to have some real experience, and being employed for basically nothing. It was good work, and he had come across some amazing finds. Sure, they paled in comparison to some of the stuff he had found on other planets where history was still very much alive. But for the archaeological world of earth, they constituted big stuff. 

Right now, he was mapping out a small home amongst several, recording ever brick, broken pot or anything else he found. It was pretty standard stuff but it was a job. 

It had been nearly seven months since he had left Jack, and by then he had finally, fully withdrawn from the sarcophagus and was healing his broke mind as well as he could. The digs helped, even boring repetitive stuff.  At least it kept his mind off of Jack .

%
Stopping for a moment, he picked up his water bottle, took a long drink before replacing the cap and returning to his work. 
“Da’vid,” came a shout, causing him to look up, as a young man hired to carry messages come running up to him.

“Morning, Azizi.”

“Da’vid, you must come,” Azizi puffed out.
Frowning, Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. “Why?”

“They ask for you,” Azizi said, simply pointing to the tent that housed the big guns in charge of the dig. 

Getting up, Daniel brushed the sand from his clothes and followed Azizi to the tent. He resigned himself to being fired. After all, this was a small dig and though he was good, he was just an extra pair of hands. As he walked, he thought about maybe taking a break before moving into something new. 

Azizi left him at the opening to the tent having done his job, so Daniel stepped inside blinking  few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness.  Once he could see he frowned, as the only person in the tent was the last he expected to see.

“Sam?” He questioned, then smiled and pulled her into a hug as she stood up from her chair. “Oh my god, what are you doing here?” He pulled back, frowning again. “How the hell did you find me?”

“You are not an easy man to track down, Daniel, or is it David? Or Mark?“ Sam said with a smile. “What ever it is, believe me when I say, it took an Asgard ship to find you.”

“Asgard?” Suddenly his mouth went dry and his heart was on the verge of stopping. “Sam, is he...”

“No! Oh, damn it, no, jeeze Daniel, no, he’s fine.”

“Right.” Daniel fell into a chair closing his eyes, calming his racing heart.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to think-“ Sam started to say.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” he replied. He smiled, indicating for her to sit. “So why are you here?”

She quickly told him about the galaxy gate and about the ancient knowledge written there.

Frowning, he asked, “if you have the Asgard, why not get them to help? “

“Because this was a one time offer,” she said. “They owed us, but didn’t owe us big enough to help with translation, so finding you became priority.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes. “So I was a last option?” he asked.

“Of course not! You were my first thought when we came across this gate, Daniel. I could see you there, so excited and talking none stop. We need you back!” Sam pleaded.
Sitting back, he let her words settle in his mind. He knew he would love to go, to see what she described first hand, but was he ready? Could he really go back to the SGC? Could he walk the halls knowing he was there, somewhere. Was he even back or had he left the program?

“Is... Is he working again?” he finally asked.
Sam smiled softly, sadness in her eyes. “He’s flying a desk. He only returned four weeks ago.”

Daniel was surprised by that. Four weeks? He wanted to ask why, but it wasn’t his place. He had no right to his life, not anymore.

“I don’t think I will return, Sam. Thanks for the offer but no.” He stood, wanting to leave, to get back to work. But Sam also stood grabbing his hand.

“Daniel, we need your help on this.”

“Look, send me the files. I can help translate them in my spare time. But I can’t go back, not yet.”

“Daniel, I don’t pretend to understand what happened between you and Jack, but I know it destroyed you both. After you left he...” she trailed off, biting her lip.

Daniel turned fully back to her. He wanted to know but at the same time he really didn’t. But he found himself asking anyway, “he what?”

Sam’s blue eyes never looked so sad as she looked up at him.

“We lost him, for months. He was totally catatonic, non responsive to everything around him. He ended up in a psych ward. We thought he was gone. Teal’c and I visited every chance we got but we got nothing from him.” She paused taking in a breath, composing herself.

“We were told to move on, that he couldn’t be saved. But we could never leave a man behind."

Daniel closed his eyes, pulling his glasses off and rubbing his eyes. He couldn’t imagine what Sam and Teal’c had gone through in that time. He had left them with a shell of their former commander while he, himself had basically disappeared off the face of the earth.

“I didn’t know.”

“Of course not, and no one blames you. No one ever pointed accusations your way. You have been through a living hell, and we could never understand that. Which is why, when we found your stuff, we left you alone. You made it very clear you didn’t wish to be found.”

Keeping his eyes closed he took a few steady breaths, then looked at his friend.

“Sam, I can’t,” he finally said, sadness clearly in his voice. “I... I’m being selfish here. I need to be selfish. I spent months trying not to care about myself, trying to help Jack recover But it backfired. It led to this. I can not, for my own well being, put anyone before me.”

Sam finally nodded, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around Daniels waist hugging him tight. Hugging her back, he rested his head a top of hers and just allowed himself this small comfort.

“I have missed you,” he said, squeezing her.
“Same here. The place is not the same without you, but I understand.”

“Send me what you can and I’ll help that way, okay?”

“Sure, if I get permission to do so. Where should I send it?”

“Is my SGC email still active?”

“Yeah, okay.” She pulled back, looking up at him. “This is so you can disappear again?”

“I’ll check it in a couple of days, then once a week until you either send me something or let me know its not possible.”

“Okay,” she whispered, hugging one last time before standing back. “See you around, Daniel.”

“Bye, Sam.” 

White light engulfed her and he found himself alone.

Closing his eyes once again, he took a few deep breaths, then left the tent. He would be gone from this site before sunset.

***

“He said no,” Teal’c stated as Sam appeared alone.

“He said no,” Sam repeated with a sigh.

“Maybe sending O’Neill would have been the better option?”

“No,” Sam shook her head. “I think that could have made things worse.”

“Very well,” Teal’c slowly nodded.

“Can you take us back to the SGC, Thor?” Sam asked, and seconds later they stood in the briefing room, surprising Jack and SG-4.
“Back already,” Jack said, his eyes darkening at not seeing Daniel. “Where is he?”

“He said no, Sir,” Sam said with a sigh.

“I see. Well, I’m done here,” Jack sighed. “SG-4, dismissed.” The team stood, saluting and left the three of them alone.

“So what now?” Jack asked, leaning back in his chair.

“He’s offered to help translate but not to go to the site itself.” Sam said and took a seat, as did Teal’c.

“We need Hammond’s permission for that, Carter.”

“I know, I told him that,” she replied. “He said he would check in, in a few days time.”

“At least now we can keep tabs on him.”

“Maybe,” she said. “He asked for it to be send to his SGC email. I can trace where it is opened but that is all, and he knows that. He will move on the moment the email is opened. There is no telling where he will be by the time we get there.”

“Of course,” Jack sadly replied. “Okay, get Hammond’s permission and send what you can. In the mean time, I want to get a final look at this place. Janet has given me clearance to go off world, so pack up, kids. We leave in four hours.”

***

Daniel frowned, scratching out his writing before turning back to the picture he had been studying. 

From the information he had been sent and the pictures he has seen, part of him wish he had said yes. But he was happy helping out in this way. At least it gave him something to do. The dig season had ended and he found himself traveling, living a bit of a nomadic life style. 

He currently found himself in a small B&B in central France. The rustic building was set in a farmland with outhouses and a small number of animals to tend. He had been here for a few days, enjoying the peace, and taking long summer walks when not working on translating the Ancient writing SG-1 had found. 

After staring at some writing for a time, he finally sat back, pulling off his glasses and sighing as he ran his hands over his face. He was tired and hungry, having spent time before lunch trying to translate what was before him, the sun had set a while ago. 

So far he had sent back four translation. Once he finished this one, he would send it back, get the next one and move on, never staying in the same place he opened the email. All the translations seemed to be instructions of some kind. He wasn’t fully sure what they meant but he hoped it helped Sam. 

Pushing back from the desk, he stretched, running his hands through his overly long hair and putting his glasses back on. Heading to the door, he was thinking about the owner’s casserole that had been cooking all day, the smell filling the small house when a sound behind him had him turning, stunned. 

“What the hell!” Daniel backed against the door looking at the person standing by his desk with wide eyes. 

Jack spun, facing Daniel, a frown forming on his forehead. 

“Wait... Sam!” 

Sam’s disembodied voice sounded from a distance. 

“It should be working, Sir.”

“Oh it’s working. Just not how I expected.”
“Where are you?”

Daniel’s heart raced. His breathing harsh as he slid down the door, Jacks eyes following him. 

“Carter, I’m safe. Just shut down the coms for ten minutes.”

“Sir?”

“I’m with Daniel.”

“But you thought of home right?”

“Yes, yes I did.”

Daniel wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his forehead to his knees, his eyes squeezed shut as he listened.

“Right, ten minutes, Sir!”

“Yeah sure... Carter?” No reply came. 

Daniel wasn’t sure what to do. As soon as he had seen Jack, he was over whelmed with emotion and it scared him. He had been expecting fear when he finally saw Jack, perhaps hate, anger, too. All the negative feelings  he had been feeling and dealing with for months now. But seeing Jack after nearly a year brought about an emotion he never expected and it was so strong, so overwhelming, he didn’t know how to deal with it. 

“I know you’re scared, Daniel. I’m sorry. I need you to know I never meant for this to happen. Carter’s been playing with the Ancient tech with the help of your translations. And, well, we thought this was a teleport of some kind. Apparently, you just think where you want to go, and poof, you’re there.”

The second translation he had done made more sense now. But he was thinking more about what Jack had said about him being scared. 

“I’m not scared,” he finally said, lifting his head to look at Jack. Jack looked older, his hair more silver, his eyes carrying a few more lines. He had lost weight but he was still powerful. And his eyes, damn, his eyes where beautiful, shining so much Daniel just wanted to drown in them. 

“Daniel?”

“I’m not scared, Jack. I think I stopped being scared a long time ago. I just never realized that until now.”

Jack smiled slightly, sitting on the chair Daniel had vacated not long ago. 

They sat in silence for a moment, then something clicked in Daniel’s mind and he stood up. 

“You’re really here,” he said, not a question, just a fact. 

“Yeah, like I said, teleport of some kind.” Jack waved his hand about. “Of course me being all big on the thingy gene allows me to use it.”

“And you thought of home.”

“Yep, but guess that didn’t work.” He looked around, frowning. “Where is here, anyways?”

“France.”

“Wow, way off course, then.”

“Maybe not.” Daniel moved closer, Jack staying still, watching him. “You thought of home, of what makes your home, well, home.”

“Yeah.” Jack nodded clearly not getting it yet. 

“And you came here.”
“Yeah, obviously, but this is nothing... Oh!”
Daniel smiled, “I’m not scared, Jack. I’m fucking happy!”

He didn’t know when Jack stood but he must have, because he was suddenly wrapped up in arms he misses so much, Jacks scent assaulting his senses, his body melting into what belong to him, and him alone. This really was home, with Jack in his arms, with Jack’s hands splayed across his back, pulling him closer, breathing warmth across his neck.

“Hold shit, Daniel,” Jack said against his pulse point. 

Closing his eyes, Daniel sank into the hug, his head resting on Jacks shoulder, his own mouth against Jacks throat, breathing him in.

“Sir?”

He felt Jack tense but he didn’t let go 
“Five more minutes, Carter.” 

“Sure thing, sir.”

Daniel felt light headed, his nerves overwhelmed by everything Jack. 

“Don’t leave,” he finally said, his arms almost vice like around Jack’s back.

“Fuck, Daniel.”

 He realized Jack kept saying his name for a reason, reminding himself this was real. Pulling back, Daniel wasted no time in claiming what was his. His lips finding Jack’s, in a kiss unlike any he had experienced before. This was coming home. This was what he had been missing, what he had been craving for months. He just didn’t know it. Jack’s hand found its way to the back of Daniel’s head, his fingers carding through long hair as he held Daniel, not allowing any break in the kiss. 

Finally, they pulled apart so they could breath, their breathing harsh, washing over the themselves. 

“Damn.”
“Yeah. That was...” Jack cut him off with another kiss, this one softer, searching, seeking, as though Jack had to relearn ever tiny part of Daniels lips all over again.

“Sir?”

“For Christ sakes, Carter!”

 Daniel couldn’t help but laugh at Jack’s out burst. The look on his face just pure Jack. Ignoring Sam, Daniel started to kiss along Jack’s jaw, down his neck. 

“Listen, Carter, I’m with Daniel, we have talked-“

“Liar,” Daniel said, nipping at Jack’s neck. 

“- and he’s agreed to come back. Can you give us a bit, so he can sort out stuff? Then bring us both back.”

“Yeah, I’ve got him. Just let us know when you are ready.”

“Give us and hour, then contact us.” 

“Yes, sir, Carter out.”

“An hour is a long time,” Daniel said, not moving from Jacks neck. 

“An hour will see you naked and fucked, then ready to go.”

Daniel smiled. Yep, he was home and damn, did it feel good. 

***

Daniel arched off the bed, sweat running down his face, as Jack slowly moved. They had been at this for ages. Jack ever so slowly pushing into him over and over. The tension never building to boiling point but still causing so much pleasure Daniel felt like he had gone to heaven. 

“That’s it,” Jack said, running a hand down Daniel’s chest. “Breath for me, Daniel, just breath and take it all.”

Jack had wanted to tantric sex for a while. He had wanted to take it slow, to have Daniel at his mercy in a way he never had before. With them sex had mostly been out of need, rushed, harsh and fast. But they had been learning to find new things, taking things slower until Jack felt they where ready to try this. 

“Jack... Oh…” Daniel moaned.

 Jack pushed in, slow, and steady, aiming for Daniels prostate and finding it.

 “Oh…” Daniel moaned, again.

Smiling, Jack leaned down and braced his hands on either side of Daniel’s head as Daniel hooked his legs to Jacks hips. 

“Breath, Daniel.” he said, blowing softly on Daniel’s lips, causing the other man to take a deep cleansing breath. Blue eyes opened and Jack smiled as he kept taking his sweet time.

“Oh my god.” Daniel started to tremble, his eyes rolling back as Jack move in and out. “Jack, I... Oh...”

Jack watched, mesmerized as Daniel came, ribbons of cum covering their stomachs. More came as Jack continued to hit Daniels prostate. Growling, Jack’s orgasm hit him hard and fast, his hips stuttering as he tried to keep it slow. 

Falling onto Daniel, breathing hard, as small aftershocks ran through both of them, he felt Daniel’s hands come up, tracing patterns over his arms and back. 

“Holy shit, Jack!” Daniel exclaimed. 

“Umm,” was all Jack could say as he  moved off Daniel, rolling to the side and sitting up. “You stay there,” Jack ordered, moving to the bathroom to clean up and get a warm wash cloth for Daniel. 

“Yes, sir.” Daniel mocked a salute, but Jack liked it when Daniel called him sir. It was the only time he did it, when Jack ordered something in the bedroom, and he knew Daniel knew he liked it.

Returning he cleaned Daniel up, then throwing the cloth on top of the other dirt clothes he climbed into bed and wrapped himself around Daniels warm body. 

“Have I told you how much I really love you?” Jack asked, kissing at any skin he could reach. 

“Not in the last hour. But I’m pretty sure your body has.”

Smiling, Jack shifted so he could kiss the man in his bed on the lips. 

“I love you so damn much, Daniel. Always have, always will. And we will make it through hell as long as we do it together.”

Smiling, Daniel reached for Jack face, kissing him, also. Showing him with that kiss that he felt exactly the same.