Fic: Fishing is a four letter word
Title:: Fishing is a four letter word
Author: captainlogic
Summary:Jack takes Daniel on a vacation that’s out of this world
Word Count:15,000
Rating: nC-17
Disclaimer:None of Stargate belongs to me, only in my sordid dreams
Written For: justhuman
Prompt: vacation but somewhere not the cabin, preferably without fishing/cabin but having some downtime
“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that,” Daniel flung over his shoulder as he stormed out of the briefing room, arms filled with files and papers. Dropping his booted feet loudly to the floor, Jack pushed himself upright, chair rolling away from him as he took off after his team-mate.
“Oh please Daniel,” he spat, “don’t go to the trouble of that for my sake.” Jack’s hand snaked out and slapped against the closing door of the elevator, halting its progress and Daniel’s escape. “Uh-uh, not so fast there Danny-boy.” As the door re-opened Jack stepped in and the other two innocent occupants of the small carriage sidled out, with mutterings as to waiting for the next one. Despite Daniel already having pressed the button for his floor, Jack reached out and jabbed his thumb against the button repeatedly, the cool plastic warming from the bulb beneath. As the doors began to close once more, Jack smirked in triumph and ceased his pointless exercise. He turned on Daniel, unsurprised by the peeved expression and narrowed eyes.
“You have to admit-”
“Oh really?” Daniel cut him off, “Do I?” Daniel huffed a breath from his nose. “I suppose you want me to admit that I was wrong. Again. That once more none of your precious weapons were where the tablets suggested they might be? That the natives wouldn’t join your humble quest to annihilate everyone not wearing fatigues because they’d been dead for centuries due to their own internal warfare and the atmosphere was choked with deadly gases?” Those two days in the dull red Hazmat suits hadn’t exactly been a day at the beach for Daniel either. The cumbersome suit made him clumsy and slow, unable to manipulate the ruins or read with his fingertips as was so his habit. None of the members of SG-1 had been in particularly fine moods during the time on PX3-352 but Jack had been particularly acerbic, belittling the planet, the intel that sent them there and Daniel’s intelligence.
Daniel shuffled the papers in his arm to a more comfortable position as he continued. “And tell me Jack, did you jump so readily upon the intelligence as being bad because it came from the Tokra or because I decided it would be worth our time and the General agreed with me? Did it grate on all your years of military expertise that finally, finally a different way might be considered? That brute force and,” here Daniel jerked his chin at Jack, “ignorance may not fare so well in our friendly skies?” The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and Daniel neatly sidestepped a blustering Colonel and set off down the corridor, steady, confident steps ringing in the quiet.
Jack collected himself and turned in time to watch Daniel disappear around the bend, obviously headed in the direction of his office, probably to sulk. Jack ambled from the elevator and considered his next move. He should let the both of them cool off, but that might let this whole thing fester and grow. Last thing he needed in the field was an extra opponent, this time on the home team. He wouldn’t put it past Daniel to do something he was told not to, just to be petty.
Dumping the papers in an untidy heap atop a counter in his office, Daniel spent a moment fielding various pages and booklets from falling from their precarious perch before stepping over to his desk. He sat heavily in his chair, resting his elbows upon the table before him, head in his hands.
Much as Daniel didn’t want to admit it, even he was beginning to feel frustrated by the teams’ latest series of missions. Having finally managed to finagle a few excursions based upon intelligence provided by the Tokra in regards to the evolution of the Gou’ld in anticipation of gaining a greater knowledge of their enemy and its weaknesses and thus a way to eradicate them, each promising lead, each road travelled had reached a dead end after devouring precious time and resources that the IOC weren’t in any way shy of asking probing questions about.
It was quickly becoming apparent that the Tokra had been duped, that the information fed to their undercover operatives was bogus, designed to waster their time on a wild goose chase and, worse, between Jack and Daniel it had become a ticking time bomb. The Powers That Be would be displeased with the lack of progress, the patent lack of anything advantageous to the Program. Jack would be bored, angry and unforgiving.
Daniel’s head jerked up as he heard a familiar tread approach his office. He was somewhat surprised that Jack had taken a moment before following but he knew he would. The man couldn’t ever let anything lie, had to poke and prod at it until it was the calamity he had predicted it would be. Dropping his head, he closed his eyes as if able to shut out oncoming storm.
“Daniel, brute force has allowed me to reach the age I am. It’s kept you and the team safe. I can’t even keep count of the number of times that you’ve trusted someone on some flimsy basis even when I’ve had misgivings. And then I’ve been forced to sit back and wait for them to turn, which they inevitably do, and then I get the great pleasure of having to save your ass with whatever plan I’ve been devising since you talked over me at the meet and great.” Daniel scowled at Jack. Whilst that was true, technically, it wasn’t as if the reverse wasn’t also just as valid.
“Oh yeah, Jack, that’s good. Haven’t you ever considered that we don’t exactly give off a peaceful, ally-making vibe when we roll up armed to the teeth? Is it so surprising that people may be just a little weary of us? I’m having to start off with a handicap and then you go and open your mouth…”
Daniel threw himself into the argument with fervour that Jack hadn’t known he’d missed until it was aimed solely at him. The enthusiasm to cut him down was somewhat sobering. But Jack was able to rally on, mindless of the instinct screaming for him to cease.
He pushed, and pushed hard.
“Oh apologies, Dr. Jackson,” he enunciated each word clearly, “for doing my job.” Daniel looked as if he might interrupt, but simmered down when Jack held up a warning hand, waggling one finger back and forth. “I really hope you realise that out there, in the great wide unknown, scientists can kick the bucket as fast as any soldier.” He snorted and deliberately took the low road.
“Probably faster. I know you believe the pen to mightier and all that-” The little voice in his head was screaming now, warning him to stop before he ruined not only their working relationship but jeopardised their personal one as well. Daniel’s eyes were narrow, his face tight and his breathing shallow.
When the young man was able to find his voice ice ages were cosier. “You’re suggesting that I’m a liability to the lives and safety of the team?” He’d speculated about that himself over the years and knowing that Jack would probably mock him or laugh, Daniel had sought out the help of some other officers within the program and Teal’c. He’d learned as much as he could, reviving long atrophied skills such as orienteering and map reading as well as developing new ones of grappling and hand to hand combat training, camouflage and marksmanship. Daniel knew that any weapon he carried that he couldn’t use belonged to the enemy and he didn’t want to lie awake at night fretting that his inexperience would result in the injury or death of a friend. He believed he’d never be truly comfortable with a weapon in his hands but then he thought he’d never carry one at all so who knew what he would be toting in a few years time?
Jack at least had the good grace to wince. The adrenaline rush of laying a body blow on his opponent was wearing off and all he saw before him was his wounded lover. He knew he had the capacity to be a bastard and to get straight to Daniel’s last nerve and greatest weakness and he’d purposely gone too far. He just forgot sometimes, looking at this older Daniel, this more hardened battle weary man, that he hadn’t always been like that, that he hadn’t been in the Armed Forces, hadn’t gone through training harsher than Jack could ever be. Beneath the toughened exterior, Daniel still gripped tightly to his ideals and morals.
“Uh…” While it wasn’t the snazziest response in history, Jack didn’t think it deserved the reaction it received. Daniel gave a curt nod, eyes no longer focused on Jack but on some far off unseen realisation. He licked his lips absently, pink tongue swiping over them in a way that, were they at home, never failed to get Jack’s attention. Daniel snuffed out a breath and ran his hands down his face, his exhaustion clear.
“Dan-”
“If that’s everything, I have some work to do, notes to type up” He said tightly, spinning in his chair, hand snapping up to switch on the monitor of his computer, the light from it suddenly illuminating the omni-dark office. Jack was left with a view of the back of his lover’s head and mounting dread rising from the soles of his feet.
”I didn-”
“Yeah, ok.” Clandestinely, Jack studied the younger man’s pose. Had he been harbouring this fear of failure since the programmes conception? It was all well and good to have a healthy outlook to maintaining your skill in the field to ensure your and your team-mates survival, but if too much time was spent agonizing that at any given moment the whole thing might go to shit and bullets were gonna be flying, then you’d go mad. Early on in his career Jack’d had his far share of nights waking up in a cold sweat from dreams were his gun jammed or he wasn’t fast enough or there were too many opponents, too many distractions and his mind was blank of everything he learned, but that simply afforded him an attitude towards perfection, to never stop learning, training, improving. He wondered how his lover dealt with it. Daniel had certainly stepped up, learning how to handle himself but he’d made his point when asking who on the team Jack trusted most. Well, sort of. It was muddled really. He trusted Teal’s as a tactician, a trained soldier who would know fifteen different ways to get out of a tight spot, but he trusted Daniel with everything else, both professionally and personally. Had since the moment they met.
Jack closed his eyes and sighed, dropping his head to his chest. Had Daniel been harbouring that and other situations close to his heart? A series of misconstrued moments taken out of context and understanding. And what of others on the base? Jack had always suspected that Daniel had gotten his fill of ridicule when he first was brought on board but had believed that to have ceased pretty quickly. What Daniel had lacked in knowledge and experience he had more than made up for with a determination and dogged ferocity that had taken even Jack’s breath away. Grimacing, Jack rapped his knuckles as a goodbye against Daniel’s desk, not unsurprised at the silence it garnered. Walking along near empty halls to his own office, Jack mulled over how to fix what he’d gotten himself into.
*
Moving quietly around his home, Jack collected up his keys and wallet, turning off lights and checking windows as he went; he wasn’t coming home tonight. If things went well, he’d be with Daniel, if things didn’t he intended to get so drunk he’d be unable to give a cab his address.
He had that prickly feeling running down his neck that meant he was under surveillance. It wasn’t as often as he thought it would be, and he swept his house for any foreign equipment which was often sent on a joyride down his toilet, but today felt more personal. Someone somewhere was watching him. Oh well, this evening would be a snooze. All his covert watchers would see would be an attractive man in his forties, dressed in somewhat baggy jeans and a loud orange sweater. His silvering hair was neat, possibly due more to the short cut than any effort spent to make it so, and his expression that of composed calm. Nothing to see here, move along. However, if his watchers were good, really stellar they might notice a hint of internal struggle, the barest inkling that he was anxious. But they’d have to be very good, and if they were, how had they pulled stakeout duty?
Walking to his truck, Jack twirled the keys around his finger, enjoying the jangling, making a game of catching and swinging the set, whistling along with the noise. He clandestinely scanned the area around him, his house sitting at the end of the block allowing his a large view of surrounding roads but his attention seemed to be solely on his truck. A couple blocks down, barely visible was a sedan that he didn’t recognise. He almost felt sorry for the poor slob that had landed this plum gig; Jack wasn’t into voyeurism and this guy wasn’t gonna get a thing. Probably as Jack wasn’t either. Grovelling wasn’t his strongest suit, apologising didn’t even make the list. Daniel had taken his lack of coherent denial as all the evidence he needed. This was going to take work to fix. Work and time. And they had too much of one and never any of the other. As the door lock clunked open, Jack swept inside started the engine and reversed into the street, smiling grimly at the headlights that flashed on from the sedan. Sometimes it sucked to be right. God they needed time away from this.
Daniel had been expecting company, resigned in his knowledge that his life, his space hadn’t been his own his own since he joined the SGC and even more so since he had started a relationship with Jack. The man simply had no concept of other people’s things or wishes. Depending on the day, and sometimes even the hour, it was either a trait that Daniel had fallen in love with or one that was liable to hasten Jack’s demise.
The doorknob rattled but didn’t turn and thus thwarted, the visitor tried again, louder and more forceful. Normally when Jack was swinging by Daniel secreted a key away, being too busy being naked in bed, in the shower or preparing himself in a strategically arranged sprawl atop the cover to be getting up to unlock the door but not tonight. Just because he knew that Jack would be coming didn’t mean he had to roll out the red carpet. Or even acknowledge the door.
“Daniel, come on. Don’t make me do this out here.” Daniel winced at the tone, already loud but he knew that Jack could be considerably more disruptive given any resistance. The banging continued, punctuated by fruitless attempts at the knob, the rattle more annoying with the grating of metal.
Grudgingly Daniel stomped to the door, swinging it open with a violence that Jack obviously hadn’t been expecting, the older man stepping back smartly before regaining his composure and smiling broadly.
“Oh, you are in. So glad.” He pushed himself into the apartment, not missing the sub-vocal grumblings from his lover, leaving the other man to shut and re-lock the door. Turning to find Jack staring at him, one hand low at his waist slowly rotating at the wrist, fingers wiggling at the room in general.
“Clean.”
“Ah good.”
“So.”
“Um.” Jack coughed to clear his throat, mouth inexplicably dry, air unable to fill his lungs. It seemed Daniel wasn’t going to make this easy in the slightest. Not that he really blamed him.
“Um,” he repeated dumbly, “could I maybe get a drink?” He moved as if to fetch it himself, but Daniel pressed a hand into his chest with absolutely no intimacy, keeping him still near the door and grunted assent as he stalked off to carry out resented host tasks.
Jack bit his lower lip between his teeth and slowly nodded to himself. ‘Ookaay then, this was going to be fun.’ He undid the buttons to his jacket, warm in the apartment but didn’t shrug out of it. He hadn’t been asked to stay and didn’t want to presume. In the same vein he resisted toeing off his shoes and slumping into the sinfully plump couch. He wasn’t Daniel’s lover right now, wasn’t permitted those tokens of familiarity. No he was very much Daniel’s unwanted guest and for the moment he’d play by Daniel’s rules. He was here to apologise after all, and this was Daniel’s home, little as he had ever respected anyone else’s space.
Daniel padded back from his kitchen, a beer and coke bottle loosely gripped by the necks in his long fingers, beer Jack knew the young man didn’t really like, but kept in his fridge because Jack did. His bringing it to Jack, and even a drink for himself might be promising. Daniel was willing to sit with him, drink with him. Then again, from the way the bottle was tossed at him, rather than passed suggested that Daniel wasn’t really in a negotiating mood just yet.
Daniel dropped onto his couch, a dark stain against the cream linen. He wasn’t relaxed, rather he gave himself away by sitting perched on the edge, fingers ripping at the coke label, elbows braced on his knees, body curled protectively inward against whatever new assault Jack had planned. He’d noticed the older man hadn’t removed his jacket or shoes which meant that either he didn’t expect to stay long after he a)kicked Daniel off the team b)bullied and shouted some more c)made some lame attempt at an apology or that he wasn’t sure of his welcome. Daniel wasn’t really sure on that one either. He raised a hand, waved it around a bit in a ‘well, start then’ motion.
Parking the beer on a counter beside him, Jack tried to redeem himself, haul ass back from the yawning abyss. He sighed, dropping his shoulders, softening his stance to appear less aggressive, more deferential to the man opposite. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared Daniel hard in the eye.
“Fer cryin out loud Daniel, you can’t really believe that I think you’re going to get us killed?” Daniel simply blinked slowly at him, face giving away nothing. “I mean, are you seriously unhinged?” Daniel’s eyebrows raised but no other indication of his mood were revealed. “Why do you think I would keep you on the team, apart maybe you’re a mascot?”
“Oh, good start there. Insult me further. That’s interesting. I wonder if you can come up with something other than inappropriate remarks and scathing putdowns?” Daniel decided to pull his punch before he went below the belt and mentioned Jack’s failed marriage. It was days like these when Daniel was convinced Sara had been half-saint. Or insane.
“Come on,” he coaxed, “you can try better.” He smiled encouragingly. Or at least he bared his teeth.
Jack shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. Any moment now Daniel was expecting a high pitched grating whine along the lines of ‘I don’t wanna’.
“You’re very persistent about this.”
“You pissed me off.”
“You know I’m starting to get that. Something about this just screams you needing a cat on your lap and-”
“Jack.”
“Are you even going to forgive me after I say this cos I don’t wanna just be wasting my time here? I mean, any chance I can have my balls back after this?”
“JACK”
Jack’s shoulders slumped, all the playfulness fled from his expression and he seemed to age before Daniel’s eyes. The older man rocked back on his heels, leaning against the counter for support while he took a study of his shoes. He heaved a great breath and slowly let it out before he started to speak.
“You were first on this team because of your knowledge, because Catherine thought so highly of you, even when no one else did, and because you really couldn’t take no for an answer.” Daniel’s snort illustrated that he wasn’t totally buying the ‘You Tarzan Me Sorry’ approach. “You stayed on the team-”
“Because I had a personal agenda, I wanted my wife back.” Daniel cut in, slumping back in the cushions of the couch, untouched drink held tight in his hand.
“In spite of your personal agenda.” Jack stared at Daniel’s shock. “You think that an inexperienced uber-geek with a grudge would be allowed on the premier team of intergalactic explorers?” Daniel raised an eyebrow. Jack had to nod his agreement, reluctant though it was. “Ok, yeah but he’d have been a USAF uber-geek. He would come fully assembled with glock and pen, supercilious attitude sold separately. It certainly wouldn’t be the guy who’s emotionally invested in the mission, who’d get knocked down in a breeze, shuts his eyes when he shoots and has zero respect for the chain of command.” Jack waited for all that to sink in, through Daniel’s fish impression and straight into the blinking.
“Hammond saw something in you, something I guess I saw too.” He cringed at the blatant show of emotion that he knew would be used as mocking material later. Daniel had yet to figure out that Jack had developed something of an awkward crush on the man from the moment they met. He’d chalked it up to emotional distress and an overwhelming desire to protect Daniel, a fatherly pursuit he’d so recently failed in. His feelings now were decidedly less fatherly. Although exasperation could probably fall under both categories.
“You’re here because you’re the best and SG-1 and the SGC need that. But,” Daniel knew it had been too good to last and relaxed back into his seat again, “every now and then you have to do what you’re told, listen to me and admit defeat.”
“It never is ‘every now and then’ with you Jack. It’s every time, always your way, always your rules. And before you get all,” he searched for the right word but couldn’t seem to find it so settled, “you on me, I know it’s for the team, for the Program but couldn’t we occasionally try my way before things escalate into name calling and fire fights?” A smirk was very much in evidence on Daniel’s lips.
“Yeahsureyabethca,” muttered Jack, with near zero intention of it. He was happy being armed and dangerous, he liked it. He was never happier than when the heaviest armed man in the room. And Daniel could tell he was being pandered to.
“You’re so stupid sometimes.” He burst out, irritated by Jack’s show of acquiescence. “You’re so caught up in everything being your way, so used to being constantly obeyed that you there are times you don’t use the team properly.”
Jack visibly pulled back, stunned that Daniel was questioning his tactical strategies. What did he know? Weren’t they just having a sweet moment?
“You always, always put yourself in danger.” Daniel waved away whatever retort Jack was winding up. “Ostensibly for our protection you make yourself the target but you leave us undefended or without any clue as to your plan. You’ve gotten lucky over the years, Teal’c having more than his fair share to do with it, but you don’t trus-”
“What makes you think I don’t trust you?” Jack asked cautiously, quiet.
Daniel licked his lips before sucking the lower one between his teeth. He heaved a great breath and his free hand drummed against the arm of the couch.
“You,” he started, “you’re good, damn good. You said it earlier; you wouldn’t be alive if you weren’t. But sometimes…sometimes it’s Sam, Teal’c and I and then you. As if T is leading our little band and you’re off alone. Too much time solo I guess.” He looked wistful, sad for the days when Jack took missions with the vain hope he wouldn’t die, and the time he hoped he would.
Daniel sat forward in the couch, shuffling to sit on the edge and reached a hand out towards Jack. The older man stared at it for awhile, eyes flickering between the hand and Daniel’s even stare. With a minute step, he took it, clasping the warm and calloused skin within his grasp and sat beside his lover.
“Just, I don’t know Jack, remember us. Teal’c is fairly fucking formidable and Sam’s proven herself over and over. And I-”
“Ah, yeah, about the liability thing” Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack’s use of air quotes. Never had there been a more annoying fad and Jack hadn’t the good grace to let it die. And even worse, as he hadn’t released Daniel’s hand, it was a half gesture, looking stupid on a teenager, plain moronic on a supposedly grown man.
”What do you want me to say? ” Daniel’s voice had turned colder and his stance subtly changed, arm drawing back towards his chest, tugging at Jack’s hand.
“Er…” Jack tightened his hold and tried again. “Ok, yeah, at first maybe.” The admittance was hard and Jack looked anywhere than Daniel’s face. “Back then, I may not have cared if I lived or not but those men didn’t deserve to suffer ‘cos of me. And you’re being there, you were a burden.” Daniel humphed.
“Got your ass home didn’t I?”
“Yeah but I had to assign men to guard your ass while you did that. You couldn’t defend yourself and you couldn’t help protect the men.”
“Handy with a staff weapon though.” Daniel smirked. “Damn impressive I believe.”
Jack smiled and shifted his hold so that he could lace their fingers, face turning serious once more. “It’s not the same now though. You aren’t the same hippie haired, oof”. Jack rubbed his sore ribs while Daniel looked pleased. “You aren’t weak or a burden anymore. But now I have to make sure I don’t treat you differently because I couldn’t stand to lose you. Out of the frying pan etc etc.”
“I never wanted to kill,” Daniel whispered bitterly, the levity of moments before lost.
“I know.” It was the only answer Jack had and he knew it fell far short of comforting the other man. He warred with himself over his pride of Daniel’s achievements in becoming a warrior and his resentment that the man ever had to.
Daniel rested his head on the back of the couch, tilting it to press gently on Jack’s shoulder. He was so tired. Missions, translation, meetings, bureaucracy, hiding his love for Jack. They were all taking their toll. He needed rest but there was no time. He felt Jack press a kiss into his hair before the older man started to bitch he’d left his beer on the other side of the room.
*
Colonel O’Neill breezed past Walter as if the man simply didn’t exist, his protestations that the General was in the middle of an important call falling on deaf ears. After the most cursory of knock, Jack didn’t even hesitate to continue into his superior’s office, firmly closing the door before striding to stand before the large desk, eyes fixed on the wall behind the older man’s head, body rigid, hands fisted at his sides.
General Hammond allowed the handset to slip slightly away from his mouth, his only display of surprise, his eyebrows drawing low and together as his attention was drawn form the masses of paperwork spread before him to the man before his desk.
“Yes, Sir. I have no doubt of that. Oh, I have great faith in them also.” A short chortle escaped his lips, sounding sincere were it not for the grave expression upon his face. “Yes, Sir, I assure you I will try my best. Indeed. I will do so. Thank you Sir.” Never taking his eyes from Jack, Hammond returned the phone to its cradle, and shuffled the papers back into one pile, the tapping of the bottom edge loud in the silent office.
“And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure Colonel?”
“General,” Jack swallowed before continuing, his gaze dropping to meet his commanders, “George, I’m here on behalf of the members of SG-1. I apologize that what I am going to say is not going to be welcome, especially given that I’m pretty sure that was the ‘big cheese’ on that call, asking about what tinker toys we’re all bringing home, but SG-1 needs out of the rotation. We’re, uh, you know.” Hammond nodded, sliding the finished paperwork into a manila folder and tossing it upon a towering pile beside his left hand.
“I see, Colonel.” Hammond pushed his chair back and walked around his large desk, reaching a hand out to Jack as he passed. “Would you like to join me in a drink?” On a day like today Jack would very much like a Guinness or five, but a coffee in the mess would have to suffice.
As they left the office, Walter unobtrusively stepped aside to let them pass and then slid into the vacated room to collect the pile of folders and leave even more on the other side of the desk, ensuring to place the newest ones beneath those already in residence before returning to his desk and seeking out his jumbo bottle of antacids. Something was going to happen and he’d like to be prepared.
The General led his second-in-command down the maze of corridors and into the elevator and within minutes both were seated in the small mess, steaming mugs of black coffee before them, Jack flipping a packet of sweetener against the table.
“So how may I be of assistance to you Colonel?” Hammond stoically ignored the stares and straining ears of those seated closest to them. Jack was a familiar face within the mess, often dragging Teal’c or Daniel with him as an excuse to come by for more pie or to get out of his own office but Hammond was a rare sight indeed. He often as not ate at his desk, Walter silently refilling his coffee mug whenever he noticed it was running low. He blamed his sedentary duty for his ever increasing waistline. He secretly mourned the loss of a more active duty, especially in view of the worlds the ‘Gate provided access to but he knew that he was too high up the food chain to ever see active service again. Unless the man sat opposite got in such trouble that he could only be bailed out by Hammond.
“I know that we’re behind schedule with the missions, Sir. However-”
“It hasn’t escaped my notice Colonel that tempers within your team appear to be strained.” Hammond resisted the urge to continue that it appeared to be especially so between Jack and Daniel. It would not be well received. “A job like ours has,” he thought for a moment, “unusual requirements upon ourselves and those around us, unusual even for the Armed Forces.” He saw a small smile pull at the edge of Jack’s mouth at that, as the other man’s eyes bore a hole through the table.
Hammond took a deep breath, “And with the added stress of a new re-” Jack’s head shot up so fast he should have been sent to Fraiser for x-rays, his face curiously frozen in its expression given the haste of his reaction.
Ahh, so I was right, thought Hammond. He had really expected Jack to have come to him, spoken to him as George, bought his CO a beer as he broke the news, but at least this was conformation.
“The stress of a new reshuffle in the Government, the ominous black cloud of those that watch us, ever vigilant for the tiniest mistake.” ‘Much like the one you just made.’
Jack smiled again, this time with no humour. “Yeah, good times.”
Hammond grimaced and raised his cooling coffee. “As it stands, the whole program is under scrutiny. And if everyone isn’t exceedingly careful, and if every single team isn’t lucky and comes back as it went out just with added extras of weaponry, then we shall be under even greater enquiry and the whole damn thing will blow up in our face.”
Jack lifted an eyebrow. Was Hammond possibly implying what it sounded like?
“So, in relation to my team, Sir?” He mimicked Hammond’s forced relaxed posture by also taking a sip of his coffee, too bitter and burnt to be enjoyed but habit overrode even the worst coffee, and the mug gave him something to fiddle with in his agitated state.
Hammond shrugged. “I know how I would wish that we could proceed. As we always have done, but things have changed Colonel.” Jack felt the ice of fear coil in his gut. Not only did Hammond seem to know of his relationship with Daniel, but the man disapproved. It seemed Jack had found the one line that Hammond couldn’t allow him to cross. Well he sort of saw his point; Jack never thought he’d do this either. He hadn’t even been able to contemplate kissing Carter as a Colonel, he’d retired for a stupid kiss with a woman, and yet a lifelong commitment with a man, and here he was still uniformed, still sitting in the bowels of the SGC.
“It is too late for that.” Hammond was continuing, not seeming to notice Jack’s lack of attention, “and so I propose that SG-1 be stood down from active duty for the next 10 days. Take some time to rest and assess the situation before we can develop an appropriate response scenario. And if there is no longer a problem, well then whatever the other parties don’t know can’t hurt us.”
Jack nodded. “I was going to request that Sir, I believe we can come to an acceptable…compromise.” Jack grimaced as he spoke, he wasn’t exactly known for his cooperative nature.
“I suspect that compromise is unavoidable, Jack.” Hammond stressed the name, drawing the other man’s full attention to himself. The General tossed back the rest of his coffee, unable to conceal his distaste. “You’ve got your usual loose leash, Colonel, please do not hang yourself with it.” With that, Hammond nodded at his 2IC and left the table, feeling Jack’s eyes on him the entire way out.
Jack sat at the table for sometime, fingers drumming a mournful tune atop the table, not noticing as the two coffee mugs were collected, and the mess slowly emptied until only one other man remained. Jack envied the Sergeant his calm, as the other man slowly chewed a sandwich and read a magazine, occasionally pausing to mark a page for later revision. Well, he supposed if he wanted quiet reading and a sandwich, he should have stayed retired.
So, Hammond knew, or thought he knew. A smirk began to play across Jack’s mouth and his fingers stilled on the table top. Oh the sly dog. Hammond knew something alright, but he had the wrong end of the stick. Well, his vacation plans would blow that out of the water wouldn’t it? With a whistle and wave, Jack stood and made his way out of the mess, stopping only to clap the Sergeant on the shoulder and offer him a bright smile.
*
Jack meandered into Daniel’s office, hands forced low into his pockets, shoulder’s hunched. This required tact, manoeuvring, and a deft mind. He was able to walk right up to the other man’s desk without him even noticing and plucked the pencil from his grasp, tossing it at the empty coffee cup by Daniel’s elbow. It missed.
“Damn, that would have been a sweet two points.” Scowling, Daniel reached for another pen only to have his hand captured by Jack and waylaid. Jack, back to the security camera lightly traced his fingers over the ridge of knuckles and teased the light spattering of hair up onto Daniel’s wrist.
“Uh,” Daniel tugged lightly to get his hand free, breaking Jack’s grasp with ease and trying once more to get a pen, his eyes already moving back to the parchment before him, dismissing Jack’s behaviour as some further unspoken apology for yesterdays outburst. Again, his efforts were thwarted, the container of pens being fielded by Jack to just outside of his reach.
Not an apology then.
“Jack, I know this is foreign to you but what you see before you is work. It is what the rest of us here do.” The scowl was back as Daniel leant forward to steal a pen, a grunt of discomfort forced from him as his stomach pressed painfully into the desk. Sighing when it became obvious that getting a pen would be futile, Daniel sat back and yanked the closest drawer open, rustling through papers, trash and assorted stationary in order to find anything he could write with. Considering his position, he never seemed to have any pens handy other than in that damned pot.
“We’re on leave.” Jack stated, tossing the can of pens from hand to hand whilst trying not to allow any to fall from the floor and disgrace him.
“No, we’re at work.” An arm came up whilst the rest of Daniel seemed to remain buried in the drawer and waved at the surrounds, “Beautiful views of concrete, buzzing lighting and many uniformed underlings. Work.”
Jack, boring of his game having blatantly mastered it, tried to make it more difficult. He wondered how fast he’d have to spin the cup-shaped thing in order for the pens not to fall out before he caught it again. He’d have to ask Carter when he told her that they had time off, but that didn’t help him now. Daniel wasn’t understanding the idea of leave and that wasn’t a fun game in any case. Putting the object back, out of reach of Daniel, and honestly couldn’t he just get up for a pen, Jack moved off to the shelves, eyes lighting up at the spied Dictaphone. He’d have to be subtle though, move towards it slowly. Daniel had a freakish sense for these things when he was already pissed with Jack.
“Leave.”
“Please do,” came the reply.
“Funny.”
“I’m here all week.” Another drawer rattled open
“Vacation, Daniel.”
”Translation, Jack.”
“Well, it’s like when a mommy and a-“
“JACK.”
“This is boring, Daniel.” Jack continued to move closer to his goal, fingers trailing over various book covers and weird shaped bits of stone, a mere distraction for his true purpose.
“Essential. And you needn’t be here, and what are you doing?” Jack managed to suppress his little jump of shock, but just barely. Had Daniel already figured out what he was after, didn’t he still have his head buried for a pen?
Daniel continued, “You humiliate me in the briefing, ridicule my work and now your obviously loosing what little is left of your mind. Hammond only finished briefing us for our next mission an hour ago. A mission that’s scheduled for 15.00 this afternoon.” Daniel sat up triumphant with two pens in his grasp, one of which he lobbed at Jack, smiling somewhat smugly when it connected with the older man’s chest.
“Eh, easy shot, I’m not really small.” Pride suffused the response as Jack puffed up his chest, his green BDU’s more than ample enough to still contain him. However, not content with that, Jack wiggled his hips and waggled his eyebrows. All it earned him was a long suffering sigh and a snort.
“Now that is an easy shot.” The scratch of pencil on paper started up again and Jack had a dizzying sense of deja-vu. They’d never leave the base, never get up to all the things he planned if this kept up. He hadn’t even gotten the man to realise they were on vacation yet. And fer cryin’ out loud, why was Daniel always so swamped in this shit? Didn’t he have people for this?
“Don’t you have people for this?” Jack flapped a hand over his shoulder at the translation to indicate all the work. “You know, underpaid, overworked, underfed undergrads? Learn to delegate.” Once more pride snuck into the tone. “Like me.”
Daniel’s laugh was inelegant. “You don’t delegate Jack, you just ignore it in the hope it’ll go away, or Walter will do it for you.” Jack summoned a wane smile. Oh if only Daniel knew. He always joked and messed around but he did far more work than anyone realised. Or appreciated. Weekends and evenings sacrificed to the mountain, all for the greater good. In fact, pretty much any time he couldn’t see Daniel, way more often than he liked but he knew they were watched, was spent in the office the other members of his team thought he didn’t even know existed. The R&R wasn’t just because everyone was tired of constant missions, it was because everyone was starting to drown in the increasingly political waters of the SGC. It was saying something when it was safer to be on a hostile planet than it was walking down your own street for fear of the NID, IOC or any other member of the alphabet soup.
Still, there was an image to uphold. “Jealous.”
“What?” Daniel didn’t even look up. His answer was probably a reflex.
“You are jealous.”
“No, Jack. I’m busy. I can understand how the two can look so similar, especially to someone without much experience of the latter but”
“Enough.” Jack was tired of the conversation and, given how he had just endeavoured to maintain his reputation as lazy, irrationally angry at Daniel for continually inferring that he did no work. And that right there was another reason for this time away.
“I’ve filed the paperwork, made the request, talked to Hammond and had everything approved with dotted I’s and crossed t’s. Tomorrow morning you and I are outta here.” That seemed to permeate through the part of Daniel’s mind that was humouring Jack and to the part that was focused on the sheets before him. His writing stopped first, then his eyebrows furrowed low, then he pushed up his glassed and finally raised his head.
“You’re serious.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yup.” The reply had an idle, offhand ring. Finally, Jack’s wandering hand closed over the cool plastic of the Dictaphone.
“For God’s sake Jack, put it down. Can’t you go five minutes without tinkering?” Not even remotely mollified, Jack lightly plopped the device back onto the shelf. It probably hadn’t been best to make a play for it just as he had Daniel’s undivided annoyed attention.
“See?” He pointed at Daniel. “See that massive over reaction you just had. That right there is why we are all on vacation. And you and I are outta here.” He made a swift swooping motion with his arm. “I decided-“
“Oh you decided?”
“See, snippy.” Daniel placed his hands of his hips, glaring at Jack, eyes narrow.
“Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted, I decided that we all needed a proper vacation, away. In clean air, no concrete, no buzzing lights and most definitely no uniformed underlings.” Jack smiled and licked his lips. “I figure a couple weeks of eating too much, sleeping too much f-“
“JACK.” It was surprising how fast Daniel could switch gears from pissy to scandalised.
“Fishing too much,” Jack continued, as if the interruption hadn’t happened, “you filthy minded man.”
“No.”
“What no? I was going to say fish.” Like hell was he but Daniel didn’t need to know that.
“Absolutely not. No fishing. Anytime anyone around here says leave, you say cabin and fish. Is it some sort of dare your involved in? Conditioned response?”
Jack looked horrified, mouth agape. “How can you not want to fish? It’s relaxing, fun, enjoyable-”
“Boredom inducing, muscle cramping, insect bite inviting. I agree to a vacation but fishing? Uh-uh. No cabin either, you’ll just sneak out in the middle of the night.”
“Spoilsport.” Jack had already planned a trip for them anyhow and Hammond had agreed. It was the perfect location, had a little something for them both so the powers that be wouldn’t get suspicious and it wasn’t like they’d actually be staying there anyway, but Hammond didn’t know that part. Oh sure, he’d leave a note somewhere in case of a dire emergency but he didn’t want them too easy to get a hold of…
“Edora, Colonel?” Hammond looked momentarily nonplussed, “I hear that Maj-” he cleared his throat, “never mind. You wish me to grant you access to the ‘Gate for Edora for you and Dr Jackson.” It was a statement.
“Yup.” Jack replied brightly. So he’d been right, Hammond had hopped and skipped right to the easy conclusion. It was almost saddening really. Though Jack loved being right, he was disappointed in a way at George. He’d thought more or the man, he really had. ‘See what he makes of this’, he mused. “Laira is, well Sir you know all about that and Daniel would like to see how the society is continuing it’s restructuring, and after last time apparently it’s all very fascinating.,” Jack raised an eyebrow, “I think it would be best if I actually went, Sir.” Perhaps that was a shade too earnest, especially given what he had in mind, but if that’s the way the game had to be played.
“And you needn’t worry over opening the ‘Gate up for a social call, the whole team can just travel through with the next team off to a friendly planet and then move on to their own destinations from there, a sort of interplanetary layover, free of charge to the ole US of A.” The sweetened deal of getting Jack out of his office and at no extra cost was not one that Hammond would be liable to pass up.
Hammond stared unblinking at Jack for some time, the office quiet in the inspection as the General lingered in his decision. Finally he reached for a small file beside him, flipping it over and turning to the second sheet.
“SG-11 is visiting PSX-329 tomorrow. It’s a stable, friendly agricultural planet, that wouldn’t object to a few extra visitors for a few minutes. There is little ‘Gate activity there I am told and almost no-one travels to it so you should remain undisturbed.” Jack nodded and took that as his dismissal.
“However, Colonel,” Jack stopped in his tracks and turned. “My earlier statement still stands. Whatever it is that needs to be done, had better get done.” He stood from behind the desk and walked around it to stand next to Jack. “Do you understand?”
Jack pursed his lips, inhaling deeply through his nose, head nodding gently.
“Perfectly, Sir,” he answered looking his commander in the eye.
“You know what your doing?” George asked quietly.
“No, Sir. But I know why and I hope to find out as I go along.” Jack smiled and George mirrored it, grasping his 2IC arm and squeezing tight.
“See that you do, see that you do.” A knock on the door caused Jack to step back and Hammond resumed his position behind the desk. Walter’s worried face peered in when Jack opened the door to leave.
“Ah, Sir, if you have a free minute, I need you to look…” the request on the overworked mans time faded in the distance as Jack retreated to his office to make plans. There was much to do and little time. Like talking Daniel into putting down his pen and stepping out into the real world. Or a real world.
“It’s all planned. No cabin, no lake mores the pity and nobody around to bother us, spy on us or in any way hinder our activities. Wide, varied and intricate though they may be.” Jack waggled his eyebrows and winked lewdly. “Signed, sealed and nearly delivered, I’m all yours for 10 whole days. All you need to do is pack, although not to many clothes if ya don’t mind and enough food. Water will be provided.” Jack smiled and started to wander off out of the office leaving a speechless Daniel in his wake. His head popped back around the jam. “Oh and a sleeping bag, pillow, book.” He thought for a second. “No, no book. Campy stuff, ya know.” He grinned. “Camping stuff. Just whatever you’d need for that plus food. And you.” He ticked his mental list of on his fingers. “Yup, that’s it.” With a whoop he was gone, footsteps ringing on the floor.
Part 2
*
Author: captainlogic
Summary:Jack takes Daniel on a vacation that’s out of this world
Word Count:15,000
Rating: nC-17
Disclaimer:None of Stargate belongs to me, only in my sordid dreams
Written For: justhuman
Prompt: vacation but somewhere not the cabin, preferably without fishing/cabin but having some downtime
“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that,” Daniel flung over his shoulder as he stormed out of the briefing room, arms filled with files and papers. Dropping his booted feet loudly to the floor, Jack pushed himself upright, chair rolling away from him as he took off after his team-mate.
“Oh please Daniel,” he spat, “don’t go to the trouble of that for my sake.” Jack’s hand snaked out and slapped against the closing door of the elevator, halting its progress and Daniel’s escape. “Uh-uh, not so fast there Danny-boy.” As the door re-opened Jack stepped in and the other two innocent occupants of the small carriage sidled out, with mutterings as to waiting for the next one. Despite Daniel already having pressed the button for his floor, Jack reached out and jabbed his thumb against the button repeatedly, the cool plastic warming from the bulb beneath. As the doors began to close once more, Jack smirked in triumph and ceased his pointless exercise. He turned on Daniel, unsurprised by the peeved expression and narrowed eyes.
“You have to admit-”
“Oh really?” Daniel cut him off, “Do I?” Daniel huffed a breath from his nose. “I suppose you want me to admit that I was wrong. Again. That once more none of your precious weapons were where the tablets suggested they might be? That the natives wouldn’t join your humble quest to annihilate everyone not wearing fatigues because they’d been dead for centuries due to their own internal warfare and the atmosphere was choked with deadly gases?” Those two days in the dull red Hazmat suits hadn’t exactly been a day at the beach for Daniel either. The cumbersome suit made him clumsy and slow, unable to manipulate the ruins or read with his fingertips as was so his habit. None of the members of SG-1 had been in particularly fine moods during the time on PX3-352 but Jack had been particularly acerbic, belittling the planet, the intel that sent them there and Daniel’s intelligence.
Daniel shuffled the papers in his arm to a more comfortable position as he continued. “And tell me Jack, did you jump so readily upon the intelligence as being bad because it came from the Tokra or because I decided it would be worth our time and the General agreed with me? Did it grate on all your years of military expertise that finally, finally a different way might be considered? That brute force and,” here Daniel jerked his chin at Jack, “ignorance may not fare so well in our friendly skies?” The elevator dinged as it reached his floor and Daniel neatly sidestepped a blustering Colonel and set off down the corridor, steady, confident steps ringing in the quiet.
Jack collected himself and turned in time to watch Daniel disappear around the bend, obviously headed in the direction of his office, probably to sulk. Jack ambled from the elevator and considered his next move. He should let the both of them cool off, but that might let this whole thing fester and grow. Last thing he needed in the field was an extra opponent, this time on the home team. He wouldn’t put it past Daniel to do something he was told not to, just to be petty.
Dumping the papers in an untidy heap atop a counter in his office, Daniel spent a moment fielding various pages and booklets from falling from their precarious perch before stepping over to his desk. He sat heavily in his chair, resting his elbows upon the table before him, head in his hands.
Much as Daniel didn’t want to admit it, even he was beginning to feel frustrated by the teams’ latest series of missions. Having finally managed to finagle a few excursions based upon intelligence provided by the Tokra in regards to the evolution of the Gou’ld in anticipation of gaining a greater knowledge of their enemy and its weaknesses and thus a way to eradicate them, each promising lead, each road travelled had reached a dead end after devouring precious time and resources that the IOC weren’t in any way shy of asking probing questions about.
It was quickly becoming apparent that the Tokra had been duped, that the information fed to their undercover operatives was bogus, designed to waster their time on a wild goose chase and, worse, between Jack and Daniel it had become a ticking time bomb. The Powers That Be would be displeased with the lack of progress, the patent lack of anything advantageous to the Program. Jack would be bored, angry and unforgiving.
Daniel’s head jerked up as he heard a familiar tread approach his office. He was somewhat surprised that Jack had taken a moment before following but he knew he would. The man couldn’t ever let anything lie, had to poke and prod at it until it was the calamity he had predicted it would be. Dropping his head, he closed his eyes as if able to shut out oncoming storm.
“Daniel, brute force has allowed me to reach the age I am. It’s kept you and the team safe. I can’t even keep count of the number of times that you’ve trusted someone on some flimsy basis even when I’ve had misgivings. And then I’ve been forced to sit back and wait for them to turn, which they inevitably do, and then I get the great pleasure of having to save your ass with whatever plan I’ve been devising since you talked over me at the meet and great.” Daniel scowled at Jack. Whilst that was true, technically, it wasn’t as if the reverse wasn’t also just as valid.
“Oh yeah, Jack, that’s good. Haven’t you ever considered that we don’t exactly give off a peaceful, ally-making vibe when we roll up armed to the teeth? Is it so surprising that people may be just a little weary of us? I’m having to start off with a handicap and then you go and open your mouth…”
Daniel threw himself into the argument with fervour that Jack hadn’t known he’d missed until it was aimed solely at him. The enthusiasm to cut him down was somewhat sobering. But Jack was able to rally on, mindless of the instinct screaming for him to cease.
He pushed, and pushed hard.
“Oh apologies, Dr. Jackson,” he enunciated each word clearly, “for doing my job.” Daniel looked as if he might interrupt, but simmered down when Jack held up a warning hand, waggling one finger back and forth. “I really hope you realise that out there, in the great wide unknown, scientists can kick the bucket as fast as any soldier.” He snorted and deliberately took the low road.
“Probably faster. I know you believe the pen to mightier and all that-” The little voice in his head was screaming now, warning him to stop before he ruined not only their working relationship but jeopardised their personal one as well. Daniel’s eyes were narrow, his face tight and his breathing shallow.
When the young man was able to find his voice ice ages were cosier. “You’re suggesting that I’m a liability to the lives and safety of the team?” He’d speculated about that himself over the years and knowing that Jack would probably mock him or laugh, Daniel had sought out the help of some other officers within the program and Teal’c. He’d learned as much as he could, reviving long atrophied skills such as orienteering and map reading as well as developing new ones of grappling and hand to hand combat training, camouflage and marksmanship. Daniel knew that any weapon he carried that he couldn’t use belonged to the enemy and he didn’t want to lie awake at night fretting that his inexperience would result in the injury or death of a friend. He believed he’d never be truly comfortable with a weapon in his hands but then he thought he’d never carry one at all so who knew what he would be toting in a few years time?
Jack at least had the good grace to wince. The adrenaline rush of laying a body blow on his opponent was wearing off and all he saw before him was his wounded lover. He knew he had the capacity to be a bastard and to get straight to Daniel’s last nerve and greatest weakness and he’d purposely gone too far. He just forgot sometimes, looking at this older Daniel, this more hardened battle weary man, that he hadn’t always been like that, that he hadn’t been in the Armed Forces, hadn’t gone through training harsher than Jack could ever be. Beneath the toughened exterior, Daniel still gripped tightly to his ideals and morals.
“Uh…” While it wasn’t the snazziest response in history, Jack didn’t think it deserved the reaction it received. Daniel gave a curt nod, eyes no longer focused on Jack but on some far off unseen realisation. He licked his lips absently, pink tongue swiping over them in a way that, were they at home, never failed to get Jack’s attention. Daniel snuffed out a breath and ran his hands down his face, his exhaustion clear.
“Dan-”
“If that’s everything, I have some work to do, notes to type up” He said tightly, spinning in his chair, hand snapping up to switch on the monitor of his computer, the light from it suddenly illuminating the omni-dark office. Jack was left with a view of the back of his lover’s head and mounting dread rising from the soles of his feet.
”I didn-”
“Yeah, ok.” Clandestinely, Jack studied the younger man’s pose. Had he been harbouring this fear of failure since the programmes conception? It was all well and good to have a healthy outlook to maintaining your skill in the field to ensure your and your team-mates survival, but if too much time was spent agonizing that at any given moment the whole thing might go to shit and bullets were gonna be flying, then you’d go mad. Early on in his career Jack’d had his far share of nights waking up in a cold sweat from dreams were his gun jammed or he wasn’t fast enough or there were too many opponents, too many distractions and his mind was blank of everything he learned, but that simply afforded him an attitude towards perfection, to never stop learning, training, improving. He wondered how his lover dealt with it. Daniel had certainly stepped up, learning how to handle himself but he’d made his point when asking who on the team Jack trusted most. Well, sort of. It was muddled really. He trusted Teal’s as a tactician, a trained soldier who would know fifteen different ways to get out of a tight spot, but he trusted Daniel with everything else, both professionally and personally. Had since the moment they met.
Jack closed his eyes and sighed, dropping his head to his chest. Had Daniel been harbouring that and other situations close to his heart? A series of misconstrued moments taken out of context and understanding. And what of others on the base? Jack had always suspected that Daniel had gotten his fill of ridicule when he first was brought on board but had believed that to have ceased pretty quickly. What Daniel had lacked in knowledge and experience he had more than made up for with a determination and dogged ferocity that had taken even Jack’s breath away. Grimacing, Jack rapped his knuckles as a goodbye against Daniel’s desk, not unsurprised at the silence it garnered. Walking along near empty halls to his own office, Jack mulled over how to fix what he’d gotten himself into.
*
Moving quietly around his home, Jack collected up his keys and wallet, turning off lights and checking windows as he went; he wasn’t coming home tonight. If things went well, he’d be with Daniel, if things didn’t he intended to get so drunk he’d be unable to give a cab his address.
He had that prickly feeling running down his neck that meant he was under surveillance. It wasn’t as often as he thought it would be, and he swept his house for any foreign equipment which was often sent on a joyride down his toilet, but today felt more personal. Someone somewhere was watching him. Oh well, this evening would be a snooze. All his covert watchers would see would be an attractive man in his forties, dressed in somewhat baggy jeans and a loud orange sweater. His silvering hair was neat, possibly due more to the short cut than any effort spent to make it so, and his expression that of composed calm. Nothing to see here, move along. However, if his watchers were good, really stellar they might notice a hint of internal struggle, the barest inkling that he was anxious. But they’d have to be very good, and if they were, how had they pulled stakeout duty?
Walking to his truck, Jack twirled the keys around his finger, enjoying the jangling, making a game of catching and swinging the set, whistling along with the noise. He clandestinely scanned the area around him, his house sitting at the end of the block allowing his a large view of surrounding roads but his attention seemed to be solely on his truck. A couple blocks down, barely visible was a sedan that he didn’t recognise. He almost felt sorry for the poor slob that had landed this plum gig; Jack wasn’t into voyeurism and this guy wasn’t gonna get a thing. Probably as Jack wasn’t either. Grovelling wasn’t his strongest suit, apologising didn’t even make the list. Daniel had taken his lack of coherent denial as all the evidence he needed. This was going to take work to fix. Work and time. And they had too much of one and never any of the other. As the door lock clunked open, Jack swept inside started the engine and reversed into the street, smiling grimly at the headlights that flashed on from the sedan. Sometimes it sucked to be right. God they needed time away from this.
Daniel had been expecting company, resigned in his knowledge that his life, his space hadn’t been his own his own since he joined the SGC and even more so since he had started a relationship with Jack. The man simply had no concept of other people’s things or wishes. Depending on the day, and sometimes even the hour, it was either a trait that Daniel had fallen in love with or one that was liable to hasten Jack’s demise.
The doorknob rattled but didn’t turn and thus thwarted, the visitor tried again, louder and more forceful. Normally when Jack was swinging by Daniel secreted a key away, being too busy being naked in bed, in the shower or preparing himself in a strategically arranged sprawl atop the cover to be getting up to unlock the door but not tonight. Just because he knew that Jack would be coming didn’t mean he had to roll out the red carpet. Or even acknowledge the door.
“Daniel, come on. Don’t make me do this out here.” Daniel winced at the tone, already loud but he knew that Jack could be considerably more disruptive given any resistance. The banging continued, punctuated by fruitless attempts at the knob, the rattle more annoying with the grating of metal.
Grudgingly Daniel stomped to the door, swinging it open with a violence that Jack obviously hadn’t been expecting, the older man stepping back smartly before regaining his composure and smiling broadly.
“Oh, you are in. So glad.” He pushed himself into the apartment, not missing the sub-vocal grumblings from his lover, leaving the other man to shut and re-lock the door. Turning to find Jack staring at him, one hand low at his waist slowly rotating at the wrist, fingers wiggling at the room in general.
“Clean.”
“Ah good.”
“So.”
“Um.” Jack coughed to clear his throat, mouth inexplicably dry, air unable to fill his lungs. It seemed Daniel wasn’t going to make this easy in the slightest. Not that he really blamed him.
“Um,” he repeated dumbly, “could I maybe get a drink?” He moved as if to fetch it himself, but Daniel pressed a hand into his chest with absolutely no intimacy, keeping him still near the door and grunted assent as he stalked off to carry out resented host tasks.
Jack bit his lower lip between his teeth and slowly nodded to himself. ‘Ookaay then, this was going to be fun.’ He undid the buttons to his jacket, warm in the apartment but didn’t shrug out of it. He hadn’t been asked to stay and didn’t want to presume. In the same vein he resisted toeing off his shoes and slumping into the sinfully plump couch. He wasn’t Daniel’s lover right now, wasn’t permitted those tokens of familiarity. No he was very much Daniel’s unwanted guest and for the moment he’d play by Daniel’s rules. He was here to apologise after all, and this was Daniel’s home, little as he had ever respected anyone else’s space.
Daniel padded back from his kitchen, a beer and coke bottle loosely gripped by the necks in his long fingers, beer Jack knew the young man didn’t really like, but kept in his fridge because Jack did. His bringing it to Jack, and even a drink for himself might be promising. Daniel was willing to sit with him, drink with him. Then again, from the way the bottle was tossed at him, rather than passed suggested that Daniel wasn’t really in a negotiating mood just yet.
Daniel dropped onto his couch, a dark stain against the cream linen. He wasn’t relaxed, rather he gave himself away by sitting perched on the edge, fingers ripping at the coke label, elbows braced on his knees, body curled protectively inward against whatever new assault Jack had planned. He’d noticed the older man hadn’t removed his jacket or shoes which meant that either he didn’t expect to stay long after he a)kicked Daniel off the team b)bullied and shouted some more c)made some lame attempt at an apology or that he wasn’t sure of his welcome. Daniel wasn’t really sure on that one either. He raised a hand, waved it around a bit in a ‘well, start then’ motion.
Parking the beer on a counter beside him, Jack tried to redeem himself, haul ass back from the yawning abyss. He sighed, dropping his shoulders, softening his stance to appear less aggressive, more deferential to the man opposite. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared Daniel hard in the eye.
“Fer cryin out loud Daniel, you can’t really believe that I think you’re going to get us killed?” Daniel simply blinked slowly at him, face giving away nothing. “I mean, are you seriously unhinged?” Daniel’s eyebrows raised but no other indication of his mood were revealed. “Why do you think I would keep you on the team, apart maybe you’re a mascot?”
“Oh, good start there. Insult me further. That’s interesting. I wonder if you can come up with something other than inappropriate remarks and scathing putdowns?” Daniel decided to pull his punch before he went below the belt and mentioned Jack’s failed marriage. It was days like these when Daniel was convinced Sara had been half-saint. Or insane.
“Come on,” he coaxed, “you can try better.” He smiled encouragingly. Or at least he bared his teeth.
Jack shuffled his feet and looked uncomfortable. Any moment now Daniel was expecting a high pitched grating whine along the lines of ‘I don’t wanna’.
“You’re very persistent about this.”
“You pissed me off.”
“You know I’m starting to get that. Something about this just screams you needing a cat on your lap and-”
“Jack.”
“Are you even going to forgive me after I say this cos I don’t wanna just be wasting my time here? I mean, any chance I can have my balls back after this?”
“JACK”
Jack’s shoulders slumped, all the playfulness fled from his expression and he seemed to age before Daniel’s eyes. The older man rocked back on his heels, leaning against the counter for support while he took a study of his shoes. He heaved a great breath and slowly let it out before he started to speak.
“You were first on this team because of your knowledge, because Catherine thought so highly of you, even when no one else did, and because you really couldn’t take no for an answer.” Daniel’s snort illustrated that he wasn’t totally buying the ‘You Tarzan Me Sorry’ approach. “You stayed on the team-”
“Because I had a personal agenda, I wanted my wife back.” Daniel cut in, slumping back in the cushions of the couch, untouched drink held tight in his hand.
“In spite of your personal agenda.” Jack stared at Daniel’s shock. “You think that an inexperienced uber-geek with a grudge would be allowed on the premier team of intergalactic explorers?” Daniel raised an eyebrow. Jack had to nod his agreement, reluctant though it was. “Ok, yeah but he’d have been a USAF uber-geek. He would come fully assembled with glock and pen, supercilious attitude sold separately. It certainly wouldn’t be the guy who’s emotionally invested in the mission, who’d get knocked down in a breeze, shuts his eyes when he shoots and has zero respect for the chain of command.” Jack waited for all that to sink in, through Daniel’s fish impression and straight into the blinking.
“Hammond saw something in you, something I guess I saw too.” He cringed at the blatant show of emotion that he knew would be used as mocking material later. Daniel had yet to figure out that Jack had developed something of an awkward crush on the man from the moment they met. He’d chalked it up to emotional distress and an overwhelming desire to protect Daniel, a fatherly pursuit he’d so recently failed in. His feelings now were decidedly less fatherly. Although exasperation could probably fall under both categories.
“You’re here because you’re the best and SG-1 and the SGC need that. But,” Daniel knew it had been too good to last and relaxed back into his seat again, “every now and then you have to do what you’re told, listen to me and admit defeat.”
“It never is ‘every now and then’ with you Jack. It’s every time, always your way, always your rules. And before you get all,” he searched for the right word but couldn’t seem to find it so settled, “you on me, I know it’s for the team, for the Program but couldn’t we occasionally try my way before things escalate into name calling and fire fights?” A smirk was very much in evidence on Daniel’s lips.
“Yeahsureyabethca,” muttered Jack, with near zero intention of it. He was happy being armed and dangerous, he liked it. He was never happier than when the heaviest armed man in the room. And Daniel could tell he was being pandered to.
“You’re so stupid sometimes.” He burst out, irritated by Jack’s show of acquiescence. “You’re so caught up in everything being your way, so used to being constantly obeyed that you there are times you don’t use the team properly.”
Jack visibly pulled back, stunned that Daniel was questioning his tactical strategies. What did he know? Weren’t they just having a sweet moment?
“You always, always put yourself in danger.” Daniel waved away whatever retort Jack was winding up. “Ostensibly for our protection you make yourself the target but you leave us undefended or without any clue as to your plan. You’ve gotten lucky over the years, Teal’c having more than his fair share to do with it, but you don’t trus-”
“What makes you think I don’t trust you?” Jack asked cautiously, quiet.
Daniel licked his lips before sucking the lower one between his teeth. He heaved a great breath and his free hand drummed against the arm of the couch.
“You,” he started, “you’re good, damn good. You said it earlier; you wouldn’t be alive if you weren’t. But sometimes…sometimes it’s Sam, Teal’c and I and then you. As if T is leading our little band and you’re off alone. Too much time solo I guess.” He looked wistful, sad for the days when Jack took missions with the vain hope he wouldn’t die, and the time he hoped he would.
Daniel sat forward in the couch, shuffling to sit on the edge and reached a hand out towards Jack. The older man stared at it for awhile, eyes flickering between the hand and Daniel’s even stare. With a minute step, he took it, clasping the warm and calloused skin within his grasp and sat beside his lover.
“Just, I don’t know Jack, remember us. Teal’c is fairly fucking formidable and Sam’s proven herself over and over. And I-”
“Ah, yeah, about the liability thing” Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack’s use of air quotes. Never had there been a more annoying fad and Jack hadn’t the good grace to let it die. And even worse, as he hadn’t released Daniel’s hand, it was a half gesture, looking stupid on a teenager, plain moronic on a supposedly grown man.
”What do you want me to say? ” Daniel’s voice had turned colder and his stance subtly changed, arm drawing back towards his chest, tugging at Jack’s hand.
“Er…” Jack tightened his hold and tried again. “Ok, yeah, at first maybe.” The admittance was hard and Jack looked anywhere than Daniel’s face. “Back then, I may not have cared if I lived or not but those men didn’t deserve to suffer ‘cos of me. And you’re being there, you were a burden.” Daniel humphed.
“Got your ass home didn’t I?”
“Yeah but I had to assign men to guard your ass while you did that. You couldn’t defend yourself and you couldn’t help protect the men.”
“Handy with a staff weapon though.” Daniel smirked. “Damn impressive I believe.”
Jack smiled and shifted his hold so that he could lace their fingers, face turning serious once more. “It’s not the same now though. You aren’t the same hippie haired, oof”. Jack rubbed his sore ribs while Daniel looked pleased. “You aren’t weak or a burden anymore. But now I have to make sure I don’t treat you differently because I couldn’t stand to lose you. Out of the frying pan etc etc.”
“I never wanted to kill,” Daniel whispered bitterly, the levity of moments before lost.
“I know.” It was the only answer Jack had and he knew it fell far short of comforting the other man. He warred with himself over his pride of Daniel’s achievements in becoming a warrior and his resentment that the man ever had to.
Daniel rested his head on the back of the couch, tilting it to press gently on Jack’s shoulder. He was so tired. Missions, translation, meetings, bureaucracy, hiding his love for Jack. They were all taking their toll. He needed rest but there was no time. He felt Jack press a kiss into his hair before the older man started to bitch he’d left his beer on the other side of the room.
*
Colonel O’Neill breezed past Walter as if the man simply didn’t exist, his protestations that the General was in the middle of an important call falling on deaf ears. After the most cursory of knock, Jack didn’t even hesitate to continue into his superior’s office, firmly closing the door before striding to stand before the large desk, eyes fixed on the wall behind the older man’s head, body rigid, hands fisted at his sides.
General Hammond allowed the handset to slip slightly away from his mouth, his only display of surprise, his eyebrows drawing low and together as his attention was drawn form the masses of paperwork spread before him to the man before his desk.
“Yes, Sir. I have no doubt of that. Oh, I have great faith in them also.” A short chortle escaped his lips, sounding sincere were it not for the grave expression upon his face. “Yes, Sir, I assure you I will try my best. Indeed. I will do so. Thank you Sir.” Never taking his eyes from Jack, Hammond returned the phone to its cradle, and shuffled the papers back into one pile, the tapping of the bottom edge loud in the silent office.
“And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure Colonel?”
“General,” Jack swallowed before continuing, his gaze dropping to meet his commanders, “George, I’m here on behalf of the members of SG-1. I apologize that what I am going to say is not going to be welcome, especially given that I’m pretty sure that was the ‘big cheese’ on that call, asking about what tinker toys we’re all bringing home, but SG-1 needs out of the rotation. We’re, uh, you know.” Hammond nodded, sliding the finished paperwork into a manila folder and tossing it upon a towering pile beside his left hand.
“I see, Colonel.” Hammond pushed his chair back and walked around his large desk, reaching a hand out to Jack as he passed. “Would you like to join me in a drink?” On a day like today Jack would very much like a Guinness or five, but a coffee in the mess would have to suffice.
As they left the office, Walter unobtrusively stepped aside to let them pass and then slid into the vacated room to collect the pile of folders and leave even more on the other side of the desk, ensuring to place the newest ones beneath those already in residence before returning to his desk and seeking out his jumbo bottle of antacids. Something was going to happen and he’d like to be prepared.
The General led his second-in-command down the maze of corridors and into the elevator and within minutes both were seated in the small mess, steaming mugs of black coffee before them, Jack flipping a packet of sweetener against the table.
“So how may I be of assistance to you Colonel?” Hammond stoically ignored the stares and straining ears of those seated closest to them. Jack was a familiar face within the mess, often dragging Teal’c or Daniel with him as an excuse to come by for more pie or to get out of his own office but Hammond was a rare sight indeed. He often as not ate at his desk, Walter silently refilling his coffee mug whenever he noticed it was running low. He blamed his sedentary duty for his ever increasing waistline. He secretly mourned the loss of a more active duty, especially in view of the worlds the ‘Gate provided access to but he knew that he was too high up the food chain to ever see active service again. Unless the man sat opposite got in such trouble that he could only be bailed out by Hammond.
“I know that we’re behind schedule with the missions, Sir. However-”
“It hasn’t escaped my notice Colonel that tempers within your team appear to be strained.” Hammond resisted the urge to continue that it appeared to be especially so between Jack and Daniel. It would not be well received. “A job like ours has,” he thought for a moment, “unusual requirements upon ourselves and those around us, unusual even for the Armed Forces.” He saw a small smile pull at the edge of Jack’s mouth at that, as the other man’s eyes bore a hole through the table.
Hammond took a deep breath, “And with the added stress of a new re-” Jack’s head shot up so fast he should have been sent to Fraiser for x-rays, his face curiously frozen in its expression given the haste of his reaction.
Ahh, so I was right, thought Hammond. He had really expected Jack to have come to him, spoken to him as George, bought his CO a beer as he broke the news, but at least this was conformation.
“The stress of a new reshuffle in the Government, the ominous black cloud of those that watch us, ever vigilant for the tiniest mistake.” ‘Much like the one you just made.’
Jack smiled again, this time with no humour. “Yeah, good times.”
Hammond grimaced and raised his cooling coffee. “As it stands, the whole program is under scrutiny. And if everyone isn’t exceedingly careful, and if every single team isn’t lucky and comes back as it went out just with added extras of weaponry, then we shall be under even greater enquiry and the whole damn thing will blow up in our face.”
Jack lifted an eyebrow. Was Hammond possibly implying what it sounded like?
“So, in relation to my team, Sir?” He mimicked Hammond’s forced relaxed posture by also taking a sip of his coffee, too bitter and burnt to be enjoyed but habit overrode even the worst coffee, and the mug gave him something to fiddle with in his agitated state.
Hammond shrugged. “I know how I would wish that we could proceed. As we always have done, but things have changed Colonel.” Jack felt the ice of fear coil in his gut. Not only did Hammond seem to know of his relationship with Daniel, but the man disapproved. It seemed Jack had found the one line that Hammond couldn’t allow him to cross. Well he sort of saw his point; Jack never thought he’d do this either. He hadn’t even been able to contemplate kissing Carter as a Colonel, he’d retired for a stupid kiss with a woman, and yet a lifelong commitment with a man, and here he was still uniformed, still sitting in the bowels of the SGC.
“It is too late for that.” Hammond was continuing, not seeming to notice Jack’s lack of attention, “and so I propose that SG-1 be stood down from active duty for the next 10 days. Take some time to rest and assess the situation before we can develop an appropriate response scenario. And if there is no longer a problem, well then whatever the other parties don’t know can’t hurt us.”
Jack nodded. “I was going to request that Sir, I believe we can come to an acceptable…compromise.” Jack grimaced as he spoke, he wasn’t exactly known for his cooperative nature.
“I suspect that compromise is unavoidable, Jack.” Hammond stressed the name, drawing the other man’s full attention to himself. The General tossed back the rest of his coffee, unable to conceal his distaste. “You’ve got your usual loose leash, Colonel, please do not hang yourself with it.” With that, Hammond nodded at his 2IC and left the table, feeling Jack’s eyes on him the entire way out.
Jack sat at the table for sometime, fingers drumming a mournful tune atop the table, not noticing as the two coffee mugs were collected, and the mess slowly emptied until only one other man remained. Jack envied the Sergeant his calm, as the other man slowly chewed a sandwich and read a magazine, occasionally pausing to mark a page for later revision. Well, he supposed if he wanted quiet reading and a sandwich, he should have stayed retired.
So, Hammond knew, or thought he knew. A smirk began to play across Jack’s mouth and his fingers stilled on the table top. Oh the sly dog. Hammond knew something alright, but he had the wrong end of the stick. Well, his vacation plans would blow that out of the water wouldn’t it? With a whistle and wave, Jack stood and made his way out of the mess, stopping only to clap the Sergeant on the shoulder and offer him a bright smile.
*
Jack meandered into Daniel’s office, hands forced low into his pockets, shoulder’s hunched. This required tact, manoeuvring, and a deft mind. He was able to walk right up to the other man’s desk without him even noticing and plucked the pencil from his grasp, tossing it at the empty coffee cup by Daniel’s elbow. It missed.
“Damn, that would have been a sweet two points.” Scowling, Daniel reached for another pen only to have his hand captured by Jack and waylaid. Jack, back to the security camera lightly traced his fingers over the ridge of knuckles and teased the light spattering of hair up onto Daniel’s wrist.
“Uh,” Daniel tugged lightly to get his hand free, breaking Jack’s grasp with ease and trying once more to get a pen, his eyes already moving back to the parchment before him, dismissing Jack’s behaviour as some further unspoken apology for yesterdays outburst. Again, his efforts were thwarted, the container of pens being fielded by Jack to just outside of his reach.
Not an apology then.
“Jack, I know this is foreign to you but what you see before you is work. It is what the rest of us here do.” The scowl was back as Daniel leant forward to steal a pen, a grunt of discomfort forced from him as his stomach pressed painfully into the desk. Sighing when it became obvious that getting a pen would be futile, Daniel sat back and yanked the closest drawer open, rustling through papers, trash and assorted stationary in order to find anything he could write with. Considering his position, he never seemed to have any pens handy other than in that damned pot.
“We’re on leave.” Jack stated, tossing the can of pens from hand to hand whilst trying not to allow any to fall from the floor and disgrace him.
“No, we’re at work.” An arm came up whilst the rest of Daniel seemed to remain buried in the drawer and waved at the surrounds, “Beautiful views of concrete, buzzing lighting and many uniformed underlings. Work.”
Jack, boring of his game having blatantly mastered it, tried to make it more difficult. He wondered how fast he’d have to spin the cup-shaped thing in order for the pens not to fall out before he caught it again. He’d have to ask Carter when he told her that they had time off, but that didn’t help him now. Daniel wasn’t understanding the idea of leave and that wasn’t a fun game in any case. Putting the object back, out of reach of Daniel, and honestly couldn’t he just get up for a pen, Jack moved off to the shelves, eyes lighting up at the spied Dictaphone. He’d have to be subtle though, move towards it slowly. Daniel had a freakish sense for these things when he was already pissed with Jack.
“Leave.”
“Please do,” came the reply.
“Funny.”
“I’m here all week.” Another drawer rattled open
“Vacation, Daniel.”
”Translation, Jack.”
“Well, it’s like when a mommy and a-“
“JACK.”
“This is boring, Daniel.” Jack continued to move closer to his goal, fingers trailing over various book covers and weird shaped bits of stone, a mere distraction for his true purpose.
“Essential. And you needn’t be here, and what are you doing?” Jack managed to suppress his little jump of shock, but just barely. Had Daniel already figured out what he was after, didn’t he still have his head buried for a pen?
Daniel continued, “You humiliate me in the briefing, ridicule my work and now your obviously loosing what little is left of your mind. Hammond only finished briefing us for our next mission an hour ago. A mission that’s scheduled for 15.00 this afternoon.” Daniel sat up triumphant with two pens in his grasp, one of which he lobbed at Jack, smiling somewhat smugly when it connected with the older man’s chest.
“Eh, easy shot, I’m not really small.” Pride suffused the response as Jack puffed up his chest, his green BDU’s more than ample enough to still contain him. However, not content with that, Jack wiggled his hips and waggled his eyebrows. All it earned him was a long suffering sigh and a snort.
“Now that is an easy shot.” The scratch of pencil on paper started up again and Jack had a dizzying sense of deja-vu. They’d never leave the base, never get up to all the things he planned if this kept up. He hadn’t even gotten the man to realise they were on vacation yet. And fer cryin’ out loud, why was Daniel always so swamped in this shit? Didn’t he have people for this?
“Don’t you have people for this?” Jack flapped a hand over his shoulder at the translation to indicate all the work. “You know, underpaid, overworked, underfed undergrads? Learn to delegate.” Once more pride snuck into the tone. “Like me.”
Daniel’s laugh was inelegant. “You don’t delegate Jack, you just ignore it in the hope it’ll go away, or Walter will do it for you.” Jack summoned a wane smile. Oh if only Daniel knew. He always joked and messed around but he did far more work than anyone realised. Or appreciated. Weekends and evenings sacrificed to the mountain, all for the greater good. In fact, pretty much any time he couldn’t see Daniel, way more often than he liked but he knew they were watched, was spent in the office the other members of his team thought he didn’t even know existed. The R&R wasn’t just because everyone was tired of constant missions, it was because everyone was starting to drown in the increasingly political waters of the SGC. It was saying something when it was safer to be on a hostile planet than it was walking down your own street for fear of the NID, IOC or any other member of the alphabet soup.
Still, there was an image to uphold. “Jealous.”
“What?” Daniel didn’t even look up. His answer was probably a reflex.
“You are jealous.”
“No, Jack. I’m busy. I can understand how the two can look so similar, especially to someone without much experience of the latter but”
“Enough.” Jack was tired of the conversation and, given how he had just endeavoured to maintain his reputation as lazy, irrationally angry at Daniel for continually inferring that he did no work. And that right there was another reason for this time away.
“I’ve filed the paperwork, made the request, talked to Hammond and had everything approved with dotted I’s and crossed t’s. Tomorrow morning you and I are outta here.” That seemed to permeate through the part of Daniel’s mind that was humouring Jack and to the part that was focused on the sheets before him. His writing stopped first, then his eyebrows furrowed low, then he pushed up his glassed and finally raised his head.
“You’re serious.” It wasn’t a question.
“Yup.” The reply had an idle, offhand ring. Finally, Jack’s wandering hand closed over the cool plastic of the Dictaphone.
“For God’s sake Jack, put it down. Can’t you go five minutes without tinkering?” Not even remotely mollified, Jack lightly plopped the device back onto the shelf. It probably hadn’t been best to make a play for it just as he had Daniel’s undivided annoyed attention.
“See?” He pointed at Daniel. “See that massive over reaction you just had. That right there is why we are all on vacation. And you and I are outta here.” He made a swift swooping motion with his arm. “I decided-“
“Oh you decided?”
“See, snippy.” Daniel placed his hands of his hips, glaring at Jack, eyes narrow.
“Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted, I decided that we all needed a proper vacation, away. In clean air, no concrete, no buzzing lights and most definitely no uniformed underlings.” Jack smiled and licked his lips. “I figure a couple weeks of eating too much, sleeping too much f-“
“JACK.” It was surprising how fast Daniel could switch gears from pissy to scandalised.
“Fishing too much,” Jack continued, as if the interruption hadn’t happened, “you filthy minded man.”
“No.”
“What no? I was going to say fish.” Like hell was he but Daniel didn’t need to know that.
“Absolutely not. No fishing. Anytime anyone around here says leave, you say cabin and fish. Is it some sort of dare your involved in? Conditioned response?”
Jack looked horrified, mouth agape. “How can you not want to fish? It’s relaxing, fun, enjoyable-”
“Boredom inducing, muscle cramping, insect bite inviting. I agree to a vacation but fishing? Uh-uh. No cabin either, you’ll just sneak out in the middle of the night.”
“Spoilsport.” Jack had already planned a trip for them anyhow and Hammond had agreed. It was the perfect location, had a little something for them both so the powers that be wouldn’t get suspicious and it wasn’t like they’d actually be staying there anyway, but Hammond didn’t know that part. Oh sure, he’d leave a note somewhere in case of a dire emergency but he didn’t want them too easy to get a hold of…
“Edora, Colonel?” Hammond looked momentarily nonplussed, “I hear that Maj-” he cleared his throat, “never mind. You wish me to grant you access to the ‘Gate for Edora for you and Dr Jackson.” It was a statement.
“Yup.” Jack replied brightly. So he’d been right, Hammond had hopped and skipped right to the easy conclusion. It was almost saddening really. Though Jack loved being right, he was disappointed in a way at George. He’d thought more or the man, he really had. ‘See what he makes of this’, he mused. “Laira is, well Sir you know all about that and Daniel would like to see how the society is continuing it’s restructuring, and after last time apparently it’s all very fascinating.,” Jack raised an eyebrow, “I think it would be best if I actually went, Sir.” Perhaps that was a shade too earnest, especially given what he had in mind, but if that’s the way the game had to be played.
“And you needn’t worry over opening the ‘Gate up for a social call, the whole team can just travel through with the next team off to a friendly planet and then move on to their own destinations from there, a sort of interplanetary layover, free of charge to the ole US of A.” The sweetened deal of getting Jack out of his office and at no extra cost was not one that Hammond would be liable to pass up.
Hammond stared unblinking at Jack for some time, the office quiet in the inspection as the General lingered in his decision. Finally he reached for a small file beside him, flipping it over and turning to the second sheet.
“SG-11 is visiting PSX-329 tomorrow. It’s a stable, friendly agricultural planet, that wouldn’t object to a few extra visitors for a few minutes. There is little ‘Gate activity there I am told and almost no-one travels to it so you should remain undisturbed.” Jack nodded and took that as his dismissal.
“However, Colonel,” Jack stopped in his tracks and turned. “My earlier statement still stands. Whatever it is that needs to be done, had better get done.” He stood from behind the desk and walked around it to stand next to Jack. “Do you understand?”
Jack pursed his lips, inhaling deeply through his nose, head nodding gently.
“Perfectly, Sir,” he answered looking his commander in the eye.
“You know what your doing?” George asked quietly.
“No, Sir. But I know why and I hope to find out as I go along.” Jack smiled and George mirrored it, grasping his 2IC arm and squeezing tight.
“See that you do, see that you do.” A knock on the door caused Jack to step back and Hammond resumed his position behind the desk. Walter’s worried face peered in when Jack opened the door to leave.
“Ah, Sir, if you have a free minute, I need you to look…” the request on the overworked mans time faded in the distance as Jack retreated to his office to make plans. There was much to do and little time. Like talking Daniel into putting down his pen and stepping out into the real world. Or a real world.
“It’s all planned. No cabin, no lake mores the pity and nobody around to bother us, spy on us or in any way hinder our activities. Wide, varied and intricate though they may be.” Jack waggled his eyebrows and winked lewdly. “Signed, sealed and nearly delivered, I’m all yours for 10 whole days. All you need to do is pack, although not to many clothes if ya don’t mind and enough food. Water will be provided.” Jack smiled and started to wander off out of the office leaving a speechless Daniel in his wake. His head popped back around the jam. “Oh and a sleeping bag, pillow, book.” He thought for a second. “No, no book. Campy stuff, ya know.” He grinned. “Camping stuff. Just whatever you’d need for that plus food. And you.” He ticked his mental list of on his fingers. “Yup, that’s it.” With a whoop he was gone, footsteps ringing on the floor.
Part 2
*