Road Trip 3/3
part two
"If Podoprigora has only two minions accompanying him, I fail to see why you anticipate difficulty rescuing O'Neill."
Minions? Daniel mouthed at Sam. She shrugged and took another slice of pizza. They hadn't stopped for supper and she was starving. If Daniel believed they could afford the time, then she was going to eat.
"The difficulty lies with Podoprigora," Maybourne explained. "He'll use Jack as a shield so we'll have to separate them and he's as suspicious as a…"
Sam scowled on principal as the traitor glanced over at her. The pause extended a moment too long.
"…Russian system lord. Paranoia layered on top of paranoia. Except that Podoprigora's not paranoid; he really does have enemies. Lots of them."
"But if you and DanielJackson were planning to rescue O'Neill alone then logically it will be easier with the four of us."
"Easier," Maybourne allowed, tossing his crust back into the empty box. Doesn't eat his crusts, Sam noted. Another mark against him. "But not easy."
Teal'c raised an imperious brow. "Why not?"
"Because both his guys are sitting out in plain sight. We won't be able to sneak up on them so we'll have to get close enough to take them out before they can give the alarm. I assume you brought your personal weapon, Major Carter?" When she reluctantly nodded he patted the gym bag he'd carried in from the car. "And I've got mine. Now I have a silencer so except for a minor technicality we could distract one of them and simultaneously shoot the other one in the head..."
"You're not shooting anyone in the head!" Daniel protested.
"And that would be the minor technicality," Maybourne said, smiling. Daniel rolled his eyes, Maybourne raised an eyebrow in return and Sam wondered just what had happened in that car to make the two of them so… well, for lack of a better word, friendly. Still, Daniel was the guy who'd befriended a Unas so she supposed Harry Maybourne wasn't that great a stretch. Although the Unas was by far the more morally righteous of the pair.
"Two of us could stage a fight," she suggested. "And when that's caught their attention, the other two could sneak up."
"I would happily pummel Maybourne," Teal'c offered.
Sam didn't bother hiding her smile as Maybourne winced.
"Too noisy," he said hurriedly. "We don't want anything that'll draw Podoprigora's attention."
It seemed to Sam that their options were growing ever increasingly limited. "What were you planning to do when it was just you and Daniel?"
"I was planning to use Daniel's natural attributes."
"His what?" Sam glanced over at Daniel and noticed that he was blushing just before she noticed how incredibly form fitting his t-shirt was. And the jeans… woof. Why was she just noticing now? Never mind... stupid question.
Daniel had dragged her into an exuberant hug as she descended from the rover, using the embrace to cover terse instructions. "We're all traveling together. Pretend we're checking in." She trusted Maybourne less than she trusted the Goa'uld but she trusted Daniel explicitly so she'd played along. Teal'c had followed her lead, moving into place by her side like he belonged there. She could still feel his hand in the small of her back as they'd gone into 'their' room. And then to discover that the colonel was in the motel, held by an enemy from his past -- a situation Maybourne was being remarkably reticent about -- well, was it any wonder that she hadn't noticed Daniel's 'attributes'. Although, it was suddenly impossible to get Irene's "ass like an angel" observation out of her head.
Hang on...
"Maybourne, we're not in some sleazy gay porn flick..." She worry later about why that had elicited a flicker of a smile from Daniel. "...what makes you think either of those men will be interested in Daniel?"
"Indeed. One would assume there would be more interest in MajorCarter's attributes."
Suddenly the focus of three pairs of male eyes, Sam felt her ears heat up.
Maybourne shrugged. "While I would in no way ever consider disparaging Major Carter's attributes..."
Did Teal'c just growl?
"...I know Podoprigora and I know the men he hires. Which is not to say that they wouldn't be interested in Major Carter's attributes..."
Yes. That was a growl.
"...merely that when I made the plan, Daniel's were all I had to work with. You'll find, however, that I'm adaptable and am more than willing to factor in Major Carter and her..." Maybourne stopped, looked up at the Jaffa and then back at Daniel. "Is he growling?"
"Teal'c, are you okay?"
"I am fine, DanielJackson. I am merely concerned about... O'Neill."
Daniel opened his mouth but when Sam kicked him in the ankle, he closed it again. She shoved the pizza box aside and folded her arms. "If you have a plan, Maybourne, maybe we'd better hear it."
***
"I do not like this plan, Maybourne."
"Look, you and I both know that Daniel can take care of himself but it's going to take precision timing to get Jack away from Podoprigora unharmed and I don't want Daniel to hesitate at the wrong moment. His instinct is to talk first and whack as a last resort."
"Whack?" The little man leaned away from the window, made a striking motion, and Teal'c nodded. Ah. Whack. "That is very perceptive of you."
"You'd be surprised, big guy."
"Do not call me that."
"Sorry."
"Major Carter is capable of whacking."
"I don't doubt it. But that would put one of us out there with Daniel and well, we're covering more bases using both their…"
Teal'c closed his hand around the traitor's throat. "If you mention Major Carter's attributes again, I will kill you."
***
Walking back from a trip to the pop machine by the motel office, Daniel and Sam stopped by the back of the Honda. It offered, according to Maybourne, both a traditional staging area for their activities and a clear line of sight for both goons.
"Are they watching us?" Sam murmured, leaning close.
"I don't know. Sam…" He resisted the urge to wipe his free hand against his jeans. "…I don't know if I can do this."
She pulled him around to face her and smiled. "Neither do I. You're like my little brother and this is just…"
"Wrong." Her waist was remarkably tiny under his hands. She gasped as his cold fingers found a line of skin between her t-shirt and jeans and he murmured an apology into her neck, thanking god her hair didn't smell like green apples or the whole weird experience would become rapidly weirder. And significantly more embarrassing. Bad enough that she was clutching his ass with both hands.
He'd forgotten how soft women's lips were. And how even someone as tall and muscular as Sam was significantly smaller than he was. He'd gotten used to doing this with someone roughly the same size and strength and when she whispered "Careful…" he realized he was being a little rough.
"Sorry."
"S'okay."
Oh god he missed breasts. Jack was it for him; no doubts, no questions, but still… breasts.
Not breasts; Sam's breasts!
Realization fought with sensation and Daniel found himself wanting to simultaneously snatch his hand away and continue enjoying the warm, yielding weight.
One handed, he scooped her up against the car. She wrapped long legs around his waist and, darting her tongue into his ear, said, "Oh God, that feels so… I mean, it doesn't… that is… bugger."
"I know." The car was bouncing now. He hoped the parking brake held. "If it helps, I'm thinking of Jack..."
"Liar."
"No, really." Mostly thinking that Jack would kill him, or anyone, for even considering doing his 2IC up against a car but still, thinking of Jack.
"Fine." Her hand slipped under his waistband. "Then I'm thinking of… Daniel! You're not wearing…"
"We have successfully dealt with the minions. You may stop being distracting now."
"Right." Daniel stepped back, far enough to allow Sam to get both feet on the pavement but close enough to let her adjust her clothes without giving Maybourne a free show.
She managed a smile as she smoothed down her shirt. "Let's never speak of this."
"Deal." Teal'c was standing rather close as he turned but with only one large, obsessed Russian between him and Jack, Daniel wasn't going to worry about that right now. "Let's go!"
Podoprigora had Jack in room nine. Daniel all but ran to the door, Maybourne and the other two members of SG-1 hard on his heels.
"Remember," Maybourne whispered as they took up their positions, "we have to get him away from Jack so no improvising." As everyone nodded, he knocked on the door. "Excuse me? I was wondering if you have any change for the magic fingers? The office is closed and…"
A believable Russian accent was actually harder than just speaking Russian but Daniel gave it his best shot. Podoprigora would be expecting one of his men to intervene; if it didn't happen, he'd know something was up. "You! Get away from the door!"
"I was just looking for some change and…"
"Now!"
The curtains flickered but they'd arranged themselves so that only Maybourne could be seen clearly.
He backed up as though he was being threatened. "Hey, you can't do that to me! I'm an American citizen!"
As a rule, SG-1 didn't consider speed and Teal'c in the same sentence. He was strong, and smart, and experienced but not fast. When the door to room nine opened, Daniel didn't even see him move. There was a muffled cry, a loud thud, and an instant later they were all staring down at the body of a dark haired man laying half in and half out of the room.
"He is not so big," Teal'c snorted.
"What happened to the plan?" Maybourne demanded.
The Jaffa shrugged. "It was unnecessarily complicated."
"Well, maybe but we've been chasing these guys all day. Doesn't a quick grab and a fist in the face feel a little anti-climatic to you?"
"No."
Shoving between them, Daniel leapt over the body and into the room. Both the beds were made and there was no sign of Jack.
"The bathroom," Maybourne murmured behind him.
He turned, looked down, and saw Podoprigora, who'd been dragged back into the room, had his sleeves rolled up and the lower edge of the folded fabric was damp.
Sam stepped forward but Maybourne stopped her. "Let Daniel," he said.
If Sam made any kind of protest, Daniel didn't hear it. He was already at the bathroom door. Then he was in the bathroom with the door closed and locked behind him.
Jack was standing in the tub, his hands tied to the shower curtain rod. Apparently under these circumstances, Podoprigora wasn't counting on him to hold on. His eyes were closed, he was breathing heavily, almost panting, and he was very… clean. He was also very erect, so hard that his cock was standing almost straight up against his belly, the head dark and glistening with pre-ejaculate.
"Jack."
His eyes snapped open.
"Daniel?"
***
Sascha hadn't lost his touch. Jack had been kept trembling on the edge of orgasm for the last hour. Had he still been twenty-six, he'd have already lost it. At forty-six he had more staying power but under the circumstances that wasn't really much comfort.
He'd been left alone in the bathroom three or four times already so when it happened again, he didn't think anything of it. The first couple of times he'd tried to get free but the last time it happened, he wasn't actually capable of anything resembling coherent thought.
The last voice he'd expected to hear was Daniel's. Half believing it was a frustration induced hallucination, he opened his eyes.
Definitely Daniel. He'd regained consciousness staring into that concerned frown too many times to mistake it now.
"Daniel?"
"Are you all right?"
Was he? "Yeah, sure, I mean except for…" He nodded toward his dick. "But give me a minute and I'm sure I'll… uh, Daniel?" The younger man had crossed the room with a familiar gleam in his eye. "What are you…?" Okay, stupid question given that he'd just dropped to his knees. "You don't have to…" Warm, wet suction closed around him. "JesusgodDanny!"
He didn't last long. One thrust, two. And then…
He came so hard he blacked out for a moment. When he woke up he was lying on the bathroom floor, wrapped in Daniel's arms. Given the size of the bathroom it wasn't exactly comfortable but he felt better than he had all day. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself."
Over the years they'd gotten very good at having whole conversations within the parameters of those three words.
"It's not that I'm not glad to see you, Daniel but what the hell are you doing here?"
"Saving your ass."
"Sascha… I mean Podoprigora and his hired help?"
"Taken care of."
Jack grinned as he struggled up into a sitting position, almost giving himself a concussion on the edge of the toilet. "So when you noticed I was gone, you rode off like the Lone Ranger to the rescue?"
"Not exactly, Sam and Teal'c are out in the room with Tonto."
"Tonto?"
"Maybourne."
"What?"
"Maybourne." Daniel stood and held out his hand. "He's out in the room with Sam and Teal'c."
"I heard you the first time, Daniel." He didn't want to use the offered help but the muscles in his legs were still so wobbly - combination of being tied all day topped off by that final orgasm - that he didn't have a choice and he reluctantly let Daniel haul him to his feet. "What the hell is Maybourne doing here?"
"Helping to save your ass."
"I'm not sure I want to know…"
Daniel handed him his clothes and told him anyway.
***
"Harry."
"Jack."
"Colonel?"
"O'Neill?"
"I'm fine."
"Come on, Sam." Daniel took her arm and caught Teal'c's eye. "Let's just give him and Harry a few moments to uh…"
"Discuss the reason for Maybourne's presence even though he is a lying, traitorous weasel?"
"Yes."
***
"Daniel, we were wondering…" Sam scuffed her foot against the pavement, realized she was doing it, and stopped. "I mean since the colonel's fine and Maybourne's arranged to have people pick up Podoprigora and his crew…"
"What?"
"He called someone at the CIA while you were in the bathroom after we loaded Podoprigora in the van with his two buddies. As little as I trust him, it seemed the best solution as it'll leave all of us entirely out of the picture. I mean, we could have called General Hammond but the Stargate program isn't exactly set up to deal with international spies. Intergalactic, yes. International, no. Anyway, Teal'c expressed an earlier interest in going to Reno and since it's just down the road, I was wondering if maybe we could borrow your car."
"To go to Reno?"
"Yes."
"You and Teal'c?"
"Yes."
Daniel looked over at the Jaffa, standing on guard outside room nine lest Maybourne try something, and then at Sam. "Are you blushing?"
"No. Maybe. Look, it's just that we've been sort of heading toward…"
"Reno."
She smacked him. Hard. "No. Yes."
Daniel leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Hey, happy endings all around. You may borrow my car with my blessing."
"Thank you."
Which was when they realized they were leaning against the back of the Honda and leapt forward just as Jack and Maybourne emerged from the room.
"All right people," Jack ran a hand back through his hair and swept a narrow eyed gaze over his team, "there'll be a clean-up crew we won't want to give explanations to showing up very, very shortly so let's haul ass."
"Someone's feeling bossy," Daniel muttered as Jack, Maybourne, and Teal'c headed toward the two vehicles.
Sam shot a look at the colonel then patted Daniel on one shoulder. "He's just trying to reassert his authority after the whole being helpless thing."
"Wonderful, a ten hour drive with an assertive Jack O'Neill. Tell me why I rescued him?"
"It was your day off and you had nothing better to do?"
Daniel watched a barefoot Jack pick a careful path across the pavement. Their gazes locked for an instant and he couldn't stop himself from smiling. "Yeah. That was the reason. That and not being able to live without him."
"Sap."
"Guilty."
"Teal'c!" Sam nodded toward the Land Rover and mimed shooting craps. The Jaffa smiled, nodded, and headed around the passenger door. "Glad to see you're all right, sir. We'll see you back at the mountain in forty-eight."
Jack frowned as his 2IC climbed into the Rover. "Where are you two going?"
"Reno." She grinned at him and closed the door.
"What?"
Daniel took his arm and pulled him out of the way. "Long story, Jack. I'll explain on the way home." He waved as Sam drove out of the parking lot and turned to see Jack staring at him, arms folded.
"So that's it? Glad you're okay colonel and off they ride? Is it just me or are we all getting a little blasé about this kind of thing."
"It's what we do," Daniel reminded him. "We save the world. We save each other. We go home."
After a moment, Jack shrugged. "Yeah, fair enough. So… we'll be riding home in what?"
Daniel pointed at the Honda.
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Jack stared at the car and sighed. "I got kidnapped by an obsessed Russian. Tied. Groped. And… washed. And now I have to ride home in this?"
"You can always walk," Harry sniffed disdainfully. "Of course given that you don't have shoes; that could get a bit uncomfortable."
"Then I'm driving."
"You're not wearing shoes," Daniel reminded him. "And it's been a long day. Find me some coffee and I'm good for another seven or eight hours." Facing Jack, he added, "You'll crash hard once the adrenaline wears off and you…" Facing Harry, he paused and held out his hand. "I have no idea about you but you drove all the way here so you could probably use a break. I'm driving."
"I'm not arguing." Harry tossed him the keys. "I call shotgun."
"What are you, six?" Jack snapped following him around the car. "You've got the shortest legs; you're riding in the back."
"It's my car!"
"And this is my fist." Jack yanked the front seat forward. "Just get in, Maybourne." He resisted the urge to shove the smaller man through the tiny triangular space and waited more or less patiently until he was settled before shoving the seat back and climbing in. Glancing over at Daniel, he realized… "Daniel, are those my jeans?"
"Yes."
"And my shirt?"
"And your shirt."
"I think he looks great in them."
"No one asked you, Maybourne!"
With the engine running, Daniel reached across Jack, snagged his seatbelt and fastened it.
"Hey, I don't need…"
"He's symbolically locking you in place beside him, Jack. Give him a break, he's had a stressful day."
"Shut up, Maybourne!"
As the two old… associates continued sniping at each other, Daniel put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. Once they were safely home, they should have a talk about Podoprigora and how Jack felt about the whole obsessive kidnapper thing but the odds were good -- given that things had ended well -- they'd do the guy thing and well, not. Later, however, they would talk about Harry Maybourne and taping and privacy issues - although he couldn’t see how objecting to his sex life being used as an aid to Maybourne's wank life was an issue. More of a given really.
"Penny for your thoughts, Daniel?"
Jack twisted around in his seat until he could glare into the back. "Since when do you call him Daniel?"
"Since we worked together to save your ass. Without my help, you'd be spending the rest of your life as Podoprigora's little housefrau in a pair of pink fluffy mules and a matching muumuu."
Picking up speed on the on ramp, Daniel remembered the dream that had jerked him awake way back when. "Actually, Jack doesn’t do drag."
Maybourne snorted. "That's what you think. There was this job we did in Copenhagen…"
--end--