Leaning against the metal wall, Daniel looked out at the busy city. Small pods were zipping to and from, reminding him of a busy beehive. He touched the shimmering barrier that passed for windows on the Asgard world of Brimer. Daylight was slowly fading, making the illuminated city shine clearer.

A slight 'whoosh' of the door, made him turn around. He gave Jack a bright smile as he watched the older man walk silently through the room with their sleeping daughter cradled in his arms.

Jack answered his smile with one of his own. One that never ceased to make Daniel's heart skip a beat or two.

Daniel followed the two into Aislinn's room, going to Jack's side as he pulled off Aislinn's jacket and shoes, before gently laying her on the bed and covering her with the blanket. The place hadn't held any of the conveniences necessary in a home for humans when they'd arrived, but the Asgard had been more than willing to provide them with whatever they'd needed.

Slipping his arms around Jack's waist, Daniel leaned against the other man, enjoying the body heat against his front and the feel of the soft garments they had received from their hosts. For a race unaccustomed to clothing, human food and habitat, they were enthusiastic about keeping their guests happy. Not that Daniel was complaining. He placed a light, dry kiss on the nape of Jack's neck, feeling the shiver it elicited. Reluctantly letting go, he stepped over to a control panel, shifting a few colored stones with practiced efficiency, and the energy barrier darkened, leaving the room in semi darkness and only the faintest outline of the city remained visible.

Jack pulled the blanket a little higher before dropping a light kiss on the child's forehead, making her smile in her sleep. Returning to the bed, Daniel did the same, before lifting the blanket a little to push Aislinn's stuffed camel down beside her. Then they both left the room, silently shutting the door behind them.

The moment they were in what served as their living room, Daniel felt the strong arms fold around him, pulling him into a heated hug, strong body pressed against his back.

"Hello," rumbled Jack, heated breath making Daniel shiver and lean back a little more.

"Hello yourself," replied Daniel with a grin.

"Does the revered Dr. Jackson and his two PhDs have anything special planned for tonight?" Jack's right hand strayed a little lower, brushing against the waistband of Daniel's pants.

A sigh escaped Daniel as he relaxed completely. "Nothing much, though I was hoping for a certain Colonel to keep me company."

Jack chuckled as he took a step back, gently keeping Daniel upright with his palm resting against the small of Daniel's back. Staying like that for a moment, Daniel moved forward with a grin.

"Dinner?" Daniel asked. It was late in the evening, but if Jack hadn't eaten yet...

"I'm fine, don't worry." Jack stripped off his shirt, revealing the almost skintight tee underneath, the dark, charcoal grey material clinging to his chest.

Daniel licked his lips as the older man went to sprawl on the couch-like thing in the middle of the room. Pursing his lips he slowly walked over to join Jack, all the while aware of the appreciative glances he was getting. Not saying a word, Daniel slipped down to sit so he could lean back against Jack.

Strong fingers slid up his arms and began kneading at the knotted muscles of Daniel's shoulders and neck. With a sigh Daniel let his head loll forward, closing his eyes and simply enjoying being loosened up.

"Hard day?" Jack's voice was silky and low, his breath warm against Daniel's neck.

"Mmm, so much to go through. The Asgard have a very extensive database on their history." Squirming a little he closed his eyes and let Jack do what he was so damned good at.

"Good thing there's something to keep you occupied while we're here." Jack dug a little harder into a knotted muscle, making Daniel groan.

"How are you doing?" asked Daniel, well aware that *he* could fill his time with studying the texts to which the Asgard had so graciously given him access. Jack, on the other hand, spent most of his days with Aislinn, which of course wasn't bad, but Daniel wondered if it was enough to keep Jack occupied. Too bad Brimer was nothing like the Nox home-world they'd left. There at least, there had been nature, water, fishing...

"I'm okay... though I wouldn't mind getting back to Earth at some point." Taking a deep breath, Jack continued. "At least whatever the Asgard did has slowed Aislinn's growth to normal."

"So how did the check-up go?" Daniel pushed back a little and smiled as Jack's hands slid down over his shoulders, engulfing him in a light embrace, Jack resting his head on Daniel's shoulder.

"Fine... and I heard from some of the others today that Thor is recovering fine."

Daniel nodded. They'd been worried for a while as at first only Thor's body had been recovered, then later, his mind... or soul, or whatever. Both had been courtesy of SG-1. For a moment Daniel felt the loss, then decided that they owed it to their family life to take it easy. Wandering around the Galaxy, fighting off Anubis, who seemed to be the latest threat against Earth and her allies, just wasn't their lot in life anymore.

The idea that somewhere out there was a system lord that seemed to be worse than Apophis had been made Daniel shudder. They'd heard from the other Asgard that Thor had tried to protect a planet under the treaty from a Goa'uld mothership, but where the sight of an Asgard ship would normally send the snake running, this one had opened fire and caused Thor's ship to crash. The shields that had always been impenetrable, were suddenly no more efficient than a thin veil against this Goa'uld's new weapon.

Daniel shook off the thoughts of the past and turned a bit, inside the strong hold. "Are Aislinn's tests really that necessary anymore?" Maybe they could return to Earth at some point. He wouldn't mind terribly, no matter how interesting it was to be allowed a peek into Asgard history. He still missed their friends, and he knew Jack felt the same way.

"Well, I had a talk with... Heimdall today," Jack began, his irritation with the Asgard scientist showing a little.

Daniel sniggered, interrupting Jack's answer. "Still asking about our sex life, is he?"

Jack sighed. "It's not that I don't like the little guy, but he's driving me nuts, asking about the... technical side of our sex life, he even asked to be PRESENT during..." Jack waved his hand, lost for words.

Daniel couldn't help laughing. He kind of liked Heimdall, but he wouldn't tell Jack that. The little guy had Jack in knots half the time, with his curiosity.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Curious George," Jack snorted, bringing up a hand to ruffle Daniel's hair. "Actually, Heimdall said today that he might have found something in Aislinn's blood that they can synthesize and maybe use to solve their problems with procreation and cloning." Jack nuzzled his neck for a moment before continuing.

Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Oddly enough hearing Jack use scientific terms just like that was a huge turn-on for him. Grinning, Daniel squirmed to get more comfortable. Jack picked up a lot when he was at the lab, and he wasn't keeping up his dumb act as much as he used to, especially not around Daniel. He might not understand everything the Asgard threw at them, but he picked up a lot more than he let on.

"Seems they found something in my blood work that might help. Then when they tested Aislinn, it turned out that whatever it was, it was far more prominent in her."

"Oh?" Daniel sat up, shifted around and put an arm around Jack's waist, leaning his head on the other man's shoulder.

"Yeah. According to the tests, the rapid growth also caused whatever it is that's got Heimdall's panties in a knot, to evolve a lot faster than it normally would've." Jack slid a hand up under Daniel's shirt and sighed contentedly. "And since it doesn't involve testing on our daughter, I gave them our consent to continue the tests on the blood samples."

Daniel nodded. As much as he wasn't thrilled about having their daughter involved in an Asgard science project, he felt, as Jack did, that they owed the little grey people a lot of gratitude. And if some of it could be returned by letting them examine Aislinn's blood, who was he to say no?

"So it's okay with you? That they try to synthesize whatever it is in Aislinn's blood?" Jack nudged at Daniel's head to gain access to a bared expanse of neck.

"Uh-huh," Daniel said, closing his eyes. There were days when he was more than glad that Jack knew exactly which buttons to push. Sure the man could be infuriating, pushing all the *wrong* buttons sometimes. But then there were other times, like at this very moment, that he got everything right.

Jack's other hand dipped below the waistband of Daniel's pants, rubbing the soft skin underneath. "Bed?" he asked, his voice low and rough.

"Mmm," Daniel stood and pulled Jack up against him. "Tell me more about what you've learned today..."

"You're such a word slut, Jackson," Jack grinned, but his eyes and body belied the light teasing tone.

Daniel grinned. "Only for you, O'Neill. Only for you."

Sighing theatrically, Jack pulled him towards the bedroom. "Other people enjoy actually talking dirty, but you, you get off on scientific mumbo-jumbo."

"Only when it's coming from you, Jack." Daniel managed to switch off the lights before Jack manhandled him into the bedroom. Not that Daniel minded, not at all.

Daniel blinked and looked down into the steaming dark liquid in the cup being held under his nose. Grinning, he accepted the treat and collected a nice long kiss hello from Jack. Daniel had been so immersed in the data he'd been working on, that he hadn't heard the door opening.

Standing to pick up their daughter, Daniel couldn't help feeling the heat inside from the thought of them finally being what they were supposed to be; a family.

"Thor took us for a trip in his new ship," Aislinn told him feverishly, almost bouncing in his arms.

"Well, hello and welcome home to you too," pouted Daniel, trying to suppress a laugh, noticing that Jack had similar problems. Their daughter's aging may have been slowed, but she looked and behaved like any 8-year-old. Hyper, curious and a bundle of energy one couldn't help but love. Even the Asgard they saw on a regular basis weren't immune to the little girl. Daniel suspected that whatever it was about Jack that intrigued the Asgard, Aislinn had it ten times stronger, almost wrapping their alien friends around her little finger.

Aislinn looked a little annoyed at being interrupted, but a moment later she planted a big wet kiss on Daniel's cheek, letting him know that he had been forgiven. "Love you, Daniel... wish you'd been there with us, it was *so* cool."

"Well, go get ready for dinner, and you and Jack can tell me all about it after we've eaten." Letting her down, Daniel couldn't help grinning at how quickly she sped away.

Daniel turned around to put his arms around Jack, who looked as happy as their daughter. Nothing like a little action to get the old man going... speaking of action. Leaning in, Daniel stole a quick kiss, though Jack had other ideas, wrapping his arms around Daniel and kissing him as if there was no tomorrow. Warm tongue flickered against Daniel's lips, finding its way inside. Slow, languid stroking and exploration and Daniel quickly lost his ability to think straight.

Grinning, Jack took a step back, letting Daniel catch his bearings. Everything seemed a little hazy as Daniel drew a deep, shaky breath. How could he ever forget that Jack's approach to kissing was the way an artist would labor over a work of art?

Dinner was as bland as always. Though at least the Asgard had made sure they could get food that suited humans, well, better than little colored cubes anyway. Aislinn hadn't been capable of waiting and between bites she enthusiastically described the new ship to Daniel.

"And Thor asked Jack to find a name for it, since the O'Neill was destroyed," Aislinn explained breathlessly.

Daniel gave Jack a sideways glance, for a moment remembering when that had happened. The thought of the Replicators still made him shiver and they occasionally still gave Jack hellish nightmares. Daniel's own part, back then... he still remembered the worry and fear he'd felt, when he'd been forced to make the decision to order the attack on the Dallas, the sub that Jack and Teal'c had been caught in with the Replicators. At least it was in the past, Daniel consoled himself. Still, he wondered what Jack's screwed up sense of humor had come up with for a name. Bracing himself he jumped in, feet first and asked.

"So, what did Jack ask Thor to christen the ship?"

"Christen?" Aislinn stopped for a moment.

"Name," interjected Jack, looking positively innocent. They both tended to forget that Aislinn might look like she was eight, and she might be extremely intelligent, but a lot of words they rarely used still had to be explained.

"It was named The Millennium Falcon." Aislinn beamed with pride.

Daniel slowly turned his head back to Jack. "So Teal'c finally managed to convince you to watch Star Wars?" He should've expected this. He'd have put his money on Jack naming the ship The Enterprise, but this...

Jack grinned broadly, but didn't answer. A moment later they were interrupted by a bright flash on the wall, a screen coming to life, showing them the image of their little grey friend.

"Hello, Thor," greeted Jack, pushing back from the table. Daniel doing the same, wondering to what they owed the interruption. Usually they were left to their own devices during the evenings and nights. The Asgard honored their guests' need for privacy. But it was still good to see Thor's face again, Daniel decided. It had come close for their friend at the hands of Anubis.

Aislinn's smile rivaled Jack's as her enthusiastic "Thor!" rang through the room.

Thor nodded his greeting before continuing, and for a moment Daniel wondered if it might be the Asgard equivalent of a smile crossing the grey alien's face. Of course he couldn't be sure... he'd have to ask Jack. He suspected the other man had become fairly good at reading their allies, at least when it came to Thor.

"I am sorry to disturb you my friends, but we have received a rather strange message from the location that you use as your alternate command post."

Daniel frowned then came to the same conclusion that Jack did, pretty much at the same time.

"Our Alpha Site?" asked Jack, immediately dropping his merry, carefree attitude. They might not be on Earth, they might not be actively working with the SG teams, but any kind of message from their secret off-world base... well, they wouldn't have sent a message if it hadn't been urgent.

"Yes, we thought it best to tell you as soon as possible." Thor fiddled with something and a small text message appeared on the screen. "We received this a moment ago, coded of course."

Jack went to the screen to read the message as Daniel answered Aislinn's whispered inquiry about the Alpha Site, though all she needed to put her curiosity to rest for the time being was that the message had been sent by SG-1.

To Colonel O'Neill,

Do not under any circumstances contact Earth. We will be expecting you at the Alpha Site in three days. We'll explain the current situation, then

          Major S. Carter

Jack looked up at Daniel, both men wondering what was going on, why they shouldn't contact Earth. At their last check-in, the previous week, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. They had another one scheduled in four days, and Daniel wondered for a moment if they should try their luck or if Jack would be wise and listen to Sam. With relief he realized that there was no doubt that Jack would heed Sam's advice. As much as they trusted General Hammond, a lot could've happened on Earth and there was no reason to give away that they might be aware of something being amiss.

"I take it you wish to visit the Alpha Site in three days," said Thor.

"Seems like it," agreed Jack.

"But we can't go directly to the planet by ship," interjected Daniel.

Jack nodded. "True, we'll have to use the 'Gate for this one."

"And if you should need our help?" asked Thor.

"How about we use a ship to get to the 'Gate nearest the Alpha Site. That way you'll be close if something happens, but we won't risk giving away the location of the Alpha Site by having a big honkin' Asgard ship orbiting the planet." Jack drummed his fingers against the wall, leaning forward to double check the message.

"As you wish, O'Neill. I shall take you to the Stargate myself," Thor agreed.

Daniel turned back to their daughter as she tugged on his sleeve.

"Can I come too?" she asked, her eyes bright with the hope for a 'yes'.

Daniel reluctantly shook his head. He'd hate to leave her behind, but considering they didn't know what to expect, they couldn't allow her to come along. The look of disappointment in the blue eyes made him sigh. They really couldn't bring her along.

"I'm sorry, Aislinn," said Jack as he turned around, back to Thor's image on the screen.

"May I make a suggestion, O'Neill?" Thor's even voice broke the moment.

"Ye-eah?" Jack turned back to the screen.

"Would your daughter not be safe aboard the Millennium Falcon?"

Daniel almost laughed out loud. To actually hear someone use a name like that, for a space ship named after a piece of Earth pop-culture was pretty amusing. Apart from that, Thor's question made sense. The new ship was built as an answer to Anubis destroying Thor's old ship. It had been modified to withstand a lot more than the old model.

Daniel caught Jack's eyes as the other man silently seemed to ask for advice. A minute nod from Daniel was all that was needed. "She would probably be as safe there as she is here, Thor... but are you sure you can handle her?"

"I'll behave," whispered Aislinn, just loud enough for Daniel to catch it. And he was sure she meant it. As adventurous she could be, she had the utmost respect for the Asgard. Daniel suspected it came from the fact that they never treated her as a child. He and Jack, on the other hand... they felt a little cheated out of her childhood, since she had passes through her youngest years as quickly as she had. Besides, she deserved to experience being a child even more because of that. So she had fun with their friends, but at home, she was their child. Daniel knew that Jack would never forget Charlie, but having Aislinn had definitely helped him a great deal.

And Daniel himself? Well, he'd had a difficult childhood, so he'd do anything to make Aislinn's as memorable as possible. To give her the attention that she needed and the tutoring that was necessary to sate her curiosity. Between him and Jack, Daniel was sure she'd turn out more than okay. Daniel was aware of being a little too serious at times, but it all evened out when it was balanced with Jack's *lack* of seriousness. Not that he'd let Jack know that, no need to encourage the madness.

"Sounds like we have ourselves a plan, Thor." Jack's voice drew Daniel out of his contemplation.

"We'll probably need to bring a few things with us," began Daniel.

"Please list what you deem necessary," said Thor. "We will provide what we can."

The two men exchanged a quick look. So much for boredom being their biggest problem. Aislinn, however, was more than thrilled at the prospect of going on a little trip.

Watching the shimmering surface in front of them, Daniel smiled. He didn't have to look at Jack to know that a similar one was gracing the older man's face. Thor had dropped them off and they'd said their reluctant good-byes to a very subdued Aislinn. She'd worked up to a temper tantrum, but a few quiet words from Jack had kept her from blowing up on them. Still, it hurt to leave her behind.

"We'll be back in no time," said Jack.

"Yeah, it's probably nothing..." Daniel chided himself. No reason to jinx things before they even got started.

A nod to each other and the two men stepped forward, through the shimmering surface. The cold, bone-freezing ride came to its abrupt end and the momentary surge of disorientation followed.

"Halt!" barked a voice and the sound of safeties being disabled and the *snikt* of zats unfolding stopped them dead in their tracks.

"Colonel?"

Jack and Daniel looked to the side. A smile quickly formed on Daniel's face as he recognized the voice and visage of SG-2's CO.

"Ferretti," barked Jack, raising an eyebrow at the welcoming committee.

"Sorry about that, Colonel, but we're a little short on personnel at the moment." Ferretti gestured for them to follow as he headed towards the various barracks that made up the Alpha Site command post.

"Oh?" Jack had instantly switched to what Daniel usually referred to as 'Colonel-mode'.

"Yeah, only SG units 2 and 11 are here at the moment. SGs 3 and 5 are off with the rebel Jaffa to help the Tok'ra... Their base is under attack." Ferretti held the door to one of the barracks open for them.

"So we've dumped down in the middle of the line of fire?" Jack's demeanor became more serious. Daniel was intrigued with how Jack could switch between 'the Colonel' and 'Jack' without getting multiple personality disorder.

"Nah, I doubt it. Though they'll be bringing everyone back, evacuating them, no one will let the address to this 'Gate slip to the enemy." Ferretti waited for the two men to follow him inside the artificially lighted barrack. "Not our boys, nor Jacob Carter."

"And SG-1?" Jack asked.

"They went after the others about twenty minutes ago. They went out to find SG-11, whom we knew we had to stop from returning to Earth," answered Ferretti.

"Yeah, about that," said Daniel. "We got a rather odd message from Sam. Any idea what that might have been about?"

Ferretti sighed. "Well, things haven't been easy lately, but the last week or so... well, safe to say it all went to hell in a hand basket."

"What happened?" Jack was about to pull out a chair as they heard the well-known sound of the 'Gate powering up.

The three men looked briefly at each other, then double timed it back outside, towards the 'Gate. On their way there, Daniel did a double take as they almost ran into Paul Davis and two SG-11 members.

"Davis?" Jack accepted the P90 one of the men offered him and Daniel did likewise with the zat held out to him.

"I was out with SG-11 as Major Kovachek is ill." Davis hastily explained as they went to the rest of the soldiers guarding the 'Gate.

"Important pow-wow?" asked Jack as they watched the sixth glyph light up and the large circle began its spinning dance anew.

"You might say that, Colonel. Trinium deal we couldn't let get away." Davis slid into place next to Daniel, giving him a searching look.

Daniel groaned internally. He'd completely forgotten how Paul had asked him out almost a year back and Daniel had turned him down. He was quite glad that he had, as it had been less than two weeks later he'd had his own little involuntary gender switch and he'd landed the only man he'd ever really wanted. Sure, Paul was nice, well-educated, well-spoken, well-mannered... well-everything *but*... compared to a certain old, grumpy, but still damned sexy Colonel, the Major was pretty boring. At least Daniel suspected so, as he'd never gotten to know the man well enough to truly be the judge of that. And as things were now, he never would. Besides, Jack would probably kill Paul if he suspected that the man was interested in Daniel. Daniel reminded himself to warn Paul off as soon as possible... for the man's own sake. Activating the zat, Daniel watched as the seventh and final glyph lighted and the 'Gate burst out, a wave of energy roaring through the air.

The next twenty minutes were a blur as Daniel rushed alongside the others to help the wounded coming through the 'Gate. Knowing full and well that SG-2 and Jack were more than capable with their weapons, he'd deactivated his zat. He then did what he could to help move the wounded away from the 'Gate... Jaffa and Tok'ra alike. The occasional stray staff shot burst through the wormhole and they all tried to keep low enough to avoid getting hit.

Daniel had seen flashes of familiar faces coming through the 'Gate. He was aware of Sam having made it through, half carrying another SG soldier. Teal'c had emerged a few minutes later, assisting both another SG soldier and a Jaffa. He was also pretty sure he'd caught a glimpse of Jonas. So once again, it seemed, SG-1 had made it through safely.

For several minutes no one came through, then a Tok'ra stumbled through, holding his left arm close to his body, face contorted in pain. Closely behind him came a face that was more than familiar and Daniel found himself smiling as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Master Bra'tac." Jack's voice rung through the air.

The old warrior lifted his staff weapon in greeting, then held it lightly, but at the ready, at his side, as he stepped to the side of the dais and watched the portal intensely. A moment later Jacob Carter came running through, everyone watching as the wormhole blinked out of existence.

Jack stepped forward and Daniel stood to join them. There wasn't much he could do. The worst injuries seemed to have been inflicted on Jaffa or Tok'ra and they had their symbiotes to take care of the worst.

"Hello, Jacob," Jack greeted the former General.

"Jack." If Carter was surprised to see Jack and Daniel there he didn't show it.

"No one saw the symbols for the 'Gate, I take it." Jack's question was put casually, but Daniel could feel the tension beneath it. The last thing they needed was a Goa'uld invasion. Especially if there were problems with the SGC back on Earth.

Jacob grinned, though mirthlessly. "I made sure the DHD was blown up a few seconds after I went through the 'Gate."

Jack let out a breath he'd been holding. "Let's get the wounded taken care of, and we'll meet in the main barrack."

No one questioned Jack taking over the leadership of the outpost. It didn't matter that they'd been gone for so long, didn't matter that some of the people present knew what Jack had been tried for. They all as one did as they were told. Granted, a few of the Tok'ra looked as if they'd like to object, but they seemed to catch on to the idea that Jacob agreed with the grey haired Tau'ri.

Daniel wondered for a moment how many of the Tok'ra had recognized Jack and knew exactly who he was. Not that it mattered. The Jaffa did as they knew Master Bra'tac would want them too. They took care of the wounded. Tok'ra, Tau'ri or fellow Jaffa. It didn't seem to matter to them. Daniel couldn't help the surge of hope as he watched them. Still, it didn't escape his attention that a few of the Tok'ra refused their help. Ah well, he could only hope that it meant that there were no serious wounds.

Daniel wouldn't have thought it possible that things could get any worse. Before the day ended, he found himself unfortunately corrected. He'd gone back to helping with the few wounded soldiers. He knew Jack had used their communication device to check up with Thor. As the wounds weren't life threatening, they'd opted for giving the victims the medical attention they could with what they had at the Alpha Site. They didn't want to risk announcing the whereabouts of their off-world base by asking Thor to assist. They'd lost two SG members, five Jaffa and he didn't even dare think about how many Tok'ra had died. With all their intel they'd been taken by surprise. Only a hasty request from Jacob Carter had meant that they'd had what little support and help the Alpha Site could offer. As the site currently also served as temporary stay for a large number of rebel Jaffa, they had suddenly found their numbers strengthened. Bra'tac was no fool. Honor told him to help; logic told him that helping the allies of the Tau'ri could very well hold a certain positive outcome for the course of the Jaffa.

Late in the afternoon, Daniel wasn't so sure about it, though. The air seemed so tense you could pick up a knife and cut through it. Daniel stood back with Teal'c, Sam and Jonas, watching Jack calmly interrogate a handful of Tok'ra and Jaffa.

It had all started out with Sam checking up on the naquada reactor that was used to power the place. Someone had tinkered with the device, enough that it would have overloaded in another twenty minutes. She'd told Jack as he had, without anyone voicing objections, been silently accepted as their leader. He *was* the highest ranking, but he'd been out of the loop for a while. Still, they'd followed standard AF regs to a tee, apart from one deliberate omission - they hadn't contacted earth.

Ferretti and Davis had started briefing Jack and Daniel on what had happened, but they'd only made it through the shocking news that Hammond had stepped down and that the SGC was now under NID watch and control. Turned out that Hammond seemed to have been suspecting that something like that might happen, because he'd made sure off-world teams had been told to stay away. Ferretti also told them that according to Hammond's short message, the address for the Alpha Site had been locked out of the computer and removed from any document that might yield the glyphs. It really did seem as if Hammond had feared something like this, because removing information from classified documents and logfiles... it couldn't be done on a whim.

Still digesting that intel, Sam had joined them, telling them about the reactor. She'd had no trouble stopping the overload, but it would be wise to put guards with the reactor, as it seemed someone was out to kill them. Sam hadn't been kidding when she'd explained what damage it would have done, especially considering that the explosion could react with the naquada of the 'Gate itself, enhancing the explosion. Not that it would matter to them, as they'd all be dead once the reactor blew.

Daniel rubbed his tired eyes. Things just *had* to get worse, he thought, as he watched the Tok'ra wave and give an aloof answer. Turning to the Jaffa, Jack asked his questions, getting a headshake, raised hands, palms up in answer. One Tok'ra had been killed and all evidence pointed towards this Jaffa.

On top of it all, it seemed the Tok'ra had brought something back with them, something that was currently residing in a box outside, well-guarded by a group of Tok'ra, who wouldn't let anyone near it.

"I can assure you, Colonel," Malek began again. "There is *nothing* in that box that you would have any interest in.

"Look..." Jack drew a deep breath, looking very much like he wanted to strangle the Tok'ra. The only thing keeping him at bay was Jacob's calm hand on his arm. Closing his eyes for a moment before carrying on, Jack's voice came out a lot more controlled than Daniel had expected. "Malek, this post is under my command, it is up to *me* to keep things running smoothly. Now... how do you expect me to do that if I don't know *every* little thing that might be causing us problems?"

"I can only agree with that, Colonel O'Neill, but rest assured, there is nothing..." Malek's voice might have been trying to soothe, but all it did was make Jack look slightly murderous.

Daniel let out a sigh of relief as Jacob intervened.

"Malek, please..." Jacob sighed, lowered his head, and as he looked up again, his voice and eyes indicated that he'd switched places with Selmak. "I am truly sorry about this, Colonel O'Neill." Selmak gave Malek a light shake of the head before returning his attention to Jack. "The box holds a zay'tarc detector."

Daniel heard the light catch in Sam's breath, the woman standing next to him. None of them were too thrilled about what had happened back then. Daniel didn't blame her for feeling that way. The detector *had* found some of their people to be under Goa'uld mind control. Unfortunately, because of confused emotions and loyalties, it had also claimed the same about her and Jack. The whole affair hadn't been to Daniel's liking back then, and the fact that they had one of those machines at the Alpha Site... well, safe to say it *still* didn't make him feel any more at ease. When he and Jack had gotten their act together, Jack had taken the time to explain things to Daniel, but it didn't escape the younger man that a change went through the Colonel at the mention of the detector, letting out a little more of Jack.

"Ah, I see, and you didn't tell us that because...?" Jack gestured, eyebrow raised.

"It had no significance." Malek looked as if he had no idea where Jack was going with his questions and accusations.

"But if that is so, what would be the harm in telling us?" The other eyebrow followed the first.

Malek looked a little off balance and Daniel quickly hid a smile. Yeah, Jack could do that to people, especially those who weren't used to dealing with humans. "I did not see any advantage in telling, Colonel."

"Now, see?" Jack's voice sounded as if he was talking to a little child, and as Daniel caught Jacob's eyes, he knew it hadn't escaped the other man either.

"I... I fail to see your point." Malek looked around, obviously wondering what was going on, what he was missing.

Jack gave an exasperated sigh. "What I'm *trying* to say, Malek, is that if we aren't open around here, towards each other, we'll get trouble like this."

Malek looked as if he finally caught a little of what Jack was trying to explain to him. Before he could answer, Jacob interrupted.

"Jack," Jacob said, his voice back to normal. "Maybe we should let things calm down a little."

Jack nodded and turned to Bra'tac. "We should probably take this Jaffa into custody." They all saw Bra'tac's back go rigid, mouth opening to argue. Jack shook his head. "For his own sake."

Bra'tac seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded and drew the young Jaffa aside, who looked as if he couldn't believe what was going on. Daniel didn't really blame him. There had to be something else going on. None of the Jaffa were actually hostile towards the Tok'ra and unless they had someone under false pretenses there, which he doubted, there was no reason to suspect that a Jaffa had killed the Tok'ra.

As darkness descended over the camp, Daniel drew back to the bunk he'd been assigned. Damned, he knew very well that he and Jack would have to stay apart for the time being, but it still didn't make things any easier. Tapping the edge of his journal with the pen, Daniel tried to get his thoughts together, just enough to write down what had happened. The place had been quiet since the death of the Tok'ra, but the tension in the air was almost tangible.

Pushing his glasses up, Daniel rubbed his eyes. He was about to put the journal away as a shout from outside reached him and he went outside to investigate. The lights of the place created a strange eerie scenery of shadows as people ran to find out what was going on.

Jack came up next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. The short, reassuring touch was like a ray of sunlight to Daniel after the long day. It had been bad enough during Jack's trial; that he had to stay away from the other man, but to have him this close now, and being able to do nothing about it? Pure torture.

They made their way to where the center of the commotion seemed to be... the barrack that served as a holding cell for the Jaffa that had been accused by the Tok'ra... Jack and Daniel exchanged glances. This definitely did not bode well.

"What's going on?" Jack's voice was calm and commanding and everyone went quiet. Bra'tac stepped forward, staff weapon held casually in his hand.

"We now have a dead Jaffa and a Tau'ri as well." The old man shook his head, a frown gracing his weather worn face.

Daniel heard Jack swear under his breath. Turning a little he noticed Sam coming up next to him, looking a little sleepy.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I think someone killed the Jaffa and the Guard." Daniel returned his attention to Jack and the others. He didn't miss her whispered 'crap'. Yeah, that pretty much summed it all up.

"Maybe the Jaffa killed himself *after* killing the guard." Malek stepped forward.

Daniel mirrored his move, standing closely to Jack. Somehow he had the feeling the Tok'ra here grated more on Jack's nerves than his kind normally did. Which would mean a *lot*. A light touch to Jack's elbow had the other man relaxing a little, a light tilt of the head indicating that he appreciated the gesture. Daniel smiled internally. It still surprised him after all this time, that he and Jack could work without words. Actually, they often worked *better* without words.

"That's highly unlikely," snorted Jack. "But all theories will be tested. I want this area sealed off, I want to know of *every* little thing that is found in here, no matter how insignificant it may seem."

Looking around, he gave everyone a menacing glare. "Well? What are you waiting for?" Shooing them out, Jack stopped outside. "I don't want to hear of anyone else getting into trouble with each other. I'll be in the office barrack if anyone needs anything. For now, those not on duty at the moment, go get some sleep, the rest of you, return to your posts. I don't want anyone inside this barrack until we've had a thorough look at things."

After that tirade, Jack turned and stomped towards the barrack they used for an office. Daniel sighed as he watched the gathered people depart, everyone shooting each other speculative glances. If the Jaffa hadn't killed his guard and then himself, then they had a killer on the lose. And from what he heard Bra'tac mumbling to Jacob he knew that it just wasn't the way of a Jaffa. Daniel could only agree, having worked with Teal'c all these years, he knew his fare share of Jaffa

"Think there's more than meets the eye here?" a voice behind Daniel startled him.

Turning around, Daniel found Jonas giving him an apologetic smile. "Yeah. One thing I've learned over the years is that things are rarely what they seem when working with the SGC."

Jonas nodded. "Yeah, I get that feeling a lot."

Daniel had to smile despite their situation. "I'd like to say you get used to it, but seriously?"

"Yeah?" Jonas slipped his hands into his pockets.

"My guess is that *if* you ever get used to it... and that's a strong 'if', that'll be the day you realize it's time for you to turn in your resignation." Daniel wondered if he had ever been that young, that... wide eyed. Well, if he asked Jack, he was sure he'd get a resounding 'yes!'

Walking back towards the barracks, Daniel let out a sigh as he noticed a figure waiting for them. He still had to have his little talk with Paul, and perhaps now wasn't the best of times, but the sooner he got it all sorted out, the better. Taking a deep sigh he patted Jonas on the shoulder and bid him good night.

"Daniel." Paul greeted him with a small smile.

"Paul... go get some sleep." Daniel went over his options for a moment. It was more important for Daniel to check on Jack than getting sleep or setting Paul Davis straight.

"Just give me a moment, Daniel, please?" Paul gave him a searching look.

Daniel gestured for him to walk with him towards the office barrack... and Jack. Not that Daniel intended to hide behind Jack, but he wondered how he was going to explain things to Paul without giving away the identity of his lover to Paul and thus endangering the older man's career a second time. Pushing his glasses up, he took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"I'm sorry Paul, but if you're asking what I think you are, the answer's no."

Paul chuckled. "I *was* going to ask if you were with someone at the moment..."

Daniel snorted. "Right, in that case the answer would be 'yes'."

Paul nodded, not meeting Daniel's eyes. "I kinda figured as much."

"Look, Paul... whatever you think... whoever you think I'm with..." Daniel searched for the right way to put it without telling Paul the truth.

"I know, Daniel. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Paul's voice was low and soft.

"Oh...?" Daniel blinked a few times. Then why was Paul asking for a moment of his time?

"I just want to make sure you're happy." Paul finally looked up at him as they came to the door of the barrack. "Are you?"

Daniel slowly nodded. "I am."

Paul gave him a sad smile. "That's all I wanted to know."

"Yeah?" Daniel was surprised as he watched the other man nod.

"Goodnight, Daniel," Paul gave him a nod, as he left him standing by the door.

"Night, Paul... and thank you." A small smile formed on Daniel's face. Finally something that went the right way.

"Your secret's safe with me, Daniel, don't worry... though..." Davis turned around and walked back to him.

"Yeah?" Daniel wondered what would be next.

"The girl...?" Davis voice was low and Daniel leaned forward to answer.

"She's was put in our care by the Nox... and she's safe and well at the moment." Daniel felt bad about lying to Davis, but they couldn't risk letting too much slip. Bad enough that Paul suspected who Daniel was with, but they still had to protect Aislinn. It made Daniel wonder what would happen when they solved the current situation. Unfortunately the hope of returning to Earth and to a semi-normal life... well, it wasn't exactly growing bigger... on the contrary.

"I'm glad to hear that, Daniel." Paul nodded and turned to walk away.

"Thank you, Paul, and thank you for keeping this between us." Daniel knew the other man had heard him and a moment later a quiet answer drifted back to him.

"You're welcome, Daniel, that's what friends are for." With that Davis disappeared towards the sleeping barrack.

Daniel let out his breath explosively. "Whew," he mumbled to himself as he opened the door behind him, almost running into Jack. Quickly finding his equilibrium, Daniel threw the older man a tired grin. "Eavesdropping?"

"Practicing my stealth technique." Jack looked as if he was trying to get out of the situation with a little pride.

"Yeah, gotta practice that Spec Op stuff, huh?" Daniel snorted.

"Damn straight," grinned Jack, looking relieved.

Closing the door behind him, Daniel quickly locked it and checked that the blinds were covering the windows. "Not quite straight, Colonel, and I've got a suggestion for you." Daniel knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but he also knew Jack needed it as much as he did.

Jack backed away slowly, a gleam in his dark eyes. "And what might that be, Dr. Jackson?"

"Let's practice that stealth technique of yours a little more..." Daniel unzipped his jacket, pulled it off and dropped it over a chair. He strangled a laugh as Jack grabbed him and drew in for a nice long kiss.

"Sounds like a plan," Jack said, the tension around his eyes easing a little. Daniel decided that whatever Jack was willing to do in the middle of a military camp, he'd go along if it could help Jack relax. Yep, just add martyr to his résumé... Daniel grinned internally as Jack dragged him off towards the bunk in the corner. Such hardship being Jack's safety valve...

Commotion woke the two men an hour before dawn and Daniel stayed back for a few minutes, letting Jack get dressed and go outside before he donned his own clothes. They both knew that there was no reason to draw attention to the fact that they were exiting the same barrack. With a heavy sigh, Daniel pushed the door open. How he missed their uncomplicated life with the Asgard or the Nox. He missed their daughter and he knew that it was on Jack's mind a lot of the time as well.

Shivering in the cool morning air, Daniel made his way towards the gathering at the center of the yard. Jaffa, Tok'ra and humans alike were standing around, and the hostility seemed almost tangible.

Jack's voice rang clear from the center of the gathering. "One at a time. Tell me what happened."

Making his way through the crowd, Daniel found Jack standing with his hands on his hips and a grim expression marring his features, as he was facing Malek. Ah well, Daniel should have guessed. Something about the Tok'ra seemed to completely rub Jack the wrong way. Not that he didn't try to be nice to the Tok'ra, he *did* have certain obligations as the site's commanding officer. Still, Daniel couldn't blame him; Malek really was grating on their nerves.

"The 'Gate was activated... or rather, halfway activated." Malek tried to look superior, but something in Jack's eyes must have told him to tone it down, because he looked as if he was fighting the urge to back down.

"So? We've got guards by the 'Gate, so who the hell fiddled with the DHD?" The words came out calm. Daniel was amazed that Jack could manage that, as the set of his strong shoulders clearly said, to those who knew him, that he was about to blow.

"Colonel O'Neill." Commotion to the right of the gathering and Bra'tac entered the little circle.

Jack's shoulders lowered a little; the old Jaffa's presence seemed to have a calming effect on Jack. "Master Bra'tac, please tell me you can shed a little light on this..."

"I'm afraid not, Jack," Jacob Carter answered as he stepped up behind Bra'tac. "We've had a look by the DHD and talked to the soldiers who were on guard." Jacob took a deep breath. "We've got one Jaffa wounded and an unconscious SGC soldier."

Mumbled comments filled the morning air. Jack gestured to the two men. "So?"

"No one has seen anything..." Bra'tac shook his head. "And the ground by the DHD is full of footprints, making it neigh to impossible to make out if there might be a set not belonging there."

Jack nodded and muttered something under his breath. Then he raised his voice, "Pierce!"

"Yes sir?" Major Pierce made his way to Jack's side.

"Double the guards by the DHD. Call in an equal number of Jaffa and SGC personnel..." Pursing his lips, Jack continued, "and Tok'ra."

Daniel saw the raised eyebrows, silently glad that Jack had made that decision. Equal burden, equally shared intel. Anyone coming near the DHD would be met by unity and no one could hold one race responsible if something happened.

"Think it might be the saboteur?" Davis' question made Jack shrug.

"Probably," Looking around Jack scowled at the assembly. "Don't you people have chores to take care of?"

Everyone suddenly looked very busy and Daniel noticed the small smile on Jack's face. The smile was replaced by a frown as Jack turned to face Bra'tac and Jacob. "I know I can't order you guys to do anything, but do you think you could...?" Jack's gesture encompassed the entire camp.

"Keep an eye on things?" Jacob smiled lightly. "I think that might be a good idea." With a nod he and Bra'tac left.

"Major," Jack continued as he turned to Davis.

There was nothing about Jack that gave away his knowledge about Daniel's little conversation with Paul the night before, so Daniel relaxed. Not that Daniel would ever have expected Jack to put his personal feelings and attitude before his duty. The man wasn't stupid and Daniel had rarely met a man who was in that much control of his feelings. Well, most of the time anyway, at least with some of his feelings he let go once in a while.

"Yes sir?" Davis stood to attention.

"Take an airman with you, check out the holding cell." Jack paused for a moment. "Find a Tok'ra and a Jaffa to take along... better yet, ask Bra'tac and Jacob to assign you one of each."

"Jack?" Daniel frowned, wondering what was going through the man's mind.

"Just making sure we don't get any trouble. If we continuously let one from each group into our investigation, no one's gonna be accusing the other side of fraud."

"Yes sir," Davis nodded and went to carry out his orders without questions.

"Sir?" Sam stepped up next to them. She and Teal'c had been keeping quiet in the background.

"Any ideas as to what's going on?" Jack asked, looking worried.

"Not at the moment sir, though..." Sam was cut short as a yell from the south side of the camp broke the morning air.

Swearing under his breath, Jack turned and hurried towards the sound of zats and staff weapons, SG-1 and Daniel close behind him.

As they arrived at the scene, they found almost everyone there already. Daniel heard Jack making sure that there were plenty of guards by the Stargate. He couldn't help letting the pride and respect he felt for the man fill him. The whole thing had everyone spooked, including Daniel himself. Jack? Well, if he was spooked, he hid it damned well.

The sight that met them made Daniel's heart and hopes sink another notch. Jaffa and Tok'ra had drawn their weapons, all looking like a large, ridiculous version of a Mexican standoff. On the ground lay an unconscious Jaffa and bushes and grass carried sure signs of a fight having taken place. SGC personnel were standing to the back, hands on their weapons.

With a sigh, Jack walked forward, between raised staff weapons and zat guns, an annoyed look on his face. Daniel swallowed hard. He was fairly sure Jack knew what he was doing, but watching one of the two most important people in your life walking through a row like that... Daniel could definitely have done without it. He was torn between ripping Jack a new one and joining him out there. All he could do right now was hope that the Jaffa respected Jack enough as a warrior and the Tok'ra... well, that the Tok'ra were intelligent enough to see the ally that Jack was.

"Now what?" asked Jack, putting himself in the middle, scowling at both sides. The silence that greeted him was almost deafening. Jack threw up his hands, then stuffed them casually into his pockets. "Am I the only one who considers this absolutely ridiculous?" he asked.

There was a general shuffling of feet.

"Why don't you each go to your corners, we'll question these people when they wake... *and*" Jack held up a hand, the scowl returning tenfold. "We're still awaiting the search of the cell." He looked right and left. "Well?"

For a moment there was silence, then Jacob and Bra'tac stepped through the lines, talking in low voices to their people. Jack stayed where he was, watching with a stern expression.

Daniel tried to keep calm as he watched how the weapons were still pointing at the opposite line... and Jack was still in the middle. He let out a breath he hadn't been aware of holding when everyone finally began to drift off towards their parts of the camp.

A moment later Jack was standing in front of him, a slightly worried look on his face. "You okay, Daniel?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I am *now*." He shook his head as he noticed the look on Jack's face. "I know it's your job, but I hate seeing you risk your life like that..."

Resting a hand on Daniel's shoulder, Jack smiled ruefully. "I know I... *we* have other obligations now, but we have to try and make this work... somehow."

"I know, Jack... I know." Taking a deep breath he started to turn around, as Jack's hand tightened on his shoulder. Turning his head and looking at the hand, he couldn't help smiling. Even after the disaster with the almost-court-martial, Jack still touched him in public. The stray thought reminded him that they were missing a rather important part of their little family.

"I miss her too, Daniel... but it's far too dangerous to bring her here at the moment." Jack's warm, brown eyes shone with worry and the same yearning as Daniel felt.

"I know, Jack..." Daniel repeated, placing his own hand lightly on top of Jack's. It might only have been little more than a day since they'd left Aislinn with Thor, but both men missed her.

Daniel had feared things might not be solved in the near future or that perhaps they'd all end up killing each other. He couldn't have foreseen that things would end as violently and quickly as they did. From the moment Paul reported back to Jack with the facts they'd found in the cell and Jack had discussed it with Jacob and Bra'tac, everything seemed to go almost too quickly for them to keep up with it.

Early evening and they were all standing, backs to the Stargate, waiting for anything to happen. They'd sent out groups to search the area once it had become evident that they were dealing with an outsider who was obviously trying to turn everyone against everyone else, to make them kill one another, occupy them so they'd leave the 'Gate unguarded

Daniel checked the zat he was holding for the umpteenth time, idly listening to the whispered conversations around him. They'd been standing around for the past hour and even though they were trained soldiers, the waiting and the nervousness they all felt at facing an enemy they might not be able to see when he came for them, had them fidgeting.

They'd tried to come up with theories about what might be lurking out there. Many were pointing towards cloaking technology like the kind Nirrti had created and used once before. Daniel had opted to stay outside, taking his stand next to the rest of the troops. Sam and Jonas were busy trying to find a way to disable the cloaking device, to reveal their enemy to them. Both were currently bent over one of their MALPs, modifying it.

Jack was standing a few feet away and a clearing of his throat made the troops quiet down. As he turned his head his eyes lingered on Daniel, softening a little. The lines around the brown eyes were more pronounced than they had been during the past few months. Worrying over the fate of the troops, the Jaffa rebels, the Tok'ra and the Earth... well, it was all taking its toll on Jack. Daniel offered the other man an encouraging smile. What he wouldn't give to close the distance between them, to comfort Jack... But it would never be accepted. They'd get in trouble and besides. Jack needed to be the strong one at the moment. Needed to set a good, strong example for the men and women he was leading. Daniel would have to be the strong one later. No doubt about it, Jack would let him... hell, he'd need it.

One thing Daniel had learned since he and Jack had hooked up, since Aislinn had come into their family, was that Jack needed to be able to let go at some point, to let someone else be the strong one... Silently, Daniel vowed to always try to be there for him. Taking a deep breath, he hoped they'd see their daughter soon. As much as *he* could help Jack, the worry about their child wasn't exactly making things any easier. Still, better to have her with the Asgard than to put her in danger at the Alpha Site.

Speaking of danger. A moment later all hell broke loose. It seemed almost surreal as soldiers, Jaffa and Tok'ra were lifted into the air and thrown aside like puppets, by some invisible force.

Daniel strengthened his grip on the zat he was holding, but as the rest of the people around him, he didn't dare fire at something he couldn't see, in fear of hitting some of the others.

There was yelling and screaming all around him. Daniel clenched his teeth and for a moment he wondered if maybe he should pull back and see what he could do for the ones who were down. Unfortunately that plan had to be scrapped as something grabbed him by the throat and he was lifted off his feet, dangling a good few feet above the ground.

Daniel swallowed hard, wondering what the hell he'd gotten himself into this time. Adrenaline rushed through his veins and for a split second the only thing running through his mind was 'God, Jack's gonna kill me for this... and I'll never see Aislinn again...'

Suddenly the air around them crackled and even through his hazy eyes, Daniel saw his opponent sizzle into view as it seemed Sam and Jonas had completed their task, making the damned thing visible to them. Cold eyes were all Daniel could see. Inhuman. Daniel moved almost as if he was under water, arms rising, hands outstretched, as he grabbed for the only vulnerable spot he could reach.

Daniel tried not to think about the soft tissue tearing under the pressure of his thumbs, but the creature howled and a second later, Daniel found himself lying on the ground, gasping for his breath, as the air was thick with weapons fire. Looking up, he saw their enemy towering over him, swaying as it was hit several times, before it toppled backwards, hitting the ground with a loud *THUD*.

Leaning back, eyes closed, trying to find his bearings, Daniel felt a cool hand upon his forehead. Opening his eyes again, Daniel found Sam looking worriedly down at him, then she and Jonas helped him to his feet. Somewhere Daniel could hear Jack barking orders, but it was still hard to hear over the rush of blood in his ears.

"Are you okay, Dr. Jackson?" Daniel let Jonas steady him while Sam took a look at his neck, 'hmpf'ing as she checked the bruised skin.

"I'm fine," croaked Daniel, surprised at how rough his voice was, how much his throat burned. Glancing sideways, Daniel saw Jack turning to give him a quick, worried look. Daniel nodded and was glad to see Jack relax, if only a little. What helped Daniel feel a little better as well, was seeing Teal'c at Jack's side, almost like a rock in the middle of a stormy sea, looming over everyone.

Sam snorted at his 'line', but didn't comment on it. Daniel gave her a small smile. Yeah, yeah, it was almost an old joke. Dr. Daniel Jackson was *always* fine... Even when he wasn't. Daniel's smile widened into a grin. "Seriously, Sam, I've had worse bruises," he rasped, trying not to wince at the pain.

Finally smiling back, Sam nodded. "True, but I still want to get you inside and treat the worst of it." She gestured towards the their fallen opponent. "It had a pretty good grip on you, and the skin is broken in a few places. Nothing serious, but I want it cleaned."

"Sam," Daniel began, meaning to warn her off. He didn't like being fussed over.

"Daniel?" Jack's voice was low and controlled, barely concealing the worry.

"I'm fine, Jack." Daniel held up a hand to ward of the normal response to that. "I *am*." Except his throat really did hurt like hell and he could easily do without Jack's overprotective attitude. It didn't matter what they felt for each other, what they *were* to each other. Daniel was a grown man who could take care of himself.

Jack frowned for a moment, then nodded. Reaching out, he pulled down the collar of Daniel's uniform. "But you need to have that looked at."

"Already on it, sir," answered Sam, slightly amused.

Daniel gave them both his best glare, but he couldn't help smiling. He'd learned years ago to live with the fussing of his makeshift family.

Jack grinned at him, then turned to Sam. "Take him to my office, there's a field bed there." Jack glared back at Daniel, but the brown eyes showed both relief and mirth. "Yes, you'll take it easy for the rest of the day, Dr. Jackson." Jack nodded to Sam. "We'll be taking care of the wounded out here. We've got surprisingly few, it seems, all things considered."

"Jack, I don't need extra care." Daniel frowned. "I'm not fragile."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Jack nodded. When he looked up again and met Daniel's eyes, he looked almost apologetic. "You're right, Daniel, of course. Just the old mother hen routine rearing its head."

Daniel grinned. "I'll let Sam clean the skin, check my throat for any damage, *then* I'll join you out here and help with the wounded." And maybe he should cut down on the talking as well, because it wasn't getting any easier.

Jack opened his mouth to argue.

"That is *not* negotiable, Jack." Daniel drew in a deep breath and to his surprise he almost double over, a coughing fit racking his body.

He waved his worried friends back. Damned, but he hadn't expected this. There might actually be some kind of damage that he hadn't noticed.

"Just do as Carter tells ya, Daniel, okay?" Jack looked like he wanted to put his arms around Daniel, who gave him a small, reassuring smile.

"Deal," rasped Daniel. He really hoped there was nothing seriously wrong.

Daniel sat in silence as Sam checked his throat and neck. The less he fought it, the sooner it would be over.

"I'm not exactly a doctor of medicine, Daniel," she began, as she cleaned the scratches. "But you might want to go easy on your voice for a while."

Daniel gave her a tired smile. He could have told her that. His throat felt raw and he thoroughly regretted having spoken earlier.

Leaning back on the chair he was sitting on, Daniel let Sam talk, listening to her tell about some of the things that had happened back home since they'd left. Not much of the 'official' stuff, just news about their nearest friends. He'd have to wait for things to calm down before they could all sit down and be thoroughly briefed on the more serious situation on Earth.

A few minutes later, the barrack that served as Jack's command post cum office cum quarters seemed almost full, as Jack entered with Ferretti, Pierce, Davis, Bra'tac and Jacob.

"I left Teal'c in charge," grinned Jack as Daniel lifted an eyebrow.

"He is a capable warrior," added Bra'tac.

"As arrogant as Malek may seem, he'll do as he's told." Jacob took a seat next to Daniel.

"You mean, Teal'c will loom over him and intimidate him?" grinned Ferretti.

"That too, Major, that too," agreed Jacob.

"Okay, kids," Jack broke in as he took the seat on the other side of Daniel, watching as Sam applied the last ointment to take the sting out of the scratches. "Status report."

Sam rose to her feet and took her seat next to her father, who in turn opened their little pow-wow, smiling slightly at Jack's description of them, in no way taking offense from it.

Daniel wasn't that surprised. It had taken a while to get used to, but Jack always saw the people he was responsible for in the field as his 'kids'. There was nothing mean or condescending about it, it was simply the way things were.

"From what we can guess, the Goa'uld that attacked us was an Ashrak," Jacob began. "We have surprisingly few wounded from the final run in with it," he continued. "The worst was a sprained knee and a broken arm."

"The Ashrak is dead," Bra'tac picked up as Jacob sat back. "It does indeed seem as if it was trying to turn us against each other and escape while we were occupied."

"Where'd it come from?" asked Sam.

"It probably slipped through the 'Gate during the evacuation," Jacob shook his head. "It would explain how our base was revealed to the Goa'uld, leaving us open to attack."

Jack pursed his lips. "So everyone's cleared?"

Davis nodded. "Yes sir, it seems both the sabotage and the assault can be traced back to the Ashrak."

"Hmm... Still, I take it it'll be a while before there's real trust between our three races..." Jack rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Of course it will be a while, but right now things actually look okay," said Ferretti. "Out there you have Jaffa, Tok'ra and our guys helping each other, tending to each other's wounds. Give it a little time, Colonel, I'm sure things will look brighter."

Jack nodded and stood. "Fine, let's boost the morale of our troops, shall we?" Leaning against the table he looked over his makeshift command. "I'm scheduling a briefing in one hour. I'd still like to hear why we were asked here and not to Earth."

Daniel met his eyes and gave him a small nod. Their alliances were still fragile. A show of unity from the leaders wouldn't harm. Daniel wondered for a moment why, at times, it had seemed Malek had been in charge of the Tok'ra, when Jacob seemed far more capable. Then again, maybe having a human... a Tau'ri as host had added to that. Daniel hadn't known Jacob before the man had blended with Selmak, but he seemed like a levelheaded man, whereas Malek seemed like a hothead at times.

As they all stood to leave, Jack sidled to Daniel's side, obviously trying to hide his worry. A warm hand descended onto his shoulder, and with a smile Daniel covered it with his own.

"Daniel will have to go easy on his throat for a couple of days," explained Sam.

"Hey," Jack said, visibly brightening, both with relief and mischief. "Does that mean we have a *quiet* Daniel for once?"

Daniel answered by smacking the back of Jack's head lightly, mock glaring at him. He didn't need words to keep Jack where he belonged. Biting his lower lip, Daniel tried to keep from smiling too widely at both Jack's widening eyes and the muffled laughter from the others.

"So, you're saying that basically we don't know what's going on back home?" Jack sighed as he leaned back on the chair, watching the people around the table.

Daniel made his own observations as he tried to digest the news. All in all most of the teams had been off-world when a message had come from General Hammond, asking them to gather at the Alpha Site instead of returning to Earth.

"Basically the order was to gather at the Alpha Site and wait for further orders." Ferretti leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Problem is we tried to dial the SGC just before you came here, Colonel, and the 'Gate wouldn't activate."

Daniel gestured his question, annoyed that he couldn't voice it. He'd tried using his voice earlier and Sam had resolutely told him not to.

Pierce got it and took up the tale. "We couldn't get it to accept the final glyph."

"It's as if there is no 'Gate back on Earth," explained Sam. "Or something's really wrong with it."

"But the message came a lot earlier, right?" Jack frowned. "So either someone knew this would happen, or feared it might."

Silence descended upon their little group.

"Most of the teams were on routine missions," Paul said as he gave Jack a worried look. "I was with SG-11. Even that was a simple mission. The outcome was a good naquada deal." He shrugged. "Which was why I was asked to take over the negotiations when Major Kovachek reported in ill."

"You don't recall anything that might have contributed to the General's orders?" Jack honed in on Davis, obviously hoping that the man knew something from the Pentagon that might shed a little light on their mystery.

Davis shook his head, then frowned again. "Well, unless there's a link between that and Senator Kinsey..."

Daniel sat up, far more attentively. The one man who'd made the most enemies within the SGC and he might be involved? That was hardly a surprise as the snorts and grunts around the table agreed upon.

Jack looked like he'd tasted something really bad. Of them all, Jack *really* carried a dislike for the Senator. Daniel didn't blame him. The man was a pure nuisance.

"Did something happen while Daniel and I were away?" Jack managed to ask, casually leaning back again.

"Well, there were rumors that he'd fallen ill, but from one day to the other he was on his feet, making everyone dance to his pipe," Davis explained.

"Just like that?" Jack raised an eyebrow.

"That's all we were told, Colonel, but from what I heard he was seriously ill for a month or two. I guess many blamed it on the stress from running for presidency."

Jack snorted. "Yeah, I remember hearing that. I really don't want to think about what our county would be like under that man's administration."

"I doubt the SGC would stay active for long, and if it did, it would be with an entirely new crew." Davis shook his head. "Even though there are those in the Pentagon who prefer Hammond in charge, there are unfortunately quite a few who agree with Kinsey on turning things over to the NID."

Sam gave them all a dark look as she spoke up. "I think we all know what would happen to our little handful of alliances, right?"

Jack held up his hand and slowly ticked off. "The Nox..."

Daniel gestured upwards. Yeah, they'd definitely lose the Nox. The Tau'ri were considered very young, and the SGC was only tolerated because they'd showed a willingness to grow and learn the right way.

Jack nodded as he caught Daniel's eyes. "The Asgard..." He turned to Jacob, who'd been silent since they'd sat down.

Jacob shook his head. "I can't speak without having run it through the High Council, but I doubt we'd hang around... as much as it pains me, Jack, I doubt we'd deal with anyone but Hammond and you guys." The older man smiled mirthlessly. "I don't think I can call it real trust, but it's the closest way I can describe why we deal with the SGC. Anyone having their strings pulled by Kinsey and the NID? I don't think we'd go for it."

"It's okay, Jacob. I can't blame you for that." Jack chewed his lower lip. "If anything, I find it strangely satisfying that the Tok'ra won't stoop to his level."

Jacob grinned.

Daniel couldn't help smiling. Good thing Jacob knew Jack as well as he did, or he might have taken offence at such a comment. It wasn't exactly a secret how Jack felt about the Tok'ra. Jacob was tolerated because he was from Earth and because he was Sam's father.

Still, as they'd made their rounds, it had seemed Jack had been keeping a lid on how he felt. Either that or he was getting used to the Tok'ra and maybe even starting to understand and accept the difference between them and the Goa'uld. Daniel knew how he felt. He hadn't been too comfortable around the Tok'ra in the beginning either. It had felt wrong... almost as if he'd been betraying Sha're by trusting them.

"Bra'tac?" Jack turned to the old warrior, who'd been listening intensely.

Daniel smiled at the obvious respect in Jack's voice. As much as he'd bitch and moan and at times be almost rude to the Jaffa, it was no secret that Jack valued the man's intelligence and prowess as a warrior. Jack had even at some point revealed to Daniel that he felt like a school kid who'd gotten something right when Bra'tac praised something about Jack and his team. It had been a strange feeling to Jack that he hadn't had in years. Daniel wondered if Jack had ever strived for a teacher's approval the way he did for Bra'tac, however oddly he chose to show it.

"It is not an easy decision to make, O'Neill," Bra'tac began. "But I believe we would prefer to deal with people who have earned our trust." The dark eyes sparkled with a certain approval in itself.

Daniel bit his lip to keep from grinning openly as he caught Jack's eyes. He was fairly sure Jack knew exactly what was going through his head, since the older man looked like he wanted to stick his tongue out at Daniel.

"It makes sense, Bra'tac and it's appreciated. Worst case scenario..." Jack's expression darkened. "Worst case scenario we're cut off from Earth."

"So what do we do?" asked Ferretti.

"For now I'd say we try to make this a functioning outpost," Jack began, then turned to their allies once again. "I take it the Tok'ra are already planning to re-locate?"

Jacob nodded. "We'll be going as soon as possible, probably tomorrow. We have coordinates for a world suitable for a base."

"I thought as much," agreed Jack, hiding his disapproval of the 'hit-and-run' tactics of the Tok'ra.

"Once we're settled I'll see what I can do about helping out here," added Jacob, giving Jack a small, knowing smile.

Jack nodded. "Thanks Jacob, it's greatly appreciated."

"Most of our Jaffa will leave to find others, to aid them in seeing the truth about their false gods, but quite a few will stay behind to help here, O'Neill." Bra'tac gave Jack a slight nod.

Jack nodded. "Your warriors have already helped a lot, Master Bra'tac, thank you. We do need all the help we can get since I guess we won't be getting any help from Earth in the near future."

"Sir," Sam began. "Our supplies are dwindling and we'll need to replenish soon."

Jack agreed. "Any suggestions?"

Daniel scribbled on his notepad while the others voiced their ideas.

"All is well and good... that we can pick whatever wild berries we can find," said Jack. "But we'll need a lot more."

"There are quite a few wild animals around," began Ferretti. "So there's a bit of a chance for hunting. And the river a klick from here seems to have plenty of fish."

Jack nodded. "Anything else?"

Daniel pushed his notepad sideways to let Jack have a look. Yeah, it was all well and good with hunting and gathering, but they still needed extra things, like clothes and additional food wouldn't hurt.

Jack leaned to the side to read Daniel's notes, his presence solid and warm against Daniel's shoulder. "Yeah, makes sense to ask Tuplo if the Land of Light might be able to lend us a hand with supplies. The Nox? Well, we can ask and the same goes for the Asgard."

The others agreed and Jack held up his hand for a moment to get their attention again. "I want SG-1 to go to the Land of Light. It won't hurt having Jonas along, I get the feeling he'll enjoy it." Jack grinned and gave Daniel a sideways look. It obviously wasn't lost on the older man that Daniel and Jonas had a few things in common. One definitely being their curiosity with people and culture.

Daniel grinned. He'd have loved to go visit their old friends, but without his voice he doubted he'd be of much use. Besides, SG-1 would be more than enough and they had plenty that needed done at the Alpha Site. An idea formed in his mind though, and Daniel began scribbling again.

Jack dismissed the rest of their friends and turned to Daniel, who shoved his notepad at Jack.

Jack nodded as he read. "And get Thor to take a look at your vocal cords while you're at it."

Daniel agreed. He could go check on their daughter, get his voice checked over again and see what Thor might have to say about lending them yet another hand.

"See what you can do about getting us clothing too. The garment the Asgard gave us was light but warm, so it would be great to have that for uniforms."

Daniel grinned and scribbled a little more and Jack read out loud, leaning over Daniel's shoulder, arm slung around Daniel's waist, chin resting on his shoulder.

"Yeah, definitely. It's fairly warm at the moment, but according to Carter it will get very cold in a month or two and we just don't know for how long we'll be stuck here." Jack's arm tightened around him. "I wish I could go with you, see Aislinn... And I don't like letting you go alone."

Daniel frowned and jotted down a word on the notepad.

"Overprotective?" Jack chuckled as he read it. "No, not really, but damned, that time during the trial was something I don't ever wanna go through again. I mean," he continued as he pulled Daniel around to face him. The warm, brown eyes spoke volumes on their own.

Daniel nodded and brought a hand up to cup Jack's face, smiling as the other man nuzzled into the touch. That short period had felt like an eternity to the both of them; well, for all three of them. He didn't ever want to be parted from his family for too long again and he knew that was what Jack was referencing.

"Tomorrow night, Daniel. That would fit with early in the day where we left and you won't be stepping out of the 'Gate into a dark night." Jack's instructions were delivered in a low voice, while he planted soft kisses in the palm of Daniel's hand.

The following day proved to be something of a challenge to Daniel's patience. He prided himself of being a calm man, but even he was having trouble keeping up a professional facade in the face of a familiar opponent.

Daniel was in the supply room, making a list of things he should ask Thor for as he felt the unmistakable feeling of not being alone anymore. Turning slowly he came face to face with the same AF Captain with whom he had had a face-off in the SGC's commissary during their last visit to Earth. Daniel cocked an eyebrow, but kept scribbling notes on the clipboard he was holding. With a sigh he chose to ignore the almost predatory smile on the man's face.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's favorite little civilian." The man closed the door behind him, leaning back against the door frame.

Daniel sighed and raised an eyebrow. Some people grated on his nerves more than others. Considering he'd put up with Jack for so many years, it was amazing how some other people simply rubbed him the wrong way. Slowly counting to ten, he kept ignoring the airman, hoping he'd go away.

A hand landed heavily on his shoulder and Daniel rolled his eyes before turning around. He really seemed out of luck. This just wasn't the time or place for grudges and the Captain should have been professional enough to see that. Daniel turned his head, looked at the hand, then looked at the smirking Captain. Fastening his pen unto the clipboard, he took hold of the hand and removed it from his shoulder.

As he turned to continue his work, the other man obviously wasn't having much fun anymore, because he promptly grabbed Daniel by the shoulder again. Letting years of training take over; Daniel grabbed the man's wrist, twisted around and wrung the arm back behind the Captain.

"Hey!" The man tried to work his way out of his predicament, but Daniel was used to training with his team and even though he'd never be able to hold any of them this way, it worked wonders with his current opponent. Daniel suspected that it might not work for much longer, as the element of surprise was what had gained him the upper hand. The moment the Captain regained his senses and the man's training kicked in...

Pushing the man forward until he hit the floor, face down, Daniel planted his knee in the back of the Captain, effectively pinning the arm against the man's body. Slamming the clipboard into the ground less than an inch from the Captain's nose, he quickly scribbled a few words unto the paper.

I have a job to do, so do you.

"So the Colonel's plaything has claws?" the man spat. Unfortunately he seemed quite strong and it would probably only be a matter of moments before he would twist free.

Daniel growled as he pressed his knee down a bit more, feeling his throat flare with pain. Shit, he really shouldn't be trying to use it. Scribbling another line he waited impatiently for the man to read it.

I belong to no one; I can take care of myself.

The Captain snorted. "You're a civilian, you're a liability."

It was Daniel's turn to snort. Then he grabbed the clipboard, ripped off a piece of the post-it attached to it. Scribbling one word he pinned it to the man's back before writing on the notepad again and putting the clipboard down in front of the Captain.

If you say so, now scoot, I've got some important work to do.

Daniel made sure to underline 'important' several times. Then he snatched the clipboard back and both men were startled by the door opening, admitting Ferretti, who gave them a strange look.

"What's going on in here?" he asked.

Before the Captain could get to his feet and salute, Daniel stood and wrote down another word and showed the clipboard to Lou.

"Practice?" Ferretti asked, disbelievingly.

Daniel nodded, giving the man his best poker face. Not that it mattered much, because Lou kept eyeing him with suspicion. Still, the Major chose to leave it at that.

"Don't you have a job to do, Captain?" Ferretti asked frostily.

"Yes sir!" the man answered, saluting Lou and beating a hasty retreat. As he went out the door, Ferretti almost lost it.

"Did you put that note on his... never mind, who the hell else would use that as an insult." Ferretti couldn't stop laughing. Then he sobered. "The Colonel wants to see you before you leave, Dr. Jackson."

Daniel grinned wryly, nodded and went to get the last few things he'd need before he could leave, then went to find his friend. Finding Jack in the command barrack, he closed the door behind him and made sure they were perfectly alone, before pulling the other man into a warm embrace.

"Well, hello there, Dr. Jackson," breathed Jack just before Daniel shut him up with a long, sweet kiss.

Jack chuckled. "I can't get over how eloquent you are, love." He graciously ducked as Daniel smacked his shoulder. Just because he wasn't supposed to speak, didn't mean he wouldn't fight back.

"Say hi to our daughter from me, will ya?" Jack's voice was sad when they parted enough to speak.

Daniel nodded. He understood that Jack couldn't leave the Alpha Site at the moment, but he knew that as much as he and Jack missed Aislinn, she was probably missing them even more. She wasn't even among people of her own race. Still, Jack trusted Thor so Daniel would too. Rubbing his cheek against Jack's, Daniel tried to convey his feelings.

Somehow he managed, as Jack drew him in for another long, tender kiss that left Daniel slightly breathless. He reluctantly drew back and pointed at his watch. Jack agreed.

"Yeah, time to go..." Jack bit his lip but stopped as Daniel reached up to put his finger on the man's lower lip. Softly smiling, Daniel brought the same finger to his own lips then to his heart.

"Sap," accused Jack with a sad smile.

Daniel scrunched up his nose and grinned. Oh yeah, Colonel, you better believe it, he thought to himself. He'd learned from the best.

Taking Daniel's bag, Jack walked him out the door and over to the DHD. "Take care, Daniel, and hurry back."

Patting Jack's shoulder, Daniel turned to punch in the coordinates for the world where they'd left Thor and Aislinn behind. As they waited for the chevrons to fall into their sequence and the 'Gate to burst to life, Jack held his arm for a second, warming Daniel's heart with a wide smile.

"Oh, before I forget to ask, why is Captain Smith wearing a post-it with the word 'Budge' written on it?" Jack tried to hide his amusement.

Daniel gave him his best and most innocent smile in return and shrugged.

Jack laughed and pointed at the 'Gate. "Godspeed, Daniel. See you soon."

Daniel gave him a little wave before stepping through the shimmering blue portal.

Daniel coughed lightly, finally daring to put his voice to the test as he turned and smiled to Aislinn. "It's okay, Aislinn, I think it's back to normal."

The girl broke into a wide smile, reminding Daniel very much of Jack, as her eyes sparkled and she hugged him hard. "I missed you and Jack," she whispered.

"I know," Daniel replied, his voice low and warm. Even though it had only been a few days, they'd all gotten so used to living together that any time apart felt like ages. "We missed you too."

"Can I come back with you?" she asked, looking pleadingly at him.

Daniel sighed. "I'm sorry, Aislinn, but it's still too dangerous for a child." Daniel bit his lip and tried not to laugh as the child tried to hide her pout, not succeeding too well. It hit him for a moment what it was that made Jack refer to Daniel's pout as 'cute'. Shaking his head, Daniel took Aislinn's hand and they made their way to the command bridge of, and it still made Daniel grin, The Millennium Falcon.

"Ah, Dr. Jackson," Thor's voice greeted them as they stepped through the wide doors of the bridge. "I take it your voice is now back?"

"Yeah, thank you, Thor." Daniel and Aislinn wandered over to the command chair. "I hope Aislinn hasn't given you any problems," Daniel said, smiling down at his daughter, who gave him a look that could only be described as overbearing.

Thor turned the chair to face the two. Tilting his head slightly to the side he looked at them, his large black eyes blinking slowly. "She has given me no problems. I have let her learn."

"Learn?" Daniel couldn't help his eyes widening. Well, sure she'd have to have been doing something. "Learn what?"

"She has already learned a fair part of our written language, more than enough to communicate with our computer at a satisfying level." Thor moved a few of the colored stones and then seemed to sit back at rest. "She is a quick study."

"Children have always had it easier with learning," grinned Daniel as he gave Aislinn a wink. Even though that was true, he was proud she was learning as fast as she was and that her curiosity seemed to be insatiable. Then a thought struck him.

"Thor, when you slowed her aging, did you slow her learning ability as well?" Daniel wondered if he should be worried.

"Only as much as was necessary. Her learning ability is now as it should be, though it is still high." Thor seemed to think for a moment. "If we had left it unattended, Heimdall feared that if we had left it unattended, it might damage her brain later on, as she is human and her mind still has your race's limitations."

Daniel nodded. They'd never really been told why Aislinn had aged as quickly as he had, apart from the assumed malfunction of the device. It was obvious that something had gone wrong with it, or the uterus would have disappeared at the same time he'd returned to his normal physical self. Not that Daniel was complaining. He and Jack both adored the little girl and somehow the Asgard had managed to slow her growth to normal human standard. Even though they'd more or less lost a lot of her childhood, the important thing was that she was with them, she was alive and that she was well.

"But I have no doubt that you will supply her with sufficient learning material, Dr. Jackson, and so will I, where possible," Thor said, giving him a nod.

Daniel blinked in surprise. Wow, he'd never imagine anything like that, though some little voice in the back of his mind told him that the Asgard were probably conducting some sort of experiment to see how and how much the child could learn. Then again, maybe he was getting paranoid. Working for the SGC seemed to do that to them.

"Thank you, Thor," Daniel finally managed, giving the little grey alien a wide smile. "Is it okay if Aislinn stays with you a little longer? After the trouble we had with the Ashrak, I have to admit the Alpha Site isn't my first choice of places to have Aislinn." He looked down at his daughter. "Even though we miss her terribly."

"As she missed you, but I understand, Dr. Jackson, and Aislinn is welcome to stay for as long as it is possible."

"And that would be how long?" Daniel asked, wondering if that might be worry he was picking up in Thor's voice.

"If anything comes up that needs my attention and I have to leave to take care of it, then I shall make sure you are notified and Aislinn is reunited with you."

"Thor, you're beginning to worry me a bit," Daniel said, frowning. Having an Asgard worried really didn't feel good.

"There is nothing to worry about, Dr. Jackson, I am merely stating things as they are." Thor's voice was level and emotionless. Still, Daniel didn't feel too reassured.

"Thor, you've helped us a lot already, but there are a few things we need while we're trying to figure out what's going on back on Earth. And frankly, we were hoping that you could help with it. Or tell us where we could get the things we need." Daniel took a deep breath and hoped that the Asgard would be willing to once again lend them a helping hand.

"I will help where I can, Dr. Jackson."

Daniel pulled out his list and gave it to Thor. "I hope you can, because we've got more people than supplies and the temperature will be dropping in less than a month. Most of all we need clothing and such."

"I shall see what I can do, in the meantime, I shall leave you with Aislinn." Thor sounded almost amused. "As much as I have been capable of coming up with distractions, I am afraid I am no match for you or O'Neill."

Daniel grinned. "Thank you, Thor. We really do appreciate what you're doing for us."

Thor nodded and activated his transportation device, disappearing from their sight. Daniel turned to pick Aislinn up into a bear hug. "I'm so glad to see you again, Aislinn. Been keeping Thor busy?"

"Yup." The girl put her arms around his neck and gave him a dazzling smile that reminded him very much of Jack, eyes sparkling with happiness. Daniel leaned his head against hers, sharing a silent moment with her.

"Do you want to show me what you've learned?" he asked, and his answer came promptly as she slid down from his embrace, grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the control bridge, down the hallway and into what was clearly hear quarters. After that they both became completely lost to the world, digging through language tutorials and historical texts. None of the historical texts were as much about the Asgard as it was about the races they'd taken under their protection.

Daniel returned to the Alpha Site and requested two FREDs to take back with him to pick up the crates of essentials Thor had managed to get them. It had panned out far better than any of them had hoped, but Daniel was sad to leave his daughter behind again. Still, she seemed content for the time being with whatever Thor could give her to learn. And Daniel had other obligations at the moment, as little as he liked them. The only good thing about going back would be Jack... And yet he had something he really needed to discuss with the other man as soon as possible.

The run-in with Captain Smith the previous day didn't bode well for them. It was one thing hiding a relationship on a huge base like Cheyenne Mountain where they went home almost every night. Hiding it in the middle of the Alpha Site... Daniel sighed deeply as he watched the last FRED go through the Stargate and with one last look back, Daniel returned to their temporary base.

It was early morning at the Alpha Site when Daniel rematerialized. Everyone was busy unloading the FREDs and Jack came toward him, a broad smile on his face.

"So I take it Thor was more than helpful?" Jack asked loudly.

Daniel merely nodded. It did kind of speak for itself.

As Jack stopped right in front of him, the brown eyes softened with welcome. "How is Aislinn?"

"She's good, Jack, keeping Thor busy," Daniel answered, aching to put his arms around the other man. It hurt to have to leave Aislinn behind again, but Jack hadn't even seen her. Daniel had no problem imagining what it felt like for the other man. "She is, Jack, but she misses us both..."

Jack sighed and dropped his gaze for a moment before meeting Daniel's eyes again. "I know, Daniel, but we've been over this before. The Alpha Site isn't safe at the moment. We've barely gotten over the attack of the Ashrak."

"I know, Jack, I know." Daniel gave him a soft smile.

"Well, we better get busy," Jack finally managed, clearing his throat. "Jacob and the Tok'ra have already left and some of the Jaffa are helping them set up a base. Teal'c went with them to make sure no... misunderstandings surface."

Daniel nodded. "That's probably a very good idea." Daniel let him lead him over to the side. "Can't have them killing each other."

"See, I knew you were smart, Dr. Jackson," grinned Jack.

Daniel couldn't help answering the smile with one of his own. Then he sobered a little, remembering what he'd decided. "Jack, we need to have a talk."

Jack's expression turned serious. "Yeah?"

"Can we go somewhere private?" Daniel asked, dreading what he knew would happen. Jack wasn't going to let go that easily.

Daniel nursed his cup of coffee, sitting across from Jack at the desk the man used as work space. The small office cum sleeping quarters was quiet and Daniel realized that it might have been a bad idea to choose the last place he and Jack had made love as the place where he would have to tell Jack they should cool it down. Damn. He didn't *want* to cool it down. It wasn't fair...

"Is this about Captain Smith?" Jack finally asked, taking a sip of his own coffee.

Daniel looked up and frowned. As much as he found the Captain annoying, he didn't want to cause more trouble, draw more attention than he already had by, well, kissing and telling.

"Look, Ferretti told me that something wasn't right between the two of you." Jack poured himself another cup of coffee and topped Daniel's mug as well. They didn't have much left, but Thor had made sure they had something vaguely similar that would have to do.

"Yeah, it's partly why I wanted to talk to you, Jack, we... you and I..." How the hell could he tell Jack to cool it off, that he would be moving to the sleeping quarters that the others used. That Jack would be sleeping alone... and even if Daniel was sharing a bunk room with several others, he'd be feeling more alone than ever before. "Jack, he commented on you and me and I'm afraid that..."

Jack held up a hand to cut him off. "Are you suggesting we sleep apart?"

"Jack, this is a *very* small command post. We can't hide it." Daniel ran a hand through his hair. He'd known that Jack wouldn't exactly make it any easier, but if they were to get through it all... It would feel as bad as back when Jack had been taken into custody. And back then Daniel had lived with Aislinn. This time he'd be alone with his thoughts.

Why, for once, couldn't Jack just lose the facade? He could be so damned flippant when it was only himself at risk, but Daniel knew that he had to get a good grip on the part of Jack that understood that he wasn't alone in this. That there was more at stake.

"Look, this isn't some one way street, Jack. You're not the only one who's gonna miss..." Daniel shook his head and rested his forehead against his hands. "Just... Jack, it's your life, career and when Aislinn eventually comes here it will be her life as well."

Jack paled visibly and his eyes filled with remorse. "It's yours too, I'm sorry, Daniel. The future of our family." Jack took a deep breath. "It's not just about the sex, Daniel it's..."

Daniel nodded. "I know, Jack, but still..."

Nodding, Jack seemed to reluctantly agree. "It won't be easy, Daniel," he warned.

Daniel rubbed his eyes. No, it wouldn't exactly be easy. "I never said it would be."

"It's for the better," Jack said, obviously not much belief behind that sentence.

"For the better," Daniel answered, feeling sick to his stomach. Why couldn't they ever be allowed a happily ever after. It wasn't as if Daniel was asking for a white wedding, a picket fence, two dogs, two cars and two point five kids. He just wanted a little everyday happiness with his family of three. He didn't even *want* dogs. With his luck and his allergies he probably wouldn't last long.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, worry evident in his voice.

Daniel shook his head. "Just let it go, Jack."

"Maybe I should bunk with the rest of..." Jack began.

"Oh no," warned Daniel, he had no trouble imagining what that would be like. "Jack, that would be cruel torture. Having you near, within sight and reach?"

"Yeah?" Jack gave him a small smile.

"Oh yeah," grinned Daniel, but he still felt sick to his stomach.

"Maybe you're right." Jack scratched the stubble on his chin. "We're adult people, we're no strangers to making difficult decisions. I'm sure we can handle this..."

Daniel gave him a small, sincere smile. "We have to, Jack, there's no other way around it." Getting on his feet, Daniel leaned against the table and watched the other man. "We don't need the extra trouble. Trust me, Jack."

Jack stood to follow him to the door. As Daniel put his hand on the handle, Jack's hand came up to cover it. "You know I'm only doing this for the greater good, right?"

Daniel nodded and waited silently for Jack to let him out. Daniel needed to get away or he'd end up ruining everything their little chat had just achieved.

Jack finally let him open the door, but as Daniel walked away, he caught the muttered words that escaped Jack.

"Doing things for the greater good really sucks."

Daniel bit his lower lip as he walked away, feeling as if he was wearing boots of lead. "Couldn't agree with you more, Jack," he whispered under his breath as he went to see if he could hi-jack a bunk somewhere. Preferably in a dark corner where he could curl up at night. Alone.

One week went by and things were semi-normal. At least as normal as they could get. They had most of what they needed from the Asgard and Tuplo had been more than happy to help them with supplies.

All things considered, they should be glad that they managed as well as they did. Daniel *tried* to be happy, but with most of the hard work done, he still had far too much time to think. There was nothing much for him to do once the initial things were taken care of. He'd always been there for translations or first contacts, now he was needed for neither.

And Jack? Jack was a royal pain in the rear. And that was putting it mildly. It hadn't been that bad the first couple of days, but Daniel began seeing the signs. Jack was worried, stressed, but all there was to notice on the outside was the way he held his shoulders, a little higher, a little tighter; the way his eyes would narrow, how his patience would hit its limits a lot faster than it had used to.

All in all Daniel knew he was going to blow, eventually. Before Jack had been capable of de-stressing by concentrating on Daniel or their daughter. Now he had neither. To make matters worse, Daniel himself was within sight, but strictly off-limits. Daniel was quite aware that this was adding to Jack's stress, but that is what they had agreed to, and neither man would go back on it, since both knew exactly what they stood to lose.

After almost two weeks Daniel was beginning wonder if he'd go crazy from not having anything with which to challenge his mind. It was as if he could feel Jack's eyes on him where-ever he went, even when he knew perfectly well that he was alone. No one had dared call Jack on his deteriorating mood, but it was clear that most were affected by it. In the end it felt as if the entire camp was walking around on eggshells, trying to stay as far away from the Colonel as they could.

Daniel didn't blame them. He'd noticed lines around Jack's eyes that shouldn't be there, a constant frown seemed to mar the strong features and there was nothing Daniel wanted more than to reach out and smooth out those lines.

It didn't help matters any, that Paul had a tendency to show up exactly at exactly the moments when Daniel *didn't* want company. To make matters worse, it seemed that Jack always walked in on them when they were having a conversation.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what would be going through the older man's mind. Thankfully it didn't seem as if Jack had tried to take it out on Paul... yet.

Daniel was getting so desperate for things to take his mind of the problem that he started going through the old reports of the Alpha Site. He came across references about some caves a few clicks to the North. They had been filmed, the writings on the walls discarded as not being of great importance and filed away. Still, even if there was nothing significant about them, they were perfect for Daniel to pour his energy into. The only problem would be to get permission to leave.

He knew from the files that there were no larger predators on the planet, that the wildlife in general wasn't dangerous; that there were no plants that were overly poisonous to them. Still, he knew perfectly well that now wasn't the best of times to ask Jack for it.

Playing with the thought of merely leaving and checking out the caves, Daniel leaned back against the wall of the sleeping quarters, enjoying the warm rays of the sun. There wasn't much they could do until they had more intel from Earth, or until either Jacob or Bra'tac returned with news of some kind.

Bra'tac had gone with a few of the Jaffa to search for more rebels and Daniel knew that he'd talked to Jacob about helping the Tok'ra with their new base. So that left the rest of the Jaffa and the SGC personnel at the Alpha Site. And frankly, Daniel was beginning to feel a little antsy.

"Taking a rest, Doc?" Ferretti's voice broke the silence and Daniel's contemplation.

"Is there much else to do at the moment?" asked Daniel with a small smile.

Ferretti leaned against the wall next to him. "That seems to be the problem," he answered, casually watching the tips of his boots.

Daniel grinned but didn't say anything. If Ferretti just wanted to hang out it was fine with him. But Daniel suspected there might be more to it than that.

"The Colonel's in an awful mood... going stir-crazy." Ferretti kicked at some imaginary dirt. "Everyone's making bets on why."

"Jack prefers to have something to do," Daniel answered before he thought about it. Okay, bad choice of words. Jack preferred to have *someone* to do, preferably Daniel.

Ferretti stopped his dirt mutilation for a moment, then continued, the only difference being the grin he was trying to conceal. Oh yeah, it hadn't gotten past him, that was for sure.

"Okay, I give up, Ferretti," Daniel finally said. "What are the bets and what are the odds?"

Ferretti snorted, but nevertheless answered. "Well, safe to say that the popular belief is a lover's tiff and it's getting the most bets."

Daniel didn't even find it necessary to answer that. Ferretti may at times play as dumb as Jack, but it seemed to be almost the norm with some of the team leaders. To hide that they actually were leaders for a reason. There was no way Lou hadn't figured it all out. Well, at least figured most of it out.

"Lou, you know as well as I do..." Daniel began.

"Look, Doc, I know it's none of our business, but you're not doing yourselves nor the rest of us any favors with this."

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment. "Really Lou, there's nothing I can do."

"Doc, you're not feeling any more at ease here than he is." Lou gestured at the camp. "You've got nothing to be preoccupied with and the more you think about it, the more..."

"Please, Lou... don't get into that now." Daniel really didn't need the extra pressure. Neither did Jack. "I've been thinking about taking a look at the caves North of here." He'd made up his mind. It was still early in the day and he really needed to get away from the camp. Away from Jack and away from whomever thought they were having a problem.

"Just a quick look?" Lou asked casually.

"Yeah, it's still early morning. If I leave now I can be back before sundown." Daniel made up his mind at that moment. He was going to do this, to take his mind off the current problem. "Just don't tell Jack. If he asks, just... make something up."

Ferretti grunted something that sounded like an agreement and later, as Daniel made his way through the undergrowth, he began wondering how wise it had been. Not the trip in itself but telling Ferretti. The man was fiercely loyal to Jack and Daniel wasn't sure he wouldn't tell the Colonel if he felt it was a help to them.

Still, Daniel really needed the time away. A little space to breathe; to not think about Jack; to not wonder what would happen when Aislinn came back. How the hell were they going to explain their living apart to her?

And the rest of the camp? He and Jack had agreed on keeping their hands off each other for the greater good. Now it looked as if they weren't doing anyone a favor with that.

Daniel suspected those who thought he and Jack had had a fallout, thought it was sex related. Sure, they were partly right. Both men tended to use their love life as a safety valve. Daniel *knew* that, but he'd hoped they could get beyond that. Daniel suspected that Jack missed the same things he did. The closeness, the opportunity to let go with someone they could trust.

Daniel felt the ground under his feet become harder and a quick check told him that the soft undergrowth had partly given way to rocky ground. A moment later and a quick check with the map and he was standing at the opening to a cave. Hoping the light from the flash light wouldn't do any harm to the paintings he stepped inside and let his backpack slip to the ground. He'd have preferred to use mirrors, but he didn't have that type of resources at the moment.

The ground of the cave was covered with fine sand, making his movements a lot easier than if it had been rough rocks. Moments later Daniel let his mind go and concentrated on the things he did best. He'd checked his radio before he started though; making sure it was on in case something happened. He just prayed the first thing he'd hear wouldn't be a pissed-off Jack, ordering him back to the camp.

The radio never did break the silence. Still, at some point Daniel began feeling strange; as if he was being... watched. He checked the entrance several times, but there was nothing there.

He would have told himself he was going paranoid if it wasn't for years of training. Daniel kept telling himself that there were no dangers to him, at least not from nature's side.

The minutes ticked by and Daniel felt the creeping realization that he was indeed not alone. The occasional glance around and at the opening of the cave didn't reveal anything. Daniel wasn't normally prone to panic but the current situation had him thoroughly spooked.

Taking a deep breath he returned to his studies, jotting down his thoughts in his notebook. Still, he had trouble fully enjoying it as he normally would. The feeling of being observed kept interfering with his happy place, making it neigh to impossible for him to completely get lost in the work. Hmmm, happy place... The unbidden thought of Jack elbowed its way into his mind.

Daniel realized a few moments later that he'd zoned out completely. Damn, but he missed the other man and daydreaming wouldn't help him get any work done. He'd gone to the caves to take his mind *off* the other man, not to lose himself in memories. Hell, they'd agreed to have this time apart. They couldn't risk their relationship in the long run by flaunting it in front of a camp full of military personnel.

Then again, no matter how professional he and Jack were trying to be, the fact that they were not there to take the edge off each other, shone right through. Daniel knew he'd been drawing into himself for the past two weeks and that Jack had grown more and more agitated, until he was nothing but the military man and obviously that wasn't what made people follow him in the field. Daniel *knew* what that was. The ability to be human as well as career military. One didn't exclude the other.

They *had* made their choice based on what they *thought* would be for the greater good but it seemed they may as well get back together. Maybe he should pack up and head back to the camp. Confront Jack and just...

Sudden movement to Daniel's right drew his attention, but not fast enough. A large weight hit him sideways and threw him to the ground. Looking up groggily, Daniel found himself held to the cave floor by one *very* annoyed AF Colonel.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, Jackson?" Jack's voice was raw and full of emotion. But what hit Daniel the most was the worry in the dark eyes, beneath it all.

Daniel could have kicked himself. He should have known that Jack would find out about him leaving the camp. A fleeting thought hit him. Ferretti. Oh, the man was going to *pay* for telling Jack.

Shoving at Jack's shoulder, Daniel tried to push him away. "Jack, get off me."

Dark eyes narrowed and Jack's lips were nothing but a narrow line. "No."

"Jack..." Daniel forced himself to relax. This man wasn't an enemy he needed to fight off. Unless of course Jack had been possessed by some alien entity. In that case, all bets would be off.

Daniel tried to lift his arms, but Jack turned out to be faster. Within seconds Jack was sitting astride Daniel's waist, the younger man's wrists caught in an iron grip.

"Don't even try to get away, Daniel." Jack's voice was low, but bore an edge to it. "I think we need to have a little word, don't you?"

"Look..." Daniel began. "I'm sorry I left camp without telling you, Jack. I really am, but I needed..." The rest of his sentence never made it past his lips... never mind Jack's as they closed over his in a bruising kiss.

Trying frantically to draw enough air through his nose, Daniel arched and felt how Jack slid down to pin him to the floor, using his weight and strength to combine a hold that Daniel had no hope of breaking. The sheer force behind it seemed to lessen little by little, as the kiss went from punishing to raw and needy, Jack's tongue thrusting ruthlessly between Daniel's lips.

Not that Daniel minded. To him it was exactly what he needed. Two weeks of not having the nearness of the other man, two weeks of nothing to take the edge off their stress... Some small part of Daniel's mind that still seemed to operate on a fairly productive level knew this, understood this. The rest, however, only knew one thing and that was that any action had an equal *re*-action.

Somehow he managed to free his hands and slide them down over Jack's shoulders, fingers digging into the other man's biceps, feeling the wiry strength flex under his grip.

Daniel struggled against Jack, not to get lose, but to touch as much as humanly possible and then some. Refusing to let go of their lip lock, both men fought to undo straps, zippers and belts, hands clashing, fingers entangling. Still, somehow they managed undo what could be undone and Daniel grunted into the kiss as he felt Jack push the jumpsuit down and take a good grip at the hem of his t-shirt and rip it from bottom to top.

Rough hands burned against his chest, roaming up, down and around his waist, gripping, rubbing and probably leaving bruises in their wake. Daniel didn't care; he was far too occupied, trying to force Jack to roll over so he could do some exploring of his own. Growling into Jack's mouth, he sucked on the man's tongue and finally bit down, not enough to really hurt, but enough to make Jack yelp out with surprise. And that was all he needed.

Daniel braced his left foot against the floor and forced Jack around and a moment later he had the other man pinned underneath him. Not that Jack was complaining. He was far too busy slipping his hands down the back of Daniel's underwear pants, fingers closing in a vice-like grip on his ass.

Breaking the kiss to try to get enough oxygen to his brain to actually do something other than just search for friction, Daniel pushed himself up to sit astride Jack's crotch. Looking down, Daniel took in the entire view under him. Jack was panting like he'd run a marathon, his lips were red and slightly swollen and his eyes were so dark that it was hard to make out any brown edge around the black of the pupils.

Daniel wasn't doing much better himself. Drawing a few deep breaths, he wondered what he might look like himself. His uniform top was hanging halfway down his arms, the t-shirt in tatters. And the front of the jumpsuit was open, stressed so much they were almost ripping at the zipper as Jack stubbornly still kept his hands in a steel grip, firmly and possessively planted on Daniel's ass.

Daniel slipped his hand inside Jack's uniform and found what he was looking for. Feeling Jack's body trembling underneath him, he leaned forward and whispered into Jack's ear: "Stalemate?"

As Daniel leaned back, he caught Jack's eyes again, and couldn't look away. He felt Jack's fingers slip down between his cheeks, rubbing lightly down the cleft. Daniel bit his lip but steeled himself. Gripping a little harder he leaned forward again.

"Please?" Jack gasped out, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Daniel slowly shook his head. "No," he said firmly.

"No?" Jack choked out, voice thick with disbelief and eyes wide with surprise.

Daniel slowly pulled back, feeling Jack let go of him, however reluctantly. Still, Daniel didn't let go of his own little conquest. Though, at the moment, little wasn't exactly the word he'd use. Slowly getting to his feet, Daniel urged Jack to follow him. Not that the other man had any other options.

"Daniel?" Jack asked, frowning as he did what Daniel wanted him to and a moment later they were standing, face to face.

"Take off your clothes," Daniel told him, still not relinquishing his prize. He was determined to get as far as possible with this.

Jack's frown turned into a knowing little smirk, but he did was he was told. He even managed to do so without Daniel once letting go of him. As he stood again, back straight, in front of Daniel, he sighed deeply. Then slowly, he began rocking back and forth, moving into Daniel's grip.

Daniel strengthened his grip and Jack stopped immediately, glaring at Daniel, almost pouting. Daniel slowly shook his head. Then he pushed Jack back, gently, until he stood against the wall, then he let go of him, and earned himself another glare.

"Turn around, Jack, hands on the wall and don't say a word." Daniel took a step back and waited until Jack did exactly that. Then he dropped his vest, pushed the jumpsuit down and undid his boots, until a moment later he was as naked as Jack. A quick search in the pockets of the vest yielded what he needed. A small tube of sunscreen.

Squirting out half the sunscreen of the small tube, Daniel went to Jack and plastered his full length against the back of the older man, then leaned forward and nibbled his way up Jack's neck until he reached an ear. Pausing he licked the lobe, then blew on it, feeling the small shivers running through Jack's body.

"Keep you hands where they are, Jack, no matter *how* tempting it will become, keep them there." Resting his head against a naked shoulder, Daniel drew a deep breath, then reached down between their bodies. He'd wanted to prolong the preparation for as long as possible, but Daniel realized that that might not be as easy as he'd thought at first.

Biting into his lower lip, Daniel slowly slipped his finger down the cleft and teased the puckered opening, feeling it contract at his touch. Concentrating on holding himself back, Daniel began reciting any boring old text that came to mind, counted backwards in ancient Greek, doing everything he could to not lose it before time.

All he could hear was his own heavy breathing mixed with Jack's rasped intake of air and all he could smell was their combined arousal. Pushing a finger in he began preparing Jack for what he feared would be a very short session.

"Just do it, Daniel, please..." Jack's voice was nothing but a rasping whisper, his head bowed down, tilted slightly to the side to rest against his arm.

"Shush, Jack, be patient..." Daniel opted for three fingers a he finally felt Jack relaxing. Angling it right, he hit Jack's prostate, making the other man shout out incoherently and rising to his toes. Daniel couldn't help grinning as he pulled his fingers out and quickly slicked himself up.

Not wasting his breath on any more talking, Daniel lined himself up, took another deep breath and pushed slowly inside. He wasn't sure who was trembling more, him or Jack, but finally he slid the rest of the way in and rested his entire body against Jack's back. Daniel pulled back a little before pushing back in. When he was met with nothing but Jack moaning wordless encouragement, he began moving faster, feeling every nerve ending in his body burning with fire.

"Mood lifting?" Daniel forced out between breaths. Jack merely grunted in reply. "Don't tell me it was just the need for sex?"

Jack grunted something more, rocking back to meet Daniel's thrusts.

"Can't hear you," breathed Daniel into his ear, reveling in the shivers it caused.

"Davis," growled Jack.

Daniel chuckled and licked at a drop of sweat running down between Jack's shoulder blades. "What's Davis got to do with it?" Daniel made sure that the next thrust was so hard that Jack couldn't answer right away. At least not using coherent speech.

"He wants you..." Jack finally managed to sneer.

"Can he have me?" asked Daniel, licking a trail across the shoulder until he came to where neck and shoulder met. A few more thrusts and he found Jack's prostate again, feeling the man tightening around him, going up on his toes again.

"Hell no," gasped Jack.

"Why?" Daniel kissed the sweaty shoulder, but kept moving as he slid his hands down Jack's sides to grip the man's hips.

"Because you're *mine*," growled Jack, his voice rising as Daniel sunk his teeth into the shoulder. The bite was harder than he'd intended as he caught the metallic taste of blood on his tongue. Still, his grip on Jack's hips tightened and he lost himself in the erratic rhythm.

Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, Daniel slipped a hand down and around Jack's hip to grip his erection, feeling it twitch in his hand. It didn't take more than a stroke or two and another frantic thrust from Daniel before Jack's voice rose into a howl and warm slickness filled Daniel's hand. He kept up the stroking while he thrust into the tight contracting heat and a moment later he joined his love in a long awaited release. Slumping against Jack's back, he slowed his hand and thrusts to a still-stand. Daniel let go of Jack's cock, but stayed plastered to his back, resting against the other man.

As Daniel's mind slowly returned to normal, he nuzzled Jack's ear. "You do know there is no one else, right?" he asked. He didn't really doubt Jack's trust in him, but no one ever said love was easy or logical.

Jack took a deep breath and grabbed Daniel's arm as he tried to step back. "Stay..." he whispered. "I know, don't worry, but..."

"I know Paul has a certain... interest in me, Jack, but I'd never leave you, you know that." Daniel sighed and leaned forward again, feeling the sweat on his body cool rapidly. "I'd hate to spoil the moment, Jack, but we need to get dressed. It's not exactly warm in here."

Jack nodded and with a sigh he let Daniel pull back. As he slowly dressed he finally addressed what had gotten them into the current situation.

"Just... don't run off like that, Daniel. I know there are supposed to be no dangers around here, but still..." After a moment's silence he continued. "And I know that my fear of Davis coming between us isn't logical, but the man's a hell of a lot younger than I am." Jack shrugged, looking ill at ease.

Daniel buttoned and zipped his pants then put his arms around Jack. "But he's not you, Jack. No one is."

Jack leaned his head against Daniel's looking into his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Getting sappy on me?"

"You better believe it," grinned Daniel. Then he sobered. "Jack, about this staying apart for the greater good..."

"Fuck it," snorted Jack.

"I think we just did," snorted Daniel, joining Jack in his laughter.

"*You* definitely did," grinned Jack, before pulling Daniel into a long, soft kiss. As he pulled back snorted, "It's kinda moot anyway, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think staying apart is doing more damage than being together ever could." Daniel rested his head on Jack's shoulder, glad to once again be able to just hold on.

The two men finally parted and finished dressing, though Daniel chose to forego his t-shirt. "I think we have a casualty," he grinned, holding it up for Jack to see.

"Yeah, um... sorry about that," Jack chuckled, then tried to look contrite. Failing utterly.

"No you're not," snorted Daniel, before bunching it up and stuffing it into his backpack. Then he zipped his jacket to hide his naked chest. "Let's go back, huh?" he suggested.

"Yeah, we have a few things to see to," agreed Jack. "I think Jacob and Bra'tac are returning later today and Jacob said something about a good surprise for us in his transmission."

"We could use one," said Daniel, securing the straps of his backpack, indulging Jack's double-check.

Jack finally pulled him in for another kiss. "Yeah, we sure could," he grinned. Daniel had a feeling things were looking up at the moment. At least he could hope it was.

The two men split up before entering the camp, though Daniel had no trouble guessing why Lou was smiling the way he was. Especially when the Major beat a hasty retreat the moment he realized Daniel had spotted him... not that Daniel would carry a grudge, plot revenge or anything similar. At least not at the moment, not while he was still on high from his little... run-in with the camp's CO. Later... well, later would be later.

"Ah, Dr. Jackson," a voice said, startling Daniel who turned around to find a smiling Jacob behind him.

"Jacob," Daniel grinned. "When did you get back?"

"I came back with Bra'tac and his Jaffa around ten minutes ago." Jacob walked alongside Daniel as they made their way towards the command center. Just before they entered, Jacob put a hand on Daniel's shoulder and turned him around. "I suggest, however, that you go change before joining us."

Daniel frowned. Sure, he wasn't wearing a t-shirt underneath his jacket, but it was zipped all the way up...

Jacob reached out and gently put a finger on Daniel's neck. Wincing, Daniel realized that the skin was sore.

"You might want to find something that covers a bit..." Jacob gestured, a light smile on his face.

Daniel coughed; embarrassed at having been caught by someone who was a friend. Like some teenager caught by his father after having necked with a girlfriend, well, in this case, a boyfriend in his room.

"I'll see you in a moment, then," Daniel said, excusing himself and making his way towards the supply tent. The new uniforms provided by the Asgard would do nicely. Warm, light and more importantly, high-necked.

As he made his way back to the barrack, Daniel ran into Sam, who waved a piece of paper at him.

"Daniel, good, you're here. We've gotta go find the Colonel." She grabbed him by the arm and jogged in the same direction Daniel had been going.

"What's happening, Sam?" Daniel sped up to keep up with her.

Sam frowned. "We got a transmission from Thor, wanting to talk to you and the Colonel."

"Something wrong?" Daniel felt his pulse speed up, his thoughts immediately with Aislinn.

"Thor's message was just that you and the Colonel go to the planet which Thor's ship is orbiting, ASAP..." Sam held the door open for him.

Inside they found Jack at the table with Bra'tac and Jacob, the three men looking up as Sam and Daniel joined them.

"Sir, Thor wishes to talk to you, he said it was urgent." Sam leaned on the table and sent her father a quick smile.

"Trouble?" asked Bra'tac and Jack at the same time.

Sam shook her head. "The transmission didn't say."

"We're going through, then, right now..." Jack's eyes met Daniel's, who nodded. They had to check up on it. It might be nothing, but they couldn't risk it, not with Aislinn in Thor's care.

"Would you gentlemen mind waiting until...?" Jack began.

"Go, Jack, We'll wait for you here." Jacob held his hand up.

"We shall wait for your return, O'Neill," Bra'tac agreed.

"Want SG-1 along, sir?" asked Sam.

"If you can get the team together in time, we're leaving in five minutes," Jack said, a grim expression on his face.

Daniel took a deep breath. "It might be