Wickedness Rewarded
by zoodenizen

The first thing he became aware of was a dull, throbbing pain in his head. The arrhythmic pounding traveled down into his neck and out to the tips of his hair. His mind felt sluggish and it was difficult to think.

He tried to open his eyes, but the strength to do so was beyond him. Unable to move, he focused on his surroundings -- or tried to, anyway. Without sight he could only tell that, wherever he was, he was apparently alone because he didn't hear anyone moving. He could tell that he was lying on something soft. A bed, maybe?

He couldn't feel any blankets, or anything else for that matter, covering him. So, he was lying, naked and exposed, on an unknown bed in an unknown place.

Wherever he was it was hot. The humidity in the air made breathing difficult. At least, he hoped his problem was because of the humidity and not the result of an illness or injury. The pounding in his head certainly indicated the latter, but he was also drenched in sweat. He could feel it sliding down his temples and into his hairline, sliding down over his chest and stomach. He could even feel it pooling in his groin. Was he feverish? It would explain a lot.

He made a second attempt at opening his eyes and succeeded, momentarily. The bright sunlight pouring into the room caused pain to slice into his head. He moaned and quickly closed his eyes. His breathing sped up and he could feel his heart pounding as he fought against the pain.

Slowly the agony eased back to the pounding he awoke to and he wondered how he'd gotten here, what had happened, and who he was.

He knew that final question was going to worry him the most, but right now he was too tired to care.

He ran his tongue over dry lips and wished for something to drink. He was so thirsty. Was he the only one here? Was he dying?

Something deep inside him stirred and prodded at him. He didn't want to die. He needed to get up. Except...How was he supposed to get up when he could barely open his eyes?

He tried to think. What was the last thing he remembered? Had someone been taking care of him? What was his name?

After a few moments he gave up. Nothing was coming back to him and the effort was causing the pain in his head to get worse. If he wanted to get up then he needed to concentrate on moving rather than remembering.

Just as he was preparing to move his legs towards the edge of the bed he heard the sound of a door opening and closing off to his right. He tensed, not sure if his visitor was friend or foe, and waited.

He heard footsteps moving across a hard surface towards him and then the rustle of clothing. There was silence for a moment and then a hand touched his bare chest. He managed to hold his body still at the unexpected contact or maybe he was just too exhausted to react.

The hand pulled away from him suddenly and a woman's voice, abrupt and cold, said, "So, you're awake. It's about time."

Confused and worried, he risked the reoccurrence of the pain from his earlier attempt and cracked opened his eyes. He winced and hissed in pain then closed his eyes again. He was beginning to get frightened now. He needed help and this woman, whoever she was, didn't seem interested. In fact, she seemed to dislike him. Why? What had he done? Or, more importantly, what might she have done to him? What might she still do? He didn't like being at her mercy, since she didn't seem to have any.

He needed to get out of here.

"Wh...," he tried to speak, but couldn't. His throat felt raw and sandpapery, his tongue felt swollen and dry making it nearly impossible to voice the questions in his head.

With all of his concentration on his inability to speak, he was startled when a rough, wet cloth was dropped onto his forehead with a soggy splat.

"No point in trying to talk. Not yet anyway."

Puzzling over her words, he almost missed the sound of her walking away. Panicking at the thought of being abandoned once again, he tried to move or speak or something. But it was no use. He was helpless and alone once again.

He had no idea how long he lay there, anxious and trying to will his body to move, before he heard the door opening again. He tried to calm his breathing so he could make another try at talking, but never got the chance.

He felt a strong but slender hand slide under his head and lift it upright then something, most likely a cup, was pressed against his bottom lip. Whatever it's content's were, it smelled foul. The cup was tilted and he could feel the wetness against his lips, but he refused to drink, afraid that he was being poisoned. Was this why he was so sick? Had she given him this before?

"Drink on your own or I'll force it down your throat."

Why was this happening to him? How had he gotten here?

His head was dumped back onto the bed and he cried out at the sudden, dagger-like pain that knifed through his skull. Bright white lights exploded behind his closed eyelids and he felt sure that he was dying because no one could survive agony this intense.

He could feel himself gasping for air and then he was choking on something thick and sour that was sliding down his throat.

Certain that she'd poured the poison into his open mouth, he tried to roll over or spit it out but he couldn't. He coughed and gagged but swallowed most of it down and finally lay still, exhausted and miserable.

He heard his tormentor say something that he didn't understand, but the tone of her voice made it clear that it was a curse word of some kind. She hated him. He wished he knew why.

He listened to her leave for the second time and didn't try to stop her. It wouldn't make any difference; she would still leave. He refused to give her the pleasure of watching him struggle.

Once she was gone he tried to think of a way to escape. There were too many unknowns to plan for so he'd have to wing it and pray. Of course, he wasn't going anywhere unless he could move and see.

As he lay there, he began to feel this strange tingling spreading throughout his body, almost like the pins and needles sensation of numbed limbs returning to life. He made another attempt at moving and this time succeeded in sliding his legs slowly over the edge of the bed. He shifted his upper body and tried to sit up, but he didn't have the strength so he slid over the edge onto the floor. His legs wouldn't hold him and he wound up crumpled in a heap on the floor. The tingling had increased and was now becoming painful. Unwilling to die here, he opened his eyes and found that the light was no longer painful.

He took a quick look around at his surroundings and saw a small, plain room with white stucco walls and no decorations. The only furniture was the bed he was leaning against and a bedside table with a water filled bowl. The door was facing the bed and only a few feet away from him.

He tried to stand, but the numbing pain throughout his body made it impossible. He gritted his teeth and lay down on the stone floor. He was going to make it to that door if he had to roll across the floor. At that moment the door opened, revealing a man and a woman. They were both tall, at least they looked tall from where he was lying, and light-skinned with dark hair. They didn't look familiar at all. But, based on the scowling face, he figured that he'd already met the woman even if he'd never actually seen her before.

"You fool," she said and stepped into the room.

Yep. That was his "nurse".

The man stepped around her and stood at her side just inside the room. Neither one of them moved to help him up.

The pain and tingling had eased so he made another attempt at standing. He managed it this time, but not for long. He lost his balance almost before he was completely upright and fell into a sitting position on the bed.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here and what has happened to you," his male visitor said. He didn't look much more hospitable than the woman, but at least he was willing to explain. That was something.

"Yes," he croaked out. His throat didn't feel like it was filled with rusty metal spikes anymore, but he was still thirsty.

He looked over at the water bowl and frowned. He'd be willing to drink out of the bowl, but he didn't think his coordination was up to it. He'd probably wind up spilling it all over himself. And speaking of himself, he wondered if he had any clothes around here. He was starting to feel chilled sitting here in the nude.

He twisted around to look at the bed he was sitting on. He spotted a thin gray blanket and almost reached for it before deciding that he didn't want to show these people any weakness. And sitting there with a ratty old blanket wrapped around him was positively feeble. Let them think that he was secure enough to be unconcerned about his nudity. It would probably annoy them intensely and he found that he really wanted to aggravate them.

It wasn't actually cold, anyway. It wasn't hot and humid, either. He now knew that he hadn't been sweating because of the heat in the air. The temperature in the room was comfortable. Or it would be, if it wasn't for the now cool sweat his body was drenched in.

He pulled his thoughts away from his thirst and lack of clothing and focused back on his captors. His physical discomfort could wait; explanations couldn't.

"I am Kieran, sirriamh for Andam," the man in front of him said, confusing him completely. Which was saying a lot considering how confused he'd been before.

"You're who of what?"

Kieran huffed out an annoyed sigh and said, "I am the Arbiter of Justice for the village where we live."

"Ah." It looked like he was being punished for some crime. But why couldn't he remember anything?

He absently rubbed his thighs and wondered if he should reveal his memory loss. Would it help or hurt him?

"You trespassed on holy ground and gained forbidden knowledge. Your punishment was to be given fanas, an elixir that ensures forgetfulness."

"Whoa, wait a minute," he said, agitated. "Are you saying that my memory loss is the result of some drug? How is that possible?"

"We do not know how or why the fanas works. We only know that it was a gift from our Goddess and that it does work."

"Was I supposed to forget everything, including my own name?"

"The fanas causes complete memory loss. It is the only way to insure that the forbidden knowledge within your mind is lost."

He abruptly stood, too upset to sit still any longer, but fell back onto the bed when he was stuck with a sudden feeling of light-headedness.

"Are you insane? How could you do this to me?"

The as yet unidentified woman's lips thinned and she spoke for the first time since returning with Kieran. "How dare you berate us? You were the one who violated our laws. You are the one without respect. We allowed you and your people to come here and share with us and you repay us by defying us and sneering at our beliefs. You earned the punishment that you were given. Be grateful that your friend was able to convince the Breathanas to let you live."

"Friend? What friend? Who am I? Where is this friend? I want to see him."

"Your name is Jack O'Neill," Kieran said. "You may speak to your friends, if you wish."

"I wish," he said absently. He was trying to find some feeling of familiarity with the name Jack O'Neill. It was his name, but it didn't resonate like it should. It was just a name to him, like Kieran. Were they lying to him?

"I want to see my friends," he said, more firmly this time.

Kieran nodded then left. After sneering at him one last time, the unpleasant woman followed Kieran out the door. Good riddance.

Left alone again, he gave his cell another look. He was hoping to see some clothes. Unfortunately, he didn't see any clothes or anywhere that clothes could be hiding, like a closet. He didn't see a bathroom either. Hopefully, he'd be out of here before he had to pee.

He pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around his shoulders. Sitting back down on the bed, he leaned against the wall and tried to remember something, anything. Who were these friends that Kieran had mentioned? The sourpuss had implied that he and his friends were visitors here. How and why had they come to be here? Was there a cure for this fauna stuff that he'd been given?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of voices outside the door to his cell. He mentally whacked himself on the head when he realized that he hadn't bothered to try the door. It could have been unlocked all this time, allowing him to just walk out of here, find some clothes, and...and...He sighed. It wouldn't have made any difference if the door had been unlocked. He had no where to go and no idea what to do. He was better off waiting.

But he better not miss an opportunity like that again because those kinds of mistakes could get him killed.

He straightened and had just finished rearranging his blanket so that it covered his groin when the door opened and Kieran and three others entered the room.

Before he even had a chance to get a good look at them, a tall blonde darted over to his side. "Sir, are you alright? We've been trying to get them to let us see you for the past twenty hours." She reached out to touch his arm and he jerked back.

"Back off," he said.

Looking confused, the blonde said, "Sir?"

"He doesn't remember us, Sam."

Jack turned to look at the brown-haired man who had just spoken and filed away the blonde's name.

"Who are you?" He kept his eyes focused on the unfamiliar young man, the only one he'd seen so far that he felt any kind of connection to. There was something about him...Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't rushed in and invaded Jack's personal space.

Except, the tall, well-built black man with a funny tattoo had kept his distance as well. So, maybe it was the compassion and obvious affection in his expression. Or maybe it was those incredible blue eyes and flawless skin. He was beautiful and, whoever he was, he very obviously cared about Jack. His was the first truly welcoming face that Jack had seen since he woke up here and his presence set Jack at ease. But, whatever the reason, he instinctively trusted this man.

Hopefully, that feeling wasn't his dick talking.

"My name is Daniel Jackson. This is Teal'c," Daniel Jackson said, indicating the tall black man with a wave of his hand. "And that's Major Samantha Carter," he said with another wave of his hand. "I know you don't remember us, but we're your friends, Jack."

Jack cocked his head to the side. He could easily believe that he and Daniel were friends. There was a relationship there. He could feel it. But, he wasn't too sure about the others. The blonde was making him uncomfortable with her hovering and the big guy had yet to speak, all that looming was making him nervous.

Daniel had apparently caught his wary looks at Teal'c and Sam because he said, "Sam, I think you're making him nervous. You might want to step back a little."

Sam frowned and eyeballed him for a moment. Apparently deciding that Daniel was right, she stood up and walked back to Daniel's side. "Sorry," she said to him or Daniel, he wasn't sure which, "I wasn't thinking."

Daniel touched her shoulder and the two of them exchanged a look. Jack felt the tension that had eased when Sam stepped back return. He didn't like the way they were looking at each other and he really didn't like Daniel touching her. He had no idea why it bothered him; he just knew that it did.

"Hey," Jack said to Daniel. "Drug induced amnesiac over here. I'm the one you should be comforting."

After glancing between a startled looking Sam and Jack's scowling face, Daniel pulled his hand away from Sam as if he'd been burned. "Ah...um...sorry?"

"Apology accepted. You think that your friends could get me some clothes? It's a little chilly in here. And while they're gone you can tell me all about who I am, who you are, why I've had my mind wiped, how to fix it, and when we can get out of here."

Teal'c stepped forward and said, to Daniel, "I will retrieve O'Neill's clothing."

Daniel nodded and Jack said, "Take blondie with you."

Sam turned to look at him, "What did you say?"

She looked upset, so Jack backpedaled. "I said, 'take Sam with you.'"

"No you didn't. What..."

"Sam," Daniel interrupted. "Maybe you should just go. Jack's not exactly himself right now. We should cut him a little slack."

Sam shifted her attention back to Daniel and nodded in agreement, but she looked unhappy. She looked over at the, until now, silent Kieran and said, "Where are Colonel O'Neill's clothes?"

"Come with me," Kieran said. "I will show you."

Jack watched the three of them leave the room and breathed a sigh of relief. He was starting to feel claustrophobic with all these strangers filling the room. At least this time only one of them was hostile.

He noticed that Daniel was still standing just inside the room to the left of the door. He apparently didn't want to invade Jack's space the way Sam had, but he looked ill at ease standing over there.

Jack didn't want him to feel ill at ease.

He patted the mattress beside him and said, "Have a seat. Take a load off. Make yourself at home. Sit."

Daniel smiled and moved across the room to sit beside him on the bed.

Now that he was alone with Daniel, Jack was beginning to feel unnerved by this whole situation. Other than his initial fear, he hadn't really been too concerned by the fact that his entire life history had been erased from his mind, but now...He shivered in reaction to the realization of what had been done to him. He had no idea what kind of a person he was or what his likes and dislikes were. Did he have family? How old was he? What did he do for a living? What would he do if his memories didn't come back?

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and the sudden overwhelming need to escape, to run as far and as fast from this place and his fears as he could. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry," Daniel said and started to pull his hand away, but Jack stopped him by covering Daniel's hand with his own.

"It's OK. Just lost in thought, was all."

Daniel gave his shoulder a squeeze and said, "It's going to be alright, Jack. We'll find a way to get your memory back. I promise."

Jack shook his head. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Jack..."

"No," he said. "I need to accept the fact that I may never remember my life."

Without thought, he pulled Daniel's hand from his shoulder and down into his lap, entwining their fingers. The contact was soothing and gave him strength.

He took a moment to concentrate on the attractive man beside him and Daniel sat quietly, allowing Jack's scrutiny. How well did they know each other? Jack had felt something, some kind of attraction, to Daniel from the very first moment Jack had laid eyes on him.

It was the first and only emotional reaction that he'd had to his past so far. That had to mean something important, right?

How close must they have been for him to feel the rightness of Daniel's place in his life when his own name meant nothing to him?

He looked down at their joined hands and thought about how comfortable it was to be here, like this, with Daniel.

"Were we lovers?"

He felt Daniel's start of surprise and wondered if it was because they weren't lovers or if it was because Daniel hadn't expected him to know.

"Uh...we...," Daniel started and then stopped. Jack looked back up at him and saw the blush that now covered Daniel's face. Daniel ducked his head down and tried to pull his hand away from Jack's. Jack refused to let him go. Daniel sighed, but stopped trying to pull free.

"No. We're not lovers," Daniel softly replied and Jack could swear he heard regret in Daniel's voice.

What the hell had been wrong with him? The man sitting next to him holding his hand was beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous, in fact. He was also kind hearted. In the short time since Daniel had walked into the room, Jack had experienced that kindness first hand. He trusted Daniel, who was in essence a stranger, after just a few short minutes. Or he was remembering that Daniel could be trusted. And, once again, those feelings had to be incredibly powerful for him to remember them, even subconsciously, when nothing else was familiar.

What in the world could have stopped him from being with Daniel? Except stupidity.

"What sort of man was I?"

"You were...are a good man. Although, you don't always think so. You've dedicated your life to protecting people, Jack, and I've always been proud to know you."

"Wow. So, I wasn't a half bad guy, huh?"

Daniel shrugged and grinned at him. "You're adequate, mostly."

"Hey, what happened to all that glowing praise of a moment ago? I want more ego stroking; I've had a very bad day, you know."

Daniel's grin faded and was replaced with concern. Jack mentally kicked himself for breaking the mood. Joking with Daniel had allowed him to forget his worries for a little bit and he didn't want to go back to worrying about what was going to happen next.

"You're right. You have had a very bad day," Daniel said.

Jack sighed. Well, since the mood was already broken..., "Tell me what happened."

Daniel worried at his lower lip for a moment and Jack's eyes zeroed in on those strong white teeth and full, lush lips. The room suddenly felt uncomfortably warm again and he had the nearly irresistible urge to replace the teeth on those lips with his own teeth and tongue. He wanted to know how Daniel's lips tasted and felt himself leaning closer to do just that when Daniel startled him back to reality by speaking.

"The four of us come from a planet called Earth. Well, three of us do. Teal'c comes from the planet Chulak, but that's not important right now. We travel through a device called a Stargate that allows us to go from one planet to another in seconds.

"We came here in the hope of finding allies or a way to defend ourselves against a powerful enemy. The Andamans welcomed us with open arms and we spent several hours with the ruling council, learning about the Andamans and telling them about ourselves. We learned that they still worshipped their Goddess, Aine, and that, according to legend, there was a room, in the temple dedicated to her, that was Aine's private sanctuary. We thought that if there was anything here that would help us protect Earth, then it would be in that room."

"Why?"

"Thousands of years ago a race of parasitical beings called Goa'uld enslaved the people of Earth by posing as their gods. Aine was likely one of those Goa'uld and we thought that she might have left something behind that would help us defeat the Goa'uld once and for all."

Jack didn't like the sound of that. "We're slaves?"

"No. Not anymore, but Earth is still in danger from the Goa'uld," Daniel said.

Jack nodded. He wasn't too clear on what was going on with these Goa'uld, but he was willing to accept that they were a danger to Earth, his home. "So, we went looking for weapons or something in Annie's home away from home and...what?"

"Aine," Daniel said.

"S'what I said. Annie."

Daniel sighed.

"Forget the language lesson, Daniel. What happened?"

Daniel ducked his head again and said, "Sorry."

Jack gave the hand he still held in his lap a gentle pat with his free hand and Daniel gave his hand a squeeze.

"While Maeve was showing us around the village, you..."

"Who's Maeve? Does she have short, dark hair, green eyes, and a bad attitude?"

"Well, she's got green eyes and short, black hair, but I wouldn't say she had a bad attitude. Why? Do you remember something?"

Jack could hear the excitement in Daniel's voice and hated to disappoint him, but, "No, I don't. There was a woman here earlier. She brought me something to drink and fetched Kieran once I was awake. She never introduced herself, though."

"Oh. I don't know if it was her or not."

Jack shrugged. "Didn't think it was likely, just thought I'd ask."

After a moment of silence, Daniel continued speaking. "You slipped away to check out Aine's sanctuary."

"And I got caught."

"Yes."

"Kieran said that I had seen or learned something that I shouldn't have so they erased my memory."

"That's what Kieran told us as well. We knew that entering the sanctuary was against the law. We didn't know that the punishment for violating her sacred space was death."

"Death? Daniel, last I looked I was still alive."

"We managed to convince them not to kill you, but they insisted on punishing you. It was either death or fanas and I figured you'd prefer the fanas."

"You figured right. There's no recovering from death, but there might be a cure for this fanas, right?"

"Well, you're right. We couldn't save you this time if you died."

"What do you mean, 'this time'," Jack asked.

Daniel shook his head. "It's not important right now."

The ability to bring people back from the dead, even if it was only occasionally, seemed pretty important to him. He was about to tell Daniel exactly that when the door burst open and banged against the wall.

He jumped up and instinctively moved in front of Daniel, just barely catching his blanket before it fell onto the floor. He quickly wrestled the blanket into position around his waist and knotted it in place, looking more comedic than threatening, he was sure. Not that it mattered for all the attention he got.

Sam stalked into the room looking like she wanted to shoot someone and Teal'c was right behind her, scowling. Daniel stood up and moved to Jack's side at the same time as Kieran arrived. "Sam? What...," Daniel started to ask before he was cut off.

"Kieran says that Jack can't leave," Sam said to Daniel.

Daniel immediately turned on Kieran. "Nobody ever said anything about holding Jack prisoner here."

"He's not a prisoner. He will be free to live wherever he wishes, to work, to marry. He will be unconstrained."

"Well, he wishes to live where he lived before he came here. Can he do that?" Jack asked, angered by the way Kieran was speaking about him even though he was standing right there.

"No. That's the one thing you cannot do," Kieran replied.

He turned to face Daniel. "I'm sorry, Daniel. It is part of the fanas. Your friend can never leave here. However, if you wish, you are quite welcome to stay. There is much that we could learn from each other. I believe..."

"Hey," Jack said, interrupting Kieran's blatant come-ons toward Daniel. Nobody hit on Daniel. Nobody. Well, except for him. He could hit on Daniel all he wanted. After all, Daniel had liked the hand holding.

Not that he'd be getting the chance if Kieran had his way and Jack was forced to stay here. He shuddered. The idea of staying here, alone and confused and without any idea of who he was, was terrifying. He couldn't stay here, not in the place and with the people that had erased his mind.

Daniel's hand gripped his shoulder, squeezing gently, and Jack relaxed slightly. He had the feeling that Daniel wouldn't leave him here. Nor did Sam and Teal'c look like they would walk away without a fight. His friends had his back.

"I don't want to stay here. What would I do?"

Kieran shrugged. "I'm sure we could find a place for you, a way for you to be productive."

"I don't want to be productive. I want to go home," Jack said and hated the whininess in his voice.

"Don't worry, Sir. We'll get you home," Sam said.

"That's impossible," Kieran said, eyes on Sam. "O'Neill cannot leave and if you attempt to remove him from Andam then you will be punished as well." He focused on Daniel once again and continued to speak. "I implore you, Daniel, to honor your word and respect our customs. You agreed to the fanas and remaining on Andam is part of O'Neill's punishment. If you are unwilling to leave your friend then you must remain as well. To do anything else...I do not wish to see you, or your friends, come to harm."

Daniel shook his head. "Kieran...," he began but then stopped, apparently unsure of how to respond.

Teal'c didn't have any problem figuring out what to say, though. "Leave us," he commanded.

"Yeah, get out. You're not wanted here," Jack said. The man made him twitchy. The faster Kieran got out of the room, and away from Daniel, the happier he'd be.

He hated this place, hated the people from this place. He hated this whole situation. He wanted out. He wanted to go home, wherever home was, preferably with Daniel because Daniel had a way of grounding him, soothing him. Things didn't seem so bad when Daniel was around. Actually, things didn't seem so bad with Sam and Teal'c around, either. The looming thing was starting to feel very soothing now that he new the big guy was looming for him rather than against him and the blonde wasn't so bad since she'd stopped hovering over him.

Right now, Teal'c looked dangerous; Sam was glaring at Kieran, when she wasn't sending sympathetic looks his way; and Daniel was focused on Kieran, his posture stiff and jaw set. It was obvious that they weren't going to leave him here.

He had faith in his friends. They'd figure something out, but not with Kieran hovering over them.

He opened his mouth to once again tell Kieran to get out, but Daniel beat him to it.

"Please, leave, Kieran."

Kieran hesitated a moment and then inclined his head. "Very well. We will speak again later, Daniel." Kieran's eyes swept the room one last time, and then he turned and walked out.

"Finally. I thought he'd never leave," Jack said. He relaxed slightly, glad that they were alone again.

"So, now what?"

Daniel and Sam exchanged a look. Sam shrugged her shoulders and Daniel sighed. "Maybe we should get out of here," Sam said.

Jack frowned. "Isn't that what we've been trying to do?"

"No. Not off the planet, just out of this room. I'd feel more comfortable if we were someplace where we couldn't be overheard."

Jack looked nervously around the room. "You think they're listening in somehow?"

"I don't know. It's possible, though."

"Major Carter is correct. We should leave this place." Teal'c stepped forward and handed Jack a bundle of cloth that Jack just realized he'd been holding all along. He also dropped a pair of boots onto the floor beside the bed.

"What...?" Jack asked and then realized that it was clothing, clothing that matched what Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c were wearing. Badly wrinkled clothing. Jack looked up at Teal'c and arched an eyebrow.

Teal'c shrugged. "Would you rather that I had wrung Kieran's neck?"

"Yeah, actually I would have."

"Jack," Daniel said, censure clear in his tone. "I know how it looks, but Kieran isn't the bad guy here. We did break their laws, after all."

Jack glared at him as he sat back down on the bed. "Thank you for that, Daniel. I'm thrilled to know that your sympathy is with the bastards that erased my mind."

"That's not...I'm not taking Kieran's side. How could you even think that I would?"

Sam reached over and patted Daniel on the back. "We know that you want to help the Colonel, Daniel." She looked over at Jack. "Don't we, Sir?"

One look at Daniel and Jack caved. He suddenly felt like he'd just kicked a puppy. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I know that you're not siding with Kieran. I'm feeling a bit moody right now, you know?"

Daniel nodded his head and said, "I understand. I'm the one who should be apologizing. What I said was insensitive." He knelt at Jack's feet and rested his hands on Jack's knees. "We'll get you out of here, Jack. I promise. And once we get home, Janet, Dr. Frasier, can figure out what the fanas did to you and correct it."

Jack covered Daniel's hands with his own and said, "I hope so, Daniel. I really hope so."

"Don't worry, Sir. Daniel's right. We'll get you all fixed up. There's nothing to worry about," Sam said definitively.

"Thanks," Jack said. He appreciated the support.

He released his hold on Daniel and picked up the clothes that he'd dropped on the bed. "I'll just get dressed." He looked up at Sam and said, "Would you...umm..."

"We will wait outside for you, O'Neill," Teal'c said.

"Oh, OK. That's...good."

Sam and Teal'c headed for the door. Daniel stood and followed. He felt his body tensing and he had the ridiculous notion that if they walked out the door he'd never see them again. He never wanted to feel as frightened and alone as he'd felt when he'd first woken up in this place. He couldn't go through that again.

"Daniel," he said and stood, nearly panicked.

Daniel turned back around. Their eyes locked for a moment and then, without looking away, Daniel said, "I'll stay with Jack, just in case he...uh...needs..."

"Yes, right, good idea. I might not remember how to," Jack fumbled with the clothes in his hands, "fasten the fasteners or something."

Sam gave him a funny look and he didn't blame her. He'd sounded ridiculous.

Not that he cared. Daniel was staying with him, and that was the important thing.

Teal'c inclined his head and closed the door, leaving Jack and Daniel alone together once again.

"Thanks," Jack said.

Daniel shrugged and smiled. "I'll just...uh..." Daniel waved his hand in a meaningless gesture then turned around to face the door, giving Jack some privacy.

Jack dropped the clothes back on the bed and removed the blanket. As he pulled on his pants, he said, "Who knows? Maybe I really will need help getting dressed. You think you're up to doing up my pants?"

Daniel didn't respond, so Jack looked over his shoulder. Daniel had his head bowed and his back was turned, but Jack could still see the bright red flush staining Daniel's neck.

Daniel was embarrassed. Why? He grinned when he came up with one very pleasurable reason for Daniel's embarrassment.

"Daniel?" He said as he walked over to Daniel, his chest only inches from Daniel's back. He slid his hand over the rough fabric of the jacket Daniel wore, stroking along Daniel's spine.

He felt Daniel's body jerk forward. "Jack? What...," Daniel said as he turned. As soon as Daniel was facing him, Jack leaned forward and brushed his lips over Daniel's.

Daniel froze; stunned immobile by Jack's gentle kiss.

"Jack, you don't...you're not..."

"I want you," Jack said. It was one of the few things he was sure of right now. Most of who he was had been ripped away from him, but the instinctual warmth and trust that he felt for Daniel was real and strong. He needed it, needed this connection to hold onto.

Daniel shook his head and took a step back. Jack followed him, staying close. "Tell me that you don't want me and I'll back off," Jack said.

For a moment, Daniel was motionless. Eyes locked on Jack's, he didn't even appear to be breathing. "I can't," he said.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief and moved forward, intending to kiss Daniel again. Only this time it wouldn't be a quick touch of skin on skin.

But he was stopped by a hand pressed against his chest. "We can't do this right now. Sam and Teal'c are waiting for us."

Jack dropped his hands to his sides and took a step back. As much as he hated it, what Daniel said made sense. They needed to get out of here. He needed to get off this planet.

But, still, as he turned away to finish dressing, he could have sworn that he saw some undefined emotion in Daniel's eyes.

Had Daniel lied to him?

The thought made him jittery. Was Daniel simply humoring him? Or...or was he twisting himself into knots over nothing. He had bigger problems to worry about right now than whether Daniel was pretending to be attracted to him.

He gave his belt a sharp tug, tightening it, and said, "Let's get out of here."

***

Jack dropped down onto the grass and crossed his legs. He tried not to feel resentful of the two guards standing a few feet away, but he wasn't very successful. He glared at them and did feel a little better when they took a couple steps backward.

"Jack, stop scaring the guards," Daniel said.

"Why? It's fun."

"And useful. Can you get them to move back a few more yards, Sir? Then we wouldn't even need to keep our voices down."

"If you want them to do that then you need Teal'c to frown at them. That might send them back to town," Daniel said.

"If that is what you wish, then I would be happy to send them scuttling away in terror."

One glance at Teal'c, with his haughty and regal demeanor, and Jack was sure that he could do it too. "No. We don't want them sending more guards to drag us back to my cell. If they want to hover then let them hover."

He leaned back, bracing his weight on his hands, and looked up at the clear blue sky. As far as he was concerned, this was the first time he'd ever seen the sky, the first time he'd felt fresh air and heard the chittering of birds and insects. Despite his hatred of the people who had done this to him, he had to admit that this was a beautiful place. The city was incredibly clean. The streets were clear of trash and lined with plant life - multi-colored flowers, bright navy bushes, and broad-leaved trees. Even the one-story stone buildings that the people lived in gleamed in the sunlight from regular washings.

The state house/prison and the temple were the only multi-level buildings within sight and they too looked well kept. The villagers were obviously prosperous.

They were also friendly and polite enough, despite the curious stares their group inspired. (He doubted that they often saw strangers, let alone strangers that were being trailed down the street by two armed guards.)

The grassy knoll that they were currently occupying was less than a mile from the prison/state house where he'd been held. If he was lucky, he'd never have to go back there. Although, if he was lucky, would he be in this position?

Without shifting his eyes from the sky, he observed out of the corner of his eye as Daniel settled down cross-legged at his side.

"We'll get you out of here, Jack," he said and Jack believed him. He had every confidence that these three people would get him away from here, but they couldn't guarantee that he would ever regain his memory. And that scared the shit out of him.

But, one problem at a time, right?

"How? Anyone have any ideas - good, bad, or otherwise?"

He tipped his head forward to look at each of his companions in turn. Sam was frowning, deep in thought; Teal'c was standing at attention beside Sam looking out over the city below them.

Daniel was watching him, so he arched an eyebrow and said, "No ideas, huh?"

Daniel shrugged. "The last plan that I came up with ended with you imprisoned and suffering from amnesia. Do you really want me to come up with another?"

"Bullshit," Jack said, angry at Daniel's self-censure. "I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for you and, all things considered, I'd rather be alive. Now, get that brain in gear and find a way out of here."

Daniel didn't comment; he shrugged his shoulders and smiled, though. Jack smiled back.

Daniel really had a lovely smile. It was shy and sweet and hinted at something special, someone special just waiting for the right man to...

"I have determined a potential course of action."

Glad to be distracted from thoughts that were not only inappropriate right now but possibly unwanted as well, Jack lifted up and rubbed his hands together. "Great. Care to share?"

"These are not skilled warriors."

"I hope you're not suggesting that we shoot our way out of here," Daniel said.

"I was not," Teal'c said and it was clear enough from the frostiness in his tone that he wasn't too pleased by the implication.

"I was merely indicating that they may appear intimidating, however, they are unlikely to be experienced at handling conflict of any type. We need only employ a bit of guile and we should easily evade O'Neill's keepers."

Jack looked over at said "keepers". One was sitting on the grass just out of ear-shot with his rifle-like weapon resting across his lap. His attention wasn't on his prisoner, but rather on his partner. His partner seemed more alert; he was standing at least and had his weapon at the ready, but his attention wasn't on Jack either - it was on the guy at his feet, with whom he was conversing.

"Yeah. I could see where you might think it would be easy to get past them."

"We can't leave our gear behind and we need our GDO's," Sam said.

"I would propose that we make our attempt after dark. We should easily reach the Stargate before we are missed."

"We'll need to stick together, in that case," Sam said.

"Won't that make them suspicious?" Jack asked.

Daniel said, "No. I don't think so. After the way we pushed to get in to see you after you were captured, I think they'd be more surprised if we didn't want to stay close together. Besides, you heard Kieran; he half expects us to stay here with you."

"Don't you mean he half hopes you'll stay?" Jack asked. Daniel's only response was a head tilt and apparent puzzlement.

"You can't possibly have missed the way he was drooling all over you back there. 'It'll be so great. We can teach each other so much.' Hah! The only thing he wanted to teach you was..."

"Jack," Daniel interrupted his rant, sounding and looking mortified.

"What?" Jack said and scowled at Daniel. "You know it's true." He looked over at Sam and then Teal'c. "Back me up here. You saw it too. Right?"

"The sirriamh has indeed been overly acquiescent to Daniel Jackson."

"See," Jack said to Daniel, "I told you. He wants to get into your pants."

"Then he'll do his best to make me happy, won't he? So, we shouldn't have any problems staying together."

Jack winced at the tone. Daniel sounded seriously pissed. Maybe he shouldn't have made an issue out of Kieran wanting Daniel? What he needed was a change of subject.

"It's getting late," Sam said. "I think we should head back, get something to eat, and let Kieran know about our new sleeping arrangements."

"Good idea," Jack said and jumped up. He reached down, grabbed Daniel by the upper arm and started to haul him to his feet. Daniel acquiesced and allowed himself to be pulled upright. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten... Actually, I can't remember ever eating."

"You mean they haven't fed you, Sir? It's been more than twenty-four hours." Sam sounded horrified by the idea, but he was too preoccupied to spare her more than a passing thought. Daniel had turned a bit and was brushing dirt and grass off the seat of his pants and it was taking all of Jack's willpower to keep himself from reaching out and assisting Daniel.

It would be so easy to just reach over and touch that cloth covered ass. He could almost feel the firm, warm globes under his hands as he stroked over and down.

He'd slide his fingers along the crack between those two perfect cheeks and brush over the waiting pucker...

"Jack!"

Pulled abruptly out of his daydream, he looked up into Daniel's flushed face. Seeing the look in Daniel's eyes and the distressed expression on Sam's face, he realized that the reason for his distraction was as painfully obvious as his rock hard erection was simply painful. He could feel his face heat up and cursed under his breath.

"I'm hungry," he blurted out and blushed even harder. "For food. Let's go eat," he said and began walking back towards the village as quickly as he could without losing whatever was left of his dignity.

He had a feeling there was going to be hell to pay sometime in the future. Sam's reaction had been a little extreme. Were same sex relationships unheard of back on Earth? Or was he involved in a relationship with her? It might explain the hovering.

On second thought, he doubted there was a relationship. His strongest emotional reactions were to Daniel, not her. Plus, Daniel would have told him, if not at first then certainly after the two of them had kissed. Wouldn't he?

He and Daniel needed to have a good long talk later, in private. He needed to know a few things and he needed to know them now. Before he drove himself crazy.

***

Jack paced back and forth across the room. He felt like a caged animal. Daniel was sitting on one of the two twin beds that took up entirely too much of the small space that was almost identical to the feature-less box that he'd woken up in this morning. It looked like the rooms in this building were all uniform in design.

Unfortunately, he couldn't pace properly in such a small room. Three good strides were all he could get before he needed to pivot and start over.

And Daniel wasn't helping one bit with his on edge nerves. The man was sitting there, wide-eyed, looking far to delectable and young.

Jack felt alternately like a crazed lunatic, an unfaithful lover, and now a pedophile.

"Jack, what..."

Jack held up a hand and Daniel stopped speaking. He wasn't ready to talk yet. He needed to get control. Of course, he'd had close to two hours to get control while they were sorting out the sleeping arrangements and eating dinner. After his run in with the law, Daniel, Sam, and Teal'c had been given adjoining rooms - Daniel and Teal'c in one, Sam in the other. They'd kept the two rooms, but now, at his insistence and Sam's vehement opposition, he was bunking with Daniel and Teal'c was with Sam.

They were about six hours away from slipping off in the dead of the night and they were supposed to be getting some rest. Except he was too hyper and twitchy to even sit still and Daniel couldn't sleep with him stomping around the room thinking his head was about to explode.

"I think we..."

"Uh, uh. No talking."

"Jack..."

"I can't think when you're talking. I can't think when you're looking at me either."

"What do you want me to do, Jack? Should I sit here with my eyes closed and wait for you to wear yourself out? You do realize that we're going to need to escape from this planet in a few hours and it's going to be awfully hard to do if you're too tired to move."

Jack growled. "Daniel, you're..." aggravating, annoying, alluring...

Without making any conscious decision to move, he found himself dropping onto his knees between Daniel's spread legs, wrapping his hands around Daniel's head, and pulling the man into a deep, wet, hungry kiss.

Daniel tensed for a moment and then began to kiss back with equal passion. Within seconds Daniel was stretched out on the bed with Jack draped over him like a writhing, horny blanket, mouths still locked together, eating each other alive.

Jack managed to untuck Daniel's shirt and slide one hand over the warm, silky skin of Daniel's side. All thoughts of potential girlfriends were long gone and all that mattered was stripping Daniel naked and touching and tasting every inch of the delectable body beneath him. The two of them had to be lovers. They just had to be because he knew deep down in his soul that he wasn't going to survive if he didn't have this man. Now and forever.

He pulled his mouth away from Daniel's and sucked in air for a moment. Daniel arched his neck and moaned. Impossibly, because he couldn't imagine being any more turned on than he already was, his dick got harder when he heard that needy sound. He thrust his hips, driving his still clothed crotch into Daniel's hip and Daniel responded with a thrust of his own and another, slightly louder moan.

Unable to resist the provocation, Jack bit down on the bobbing Adam's apple beneath his mouth and then swiped his tongue over the bite. Daniel arched his neck further and Jack took the hint, trailing lips and teeth and tongue over the offered flesh. When he reached an ear he covered the nearly non-existent lobe with his mouth and sucked hard.

Suddenly, Daniel bucked up hard enough to nearly toss him onto the floor. He grabbed onto Daniel and braced his feet against the bed to keep his balance.

"Liked that did you."

"No, Jack..."

"Sure you did," he said and moved back in to do it again.

"Jack, stop," Daniel said, sounding breathless and desperate. "Someone knocked on the door. We need to stop."

Knock? Door? "Stop?"

"Yes. Stop," Daniel said, beginning to sound less breathless and far too rational, "before you do any more damage to your career."

"Fuck my career."

"Yeah, well, you're about to and I think you're going to feel a lot different about things when the blood has returned to the right head and your memory's been restored."

Daniel gave another push and Jack rolled over to the side allowing Daniel to stand and start straightening his clothes.

"Hold on, I'm coming," Daniel called out and Jack could only wish that Daniel was coming, preferably while naked and wrapped around an equally naked Jack.

"I am thinking with the right head," Jack mumbled half under his breath. Daniel scowled at Jack and ran a hand through his hair trying to smooth it down.

"That's not going to help," Jack said, irritably.

"Daniel?" Jack heard Sam's voice come through the still closed door. "Are you all right in there?"

Jack sat up and planted his feet on the mattress in front of him hiding most of his body from view. And he didn't give a damn if it looked like he was sulking - because he was.

"She's still going to take one look at you and know that you and I were rolling around on this bed humping each other and trying to suck each other's brains out."

Daniel glared at him, but gave up on his attempts to look a little less debauched, and Jack just managed to resist sticking his tongue out - mostly because he knew Daniel wouldn't be able to see it.

"Daniel? I'm coming in," Sam said and opened the door. Daniel quickly shoved his hands into his pockets and smiled at Sam.

Jack didn't budge. He wasn't about to play nice with the woman who'd ruined the only happiness he'd ever known.

"Hey, Sam. Is something wrong?" Daniel asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Sam said. "I thought I heard moaning?"

Jack couldn't see her face, with his legs blocking his view, but based on her tone of voice he had a strong feeling that she'd known exactly what she was interrupting.

Jack dropped his feet to the floor and sat up straight, glowering at Sam he said, "As you can see we're both perfectly fine. Now, if you'll excuse us, we need to get some rest."

Sam hesitated, eyes shifting back and forth between Jack and Daniel. "Maybe it would be better if Daniel and I shared a room."

"No," Jack said.

"But, you're obviously having some kind of problem."

"We're fine, Sam. Really," Daniel said and grinned. "It seems that even without his memory Jack's still an annoying pain in the ass."

"Hey," Jack said. He stood up and moved over to Daniel's side. "I'm not the difficult one," he said and bumped Daniel's shoulder with his.

Daniel bumped him back.

"Umm, if you're sure, Sir. But, I..."

"I'm sure. Good night."

Sam slowly turned and took her own sweet time moving the three steps out of the room, leaving the connecting door wide open.

Jack walked over and closed it.

"What is her problem?"

"I think she's just worried about you. We all are. Jack..."

"Well, I don't like being treated like a simpleton. I may not remember my birthday, but I'm old enough and capable enough to decide where and with whom to sleep."

He walked back over to the bed that he and Daniel had recently been occupying and lay back down, draping one arm over his eyes.

"Sam and I aren't sleeping together, are we? Because that would go a long way towards explaining why she's so freaked over my attraction to you."

He heard Daniel drop down onto the other bed. After a short, weighted pause, Daniel said, "You're not sleeping with Sam. At least...you never told me... You would have said something if you were involved with her. Or she would have. I think. I mean, you and I haven't been as close lately as we used to be, but you wouldn't keep a secret like that - not from your teammates."

Jack sat up and leaned over far enough to touch Daniel's knee. "Hey, calm down and take a breath before you pass out."

"Do you really think that she's jealous?"

"Yeah, I do."

Daniel licked his lips and shook his head. "I don't know what to do with that."

"Why do you need to do anything? Her feelings, her problem."

"That's cold, Jack," Daniel said and looked at Jack through narrowed eyes.

"What do you want me to say? I can't help the way I feel about her. Or you."

"That's just it. Without your memory... How do you know that you don't have feelings for her? How do I know that you won't regret making a pass at me when this is all over?"

"I don't know, but right now I'm more worried about what's going to happen if I don't remember. I think that's the more likely outcome here. And then it's not going to matter what I might have felt or not felt. All that's going to matter is what I do feel.

"I want you, Daniel, and you want me too."

Daniel abruptly stood and moved as far away from Jack as he could get in the small room. Wrapping his arms around his chest and facing the wall, he said, "I can't do this now, Jack. Please, just wait...until we get home and learn whether we can get your memory back. It would kill me if I lost your friendship because we'd done something that you didn't want to do."

"I wouldn't hold it against you, Daniel. I promise."

Daniel finally turned to face him. "I know you wouldn't, but... How could it not change things? You've never shown any signs of interest in me before. It's going to be awkward enough between us after," his eyes flicked to the rumpled bed Jack was sitting on, "what we already did. Think about how mortified you'd be if we had sex and then you found out that the person you are with your memory intact was repulsed by the idea of having sex with another man.

"You've never even hinted at the possibility that you're attracted to men, Jack. I've only ever seen you with women.

"And then there's your career."

Daniel moved back to where he'd been sitting a moment ago. "Let's just not go there now. Let's wait and see."

Jack sighed. "OK. I'll wait, but we will finish this, Daniel."

"I know," Daniel said.

"You could try to look a little less appalled, you know. I'm not threatening you."

Daniel eyeballed him for a moment and then bent over to start unlacing his boots.

"We need to get some rest."

Recognizing a losing battle when he saw one, Jack started unlacing his own boots. They'd be back on Earth in a few hours and he'd finally be getting some answers. This would wait.

***

Jack stayed close to Daniel as they moved silently through the deserted streets.

So far, their escape had been decidedly anticlimactic. He probably could have done it himself, if he'd had any idea of where to go.

Using choke holds, Teal'c and Sam had quickly and efficiently taken out the two men guarding their doors. The four of them had then easily slipped out of the building, since there hadn't been a soul in sight, and headed towards the Stargate.

The streets had been as deserted as the public house. It seemed a little suspicious to him, like they were being set up. But there was nothing they could do about it. If it was a trap, then they had to spring it and hope for the best.

They'd finally reached the edge of the village and were huddled against one of the small cottages that the Andamans lived in. It was the last bit of shelter to be had until they reached the tree line several hundred yards away.

If an ambush was coming, then it would be here, where they would be completely exposed. The light from the three moons lit the night, making it easy, too easy, to see them crossing the open space ahead. So, they had stopped while Teal'c and Sam watched and listened for any sign that they weren't as alone out here as they seemed.

After several moments, Teal'c gave a silent signal and moved out into the open. Jack hesitated for a moment, searching with his own senses. He was so close to freedom and to have it snatched away now... He didn't know if he could take it.

Daniel gave him a nudge and, when Jack looked at him, smiled reassuringly. Jack reached out and gave Daniel's wrist a squeeze in acknowledgement, warmed by his friend's concern, and followed Teal'c out of the shadows and into the open.

What the hell, a guy only lived once, right? And if worse came to worst he could always make sure that they didn't take him alive.

When he reached the safety of the trees a few seconds later, he was almost disappointed. Almost. He wasn't stupid, after all. Mostly, he was relieved. The easier this was then the faster they could get back to Earth. And he wanted to go back to Earth, back to the place he had called home, even if he had no idea what it was like. It had to be better than here. Right?

As they moved down the tree enshrouded path, he tried to focus his mind back on the here and now. He didn't want to be caught unaware as he daydreamed.

And he didn't want to think about what would happen once they made it through the Stargate, about how there was no way of knowing if what they'd done to him could be reversed or what he would do if it couldn't.

What would happen to him?

Would he be able to convince Daniel that it would be best for him if he stayed with Daniel? Jack grinned. It would almost be worth never remembering his life. He had a feeling that he could be happy with Daniel no matter how bad things got.

As they neared the clearing where the Stargate was, they left the path and heading a few feet into the forest, just in case. It was hard to move quietly over the unfamiliar, uneven ground and the moonlight was partially blocked by the leafy foliage, so they slowed down. Daniel seemed to be having the hardest time of it, which was surprising considering the state of Jack's memory. He would have thought that he would be the one struggling. But, while his brain might not remember how to move silently through a dark forest, his body obviously still knew.

With every slow step they took they were getting closer to freedom and with every step Jack was getting more and more tense. It was getting harder to keep his breathing even and his heart was beginning to pound. The night air was cool, but he could feel beads of sweat forming along his hairline and upper lip.

They'd reach the Stargate any minute now and it wouldn't be a moment too soon.

Jack saw Teal'c raise his hand to signal a stop and realized that they had reached the clearing where the Stargate was located.

Teal'c crouched down low before moving the few steps remaining until the trees ended. Daniel moved in close enough to Jack's side for their shoulders to touch. Sam stayed a few feet behind, keeping watch for anyone sneaking up on them from behind.

A few endless minutes later, Teal'c rejoined them and appeared to be having a conversation with Sam and Daniel using hand signals. Jack didn't have any idea what all the gyrations meant, but he knew that they weren't going to get away as easily as they'd hoped. The Stargate was guarded, otherwise Teal'c would have waved them forward and they'd have been out of here.

The hand signals stopped. Sam touched Daniel on the shoulder, frowning, and then turned to Jack and gave him an indecipherable look before disappearing through the trees. Teal'c disappeared as well, leaving Daniel and Jack alone together.

It was frustrating, feeling so helpless and useless. He wanted to be doing something. Instead, he was cowering in the bushes while Teal'c and Sam faced whatever was waiting beyond the trees.

Coming to a decision, he headed for the spot where Teal'c had spied on the clearing. Daniel grabbed at his shoulder, but Jack shrugged him off, knowing that Daniel wouldn't risk exposing them to their enemies. He couldn't actually take any action, but he could at least watch out for Teal'c and Sam.  If they got into trouble, he'd know it and do...something. Although, he didn't know what exactly he could do when he didn't have any weapons. Without knowing how to use the guns that the others' carried he would have been more of a hindrance than a help.

Daniel joined him and poked him in the back, hard. Jack didn't need to look to know that Daniel was glaring at him. He was startled to feel Daniel's hands on his and even more startled to feel something hard being pressed into his right hand. He looked down to see that Daniel had given Jack his knife.

Jack looked up at Daniel and saw that he didn't look angry after all. Daniel nodded at him and then turned to look out at the men securing the Stargate.

Jack looked back down at the knife in his hand and flexed his hand on the grip. His throat felt tight, but in a good way. Daniel understood.

He reached across his body, squeezed Daniel's left shoulder with his free hand, and turned his attention to where the action would be.

There were three armed guards standing around a squat, stone object that was about waist high and had some sort of large, round jewel protruding from the top. They looked bored and one had abandoned his weapon on the top of the table-like thing.

On the other side of the field was a huge metallic ring with squiggly markings and square-ish bumps along the outer edge. It was an incredible sight glowing silver in the bright moonlight. Looking at it, it was easy to believe that people could travel to different worlds by stepping through it.

He reluctantly pulled his attention away from what had to be the Stargate and focused back on the three men standing between him and freedom.

It wouldn't be hard to surprise them, but there was an awful lot of ground to cover between them and the trees. Sam and Teal'c needed a distraction of some kind, a way to keep the guards' attention elsewhere while they crept up from behind.

He scanned the surrounding area for any sign of reinforcements hiding in the woods, the same way he and Daniel were. He really wished he had some way of contacting Sam or Teal'c. If there were men hidden from view then he could ruin everything by moving too soon.

He watched the three in the open talking quietly to themselves and made a decision. This wasn't a trick. Teal'c was right; these guys didn't know what they were doing.

They'd be easy to manipulate. Hopefully.

Now he just had to come up with a plan. He couldn't simply walk out there and say hello. He needed to let them think they'd caught him trying to sneak up on them.

And then it hit him. He grabbed onto the closest leafy tree limb and gave it a good shake.

He felt Daniel tense beside him and they both held their breath waiting for the guards to react.

Only they didn't.

They were so immersed in their conversation that they didn't even look up. Maybe he should walk out and say hello.

Daniel chose that moment to bolt out of the woods. Well, not bolt really; it was more of a stumble. Jack followed him, acting like Daniel's misstep was accidental, and reached down to grab Daniel's arm. He pulled Daniel back into the underbrush just as they heard one of the men cry out.

Perfect.

They ducked behind a tree with a split trunk that was wide enough to hide them both and waited.

"They ran back into the forest."

"Should we follow them?"

"Of course we should follow them. Otherwise they'll get away."

"But, we're supposed to be guarding the Tairsech. If we chase after them then we'll be leaving it undefended."

"Except, we're defending it from them. They can't go through it if we're chasing them through the forest."

"But, we only saw two of them. The others could be out there waiting."

Jack felt like smacking his forehead. These idiots were too much. He hoped Sam and Teal'c made their move soon because he was getting tired of listening to them.

He tuned back in to reality when everything got quiet. He tensed back up and listened intently for any hint of what was happening and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a deep voice say, "O'Neill."

He breathed a sigh of relief and he and Daniel walked out and joined Teal'c and Sam.

He stepped over one of the three idiots and said, "Let's get out of here."

"What the hell were you thinking? Sir," Sam said in a low, angry voice. "And you, Daniel. I thought you at least would know better."

"Hey," Jack said, annoyed at the implication that he was stupid and even more angered by the insult to Daniel. "Even if they'd sucked out my brains along with my memories, I'd still be able to take these guys."

"Your actions were foolish, O'Neill. In your current state, you are incapable of defending yourself sufficiently against even these. Their rudimentary training is superior to your total lack of training."

"Yeah, well, Daniel was with me."

"Daniel Jackson is not a soldier."

"You could have been killed," Sam added.

"Well, we weren't."

"We can argue about this when we get back to the SGC," Daniel said.

Jack looked over at Daniel, who had moved over to the stone thing Jack had noticed earlier. Several strange squiggly markings were now lit up and as he watched Daniel pressed down on the big red jewel in the middle and the Stargate exploded.

He threw his hands up in front of his face and ducked, but relaxed when he noticed that no one else seemed surprised. "Does it always do that?" He asked, feeling a little foolish.

"Indeed it does, O'Neill," Teal'c said as he fiddled with a device strapped to his wrist.

"Come on, Jack," Daniel said from where he stood in front of the glowing pool of light that now filled the giant ring.

"Wow," Jack said. "That's..." He walked up to the shimmering puddle and reached out a hand to touch it.

"Sorry, Sir," Sam said as she gave him a shove, "We don't have time for this."

But she didn't sound sorry to Jack as he tumbled into the Stargate and his body was ripped to shreds and put back together again. He had enough time to fall out onto a sloping metal surface, see a handful of men in uniforms, and register the fact that his entire body felt like it was encased in ice before his an excruciating pain knifed through his skull.

He heard his name called out by an unfamiliar voice and it sounded like it was coming from miles and miles away as everything except the agony faded into nothing.

***

The first thing that popped into Jack's head when he regained consciousness was: Oh, no. Not again.

It wasn't until he'd become slightly more lucid that he realized history wasn't repeating itself because if it was he wouldn't know it. Or something like that.

He cracked open an eye and found that he could see. He opened both eyes and realized that the skull crushing agony that he'd felt right after he came through the 'gate was gone.

He felt good. Actually, he felt better than good.

He turned his head and saw Daniel slumped over in one of the uncomfortable chairs they used in the infirmary in an attempt to discourage long-term visitors. It never worked, though, at least not with SG1. No matter who wound up in the infirmary there was always someone there waiting when he or she woke up.

Jack smiled fondly at his friend and looked around at the other familiar sights surrounding him.

Home sweet home, Jack thought and then finally clued in on the fact that this all was familiar.

He remembered.

Jack gave an excited shout and bolted upright in the bed, startling Daniel who jumped out of his chair while still half asleep.

He tripped over his own feet and fell forward onto Jack, who wrapped his arms around Daniel to steady him and keep them upright. Daniel wound up pressed against Jack with his face crushed into Jack's chest.

The awkward angle meant that Jack was holding most of Daniel's weight, but he didn't mind. He minded even less when Daniel lifted his head and beautiful blue eyes stared up at him from only inches away. He only had to tip his head and he could taste that delicious mouth once again.

And he did want to taste Daniel, had wanted to taste him and touch him and strip him naked and fuck him for years.

And now he knew he could. Daniel had been just as hungry as Jack back on that planet. All he had to do was get sprung from this joint and then he and Daniel could go back to Jack's place and fuck like bunnies.

Daniel struggled to get upright and move out of Jack's arms, but Jack held on tight. He wasn't ready to let Daniel go just yet.

He didn't think he'd ever be ready to let Daniel go.

"Jack," Daniel said, sounding breathless and slightly exasperated.

"Daniel," Jack said and grinned. "We have to keep meeting like this."

"Let me up," Daniel said and managed to get his feet under him and his hands braced against the bed on either side of Jack's hips.

Jack wished he could just lay back and pull Daniel down with him, but they were on base and there couldn't be any nookie at work, so he reluctantly allowed Daniel to stand up.

No sooner had Daniel straightened then Janet appeared from behind the privacy curtain next to his bed.

She smiled at him as she approached the bed. "Colonel, it's good to see you awake. I understand that you're suffering from amnesia. We took some blood while you were unconscious and we're running some tests to see if we can determine what the substance was that you were given and if we can find a way to reverse the effects."

She pulled one of those little flashlight thingies from her pocket and clicked it on, then started to push him onto his back as she said, "How are you feeling right now? Are you in any pain?"

Jack resisted her attempts to lay him back down and interrupted her questions to say, "I'm fine now, Doc. I don't know how it happened, but I remember everything."

Janet stopped pushing and said, "You remember," with a great deal of skepticism.

Followed closely by Daniel nervously saying, "Everything?"

Jack leered at him and said, "Everything."

The look on Daniel's face shifted from apprehensive to confused and slightly wary.

Jack continued to smile at him as he pulled back his blankets and started to get up.

"It's all come back to me - name, rank, and serial number: John J. O'Neill, Colonel, 66-789-7876-324; age: 44; marital status: divorced.

"This is the SGC, Stargate Command, and the CO is General George Hammond, of Texas. The bespectacled man in front of me is Dr. Daniel Jackson, archeologist extraordinaire, and you are Dr. Janet Frasier, CMO of this facility.

"Now that I'm compos mentis, I want to go home," he said and planted his bare feet on the floor.

"Not so fast," Janet said and put a hand on the center of his chest. "If your memory's back then you know the drill. You're not going anywhere until I've checked you over. Thoroughly."

Jack sighed, resigned to his fate, but didn't lie back down on the bed. He wasn't staying here a second longer than he had to; he had places to go and archeologists to do.

Janet looked over at Daniel and said, "Would you excuse us, Daniel?"

"Sure," Daniel said and began backing out of the curtained off area. "I'll go tell Sam and Teal'c that Jack's OK."

Jack frowned. Daniel seemed entirely too eager to get away from him.

"Good idea, Daniel. Get me some clean clothes out of my locker, would you? I'll need something to wear when I leave."

"If you leave," Janet said.

"When I leave," Jack said with a fierce look.

Janet stared right back. "I'll decide whether you can leave or not, Colonel. After my examination."

"Right," Daniel said and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. "I'll just be going then. Later, Jack." Before Daniel even finished speaking he was already turning around and walking away.

"Hey," Jack called out. "Daniel, come back here." But Daniel simply waved at them over his shoulder and disappeared around the corner.

"Dammit," Jack said and turned to face the current bane of his existence. Daniel better still be around when he got done here or there'd be hell to pay.

***

Three hours later, after having been poked and prodded to within an inch of his life, he was sitting in the briefing room, dressed in a spare uniform that hadn't been brought to him by Daniel. Daniel was across from him with Teal'c on his right. Carter was sitting to Jack's left and Hammond was on his right, at the head of the table.

He glared at the top of Daniel's head while trying to convince himself that it wouldn't be childish to kick Daniel under the table. The traitor was deliberately avoiding eye contact and hadn't spoken three words to Jack since they sat down.

If Daniel thought he was going to back out now he was sorely mistaken. Jack intended to finish what they started on that miserable planet if he had to follow Daniel back to his apartment, break down the door, and tie Daniel to the bed.

"We couldn't find any trace of a foreign substance in the colonel's blood," Janet, who was sitting beside Carter, said. "His system might have already flushed it out or it might be something that we simply can't test for. Either way, his memory has returned and he's in perfect health." Janet shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps the effect of this fanas was only temporary."

"No," Carter said. "I don't believe so. At least, the Andamans seemed to believe the effects were permanent."

Daniel looked up from his oh so fascinating notepad and said, "It wouldn't make sense for the effects to be temporary. The fanas was meant to ensure that a person who'd seen something he shouldn't could never remember what he saw. It would have to be permanent."

"Perhaps O'Neill's physiology was incompatible with the substance used and that is why its effects were impermanent," Teal'c said.

"It's possible. We and the Andamans may share common ancestors, but in the thousands of years since they were taken from Earth there would have been a significant genetic shift. Colonel O'Neill's body might very easily have reacted differently than intended," Janet said.

Daniel frowned and tapped his pen against the table top. "I don't know... Kieran made a big deal out of how important it was for Jack to not go through the Stargate. It seemed to be a crucial part of his 'punishment'. What if it was something about the Stargate that cured him?"

"He did collapse right after he rematerialized in the gateroom," Sam said thoughtfully.

"It is a logical assumption," Teal'c added.

"Does it really matter? I'm all better now and isn't that the important thing?"

He looked around at the various people in the room.

"Well...I suppose...," Sam said.

"We're not ever going back, right?" Jack said.

"No, we're not," Hammond said and sighed. "There's far too much risk for far too little reward. Am I correct in believing that there's nothing else you or your staff can do to isolate this substance, Dr. Frasier?" Hammond asked.

Janet nodded her head. "Yes, Sir. Without a sample to test..." Janet shrugged.

"Then it looks like we're done here," Hammond said and rose from the table. "SG1, you're dismissed." He paused. "I'm giving you the next week off and I don't want to see you, any of you," he said as he looked pointedly at first Carter and then Daniel, "for the next seven days. Take a break. You deserve it."

Jack could have kissed him and he knew he was grinning like a loon as he stood and said, "Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I promise to stay well away from the place. I think it might be the perfect time for some fishing up at the cabin.

"And don't worry about Daniel. I think I can keep him busy for the week." He rubbed his hands together and focused his attention on Daniel.

"What do you say, Danny Boy? Want to do some fishing?"

Daniel expression closely resembled the metaphorical deer in the headlights as he started to stammer out what Jack was sure would be a refusal, but he never got the chance.

"That sounds like a good idea, Colonel," Hammond said. He patted Daniel on the shoulder and added, "Have a good time, son," and then walked out of the room with Janet at his heels.

Jack locked gazes with Daniel and allowed a triumphant smirk to spread across his face. He had the little weasel now.

"You know," Carter said. "I've never actually made it out to your cabin yet. Maybe we should all go. It'll be fun."

Daniel looked even more shell-shocked and Jack felt the smile on his face congealing.

"We were not invited, Major Carter," Teal'c said.

"Well, not directly, but I'm sure the colonel would be happy to have us. How many times have you asked me to join you for some fishing, Colonel? Three times? Four? And you've already been out there, Teal'c."

"Indeed I have, Major Carter. One visit was quite sufficient. I find that fishing is not to my liking.

"I believe I'll take this opportunity to spend time with my family on Chulak. Perhaps you, too, could spend some time with your family. How long has it been since you've seen your brother and your niece and nephew?"

Jack felt a bit like a spectator at a tennis match as he watched Carter and Teal'c verbally spar over whether Jack was going to be able to spend the weekend molesting his archeologist or not.

Not that there was any question about the molesting. He and Daniel were going to the cabin without Carter if he had to hire someone to kidnap her. What the hell was up with her anyway? He couldn't quite decide if she was jealous or simply protecting Daniel.

Not that he much cared; she was butting in where she was neither wanted nor needed either way.

"You've made it clear how uninterested you are in fishing, Carter, so I won't put you on the spot by asking. I'm sure you can find something much more fun to do with yourself."

Carter opened her mouth to say something, but Jack beat her to it. He clapped his hands together and said, "This is gonna be the greatest vacation ever. See you on the flipside, Carter. T, say hi to the wife and kid for me."

Teal'c inclined his head. "I will, O'Neill."

"Daniel..."

"I have to finish my report. Why don't I meet you at your place later?"

Jack studied Daniel, looking for some sign of whether Daniel was serious or if he was trying to pull something. "You'll be by tonight?"

Daniel nodded and then stood up and gathered his stuff. "I'll be there around eight."

"OK, good," Jack said, at a loss. Daniel seemed to have done a complete about face, leaving Jack confused - which was nothing new when it came to his relationship with Daniel.

"Colonel, wait."

"Sorry, Carter, got my own report to write and some packing to do. The truck might need gas, too. And I might need to go on a supply run. Don't want to run out of munchies." Jack waved at Teal'c and Carter as he followed Daniel out of the room, chattering non-stop until he was well out of hearing range of Carter.

Jack watched Daniel disappear around the corner and decided to let him go. He did have some paperwork to do and some errands to run before Daniel arrived at 2000, so he headed for his own office.

As he walked down the hall he allowed his thoughts to drift, unsurprised to find himself thinking about Daniel. Daniel's unexpected change of heart was unsettling, but hopeful. Either Daniel had decided it was time to confront Jack over what had happen between them or he was finally convinced that Jack wanted him as much as he wanted Jack.

And Daniel had wanted him back on that planet. The way he'd melted under Jack's mouth and hands had proven it.

He'd gone squirrelly after Jack had gotten his memories back, but that might have been fear over Jack's reaction. After all, Jack had never shown any romantic interest in Daniel, or any other man, before - at least not that Daniel was aware of. But Jack had been well trained by the USAF to never give anything away. He'd hidden his feelings well. Too well, because Daniel hadn't believed that memory-less Jack had only been doing what the fully aware Jack had been wanting to do almost since the first time he'd laid eyes on a beautiful brainiac with a big mouth and an iron will.

That initial lust had slowly grown into love - a love that could never be because Daniel was already in love with someone else. He'd been too broken when they'd first met to even consider a relationship, but Daniel had touched him - made a place for himself in Jack's heart. Not as a lover, not then, just as a friend. The first true friend that he could remember having since he'd lost Sara to grief and guilt.

He'd let Daniel go because it was the best thing for Daniel. Sha're and her people could give him so much more than Jack could. But it had hurt - one more loss in a year that had been filled with far too many.

When Hammond had recalled him to active duty he'd been excited. The holding pattern that his life had become was about to end. He was going to see Daniel again.

Over the next few years the friendship that they'd begun on that first mission to Abydos had grown and strengthened. Daniel had become the most important person in his life; the only one allowed inside the walls that Jack had spent a lifetime building.

He didn't know when platonic love had grown into romantic love. The potential had been there right from the beginning, for them both Jack suspected. But the timing had been wrong back when they first met.

Somewhere along the way it had stopped being wrong for Jack, but Daniel hadn't been free and then he'd been grieving. After Sha're's death Jack had been afraid to push, afraid that he was being selfish. So, he waited.

And now it looked like his wait might be coming to an end. Tonight he'd get an answer.

Would it be the one he wanted?

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this antsy, wavering back and forth between excited anticipation and mind numbing dread. What was Daniel thinking? What was going to happen tonight?

He sat down at his desk and sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He'd have his answer in a few hours - until then, he'd wait.

***

Jack walked into his living room and looked it over to ensure everything was ready for Daniel's arrival. He'd gassed up the truck and gone to the grocery store earlier in the afternoon in preparation for the trip to his cabin. Uncertain about whether they were eating together or not, Jack had also bought a couple steaks for barbequing, salad fixings, and a chocolate mousse cheesecake for dessert.

He figured if all else failed he could use the cheesecake as a peace offering.

Or a bribe.

Jack leaned down to straighten a lamp and looked over at the clock. T-minus twelve minutes and Jack was feeling an awful lot like he had right before his senior prom. He'd asked Laura Robbins, a busty blonde cheerleader, and he'd expected great things to happen after the official festivities ended.

He hadn't been disappointed.

With any luck, he wouldn't be disappointed tonight either.

He un-tucked the navy dress shirt that he was wearing with a pair of beige khakis, worried that he looked too dressy. Maybe he should have gone with the t-shirt and jeans?

Maybe he shouldn't be acting like such a girl.

Annoyed with himself, he headed into the kitchen to get a beer out of the fridge. He was a hard-assed, special ops colonel in the USAF and hard-assed, special ops colonels didn't fluff pillows because the love of their life was coming over.

On the other hand, putting satin sheets on the bed...that was just being practical.

The sound of the doorbell nearly caused him to drop the bottle in his hands. He bobbled it for a moment before getting a good grip and put it down on the table. He checked to make sure he hadn't spilled any beer on himself and then headed for the door.

When he reached the door, he took a moment to tuck his shirt back into his pants and took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing, he thought to himself as he opened the door.

Under normal circumstances he would have opened the door, offered Daniel a casual greeting, and walked away - giving Daniel the freedom to go wherever he wanted. But these weren't normal circumstances. So, when he looked at Daniel standing on his doorstep he found himself at a loss. He wanted to be as casual as normal. He wanted to treat Daniel like a date. He wound up paralyzed in the doorway.

Not that his paralysis was due entirely to indecision. Daniel had opted for dressy as well, wearing a dove grey silk shirt and a pair of cream color twill pants. The top two buttons of the shirt were undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of creamy skin, and the fabric seemed to cling to his body, highlighting every muscle and angle.

Jack actually felt all the blood leave his head to collect in his groin and he very nearly groaned out loud at the light-headedness that resulted.

Daniel's eyes and smile were calm, but he could tell that Daniel wasn't as unaffected as he seemed. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets and Jack could hear the jingle of keys and see the movement of the fabric caused by the restless motion of his hands.

Jack let out the breath that he hadn't known he was holding, reassured somehow by the knowledge that Daniel was as nervous as he was.

"Can I come in," Daniel asked and Jack realized that he'd been standing in the doorway ogling Daniel with a hard-on and a goofy grin.

"Shit. Yeah. Of course," he said and moved back to let Daniel enter. Daniel's arm brushed across Jack's chest as he passed by and Jack couldn't help the shiver of arousal that spread through his body, hardening his dick even further.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, trying to calm his libido. There was no guarantee that this was going to end the way he wanted it to. He needed to calm down, especially since Daniel would probably want to talk first, get everything out in the open.

"Jack?"

He turned to see Daniel poking his head around the corner. "Are you planning on standing there all night?"

"No, of course not," Jack said, pulling himself together and closing the door.

He followed Daniel down into the living room and stuffed his hands into his own pockets, giving himself a little room to breathe.

He rocked back and forth on his heels and said, "Did you eat already? 'Cause I bought some steaks. It shouldn't take long to warm up the grill and cook 'em."

Daniel turned from his contemplation of the fireplace and leaned back against the mantle. His eyes were steady on Jack's for several seconds, as if he was searching for something.

"Daniel," he began and then stopped. Now that the moment was here, he didn't know what he wanted to say.

I love you? Stay with me always? Please let me have you? All of the above?

But, in the end, he didn't say any of it, couldn't say any of it.

"If you're not hungry..."

He stopped speaking when Daniel pushed away from the fireplace and began to walk towards him.

"I'm not hungry," he said when he'd closed to within a foot of Jack, "at least, not for steak."

Jack stood there, at a loss. He'd never seen Daniel acting so...seductive.

He liked it.

Suddenly, the knot of tension that he'd been carrying around ever since he'd walked out of the briefing room vanished. Although, he still couldn't quite believe that he was going to get what he wanted. It seemed to be against some universal law for him to be happy.

But, here he was. And here Daniel was. And, unless he was way off base, they were about to kiss.

"What are you thinking," Daniel asked.

"That I couldn't possibly be this lucky," Jack said.

Daniel's face lit up with a joyful smile that took Jack's breath away. He hadn't seen Daniel looking that happy since Sha're had been taken from him.

He hadn't realized how wonderful it would feel to know that Daniel loved him that much.

Then Daniel's lips were brushing against his and Jack stopped thinking about anything except the feel of Daniel's mouth on his.

Feeling giddy and excited, he wrapped his arms around his lover, his love, and deepened the kiss. Once again Daniel melted against him. Only, this time, there was none of the desperate hunger that they'd shared before. Neither one of them felt the need to rush. They had the rest of their lives together and this first time shouldn't be rushed.

He wanted to savor every moment and, as one steamy kiss melted into another and another, he recognized the same desire in Daniel.

They parted momentarily to catch their breath and Daniel, lips resting on Jack's throat, said, "Let's go to bed."

"Mmm," Jack said and licked his way up the side of Daniel's neck. He bit down gently on the hinge of his lover's jaw and then the shell of his ear before sucking it into his mouth.

It was Daniel's turn to murmur appreciatively as he tilted his head to the side.

Jack felt strong, slender fingers gliding over his back and into the waistband of his pants, slipping down just far enough to brush over the swell of his ass and then moving up, pulling his shirt along with them.

"I've waited so long for this," Daniel said, head still tilted up and back while Jack feasted on the dampening skin of his throat. Jack felt the vibration of Daniel's words against his mouth, causing a tingle to spread from his lips down his spine and into his stomach and groin. He thrust his hips, bumping against Daniel hardened cock and felt his knees weakening. He realized that Daniel was right. They needed to get upstairs before they were too aroused to walk.

He licked his way into another wet, sloppy kiss and began to guide Daniel, backwards, out of the living room and up the stairs. It was a tricky maneuver when they were fused at the mouth and it was made even trickier when Daniel's hands found their way beneath Jack's shirt to stroke along his ribs. He moved too quickly and Daniel stumbled on the top stair, almost falling over.

They fell against the wall and Jack felt teeth cutting into flesh, tasted blood. He pulled away from Daniel's mouth and gave a breathless laugh. "Why is it that I'm not surprised by this?"

"Because it wouldn't be us if everything went smoothly," Daniel said with a smile.

Jack reluctantly peeled himself off of Daniel and took a hold of Daniel's hand. "Let's not risk falling down the stairs. It would be really hard to make love while in traction," he said as he led Daniel down the hall and into his bedroom.

When they reached the bed he turned to face Daniel, capturing his other hand so that they were facing each other. "Last chance to change your mind," he said softly.

Daniel replied by moving forward and brushing his lips against Jack's in a feather light kiss. "Never," he said, without pulling away from Jack's mouth. "I love you."

Jack felt all the strength rush out of his legs and he would have collapsed if not for Daniel wrapping his arms around Jack's waist.

He'd known. Of course he'd known. Daniel wouldn't be here if he didn't love Jack, but hearing the words...

He wrapped his right hand around Daniel's jaw, still holding one of Daniel's hands in his left one, and locked his eyes on Daniel's as he said, "I love you, too. For the longest time," and then took Daniel's mouth in a fierce kiss.

He moved backwards until his knees bumped against the mattress and then leaned back to lie down with Daniel draped over him, never breaking the kiss.

"I want you inside me," he said when the kiss finally ended and he felt Daniel's grip on his hips tighten almost to the point of pain.

Daniel pulled back far enough to look into Jack's eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, already anticipating the feel of Daniel's hard cock filling him.

"Unless you'd rather not. I've got some cheesecake downstairs. We could..."

Daniel cut him off with a growl and a bite to his collar bone. "I'll take that as a yes," Jack said and reached over to pull open the nightstand drawer. He had some lube in there somewhere.

He fumbled around in the drawer as Daniel slowly unbuttoned Jack's shirt, pausing after every button to kiss and lick at the newly revealed skin. Jack's hand closed over something completely unlike lube at the same time as Daniel's mouth closed over his right nipple. Jack's hand clenched around the whatever-it-was and he heard a crack.

Daniel stopped sucking at the hardened nub. "Jack?"

"For God's sake, don't stop," Jack wailed and Daniel chuckled. "Dammit, Daniel. Stop laughing and start sucking."

"Yes, Sir, Colonel, Sir," Daniel said with a cheeky grin and bit down on the previously neglected left nipple. Jack decided to ignore the insubordination and went back to hunting for the lube. He needed to find it before he exploded.

Daniel's hands slid along his chest to open his shirt further and Jack swore in frustration. Daniel pulled his mouth and hands away from Jack's body and stood up.

"Hey," Jack yelled. "Where...," he started to say, only to stop when Daniel crossed his arms around his waist, hooked his hands onto his shirt, and pulled the still buttoned shirt up over head.

Jack's mouth went dry at the sight of glistening skin and the well-defined muscles of Daniel's chest and arms. God, the man was breathtaking.

Jack's hand reached down to stroke over his still covered erection. He'd never been so turned on in his life.

"Now, Daniel. Now," he said and was too aroused to care about how desperate and needy he sounded.

Daniel quickly stripped out of his shoes, socks, pants and underwear, and then leaned over to fish out the lube. Jack caught a glimpse of a firm, round ass cheek and then Daniel was back on the bed, straddling him.

Daniel dropped the lube onto the bed, near Jack's shoulder and then reached down to finish undressing Jack.

Jack watched for a moment, mesmerized by the sight of Daniel's hard, flushed cock bobbing in the air between them. He saw the gleam of moisture on the tip of the reddened flesh and his mouth watered. He wanted to taste that droplet, wanted to get that flesh wet with his mouth. He groaned and arched up dragging his pants along the underside of Daniel's cock, causing Daniel to moan out his name and press down into Jack's groin.

His fingers clenched on Jack's shirt as he unsteadily pushed his hips against Jack's body.

Jack broke out of his stupor, realizing that if he didn't get undressed and slicked up soon then he wasn't going to get fucked. He reached down to grab Daniel's hips and stop his lover's thrusts.

Daniel shuddered when Jack's hands touched the bare skin of his hip bones and Jack's grip tightened. "Daniel. Pants. Off. Please!"

Daniel froze, breathing heavily, and then loosened his grip on Jack's shirt. Now clumsy fingers fumbled at the last few buttons of Jack's shirt and he struggled with the button and zipper on his pants. Daniel finished with Jack's shirt at the same time as he finished with his pants and they both worked to push them and his boxers down and off.

As soon as he was free, he pulled his legs up against his chest, completely exposing himself to his lover. Daniel's eyes, dilated to the point where almost no blue remained, bored into Jack and Jack shivered at the ghostly feel of those eyes sliding over his body. Daniel stretched out a hand to rest on Jack's stomach, just above the patch of silvery pubic hair, and stroked his thumb through the wiry thatch.

"So beautiful," he breathed out and Jack shook his head.

"No," he gasped out, "you...beautiful."

Daniel shot forward to take Jack's mouth in a demanding kiss and when he pulled away said, "You have no idea what you look like lying here flushed and sweaty and hard." He stroked a hand over Jack's body from neck to groin, pausing along the way to tweak both nipples and dip into Jack's belly button - causing an electric shock to zap along Jack's spine. "Your body's strong and lean. Beautiful," he said and retraced the path his hand had taken, this time with his mouth.

When he reached Jack's groin he licked his way up Jack's leaking cock, lapping up the pre-cum and tracing the heavy vein along its underside before swallowing the head and sucking hard. Jack shouted something incomprehensible and slammed his hips up into that suction, but Daniel moved up with the motion and allowed Jack's cock to slip free of his lips when Jack dropped back onto the bed.

Jack reached out and grabbed onto Daniel's shoulders, kneading his fingers into the muscles there, and felt a slippery finger sliding along his pucker. "Yes, Daniel, yes," he called out and pushed down against that finger, feeling the tip slide inside.

But he needed more, more, more. "Daniel," he shouted and dug his hands into Daniel's shoulders hard enough, he knew, to leave bruises.

He felt the pressure against his ass as Daniel pressed his finger all the way in and stroked it in and out, opening Jack, preparing him for the much larger object that would soon be filling him. He felt the finger withdraw and heard himself whimper at the loss. But he wasn't empty for long; the finger returned, along with a second. He felt the burn as Daniel scissored them back and forth, stretching him further. Within moments, he was riding those fingers in earnest and almost missed it when Daniel added a third finger.

He didn't miss it when one of those fingers brushed over his prostate, though. He cried out Daniel's name and very nearly exploded.

"Daniel, I'm gonna come," he gasped out. "Want you inside me."

Daniel pulled his fingers out and Jack pulled him up and into another kiss, draping his legs over Daniel's shoulders, not giving a damn about his creaky knees. "Now, Daniel," he demanded, "Now." And Daniel obeyed.

Jack arched his back and dug his hands into Daniel's hips as soon as he felt Daniel begin the push inside his body. The near painful stretch as his body accommodated itself to Daniel's hard length left Jack breathless and aching. It was so good, so good.

Daniel paused, breath sobbing in his lungs, once the head of his cock breached Jack's opening. They stayed there for a moment, waiting for Jack's body to adjust, and when he was ready Jack pressed his heels into Daniel's back. Daniel took the hint and slowly pressed deeper until Jack felt the rub of Daniel's balls against his ass.

Daniel paused again and buried his face in Jack's neck. Jack gave him a moment and then clenched the muscles of his ass, squeezing Daniel's cock. He pressed an open mouthed kiss against Daniel's sweat soaked temple and said, "Move."

Daniel arched up, bracing his hands on either side of Jack, locked his eyes on Jack's, and begun to thrust, deep and hard. After a couple thrusts, Daniel adjusted his angle and hit Jack's prostate dead on. Jack howled and arched up, trying to take Daniel in even deeper. They quickly found the perfect rhythm of stoking and thrusting. Jack's cock was pressed between their bodies and with every supple glide of hips against hips, belly against belly, chest against chest he could feel himself flying closer and closer to the edge.

He felt the spark and crackle of lightning racing through his body from the tips of his fingers and toes and up through his limbs and torso. He felt his balls tightening and Daniel's body moving over, in, and around him and he screamed as the top of his head blew off.

Dimly, in some far off corner of his broken mind, he felt Daniel thrust one last time, burying himself as deep inside Jack as he could go and filling Jack with his seed. But, it was only a distant, hazy awareness as what was left of Jack's consciousness slipped away.

When he came to, he found himself feeling an awful lot like he had when he'd awakened without his memory. Except, without the mind numbing agony (his ass ached, but it was a pleasant, well used feeling that he wanted to hang to as long as possible) and with his memory intact, thank you very much - no way in hell did he ever want to forget Daniel fucking him to within an inch of his life. He'd never passed out from pleasure before.

Alright, so maybe he didn't really feel all that much the same. He did feel like he'd never walk, or even move again. (Even opening his eyes seemed impossible.) He was sweaty and naked, too, and lying on a bed.

But that's where the similarities ended, since he knew this bed - it was his - and there was a warm, solid weight covering the left side of his body - a weight that was breathing quietly against his neck and had a leg tangled up with his.

He smiled and found that he had the strength, after all, to raise his arm and stroke Daniel's naked back.

He felt more than heard Daniel's hum of appreciation and chuckled. "It's good to know that I'm not the only one feeling like week old over cooked spaghetti."

"'S good," Daniel said, perplexingly.

Jack laughed. "I can't believe it. Who would have ever thought that I could leave the galaxy's greatest linguist speechless? I fucked you stupid."

Daniel let out a huff of air and lifted his head off of Jack's chest.

"Hey, who said you could move?" Jack said and pulled Daniel right back down where he'd been.

"I can lie here and converse about nearly any topic imaginable or we can lie here and bask in the afterglow. Which would you prefer?"

"You've got a point there," Jack said. "But we might want to clean up a bit and get under the covers."

"Sure," Daniel said with a yawn. "In a minute, though."

Jack slid his fingers into Daniel's hair and rubbed his thumb over Daniel's temple. "Fine by me," he said, still smiling.

He was really looking forward to the next seven days. He could already see the two of them hanging out at the cabin, laughing and teasing and fishing...and making love.

Then it would be back to the real world - where homosexuality was a court martial-able offense, random aliens tried to kill them on a regular basis, and his 2IC was acting like a love struck teenager.

He remembered thinking, back on Andam, that he could be happy, no matter what he had to endure, as long as he had Daniel by his side and he still believed it. Now more than ever.

Whatever happened in the future, they'd be alright. He was sure of it.

The End