Undercover

Summary: Daniel has to go undercover to find a Goa'uld - in DC! Paul and Jack come to play too.

"Paul, do you trust me?" Jack overheard Daniel whispering to Major Davis in the corridor as he made his way up to the briefing room for an impromptu meeting.

"Absolutely, Daniel. But this is big, too big for me to handle." Jack's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he heard that. 'Wash your mind out with soap, O'Neill', he told himself. 'This is far more innocent than it sounds.' As he turned the corner he saw Daniel, his hand on Davis' shoulder, smiling at him.

"It'll be okay, Paul, I promise. Come on, Hammond's waiting for us. Oh, hi Jack, going to the briefing room?"

"Er, yeah, better get your skates on, gentlemen, don't want to keep the General waiting do we?" Jack recovered in time to answer them, still confused by the overheard conversation.

They entered the room, Sam and Teal'c were already there, seated at the big table. Hammond was sitting at his customary place.

"Ah, good morning, gentlemen. Dr. Jackson, could you please inform us as to the reason behind this unscheduled briefing?"

"Yes General, of course. Look, Sir, before I go on, I must tell you that this is a matter of the utmost delicacy. I'd like to request that the cameras are turned off and all personnel not needed are asked to leave. Notes will not be required."

Hammond studied the archaeologist for a moment before he nodded. The airman in the room left and Daniel turned the camera off.

"What I have to say is given in the strictest confidence. If anyone has a problem with that, I'd ask you to leave now. Sam, Teal'c, you can stay if you want to, but you will not be needed for this mission for reasons that will become apparent as I go on. If either of you has a problem with the thorny subject of male homosexuality, I suggest you go now."

Sam blushed but remained seated, Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow and inclined his head in his 'go on, I'm listening' manner.

"Fine. A friend of mine came to me recently with a problem. He knows of a number of gay men, friends of his, who have gone missing over the last couple of weeks. The police have been informed but they have nothing to go on at the moment. The last place they were seen was in a gay club in Washington DC. Hence Major Davis' participation here. I'd like someone to back me up there, someone I know and trust. I need to go there, General. In this file," he passed the file to Hammond, "is possible evidence of Goa'uld involvement." He paused, waiting for a reaction. He got one, but not from Jack as he had expected.

"Daniel? Are you saying that a Goa'uld is taking people from a gay club in DC?" Sam looked incredulous at the news.

"That's precisely what I am saying. The Goa'uld in question is, I believe, Min. He took on the persona of the Egyptian god of male virility and sexuality. The club is called Nefertiti's, it is reputed to have a 'very accurate replica' of a sarcophagus there. Now, I don't believe that it is real, but my suspicion is that he is recruiting people, maybe like Seth did, and forming his own little cult. Probably by using nishta, he's growing his own little army. Given his historical background, the club would be the perfect backdrop for his recruitment drive. I propose to go there, meet up with Min and check him out. If it is him, then hopefully I'll get a chance to take him out before he takes me out. I'm immune to the nishta, but I can fake the effects if necessary. If it's all right with you, Paul, I'd like to stay at your place for the duration."

"Of course, Daniel, anything I can do to assist."

"Thank you. Of course, General, I can't ask for any military back-up, not in such a sensitive matter."

"Why not, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c was confused, and not a little hurt that he didn't want his Jaffa friend's assistance.

"Teal'c, have you heard of 'don't ask, don't tell?"

"I have heard it mentioned, but I do not understand it."

"Homosexuality in the armed forces is illegal. Technically, for example, the General can't ask anyone under his command if they are gay, and even if he did, the person in question should not tell. However, it doesn't work in practise. If I were to ask Jack to accompany me to the club, it could be inferred that he was gay if he was seen going in by someone who knew him but not the mission. If enough rumours got around, it could ruin his career. This is why I want to stay at Paul's but not for him to come with me. Of course, I can't ask you to come, because your symbiote would be detected by the Goa'uld, if, of course, there is one there. The same applies to Sam, but that's a moot point anyway, it's a male-only club."

Sam nodded her understanding, as did Teal'c, but then Sam put in, "Daniel! You can't go in on your own! You'll get eaten alive!"

Daniel laughed at that, as did Jack. Hammond tried not to snigger and Davis looked anywhere but at the rest of the people in the room.

"Why do you say that, Sam?" he asked innocently.

"I'll be blunt, Daniel. You'll hate me for this, but, well, hell..."

"What Carter is trying to so delicately say Daniel, is that she, and all of the women on the base think you're a totally heinous babe." Jack managed to keep his voice intact for that sentence but he let go to his laughter after he had finished.

Daniel blinked, sighed and licked his bottom lip before saying, "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint them then. Um Sam? Don't you think that I can manage to look after myself?"

"Of course Daniel, but you'll be outnumbered." She managed to control the blushing for a moment. "Daniel, you're protected here, no one is allowed to harass you. If you go there you'll be harassed to within an inch of your life. You don't go clubbing much, do you?"

"Not in the Springs, Sam. It's never a good idea to go somewhere that you could be recognised, especially when you work somewhere like a military base."

She did a double take and Jack fell on the floor. "Oh for God sake Daniel, put her out of her misery," he implored.

"Sam, I'm gay, didn't you know?" The water that she had just started to drink ended up over the table.

Spluttering she managed to get out, "Shau're? Sarah?"

"Sarah and Shau're were the only women in my life, at least when I was in my right mind. Look Sam, I suppose I'm technically bisexual, but after the straight relationships I've had I'm sticking with the guys, it's safer. I know what I'm doing, I've been fighting off the sharks since I was fourteen, before I even knew myself. Trust me on this one, I can handle myself."

Sam was astounded by this revelation. She had no idea about this. Daniel took pity on her. "Sam, I never said anything before because I didn't think it was necessary. Do you have a problem with this? Don't you want me on the team anymore?"

"No, no, no, Daniel, no problem, don't leave us. I'm hurt you never said anything, especially as I seem to be the only one who didn't know. I thought we were friends." Her voice trailed off quietly and Daniel felt lousy.

"Sorry Sam. I've had to keep it a secret. I've done the hospitalised, beaten to within an inch of my life thing. If it gets out, I'm likely to end up back there. You're not the only one that didn't know. The General knew, of course, as did Jack, because it's on my file. That's how Paul knows too. Very few people do, the powers that be wanted to keep me safe. The only way to do that is to go around pretending that I am completely oblivious so that I don't get everyone thinking I'm gay. They just see me as some asexual bookworm. That's okay by me, it keeps my ribs intact a bit longer."

She nodded, again beginning to understand his reasoning. "Colonel. You've known from the start?"

"Since the first mission. And before you ask, I couldn't give a damn. Daniel's my friend and the Air Force can kick me out before I end that friendship. His sexuality is completely irrelevant to me, always has been. It's never been an issue between us."

Daniel smiled at Jack. Things had been tough between them, but they'd come through it somehow. And one thing was for sure, no matter how bad things had been, Daniel always trusted Jack with this secret.

"Sam? I don't have to ask you to keep this quiet, do I?"

"Oh God no, Daniel. Promise, I won't even tell Janet." Her eyes twinkled at him, she was starting to forgive him.

He grinned, "Oh, she does know, but I'd still rather it wasn't a topic for discussion on your famed girls' nights." After receiving another reassurance he looked at Teal'c and raised an eyebrow at him. He got a nod in return. Everything was fine between them too.

Hammond spoke up. "I can see why you want to protect your friends, Dr. Jackson, but I must admit to being unhappy about you going into this alone. I would like Colonel O'Neill and Major Davis to accompany you to this club. If it were a normal club, then I'd bow to your superior expertise," his eyes flashed at Daniel with amusement, getting a grin in return. "However, if, as you say this club turns out to be run by a Goa'uld, I would be remiss in my duties to let you go alone. I can make this an order, put it on both officer's records that they were doing this under duress given the nature of the investigation. Nothing will be able to be inferred from it, I assure you."

Jack gave his assent, Davis too, neither of them able to look the General in the eye.

Daniel agreed, truthfully he would be glad of the company, but he wasn't sure about having both Jack and Paul there. Things could get interesting. He turned to Paul.

"Paul? Do you have access to spy toys? What I want is a very small tracking device, something that can be worn as unobtrusive jewellery for example. I don't want to go in wired, but if I get taken, it would be good to know that you could follow me."

"Leave it to me, Daniel. I'm sure I can come up with something. I'll head back to Washington as soon as I can, you follow on and let me know when you're due in. I'll pick you up from the airport. Don't worry, Colonel, I have enough room for you to stay as well."

"Thank you, Major. Your hospitality is appreciated."

"Well, if that's everything, good luck gentlemen, and dismissed."

As they walked out Daniel asked, "Sam, could you get in touch with your dad and find out as much as possible about Min, please? The more I know the better. I could be completely wrong here, it may well be a different snake, or none at all, so if he knows anything..."

"I'm on it, Daniel. Anything else I can do, just holler."

"Thanks, Sam, I knew I could count on you." He gave her his 'to die for' smile and she returned it, her heart heavier for knowing that he was now well and truly off the market. As Daniel walked past a couple of airwomen, she smirked as she watched their heads turn. Oh, they had no idea.

Daniel and Jack drove with Davis to the airport, not wanting a driver to overhear their conversation.

"So, are you all right with this Jack?" Daniel asked tentatively. "I know you'll be uncomfortable, but I'll do everything I can to protect you."

"I'm fine, Daniel. I wasn't happy about the thought that you'd go in there alone."

"Okay, but I have a plan and you're not going to like it. The idea is that I find Min, so," his voice trailed slightly as he tried to put this as best as he could, "it would be best if you and Paul went in posing as a couple and I just tag along."

"Excuse me?" Jack wasn't too sure about this. Him and Davis a couple? They'd never pull it off.

"Look Jack, if you two are seen to be together, you won't get hit on. The idea is that I do get hit on, at least by the right person. Don't worry, I can handle myself, honestly. I haven't gotten into a fight in a club in years." Jack was surprised by that; the thought of Daniel getting into a fight frightened him if he was being honest.

Davis agreed that it would be for the best. Jack studied his face for a moment, thought and then said, "You're the friend, aren't you? Don't worry," he added hastily, "your secret's safe with me. Daniel knows how I feel about the law, I hate it and want it changed, but in the meantime, I'll protect any gay soldier I know. And I know quite a few."

Paul relaxed a bit and then nodded. "Yes, it's me. A couple of people I know, young, good-looking men, have disappeared. They're not lovers of mine, never were, they're acquaintances. They were going on about the new club, saying how much they enjoyed themselves. They said the club owner was really nice and friendly. Then one day, they stopped coming to the bar where we would meet. I knew their names and where they lived, I'd been to a party there once. The neighbours said they'd gone out one night and not come back. These are not flaky individuals; one is a doctor and the other's a lawyer, it's totally out of character for them. I looked into it as discreetly as I could and found out that a number of men had disappeared and they were all connected with the club. I hacked into the club's membership list, boy that was a hard task I can tell you, and checked off all the recently missing young men from the DC police's list. There was a large overlap of the names. I turned to Daniel because I didn't know who else to talk to." He turned his head away and looked out at the scenery.

Jack watched him for a bit and then put his hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed it. Paul looked up and managed a tight smile. Daniel called back from the driver's seat, "Paul, you did the right thing. As soon as I looked into this club my warning bells went off. The close replica of the sarcophagus was one thing, but there were other, less tangible things that are making me convinced that this is a Goa'uld we're dealing with."

O'Neill observed the interaction between the two men. "How long have you two been together?"

Davis blushed and Daniel answered. "We're not anymore. We're just friends, best friends. We were together for quite a while, but we stopped seeing each other like that about a year ago. We got wind of a rumour or two about us. I won't endanger Paul's career." There was an air of finality about that last statement and Jack dropped the subject.

They said very little on the way back from the airport to Jack's house, the comfortable silence between the two friends had no need to be broken. When they got back though, Daniel needed to help Jack understand a few things.

"Look, Jack, this isn't easy for me to say, but I have to say it. You're going to have to drop your straight man attitude and do it quickly. It'll be picked up the second you walk through the door. I know you're not a bigot, and I'm really glad of that, but, well, you know..."

"I'm going to have to pucker up and kiss my heterosexuality goodbye?"

"Only temporarily, and only when we're in the club, Jack. Oh God, this is so difficult, I really don't want to open up old wounds."

"You still haven't forgiven yourself have you? I told you, Daniel, I don't care that you kissed me that time, and I'm sorry I freaked. I wasn't expecting it, that was all." He wandered over to where Daniel was pulling clothes out of Jack's drawer, looking for suitable attire for him. It wasn't too easy, most of his trousers were denim, and not at all right for this particular club.

Jack put his arm around Daniel and pulled him close, hugging him hard. "Daniel, we got over that, didn't we? I know I went mad and started chasing Carter. It was stupid of me and cruel. I've sorted everything out with her, we're okay again. I guess I was thinking that I'd been sending you the wrong signals and the macho prick in me took over for a while. I was so horrible to you. Damn, I've done some pretty stupid things in my time, but that one was the worst. I don't ever want you to think that I don't like you. If you ever take it upon yourself to kiss me again, I won't hit you this time, I promise. Just give me some warning, okay?"

Daniel grinned. "Um, Jack? If you're going to pull this off, you and Paul..." he let his voice trail off knowing that Jack would finish that sentence in his head. He did, groaned and flopped on his bed.

"Hell, I think I'd be a lot happier if it was you, Daniel. I mean, apart from that time, I've never been kissed by a guy. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"It's exactly the same as kissing a woman, Jack, but better."

"Better?"

Daniel bit his lip, shut his eyes for a moment and plucked up his courage. "Do you want me to kiss you now? So you'll be able to relax in the club, I mean."

Jack swallowed, took a deep breath and nodded carefully. He went to sit up, but Daniel gently told him to stay put. He wanted Jack to be as relaxed as possible for this. He removed his glasses and kicked off his shoes before slowly laying down next to Jack. He could see how nervous Jack was so he whispered that things would be okay, that he'd take care of him, stroked his face gently and then kissed him. Their lips just brushed together at first, Daniel waiting for Jack to hit him, but he didn't so he pressed a little harder, running his tongue over Jack's bottom lip. A small moan came from Jack's throat, encouraging Daniel to take things a little further. He pried Jack's mouth open with his tongue and deepened the kiss. The intensity grew, Jack's arms wrapped themselves around Daniel, pulling him closer. Daniel allowed himself to be led by the other man, taking his cues from what Jack's body language was telling him. And it was telling him that his friend was enjoying this a lot more than he had ever thought he would.

Daniel pulled back and looked Jack in the eye, trying to gauge just what Jack was feeling. Jack couldn't speak, but he put his hand up to Daniel's neck and pulled him back into the kiss. Their bodies lay right next to each other now, hands carefully exploring each other. Again, Daniel would only follow Jack's lead, and that meant his hands strayed no further than Jack's back and thighs. More moans, from both men this time, the passion deepened until Jack suddenly broke the kiss, panting partially through anoxia, and partially because of surprise. Daniel felt how hard Jack was against him and realised just how surprised Jack was.

"Oh!" he said, trying to hide his amusement.

"Oh God Daniel, I had no idea, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I know, Jack, don't worry, your secret's safe with me," he winked at Jack, hoping that his friend would see the comment for what it was, an out from his particular predicament. Jack grinned back, but he didn't move away, if anything, he moved closer, though that was difficult.

Daniel considered his options. He could a) get up and carry on packing, pretending that this hadn't happened; b) stay put until Jack said something to ruin the mood, or, c) do something about Jack's, er, sidearm.

What the fuck? He'd see if Jack was up for option c.

Slowly, he worked his hand towards Jack's groin, waiting for the word to stop. It didn't come. He reached the belt and skilfully undid it; still no reaction. This would be the moment of truth, he thought to himself as he unzipped Jack's pants. Jack's erection twitched as Daniel's fingers brushed against it and the older man's breathing quickened, but he didn't stop him. Daniel took this as permission to carry on. Gently, he pushed Jack onto his back, planting soft kisses over his face as he did it, tracing Jack's jaw line up to his ear, nibbling on the lobe and then kissing his way back down to Jack's neck. Meanwhile, his hands had pulled Jack's pants and boxers down, freeing his cock so that Daniel could get to work. Jack had never looked so afraid, Daniel thought, so he kept up the whispering, telling him how he'd be okay, that everything would be wonderful, he promised. 'Trust me, Jack, I'd never do anything you didn't want me to, I promise. I won't hurt you, I love you, remember that, never forget it. I love you, Jack, I'd do anything for you'. Over and over again he murmured words of love as his hands stroked Jack's body and prick. Jack thrust into Daniel's hand, urging him on. Daniel could see that he was getting beyond reason now, and just needed to come, no matter who was doing the work.

He quickly slid down Jack's body and took him in his mouth. Jack let out a yell as Daniel's tongue showed him that it was far more talented than he had ever before imagined. Daniel had to hold him down to stop himself being choked. All too soon Jack's orgasm ripped through him and Daniel had to swallow quickly.

"FUCKING HELL Daniel!" Jack yelled as it hit him.

As soon as it was over, Daniel scooted back up to his face, holding him tight as he quivered.

"Oh God Jack, are you all right? Talk to me, Jack, please. Please don't hate me."

"D.d.don't hate you, D.Daniel. N.Never, okay? Just hold me, please." Daniel held him as closely as he could while Jack tried to come to terms with what had happened.

"Look at me," Jack sniffed, "like a girl."

"Oh no, definitely not like a girl. You're most certainly a man, Jack, no arguments from me," Daniel teased him gently as he tipped Jack's face up to look at him with his finger.

"Are you all right, Jack? What are you feeling?"

"Confused, to tell you the truth. Daniel, I don't know what to do. Help me?"

"Talk Jack, tell me what's going on in your mind, everything, don't hold back."

"I've never, ever, ever felt so incredible in my whole goddamn life. Part of me wants to do it again, another part of me wants to run screaming from the room, and the last part of me, a small one, wants to beat the crap out of you. I won't," he added quickly, "I'll never hit you again, I promise. What I want to do is get hold of the macho prick inside me and throttle him, kill him off so I don't ever get so stupid again... Um Daniel? You said you loved me."

"I do, Jack. I hope that doesn't offend you."

"NO! God, no, Daniel. I just wanted to know you weren't just saying that. Did you mean as a friend?"

"That goes without saying, but, hell, I'd better admit it. I'm in love with you, have been since I first laid eyes on you. Don't feel you have to reciprocate or try to let me down gently. I got pretty deflated when you hit me that time. By the way, I was only pretending to be drunk then, I knew what I was doing."

"You got pretty depressed, didn't you?"

"Yeah, didn't really notice much around me."

"Like the fact that you had a grumbling appendix? How long were you ill before it exploded?"

"Dunno, about a week I guess. That's how long after..."

"Jeez, Daniel, I'm sorry. I nearly killed you, didn't I? And then when I got back. Why didn't I see it? Why didn't you tell me I was being such a jerk?"

"You wouldn't talk to me, I thought you hated me." Daniel's voice was small, he was trying to choke back the sob that was building. It had been hard enough being rejected by the man he was so much in love with, but he'd half-expected that. It was the next eight months or so that really hurt. He'd found comfort in Paul's arms, but it wasn't easy to get to see him so that time with him wasn't as good as it could have been.

"I didn't hate you, I've never hated you. Forgive me?"

"Nothing to forgive."

"There is, Daniel, I was awful, a complete fucking bastard. I don't deserve you."

"Forgive me for turning your life on its head? Forgive me for kissing you then and now?"

"Nothing to forgive, Daniel. Oh, and in case you were wondering, I love you too. Not sure about the in-love thing, but I do love you. Where do we go from here? I mean, I have no idea what I want, to be honest."

"Jack, that's the only thing I expect from you. Honesty. If you want to be with me, as in me-you-couple, nothing would make me happier. However, if you want to be as we were, just pals, then I'm going to live with that, because I don't want to lose your friendship. I can't and I won't be your fuck-buddy. It's all or nothing. If you can't cope with the all, then we'll go back to being friends, okay?"

"Okay, yeah, that's more than okay. I understand, all or nothing. I couldn't go half measures with you Daniel. Anyone else, maybe, but not you, you mean far too much to me. Look, I need time to think. At the moment, all I can think about is what just happened and I don't think that I'd necessarily make the right decision. Is that all right with you? I don't want to hurt your feelings, you know."

"You won't. Like I said, I only ever expect you to be one hundred percent truthful. You just have been, so that's okay. Take all the time you need, Jack. Do you want me to wait for you? I mean, I don't feel like spending the next ten years celibate." He smirked at Jack, making him laugh.

"How about the next few weeks or so? And no, go have fun if you want, but if I get terribly jealous..."

"...you'll tell me. Capiche?"

"Capiche." Jack pulled Daniel into a bear hug. "This isn't getting the packing done, you know. Come on, work to do."

The next morning found them on a commercial flight to DC. Paul was waiting to pick them up and he had a few surprises for them. They met him on the concourse and he drove them to his apartment. Jack let out a long, low whistle at the size of the place. It had two bedrooms and a huge living room with an open-plan kitchen on the side. All the furniture was in the best possible taste, original works of art adorned the walls. Daniel had been there before and he settled in quickly. He put his suitcase in Paul's bedroom out of habit, came out of it and found the others staring at him. He hit his forehead, saying, "Ah hell, so much for discreet. Sorry Paul, habit. I'll go get the stuff back out."

"Don't worry Daniel. Two of us were going to have to double up anyway. I'd kinda figured it would be you and me. Just no prowling, okay?"

"Prowling?" asked Jack.

"Yes," replied Paul, "he doesn't sleep very well and gets up and prowls around till the sun rises. Then, of course, he's out for the count and you don't see him till the afternoon."

"Don't blame me," Daniel complained, "too many years of parties, allnighters at work and living on a planet with a thirty-six-hour day. It's all taken its toll. I can't help it."

Jack just laughed, the prospect of taking Daniel on just became a little more intriguing. He had found himself the night before, wondering just what it would be like to be with him. He knew that if they got together, that it would be the relationship - the last one. He knew he'd never be able to leave Daniel, and he was pretty certain that Daniel felt the same. Hell, if he'd stuck by him for all of those years, his love for Jack unrequited, it was a pretty fair bet that if it was returned you wouldn't be able to drag Daniel away. No, instability wasn't the problem. The problem was the fact that Daniel's IQ was so high that his brain just didn't stop. Jack had looked up famous people's IQs on the web and found that Daniel was well higher than Einstein (who shared a score with Carter); in fact only about three or four people in history were judged to have a higher score than him. And of course, with brilliance comes its own problems. Daniel's temper for one and his tendency to have his mind on other things (usually about five or six things) and therefore appearing a bit, well, flaky. Life was never going to be dull if they got together.

"Did you get the tracker, Paul?"

"Oh yes, you're going to love this," he said as he made the coffee. There was no point in asking Daniel if he wanted any, he just put the maker on. Once it was started, Paul wandered into the living room and pulled his briefcase from behind the sofa. Apart from reams of paperwork, there were a couple of small boxes.

He opened one, and in it was a single stud.

"It's a navel stud, Daniel. Pop it in and we'll know where you are. The transmitter can be detected up to a hundred miles away." Jack had no idea that Daniel could wear one of those studs and his heart skipped a beat when he saw him pulling his shirt up out of his pants and undoing its bottom buttons. Daniel's hard-won ab muscles showed as he slid the post of the stud through a hole in his belly button.

"Ouch!" Jack exclaimed, "that's gotta hurt."

"Nope, it was frozen when I had it done and it doesn't hurt now."

"Why did you have it done?" he continued, adding, "that's one of those questions I just had to ask, isn't it?"

"It's nice," Paul said, biting his bottom lip and trying not to blush and laugh at the same time.

Daniel's eyes glistened, his wicked humour overtaking his sense, "Lick it and see."

"I think I'll pass," Jack grinned as he answered, "not really my cup of tea. Moving right along, how are we going to track him?"

Paul handed him a watch with a compass on it. He reached out to Daniel and squeezed the top of the stud, making Daniel giggle, then he pressed the button on the side of the watch.

"Daniel, walk to the bedroom please." He wandered off and Jack was amazed that the top of the watch changed and became a tiny tracking monitor. He watched it bleeping as Daniel moved.

"Wow! I'm impressed. Where did you get it and can I keep it? I'm always losing him off-world, if I've got this I'll know where he is."

"Can't tell you and I'll ask. Suffice it to say I have a friend in the CIA who owes me big time. Don't ask, I'm not telling." Paul's expression was positively evil with delight at the thought of the ex-lover he had at the CIA. He'd been a lot of fun. He had something else.

"Here, press this stud into the pants you're wearing. It'll come out easily enough. Just make sure it's right next to your skin. Colonel, you do the same with this one." They followed his instructions to the letter. "Now, Daniel, press the stud." He did and Jack let out a yelp.

"Hey, that tingles," he complained.

"It should. It's a short-range communicator. Do you both know Morse code?" They answered in the affirmative and Daniel beamed, he'd got the idea straight away. Press the stud in time to the code and a silent message could be passed. Neat.

"Jack, stop it. Only use it when you need to," he scolded as Jack played with the button. "Oh, and don't you two think you should call each other by your first names? It'll look a little odd if you call each other by your rank. Get used to it now. In fact," he smirked at the thought, "you should get used to each other, period. You are supposed to be lovers, after all."

The two officers looked awkwardly at each other. Daniel lost his patience. "Oh, for crying out loud. Jack, sit on the sofa next to Paul. He doesn't bite - well he does, but he won't bite you." Davis blushed at that. Jack harrumphed and sat next to him, Daniel gave up and wandered off to get the coffee. As he walked back in he saw the two of them sitting primly next to each other, not talking.

"Jack, loosen up or you're not going to the club. Here, just relax." He put his mug on the coffee table, then sat in-between the others, shuffling them out of the way. One hand wormed its way around Paul's neck and he responded by snuggling into Daniel. His other did the same to Jack. Jack took a deep breath and put his arm around Daniel's back, moving closer to him as he did. "There, that's better," Daniel said. "Why can't you do this without me here?" Both men looked up at him and then at each other. It was no good, they'd have to try.

Daniel got up, picked his mug up and left them, saying he was going to have a bath. He went into the bedroom to get undressed. As he came out to wander into the bathroom, he saw them snuggling on the sofa. Paul looked over Jack's shoulder. Daniel mouthed, "kiss him" and left them to it.

"Um, Co, er Jack?"

"Yes, Ma, er, Paul?"

"We really need to look like we're a couple tonight. If we don't Daniel could end up in trouble. We can't go in pretending to be this and being a blatant set-up."

"You're right. How on earth are we going to pull this one off?"

"I have an idea, but you're probably not going to like it."

"Go on."

Paul shifted around until he was facing Jack, took a deep breath and leant over him. Then he kissed him, much like Daniel had, gently at first but then increasing the pressure until Jack caved and relaxed. He didn't touch Paul like he had Daniel, though he did end up wrapping his arms around him for comfort's sake. Before long they were lying on the sofa and Paul started to feel pretty comfortable about the whole thing. Jack, however, was thinking of Daniel. It was the only way he was going to relax. Why couldn't he have been the one to pretend with him?

By the time Daniel had got out of the bath and made his way back into the living room, the two men were laughing with each other, much more at ease with each other's company.

"Bed!" he shouted to them.

"Daniel? It's still the afternoon," complained Paul.

"Yes, and we're going to be up late tonight. We need to rest now if we're going to have our wits about us at 2 a.m. Come on, nap time."

The others shrugged and followed him. Paul showed Jack his room and then went with Daniel to his own.

"God Daniel, you look fucking gorgeous," he murmured as he saw him stood with the towel around his waist. "C'mere," he whispered and Daniel melted into his arms.

"I miss this," he said, "just being here with you, Paul. I know we can't have a relationship but I so miss you."

"I know, me too. How about a reminder of what we're missing?"

"We're supposed to be sleeping and Jack's in the next room."

"So? We'll be quiet."

"When am I ever quiet?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can think of something to keep your mouth occupied." Paul's evil glint returned and Daniel knew immediately what he had in mind. A particular favourite of theirs.

Daniel lay on the bed, his towel removed. He grew hard at the sight of Paul undressing in front of him. He wanted him and now.

Paul finally got into the bed and Daniel pulled him close. They spent what seemed like an age just kissing and touching, remembering the places that made the other gasp and moan. Then Paul twisted himself around and 'assumed the position'.

Jack couldn't sleep. He got up to take a leak but he got distracted by the muffled moans coming from the other bedroom. He didn't want to know what was going on in there, but something made him creep to the door. It was slightly ajar and he looked in through the crack, half-hoping that he wouldn't be able to see anything. He got an eyeful. There on the bed, two beautiful naked men in the 69 position, finger fucking each other as they worked. He ignored Paul as best he could, focussing on Daniel, watching him as he gave and received a vast amount of pleasure at the same time. A stifled moan caused Daniel to grin. Paul had obviously just come because he withdrew from Daniel's face and twisted himself so he could concentrate on his lover. Jack found himself not breathing as he watched Daniel's face as he built up to his climax. The contortions grew until he threw his head back and let out a suppressed yell, his hand over his mouth as he tried to keep quiet.

Jack rushed to the bathroom, as quietly as he could. Closing and locking the door behind him he dropped his pants. He couldn't believe how hard he was, that the sight of Daniel in the throws of passion could send him this far. He shut his eyes, remembering Daniel's face as he came and quickly found himself with a very wet hand.

A couple of hours later, he went into the kitchen. Quiet snores came from the bedroom and raised a smile. Daniel was notorious for being able to go to sleep anywhere at anytime - except at night. He made some coffee and took it into the sleeping men. Only a sheet draped over their waists covered their embarrassment as Jack gently woke them. He was a little harsher on Davis, who after all was used to a military wake up, but he sat on Daniel's side of the bed and stroked his head.

"Daniel. Coffee." He waved the brew under Daniel's nose and his bleary eyes opened.

"Thanks Jack," he mumbled as he sat up, the sheet falling away from him and leaving him exposed. He didn't even blink, just took the coffee and drank it. Jack kept looking at Daniel's face, so Paul used to opportunity to run to the bathroom for a shower.

The clicking of the door caused Jack's head to turn and he saw Daniel's naked body stretched out before him. Surprisingly, Daniel didn't blush. Instead he said, "Like what you see?"

Jack did blush, but he answered, "Oh yeah, Daniel, very nice."

Daniel put his coffee down and reached up to Jack, pulling him closer. "If you decide on me, Jack, it's all yours," he whispered, then he kissed him gently on the mouth before releasing him and grabbing his coffee again.

"All mine?" Jack grinned at the thought.

"Oh yeah, yours, nobody else will get to touch, I promise. But till then..."

"You're gonna play?"

"You'd better believe it, flyboy."

Daniel looked stunning as he emerged from the bedroom. Paul and Jack were already dressed and waiting for him. He wore tight black pants, showing his thigh muscles as he walked. On top, he wore a skimpy blue soft cotton T-shirt that matched his eyes. He'd pulled on a black leather jacket, popped his contacts in and he was ready to go.

"Oh Daniel, you look edible," Paul moaned. Daniel grinned, kissing Paul's cheek by way of thanks. He looked at Jack, the older man's brown eyes were nearly black with desire. He kissed his cheek too, "Just to get you used to it, Jack," he said with a wink. The two men let Daniel lead, rather enjoying the view from behind.

The club was in most ways like any other; apart from the almost authentic decoration. Daniel, when he finally got into it, was quite impressed. The room looked like the funereal area of the inside of a pyramid, correctly written hieroglyphs and all. However, he'd had to run the gauntlet on the way in. Like other clubs it had bouncers on the door, selecting those that they wanted in there, getting rid of those they didn't. Daniel breezed up to the entrance, the others unnoticed by anyone else as they followed. The three of them were waved in, no problems. Daniel flashed a beaming smile at the bouncers. He was really doing his job. Everybody saw him, nobody saw Jack or Paul. They could watch the watchers without being observed while all the attention was drawn by the 'god' that had appeared.

Jack got some drinks in, he and Paul sat in the shadow, Daniel in the spotlight. Within an hour, Daniel had danced with countless partners and been propositioned more times than he could remember, neatly deflecting all suggestions. The one person he wanted to meet though was elusive. He returned to the table, finding Paul tucked under Jack's arm, trying to look like a couple who were used to each other.

"I hate this," moaned Daniel. "My feet are killing me. Is this guy even here?"

"Have you asked at the bar?" suggested Jack. He was really impressed by the way Daniel was handling things so far.

"Not yet, hey, got an idea," Daniel shot up and headed over to the bar.

"Does he ever stop thinking?" Paul asked.

"Never. I've known him take a nap and wake up having solved some mystery or other. I wonder what he's up to now?"

They watched as Daniel approached the barman.

"Hi," he said breathlessly, immediately catching his attention. "What do I get if I translate this for you?" he said, his eyes twinkling as he pointed to the hieroglyphs.

"My undivided attention, sugar," he said.

"Min, God of Man and fertility, come and give us your blessings," said Daniel, hardly taking his eyes off the barman. "I'd love to know who it was that wrote these, they're very accurate."

A frantic buzzing hit Daniel's side. Jack was trying to get his attention before transmitting one word.

._. ._

Ra.

As he translated the dots and dashes in his mind a voice from his side said, "I did."

Daniel swallowed and turned slowly around. It wasn't Ra, but someone who looked a hell of a lot like him. A young Arab man, stunningly beautiful, stood in front of him.

"I am Farouk," he said. "I am the owner of this club. And you are?"

"Daniel," he replied, holding his hand out to him, "pleased to meet you."

"Hello Daniel. Not many people can read the hieroglyphs. Are you an archaeologist?"

"Sort of. An interested amateur," he replied, not wanting to give too much information away. "I was born in Egypt. My parents were archaeologists. I learned to read hieroglyphs as a kid."

"Fascinating," Farouk said, "and so beautiful. Why don't you join me?"

Daniel took a deep breath and agreed. This was the reason behind them going there after all, but he was still very nervous. At least no one else was hitting on him now. He spent ages talking away to 'Farouk'. Daniel wondered if that was a made up name or if it was the host's name. He needed to find out for sure if this guy was a Goa'uld.

"I've heard you have a replica of a sarcophagus here," he said, fluttering his eyelashes at the man in front of him. "I'd love to see it."

Farouk stood up and put his hand out. Daniel took it and allowed himself to be led to another room. He gasped when he saw the sarcophagus, it looked real to him. He read out the cartouche, "Min, Lord of the System and God of fertility." 'System Lord. Got you'.

Daniel slinked past the Goa'uld, running his fingers down the top of the sarcophagus. He found the dial to open it and gently pushed it. Nothing happened. It was a fake.

"So, are you going to tell me how you got a replica to look so real?"

"I have a real one," Farouk said carefully. "Would you like to see it?"

"I'd love to," Daniel said breathlessly, "but I can't tonight, my friends are waiting for me. They'll kick up such a fuss if I stay away from them for too long. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow it is," Farouk replied, running his finger down the side of Daniel's face. "Beautiful, so beautiful."

"I could say the same about you," retorted Daniel, "you are exquisite. I have a penchant for men from the country of my birth." Fighting down the nausea that threatened to encompass him, now that he knew that he was dealing with a snake, he snatched the other man's hand in his and kissed the inside of his wrist, never removing his eyes from those of Farouk. He was sure he detected a faint flash of gold across the big, dark-brown eyes in front of him.

"Tomorrow," he whispered and then turned and left.

As he emerged from the room, Paul and Jack stood up and moved swiftly to his side. Another man came over and tried to ask him to dance, but Jack stepped between them, wrapped his arm around Daniel's waist, kissed him and said, "Mine!".

"No, Paul's yours. You know I don't like it when you're so possessive. You can have me back when you start to behave." Daniel looked apologetically at the stranger. "I have to keep teaching him this," he sighed. Then he took Jack by the hand and led him out, Paul at his other side.

"Jack, you nearly blew your cover," Daniel scolded as they walked down the street.

"I'm sorry, I was afraid. That guy had been hitting on other guys in there, and he wasn't giving off very good vibes if you get my drift. The other guys were avoiding him. I didn't feel so bad about you dancing with the others, just that one."

"Fair enough, Jack, but let me handle it. If it gets physical I'll rely on you to come and help me out."

They made their way back to Paul's place before Daniel told them what he'd seen.

"I'm pretty sure it's Min. Hard to tell without Sam or Teal'c here, but there's no way they can come. If I turn up there tomorrow with a woman or a Jaffa things could get out of hand. I'd better have a look see if Sam's found out anything from the Tok'ra."

He hooked up his laptop, dialled it up and checked his email.

From: scart@tlc_sgc.com

>To: cfl@tlc_sgc.com

>Daniel, you were right. Min was a snake and has been
>unheard of for millennia. Careful. He's a bad one. Loves
>beautiful young men. The Colonel will be ok but you and Paul
>will be targets. Let me know if you need anything

>Love you still

>Sam

Daniel grinned as Jack complained, hit the reply button and sent her a thank you. He was relieved that she had forgiven him so easily for holding out on her.

"Okay, I know this is gonna be another one of those, 'I just had to ask' things, but 'scart@tlc_sgc.com'? Not to mention 'cfl'. What's all that about?"

"Sam set up a new sub-domain, Jack, 'tlc' stands for 'tastes like chicken."

Jack roared with laughter, Paul smirked. Daniel explained, "The MREs, Paul, they all taste like chicken to me. I know it's an old joke about unusual food, but in this case, it's accurate. It's an SG-1 thing."

"Daniel? Scart? Cfl?"

"Scart - Sam Carter, as well as scart lead, you know what she's like with gadgets. And cfl, coffee flavoured linguist. A joke between her and me, that's all. We could set up new email addys for you two, if you like. Let's think, Paul, you could be, um, I know! Tash."

"Go on, though I know I'm going to regret it. Tash?"

"Tight ass, soft hands." Jack fell about and Paul blushed.

"Daniel! You are incorrigible."

"But you still love me?"

"Always, but for that you can sleep with Jack tonight."

"Lucky me," said Jack, a little sarcastically, but not too much. "That, of course, depends on what my email thingy would be. He could end up sleeping on the couch."

"Of course, Jack, I could be aiming to sleep in a bed on my own. Nothing stopping you sleeping with Paul, especially as you're an 'item' and all."

Daniel ducked the clip aimed at his head and thought about Jack. "Hmm, what would I want as your email name, Jack? What is it about you that I like?"

"The eyes," said Paul, "definitely something to do with his eyes."

"Oh yes, couldn't leave out your eyes," Daniel said.

"Are you two flirting with me?" Jack asked nervously.

"Don't you like it?" Daniel tried to look hurt. Paul just denied everything.

"I'm not sure," Jack replied diplomatically.

Daniel was sitting opposite Jack. They were at the table, drinking coffee. Daniel stared at him, mesmerised by the steam rising from Jack's mug, slightly obscuring his face.

"Got it. Bedbug."

"Bedbug?"

"Beautiful eyes, divine body, undeniably gorgeous." Jack threw back his head and howled with laughter.

"And I thought it was because you wanted this old bug to bite you," he said, a wicked grin spread across his face.

"That too," Daniel snapped back, smiling brightly at him and licking his bottom lip.

Jack whimpered. "Dammit Daniel, that's not fair, you know. Bringing out the big guns, smiling at me, licking your lip, you're not playing by the rules."

Daniel pouted instead.

"Bastard," growled Jack.

"I know."

Paul stood up. "I'm going to bed. On my own, Daniel. If you want someone to play with, you'd better try and get Jack to drop the straight act."

"It's not an act, I am straight," Jack complained.

"Oh yeah? I've never been kissed that passionately by a straight guy. Come to think of it, you could teach some gay guys I know a thing or two." Paul winked at Daniel, sending him out 'good luck' vibes, kissed Jack on the cheek and went to bed. Daniel chased after him to grab his nightwear. He didn't think that Jack could take him naked.

Daniel got changed in the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth and washing before heading to the bedroom.

"Daniel," Jack said, "what did the snake do?"

"Nothing, not really. He was flirting with me. Damn, if he had been snake-free I'd have been over him like a rash. He's fucking gorgeous."

"You've got a thing for Egyptians."

"That I have, Jack, that I have. I think his host must have been a relative of Ra, he looks so much like him."

"I have to admit my heart stopped when I saw him," replied Jack, "he looked too familiar."

"So did mine, but for a different reason," giggled Daniel.

They got into the bed, Jack lying awkwardly on one side, Daniel sighing with frustration on the other.

"Come here, Jack, there's no need to be silly. I told you, I'd never do anything you didn't want me to do. I know I forced the kissing issue, but that really was because of the mission. I don't want you to stick out like a sore thumb, you know."

"Come any closer and that's not what's going to be sticking out," retaliated Jack.

"I can always help you with that, if you want," Daniel sighed suggestively.

Jack laughed. "Are you always like this?"

"Only with a very few people, Jack, only with those I trust. Come here, I promise to behave." He put his arms out and Jack scooted between them, finding himself relaxing in Daniel's arms.

"Were you jealous, Jack?"

"What, of all those guys who were tripping over their tongues tonight?"

"I wouldn't say they were doing that, but yes, I suppose so."

"Spitting feathers, to tell you the truth. And they were, I can assure you. Nobody even came close to you tonight, Daniel. Min was probably the next best looking guy there."

"Nah, he could never compete with you."

Jack looked up at Daniel's eyes as he said that. "Damn, you really mean that, don't you?"

"Told you, I want you to be honest with me, I'll only ever be honest with you. I know that you know I love you for being you, for being kind and good and great fun, but I'm so attracted to you, Jack. You have no idea how hard the last few years have been. Every day I've tried to fight it, especially when things weren't too good between us, but it got harder and harder. So did I," he added with a giggle.

Jack turned to face him, reached his hand out and stroked Daniel's cheek. Then he leaned in and kissed him softly on the mouth, pressing his lips gently against Daniel's. He nearly jumped when he felt how Daniel reacted to his touch.

"Oh Jack," he sighed into his open mouth, "I'm sorry. I didn't want that to happen. Forgive me?"

Jack had a better idea. Nervously, he slipped his hands inside Daniel's boxers and took hold of his prick. Daniel caught his breath at the apprehensive touch, partly wanting to urge Jack on, partly wanting him to stop because he wasn't sure that Jack was ready for this.

"Jack, you don't have to do this, much as I want you to," he murmured.

"I do, Daniel, believe me I do. I want to."

Encouraged by Daniel's reaction to him he stroked him more confidently, pushing Daniel's boxers down with his free hand. He trailed his hand over Daniel's bare skin, revelling in the feel of the silky softness of the other man. His movements were directed by Daniel's responses, which were enthusiastic in the extreme. Daniel couldn't believe it, the man he loved more than anything was proving to be very talented. Not wanting to make too much noise he put his hand over his mouth, but found that distracting. Instead, he grabbed Jack's head, clamping his lips firmly to Jack's mouth. Jack opened his mouth in welcome, Daniel's tongue tentatively entered, Jack gently bit it and Daniel came, pouring over Jack's hand.

"Oh God, Jack," he moaned, "ohmygod, you are so good at that." He kissed him hard, a few tears falling down his cheeks.

"Daniel? Are you all right?"

"Yes Jack, I'm fine, wonderful in fact. You are good at that, really fantastic."

Jack's eyes twinkled at that. He had no idea that he had that effect on Daniel.

"Jack? Do you want me to do something for you? I'd like to," Daniel managed to sound quite shy as he suggested it.

"You don't have to, Daniel, I was already one up on you."

"This isn't a game, Jack, I'm deadly serious about you. I'm not keeping score."

He kissed him again, Jack easily reacting to Daniel's touch.

"Do you want me to go down on you?"

Jack whimpered, and Daniel took that as a 'yes'. He slid down Jack's body, removing the other man's clothes as he went, sliding the top over Jack's head, his boxers down his legs, trailing kisses over his body as he went. He got more moaning and groaning from Jack as he pushed his legs apart and settled in-between them. Listening out for the order to stop, he ran his tongue up Jack's straining cock. All he got was more moans of encouragement. He slid his hands under Jack's buttocks and lifted him up, allowing him access to his balls. He took one, then the other in his mouth, trying not to laugh as Jack nearly jumped.

"Okay, Jack? Do you want me to stop?"

He got a growl in response, so he carried on. He kept building Jack up, getting him ready to climax, then stopping and changing track, prolonging the enjoyment for both of them. Then he pulled out his secret weapon, pushing Jack's buttocks apart he headed further down and pushed the tip of his tongue inside him. Jack nearly hit the roof.

"Fucking hell, Daniel, what are you doing to me?"

All Jack got was a giggle from Daniel as he carried on, pushing a little further inside. Daniel knew that Jack needed to end this, he was writhing about on the bed, desperately trying not to scream. He ran his tongue along the perineum, over Jack's balls before finally engulfing him, taking him deep. Jack came quickly with a muffled yell, a pillow stuffed over his face to silence his cries.

"You are a complete bastard," complained Jack. "How in hell's name am I ever going to say 'no' to you again?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, but it was so tempting. You could have said stop, I would have, the moment you did."

"I know. C'mere, Daniel, I think I need a hug."

Daniel pulled him into his arms, they snuggled up together. As Jack fell asleep he murmured, "I do love you Daniel, even if you are a slut."

"I know I am, Jack, but only around you. I love you too."

Damn, it was already 'tomorrow', thought Daniel. He'd have to face Min, flirt with him even. The thought made him feel sick. The things he did for his planet - oy! Never mind, it would be worth it to take the snake out. He could do this, he told himself, over and over again.

"Daniel, you don't have to go through with this," said Jack. "We can always just go in and take him out."

"And how are we going to find those missing men, Jack? This is our only lead. I emailed Sam this morning. She's going to check out 'Farouk' and see if he's registered as owning any other property. Hopefully we'll be able to trace him like that. Failing that, this is the only way. I have to persuade him that he wants me, and quickly. I'm dreading having to seduce him, I think I'm likely throw up if I had to go all the way. If he wasn't a snake," he waved his hand in a 'hey, he's cute, I could do it,' manner, his face giving away the fact that he was trying to wind Jack up. It was working.

"I thought you wanted me," he hissed.

"You haven't made up your mind yet. You said I could play..." Daniel's eyes twinkled. Jack realised that he liked seeing this playful side to his friend. He also realised he wanted to see a lot more.

"After last night, I'm having difficulty in just thinking straight," he replied.

"Ooh, goody, does that mean you're thinking gay?"

Jack threw a cushion at him for that. Trouble was, Daniel wasn't far off the mark. Jack was seriously considering throwing away forty-odd years off heterosexuality on him. Mind, it wasn't too high a price. Look what he got in return. A brilliant, beautiful, amazing, sexy, sensual, kind, brave, generous, wonderful, fucking gorgeous man. All he had to do was say 'hey, I'm not as straight as I thought I was'. Big fucking deal.

They did what they'd done the previous day, though this time, Daniel shared with Jack. He didn't do anything that afternoon. He wanted to prove that he could just 'be' with Jack. Jack wasn't that surprised when he felt disappointed.

If Daniel had looked gorgeous the night before, this night he looked dangerous. Black, tight, leather trousers, highlighting the fact that his legs kept going up. A black muscle top, showing his powerful frame. A gold earring and slicked back hair drew the observer's eye to his face. A black leather jacket slung loosely over his shoulders. Handcuffs clipped to the back of his belt, partially as decoration, partially as self-defence.

"Oh. My. God. Daniel." Paul stood there, his tongue hanging out. He had never seen anyone more fuckable in his life. Neither had Jack.

"Daniel! You can't go out like that, you'll never get as far as the dance floor."

"I will, don't worry Jack. I often go out like this to clubs. It usually has a positive effect. Besides, when people see I'm not a wimp," he flexed his chest muscles a little, "they back off when I tell them to."

"We're not going to be in there, Daniel. You'll be on your own tonight." Frankly, Paul was very worried.

"I know, you'll be in a car around the back, carefully watching my every move and waiting for me to signal you."

They couldn't argue with him. He'd got away the previous night by warning Min that he had protective friends. Only by appearing vulnerable would he manage to get Min to take him to his lair.

The plan worked like a dream. As soon as the bouncers saw Daniel he was hustled into the club. Didn't even have to pay. Min was waiting for him. The Goa'uld had become besotted with him from the moment he had set eyes on him. He had no idea who or what Daniel was. He didn't care. He just wanted to add him to his collection of beautiful objects.

"Daniel," he called out, "I am so glad you came back." He reached out to take Daniel's hands. This is it, thought Daniel, it's going to work now or never.

"Farouk," he replied huskily, "I am so glad you want me back." He replied in modern Arabic, rationalising that if this guy was pretending to be a modern Egyptian, he should understand it.

He did. The change of language threw Farouk/Min for a moment, but his discomfort soon turned to delight. It would be wonderful to have someone with whom he could converse without having to resort to the harsher and more disjointed English.

"I see that you haven't forgotten your birthplace," he said.

"Never, Egypt is my home," Daniel replied, continuing in his native tongue. He hadn't actually learned to speak English until his parents had insisted when he was about four. Egyptian Arabic was his first language.

Daniel realised that he could be enjoying himself if it wasn't for the fact that in essence he was here to kill the stunning creature in front of him. It would be such a waste, but the host had probably been there for centuries, if not millennia. He needed a release, he really needed to die.

Daniel worked on Min, using his considerable seduction skills to push Min onto the next phase. Finally.

"Would you like to come and see my artefacts?" Min asked.

Daniel thought that that was an improvement on the 'etchings' invitation, but not by much. This snake had a lot to learn about subtlety. However, as he had spent a couple of hours working towards this, Daniel thought it would be churlish of him to decline. He quickly found himself in the back of a limousine with blacked out windows. Could this creep get any more clichéd?

The car pulled up outside some large gates about an hour or so's drive from the city. The gates slowly opened and the car gently rolled up the gravelled drive. Daniel had spent the time frantically Morse coding messages to Jack. "We're on our way, heading west, turning right now," and so on as he tried to have a 'normal' flirty conversation with Min.

He hoped to God that the men were tracing him. However, he had to believe that he was on his own, just in case they couldn't get into the building. One thing he did know was that Jack was trying to follow him. He was getting messages back from him every so often. The transmitter was only short range, so every buzz meant that Jack was near. The buzzes stopped when the gates shut behind the car. Now, Daniel was scared.

Min escorted him up some long stairs. The house was huge, filled with the tasteless décor he had come to associate with the Goa'uld. Over the top, tacky, naff, were some of the words that sprang to mind. Everything appeared to be gilded. Could this guy get any worse? Daniel had to temporarily swallow his pride and pretend that he was impressed.

"I'll show you to your room," Min said, "I can show you my treasures tomorrow."

Daniel was frustrated. "Can I at least see your sarcophagus? You have no idea how much I want that," he said breathlessly. Min was taken in. He thought that Daniel had some sort of kink for coffins.

"Of course, Daniel. Come with me."

He took Daniel to his own bedchamber. He was reminded of the rooms he had seen in the Goa'uld pleasure palace. Las Vegas was positively tasteful in comparison. Then it was there, right in front of him. Daniel fought down his shudder as he saw it. He wouldn't be able to explain how, but he knew that this was real. He could feel the evil right there.

"Wow!" he gushed, "it's wonderful. Where did you get it?" He looked at the snake standing right next to him, pretending for all his worth that he had never seen one so close up.

"I have my sources," was all he would say.

"Does it open?"

Min pushed the dial and the top slid apart. He was right. It was real and this was a Goa'uld. No question.

He pretended to be shocked by the mechanism, firing question after unanswered question at his companion. In the end, Min tired of the questions and took him by the hand.

"Would you like to lie in it?" Min asked. Daniel went white and started shaking at the thought. He couldn't, he wouldn't get in it. Min picked up on his fear.

"What is wrong, Daniel?"

Daniel was afraid that he would give the game away. "Bad experience," he said, hiding the truth in a lie, "can't bear being in enclosed spaces. I'm fascinated by it, I want to know all about it." he pushed, trying to get back on track.

"Tomorrow, Daniel, I'll answer all your questions tomorrow. Let us sleep, I am tired."

Daniel pretended to look disappointed. "Sleep? I had other things in mind." He turned his flirtiest look on the System Lord and his opposition crumbled.

"I'll bet I can keep you awake," he said, "I have lots of experience in making men happy. And," he traced his finger down Min's face, distracting him all the while, "I can think of many things to do to wake you up. Interested?"

Praying that Jack was close enough, Daniel frantically pressed the transmitter on his trousers. "Upstairs, first right, second door on left. Hurry."

He pushed Min onto the bed, kissing his face, undressing him slowly, using his long fingers to tantalise the creature beneath him. He dropped his jacket on the floor, the sight of his torso in the tight, black top made Min catch his breath. He kept looking at Daniel's chest and face, completely missing the fact that one of his hands was quietly undoing the handcuffs attached to the back of his belt. He opened the cuffs as quietly as he could then, kissing Min's neck as he did it, he caught one of his hands in the cuff. The Goa'uld reacted negatively to this, but Daniel continued the seduction.

"Shh, trust me, I'll give you a night you'll never forget, I promise. Nothing will ever come close," he purred, and Min relaxed a little.

Daniel pushed the cuffed hand above Min's head, using his own weight to hold down the much smaller body. Never looking as if he was giving up the seduction, he took Min's free hand and moved that one above his head. Min didn't realise that Daniel had hooked the cuffs around one of the bars on the iron framed bedstead. He was trapped.

"Now," tapped Daniel. He didn't want the Goa'uld to yell. He also didn't want this to go any further than it already had. He'd have to continue for now, he was weaponless. And one thing Daniel knew from experience, killing with his bare hands wasn't something he wanted to do. Not even a snake.

To distract Min for a while, he slowly removed his vest. The subterfuge worked. He could see Min swallowing, trying to rein in his own desire. Rather than take any more of his own clothes off, Daniel removed Min's shoes, then he removed his pants. He undid the snake's shirt, leaving his chest exposed. One thing he wouldn't do was kiss this man on the mouth. He was too afraid of being taken over himself.

He spent ages, playing with Min's body, teasing his nipples, running his tongue down the toned, bronze body underneath him. When he thought that he was going to have to take this further the door crashed open.

Daniel shot off the bed, afraid that it would be one of Min's bodyguards. He beamed when he saw it was Jack.

"Sorry I'm late, ran into a bit of trouble," he said by way of apology.

Daniel strolled over to him, kissed him hard, took the zat gun that was in his hand and walked over to Min.

In Goa'uld he said, "I lied about being an amateur. I'm very professional. Apophis took my wife. Amaunet is dead. Apophis is now dead. As are Ra, Hathor, Sokar, Heru'ur, Isis, Seth and Cronus to name but a few. My name is Nemesis."

The Goa'uld paled and Daniel shot him. Once, twice, then the third time disposed of the body. Daniel picked up his vest and put it on, following that with his jacket.

"What a waste of good handcuffs," he said with a grin to Jack and sauntered out of the room.

Jack howled with laughter, he couldn't believe what he had just seen and heard. He hadn't understood much of what Daniel had said, but the dramatis personae of the Goa'uld play had been pretty obvious. Okay, Daniel had been a bit free and easy with the literary license. Isis was after all, already dead, and Heru'ur's downfall had only in part been caused by SG-1, but what the fuck? It was worth it to see the horror on Min's face when he realised he was a dead reptile.

Reality struck Jack. Daniel never killed without remorse. This was going to hit him later. But first, they had to find out what had happened to all the missing men.

He went downstairs and found Paul interrogating one of the bodyguards he had tied up in the kitchen. It turned out that Min had been using nishta on them so he had only a vague idea what had happened or even where he was. A quick tour of the house though yielded up some clues. One of the rooms contained what could only be described as torture equipment. There was no sign that any of the men had ever been there. Best guess, Min had 'played' with his victims for as long as they amused him. After that, one of the zats they found disposed of the evidence. Unless, of course, they were elsewhere.

"I'm so sorry," Daniel tried to comfort Paul.

"Should their families ever find out?" he asked, his voice breaking with the horror of it all.

"We have no proof that they came here, Paul. It would be wrong to say anything. For some people, some hope is better than none. Without absolute proof, we have no right to disabuse them of their hope."

Paul agreed with a heavy heart. Jack listened in, realising that Daniel was speaking from experience. He walked over to his friends, pulled Daniel into his arms.

"You did good Dr. J, real good," he murmured. Then he kissed him.

Paul grinned and looked away as the two men fell into a closer embrace.

"Guys, you'd better break this up, I can hear movement outside."

They pulled apart, thanking him for the warning. The door burst open and Teal'c charged through.

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, Major Davis, it is good to see you well. You should come, we have found some transport rings. We should try to find the activation device."

"I don't think that Min was wearing it when I zatted him," Daniel said, trying to remember just what jewellery he had seen on him. No, he was pretty certain that he didn't have it on. He took off at top speed, running up the stairs to Min's bedroom, Jack, Teal'c and Paul hot on his heels.

He heard Teal'c explaining something to the others.

"When Major Carter discovered the location of the club owner's other property we thought it would be wise to send some SG teams in."

"Good thinking, big guy," replied Jack. "Daniel's taken the snake out. We're trying to find the missing men. Look, if we do find any, this is going to be a delicate situation. I don't want marines or whatever dealing with them. They're not exactly renowned for their tact."

Daniel snorted. "Neither are you," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that," Jack laughed back. "I can do tactful when I have to."

"Got it!" Daniel yelled as he rifled through a drawer. "Ooh, lookie here, Sam's got some new toys to play with."

"Oh have I?" Carter called as she walked in through the door. "Holy Hannah, Daniel, wow!"

Daniel blinked, turned around looking surprised. "Um, what?"

She looked him up and down and let out a long, low, wolf whistle.

"Oh," he said, trying not to blush and failing, "plain clothes work," he added, trying to shrug it off.

"Nothing plain about that, Daniel. My God, you look..." she couldn't find the right word.

"Lethal," said Jack, his eyes twinkling.

Daniel laughed. Having the men see him this way hadn't bothered him, but being 'eye candy' for women, well, that was different. He just walked over to Sam and hugged her before presenting her with the gadgets he'd found. The haul included a ribbon device.

While she made arrangements for the sarcophagus to be transported out of the building, the men headed off to the rings. Teal'c had made sure that they were all armed with zats as they would have to permanently dispose of any obvious alien influence there. Not to mention, a quick zat blast was a great way of counteracting the nishta. Daniel activated the rings. The four men, all standing in a circle and facing out, reappeared in what seemed to be a dormitory.

There were rows of beds, about twenty in all. Each one containing a young, good-looking man. All of them dewy-eyed, doped up with the nishta. Quickly, the team set to work, zatting each man once. If they were unconscious it would help them in the search of the room. Paul called out,

"Here they are, they're alive," the relief in his voice tangible at finding his friends.

"Thank God for that," Daniel said.

As Jack and Teal'c scoured the place for guards and technology, Daniel and Paul quickly checked on the condition of the captives. None had any obvious injuries. Daniel's blood ran cold. The sarcophagus.

"Oh my God," he whispered. He was right about the torture, he knew it. They'd been toyed with, broken and put back together again. How many times? he wondered. Just how sick was this snake?

"Jack, we have to get medics down here. These guys are all going to need psychiatric help."

"What makes you say that, Daniel?"

"Torture."

"But they appear unharmed, Dan," said Paul. The look on Daniel's face said it all.

"Min wouldn't want his possessions to be anything other than perfect," he murmured. He started to shake. What if the others hadn't got to him in time? Would he have been sufficiently interesting to be kept without Min resorting to nishta and torture? Teal'c raised an eyebrow but said nothing when Jack pulled Daniel into his arms, stroking his back, kissing his face.

"It's over Daniel, all over now. He can't hurt anyone anymore. You did it, Daniel, you figured everything out, and you were so brave. It's over, love, it's over."

Daniel's face brightened at what Jack called him.

"What?" Jack asked.

"Love?" whispered Daniel.

"Yeah," replied Jack. "Love."

Back at the SGC, Daniel was giving Hammond a rundown of the events, carefully edited to keep the sexual side of the mission out of it. He just told Hammond that he had met Min and persuaded him to take him back to the house, and that he had managed to keep him occupied until Jack turned up. He then gave Hammond a list of the things found.

"You did an excellent job, Dr. Jackson. You should be very proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Sir, I'm just glad it's all over. What has happened to the victims?"

"Don't worry yourself, the same counsellors that dealt with Seth's people are dealing with them. They'll be fed a story about being drugged so much that they were hallucinating. That should help keep the questions of the technology at bay. They'll be helped to put the torture behind them." Hammond's voice was gentle and caring. He was worried about Daniel. Jack had given him a debrief of his own, slightly more detailed, but not too much. Hammond knew that there was much more to the story than he would ever find out about, but he didn't care. The job had been done, his people were home and intact. Whatever Daniel had done to complete the mission, he knew that he had done it out of necessity.

"Go home, Dr. Jackson. I'm ordering you and Colonel O'Neill to take a vacation. I dare say you could do with the rest. I believe he is going fishing. Perhaps you could accompany him? Get away from it all?"

"Thank you, Sir, I think I will, if he asks that is."

Since their return they'd had little chance to speak to each other. Daniel wasn't sure if Jack still felt the same way, now that he was back in the stifling macho atmosphere of the SGC. He was afraid that what little time he had had with Jack was it, that they'd have to go back to being 'just good friends.'

He wandered back to his office, returning to his usual 'oblivious' manner, blindly ignoring the looks he got from the women on the base.

He picked up a couple of books, he'd need them to work on the translation that he was going to take home. Sadly, he thought that his vacation would be spent in his apartment, at his laptop, trying to catch up on the work that he never seemed to be able to finish.

Sighing to himself he put the books in his bag and turned towards the door.

"Going somewhere?" Daniel jumped. He hadn't heard Jack arrive.

"Yeah, home. Been sent on a break, still got work to do though," he forced a wry grin and pointed to his bag.

"Come fishing with me?"

"You want me to?" Daniel asked, still so very unsure of Jack.

"Yeah, think we could do with the break. We need to talk. Come on, you can bring some books, but only to read, Daniel. I know you hate fishing, but you are not going to work. Pleasure, that's what vacations are all about. Go home, pack some stuff. I'll pick you up in two hours. Ah, ah, ah! No arguments. Home!" Jack insisted.

Daniel nodded slowly. He wasn't sure if he was happy or even more nervous now. What would Jack say?

It was late in the day when they arrived in the cabin. Daniel hadn't said much on the flight up to Minnesota, or in the drive to their destination. Jack was concerned but he didn't say anything. What he needed to say would be better said in private, and while he didn't need to concentrate on the road.

Finally, they arrived. Daniel grabbed his rucksack and Jack's, while Jack hauled the groceries that he had bought in the local town out of the back of the hired truck.

"Better get a fire lit," said Jack, "it's going to be a cold one tonight. Can you do that while I get some food on?"

"Sure," replied Daniel, settling down by the side of the hearth and pulling out the kindling. He quickly had a fire going, waiting for the kindling to be well-alight before adding the first log. He loved log fires, the romance of them always spoke to him. Jack quietly came over to him, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks, Jack," he said, taking the drink off him, still staring into the fire.

"What are you thinking?" asked Jack.

"Nothing, really, I just lose myself in the flames. It's silly I suppose."

"Nope, I do it myself. I like to watch the patterns in them, the changing colours as the different bits burn."

Daniel turned to look at him, giving the older man a smile. He was glad that Jack understood.

Jack caught his breath as he looked at Daniel's face, lit by the firelight he looked ethereal, almost angelic. His eyes looked even bluer than normal, and Jack saw his pupils dilating with desire. He felt his own do the same. He put down his drink, took Daniel's off him and put that one down too. Then he reached over and stroked Daniel's face gently before leaning in and kissing him. The kiss deepened in intensity, both men wanting to get closer and closer. Finally, the need to breathe overtook them. Daniel pulled back and Jack was worried when he saw tears in his eyes.

"Daniel? What's wrong?"

"I didn't think you'd want me," he said quietly, "not after what I did."

"You mean seducing Min?"

Daniel nodded, suddenly unable to look Jack in the eye. "Yeah, I felt so dirty," he whispered.

"You did what was necessary, Daniel. I'm proud of you. Survival is the name of the game. You did it, you controlled him, you not only survived but rescued all those men. I love you."

"You do? Really?"

"Really, I do. Honestly, Daniel. Remember that you said that the only thing you ever wanted from me was honesty? Well, I love you, really and truly, and I want to be with you. I'm shit scared about what's going to happen from now on. I have no idea, Daniel, I'm out of my depth."

"It'll be okay, Jack. There's never going to be a time when I want you to do something you don't want to do. I couldn't ever derive any pleasure if you were hurting or upset or uncomfortable. One thing we have is time, Jack. Take your time. It's enough for me that you want to be with me. Anything else is a bonus. You're okay with the kissing thing?" Daniel looked through his long lashes at Jack and laughed quietly when Jack blushed a bit.

"Oh yeah, the kissing thing is just fine," he said as he leaned in for another one. "As for anything else, I'm sure I'll come round. You can be very tempting, Daniel. Perhaps we can find another mission for you, I liked seeing that side of you, the more confident side. It suits you."

"Jack, the only undercover mission I want from now on is the one with you, me and a big bed."

"Well, in that case, Dr. Jackson, I think I can accommodate you."

"Hmm, will we need to debrief?"

"Oh yeah, I think so," Jack was nervous, but he was feeling desperate to get past this 'just kissing'. He wanted to feel the way Daniel had made him feel in DC.

Daniel grabbed his bag and took Jack by the hand to the bedroom.

He could see the desire in Jack's eyes, but he also knew that he was a very nervous man. "Honesty, Jack, remember. If I do anything, anything, you are not comfortable with, you say. Got it? I'm not going to touch you otherwise."

"Got it, Daniel, I promise," Jack murmured into Daniel's neck, where he was happily finding Daniel's 'ooh' spots. He was surprised at just how many the younger man had. He felt his shirt being removed, his belt buckle being played with. Grabbing his courage with both hands he started to undress Daniel. They fell on the bed, stepping out of their pants as they went.

"Okay?" asked Daniel. "Yeahsureyoubetcha," replied Jack, a wicked grin on his face.

"Jack, do you want me?"

"Um, do you mean what I think you mean?"

"Do you want to make love to me, Jack? You don't have to, I don't want to push you."

"I don't know what I'm doing, Daniel, I might hurt you."

"You won't, I promise. I'll tell you if you do."

Jack swallowed and nodded slowly. He'd been having dreams about being buried up to the hilt in Daniel, but now that the possibility was there, he was nervous. They removed their underwear and kissed for the longest time, erections clashing as their bodies moved together. Daniel bent over the side of the bed, pulled out some lube from his bag, put some on Jack's fingers and instructed him on what to do. He faced down and braced himself. Jack couldn't believe how hot it was, how tight. This was going to be mind-blowing. When Daniel felt ready he said,

"Now Jack, do it now, please."

Adding lube to his cock, Jack pushed slowly inside him.

"Fucking hell, Daniel, so hot, so tight. Oh God, it's incredible."

"Slowly Jack, go slowly for now," Daniel ordered gently. He relaxed his body as much as he could and soon Jack was in all the way.

"How does that feel, Jack?"

"Amazing, Daniel, fucking amazing. Never thought it could be this good."

"Move Jack, it's time to move. Oh yeah, like that." His body shuddered as Jack's prick scraped his prostate. "Ohmygodyouaregoodatthis," he spluttered. "More please, harder, faster, yeah, just like that." He urged his lover on, Jack's confidence building as Daniel cried out in sheer pleasure. He saw Daniel grabbing his own prick, needing to come as much as he did. He knocked Daniel's hand off, taking over, stroking him in time with his own motion. The moment came too soon for both of them and they yelled as they climaxed almost together.

They lay on the bed together, exhausted by their efforts.

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," mumbled Jack, "oh, my God Daniel. That was incredible, better than incredible, best of my life."

"It'll get better, Jack, I promise it will, when you're not so nervous, and you can just let yourself go. That's what makes it different from being with a woman. No matter what you do with her, you're always holding back, afraid you may hurt her. You don't have to do that with a man. You won't hurt me, Jack, you can do what you like. If you try something I don't like I'll stop you. I'm nearly as strong as you, you'd have to go some to hurt me. You can be what you've always wanted to be, do what you want to do."

"Better than that? Oh boy. You've got me, Daniel, for life."

"And I thought you loved me for my mind," Daniel teased.

"Yeah, that too, but your body is to die for." Jack winked and Daniel laughed. "Daniel? Do you want to do that to me?"

"Don't mind. If you want to, of course I will, but not everyone likes it. Personally, I love being on the receiving end, love giving too. It's up to you. We're not doing it though, not for a long time. I want you to be completely relaxed with the idea, if you're too tense you could be hurt. Won't hurt you, Jack. One day, you can tell me when you're ready. Try it once, you may love it. There's nothing like it."

"Why do I get the feeling that it's so good you're keeping it from me? A touch of selfishness here?"

Daniel just shrugged and grinned.

The week was spent quietly; fishing, reading, making out at every opportunity. All too soon the dreaded moment came to return to work and they solemnly made their way back to Colorado.

"What now?" asked Jack as they drove together to the mountain.

"Now, we go back to work and pretend everything is back to normal. But during our downtime they can get stuffed. You are mine now Jack, and I'm never letting you go."

"Same here, Daniel. It's you and me against the world, eh?"

"You, me, Sam and Teal'c against the Goa'uld anyway," Daniel chuckled. "One day, Jack, one day we'll be able to be ourselves. No more hiding."

"No more undercover work?"

"Plenty more where that came from, Jack. Plenty more."