Transparent

by Cowardly Lion

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asc/clion/transpar.php
Summary: It was only after Jack became invisible that Daniel finally saw him.
Info: Written for the Jack/Daniel Ficathon 2008 on Livejournal. Set late in Season 5. Many thanks to Mare, Barb and AnnO for the beta.

Transparent - adjective
1. so sheer as to permit light to pass through
2. easily seen through, recognized, or detected
3. open; frank; candid

Paperwork done, Jack checked his watch. Hmmm...twenty minutes until he turned invisible again. Not really enough time to start the next project on his "To Do" list, but too early to show up at Carter's lab for his scheduled stint as human guinea pig. Just right for visiting Daniel.

As Jack strolled the corridors, he entertained himself by trying to guess what Daniel would be doing when he got there. Jack hoped he wouldn't be wearing the baggy BDU blouse. If he got to see Daniel wearing just the snug black t-shirt that lurked under the outer layer of heavy cotton, that was worth five points. Jack had already collected 30 points today for seeing Daniel in his underpants in the locker room this morning. (Bare chest - ten points, bare legs - five, bare feet - five, underpants - five plus the five point bonus for being grey briefs instead of tighty-whities.) So far it was a good day.

When Jack entered his friend's office, he was in what Jack had come to think of as a Classic Daniel Pose - hunched over his desk, reference books scattered in an arm's length semi-circle around him as he took notes. Daniel's pen raced along the paper, trying vainly to keep up with the lightning-quick flashes of thought. Jack loved seeing him like this. In his element. Happy. Totally involved.

By the slight movement of his head, Jack knew that Daniel had heard him enter the room, but was too engrossed in his work even to greet him. Someday Jack wanted Daniel's intensity focused on himself. Wanted Daniel to give him the same scrutiny that a six thousand year old, cracked, partly legible tablet warranted. Sometimes the best way to get his attention was to give him another puzzle to solve.

Being purposefully vague, Jack cheerfully said, "So, you figured it out yet?"

Daniel's eyes flicked up briefly, his hand never pausing as it scrawled across the page. "Figured what out?"

Jack picked up a small figurine and tossed it from hand to hand. "That thing." He refused to be more specific unitl Daniel at least stopped writing.

Daniel flipped a page on the nearest book with one hand and began reading, the pen never hesitating in its path across the page. "What thing?"

Jack set the figurine back where he got it, immediately picking up another one. "That thing you were working on." He twiddled the fingers of his free hand toward Daniel.

Daniel put down his pen, folded his hands together on the paper and looked up at Jack. "At the moment, I'm reviewing 15 hours worth of video, hundreds of digital photos, and three crates of artifacts brought back by SG teams 5 and 11 from two different worlds. I'm also drafting the mining treaty for SG-9 to present to the Praxians next week, going over preliminary MALP readings for four possible mission sites, and, oh yes, trying to catalogue the stuff we picked up two days ago on PR5-981. You'll have to narrow it down a bit more than that."

"That thing." Jack's hand swooped through the air, long fingers sketching a shape. "Looks like a mutant duck with teeth sitting on a lopsided fedora."

"Ah." Reaching behind him, Daniel pulled an object the size of large cantaloupe from a shelf. Highly polished, it had been carved of a smooth black stone. "This could be a totem representing the indigenous people as a whole or possibly a subgroup such as a clan or a tribe."

Daniel reoriented it, sweeping one finger along the edge. "However, the markings here, on the brim if you will, seem to indicate this is an object of power. Therefore it could have some shamanistic correlation, or possibly be a sign of rank or leadership, conferring authority on the person who holds it."

Pushing aside a reference book, Daniel set it on his desk. "Or, it could just be a badly done carving of a duck sporting a full set of dentures and sitting on a hat. At this point, it's a little hard to tell."

"I found that, you know." Jack puffed up bit. He was proud of himself for spotting it and making sure Daniel got it.

"Yes, Jack." Daniel spoke with exaggerated patience, resuming his note taking. "I was there when you handed it to me."

Jack shrugged with false modesty. "I'm just saying. I saw it and knew you'd be interested, so I got it for you." Setting the figurine down, he swapped it for a small smooth rock. It reminded him of a worry stone he'd gotten years ago when he was stationed at Incirlik. That one didn't have a scribble carved on it though.

"Thereby disturbing the site, removing the article from context, and damaging the traceries surrounding it."

Okay, that hurt. Jack had certainly learned enough from Daniel not to make a mess. Worse, Daniel continued his work while scolding as if Jack didn't merit more than a fraction of his attention.

"Hey, now. Those fancy curlicues were already broken and the duck was," Jack put his thumb and forefinger together even though Daniel wasn't looking, "this close to falling on the floor when I got there." He stuffed the worry stone in his pocket to free his hands. "Maybe you're supposed to wear it?" Lifting the duck into the air, he inspected the underside, but it was solid. "Maybe not. Ewwww, it's got a rash on its butt."

Daniel's eyes stayed on the page. "Those white blotches are crystobalite inclusions. That was carved from snowflake obsidian."

"It's a bit light on the snowflake, don't you think since that's the only patch? More of a flurry than a blizzard." Jack caught a glimpse of his watch. Time to go, though he might as well be invisible already for all the notice Daniel paid. Ditching the duck, he said goodbye on his way out the door and got a distracted grunt in return. Yeah. As far as Daniel was concerned, Jack and invisible were synonymous.

****

Sam glanced at her watch as Jack sauntered into her lab. Right on schedule. Whatever his destination, he never seemed to hurry yet always managed to arrive on time. She made a few adjustments to the polarizing array as she nodded hello. Teal'c assisted her work, handing over tools as needed. The whole thing was a jury-rigged combination of Earth equipment and a barely understood piece of alien technology. One last tweak should do it. There. Satisfied, she stepped back.

"Okay, sir. We're good to go."

After so many repetitions, they had the routine down pat. Jack stepped into the circle marked off with duct tape on the floor. Teal'c moved to his post as cameraman to record the results. Sam checked the equipment one last time then flipped a switch.

As before, Jack disappeared from view. The susurration of cotton on cotton indicated his presence. That was normal. He usually spent the time wandering her lab, talking to himself and poking about. Two minutes of stillness was about three minutes more than he could take. She tuned him out until a muttered "Bet if I hurry I can make it to the shower room before this wears off" caught her attention.

"Sir!" It was both protest and admonishment. Sam gripped her pen harder than necessary as she tried to keep her facial expression neutral. "You're invisible, sir, not inaudible."

There was silence for a beat, then Jack spoke as if surprised. "You heard that?"

"Trying desperately not to, Colonel."

"Yes, well, I didn't realize I was speaking that loudly." From the sound of his voice, he was approaching her lab table. "Besides, when Daniel got zapped by that crystal skull we couldn't see OR hear him."

"That's because he was out of phase due to the lepton radiation. He wasn't in the same physical plane as we were." Making one last notation, she put the pen on the clipboard and set both down on the counter in front of her. "If you'll pardon me saying so, this isn't the first time we've had this conversation since we started testing.

"It just doesn't seem fair that Daniel got the Ultra Sneaky Package Deal and I only got the half sneak version. I'm the one who's special ops."

She struggled with the urge to fling the pen at him while Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the sulky tone.

"Perhaps," said Teal'c, "you should remember that before vocalizing your intentions to all and sundry."

Jack repeated himself only louder and more slowly this time. "I didn't realize I was spea - oh never mind." Sam couldn't see the eye-roll but she knew it was there.

The flame on the small welding torch at the end of her lab table flickered as the torch rose into the air.

Sam stared pointedly at the void just behind the torch. "Daniel couldn't touch anything while he was out of phase."

The torch jittered midair as the flame was adjusted. Now two inches long, the flame swooped over the table top. From the corner of her eye she saw Teal'c casually pick up her coffee cup. She was watching the flame, trying to figure out what the Colonel was doing. She thought he might be spelling out his name, the way she and her brother used to, when they were kids running through the yard with sparklers on a hot summer night. The torch zoomed too closely to a stack of papers, setting it on fire.

The air behind the torch exclaimed "Oh shit!" just as a brown liquid splashed over the papers, dousing the flames. The torch was extinguished as it flew through the air to clatter to a landing in its stand. Teal'c calmly set Sam's empty mug back on the desk.

"Anything at all," Sam sighed wistfully. Dammit, that coffee had finally cooled to the perfect temperature for drinking. Now she'd have to start all over again with a fresh cup.

"That, ah, wasn't important was it?" Jack sounded apologetic.

It couldn't hurt to use this to her advantage while at the same time reminding him to keep his hands to himself. "That was the mission report you asked for yesterday. It's going to be late now."

Her report was already late since she hadn't even finished it. What he'd set fire to was actually an early draft of a list of items that had been crated up and sent to Area 51 last year. She had meant to put the list in the shredder, but hadn't gotten around it it yet.

"Oh." There was the slight whisper of cloth sliding over cloth and shuffling feet. She could picture him stuffing both hands in his pockets, making every effort not to touch, not to fiddle, not to fidget. "You can just print another one, right?"

"It'll take a while, sir. I need to use the network printer for the photos I've included. I'll have to make sure it's free first." That part was actually true. She was next in the queue after the botanists printed the catalogue of flora from M52-97Y. First, though, she had to write the bullet point summary, maybe toss in some footnotes. All she needed was thirty minutes and the report would be in the Colonel's in box.

"Great! Wonderful!" he sounded relieved. "Carry on then! I'll just be over here for my requisite two minute stint as the invisible man." The extra office chair in the corner rolled, creaked a bit, then swiveled a few inches to one side then other as Jack got settled. He was facing away from the desk which should keep him from playing with the items strewn across it.

Sam shared a look with Teal'c as she nodded her thanks to him. This was exactly the kind of incident that brought her to her senses every time she was tempted to defy the regs and act on the physical chemistry between herself and Jack. While she had no doubt the sex would be blisteringly hot, eventually she'd have to talk to him. Frankly, he drove her crazy.

Daniel, for all his impatience, had a higher tolerance for Jack's high jinks than she did. Higher than anyone on the planet, really. If only he would get his head out of his, um, books long enough to realize Jack was smitten with him. Totally. Completely. It was nearly imperceptible so nobody else but Sam and Teal'c would recognize it for what it was, but it was there.

Sam was fairly certain that Daniel was smitten in return. The thing was, Daniel was so busy looking outward, he didn't seem to realize exactly what it was he felt for Jack. While the Colonel lived in hope, Daniel lived in denial. In a way, Sam couldn't blame Daniel. It had been bad enough watching her friend try to cope when his wife was still alive. When Shar'e had died, Daniel had fallen apart. Now, Sam thought that he was trying so hard not to feel the pain of her loss that he couldn't feel anything else either.

If she didn't honestly think that Daniel and Jack would be good together, she would have made a play for Daniel herself. Still, she sometimes indulged in daydreams featuring Daniel, just like she did with Jack. And if at times she amused herself with fantasies involving both of them, well, that was her business.

With a start, she realized she had let her thoughts distract her. It had been five minutes and Jack was still invisible. The adjustments she had made should have extended the life of the field by no more than seconds. This was two and a half times longer than usual and still going strong. The only sign of her test subject was the faint "wheee!" coming from the slowly spinning office chair.

"Colonel, did you wear or do anything different today?"

When he said no, she filled him and Teal'c in on the situation.

"Oh crap." The office chair came to a halt. "Never trust a duck with teeth."

"Sir?" Was that one of his whacky expressions? Or was the field affecting more than his visual signature?

The chair creaked then was shoved all the way under the desk. His voice came closer. "Call Daniel. Tell him that damn duck's got some explaining to do."

***

Daniel was annoyed when the ringing phone disturbed his concentration. Once he heard Sam's voice, though, his mood improved. He always had time for his friend.

"Hey, Sam. What's up? Jack driving you crazy?" he asked with a smile. As he spoke, he arched his back, stretching out the kinks in his shoulders. He needed to take breaks more often.

"There's been an unexpected development." She sounded slightly stressed. "The Colonel thinks one of your artifacts may have affected today's test results."

"How could something in my office affect your lab?" That didn't make sense. Although there a few new items in the collection surrounding him, even those had been on base a while so any problems should have shown up by now.

"The possibility does seem remote but it certainly warrants scrutiny." Sam was using her I'm Humoring Jack Who Is Standing Right Next To Me voice. Daniel heard that tone a lot. He had even used it himself a time or three. Sam continued. "He thinks it's the black statue he gave you - the one that looks like a melted sauce pot sitting on a stack of lumpy pancakes."

In the background, Daniel could hear Jack correcting her. "It's a duck, dammit. I've been cursed by a duck."

"Ducks don't have teeth, sir."

"What, and sauce pots do? You must have a scary ass kitchen, Carter. No wonder you don't cook."

"O'Neil, this is not the time to indulge in personal remarks at Major Carter's expense."

Daniel had to say Sam's name loudly twice to get her attention away from the argument and back to the phone in her hand.

"Just bring the...duck to my lab, okay, Daniel? I need to get some readings on it." The line clicked and the phone went dead.

Within minutes, Daniel was in Sam's lab, duck in hand. He put it on the section of the lab table she indicated. Everyone gathered around to watch as she pulled out different gadgets to inspect the duck. At least, Daniel assumed everyone did. It was hard to tell with Jack still being out of sight. Daniel felt a pang of disappointment at not being able to see Jack.

As she worked, Sam gave a running commentary. "The machine projects a field onto the subject and that field bends light in such a way as to remove the subject from the visible spectrum. Once it has been projected, the field is independent of the generating mechanism. The problems with this are two fold - getting the field to adhere to the subject, and giving it enough power to sustain itself." She set her instruments aside. "Either way, I don't see how the duck could affect it. There's absolutely no power of any kind emanating from it."

"It's a wishing duck," the empty air that was Jack insisted. "Or maybe a mind reading duck because I didn't say it out loud."

"Didn't say what out loud?" Daniel asked.

Jack had said plenty about the duck at the time so it was hard to believe he'd omitted anything. Then again, Daniel had thrown himself into his work, virtually ignoring the man the minute Jack walked into his office. He had to do that more and more these days. For some reason, he found Jack very distracting. Even if Jack was sitting quietly behaving himself, not that that happened very often, Daniel found himself unable to focus on anything else. Instead his mind would wander to the fun they had when the two of them hung out together or he'd think of what they might do the next time. Lately, he found himself covertly studying Jack's face, though he didn't know what he was looking for. He never thought about it really. Instead, he pushed it into the back of his mind and threw himself into his work.

There was a long pause before Jack replied. "That I might as well be invisible for real," he admitted reluctantly.

"Why do you want to be invisible for real?"

"I don't!" After a moment's hesitation, Jack changed his answer. "Okay, I kinda do but only when there's a tactical advantage, not all the time."

"Then why did you wish for it?" asked Sam.

"I didn't. I was making an observation while I held the duck. I couldn't help thinking that I might as well be invisible for all Daniel would notice."

If the duck actually worked, then Daniel would wish he could see Jack's expression. Jack sounded...almost...no, it couldn't be. Forlorn? Jack? Because Daniel didn't pay attention to him?

"Oh. I'm, uh, I'm sorry, Jack." Now Daniel felt bad for purposely ignoring him. "In any case, after you left I took another look at the artifact and I was able to translate the writing on the brim. It doesn't have anything to do with power or wishing."

While Jack had been in his office, Daniel had feigned indifference, even going so far as to give him a high-handed and unnecessary lecture about site disruption. Jack had barely cleared the doorjamb on his way out before Daniel picked up the duck. By focusing intently on it for the next few minutes, he had gotten the translation done in time for Sam's phone call.

"Then what does the inscription signify, Daniel Jackson?" Even as he asked the question, Teal'c was turning to help Sam. She had put the duck next to the invisibility generator and brought her instruments out again.

"Uh, well, it's a poem. Now the festive Springtime comes and everywhere nature brings forth new life making the world fresh and new."

"That doesn't rhyme," Jack scoffed. "It doesn't even have a beat."

"It does in the original." Daniel recited it, enjoying the feel of the words on his tongue. The vowels were low and rolling, the consonants muted. He loved the way they flowed so easily. "Anyway, there's nothing unusual about the artifact itself."

"Except its alien mind whammy."

"It does not have a whammy."

"Does too."

"No, it doesn't."

"Does!"

"Does not!"

"What do you call this then?"

Jack made a sweeping gesture indicating his lack of substance. The gesture would have been totally lost on Daniel if Jack hadn't been fading into view like a ghostly apparition in reverse.

"Hey! I can see through you." As soon as the words left his mouth, Daniel wanted to cringe for saying something as inane and obvious as that.

"I know, Daniel." Jack looked exasperated. "I'm In. Vis. I. Ble."

Eye roll. Over enunciated speech. Exaggerated mannerisms. Daniel was getting the full version of Jack's patented What Are Ya - Stupid? routine. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that obvious.

"No, I mean, I'm starting to see you, but I can still see through you."

Sam and Teal'c looked up from their tinkering.

"You're regaining opacity, Colonel."

Two strides had Teal'c at the camcorder, making sure it was aimed at Jack who was becoming visible from the feet up and head down. Everywhere except the area just below his belt was getting more solid by the moment. His pelvis was still transparent. It was disconcerting to see Jack's body with a hole in the middle. His torso hung mid air with a pair of disembodied legs moving restlessly underneath it.

"Carter?"

"Sir?"

"Why can't I see my crotch?"

"I don't know. Usually you snap into view all at once."

"I do?"

"Your reappearance is normally quite abrupt, O'Neill."

"Sir, do you have anything unusual in your pockets?"

"No."

"Yes, you do." Despite his efforts to the contrary, Daniel had been watching Jack like a hawk during his visit to the office. It was always very difficult not to intervene when the man started feeling up the breakables. "You put that pebble with the flower glyph in your pocket right before you picked up the duck."

"I did?" Jack look surprised. "Huh. Don't remember that." One hand flicked out of existence as he reached into his pocket. As he pulled out the stone, the last of the invisibility wore off. "If this stone was keeping it going, why didn't the field stay with it?"

Sam plucked the stone from his fingers. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was because the field was attached to you. When it was in your pocket, the stone was inside the field. When you pulled it from your pocket you took it outside of the field as well." Sam flipped it over to see the back. "What kind of stone is this, Daniel?"

"It's similar to our sunstone. Some kind of feldspar only instead of red hematite, it has inclusions of some other mineral. I did give it to the geology department, but they weren't able to identify it. It may be exclusive to the planet we found it on."

Sam had that sharp-eyed look which meant she was already tuning out everything except the puzzle before her. "Thanks guys," she said absently. "Teal'c, there's a few tests I'd like to try on this..."

Daniel knew he and Jack were dismissed.

****

Teal'c strode purposefully through the corridors of the SGC as the mournful strains of "Anatevka" rolled through his mind. He was a Jaffa on a mission. While assisting Samantha Carter in her research for the past few hours, Teal'c had ruminated on the conundrum presented by his team mates. He was well aware of O'Neill's feelings for Daniel Jackson. It was his opinion that Daniel returned those feelings although Daniel appeared to be unaware of the true nature of his own emotions.

Perhaps all that was needed was for his friend to receive a push in the correct direction. A subtle hint or two regarding O'Neill should suffice. Once Daniel's intellect grasped a topic, it would examine every aspect of that topic before letting go.

Just this past weekend, Teal'c had watched the movie "Fiddler on the Roof". With its themes of servitude, enduring oppression, and finding what joy one could in a joyless existence, it reminded him very much of his home world, Chulak. The music, and one song in particular, added greatly to the atmosphere of the story. He had viewed the film many times and planned to purchase a copy of his own. Both that film and another from that same section of the video store, "Hello Dolly", made mention of a chakash shel mot - a matchmaker. In the films, as on Chulak, the matchmaker was a woman. Teal'c was a warrior, a leader of men, former first prime of Apophis. Fulfilling a woman's role should be, as O'Neill would say, a piece of cake.

He tracked down his quarry in the storage archives, elbow deep in a crate of carefully packed pottery sherds. Daniel looked up at his approach, smiling at him in greeting.

"Good afternoon, Daniel Jackson."

"Hey, Teal'c." Daniel cautiously re-arranged the sherds. "Do you need me for some - "

Eager to complete his task, Teal'c interrupted. "O'Neill is quite pleasing to look upon, is he not? He is well-built with firm musculature over a lean frame and has a comely visage."

Daniel's jaw dropped open and he blinked rapidly. "I...guess so?"

Good. He had Daniel's complete attention. "I have heard it said that he is ruggedly handsome and the grey of his hair makes him quite distinguished. "

"Ah...I...I never really thought about it, Teal'c."

"Perhaps you should. It may be of some import to the interpersonal dynamics of the team, were two of its members to become romantically involved."

Teal'c felt it imperative that he speak plainly of his approval of the bond between O'Neill and Daniel Jackson. He knew that acceptance of the pair by his team mates would be factored into Daniel's deliberations before he would pursue O'Neill.

Therefore, Teal'c stately quite clearly, "I wish you to know that it is my belief that such a relationship will not harm the team cohesiveness, but would in fact strengthen all existing bonds."

Daniel's face was flushed, his hands fluttered wildly about. "Well, I, I don't know Teal'c. It's not something that has ever really crossed my mind before this."

"Promise me this, Daniel Jackson. Promise that you will give full consideration to this matter especially upon the suitability of O'Neill as a mate. It is my fervent hope that upon reflection you will find that you feel the same in this regard as I."

At that, Daniel seemed to calm somewhat. He held Teal'c's gaze steadily, touching his arm as he said, "I promise you Teal'c, for your sake, I will think it over very carefully."

Smiling, Teal'c inclined his head. "Then I look forward to hearing your answer."

As he exited the room, Teal'c felt the satisfaction of a job well done. It was quite clear that he had given Daniel Jackson much to reflect upon. Pleased, Teal'c indulged himself in an activity that had no useful purpose. His bass voice rumbled as he sang softly to himself. "Soon I'll be a stranger in a strange new place, searching for an old familiar face from Anatevka..."

***

The odd exchange with Teal'c had left Daniel feeling unsettled. Or should that be perturbed? hmmm...perturb...to disturb greatly; agitate. That seemed like an overstatement. Maybe disconcerted would be a better description. Yes, that seemed more like it. He was disconcerted.

He was also procrastinating. Instead of dithering over the best way to describe the feeling, maybe he should examine the feeling itself, figure out what prompted it. What Daniel needed was a sounding board, someone to discuss this with. Normally he would seek out Jack, but that wasn't an option this time since Jack was part of what was disconcerting him.

Daniel had been surprised by Teal'c's declaration of intent toward Jack. The same-gender thing didn't bother Daniel - that would make him a hypocrite - but there was something about Teal'c and Jack as partners, as...lovers, that was upsetting.

Daniel sought out his other confidante. The work day was almost over so she should have a few minutes to spare for him. Sam was tidying up her work area when Daniel came in.

"Hey." She tossed a smile at him but continued to clear up.

"Hey, Sam. Do you have a minute? I need to talk."

She stopped what she was doing to focus on him.

With a nod to indicate the cameras, he asked, "Those are still video only, right?"

"Sure Daniel. The only ones on base that aren't are in the VIP and isolation rooms and even those can have the audio turned off. You know that. You look serious. Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need to get a handle on something, something that will affect you too in a way."

While Sam brought over two stools for them to sit on, he considered how to broach the subject.

"Hypothetically speaking, what if one team mate told you they had a crush on another team mate, but you weren't sure if the first team mate knew or would want to know. What would you do? Would you say something to the first team mate?"

"Is the team SG-1?"

"This is completely hypothetical." He really should have thought that out a bit more before giving such an obvious example.

"So that's a yes." Grinning, she asked, "Is the object of desire a certain Colonel?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. So much for keeping Teal'c's confidence. Two minutes and he was telling Sam everything. Of course, he knew that she wouldn't mention their talk to anyone else, but he felt like he was betraying Teal'c's trust. True, Teal'c had never specifically told Daniel keep it secret, but to Daniel that was implied.

"Daniel, I love what we do. I love the excitement, the adventure, exploring new worlds, new technology, new ideas. But I also know how dangerous it is. Every time we step through that gate we take a chance of never coming back. If any of us has a chance for happiness, for love, for companionship, we should take it."

He had been thinking along the same lines. When he thought of Teal'c reaching out for someone to hold, or for Jack to finally find peace and love, Daniel was wholeheartedly in favor. It was only when he thought of Jack and Teal'c finding that in each other that a darker feeling roiled up through his stomach and all he could think of was "No". Maybe he was worried about how it would affect the team? That didn't seem to be the reason, but he tried it anyway.

"What if Jack doesn't want to get together with that person? That could make things very awkward since we have to continue working together. What if we're on a mission and Jack's still upset at that person for asking? You know how, ah, grumpy he can get."

"Maybe, but the Colonel should at least have the chance to make the choice for himself."

"Given that both persons in this scenario are male, tell me truthfully, does it bother you?"

"Nope." Sam put her hand on his shoulder, her fingers squeezing him lightly. "I think you and Colonel will be very happy together."

It took a second for her words to sink in.

"What? Me?" Daniel was startled by her comment. How did she get that impression? "No, no, no. I was talking about Teal'c."

"Sure you were, Daniel." Sam winked and gave him a knowing smile. "It's not like anyone's ever noticed how you and the Colonel finish each other's sentences, or spontaneously speak in unison, or how you value each other's opinions more than anyone else's. Seriously, Daniel, you two are on the same wavelength more than any two people I know. Of course, your arguments are on the same scale. No one pushes his buttons like you do and vice versa. There are times you two sound like an old married couple who will be bickering comfortably for decades to come."

The world tilted.

For a moment it was like being inside a snow globe as it was shaken. Everything scrambled. Swirling. Chaotic. Then the currents eased. The white flakes drifted back down in a different arrangement. From the outside the globe looked the same. Up close, the pattern of snowflakes had changed.

The world reset itself and absolutely everything had altered for Daniel. His whole relationship with Jack was turned inside out, upside down, and Daniel saw it all in a whole new way. Feelings he had repressed, ignored, and denied came bubbling up, demanding to be recognized.

Jealous. That was the proper definition for that unsettled feeling. Daniel had been jealous of Teal'c because Daniel wanted Jack for himself. Had wanted him for a long time now. That's why instead of keeping Teal'c's comments to himself, Daniel had been compelled to discuss them. He hadn't been asking what Teal'c should do about Jack - he had been asking what he should do about a rival for Jack's affections.

"Daniel?" Sam sounded concerned.

"Oh, uh. Sorry to zone out on you, Sam." Daniel pulled himself together. Huh. So that's what an epiphany felt like. "You, uh, you were saying I should tell Jack?"

"Absolutely."

"What if...what if he..."

"Trust me on this Daniel. The Colonel's way ahead of you. In fact, it's been difficult to watch him pining for you, waiting for you to see him. I've been tempted to give you a push and I'm sure Teal'c has, too."

"Yes, I'm sure he has." His conversation with Teal'c made a lot more sense now. "You really don't mind? You're not going to feel, I don't know, left out or anything?" This was important to him. As much as he wanted to explore the new possibilities with Jack, Daniel didn't want his team mates, his friends, to feel pushed aside.

"Are you kidding? You're going to need me now more than ever. Who else are you going to turn to when you and Jack have a lover's quarrel?" Sam asked mischievously.

Agitated. Greatly disturbed. Now the description of perturbed matched his mood, only this was from an attack of nerves at the thought of approaching Jack. Despite Sam's assurance that his friend returned the feelings, Daniel was anxious about opening up, making himself emotionally vulnerable. Maybe he should wait a week...or two. Make that a couple of months. Get used to the idea himself before - No. If he waited, he'd chicken out.

This was Friday evening. Daniel had all weekend to work up the courage to confront Jack. Although he hadn't specifically been invited, Daniel knew he was welcome at Jack's house any time. Maybe it would be best to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak.

"Thanks, Sam. You've been a big help."

Daniel kissed her cheek and hurried for the door.

****

Jack opened the front door as Daniel came up the walk. Daniel had seemed a little...off on the phone. Nervous, maybe. Yet all he did was offer to hang out with Jack for the evening, something each of them had done hundreds of times over the years. Something was going on with Daniel and Jack was going to find out what it was, which was why Jack had been waiting impatiently in his living room for the sound of Daniel's car in the driveway.

As he held the door and greeted his friend, Jack's mind was cataloguing elements of Daniel's attire and demeanor. At the end of the work day, Jack's score card had been up to forty-four points thanks to nine lip licks worth one point each and one "nibbling the end of the pen" worth five points. Eyeing the jeans Daniel was wearing, Jack decided that he could add another five points to the total. Forty-nine points was a good total. Jack didn't think anything would ever beat the all-time high of 382 points, but that involved a mission and a fertility ceremony where Daniel's outfit consisted mostly of mud and strategically placed feathers. Dragging his gaze away from where some of those feathers had been located, Jack looked Daniel in the eye.

Daniel smiled as he hurried up the walk, arms loaded down with bags. Bounding up the steps into the house, he handed one bag to Jack so that he could get a better grip on the twelve pack of Guinness that was slipping out from under his arm.

"Did you buy out the store?" Jack teased.

"Not quite. I got us each a foot long Italian sub with all the trimmings, a couple of kinds of chips, and a little something to wash it all down with."

"Sounds good." Jack let Daniel go in front of him, then shut the door. "We've got almost an hour before the game starts, so let's eat at the table."

They went into the kitchen, dropping the groceries on the counter. Daniel took two beers from the carton, put the rest in the fridge, then opened the chips. Jack grabbed two plates from the cabinet and took them to the dining table along with the bag with the subs. He could see there were plenty of napkins in there, so he didn't bother with paper towels. Jack peeked under the roll as he unwrapped the first sandwich. Eww - olives. That sandwich went on Daniel's plate. Jack divvied out the napkins as Daniel came in with the beers in one hand and a bowl full of mixed chips in the other.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Daniel seemed lost in thought, his gaze turned inward. A few times, he took in a big breath, apparently on the verge of speaking but each time, he sighed instead and took another bite of his sandwich or sip of Guinness.

Okay, something was definitely bothering Daniel, but what? He had seemed fine to Jack during the day. After that whacked out robo-bitch Reese had nearly taken out the entire SGC, Jack and Daniel had hashed out every side of every argument until the two of them were back to fine. That was at least a month ago so Jack knew there weren't any residual issues from that.

Something must have happened between the last time Jack had seen him late that afternoon and the time that Daniel had called. But what? Hopefully, given enough latitude, Daniel would open up to him, but if Daniel didn't spill by the time the game was over, Jack would resort to direct methods.

Jack wiped his mouth and hands with his napkin, then checked the time. Ten minutes until face off. As Daniel slouched back in his chair contemplating the last chip in the bowl, Jack gathered up their empty plates and his own depleted beer bottle. After putting the plates in the sink and the bottle in the trash, he turned back toward the dining room only to find that Daniel was looking at him oddly.

No. Not looking. Daniel was...noticing him. His eyes were focused, intent, as his gaze roamed slowly over Jack's body. It wasn't an "Is that a new shirt?" or " Did you cut your hair?" kind of gaze. Maybe it was Jack's overworked imagination, but there was some heat to it as though Daniel was assessing. Admiring. For so long now, Jack had been waiting for the day when Daniel would be ready to open his heart again, and hoping that Daniel would return his affection. Jack's heartbeat quickened. Had that day finally arrived?

Reining in his excitement, Jack spoke gently, as he would to a skittish animal. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb the moment, destroy the mood, but he had to know what his friend was thinking. "Daniel?"

Despite the soft tone, his voice snapped Daniel out of his reverie. Eyes flicking up to meet Jack's, he flushed and looked guilty as though caught doing something wrong. Before Jack could say anything more, Daniel blurted out "Teal'c thinks you're good looking."

What the hell? Jack blinked, trying to school his face into a neutral expression. Where in the holy fuck had that come from? "Um. Okaaay."

"That's not..." Rising from the chair, Daniel scrunched up his face, waving his hands as if erasing something. "Teal'c didn't...well he did, but...then Sam...and pining...I suddenly...great ass!"

Sometimes Daniel's brain worked so quickly, he didn't have time to put a thought into words before the next thought knocked the first one out of the way. Jack saw this a lot on missions, in the lab, and at the occasional briefing. It looked different taking place in his dining room. Putting his hands on his hips, Jack waited patiently for Daniel's speech to catch up with his rapidly firing synapses.

Daniel took a deep breath, blew it out and calmed considerably. "Today, it was brought to my attention that you'd like to be more than friends with me."

A chill ran down Jack's spine. Brought to his attention? What the hell? "Who was it? And what did they say?" Shit. If Jack had been telegraphing his interest to all and sundry, then there could be repercussions for both of him. He didn't care what happened to himself, but there was no way he wanted Daniel hurt by this.

"Teal'c started it, but Sam helped."

Ah. Jack had been fairly certain that his team mates were clued in, but neither of them had said anything to him. He wondered why they had approached Daniel.

"And after I talked to them," Daniel continued, "I did some thinking and I realized that I, um, ah -" Daniel was stammering again, but Jack recognized it as the nervous variety not the warp speed brain kind. "I want to be more than friends with you too."

Jack let the words rattle around in his head for minute. He understood each individual word, but strung together, he couldn't comprehend the meaning of the sentence.

Daniel.

Daniel wanted.

Daniel wanted him.

Holy crap- Daniel WANTED him! It felt like Jack's heart was pounding in his throat.

"It is true, right?" Daniel asked anxiously. "You do, um, want that, right?"

"Oh hell yeah, Daniel!" Okay, not the most poetic declaration, but it was certainly fervent. "I can't say when I first started thinking of you as more than my best friend. It was kind of a gradual process, but I've felt that way for a very long time now."

And thank God Jack hadn' been imagining things. Daniel really did care for him, but hadn't been ready to move on from his beloved Shar'e before this. It sounded as though Jack owed Carter and Teal'c big time for giving the man a push.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" asked Daniel.

Jack shrugged. How to boil down month after month adding up to almost two years of sleepless nights spent in internal debate? Of going over every possible way to approach Daniel and painstakingly mapping out every possible reaction from him? Of fantasizing in detail all the happy endings. Of agonizing over the imagined fall out from every worst case scenario.

"I didn't know how you'd feel about it," Jack said gruffly. "What if I poured out my heart to you and got shot down?"

Daniel raised his brows in acknowledgement, but said, "You could have tried a more subtle inquiry, something indirect."

Not certain if he detected a note of reproof in there, Jack fell back on his tried and true defense mechanism, sarcasm. "Like what? Ask Carter to pass you a note in gym class? 'Do you like Jack - circle yes or no'. Or maybe I could offer to carry your books."

"I was actually thinking of something a little less high school. Besides, you have carried books for me."

Since Daniel was giving him the same look he always did when Jack was being an ass, Jack lightened up. "So, I should pass you the note myself?"

"Sure." Daniel smiled shyly. "Just not during a briefing. You're distracting enough as it is."

"I'm distracting? What about you with that - that lip licking thing you do?" Jack had once collected 35 points after only two hours at the SGC, most of which were from lip licking. He had left that briefing with only a vague idea of what was going on and had to read the report again.

Eyes wide, Daniel looked surprised. "You mean this?" Daniel's tongue appeared for a millisecond. "You like that?"

Embarrassed, Jack nearly clammed up but now that he and Daniel were actually communicating he didn't want to jeopardize the process. "Well, sometimes you kind of linger over it and the way you -" He halted abruptly, mesmerized by the sight in front of him.

Daniel had tilted his chin down so that he could look up at Jack through his lashes, which was quite a feat considering that the men were nearly the same height. Slowly, delicately, the tip of Daniel's tongue traced his upper lip, all pink and moist and enticing. Jack felt a stirring in his groin. Jesus, he was getting a chubby just from watching Daniel.

Daniel's expression flickered from determined to nervous and back again as he walked toward to where Jack stood in the doorway. Jack shuffled into the dining room to meet him, trying to shake the surreal feeling. It was difficult to believe that this was real, not one of the many fantasies his overworked imagination had conjured up.

Daniel's left hand wrapped around Jack's upper arm in a strong grip while he trailed the back of his other hand up Jack's cheek, then turned the hand to cup his palm against Jack's face. At the touch, Jack shivered as his skin reacted with goose flesh. The hand on his face trembled. His eyes sought contact with Daniel's but Daniel was looking at Jack's mouth. The pad of Daniel's calloused thumb floated lightly over Jack's lower lip as Daniel slowly leaned in.

When Daniel's lips touched his, a spark flashed down Jack's spine to his groin and he hardened completely. Fleetingly, Jack wondered how many points a kiss was worth. Fifty? One hundred? Then Daniel's soft tongue slid past his lips and all thought stopped as Jack's hips pushed forward involuntarily. Dropping his hands to Daniel's ass, he pulled, forcefully pressing their groins together. Curling his pelvis under, he rubbed his erection against Daniel's and Daniel whimpered as his tongue stuttered in Jack's mouth. Jack took that to be a positive sign so he did it again and this time, Daniel pushed back and it was glorious. Then there was nothing but warm soft lips tasting his, firm hands sweeping over him, and the sweet ache building between his legs.

Their bodies were already locked together all along their length, but it wasn't enough. Jack needed to really feel Daniel's muscular body against his, needed to feel naked flesh against his palms. Greedy for more, Jack transferred his weight, sliding one foot forward, desperate to get closer to Daniel. At the same time, Daniel shifted back. Their combined movements in the same direction threw them out of balance.

Pitched forward, Jack tried to reposition his feet, but his foot hit Daniel's as Daniel's knee hit his and the two of them went crashing to the hardwood floor with Daniel underneath, poised to take the combined force of their weight. Jack put his hand on the back of Daniel's head to protect it and rolled them as they went down so they landed on their sides instead, narrowly missing the dining table.

"Ow!"

"Crap!"

Daniel sat up, rubbing his elbow. "That's going to leave a mark."

Jack lay on the floor for moment longer both hands clutching his knee. "Yeah, well." He sat up, gingerly using his hands to bend the knee. Christ, that hurt. Damn knee took the brunt of the fall, right on the fucking bone. The pain radiated up his thigh, deflating his erection. Until the pain dropped to a more manageable level, Jack wouldn't be up for any more festivities, dammit. "At least it wasn't your bad elbow," he griped.

Daniel frowned. "I don't have a bad elbow."

Jack used his chin to indicate his knee. "That's kind of my point."

Immediately, Daniel let go of his elbow and got to his feet. "Will the ibuprofen be enough or do you need the prescription stuff?" Even as he spoke, Daniel was moving into the kitchen, opening cupboards, gathering items.

"Ibuprofen's fine, but give me three of them."

"Here."

"Thanks." As he took the pills and glass of water, Jack snuck a peek at Daniel's pants. The fall had taken the edge off of Daniel as well, though he looked to be half hard still.

"Do you need your brace?" Daniel gestured in the approximate direction of the linen closet where the brace was kept.

Jack shook his head and handed the glass back to Daniel. Careful of his knee, he scooted back until he could lean against the dining room wall, stretching his legs straight out in front of him.

Daniel set the glass on the table then sat on the floor next to Jack. "Well."

"Well." Jack sighed. "As make out sessions go, that was probably the least successful one I've ever had."

Least successful? Try most mortifying. They could use Jack as an example of how not to impress your prospective lover. He'd be lucky if he hadn't scared Daniel off.

"Really?" Daniel appeared to mull it over. "I think it might be a tie for me. Or maybe only second least successful."

That got Jack's attention. He raised his eyebrows in silent inquiry.

"Bunk bed," Daniel said succinctly. "Concussion."

"Ah. I'm starting to see why the couch is the more traditional venue. Roomy, low to the ground, cushioned." A twist of his wrist brought Jack's watch into view. "The game only just started. We could mosey into the living room, settle on the couch and ah, see what happens."

Daniel smiled and took Jack's hand. "Let nature take its course?"

Daniel stood, pulling on Jack's hand as he did to help Jack up. For a moment, they just looked at other. Then, mouth closed, no tongue, Jack kissed Daniel on the lips. It was the kind of chaste familiar kiss that couples used to say thank you, I love you, I missed you, hello, good bye, take care or a hundred other things and it felt so natural to do it.

It felt like coming home.

FINIS

Author's Note: I really appreciate feedback. Also, check out my J/D friendship fic under Catsmeow at The Alphagate http://www.thealphagate.com/viewuser.php?uid=381