Alternate Reality Bytes 2

Undercover Connections

by Dragonfly Promises

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asd/dpromises/arbytes02.php
Summary: Hammond's detective squad is approached by the DEA looking for someone to work undercover. Who will they select? And if things go wrong, can any of them walk away unscathed?

Lieutenant George Hammond, head of the city's detective squad, stared at the phone on his desk. He had just finished speaking to his captain who informed him a Drug Enforcement Agency officer was on his way to discuss an undercover assignment for one of Hammond's detectives. He frowned. He didn't like loaning out his officers to other departments. The last time he had loaned out an officer it had been for a vice-squad sting operation and he almost didn't get him back alive. He looked through the glass partition of his office into the squad room. It was still early and most of his people hadn't arrived to start their shift yet. He watched as they began to trickle in and blew out a frustrated breath. He didn't see how he could refuse the request. Things had been a little slow lately and the captain had made it clear he expected full cooperation. Hammond shook his head. He didn't like this. Didn't like it at all.

~~

Jack entered the squad room and as he was hanging up his jacket, he noticed a man in Hammond's office. It was pretty early in the morning to have visitors. The office door was closed but he could tell Hammond wasn't happy. The frown and the crossed arms the older man currently displayed didn't exactly look welcoming. Jack looked at the other occupant of the office. The mystery man was seated a little too far forward in his chair, his hands were animated, his mouth continually moving in non-stop conversation, obviously eager to persuade Hammond of something.

Jack eased over to Carter's desk without taking his eyes off the unfolding scene. "Good morning, Carter." He leaned in as though she had asked a question and he was looking at some paperwork on her desk. "So, who's the guy giving Hammond the soft-soap?" he softly asked.

Carter smiled and played along, picking up a pencil and pointing to an imaginary item on the paper before her. She spoke quietly. "Don't know yet. But Hammond was given a heads up from the captain that the guy was on the way. I heard that much before the door was closed. The lieutenant doesn't look very happy."

"Ya think?" Jack straightened up and turned as voices entered the room. Murray stepped through the doorway followed by Daniel. They were in the middle of a conversation.

"But that's just how I feel about it. What do you think?" Daniel asked Murray.

"About what?" Jack piped in.

"Oh, hey, Jack. Morning, Sam." Daniel smiled at them.

"You were saying?"

Daniel frowned. "What?"

"Your conversation. When you came through the door."

Daniel continued to look puzzled as he hung up his jacket.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Daniel. You were asking Murray's opinion."

"Oh, it's nothing important." Daniel moved over to where Jack stood. "Forget that anyway. Who's the guy in Hammond's office?"

"Don't know yet. Although, he looks kind of familiar. Carter says he's got the captain's clearance."

Murray lifted an eyebrow. "Looking at Lieutenant Hammond's expression, the visitor's presence does not bode well for our department."

Jack looked at Murray. "Do you wake up talking like that or do you just practice on the way into work?"

Carter spoke up. "Well clearly if the lieutenant is unhappy, something's coming down the line." She paused. "Or else someone is in trouble." All eyes turned to look at Jack.

He raised his hands. "Whoa, back it up. I haven't done anything to cause Hammond any grief."

He was met with silent smirks and raised eyebrows. "Okay. I'll give you that. But nothing lately."

Daniel's brow furrowed. "I'm sure the lieutenant will tell us what we need to know." He moved over to his desk to retrieve his coffee cup. "In the meantime, if he catches us all just standing around out here watching him through the window, I don't think it's going to improve his mood any. Is the coffee already made?" He asked with a smile.

Carter nodded. "Put on a fresh pot a few minutes ago."

Daniel's smile broadened. "Thanks, Sam." He headed off to the break-room.

Jack moved over to his own desk and sat down, turning on his computer. As he waited for it to boot up, he picked up a pencil and began tapping it against a stack of folders on his desk. He occasionally glanced over at Hammond's office, his lips pursed in thought.

Daniel returned with his coffee and sat down at his desk where he too booted up his machine. He sipped on the heavenly ambrosia and closed his eyes as the warmth of it spread throughout his body. God, he loved the stuff. He opened his eyes to find Jack staring at him. "What?"

"You know the first time I saw you do that was at the hotel when we were working on the serial killer case."

"Do what?"

"Make drinking coffee look like a sexual encounter."

"What?"

"Oh, it's not every time you drink coffee. It's just when you're drinking the first cup of the day. You caress the coffee mug as though it were warm flesh beneath your hands and when you slowly inhale the aroma and let the steam waft over your face, it's as though you are breathing in the scent of your long-lost lover and when you take that first sip, the look that washes over your face and the sigh of contentment that escapes your lips is nothing short of orgasmic. I can honestly say I have never seen anyone do that before I met you."

Daniel's mouth dropped open. "I don't do that!"

"Yes, you do."

"I do not."

"Do too."

"Don't"

"Do."

"Don't."

"Do." Jack looked over to the blond haired, blue-eyed woman. "Carter?"

She was grinning. "Sorry, Daniel. But you do."

Daniel flushed and his mouth gaped open and closed like a fish gasping for breath. He was about to protest further when Hammond's office door opened.

"People, listen up. We have a request to loan out one of our detectives for an undercover operation involving the DEA. This is Agent Barrett. He has all the clearance he needs for this request and we are expected to cooperate fully. Do I make myself clear?" He spoke to them all but looked at Jack.

"Yes sir." Echoed around the room.

Hammond nodded. "Agent, you have the floor."

"Thank you, Lieutenant Hammond." He turned to the others. "As your lieutenant just said, my name is Agent Barrett and I'm with the DEA. We need one of your detectives for an undercover operation we are running. I've been checking around and I know things are kind of slow for you people right now. We really could use the help. We have one missing operative and the other man we still have on the inside needs assistance. He can't do this alone."

Daniel raised a finger. "Uh, question." All eyes turned to him. "Forgive me for asking but why this squad? I mean wouldn't someone from vice be more appropriate?"

Good question, Jack thought.

"Presently, they already have their best undercover agents in other operations."

Daniel raised a finger again. "Uh, another question. So why not use their second best agents? Again, why come here?"

Agent Barrett looked at Hammond in exasperation. Hammond nodded and took over.

"It appears that one of the undercover men is someone connected to this squad."

"Come again?" Jack wasn't sure what Hammond meant by that.

Hammond looked towards Carter. "The agent still on the inside is Jacob Carter."

Carter stiffened. "That can't be. He's retired."

"I'm sorry, Sam. He came back out of retirement specifically for this operation."

Daniel looked around in puzzlement. He leaned over to Murray and softly asked, "Who is Jacob Carter?"

"He is Samantha Carter's father. He was once a DEA agent but had retired. Or so we thought."

Daniel looked over to Sam and could see the strain and anxiety in her face. She looked so distraught that he wanted to give her a hug. Their friendship had developed into a close one in the short time he had known her. They had met while he was an FBI profiler helping Jack and the team hunt down a serial killer. They had liked each other instantly and Sam quickly became the sister he'd never had. They'd shared many a confidential conversation since he left the FBI and relocated here as part of the team. "So what does this assignment entail? I mean what are we supposed to do?" he asked.

"The person in question will be placed on the inside and will meet up with Jacob. He has information about some serious drug activity coming this way and we think it will involve some of the biggest drug-lords in the western hemisphere. We can't pass up on gathering intel on this group."

"Oh. And here I thought you might want to actually locate the missing operative and retrieve Jacob Carter." Daniel fluttered his eyelashes innocently as he delivered the barb.

Barrett stared coldly at Daniel. "And that too." Then he glanced around at the others. "Look, this is an opportunity that we can't ignore. Every few years, the larger operations hold a summit whereby they decide the fate of the smaller operations, establish new markets, designate new distributors, make new deals, and settle old business. The smaller factions vie for the opportunity to host the meeting in their cities, knowing their fate could be directly linked to the decisions made there."

"Sort of like the Superbowl of the underworld." Jack quipped before he could stop himself.

Barrett's eyes narrowed but he continued. "We have never been able to get so close before. The meeting is never held in the same city twice and the location is always a well-kept secret. We were lucky that we got wind of this one and were able to get operatives inside early on."

"That's why my dad came out of retirement, isn't it?" Carter spoke up already knowing the answer.

"Yes. He was the best resource we had on these kinds of operations. We needed his expertise. And now he needs your help."

Jack uncrossed his arms and raised a hand to volunteer. "I'll go in. I've done more undercover work than the rest of my team."

Hammond shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Jack, but it appears they have a certain selection in mind."

"That being?"

Agent Barrett spoke up. "Well, currently there is a low-level operation running out of one of the local nightclubs here and supposedly that's where this is all going down. The only way I can get any of you in, according to Jacob, is through the band. Right now, they are down one keyboardist. I need someone who can believably fill that role."

They all looked at each other as Barrett continued. "Someone who has some background in music. Someone who has played in front of an audience."

"I played in a band in my college days." Jack spoke up.

Daniel looked at him in surprise as did Sam and Murray. "You were in a band, Jack?"

"Small band, played guitar." He looked at their faces. "What? We had our moments."

Agent Barrett continued as he began to walk around the room. "Thanks but wrong instrument. We also need someone a little younger, no offense intended. Someone that I can put in there who knows the lingo, who can adapt on the fly." Barrett stopped in front of Daniel.

Daniel looked around and saw everyone facing him.

"We pulled your file. During college, you played piano in the local student hangouts to earn money for your tuition. You were pretty good at it I am told. Quick to learn new pieces, pretty decent repertoire."

"You read my file and checked up on me?"

"Of course."

Jack spoke up. "I recognize you now. You used to be part of Internal Affairs. What? Decided to leave Maybourne's rat squad and move to higher ground at the DEA? Is it really an improvement?"

"Jack." Hammond warned.

"Sorry, lieutenant."

Daniel shook his head. "Well, a piano at a student bar and a keyboard in a band at a nightclub are definitely not the same things. Besides, that was quite a few years ago."

"Nevertheless, you're the best pick we've got."

Daniel looked around at the others and his eyes came to rest on Sam. Her face looked so worried that he could not help but feel compelled to agree.

He blew out a breath. "Okay, what do I do?"

"Come with me and we'll start the groundwork. Go over the details of your assignment and what to expect. We have to get you in character and then get you hooked up with Jacob." Barrett looked at the others. "And the rest of you have to steer clear of him and the club for a few days. I can't have him going in and all of you suddenly appearing at the same time and hanging around continually, even if it is as patrons. They would notice something like that."

Jack spoke up. "Daniel, you don't have to do this."

Daniel looked at Sam again. "Yeah, Jack. I do."

~~

After Daniel left with Barrett, Jack entered Hammond's office. "Got a minute?"

Hammond motioned for Jack to take a seat.

He closed the door and sat down. "I have to say, Lieutenant, I don't have a good feeling about this. This guy is former IAB and he's now running with the DEA crowd?"

Hammond shook his head. "His credentials are good. Apparently, he's been given clearance by the top man himself."

Jack growled. "Oh, come on sir. Neither group has ever been exactly forthcoming with information. They tend to leave out little details. Very important little details, I might add. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like surprises?"

"I don't like it any more than you do, Jack, but my hands are tied. I've been given clear orders to assist in any way possible and that's what I'm going to do. I have no compelling argument to do otherwise. I may not like it but I have a chain of command to follow as do you."

"Yes sir." Jack scratched at his ear. "It's just that Daniel hasn't done much undercover work and after 'The Ripper' case....."

"I'm well aware of what he went through with that but it in no way negates the need we have for him on this assignment."

Jack grimaced. "Yes sir."

Hammond's stern features softened. "I know you're worried about your friend, Jack. Daniel is a part of our family now. But trust him to know what he's doing. Then after a few days you and the rest of the team can go down to the club, check things out, see how our boy is getting along. If anything seems off, we'll pull him and Jacob out. Just give it a chance first."

Jack nodded and rose to leave. His hand was on the door handle when Hammond spoke, "Oh and Jack?"

Jack turned around, an eyebrow raised.

"Did you really play guitar in a band?"

Jack's smile lit up his face. "YeahSureYouBetcha, I did!"

~~

Jack swung by Daniel's place on the way home from work. He had called earlier and found out that Barrett had given Daniel all the info but the assignment didn't actually start until the next day.

He approached Daniel's apartment door and could hear music playing, Or rather someone playing music, specifically a piano. He reached his hand to knock and paused a moment, listening. Daniel didn't sound half bad. Jack rapped on the door and the music stopped.

He nodded at one of the neighbors who exited their apartment and turned back as Daniel opened the door. "Jack! What brings you by? Come on in."

Jack stepped into the apartment. He had been there a few times before but most of the time when his team got together it was at his place. He looked at Daniel, taking in the ragged jeans, the loose pull-over sweater and the bare feet. "I heard you playing. You sounded pretty good."

Daniel closed the door and flushed. "Thanks. Actually, I'm pretty rusty. Just trying to get some practice in before I have to try and sell this tomorrow."

Jack eyed the younger man. "Yeah. So.....You okay with all this?"

Daniel gave him a wry smile. "I don't see that I really have a choice."

"Sure you do. You give the word and we call it off."

"And Jacob Carter is stuck in there alone without backup." Daniel shook his head. "I can't let Sam down like that."

"I'm just saying...."

"And I appreciate it." Daniel looked at the older man, trying to read the chocolate brown eyes. "Jack, are you worried about me?"

Jack looked away. "Nah." He looked at the floor. "Well, maybe." He looked at Daniel. "A little." He held up his hand. "Not that I think you can't handle the job, it's just that there's a lot that could go wrong with a sting like this."

"I understand that."

"Well as someone so eloquently pointed out to me once before, acquaintances are many, friends are few. And just like him, I also don't want my limited supply depleted."

Daniel smiled. "Want a beer?"

"Yeah. A beer would be good."

"Make yourself comfortable." Daniel gestured towards the living room as he headed to the kitchen.

Jack spied the piano and casually walked over to look at it. He leaned in to get a better look at the sheet music and pecked at a few keys. Daniel came out of the kitchen with two beers in hand.

"Do you play, Jack?"

Jack straightened. "Nah, just trying to see if I remember how to read music." He accepted the beer offered to him and moved over to one of the over-stuffed chairs. He took a sip of beer and eyed the younger man again as Daniel moved to sit on the couch.

Daniel propped his feet up on the coffee table. "So, you got plans for dinner?"

Jack shook his head. "Not particularly. Figured I'd head on home, grab a sandwich on the way. Maybe catch a hockey game on TV."

"Why not stay and watch the game here? We can order a pizza."

"Sure."

Daniel nodded and got up off the couch to grab the cordless phone and the phone book.

"The number is 555-6540."

Daniel looked at Jack over the top of his glasses. "You have the number to Joey's Pizza Palace memorized?"

Jack shrugged. "What can I say?"

Daniel grinned, shook his head and punched in the digits. He tossed Jack the remote to the television as he placed their order. When he hung up, he realized Jack was still channel-surfing.

"Can't find a game, Jack? Hey, back up. That looked interesting."

Jack backed up. "This looks educational, Daniel."

"It's the Discovery Channel. Of course, it's educational."

Jack looked at him in silence.

Daniel cringed. "Okay. Okay. Keep going."

"Pushover." Jack murmured as he continued pressing the remote.

Daniel smiled and leaned back on the couch. He looked over at Jack and took in the casual black slacks and the grey shirt unbuttoned at the collar. It brought out the silver in Jack's hair which added to the handsome profile of his face. The thought flittered through Daniel's mind that he didn't understand why Jack wasn't in a relationship with someone. He was a good man, strong and decent and caring. He had integrity and class. And Daniel had to admit, Jack was very attractive. Yeah, he could be sarcastic and irreverent but that just made him all the more interesting. Did his divorce leave him bitter or untrusting? Did his child's death leave him unwilling to become vulnerable again? Daniel had only known Jack for a few months but not once did he ever mention seeing anyone. There was a lot about Jack that he didn't know. And there was a lot about him that Jack wasn't aware of either. He sighed.

"What?" Jack asked.

"What?"

"You just gave a huge sigh. What's up?"

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing. Just wondering how long before the pizza arrives."

"Sheez, Daniel. You just called it in, give them a chance."

Daniel let himself sink further into the couch as he watched the television screen flicker from one program to another. Slowly, his thoughts turned back to Jack. The first time he met Jack he had felt drawn to the man's presence. The honesty and sincerity that emanated from the man had moved him to agree to provide his expertise in helping Jack and his team catch the serial killer plaguing their city. That one decision had turned his life upside down and he had discovered new friends and found himself a family in the bargain.

But the best by far, was his friendship with Jack. And he didn't want anything to ruin that. That's why he could never tell Jack that he was beginning to feel more for the man than just friendship and brotherly love. He knew it would be hard to keep it to himself because the more time he spent with Jack, the stronger the attraction grew. But he also knew if Jack was as straight as he appeared to be, then he wouldn't want anything to do with Daniel in that way and a wonderful friendship would be lost.

Daniel had only had one relationship with a man previously in his life and that was back in college. It had lasted for two years before his naiveté wore off and he realized he was being used. Steven Rayner had been a taker but in his own mind had thought he was a giver. He had been jealous of Daniel. Jealous of the attention Daniel gave to others and jealous of the attention Daniel received. Eventually, he stole from Daniel's thesis and tried to undermine his grad work for his own benefit. The affair ended badly, each bitterly going their separate ways. Other than that, he had known only women. Sarah Gardner for one. He smiled. They had a good run while it lasted. She had known about him and Steven and had been friends with both. She, herself, was a little more than ambitious and he often wondered if she might have a hand in the demise of his relationship with Steven.

Then he was lucky enough to have found Sha're and he had loved her with all his heart. She had been a wonderful wife, beautiful in both looks and spirit, she was full of spontaneity and passion and generosity. They had been very happy together and had planned on beginning a family before she had been raped and murdered at the hands of a serial killer he had been tracking. He swallowed hard and his eyes misted over. God, would he ever stop feeling responsible for that? He pushed up off the couch abruptly and headed towards the bathroom.

"Daniel?"

Daniel looked back at Jack and saw the concern on his face. "Are you okay?" Jack asked.

Daniel nodded and cleared his throat. "I just need to step in here a minute."

A frown creased Jack's brow. "Okay. Pizza should be here any time now."

Daniel nodded and continued down the hall.

Jack was watching the television but wasn't really seeing what was playing out on the screen before him. He had seen the pain in Daniel's eyes, the electric blue color shimmering behind tears that threatened to fall. What had Daniel been thinking that could have turned him so quickly from laughter to tears? He could only come up with one thing. Daniel must have been thinking about his deceased wife. Jack shook his head. There was no reason why Daniel shouldn't be in a relationship with someone. He was smart, generous, kind, caring, decent, and strong. He was good-looking without question. So what if he was occasionally snarky and threw a tantrum here and there? It made life with Daniel more interesting.

He wished Daniel could let go of the guilty feelings surrounding his wife's death. Maybe if he could, he could open himself up to find love again. Or was it the other way around? If Daniel could find love again, then maybe he could let go of the guilt.

Jack sighed. There was so much that he didn't know about Daniel and the reverse was also true. How could Jack tell Daniel that he was beginning to have feelings for him when he didn't even understand it himself? When he wasn't totally sure, given past events, that he could even be with Daniel in that way even if the opportunity arose? And if Daniel was as straight as he seemed to be then any approach by Jack would make him uncomfortable and could ruin the friendship they had developed.

Jack had only had one voluntary intimate relationship with another guy and that was when he was about seventeen years old and trying to 'find himself'. It had been a brief affair with a boy in his early twenties. Both were trying to find their way and quickly realized it wasn't with each other. Still, they had parted on good terms and Jack began focusing his attention solely on women.

Then he met Sara and life was good for a very long time until two events occurred in his life that nearly destroyed him. The first was 'the incident' as he preferred to call it. He was a rookie cop, brash and headstrong, walking a beat in a bad neighborhood that was just beginning to become populated by gangs and their proving grounds. Due to his own folly, he got separated from his partner and became the target of a gang initiation. After the rape, he didn't know if he could emotionally return to the force or not. Only Sara standing by him enabled him to get through those hellish days. Slowly, he moved beyond the trauma to where he could be intimate again and life gradually became good once more, allowing him to return to being the cop he was meant to be.

The second devastating event occurred when a selfish drunk made the fateful decision to climb behind the wheel of his vehicle and slammed into the car Jack was driving. A hit and run. For the longest time after the wreck, he could still hear in his head Sara's and Charlie's screams as the car rolled. He and Sara spent weeks in the hospital recuperating but nothing prepared them for the loss of their little boy to such a senseless, random act of irresponsibility. And to make it even more horrific, when the cops finally found the drunk, he had nary a scratch on him – totally unscathed.

Their marriage slowly deteriorated after that. They couldn't look at each other without seeing their dead child and hearing his cries. And Jack had gone over it in his head a million times, what if he hadn't taken that shortcut, what if Sara hadn't been running late, what if he had been able to maneuver their car better, what if, what if, what if. When Charlie died, he took a piece of both of them with him. He still cared for Sara and always would. They had been great together. But they had different lives now. He took another swig of the beer and the doorbell rang.

Daniel hadn't returned to the living room yet so Jack quickly swiped at the tears at the corners of his eyes and headed for the door. He paid the delivery boy and was headed into the kitchen with the pizza when Daniel entered the room.

"Jack? What's wrong?"

Jack looked at his friend and saw sincere concern focused on him. "Memories, Danny. Sometimes they're hard."

Daniel nodded his understanding and left it at that. He handed Jack the plates and napkins. "Here, grab us some slices and I'll bring out a couple more bottles."

Jack loaded up the plates, took them out to the living room and set them down on the coffee table. Daniel followed with two new beers. He set the bottles down and then moved to sit on the floor, crossed-legged so he could use the coffee table as his dining area.

Jack looked down at him. "I don't think my knees are gonna let me get down there like that."

Daniel moved back up into a kneeling position and offered his arm. "Here, lean on me to lower yourself."

Jack hesitated and Daniel looked up at him. "Or sit in the chair if you prefer."

Jack looked down at Daniel's kneeling figure with the face turned upwards and felt his breath hitch. Those eyes. That mouth. He could feel a twitch in his groin and his pulse quickened. How easy it would be to reach down, run his hands through that hair, pull that face closer and.....He shook his head. He had to push those kinds of thoughts out of his mind.

"I think I'd better stay with the chair." Jack managed to rasp out.

"Suit yourself." Daniel lowered himself back to the floor. He quickly took a sip of beer and turned his gaze to the television so Jack couldn't see his expression. Kneeling in front of Jack like that had caused his heart to start pounding and the blood to flow southward. He was sure his face was flushed. He needed to shift his attention, stop thinking about how easy it would have been to reach up and.....He closed his eyes. No, no, no, can't go there! He opened his eyes and took a gulp of the beer this time.

At first they ate pizza in silence, the noise from the game being the only sound to echo throughout the room. Gradually, both relaxed and conversation was added.

Jack took a swig of his beer. "So, when do you start the assignment?"

Daniel wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Barrett is supposed to drop me off around noon to meet Jacob. Then he's the one who's actually going to get me into the club. I have to do a semi-audition to make sure I can make it past these guys."

"Then what?"

Daniel shrugged. "Then I get introduced around and play my first gig tomorrow night. Every night from then on I'm to keep my eyes open and basically do whatever Jacob tells me to do. Apparently, the summit is coming up in the next few days but they don't know for sure when."

"Seems they've left out a number of details." Jack chewed thoughtfully on his pizza crust.

"Yeah, I'm not too happy about that but I guess Jacob is running the show on the inside and I've just got to follow his lead." Daniel took a couple of sips of beer. "Oh yeah, and apparently they have some kind of housing set up for the band so you're not going to be able to reach me at home."

Jack frowned. He didn't like this. He REALLY didn't like this. "Daniel, promise me if you get into any kind of trouble, you'll call me or send for me or something. If you can't reach me for any reason, get Carter or Murray. Don't trust these guys to watch your back for you."

Daniel almost choked on his drink, wide-eyed with surprise. "Jacob is Sam's father. I don't think he'd let anything happen to me."

Jack shook his head. "I'm not talking about Jacob. And for that matter, I'm sure he didn't expect anything to happen to their missing operative either. But I don't trust his running buddies much more than I trust the scum they are trying to sting. Promise me."

"Sure, Jack."

"Good."

"Uh, Jack. You have pizza sauce there." Daniel gestured towards the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks." Jack took a swipe at it and missed.

Daniel smiled. "Try again."

Jack tried again and missed again.

Daniel laughed. "Here, lean forward." He reached up with a napkin and tried wiping it off but it wouldn't budge. "Looks dried. Hold on." He wet the corner of the napkin with some beer and grabbed Jack's chin to hold him still as he gently washed off the sauce.

Surprised, Jack could feel himself holding his breath. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears as Daniel's hand held him firmly but gently.

Daniel blinked as he suddenly realized what he was doing and swallowed hard, forcing himself not to suddenly jerk back. Oh, God, he had Jack's face in his hand. So close he could just lean in and kiss those lips, remove that sauce with his tongue. His hand started to tremble as he wiped away the last remnant. "There. That's better." He had to look away quickly before Jack could see the desire in his eyes.

"Thanks," came the soft reply as Jack slowly leaned back in his chair.

"No problem." Daniel kept his eyes downcast. "You done with your plate or you want more pizza?"

"Nah, I'm done."

Daniel nodded and pushed himself up off the floor to gather the plates and napkins. He headed into the kitchen with them and set the plates in the sink, threw the napkins in the trash. He turned to head back to gather the beer bottles and ran smack into Jack standing behind him.

"I thought you might want to put these in your recycle bin."

Daniel flushed. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that. I'd have gotten them."

"No problem." Jack handed Daniel the empty bottles.

They stood in close proximity in silence for a few moments then Jack spoke up. "I'd probably better go. After all, some of us have to get up early tomorrow for work while others - who shall remain nameless, Daniel - get to lounge around lazily until the noon hour."

Daniel smiled at the jab. "What about the game?"

"Oh, I think I know how it ends."

"You do?"

Jack shrugged. "Both sides are equally matched so it's a give and take kind of game. The score is tied right now. Don't know for sure who'll end up on top but I've got my pick. All in all, I think it's a good match."

Daniel blinked several times. Did he just step into the twilight zone? Was Jack talking about hockey or something else? Was Jack giving him an opening? What if he was wrong and Jack rejected him? He wanted to ask. He started to ask but Jack was talking again.

"So. You gonna hold those bottles all night or put them down and see me to the door?"

Daniel swallowed hard. Oh. Hockey game after all. His heart sank. "Just a sec." He put the bottles in the bin and straightened up to find Jack staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing. Ready?"

Daniel gestured for Jack to head towards the living room and followed him there. Jack retrieved his jacket and slipped it on as Daniel moved to open the door.

Jack took his keys out of his pocket and jingled them in his hand. "You be careful out there, Daniel. You remember if there is anything – anything at all – that's the least bit hinky, you call me."

"Sure, Jack." Daniel stood crossed-armed in a self-hug, propping the door open with his body, his eyes looking down the hallway, at the neighbor's door, at the floor, anywhere but at Jack.

"All right, then." Jack stood there, not really wanting to leave. What he really wanted was to kiss Daniel who was standing there looking so vulnerable. But Daniel had not responded to his hints in the kitchen so he really had no choice. Apparently, he had misread what he thought were signals from the younger man. He stepped out into the hallway and moved towards the elevator. "Goodnight, Daniel."

Daniel lifted his hand in a small wave. "Night, Jack."

The elevator doors opened and Jack stepped inside. He gave a little salute back at Daniel as the doors closed. Once the doors were closed safely, he leaned against the wall and began to slowly bang his head against it.

Daniel stepped back into the apartment and closed the door. He turned the lock and just stayed there a moment, his forehead pressed against the panel. Then he turned his back to the door, leaned against it, and slowly slid to the floor. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn.

~~

Daniel began scoping out the backstage area in the nightclub. He had met up with Jacob as planned and had passed the audition with flying colors. He thought the band had been desperate for a keyboardist but kept his mouth shut and accepted the praise they gave him. He liked Jacob Carter but he could tell he was pretty much a no-nonsense kind of guy and it crossed his mind that Sam probably had a very strict upbringing. He opened a door and looked inside. Nothing but some storage. He closed it quietly and then looked around and didn't see anyone so he nosed a bit more. There were lots of places to hide things. Or people. It crossed Daniel's mind that the missing agent could simply be hidden or he could be very dead. Jacob had warned him to be careful and discreet as though he had planned to do anything else. He didn't have a whole lot of time to look much further since he needed to get ready for the evening show. And if it ran very late, he'd have to wait until the next day to pick up the search. He quickly looked behind a few more doors before he had to stop and head to the dressing room to get changed.

~~

Two days passed quickly after Daniel went undercover. On the third day, Jack decided he and his team needed to check out what was going on in the club. Agent Barrett had been tight with information about what was happening and no one except Barrett had heard from either Daniel or Jacob. Jack knew Carter was worried about her father but Jack also knew the man was an old pro and was probably three steps ahead of his opponents at any given moment. Daniel on the other hand did not have the experience to keep him so far ahead of the game and Jack was concerned at the continued silence from that particular quarter.

The brightly colored neon lights easily announced the location of the nightclub against the darkened sky as Jack pulled his truck into one of the empty spaces and parked. He flipped off the headlights and radio then turned off the ignition and waited. Soon Carter would join him along with Murray and Frasier. Then they would go in together and check for themselves firsthand what was going on.

~~

Jacob grimaced when he saw the party of four enter the club. They were escorted to a table on the second tier by a hostess who sent a waitress in their direction. Jacob waited until she completed the drink order request before he moved over to the table. He approached them and acknowledged all four with friendly greetings and smiles. After he scanned the nearby tables and was satisfied no one was in ear shot, his tone quickly changed.

"Sam, Jack. Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed at them.

"Nice to see you too, Jacob." Jack countered.

"You are going to compromise our whole operation."

"How's that?"

"If you start hanging around they are going to notice. They watch everything and everybody around here. See this smile? See my head nod? Right now I am pretending to be the gracious assistant manager welcoming you to the establishment when in reality I'd like to kick your butt for bringing my daughter into the middle of this."

"Dad!"

"Carter is capable of handling herself when she needs to. She's not helpless."

"And neither is Daniel if that's what any of this is about. So again, why are you here?"

Jack shook his head. "Jacob, Jacob. You don't write, you don't call. What else were we supposed to do?"

"You weren't supposed to do anything. This isn't your operation."

"Look, you took one of my people three days ago and we haven't heard from him since. Not only am I short one team member, I am absent one friend. We want to know he's okay."

Jacob sighed. "Daniel is fine. The band will be on soon and you can see for yourself. Then will you go?"

Jack frowned. "What's going on, Jacob?"

Jacob looked hard at Jack. He knew how stubborn Jack could be and knew the man wouldn't leave until he received some satisfactory answers. "Word has it that some very important visitors will be arriving tonight. Supposedly, there is going to be a summit meeting tomorrow evening after the place shuts down. Everyone here is on pins and needles so I'm really not kidding you when I say they're watching everything and everybody."

Jacob looked around him once more. "I've got to start mingling again. I'd love to give you a hug Sammy but I can't risk it." He looked back at Jack. "Catch the first show then go. You can't help any if you stay." With that, he moved off back into the crowd and could be seen occasionally stopping at tables welcoming the guests as he made his way back across the room.

"Carter, did I ever tell you how charming your dad can be?"

She snorted. "Welcome to my world."

The lights began to dim and people moved their chairs so they could get a better glimpse of the stage. Music began to play and soft lights began to come up slowly. The musicians in the background were bathed in various colored lights of reds, greens, yellows, and blues and included a couple of guitarists, a horn player, a saxophonist, and a drummer. Jack and the rest of the table strained to find Daniel but they couldn't see him. They could hear the keyboard but did not see one lit under the colored lights. Jack could see a darkened area to the left of the stage and another to the right. Could Daniel be in one of those unlit corners?

The music was an odd piece of jazzy-blues-rock. The lead singer walked out from one of the shadows and began singing, taking the crowd with him as the stage lighting followed his every movement. He sang to the crowd, he sang to the band, he even closed his eyes and sang to himself. Then he began slowly moving to the darkened corner on the right and the sounds of an electric guitar began to spring from the shadows. As the singer reached the hidden player, the vocalist stopped and the light shifted to the lead guitarist. The artist's fingers ran fluidly over the struts and he performed his rifts in such a style that it made Jack think of Eric Clapton or Jimmie Hendrix. As his solo began to fade, the vocalist stepped back in and began singing another round of the tune. As he edged away from the guitarist, the light followed him once again, leaving the abandoned guitarist bathed in a soft red glow instead of the total darkness that had hidden him before. Again, the lead singer made his way across the stage slowly to the opposite side. He paused and sang at the remaining dark corner and Jack could hear the beginnings of a keyboard solo. Then the light shifted from the singer and landed on Daniel.

Jack drew in a sharp breath at the same time he heard Carter's "Holy Hannah!" and Frasier's "Oh, my god!". Jack found he could barely breathe at the sight. Daniel was beautiful. There simply was no other word. He wore a pair of tight black leather pants that clung to every curve, every bulge and a purple silk shirt that was unbuttoned half way down his chest. Over that he wore a loose jacket with the sleeves pushed up to the elbows. He had substituted contacts for the glasses and he hadn't shaved. The half-grown-in stubble gave him a grunge look that suited him well. Daniel's hands flew over the keyboard, his long fingers moving at lightning speed. His head moved gently along with his shoulders as he obviously felt the music he was playing. His lips moved softly and his tongue occasionally snaked out in concentration at the more difficult passages his fingers encountered. His right leg kept time to the beat as he tamped his foot against the floor, his whole body was in tune to the music. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Frasier lean forward and whisper something to Carter who looked at Daniel and then whispered back to Frasier. Then they both smiled. Jack wasn't sure he wanted to know what that was about. As Daniel's solo came to a close and the vocalist moved away taking the spotlight, a soft blue light washed over him. To Jack he looked surreal under the colored lighting but nothing could take away from the beauty Jack had just witnessed. His chest ached with want and his groin ached with need.

The room felt uncomfortably warm to Jack and he noticed Frasier was fanning herself with the drink menu. He grimaced as he felt a pang of jealousy run through him. The song slowly ended to a thunderous round of applause. The lights came up and the singer bowed and then gestured towards his fellow artists who in turn smiled and nodded their heads in acknowledgement of the praise they were receiving. To Jack, when Daniel smiled at the crowd the room lit up even further and when he looked around the room and his eyes met Jack's, the world stopped spinning.

~~

Daniel was glad that particular piece was done. The first song was the hardest one they would play all night so the rest of the evening would be a breeze. The singer was taking his bows and the crowd loved him. As Daniel looked around the room, his eyes were drawn to a table on the second tier and he saw his friends smiling and applauding. Sam and Janet blew kisses his way and Murray inclined his head in praise as he clapped those huge hands together. And then there was Jack. When Jack's eyes locked onto his, Daniel found he could hardly breathe and suddenly all sound stopped. Daniel could hear nothing. He could see nothing but Jack. It was as if everyone else in the room had disappeared and time had lost all meaning. The desire and need he saw in Jack's eyes flooded him with a warmth throughout his entire body and his mouth became dry. He swallowed hard as he felt a responding need rise up within him. He couldn't tear his eyes away and it was with a sudden start that he was yanked back into the present when the drummer began his loud, hammering intro into their second song. Reluctantly, he turned his eyes back to his keyboard and waited for his turn to join in.

~~

"O'Neill. Are you unwell?"

"I'm fine, Murray."

"Your breathing is sounding labored. Do you need medical assistance?"

Jack looked at Murray and thought he saw a small twinkle in the man's eyes. Did he know? Had he seen or guessed? He knew the man was very good at observation and caught a lot of things. Jack hoped if he had, that his friend would keep it to himself.

Jack cleared his throat. "Think its time for another round of drinks." He signaled the waitress over.

But the silent communication between Jack and Daniel had not gone unnoticed. A lone figure sitting in a darkened corner pondered what he had just observed. He sat hidden on the highest tier, the room below lying before him like a small kingdom for him to rule over. His eyes squinted as he took another drag on his cigarette and slowly blew the smoke out in practiced swirls. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his little observation just yet. Perhaps it could be used to his advantage. Or his amusement. Maybe even both. He scratched absent-mindedly at his beard. He'd have to think about it some more.

~~

The first half of the evening's performance was completed and the band took a break. Some of the members were asked by patrons to join them at their tables briefly for a drink. Daniel was handed a slip of paper with such a request and smiled as he looked up to where his friends waited. He turned off the keyboard and left the stage. As he passed other tables, he received warm smiles and words of praise and once he actually felt a small pinch. He started and then turned looking for the offender but was met by a sea of innocent faces. He backed away and then continued to make his way to the second tier.

Jack had seen the hand snake out and pinch Daniel's ass. If it hadn't been that she was a little old lady he might have gotten angry at the grope. As it was, all he could do was laugh. Now if it had been the brunette next to her, Jack would have been pissed. And if it had been the macho weight-lifter sitting next to the brunette, there might have been a fight later in the parking lot. No one was going to touch 'his' Danny. Jack cringed. Where were these thoughts coming from? And just how jealous was he becoming? They hadn't even gotten together yet for cryin' out loud! He let out a low growl before he even realized it.

Murray turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow but said nothing. Fortunately, Carter and Frasier were too busy chattering away to have heard him.

"What?" Jack snapped at Murray.

Both Murray's eyebrows rose at that and Jack grimaced at his own lack of control.

"Hey, guys." Daniel's voice sounded almost breathless as he reached their table.

"Daniel!" Sam stood up and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek as did Janet. "You were great! I had no idea."

Daniel blushed. "I make do."

"Indeed." Murray inclined his head.

"What did you think, Jack?

"You never cease to amaze me, Daniel Jackson." Jack looked at him fondly.

Daniel grinned and Carter spoke up. "Can you join us for a while, Daniel?"

"For a little bit. Then I have to head back and get ready for the second half."

Murray pulled up a chair for him. "Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel looked around at each one. "So what brings you guys here?"

"You are kidding, right?"

A puzzled look ran over Daniel's face. "Uh, no. I mean I'm glad to see you guys but Jacob didn't say anything about you coming."

"That's because Jacob didn't know."

"And?"

"And? So? Therefore?"

Daniel frowned. Why was Jack being so obtuse all of a sudden? "And, so, why are you here?"

"Because we weren't being kept in the loop. Barrett's dug himself a whole in the ground and for all we knew, you and Jacob both could have disappeared or been killed."

"That's rather dramatic, don't you think, Jack?"

"You still have no idea what you're messing with here, do you?"

"Oh, and you do?"

"Yes, Daniel, I do." They were silent for a moment. "Look, all I'm saying is Watch.... Your...Back."

Daniel frowned but didn't comment on the warning.

Jack sighed. "Jacob doesn't want us staying for the second show so what can you tell us about what's happening here before we shove off."

"The place is flooded with drugs." Daniel looked around him as he spoke much like Jacob did earlier. "They don't even particularly try to hide it. Dealers are a dime a dozen in this place and they move shiploads of the stuff out. Everyone pretends they don't see any of it but in reality just about everyone is connected to it in some way. Either as a dealer or a user. I honestly don't see how Jacob can hold the position he does here and pull it off without raising suspicion."

Carter stiffened. "Are you saying my dad...."

Daniel cut her off. "No, no Sam. That's not what I meant at all. It's just these guys are so on top of everything, it's hard to keep off their radar. It's just amazing he has managed to keep his cover for so long without blowing it."

"What about you?" Jack asked.

"What?"

"You staying off their radar?"

"So far. Almost got caught the other day snooping in some storage areas. Didn't find anything though."

"That's not what I meant. You're cover story as a band member. They tend to have notorious reps."

Daniel looked at him, puzzled. Then his eyes widened. "Did you really have to ask?"

"Yes, Daniel. I did."

Daniel's face became blank and he softly said, "No, Jack. No, you didn't."

Frasier looked from one to the other, then to Carter and asked, "What are they talking about?"

Daniel spoke to her but his eyes were on Jack. "He's asking me if I am dealing or using, aren't you Jack?"

"It's my job, Daniel. I have to assess the situation. If you're in undue danger or in any way compromised, I have to pull you out of here."

"Your job?"

Jack gritted his teeth. "You know what I mean."

Murray broke in. "Daniel Jackson. In our earlier conversation with Jacob Carter a summit meeting with the drug-lords was mentioned. Do you have any more details to impart on that?"

Daniel and Jack continued to stare in angry silence at each other before Daniel broke off to answer Murray. "Not really. They are filtering in tonight. There are some here even now sitting around as patrons, sizing up the market and the competition. That's probably why Jacob wants you out of here. Tomorrow night after the place shuts down is the big conference. I don't know how many are actually going to be there."

"How then are you going to gather intelligence on these individuals?" Murray continued.

Daniel looked around at the nearby tables again. "Jacob says he has a plan in the works. He hasn't exactly shared that with me yet so I can't give you any details. But everything is running okay so far, so I have to believe he's thought it out." He looked at each of them. "Look, you have to trust me on this one."

"And if it falls apart, Daniel?"

"Then I'll contact you. I'll get word out somehow." He looked at Jack and could see the struggle on Jack's face of wanting to believe everything would work out and worrying that it wouldn't.

Jack shook his head as the possible scenarios flew through his mind. Finally, in resigned exasperation he simply said, "Okay."

~~

After Jack and the others left the club, Daniel felt a sense of loss wash over him. He already missed their presence. He had never had much family in his life having lost his parents to a madman as a child. His grandfather was absent for the majority of his life and when he did trickle back in here and there, it was nothing for the old man to walk away again each time easily without apology or reserve.

Daniel sighed and turned the keyboard back on as he took up his position on the stage. He looked out over the crowd but somehow it wasn't as fun as it had been earlier. He pushed the sliding sleeves of his jacket up some more and glanced wistfully at the door one last time before he turned his attention back to the music.

The figure in the corner narrowed his eyes to see through the haze as he blew out the last of the cigarette smoke in one huge exhale, stamping out the stub in the ashtray as he did so. He had seen enough. And now he knew what he was going to do. He stood up and tossed some dollar bills down on the table. He pulled his black leather jacket on and scooped up his cell phone and keys. He had business to attend to.

~~

Daniel spent most of the next morning searching again for the missing operative while Jacob went about canvassing the set up for the big conference that would take place in the evening. Whenever Daniel ran into anybody, he gave them a cover-story of searching for cabling that was needed for the band's electronics. Most people bought it and ignored him after that. He had looked everywhere he could possibly think of and still had found nothing after four days. He shook his head. Of course, early on he had hoped to find the man alive but now he was pretty sure that he wouldn't. He closed the lid on a trunk in one of the storage closets and sat down on it. He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated breath. The only place he hadn't checked out was the kitchen, he smirked to himself. Then slowly his eyes widened. No. Couldn't be. Could it? He chewed at his lower lip in thought, weighing the pros and cons and finally just shrugged. Why not? He slid off the trunk and dusted off his pants before leaving the storage room to head towards the kitchen.

Daniel cautiously opened the door and peered around it into the large kitchen. Currently, it was empty and he slipped in. He knew that he wouldn't have long to search because people would start drifting in soon, preparing for the usual evening crowd of diners. And of course, this evening there would be the additional late night summit that would also be catered by the kitchen staff. He stood in the center of the room and looked around. He had two large refrigerators, a stand-alone floor freezer and a walk-in freezer to choose from. And not much time to check out any of it.

Daniel pursed his lips in thought as he studied his choices. He quickly nixed the idea of the refrigerators because that would be too close to open food and subject to untimely health inspections. So he turned his attention to the two freezers. Floor or walk-in. Floor or walk-in. Logically, it would have been easier to store a body in the walk-in but the shelving and storage was so open for easy retrieval of food items, it might not be secure enough to hide a body. He looked at the floor freezer. If everything were removed first and then the body put in the bottom, you could put white freezer paper between it and the food items you restacked on top so it wouldn't be immediately visible should anybody dig down past the first few layers in search of a particular item. Chances were it would be a long time before anyone dug down that far anyway. Then of course, if you couldn't fit all the original items back into freezer, you could always store the overflow in the walk-in.

Making his decision, Daniel moved over to the floor unit and opened the lid. A cold burst of air escaped and frigid smoke rose into the room. The freezer was stacked to the top. Daniel moved a few packages and began shaking his hands as his fingers were already getting numb. He stopped and looked around until he could find a pair of oven mitts and he slipped them on. He returned to digging at one end through the pile of frozen packages until he reached freezer paper. He knew he wasn't near the bottom. He swallowed hard as he slowly reached for the edge of the paper and pulled it back. The face that stared back at him looked accusatory as though Daniel had been the one who had placed him there. Daniel grimaced and shook his head. Even frozen, he could tell it matched the picture he had been shown of the missing man. He wasn't looking forward to telling Jacob about this. Or Jack for that matter. He lowered the paper back over the face and began restacking the packages over it. He closed the lid and pushed down on it to make sure it sealed tightly. Then he pulled off the oven mitts and tossed them onto the counter. He quickly moved across the room and then eased the kitchen door open slowly. Seeing no one around, he slipped back out, heading off to find Jacob.

~~

Daniel found Jacob on the main floor of the dining area. It looked like he was giving instructions to a young man regarding the dinner crowd so Daniel moved on over to the stage and pretended to be checking out equipment and wiring.

Jacob looked up and saw Daniel walking around on the stage shooting him furtive glances and looking anxious. He did not get a good feeling about this. He dismissed the waiter he was instructing and made his way over to the bar. He saw Daniel look around and then hop off the stage to follow.

Jacob slid a piece of paper between them on the bar that actually had the dining area mapped out on it. He picked up a pencil and pointed to some arbitrary item as he spoke.

"If anyone approaches, pretend we're discussing possible placement changes for the band." Jacob smiled and waved at a set of waitresses and busboys that passed by getting ready to set up for the evening. "Now, what have you got for me?"

"I've, uh, found your operative."

"What? They've got him on ice somewhere here?"

Daniel winced at the poor choice of words. "Oh, you could say that."

"Daniel, what are you talking ab..."

"Jacob! Just the man I was looking for."

Jacob turned and for a brief moment, Daniel could tell he was not pleased to see the man approaching them. But in an instant flash, a smile was plastered onto Jacob's face and he greeted the man warmly. "Mister Zipacna. I didn't expect to see you here until this evening."

The man smiled, his lips curling in almost a sneer. "It's a big day, Jacob. Where else would I be?"

Jacob sidestepped the question, assuming it was rhetorical. "You said you were looking for me?"

"Jacob, as you know I have much transpiring today, especially this evening. Now I know you haven't been kept informed of some of the more detailed aspects because I wanted to take care of all that myself. However, I find the strain is becoming too much for me and I now see the error of my ways in excluding your help. I would like for you to join me upstairs in my office and let me explain to you how you can help this evening progress more smoothly for me." Zipacna smiled a toothy grin that made Daniel think of a crocodile ready to pounce on an unsuspecting gazelle at the watering hole.

The hairs on Jacob's neck began to stand on end. Something was very off here. "Well, I would be more than happy to assist in any way I can but before I do that, I really need to run an errand. I've been putting it off all day."

Zipacna's mouth twisted with impatience. "It has waited this long then it can wait a little longer. I wish for you to come with me now."

"Perhaps then I could send someone else to do my errand. Then I will be free to devote whatever time you need from me." He really needed to get word to Barrett somehow.

"There is no need for that. You will be free to run your errand after we conclude our meeting." Zipacna turned and faced Daniel. "You are one of the musicians?"

"Uh, yes I am." Daniel didn't like the cold, lizard-like expression the man wore.

"The keyboardist, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes."

Zipacna nodded. "Keep yourself available after the usual show wraps up. I am having some very important people stopping in for a late night dinner and may want to provide some music for their entertainment as they dine. Do you know anything soothing or relaxing that you could play for something like that?"

"Yes."

"Good. I will send someone for you when your services are needed." He looked back at Jacob. "Come Jacob. We have business to discuss." He turned to head towards the carpeted stairs leading to the upper rooms and offices.

Jacob looked at Daniel who mouthed silently 'What do I do? Where do I go?'. Jacob shook his head.

"Come, Jacob. Now. Let us get this over with."

~~

Daniel made his way to one of the storage rooms and slipped inside. He needed to contact Jack. Or Sam or Teal'c. Anybody. Something was very wrong. He pulled out his cell phone and began to punch in Jack's work number.

"O'Neill."

"Jack, it's Daniel. I...."

"I'm not at my desk at the moment. If you leave your name and message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

Daniel grimaced. Damn voice mail! The tone beeped. "Jack, it's Daniel. Look, something has gone wrong. I think we're in big trouble. I don't know if our cover is blown or even how but Jacob....."

A hand moved in and grabbed Daniel's wrist, pulling the phone away from his mouth and twisting it out of his hand. Daniel pushed away and backed up, rubbing at his wrist. He stood facing three men. One was a slender, dark-haired man whose mannerisms seemed almost effeminate. The other two were very large, very scary-looking Neanderthals who obviously were used to following other people's orders. The two almost looked like twins except one had blond hair and the other one had brown.

"Mister Jackson." The slender man looked at the cell phone he now held. "I don't think you are who you pretend to be."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Of course, you don't."

"Look. I'm sure there has been some mistake, Mister...uh...sorry, I don't know your name."

"Tanith."

"Mister Tanith. I'm sure if we discuss this like rational people we'll find it's all a huge misunderstanding."

"Yes, I'm sure we would." He held up the cell phone. "I'm going to keep this. And these fine gentlemen are going to provide some education to you on how things operate around here."

The two behemoths looked to Tanith for instruction. He spoke to them but locked eyes with Daniel. "Mister Zipacna wants a thorough understanding from Mister Jackson here. Keep it simple. Nothing to the face. Nothing to the hands. They must remain uninjured. After all," the man grinned, "he still has to perform on stage tonight."

Tanith turned and as he exited the room he added, "When you are finished instructing this one, Mister Zipacna has another student for you to educate." He grinned and closed the door behind him.

The blond-haired man took a step towards Daniel who began backing away, feeling his hands along the wall behind him, trying not to stumble over the obstacles stored in the room.

"Can't we talk about this? I mean surely such obviously intelligent men such as yourselves can see this really isn't necessary." He tried smiling at them but was only met with blank, impassive stares.

Daniel frowned. "Okaayyy. So much for small talk. You can talk, can't you? I mean I guess I never actually heard you ask a question or say anything when your boss was here but...."

Daniel never saw the first blow coming. The two muscle-bound men moved in with incredible speed and were on him in the blink of an eye. He doubled over in pain, clutching at his stomach. Suddenly, hands jerked him upright and he found his arms being pinned by the brown-haired man from behind. He struggled in the man's grasp and could feel the huge fingers digging into his biceps, bruising and crushing. The blond man moved in to deliver more blows and Daniel used his current captor's grip to leverage himself up enough to swing his legs out and kick the approaching man. His feet made contact with the man's abdomen and sent him reeling. Anger filled the man behind him and Daniel felt himself being lifted and then thrown against the wall. He slammed hard against the concrete and slid to the floor, landing on his back. The brown-haired man came to stand over Daniel then reached down to snatch him up off the ground and re-pin him. The stunned blonde stood up and shook off Daniel's attack. Then he moved in warily where his partner held Daniel. The impassive face disappeared and was gradually replaced by a wide malevolent grin. As the man delivered his punches, a gasping Daniel's knees began to buckle and the room slowly began to darken. Then just as suddenly, he was tossed forward to the blonde. The two captors spoke to each other in a language Daniel did not recognize and then he heard what sounded like a belt slapping against an open palm. The blond gripped him tightly and when the first blow landed across his back, Daniel let out a yell and thought he would pass out. As the belt continued to rain down on him, the insane thought crossed Daniel's mind that these guys really liked to teach.

~~

"You and your people will only get in our way! It will just be an unnecessary hindrance, not to mention danger, to have you there!" Barrett continued to argue feverishly with Jack.

"Yeah, like you're so on top of things. You know, we don't go around leaving our people behind! You, on the other hand, might want to take a roll call!"

"Why you son of a b..."

"Agent! Detective! That is enough!" Hammond glared at the two sniping figures. They had been going at each other's throats for the last ten minutes. "Now sit back down and try to find some measure of decorum and professionalism between the two of you!"

Angry glares continued to travel back and forth between Jack and Barrett as they resumed their seats. Carter snuck embarrassed glances at the two, trying to avoid eye contact. Murray stared impassively ahead of him.

Barrett turned his attention to Hammond. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, may I point out again this is a DEA operation and it outweighs and outranks any local law enforcement jurisdiction?"

"I am well aware of that Agent Barrett. But we have supplied you with one of our finest officers without whom, might I point out, you could not have continued this operation. We have a vested interest here. Hell, I thought we were all supposed to be working on the same team."

Barrett looked away and Jack stared at the tabletop. Hammond continued. "You came to us when Jacob failed to make his scheduled appointment. And Detective Jackson has since left an urgent and somewhat frightening message on Jack's voice mail. Now, my people are not amateurs. They are trained law enforcement officers." He gestured around the table. "As a professional courtesy, I am asking you to waive jurisdictional prudence and allow my people to aid in the retrieval of these men."

Barrett shook his head. "At this point we don't even know if they're still alive. You could all be jeopardizing yourselves for nothing."

Hammond visibly stiffened. "You've got a lot to learn about us, mister."

Jack could see Barrett's jaw working with tension, trying to find a way to refuse yet knowing he needed to stay in the good graces of the local authorities. That is, until he could pack up his people and get out of town.

Barrett nodded. "Very well. But when it's over and done with be aware that if this thing has all gone south, my agency will very likely hold you responsible."

Hammond gave him a weary but patient look. "Son, that's nothing new to me."

~~

Frasier looked from Jack to Carter to Murray. "You want 'me' to go in with you tonight and help rescue Daniel and Jacob?"

"Yeah. Carter and Murray are going in as a couple and I need a date for my cover."

The diminutive, red-haired woman laughed. "I don't think this would qualify as a date, Jack." She eyed him again. "Seriously. You want me there?"

"As a CSI, you're trained to carry a firearm, so I know you can handle yourself. As acting coroner, you also have some medical knowledge and can evaluate the severity of injuries if required to do so. Simply put, we need you."

"Trying to use that old O'Neill charm on me, Jack?"

"Every time."

She looked from one anxious face to another and then blew out a small breath, not believing what she was about to agree to. She shrugged her shoulders. "Okay."

Jack grinned. "Sweet!"

~~

Daniel felt himself slowly rising to consciousness but his eyes stayed closed. Everything hurt. The left side of his face felt paralyzed. They weren't supposed to hit him there, right? His hands felt okay. He lay still for a while longer and it dawned on him that he was laying face down on the floor, the left side of his face pressing against the concrete slab. Oh.

His eyes fluttered open and it took him a moment to focus. He wasn't in the storage room anymore. This place was a lot smaller and barren with gray walls and gray floors. It reminded him of a bomb shelter and for some reason, he found that funny. He had no idea why. It's called hysteria, he told himself.

He tried moving and a gasp escaped his lips. His legs and back felt like they were on fire. Then he remembered. The blond guy liked to use fists. The other one liked to use a belt. If one got tired, the other took over. He guessed they finally stopped 'instructing him' when he wasn't able to move anymore.

He groaned and hissed as he tried pushing up into a sitting position. He managed to get semi-upright and leaned against the wall behind him. God, he was supposed to play tonight? He couldn't even sit up much less stand up. How was he supposed to perform?

He heard another groan and realized it hadn't come from himself. He turned his head and squinted to see another figure lying in the corner. It looked familiar. "Jacob?"

He didn't get a response so he pushed away from the wall and half-crawled over to the figure. He gently turned the man over and winced at the injuries he saw. Apparently the two Neaderthals had received no limitations on their 'education' of the older man.

"Jacob. It's me. Daniel. I don't know if you can hear me but I'm gonna find a way to get us out of here. I'm supposed to go on stage tonight so I'll have to try and find an opportunity then. Just don't give up on me. You gotta hang on. For Sam."

No sooner than he had completed the words, the door flew open. "It's time for you to start getting ready," the muscle-bound man growled.

Daniel sighed and released his hold on Jacob. He winced as he tried to push up off the floor. Apparently he wasn't moving fast enough. His captor grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to his feet. He half-stumbled, half-walked his way out of the room. He took one glance back at Jacob and found the strength to move forward.

~~

Jack and Frasier followed their escort to the awaiting table. He looked around and saw Carter and Murray already seated a few tables over. He nodded slightly as did Carter. He sat down and reached up to lightly touch the radio device in his ear, checking to make sure it was securely in place. Barrett had supplied them with the devices so they could keep in contact with each other. The small ear insert allowed them to hear each other and the small pins in the shape of American flags so often seen nowadays were actually their transmitters. Jack couldn't help but be impressed with the technology. Barrett had not really wanted them inside but he knew he was beyond stopping them anymore. So he provided the equipment and set his people in place outside to monitor the activity.

Jack placed his and Frasier's drink orders then began taking a visual check of the room. He could pick out the drug muscle easily and realized some of the local dealers were in the place too. They were small potatoes compared to what Barrett said was arriving for the late night conference. Still it was disconcerting to see so many undesirables under one roof and knowing there were more to come.

The band was entering on the stage and Jack strained to see if Daniel was there. He spotted him moving slowly from the back. For some reason, he couldn't make his way through what looked to be a short cut to get to his keyboard. Instead, he had to take a longer route around. Jack noted the slow movements and the arm held closely to one side. He sat forward, trying to get a better view. Daniel made it to the keyboard and there was a stool there that had not been there previously. He watched as Daniel carefully slid onto the seat. He could see Daniel wincing as he reached over to turned the switch on. Jack could feel the anger rising in him. It was obvious someone had hurt Daniel. And pretty badly at that.

He looked at Frasier. "Did you see that?"

"Yes. He's obviously in pain."

Jack continued to face her as though their conversation was continuing. "Carter?"

"We saw it too," her voice registered in his ear.

"Any sign of Jacob?" He continued to look at Frasier.

Murray replied. "We have not seen Jacob Carter at all."

"Okay. Heads up everybody. When the band takes its break, Frasier and I are going backstage to play at being groupies so we can see Daniel and find out what the hell is going on."

Jack sat back and watched Daniel's every movement as he played the selections. There was none of the enthusiasm there that Jack had witnessed before. Even the outfit he wore was just something ordinary and not the leather and silk wardrobe he had donned previously. Daniel kept his eyes lowered and while he played the songs adequately, there was no magic in them this time. When a piece was finished, Daniel wouldn't even look up at the audience. There were no smiles and no acknowledgement from his direction. His eyes stayed on the keyboard as though he were working something out in his mind and had no time for distractions.

~~

The band finished its first set and Daniel couldn't be more ready to leave the stage. He had gotten angry earlier when he couldn't take his usual shortcut to the keyboard. Someone had purposely placed an obstacle in his way. Normally, he could have stepped over it but not tonight. Not after the beating he took. His legs were too unsteady to try to balance on just one foot not to mention his back and belly hurt so bad he didn't think he could have even lifted the leg anyway. So he had to walk around the long way as though he were on display. And maybe in some perverse way he was. As a warning to the others. See what happens when you piss off the boss? All of them knew. He could tell. They might not know he was a cop but they knew he was not one of them anymore and that amounted to the same thing. They all had watched him struggle - the band members, the waiters, the waitresses – and not one had tried to help. Many turned their gaze away. Dead man walking. He knew it. They knew it.

He slowly eased off the stool and made his way to the stage exit. He needed to find a way out of there. Needed to retrieve Jacob and flee. Needed to lie down for five minutes. Just for five minutes. Rest for a measly five minutes. That wasn't too much to ask, was it?

~~

Jack waited until Daniel left the stage before he motioned Frasier to stand. "Carter, we're heading to the band's dressing rooms. Keep your eyes open and your ears tuned."

"Got it."

The pair made their way into the restricted area only to come face to face with a 'bodyguard' blocking the entrance into the band's rooms. The guard took a step forward. "You can't enter in here."

Jack lifted his hands in submission. "We just want to see that young fella that plays the fancy keyboard. We're real big fans of his, ain't that right, sweetheart?"

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Frasier would have busted out laughing. "Sure thing, honey pie. I'm awful anxious to check him out." She smiled sweetly at the guard.

"Sorry, can't let you in. You're going to have to leave."

"Now is that really necessary?" Jack pulled a fifty off of a wad of bills and held it up.

Frasier's eyes widened. Talk about being prepared. All hail Jack O'Neill, boy-scout extraordinaire.

The sentry licked his lips and looked around quickly. Then he nodded and snatched the money from Jack's fingers as he quickly opened the door behind him. "Make it fast. If you're caught, I've never seen you."

Janet stepped through into the room and Jack followed. He looked around and saw various members of the band sitting around. Some were lounging, some watching television, some were doing drugs. Jack didn't really care. All he wanted was to find his friend.

He looked at the man nearest to him. "Where's Daniel?"

The man gestured over his shoulder to a closed door. Jack looked at Frasier and they both moved towards it. Jack rested his hand on the handle as he leaned in and listened for voices.

"Ain't nobody in there but him, man."

Jack looked at the stoned musician and frowned. He opened the door and stepped into darkness. "Daniel?" He pulled Frasier in the room with him and closed the door. "Daniel?"

"Jack? Is that you? Thank God you're here."

"Where's the lights in this room, Daniel?" Jack had felt around for a switch and had found none.

"It's actually behind the door."

"Well, that's a stupid place for it."

Daniel snorted and then groaned in pain. "Don't make me laugh, Jack."

Jack found the switch and flipped it on. He saw Daniel curled up on a bed, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Both Jack and Frasier moved towards the bed. Frasier moved behind him and sat on the edge of the bed. Jack moved to face him, squatting down by the bed to get to eye level. He grunted as his knees popped.

"You shouldn't do that, Jack. You'll hurt your knees."

Jack smiled softly. "I think my knees can take it this time. How about you? You don't look like you're doing so good."

"I'm fine."

"In what universe, Danny? Come on, tell me what happened."

"I don't exactly know. One minute everything seemed to be going according to plan, the next minute we're getting the crap beaten out of us. Somehow our cover was blown but I swear I don't know how."

"Where's Jacob?"

"He's in a basement under guard. He's in a bad way, Jack."

"Worse than you?"

"Yeah."

Jack winced. "Come on. Move your hands and let me and Frasier take a look at you."

Daniel didn't protest as Jack moved his hands and the two lifted his shirt. Jack's jaw tightened as he took in the black and purple bruises, the welts and the cuts with dried blood both on his back and his abdomen. Jack and Frasier's eyes met. Neither was happy at what they saw. The injuries trailed down his body, disappearing into the trousers. Jack gritted his teeth. "Is it like this all over?"

"Yeah."

"What did they use on you?"

"Fists and belts. Nothing else."

"Daniel." Jack paused. He wasn't sure how to ask this. "They didn't....I mean, if they did...." He paused again. "You'd tell me, right?"

Daniel looked at Jack in confusion. Then his eyes widened as it dawned on him what Jack was asking. "No, Jack. They didn't. I was beaten, not raped."

Jack was relieved for Daniel's sake. It would not have changed how Jack felt about him. He still would have loved him. Jack froze as that thought registered. It was so natural. He had slipped into that mode of thought so easily. He looked at the injured man lying before him. If they all got out of this alive, he and Daniel were going to have a nice long talk.

There was a knock on the door and a muffled voice came through the closed panel. "Second set is in ten minutes, Daniel. Shake a leg."

Jack pushed off to stand upright. "Come on, we're getting you out of here."

"I can't leave yet, Jack."

"Come again?"

"If you take me out of here before we get to Jacob, they will kill him." He grimaced as he sat up. "I'll go back out, play the second half, give you some time to find Jacob. When you do, take him out through the kitchen. There will be a lot of chaos in there and people are always traipsing through. Speaking of the kitchen," he looked at Frasier, "I found the missing agent. He's in the floor freezer under a bunch of frozen food packages."

Both Jack and Frasier winced.

Jack touched the radio device in his ear. "Carter, you getting all this?"

"Every word," came the tinny sounding reply.

"Daniel. These guys that did this to you – are they the same ones guarding Jacob?"

"Most likely."

"Tough guys? Big guys?"

"Think Neanderthal."

Jack pursed his lips in thought for a moment. "Okay, kids. This is what we do. Carter, you and Frasier meet up at the kitchen. Make sure we have a clear path in the front and out the back. Murray, meet me at the men's room. We'll make our way from there to go find Jacob. Once we hand him over Carter, you get him out fast. Then I'll come back for Daniel."

~~

Jack and Murray made their way unnoticed into the lower levels of the club. To Jack it seemed too easy but at the moment he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, some pretty famous people had made that same mistake. He shrugged off the passing thought as they rounded the corner and saw a single guard standing post. Jack ducked back, stopping Murray from proceeding. Then he slowly peeked around the corner and confirmed the presence of only one man. He silently gestured to Murray that there was just one and for him to stay in place. Jack took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Then he pushed off from the wall and made his way down the hallway straight towards the guard.

The blond man tensed at Jack's approach and watched him warily. Jack passed by him and nodded, "Evening."

Confusion flooded the man's face and he turned towards Jack's retreating figure. "Hey, you can't be down here!" He yelled at Jack's back.

Jack stopped and turned. He made sure he had the man's full attention as he slowly walked back to stand in front of him. "Sorry. I guess I'm lost." He saw Murray stealthily approaching the man from behind. "Hey, 'Do you know the way to San Jose'?"

"Huh?" The man looked at him with a crinkled nose as though he smelled something offensive.

Jack snapped his fingers. "Oh, sorry. That was the name of a song. What I'm really looking for is the Emerald City. Seen any yellow brick roads around here?"

"What?" To Jack the man looked like he was going to have a brain aneurysm.

"Never mind. In the immortal words of George Burns, 'Say Goodnight, Gracie'."

At that point, Murray struck the man several blows to the head with the butt of his gun. He looked down at the man lying crumpled on the floor and said, "Goodnight, Gracie."

Jack grinned. He didn't know Murray had it in him. He was going to corrupt him yet. "Come on T, let's get Jacob."

~~

Carter kept looking for signs of Jack or Murray. She had left Frasier watching and protecting the kitchen's back exit while she returned to the entrance to take up her post there. She discreetly reached into the evening purse hanging on her shoulder. Her hand slipped around the gun grip and the heavy feel of the weapon was reassuring. She looked at her watch and double-checked the radio device in her ear. She had lost the signal to Jack and Murray as they traveled deeper into the bowels of the place and it had her concerned. She knew they hadn't been gone for very long but she also knew they needed to get out of there before the drug-lords began gathering for their meeting.

Barrett had promised them time to get Daniel and her father out before that happened but once the conference began, all bets were off. Barrett and his men were going to reposition themselves as soon as the club shut down for business. Since their covert surveillance in the form of Daniel and Jacob was apparently lost to them, the DEA decided to make the best of a bad situation and simply planned to swoop in and snatch up as many of their prey as they possibly could.

Barrett had hinted that maybe some 'voluntary interrogations' could take place before legal counselors began making their appearance on the DEA's doorstep. It didn't sound very pleasant but then she wasn't going to lose any sleep over a bunch of drug pushers who destroyed people's lives. It did cross her mind to wonder though where they would all end up. She knew that sometimes...well, sometimes government agencies were known to take pages out of each other's books....and the CIA was pretty good at making people disappear. She looked down the hallway again. Where were they?

~~

Murray helped Jack drag the huge guard into the small basement room. They rolled him over into a corner and then moved over to Jacob. Daniel had been right, Jacob was pretty bad off. There was no way they would be able to rouse him much less get him to walk out of there. Murray moved in and with Jack's help, hoisted the injured man into a fireman's lift onto Murray's back. They made their way back up to the world above as quickly as they could with Jack taking the lead and clearing the way for Murray and the load he carried.

~~

Carter spied the pair coming down the hall in a hurried crouch and was shocked to see her father thrown over Murray's back. She had expected to see him walking between the two with their support, not totally unconscious and near death. Her eyes began to shimmer and her jaw tightened. She hoped Barrett made them all disappear.

Jack reached her first. "Carter, help Murray get out the back. Jacob needs some serious medical attention so once you get out of here, keep going. I'm heading back for Daniel. Is Frasier at the back door?"

She nodded. "Ready and waiting for us."

"Good." He checked his watch. "Things will be shutting down before much longer." He looked at her. "If for some reason we can't get out..."

She swallowed hard. "We won't leave you behind."

"You may have to Carter. When Barrett's men move in, I'll try to get Daniel somewhere safe until the smoke clears. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't come to that." He smiled gently.

She nodded and turned to guide Murray through the kitchen. She took one last look back but Jack had already disappeared. She silently wished him luck.

~~

Daniel looked around at the remaining audience from behind the stage curtains. The second half of the show had ended a little while ago and people were leaving. He couldn't see any of his friends. He had hidden backstage, trying to keep away from his captors yet staying where his friends could locate him. Had they found Jacob yet? Had they escaped? Had they gotten caught? His arms crossed in a self-hug and his brow furrowed. Had they left him behind? 'No!' came the immediate answer. They were his friends, his colleagues. They would not leave him. Jack would not leave him. He craned his neck out further, trying to see anything that might give him a clue where they were now. Where are you Jack? He sighed deeply and chewed at his lower lip. Should he just assume they had escaped and go ahead to the kitchen to make his own escape? What if he was wrong and Jack was still in here? His thoughts began to stray. Images of Jack filtered through his mind. Of Jack in the apartment standing over him at the coffee table and then standing so close in the kitchen. Of Jack in the nightclub's audience staring at him with such fierce and naked desire in his eyes it took Daniel's breath away. Of Jack the first time they met when he came to Quantico asking for Daniel's help. He had felt a loss when Jack left even back then. Maybe the attraction had been there all along. He didn't honestly know. One thing he did know though, if they both got out of this alive, he and Jack needed to have a nice long talk.

"Ah, there you are!"

Daniel cringed at the voice that had snuck up behind him.

"Mister Zipacna is waiting for you upstairs. The majority of his guests have already arrived and it's far too quiet up there. He would like some background music while they socialize. Come with me now, please."

Daniel looked around one more time at the dwindling audience. None of his friends were there. He sighed resignedly. Maybe they had gotten Jacob out at least.

~~

Jack rushed into the dining area and looked towards the stage. He had stopped by the dressing room but Daniel wasn't there. He scanned the room and the exits as the last of the patrons made their way out. Nothing. Movement above caught his eye and he saw Daniel's back disappear around a corner as he reached the top of the staircase, an escort on either side of him. Damn.

~~

Daniel was ushered into a large room filled with thirty or so people. He could tell that only about half of that were the actual big-shots and the others were their personal body guards or attendants. Apparently, this was supposed to be the cream of the crop and the lesser operators were not invited. If they had been, the place would have overflowed to capacity Daniel thought wryly.

He was forcibly steered over to a piano that awaited him in the corner and was roughly deposited on the piano bench. Heavy hands dropped down on his shoulders and squeezed to remind him of his pain as he was simply told 'play'. He tried not to let the man see his hands were shaking a little as he began to softly pick out a tune on the keys. The leaden hands removed themselves from his shoulders and moved off leaving him alone in the corner.

He glanced up occasionally, sizing up the different characters that he saw. He now knew for sure they weren't going to let him leave this room alive. From the moment he took the first punch, he had known it. But still he had hoped. And now.....well, now he was locked in a room with thirty people who made death and destruction their way of life. He did the math. It didn't come out in his favor.

~~

Carter leaned in and gave her father a kiss on the cheek as she buckled him into the front passenger seat of the car. His eyes fluttered open briefly and when he looked at her she saw recognition. He whispered out her name and she smiled at him and lovingly caressed his face as she murmured soothing words. His eyes closed again and she stepped back as Murray closed the door for her. She bent down and spoke through the open window to Frasier over in the driver's seat.

"Take my dad to Memorial Hospital. There's a Doctor Carmichael there in the emergency room. He's the one that treated Daniel when he was attacked by The Ripper. If anybody can help my dad, its gonna be him."

Frasier nodded. "I'll see he's taken care of. You guys be careful."

Carter nodded and stepped back. Frasier drove off, the departing taillights illuminating the night. Carter looked at Murray who pulled her into a hug. She was swallowed in the big man's embrace but it was just what she needed. "We have to get back in there Teal'c. We have to get them out."

"Indeed." Murray released his hold on her. "But first would it not be wise to consult with Agent Barrett and discover his course of action before we embark upon our own?"

She smiled. "You're right. As usual." She took a deep breath and blew it out. "Okay, let's go find him."

~~

Jack ran back to the kitchen area. Supposedly, the assembly upstairs was being catered to for a late night meal. If he could add himself to the group of servers, maybe he could successfully make his way in. Of course, it was unlikely he could get back out but just like he had told Carter, maybe he could get Daniel to a safe place and they could wait out the DEA's onslaught.

~~

Daniel glanced around him and was a little surprised to see that some of the drug-lords were women. One red-haired one, in particular, kept watching him and the intent of her gaze made him a little uncomfortable. He cringed as he saw her walking over and he lowered his eyes to look at the keys as he continued to play. He saw her out of the corner of his eye as she moved to stand next to him. She slipped her hand on the back of his neck and gently massaged it. He twisted his head slightly, trying to dislodge her fingers. She leaned in and whispered in his ear. He felt his face flush a thousand shades of red at her words - he wasn't even sure a person could physically do what she suggested. She laughed softly at his embarrassment and the back of her hand gently stroked the side of his face. Then suddenly she was summoned back across the room and Daniel let out the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.

As he moved into the next piece, he saw a shadow fall over the piano. He knew a person was standing behind him, he could feel their presence it was so strong. But he really didn't want to turn around or acknowledge them so he continued playing, pretending to be oblivious. Gradually, the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end as tension began to build in his body. It was eerie to know someone was there silently studying him, watching his every move, planning for him God knew what. Then suddenly the presence silently moved away. To Daniel it felt like a huge, oppressive weight had been lifted off his body and he shivered at the change in the air around him.

And still, he played. He knew if he stopped, his usefulness was over and he'd be dead. He looked up to see the red-haired woman watching him again. He winced. Maybe death wasn't so bad after all.

~~

Jack stood outside the door with the other servers waiting to be given admittance into the inner sanctum. The carts were laden with food and drink and for each cart there were two
attendants. No one seemed to realize he didn't belong but he attributed that to the high rate of turnover typical for the occupation. No one really knew anyone else. He was surprised to hear piano music filtering through the door but at the same time it sent his hopes soaring that Daniel was still alive and no more injured than the last time Jack had seen him.

The double doors flew open and the men stationed at the entry stepped aside to allow the waiters to pass through. Jack tried keeping his face averted and his eyes lowered for the most part. He sneaked a peek in the direction the music was coming from and saw a red-haired woman sitting at the piano with Daniel, fawning all over him. She leaned heavily against him and it looked like her hand was moving towards his.....Jack's eyes widened just as Daniel jumped and the music stopped. The woman's laughter rang out and Jack could see Daniel's flush all the way across the room. The woman was chastised for interrupting the entertainment and she laughed again. Daniel collected himself and began tentatively playing once more, watching the woman next to him warily. The assembly's host announced the arrival of the food which caught the woman's attention. She stood up from the piano bench and then leaned over and grabbed a fistful of Daniel's hair, jerked his head back and forced her mouth onto his for a swift brutal kiss. Discordant notes filled the room as Daniel's hands faltered, unable to continue playing. Jack could hear amused chuckles, snickers, and even a scattering of applause erupt around the room at the spectacle. Then she released her prey as quickly as she had grabbed him and walked away towards the buffet. Jack looked at Daniel again and saw him wipe his mouth off with the back of his hand, a look of disgust crossing his face. The woman turned from her circle of friends and blew a kiss in Daniel's direction and Jack swore he saw Daniel's shoulders begin to droop in what looked to be a kind of miserable resignation. The music began again but this time the tune sounded dark and despondent.

Rage welled up inside of Jack at the woman's physical assaults on Daniel. If she was so free in her actions in the middle of a crowd, there was no telling what she would do alone and behind closed doors. Then Jack looked around and did an unbelieving double-take, his breath drawing sharply. His gut began to burn in recognition. The man he saw was sitting casually in an oversized chair off to one side with an unobstructed view of the room, like a king surveying his realm. Jack had encountered him in an undercover sting operation years ago when he was loaned out to the vice squad. How long had the man been free and how high up had he moved in the underworld since Jack's last encounter with him? The man's focus at the moment was Daniel. He seemed to be amused at something as he lowered his cigarette and blew small smoke rings up into the air. This was so not good.

~~

"When do you intend to begin your assault on this facility, Agent Barrett?"

Barrett looked from the large intimidating cop to his female partner with her arms crossed and her jaw set tight.

"As soon as their late night snack is over with, they will dismiss the kitchen and wait staff. Once we see them exit out the back, we will move into place and begin our sweep."

"I see." Strategically, Murray understood the DEA agent's plan. However, he was sure his friends were in need of assistance now and could not wait for the agent to move in. "Then Detective Carter and I will wait over by the cars until you are ready to do so." He inclined his head toward the agent who seemed a little unsure as he nodded back.

Murray turned to leave and took in Carter's confused expression. She silently turned and followed him.

When they were out of earshot, she spoke. "You have a plan, don't you?"

A twinkle flashed in his eye. "Indeed I do, Samantha Carter."

She sighed. "Are you ever just going to call me 'Sam'?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "If that is what you wish."

She smiled and shook her head. "What's the plan?"

"Follow me and you will see."

~~

Jack kept serving food as he stole glances across the room, keeping an eye on Daniel. He glanced at his watch. Surely, Barrett would be moving in soon. He looked back over at the oversized chair and saw that it was empty. Panic flooded him briefly and then he spied the man moving towards Daniel. His stomach knotted further.

Daniel looked up at the man standing next to the piano. To Daniel he looked like a pirate or a swashbuckler. All he was missing was his schooner with its hoisted skull and crossbones flag. An involuntary smile flittered briefly across Daniel's mouth as the thought passed through his mind.

"My presence amuses you?" The man asked, seemingly amused himself.

"No, not really." Daniel couldn't keep himself from saying as he continued to play.

The man barked out a laugh then took another draw on his cigarette. He blew the smoke in Daniel's direction, causing him to cough.

"That's a really bad habit you've got there," Daniel managed to gasp out.

"It's not my only one."

Daniel's eyebrows rose but he wasn't about to go there. The man reached over, took Daniel's glass of water and drank a few sips from it.

"Feel free to keep that." Daniel said as his fingers kept moving.

The man chuckled and then leaned against the piano. "You amuse me. Shall I tell you why?"

Daniel shook his head. "Only if you have to."

"You sit here, in a room full of people that you know will kill you when the night is through yet you continue to play as though each note will buy you one more second, each song a few more minutes."

Daniel swallowed hard as the man continued.

"You are afraid and yet you hide your fear well behind sarcasm and bravado. Interestingly enough, you remind me of someone else in that regard."

The man moved to sit next to Daniel on the piano bench. Daniel shifted, uncomfortable at the man's close presence. The man drew on the cigarette once more before making the little smoke ringlets appear once again.

Daniel grimaced as he tried to breathe through the haze. "Aren't you afraid that's going to make you sick and you'll die?"

The man shrugged. "Death is only frightening if there is something you care about leaving behind." He dropped the stub into the glass of water. "Better?"

"Much."

A smile played across the man's lips. "I think it might actually be a shame that you won't see the sun rise tomorrow. Of course, it is possible you will beg for a swift ending."

Daniel followed the man's eyes as they landed on the red-haired woman. He could see her glaring back at the man seated next to him. It was obvious they did not like each other. Daniel briefly wondered if the man would run interference between him and the woman and if so, at what cost to Daniel? Big choice his mind retorted. Being raped by a psychotic, egotistical, sadistic nymphomaniac or being raped by an Errol Flynn wannabe whose own twisted proclivities were still unknown. Daniel shook his head. Can I have what's behind door number three, please?

The man spoke again. "Of course, you can take comfort that you will not be alone when you die. There is another who will share your fate."

Daniel sat up straighter at the turn the conversation was taking. "What do you mean?"

"It would appear you and I have a mutual acquaintance." The man gestured towards the departing waiters. One seemed to be hanging back from the others. Daniel's heart started to pound. Jack!

~~

"Teal'c. Are you sure there isn't a better way in?"

"There is not."

Thank goodness she had chosen to wear pants instead of a dress tonight. She balanced on his shoulders, trying to lift the window sash to the men's restroom. It was larger and heavier than it looked. She had broken the glass and unlocked the window after Murray told her that he checked this out earlier and there were no bars or alarms, just the simple lock. She didn't ask when he had found the time to perform this particular reconnaissance.

"Have you had success yet?" Murray could not see her progress from his position.

"Almost there." She grunted as she shoved the sash up.

"I do not wish to be offensive, Samantha Carter, but you are becoming quite heavy on my shoulders. I would be most appreciative if you could hurry."

Carter paused against the window sill and looked down at the man beneath her. "Now I know you didn't say what I think you just said."

The man below her grunted and they wobbled a little. She took pity on him and placed her hands on the window sill and pushed her body up into a position that enabled her to maneuver through the opened pane. Inside, she lowered herself as far as she could and then dropped the rest of the way, landing in a crouched position. She straightened up and looked around her. Yep, it was definitely a men's restroom.

She looked up to see Murray trying to squeeze through the window, his broad shoulders making it a tight fit. She stood below him, watching him, unable to help from her position.

"You're not going to get stuck like that, are you?"

The man glared at her and she had to clamp her lips together to keep from laughing. After a brief struggle, he managed to work himself through and land at her feet a little less than gracefully. She squatted down next to him.

"Okay, so now what? We can't risk splitting up so where do we begin?"

"As any good search begins. We start at the lowest level and work our way up."

~~

Daniel's hands faltered on the keys again and he thought he could hear the blood rushing in his ears. He looked anxiously towards Jack. So, he hadn't been left behind after all but now Jack was trapped too. He looked at the man seated next to him and realized he had been watching Daniel's reaction.

Then the man lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. Two burly attendants began to move towards Jack. Daniel started to stand but was roughly pulled back down to the bench.

Jack was trying to hang back from the departing group but not be obvious about it. If he could duck behind the foliage or something....hey, did the music just stop playing? Jack looked over Daniel's way just as he was being yanked back down onto the seat by the man next to him. Their eyes locked and for a brief instant Jack saw fear but it wasn't for Daniel himself. It was for Jack. Two pairs of gigantic hands landed on Jack's arms and began dragging him across the room towards Daniel and his current captor. He struggled briefly but gave up half way there when he realized it was pointless. They stopped at the side of the piano and held him there, jerking him into a position for a conversation with the men seated before him.

The man next to Daniel smiled evilly. "O'Neill."

Jack winced. "Ba'al."

"It has been a long time."

"Not long enough."

Ba'al noted the silver in Jack's hair. "You are looking older since we last met."

"And you've still got that same bad haircut and cheesy beard."

The man roared with laughter. "Such insolence! I have missed it."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Let us go and we'll prove it."

Ba'al continued to chuckle and turned to Daniel. "Do you see why I find him so entertaining?" He gestured with his hand again and a straight-backed wooden chair was brought over. Jack was forced to sit down in it, heavy hands holding him in place.

Ba'al looked to Daniel. "Your silence is drawing others over. Begin playing again."

"No, I don't think so."

The bearded man's eyes narrowed and then he nodded towards one of his men. The brute stood in front of Jack and back-handed him across the face. Jack gasped at the strength behind it and Daniel jumped. Ba'al leaned into Daniel and angrily whispered, "Don't make me have to do that again. Now play." Daniel's jaw tightened in anger but his hands found the keys again, his fingers trembling with rage.

Ba'al straightened back up and eyed Jack in the chair. "Did you know Daniel..." the man paused as he took in Daniel's surprise at hearing his name "yes, I know who you are. Did you know that O'Neill and I have a rather sordid past history together?"

Daniel's eyebrows rose and he looked to Jack whose face had become blank and unreadable.

"I can see that you didn't know that. I guess he hasn't gotten around to telling you everything about his past." He smiled wickedly and then propped his arm on Daniel's shoulder like a friendly confidant. "I used to run a local organization, not huge but not small either. It suited me. Our friend here infiltrated my organization as an undercover operative for the local vice squad. He was most convincing. Subsequently, he discovered
many secrets and it cost me dearly. But along the way, he too paid a heavy price. Did you know our friend became a junkie while on the job?"

Daniel looked wide-eyed at Jack. He saw Jack's body tense and his eyes harden. The man continued.

"I confess I had a hand in that. And technically, I suppose 'junkie' is not the correct description. He was caught passing information and was then brought to me for my interrogation. I tried many ways over several days to get him to tell me exactly what he had revealed to his colleagues but he refused to cooperate. I can be a very patient man but his lack of response prompted some rather drastic measures." Then the man made another hand motion and an attendant brought a small kit over. He opened it and laid it on the piano for all to see. There were three small vials each containing a clear liquid. Next to them lay a syringe just waiting to be filled.

Daniel felt his mouth go dry. What the hell was going on here?

Another hand gesture swept forward and Jack was suddenly jerked to his feet, his upper torso stripped of its clothing, and slammed back down into the chair, his arms tied to the armrests.

Daniel's hands came crashing down on the piano as he tried to lunge forward to help Jack. He was caught in a choke-old and pulled back down. He clawed at the heavy hands restraining him, keeping him locked in place.

"Now I understand that it is not O'Neill who infiltrated this time but rather you, Daniel. However, your cooperation will have a direct impact on him."

"Don't say anything Daniel. They're going to kill us anyway." Jack exclaimed.

Ba'al smiled. "That's true. But there is a fast way and a long, agonizing, humiliating way. Do you remember your last trip down that particular path?"

"Go to hell."

"I'm sure I will but I will enjoy myself first before I do." He leaned over and pulled out the syringe, then selected one of the vials. He upended the vial and drew its contents into the hypodermic. He pushed the plunger gently to remove any air and a small squirt of the liquid shot out. A small group began to gather around to watch.

"Now Daniel. When O'Neill refused to talk to me the last time, we had many hours of discussion at the opposite ends of a needle. Towards the end, he was crying and begging. He was really quite a pathetic sight. I was actually quite embarrassed for him. But still he held back information from me. I admired the strength it took to do that. We didn't part on the best of terms. In fact, I thought he had died from the overdose I gave him. I see I was wrong about that."

Daniel could see the pain on Jack's face and his eyes beginning to shimmer at the man's recollections and knew the words were true. That explained why Jack had asked him at the table if he was using drugs.

"I have found over the years that one's own pain is often much more bearable than watching someone else suffer – particularly someone you love and care about. It's even worse if you are 'in love' with that person and they are 'in love' with you as well. So. I'm going to ask you some simple questions Daniel and I'd truly appreciate some simple answers. But if you aren't forthcoming with what I want to know, it won't be you who suffers." He looked pointedly at Jack.

Daniel swallowed hard. "I don't really know anything to tell you."

"That's most unfortunate for our friend." He gestured to the attendants. "Hold him still."

"No! Wait!" Daniel looked at him pleadingly. "I swear I don't know much. Hurting Jack isn't going to change that."

"Let us begin simply then. Who do you work for? Local vice?"

"No." Daniel softly said, his eyes meeting Jack's trying to send him strength and comfort.

"DEA then?"

"Not exactly."

Eyes were narrowed at him. "Daniel...." The voice began its warning.

"I'm on loan from the detective squad."

"Your friend in the basement was very stubborn. He took a severe beating for it. What can you tell me about him?"

"Very little. We just met."

"Where are the two women and the other man I saw seated with you last night?"

"I don't know."

"What did you tell them?"

"Nothing."

"Is this building under DEA surveillance now? What information was passed on to them about the summit?"

"I don't know. That wasn't my department."

A low growl was emitted next to him. "I am fast losing my patience with you, Daniel. Your evasive answers are not amusing. Apparently, you doubt my seriousness. Hold O'Neill still."

"No!" Daniel screamed as Ba'al stood up and moved in on a struggling Jack. He wrapped a band tightly around Jack's upper arm and began thumping for a vein to rise. Then he slipped the needle into the flesh and emptied the contents of the syringe into the pulsing vein.

"You son of a bitch!" Daniel snarled as he violently battled against being held.

Slowly Jack's head began to loll and droop. His eyes took on a glassy shine and he looked disoriented and confused. Daniel could hear the words being spoken but he couldn't stop looking at Jack, his heart breaking at the sight.

"The first vial was enough to make him incoherent. In a few minutes, he won't know where he's at or who he is. He won't even recognize you. His vision will be affected as well as his hearing." Ba'al set the hypodermic down and returned to sitting next to Daniel.

"The second vial will compound the effects of the first. He will have auditory hallucinations as well as visual ones. He will become agitated and emotional. He will become frightened and suggestible and even violent. He will cry and beg one minute then curse and threaten to kill you the next. It's like being on a human roller-coaster ride."

Daniel could feel unshed tears of frustration beginning to burn at the back of his eyes as the man continued his descriptive assault. "The third vial will kill him. Have you ever seen an overdose Daniel? It isn't pretty. Eyes roll, tongues get bitten, the body spasms, there's often a loss of bowel and bladder control. It's really very unpleasant." He sighed. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. Where are your colleagues?"

~~

Murray and Carter finished their sweep of the lower levels and it was when they returned to the ground floor that they came across the serving staff as they were packing up to leave. Murray pulled one of the waiters aside and asked where they had just come from. The man did not hesitate to provide that information and more, including guard placement and their numbers, his eyes wide and fearful at the sheer intimidation of his interrogators. Satisfied with the truthfulness of the man's answers, Carter and Murray released him and then carefully but quickly, began their climb up the stairs to rescue their friends.

~~

Daniel looked at the bearded man. He shook his head gently and quietly said, "I don't know" in reply to yet another question.

The man next to him sighed loudly and then reached for the syringe and the second vial.

"Please don't," Daniel pleaded softly. Ba'al turned to see tears brimming in the younger man's eyes. It was not what he had expected. "It's obvious I don't have the answers you're looking for," Daniel continued quietly. Then he looked down at his trembling hands and tried to steady them. "I don't have anything to offer you." He swallowed hard. "Except myself." Daniel looked up at Ba'al, the tears close to spilling now. "Let him leave here alive and I'll do whatever you want."

The man's breath caught. This was certainly an unexpected turn of events. The self-sacrifice was not something he had taken into account for and it caused a stirring within him. He reached up to swipe at the tear that slipped down Daniel's cheek when he heard gunfire erupt outside the double doors. It took a moment for it to register among the crowd and then people began to scramble, trying to find other exits out of the room. His eyes flashed in anger at being drawn into the younger man's vulnerable display. He roared and back-slapped Daniel across the face, knocking him to the floor. "You knew! You knew if you distracted me long enough it would allow them to gain access."

Daniel wiped the blood from his split lip. "I didn't know. Not for sure. But I couldn't let you hurt him anymore." Daniel's jaw lifted in defiance. "And I would have done anything to stop that."

Ba'al reached down and grabbed a fistful of Daniel's hair, drawing him to his knees. He drew their faces close together, his breath ragged and harsh. Then reminiscent of the scene played out earlier, he jerked Daniel's head back and covered his mouth with his own, taking him, possessing him in a bruising, crushing, devouring kiss a hundred times more brutal than what the woman had done. He tore his mouth away and moved his lips to pant harshly into Daniel's ear. "You and I are not finished." He rubbed his jaw along Daniel's, snagged the full lower lip briefly in passing, then released his grip and shoved Daniel away from him.

Carter and Murray burst into the room, having made their way past the armed guards outside the doors. People scattered at the sight of them. Most were more concerned with escape than with fighting and offered little or no challenge to their presence.

Ba'al looked at them, then over at the figure still tied to the chair. He briefly turned back to Daniel. "Tell O'Neill I look forward to seeing him again some day." He smiled wickedly, then turned and fled as gunfire began to erupt downstairs.

Daniel made his way over to kneel by Jack's chair and began untying him. Murray and Carter saw them and came running across the room to assist. People continued to scatter from the room, some trying to escape to the outside, others trying to hide within the club's many recesses. Barrett's men could be heard downstairs moving in and intercepting a number of them, hauling as many of them away as possible.

"Daniel, are you okay?" Carter asked with concern, watching his fingers tremble as he tried to untie Jack's arms. He nodded but continued to have trouble with the knots.

"Allow me to assist, Daniel Jackson." Murray moved in and quickly removed the restraints.

Jack's head lolled to one side. There was no recognition in his eyes and he made no attempt to move on his own. Daniel gently stroked Jack's face and called his name, trying to get some kind of response. There was none.

"We need to get him to the hospital, Daniel." Carter urged.

"Indeed." Murray added. "I will carry him downstairs myself. Do you know what kind of drug he was given?"

An exhausted Daniel ran his hands over his face as tried to covertly wipe away the moisture from his eyes with the heel of his palms before running them through his hair. He nodded and used the wooden chair to help push up off the floor. He moved to the piano and placed the syringe and empty vial back into the case with the others and zipped it closed.

Murray gathered Jack in the same fireman's lift he had used on Jacob earlier. Carter led the way just in case Barrett's people got gun happy. Daniel looked around the empty room and shuddered, then turned and followed them, clutching the little black case that had almost been Jack's death.

~~

"And Doctor Carmichael says if he keeps seeing you in his emergency room he's gonna have to start giving you guys a discount." Frasier smiled at Daniel and Jack. Soft chuckles were heard about the room.

"Seriously, how are you feeling, Jack?" Hammond asked from the foot of the hospital bed.

"I've been better. But I've been worse."

Hammond nodded. He remembered the 'worse'. "You boys being cut loose soon?"

"Yes, sir. After they gave me the Narcan, it counteracted Ba'al's drug fairly quickly. I'm good to go once they sign off on the paperwork." He looked over at Daniel. "And I know Daniel's been ready to get out of here long ago. He just hung around to keep me company while everybody visited with Jacob. How's he doing by the way, Carter?"

"He's going to be okay," she answered. "They're going to keep him for a few days for observation and then I can take him home."

"Where you will thoroughly chastise him for me about his decision to come out of retirement, right?"

She smiled. "YeahSureYouBetcha."

Jack's eyebrows rose. Apparently it wasn't only Murray he was corrupting. Speaking of which......"Hey, where is Murray?"

"He's talking to my dad. Said he had something to ask him but wouldn't tell me what."

Daniel and Jack looked at each other. Could it be? Nah. Could it?

Hammond spoke up. "I thought you might like to know I spoke to Agent Barrett before coming here. They rounded up quite a few of the drug-lords in the sweep. But I'm afraid that some did manage to get away."

"Ba'al?" Jack asked, hoping he was wrong.

"I'm afraid so. They did a thorough search and found no trace. Overall, however, the drug enforcement agency feels the sting was a success with a few minor hitches."

"Minor hitches?" Daniel asked, incredulous at the phrase.

"Their words, not mine. They suspect the ones that did escape will lay low for a while, rebuilding and realigning their empires." He looked at each of them. "You did an excellent job people. But I confess I don't think I'm going to agree to loan out anybody again anytime soon." He smiled at them all. "Well, some of us need to get back to work. Do you have a way home? Do you need a ride or anything?"

"We're good." Jack replied.

Hammond nodded and said his goodbyes to all before exiting the room.

"Hey, Carter. You and Frasier want to find out what's holding up our paperwork so we can blow this joint?"

"Sure. Come on, Janet. I know you won't mind. I've seen the way you look at Doctor Carmichael."

Frasier blushed slightly and her eyes brightened. "He is kind of cute, isn't he?"

Carter smiled and shook her head in amusement as they exited the room.

Jack studied a silent, self-hugging Daniel. "Hey."

Daniel smiled softly, shyly, his long lashes blinking in self-consciousness. "Hey."

"You gonna stay all the way over there?"

Daniel pushed off the bed he was sitting on and moved over to sit on the edge of Jack's bed. Jack shifted and sat up further. He drew one of Daniel's hands into his and studied it, then slowly began to stroke his thumb over the back of it. He looked up to meet the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever seen full of love. Love for him.

Jack broke the silence first. "I didn't know it was so obvious, what I felt. The fact that he could see it – that I blew your cover, gave you away - I'm so sorry for that."

"Jack, it wasn't just your feelings he picked up on. There's no one to blame for how things ended the way they did. And don't ever apologize for loving me. "

"But Daniel, I...."

Daniel's index finger came up to rest against Jack's lips, silencing him. Then he leaned in slowly. With closed eyes, he brushed Jack's lips with his own gently, softly teasing. Jack reached his hand up behind Daniel's head and pulled him in closer, pressing their lips together. Slowly their lips parted and tongues started to explore. Soft moans began to escape them, becoming more and more needy the deeper they kissed.

"Jack!" Daniel managed to gasp as he pulled his mouth away, rubbing his face against the side of Jack's. "We have to slow down." He was beginning to feel light-headed. Jack's mouth moved to the side of Daniel's neck and started blowing little warm puffs against his skin, sending shivers over his body. Daniel leaned his head back, eyes closed, exposing his neck further and Jack began to kiss and suck on the offering as though he were starving. "Jack, if someone walks in...."

"Let them," Jack growled softly. He reached for the bed switch with one hand and lowered the head of the bed. Then he laid back opening his legs slightly and pulling Daniel on top of him. He could feel Daniel's burgeoning erection pressing against him and felt his own cock swelling in response. They resumed kissing, this time more urgently. Daniel's fingers gripped Jack's hair as he devoured his mouth. Jack ran his hands up and down Daniel's back and ass lightly, not wanting to add pain to the already injured flesh. Then Jack's hands firmly gripped Daniel's ass and pulled him towards him at the same time he thrust his own hips upwards. Their erections grazed roughly against each other and the sensation was electric. Daniel gasped in surprise. He lifted his head to look at Jack, his blue eyes so dilated with desire they looked black. "Are you sure about this?" he gasped out.

Jack nodded and pulled Daniel down for another kiss. Daniel responded with little moans and then began to gently rock his hips against Jack's. They slid against each other, dry humping in rhythmic thrusts building in intensity and speed.

"Oh, God, Jack...," Daniel groaned as his thrusts became more urgent, more insistent.

Jack whispered in his ear, "Do it, Daniel. Do it here, do it now. Come for me, baby."

Daniel kicked into overdrive at the command causing Jack to push upwards, meeting him half way. Both could feel the build of an orgasm begin low and as it grew in intensity, desperate, soft cries filled the room. Daniel climaxed first, shudders running through him as he jerked and snatched, the explosion behind his eyes causing him to throw his head back and call out Jack's name. Hearing his name cried out sent Jack into orgasmic spasms of his own, twitching and bucking, repeating Daniel's name over and over like a mantra.

Daniel collapsed on top of Jack who immediately wrapped his arms and legs around him and held him tight as they rode out the last waves. Slowly their breathing returned to normal as their spent cocks softened and their senses returned.

"Wow." Daniel whispered into Jack's neck.

"Yeah." Jack squeezed him gently.

Then they both shifted, allowing Daniel to slide off Jack and nestle against his side instead. Jack draped a protective arm around him and Daniel rested his head on Jack's chest listening to his heart. After a moment, Jack gently carded his fingers through Daniel's hair then pressed his lips against him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Daniel turned his face up towards Jack's. "I can't believe we just did that."

"You can't believe that we did it or that we did it here?"

He blinked. "A little of both, I think."

Jack chuckled. "Well before our luck runs out and someone walks through that door we need to get up and try to get cleaned up as best we can."

Daniel looked down at the front of his pants, dampness showing through. "I, uh, don't think that's going to be so easy."

Jack chuckled again. "Well, just carry your bag of medicines in front of you."

Daniel pushed up a little. "You saw the meds?"

"Uh, duh, Daniel. Your injuries didn't disappear as much as you like to pretend that they did. I saw the painkillers and antibiotics and analgesic cream. And I figure you're going to need some help with that last one."

Daniel's eyebrows rose. "You do, do you?"

"Yeah, you can't reach every place it needs to go so I'm....."

"Volunteering to help." Daniel finished.

"Something like that." Jack grinned and snagged Daniel's mouth with his own for a brief, tender kiss.

"Holy Hannah!"

"Oh, my God!"

Jack and Daniel quickly moved apart on hearing the exclamations. Standing in the open doorway to the hospital room were their three friends, Carter, Murray, and Frasier.

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about telling anybody," Jack grimaced.

Frasier closed the door. "Dammit, I cannot believe I'm seeing this!"

Carter shook her head, hands on her hips in an indignant pose. "How could you two do this?"

Murray stood in silence, a small smirk at the corner of his mouth the only comment he made.

Daniel visibly flushed and anger welled up inside Jack. How dare they judge him and Daniel? They were supposed to be their friends! He opened his mouth to say those very things when Frasier's next words cut him off.

"I can't believe they couldn't even wait until they got home!" She looked to the other two standing next to her. "Murray, we'll have to run by the ATM, I don't have that much cash on me."

Jack wasn't sure he was hearing what he thought he was hearing. "Are you saying you bet on me and Daniel and....," he gestured between the two of them, unable to finish the words.

Carter sighed. "Janet picked forty-eight hours, I had seventy-two and Teal'c picked twenty-four. So, he won." She pointed to the smirk on his face and growled, "Know-it-all."

"Hours until....?" Jack was still afraid to ask.

"From the time this assignment ended until you two realized what you had between you and decided to do something about it."

"And if you hadn't busted in here and caught us kissing, how would you ever have known so you could win your bet?"

Frasier smiled an all knowing smile. "Oh, I think we could have told."

Carter piped in. "Hate to interrupt – no pun intended – but they're bringing the release forms now, so you may want to.....uh, well...you know."

"Yeah. Give us a few minutes of privacy, will ya?"

Frasier snickered. "Come on, Sam, Teal'c. Let's go down to the coffee shop and wait for these guys there. And maybe we can find an ATM while we're at it." She quipped lightly and headed out the door.

As they began to follow, Carter turned to Murray. "I don't have the money on me either so I'll just have to pay up later."

"Indeed you will, Samantha." Murray said softly as the door closed behind them.

Jack's eyebrows climbed to the top of his head and Daniel blinked several times, his mouth dropping open. They turned to face each other and at the same time said, "They are soooo doing it!"

They burst out laughing and Jack pulled Daniel close for a brief hug before allowing him to get up off the bed. They were attempting to clean themselves up enough to appear in public when Daniel's brow suddenly furrowed.

"What?" Jack asked. "Are you worried about them?" He gestured towards the door.

"Them walking in on us was embarrassing but not worrisome. They're good friends. No, I was wondering about Hammond and if he suspects anything. He's pretty observant." Daniel shrugged. "Seems like everybody knew about us before we even did."

Jack stood behind Daniel and slipped his arms around his waist, resting his chin on Daniel's shoulder. "We just have to take one thing at a time, Danny, one day at a time. I don't plan to go around shouting from the mountaintop but neither do I intend to hide in a cave somewhere. Whether Hammond suspects or not is moot point. It doesn't change how I feel. Or how you feel. And as long as we have the support of our closest friends in our private life where we can be ourselves, what does it matter if we have to be more discreet while on the job?"

Daniel smiled. "That's why I love you. You analyze the battle and reduce it to its simplest form, then devise a plan of action that will ensure a victorious outcome." He chuckled. "You should have been in the military, Jack. Maybe even a colonel or something."

"Nah," Jack grinned. "I don't follow orders too well. Too many authority issues." He kissed Daniel's temple then released him and turned him around. Brown eyes locked with blue. "I'm not saying everyday will be easy but I'm willing to take the good with the bad if you are."

Daniel nodded. "We have a lot to talk about, a lot of things to work out, and maybe even a few issues to work through. As long as we do it together, I think we'll be okay."

No sooner had he finished speaking when a nurse walked into the room with the release papers. As they signed the papers, Jack flirted with the nurse in his charming Jack O'Neill kind of way then handed the clipboard and pen back to her with a warm smile that made her giggle and blush. After she left, Jack turned and saw Daniel staring at him, his arms crossed in obvious displeasure.

"What?"

"I think we just found our first issue."

Jack frowned in confusion, then his eyes widened. "I was just flirting. Innocently flirting, I might add."

Daniel's lips pursed in quiet contemplation. The nurse was kind of cute and if Jack hadn't been around, he might have been tempted to do the same. "Okay, you can eye the 'candy', just don't touch it."

Jack grinned. "Unless it's 'Daniel candy' I don't want to."

"Pervert."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it."

"So when do you plan on enlightening me?"

Jack grabbed up Daniel's bag of meds and handed it to him. "As soon as we can round up our friends in the coffee shop and convince them to drop us off at my place."

Daniel opened the door. "You mean my place."

"No, my place, it's bigger." They stepped out into the hall.

"Well, that's a nonsensical argument."

"Okay, so what's your reason?"

"My place is closer."

Jack blinked several times then grabbed Daniel's arm. "Your place it is then. Now, which way is it to the coffee shop?"

Next: Cold Case File