Alternate Reality Bytes 4

A Matter Of Trust

by Dragonfly Promises

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asd/dpromises/arbytes04.php
Summary: When Jack's behavior begins to change, those closest to him suffer the most. Can his friends discover what is going on with the head of their detective team? And can Jack and Daniel's relationship survive when it comes down to a simple matter of trust?

Jack sat in his truck outside of his own house not wanting to go in. He listened to the truck's radio as he watched his neighbor from two doors down walking her dog. She crossed the street to where another neighbor was standing in his front yard, watering his lawn and plants in the late afternoon sun and they stood around chatting for a while. A trio of kids riding their bikes passed by and waved at the neighbors then at Jack. He waved back. Then he looked at the front door of his house. Daniel was already home having left the office first. Jack knew what he was going to have to do and he hated it. But he saw no other way. If it meant he had to be a bastard then so be it. In the end, Daniel would come to understand. Jack turned off the radio and took a deep breath before opening the truck door.

~~

"This isn't negotiable, Daniel." Jack set his mouth firmly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jack?"

"I thought I made myself pretty clear."

Daniel threw his arms up in the air. "Well, for once, no. None of this is clear to me. Out of the blue, you make a decision that affects the both of us without even talking to me about it and then I'm just supposed to just accept it without question?"

"Yes."

Daniel's frown deepened. "Relationships don't work that way, Jack. At least not adult ones."

"I just need some space for a little while. I'd prefer it if you'd go back to your place for a couple of weeks. Let me get some things sorted out."

"Sorted out? What kinds of 'things' are we talking about here, Jack?" Daniel narrowed his eyes.

"I don't want to go into it now." Jack looked at the floor, his face grim.

"Oh, you don't want to go into it." Daniel shook his head, incredulous. "YOU don't want to go into it."

"I just need some breathing room."

Daniel crossed his arms. "So, what are you trying to say? I'm smothering you? Is that it? No, don't look away. I really want to know. Is that what you're saying?"

"It's my house, Daniel. I should be able to make decisions on who is in it or not."

Daniel stiffened, staring at the man in front of him as though he didn't recognize him at all. "Your house?" Daniel asked as if he didn't hear correctly. "What happened to 'our home', Jack?"

Jack looked away again.

Daniel chewed at his lower lip and studied Jack for a moment. "So, what does that make everything else? It's your house. It follows then that it's your bed. So what am I? Your bed-warmer, your fuck, your whore? Tell me, Jack. I'm just waiting to hear where I fit in exactly. Here when you need a warm body and sent away when you don't?"

Anger flared in Jack's eyes and his voice hardened. "I never said anything like that!"

"No, you're just pushing me away and won't tell me why! What has happened, Jack? Where is this coming from?"

"There's nothing to talk about. I just need some distance. Haven't you ever felt that?"

"Bullshit. Not good enough. I'm not buying it." Daniel narrowed his eyes again.

"That's part of your problem, Daniel. You don't like hearing something so you don't accept it. Maybe you just need to grow up and realize that not everything in life works out the way we want it to."

Daniel gritted his teeth as he hissed out, "Oh, I've had plenty of experience with that, Jack."

Jack winced but held his ground. "I've told you what I need. I would have thought you would respect that."

"Respect that? Respect what, Jack? That you're kicking me out and then telling me I'm unreasonable to ask for an explanation? If I've done something – or haven't done something - tell me what it is. You're leaving me in the dark here. How can I help fix anything if I don't even know what the problem is?"

"It's not you and it's not up for discussion."

"And what if I refuse to leave?" Daniel stood cross-armed, defiant.

Jack locked eyes with Daniel, his stare cold and unyielding. "Then I'd say you're acting like a child and must be pretty pathetic and desperate to stay when you've been asked to leave repeatedly."

Daniel didn't reply. His jaw and neck muscles were working to maintain control, trying to keep his anger in check and his pain hidden. He'd been rejected in the past, abandoned more times than he cared to count. Is this what was happening now? His eyes began to shimmer as frustrated angry tears threatened to form but he refused to let them fall in front of Jack. His arms moved into a self-hug as he turned his head away and focused on the pots cooking on the stove. The dinner he had started for Jack. One that Daniel didn't even really care for himself but it was one of Jack's favorites so he didn't mind making it. Normally, that is. Daniel's vision blurred more as an ache started to settle in his chest. He swallowed hard. Hell, maybe he was becoming pathetic.

He shook his head softly. Something wasn't right here. Jack loved him, didn't he? It's not like Jack could do a one-eighty that fast....Or could he? Daniel gently shook his head again, almost imperceptibly. Either way, Jack was pushing him away, hurting him on purpose. Why would Jack do that? And bottom line, what could he do about it? Jack was a very stubborn man and once his mind was set, you'd need a stick of dynamite to change it. Daniel reached long fingers up, pushing his glasses up to pinch the bridge of his nose, trying to stem off the headache that was trying to take hold. Obviously, he couldn't stay now and he refused to make a scene anymore than they had already done. He could feel Jack's stare boring into his back. He let the glasses drop back into place.

Quietly, Daniel removed the kitchen towel off his shoulder where he had draped it earlier while cooking and dropped it onto the counter. Then without looking at Jack, he headed to the bedroom, pulled out his travel bag and set it on the bed. He stuffed as many of his clothes as he could into it, tossed in a few books, and moved into the bathroom to gather his shave kit and toothbrush. He came back out to find Jack standing in the doorway, cross-armed, silently watching him pack.

Daniel zipped up the case and looked around the room. "I'll have to come back another time and get the rest of my stuff. I'll try to do it on my lunch hour so you won't be bothered. I'll give you your key back when I'm done."

Jack frowned and nervously shifted his stance. "Daniel, I never said you had to take everything and move out permanently. I'm just asking for a couple of weeks, that's all."

Daniel turned and looked at him sadly, unsure how to respond. "Whatever it is that you're going through, you don't trust me enough to talk to me about it or let me help you. How can a relationship work like that?"

Jack frowned deeper. "And you not trusting me when I tell you that this is how it has to be for now, doesn't help anything either."

"Well, then Jack," Daniel said softly as he picked up his travel bag, "I guess we're both screwed." He moved past Jack into the living room where he grabbed his jacket and keys and headed out the door.

~~

When he arrived back at his place, Daniel didn't even bother to turn on the lights. He just tossed his bag to the floor and leaned against the door as he looked at the dark, empty apartment. It was so quiet. Too quiet. No Jack watching a hockey game and yelling at the players. No stubborn, loud arguing over a disputed chess move or whining about the lack of beer in the fridge. Daniel smiled, remembering Jack's pout about that. He sighed and pushed away from the door and moved over to the sliding glass panels leading to the balcony. He unlocked and shoved the glass doors open, the cool night breeze flooding into the room, gently blowing the curtains towards him. He pushed them aside and stepped out onto the balcony, the night air filling his lungs.

Daniel looked out and saw the city lights dotting the evening sky. All different kinds of colors, some flashing, some steady, all various sizes. Like a crazy mixed up holiday decoration. Yet it was pretty in its own way. He could hear the faint noise of traffic as the wind carried it up to him. He moved closer to the edge and looked down. He could see people walking on the street far below, miniature couples hand-in-hand. He wished he and Jack could do that. It wasn't like they were in the military or anything but still they might as well be. In their line of work it was almost the same thing.

He dragged a patio chair over near the railing and sat down, resting his arms on top of it. Daniel dropped his chin onto his arms and studied the skyline some more. Then he looked up and saw the beauty of nature in the twinkling stars that winked down at him. He remembered gazing at them as a child. Wondering about them and what secrets they held. Awed and amazed at the sheer numbers. But you couldn't really see them in the city like you could in the outlying areas. People had no idea what they were missing. He sighed.

He missed the stars. He missed his parents. He missed Sha're. And even though he just left him, he missed Jack already. It was like he had lost them all. He felt a warm wetness slip down his cheek. The lights beneath him began to blur, all the colors running together now. A light breeze blew gently across the dampness on his face like a soft kiss, causing a shudder to run through him. He smiled to himself softly. Maybe they weren't totally lost to him after all.

~~

Jack picked at the dinner Daniel had cooked for him. There was nothing wrong with it. It was good in fact. But Jack's appetite had left him when Daniel had said he was moving out permanently. It wasn't what Jack had meant to happen. It certainly wasn't what he had wanted. But he couldn't go into it with Daniel yet. He'd just have to explain later.

Jack shoved the plate away from him and snapped up his beer, carrying it into the living room. He dropped down into his recliner and picked up the remote and began surfing the channels. Maybe he could find a game or two on one of the sports stations.

He passed the Discovery Channel and then backed up when it looked interesting. It looked like something on ancient cultures and he looked over to the couch to speak to Daniel only to see the empty space facing him. He had forgotten that quickly. He was so used to Daniel's presence that on a subconscious level, he expected him to be there.

Jack grimaced and took a sip of the beer. He left the documentary on and watched it in silence, willing himself not to look at the empty spot across the room.

~~

Carter sipped on her coffee as she brought back an extra cup of the freshly-made java from the breakroom for Murray. She set it down on his desk and her hand brushed against his lightly as he reached for the cup and smiled softly at her. Carter and Murray had arrived early at work together, having 'carpooled'. She was pretty sure they weren't fooling anybody but the force didn't like couples working together so they tried to be as discreet as possible while on the job. She looked up as Daniel walked through the door. He looked exhausted. His face was pale and the dark circles under his eyes, half-hidden by his glasses, spoke of a sleepless and restless night.

"Hey, Daniel."

"Hey, Sam."

She looked expectantly behind him. "Where's Jack?"

"I have no idea." He softly replied as he hung his jacket up and moved over to his desk.

Carter looked to Murray who lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Good morning, Daniel Jackson."

"Morning, Teal'c." He reached over and turned his computer on before snagging his coffee cup and heading to the breakroom.

Carter frowned and gestured to Murray that she was going to follow Daniel and he nodded in agreement with her choice. She entered the breakroom just as Daniel was returning the carafe to its stand. She moved over and sat on the table swinging her long legs as she watched him add sugar and creamer.

"You look like hell, you know."

Daniel snorted and nodded. God, he loved Sam. She was the big sister he'd never had. He could always count on her being there for him. He looked at her over the top of his glasses. "And you look positively glowing."

She shrugged. "Things are going well." She eyed him as she pressed her lips together. "I take it not so much with you and Jack."

He stopped stirring his coffee and watched the swirls of the cream make a design. "No, not so much."

"Want to talk about it?"

He sighed. "Not much to say. He kicked me out of his place last night. Sent me packing back to my apartment." Daniel tried to smile at her to lighten the words but it didn't work. The pain in his eyes was obvious.

Carter stopped swinging her legs. "What? Why?"

Daniel shrugged and turned back to add more creamer to the coffee. "He wouldn't tell me. I don't know if I've done something or didn't do something or if he's come to realize he made a big mistake with me....." He broke off, unable to finish that train of thought.

"Oh, Daniel. No. Jack loves you. It's not like him to purposely hurt anyone he cares about. And definitely, not you of all people."

"Yeah, well he did a pretty good job of it last night." Daniel softly said as he stared into his coffee.

Carter hopped off the table and turned Daniel around, pulling him into a hug. "I don't know what's going on but I do know that he loves you. Don't give up on him just yet."

Daniel hugged her back. "Thanks, Sam."

They held the hug for a while longer, swaying a little, both comfortable with each other. Then Daniel chuckled. "You know, this is really nice. Remind me to tell Teal'c what a lucky guy he is."

Carter laughed as she pushed at Daniel. "Brat."

"Am I interrupting something?"

They both looked over to the doorway to see a frowning Jack watching them. They released their hold on each other and moved apart.

Carter shook her head. "Nope. We were just talking but we're done." She picked up her coffee cup and smiled at him as she headed back to the squad room.

Daniel sat down at the table and sipped at his coffee quietly as Jack moved over to the sink to rinse his cup out. Then Jack poured himself a cup of coffee, glancing over at Daniel briefly to see him apparently lost in thought.

"It – uh - didn't look like you were talking very much."

Daniel looked up with a confused expression. "What?"

"You and Carter. I didn't see a whole lot of talking going on."

Jack knew he was bordering on sounding jealous. But damn it, he was. He had known Carter and Daniel were close but walking into that room and seeing them hugging each other like that sent a jealous jolt through Jack that was totally unexpected. A pat on the shoulder was one thing or a brief sisterly hug even but that....hell, that was more like an embrace. And to make it worse, they looked good together, like a couple standing there. And that was what was sending waves of jealous anger coursing through his veins. Was his own embrace so quickly and easily replaceable?

"What?" Daniel asked, truly puzzled at Jack's behavior and the anger that seemed to be in the older man's eyes.

"Just wondering what that was all about." Jack snapped out.

Daniel frowned. What the hell was Jack's problem? First Jack shoved him away without telling him why and now Jack appeared to be angry about something new which he obviously had no intention of elaborating on either. Well, two could play that game.

"It was nothing. Just chatting." Daniel stood up and pushed the chair back under the table. "I've got some paper work to finish." He picked up his cup and headed back out into the squad room without glancing back.

~~

The remainder of the morning did not fair any better for either Jack or Daniel. Both seemed to irritate each other easily. Tempers were short and actual conversations brief. They kept their dialogue limited to the job and when Daniel left on his own for lunch, Jack was sure he had returned to Jack's place to remove the remainder of his belongings. That set Jack on edge even more.

When the afternoon found them all on the scene of a felon's takedown, the discord between the two came to a head. The criminal had colleagues hiding in the tiny apartment with him and when one of them burst forth from the closet, weapon drawn, lives were almost lost. Jack had been too distracted by Daniel's remoteness and Daniel had been too aware of Jack's anger and both had missed the obvious. If it had not been for Murray then Carter or possibly even Daniel could have been killed.

They rode back to the precinct in different cars. Jack and Murray in one, Daniel and Carter in the other. Few words were spoken until they reached the squad room.

Jack spun around. "What the hell was that back there? Were you even aware of your surroundings at all?" Jack thundered at Daniel.

"Me? What about you? How is it that the great Jack O'Neill let a felon get the drop on him?" Daniel snapped back.

Jack narrowed his eyes and growled. "You are so riding a desk tomorrow!"

"What? You can't decide that!"

"Oh, yes I can Danny-boy! And I just did!"

Tension hung heavy in the air between them and Carter and Murray exchanged worried glances. A few people leaned back from their desks for a better view, others stopped talking on phones to hear better, some stopped drinking with cups suspended in mid-air to their lips – all mesmerized by the loud scene unfolding before them. Both Jack and Daniel were breathing heavily as though they had just physically sparred, their eyes locked in mortal combat. Carter prayed that it didn't come to blows. She was at a loss to explain her friends' behavior but she understood now why the force discouraged couples working together. The distraction of the two men's relationship troubles had almost resulted in tragedy today. She knew part of their anger right now was actually fear. Fear for each other and the danger each had been in. And fear that she or anyone today could have died because they hadn't checked their personal life at the door.

Then realization seemed to kick in that they had an audience and Daniel broke off the stare first. He quietly moved over to his desk and sat at his computer, staring at the screen instead. Carter and Murray moved over to their desks as well. The room became unnaturally quiet.

When Hammond walked in he looked around at his group, puzzled by the silence that filled the air. All that could be heard was the clicking of key strokes and the occasional phone ringing and soft murmurs somewhere in the distance. This did not look good. "Jack, a word with you in my office."

Hammond continued to his make his way across the room and Jack silently pushed up out of his chair to follow. Three sets of eyes watched as the door quietly shut behind them and the blinds were closed.

~~

Daniel checked his watch and looked up to see Murray glancing at the wall clock. Jack had been behind the closed door with Hammond for at least thirty minutes. They had heard occasional raised voices but could not make any of the words out clearly. And even though Daniel was pissed, he was still concerned that Jack was possibly getting reprimanded for something that he shouldn't be getting called on. When the door finally opened and a red-faced Jack exited, Daniel's stomach lurched in concern.

"Jack?" Daniel tried as Jack walked past but he received no reply as Jack continued across the room and grabbed his jacket, heading out the door.

Eyes turned to see Hammond slowly closing his office door, no explanations offered. The three remaining friends looked at each other, no one exactly sure what to do.

~~

Daniel decided to swing by Jack's place on his way home – which really wasn't on the way - but he wanted to know what Hammond had said. As he approached the street, he wondered if he was doing the right thing by showing up unannounced or if he should just turn around and leave now. Fate made the choice for him - Jack's truck wasn't even there. He tried calling once but when the answering machine picked up, he simply hung up. He didn't want Jack to think he was stalking him. And even though he was still angry at Jack and hurt by the other man's actions he was concerned that something bad was happening to his friend and lover and he could not stand by and ignore it. He just wasn't sure how to help when it was obvious Jack didn't want it.

And Jack was wrong when he said Daniel didn't trust him. He did. With his very life. But that didn't mean he wasn't entitled to know why the man he loved beyond words suddenly seemed unable to tolerate being near him anymore. He sighed and headed home to his apartment.

~~

Jack tossed his keys onto the table and checked his phone messages. There were a few telemarketers and one from Carter asking if everything was okay. None from Daniel. Not that he expected it. Not after the fights and snipes they had traded in the past twenty-four hours.

Then he checked his caller id. Sometimes people called but didn't leave messages. He always loved it when people swore they tried to reach him but had 'decided' not to leave a voice mail. So out of curiosity, he got into the habit of checking his caller id as well. It never lied. You either rang the house or you didn't irregardless of a message being left or not. He had caught several people in that particular lie.

This time he saw Daniel's cell phone number. He checked the time the call came through. It had been shortly after Daniel had left work probably. It was possible he had wanted to stop by. Jack's heart raced. Apparently, Daniel still cared enough to call.

~~

Daniel took a hot shower to ease the tension of the day and then tried eating a dinner that he didn't really feel up to ingesting. He picked at the food unenthusiastically. Finally, he just dropped the fork onto the plate, the clatter echoing in the quiet kitchen. He grabbed his glass of wine and swirled it around, watching the deep burgundy color capture and reflect glimmers of light from the room. He closed his eyes and took a sip. It should have been sweet with a hint of bite. Instead, it seemed almost tasteless, void of interest. His eyes snapped open. Everything was off. Nothing seemed right. He had let Jack into his life and under his skin and now that things were screwed up between them, his whole world suffered.

He relived the previous night, trying to pinpoint a moment where he could fathom what was going on. But he could resolve nothing in his mind from that evening or the day that had just passed. His jaw tightened. Jack was leaving him to twist in the wind, being all mysterious and playing mind games. A sudden surge of anger washed over him and he threw the glass against the wall, shattering it into dozens of pieces, the wine leaving a trail from the point of impact down to the floor.

He frowned. He had thought that would make him feel better but it didn't. Now he had a mess to clean up as well. He let out a roar of frustration just as his doorbell rang. He ran a hand over his face as he looked at the stained wall and then the doorbell rang insistently again. He clenched his fists and stalked over to the door, barely able to keep himself in check. He snatched the door open and came face to face with Carter.

"Sam! What are you doing here?"

Carter grimaced. "Hello to you too, Daniel."

"Sorry." He stepped back and opened the door further so she could enter the apartment. "Come on in."

Carter stepped past him and looked around the living room as she waited for him to close the door and join her. "I – uh - thought I heard something crash just before I rang the doorbell."

Daniel flushed as he closed the door. "I dropped a glass of wine."

Carter noted the wet trail on the kitchen wall. "Against the wall?"

Daniel winced and side-stepped the comment. He gestured for her to have a seat on the couch. "So. Not that I mind the company but any particular reason why you stopped by?"

She shrugged. "Just thought I'd see how things were going and if you've talked to Jack or not. I called and left him a message but haven't heard anything back. I tried talking to the lieutenant but he wasn't exactly brimming with information either. He seemed hesitant to talk at all for that matter. Something strange is going on, Daniel."

Daniel snorted. "Ya think?"

Carter smiled. "You're beginning to sound like him, you know."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Heaven forbid." But then he smiled sheepishly at her. "I'm gonna grab a beer, want one?"

"Sure." She watched him head for the kitchen and called after him. "I thought you didn't really like beer."

"I take spells." He answered from the other room. Then he came back in, handing her a bottle. "I can take it or leave it. I guess I've just gotten more into the habit now with Jack and all."

"Thanks." Carter accepted the beer and took a sip. "This thing with Jack seems to be beyond your relationship." She shook her head. "I can't imagine what is going on."

Daniel picked at the label on his beer bottle, lost in thought. "Well, Jack won't talk and Hammond won't talk. We're detectives. So why don't we 'detect'?"

Carter's eyebrows rose. "What are you suggesting?"

Daniel took a swig of his beer then eyed her as he spoke. "Maybe someone should tail Jack. See why it was so important to get me out of his house."

"You're serious."

"As a heart-attack."

"You know what Jack would do if he caught somebody following him, don't you?"

Daniel shrugged. "He'd go ballistic." He sighed. He should have known she wouldn't go for it. Daniel began peeling the label again.

Carter nodded. "Exactly." She looked at him and then around the room. "It would be insane." She unconsciously fluffed the pillow on the couch next to her. "Why, he'd snap you or me in half if he found us out."

Daniel lifted an eyebrow on that one.

Carter continued. "That's why it would be better if Teal'c did it."

Daniel's head snapped up and he saw her smiling.

"Do you think he'd do it?"

"Well, he's just as worried as we are and Jack is his friend, too. Of course, he has the distinct advantage of an intimidating presence. I don't think he'd flinch under Jack's wrath like we would."

Daniel frowned. "You make it sound like we're weak and pathetic."

"Nope." She swallowed a mouthful of beer. "Just wise, cautious and breathing."

~~

The next morning, true to his word, Jack had Daniel riding a desk. Daniel could not believe that Jack had actually made good on his threat and after Jack left with Carter and Murray on a case, he went to Hammond to seek answers. The lieutenant didn't argue with him or accuse him of any impropriety. And he certainly wasn't forthcoming on Jack's odd behavior. All he had to say was that Jack was his right hand man in the unit and he deferred to Jack's judgment in this instance. Then he dismissed Daniel and resumed reading the paper work crowding his desk.

Daniel left the office more confused than when he walked in. He returned to his own desk and sat down, staring at nothing in particular, lost in thought. Then he heard a familiar voice talking to their office assistant, Walter. He looked up to see Harry Maybourne asking to see Hammond. Daniel frowned. What was Internal Affairs doing here?

Maybourne stopped by Daniel's desk as he headed towards Hammond's office. "Detective Jackson."

"Maybourne. What brings you here?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that. You know. The usual stuff." He smiled meaningfully. He looked around him. "What, Jack's not here?"

"He's out on a case. You looking for him?"

Maybourne shrugged. "Maybe I just miss Jack's witty banter and insults." He smiled again. "So. How are you fitting in, Detective? Your relocation from the FBI to our little detective squad was an easy adjustment for you? Not having any second thoughts? No objections about how things work around here?"

Daniel narrowed his eyes. They didn't call IAB the rat squad for nothing. Was Maybourne fishing for something - or someone - in particular? "Everything is fine."

"Of course, it is. Well, can't keep the good lieutenant waiting any longer." He gave Daniel a curt nod goodbye. "Detective."

"Maybourne."

Daniel watched as the man entered Hammond's office. He couldn't help but wonder if the timing of the man's arrival had anything to do with Jack's strange behavior. He prayed not. He would let Carter and Murray know about Maybourne's presence and hopefully, Murray could tail Jack successfully and find out what the hell was going on.

~~

For several days Murray followed Jack discreetly after work and into the night. The first day lead to nowhere particularly notable. Just to the grocery store, the dry cleaners and home. The second day was a little more interesting. Jack stopped at a bar. One that was not on his way home. And since he bypassed other closer establishments, it led Murray to believe Jack had sought this bar out with a singular purpose. Perhaps a pre-arranged meeting. He hoped this was not some kind of lover's tryst. Murray frowned at the thought. He liked Daniel Jackson very much and it would cause much heartache to the younger man if it turned out O'Neill was seeing someone else. And if that were the case, he might just have to have a word with O'Neill himself.

This third night was even more troublesome to Murray. Jack had gone home but had only remained there for roughly an hour before heading back out. He was dressed in all dark clothing and something by the way he held himself made Murray think that there was some kind of shadowy business at hand.

Murray tried to follow at a mindful distance while keeping Jack in sight but it was as if the other man sensed he was being trailed and took evasive actions, causing Murray to eventually lose him in the traffic. Murray felt his own unease begin to grow at the turn of events. He was not looking forward to relaying any of this information to Daniel Jackson or Samantha Carter either one.

~~

"Did you see him leave the bar with anyone?" Daniel asked softly as he looked down at his hands in his lap, focusing on keeping them steady, avoiding Murray's gaze.

"I did not."

Daniel swallowed, his throat dry. Of course that didn't mean Jack hadn't met up with someone inside for heaven-knew-what. Jack was a good-looking man and could attract whatever or whomever he wanted, male or female. If Jack had really grown tired of him and their relationship...... Daniel bit at his lip, trying to keep his imagination under control. "What about tonight?"

"I saw no one but O'Neill."

"Do you think he saw you?" Carter asked.

"I cannot be sure. However, I believe I should attempt to continue following him for the time being. His behavior is indeed most troubling."

Daniel nodded. He thanked them both as they said their goodnights to him. Carter hugged him and Murray inclined his head in acknowledgement and then they left. He closed the door behind them and leaned against it. He knew that they would have tried to help Jack for his own sake even if Daniel had not been there to prompt it. But he also felt they were doing this for him as well and he was grateful for it and for them. He ran a hand over his face and let out a huge, tired sigh. He missed Jack. He wanted to be holding Jack, making love together, doing stupid everyday kinds of things together. He groaned in frustration. Damn it, Jack. Are you in trouble? What are you hiding? What the hell is going on?

~~

Jack sat at the table waiting for his contact to arrive. This was a different bar than the last time. Apparently, the man was cautious to the point of paranoia. Jack sipped on his beer looking around at the clientele. It wasn't a bad place and the people looked average. Jack glanced up at the television hanging over the bar. A hockey game was on. Damn. He'd rather be home watching the game with Daniel.

Jack sighed. What had started out as a simple ruse to get Daniel out of the house and out of harm's way ended up blowing up in Jack's face. Instead of it going smoothly as he had hoped, it had hurt Daniel and everything went downhill from there. Now they were both genuinely angry with each other and their relationship was suffering. Even their work was suffering.

"O'Neill."

Jack looked up to see the man he had been waiting on. He had another man with him. Both sat down at the table.

"Who's he, Grieves?" Jack asked with a scowl.

"This is Newman. He's our ace in the hole. Newman, meet Jack O'Neill. Our newest potential recruit."

"What makes him so special?" Jack narrowed his eyes at the newcomer.

Grieves grinned. "He works for IAB. Isn't it great? Right under Maybourne's nose and the man doesn't have a clue."

"I've heard about you." Newman looked at Jack. "Word has it there's been some kind of discord among your team. A confrontation in the middle of the squad room. Can't really have that. Things have got to look status quo." He gave Jack a smug, know-it-all look.

Jack leaned in to speak, causing the other man to lean forward. Jack grabbed the back of the man's neck and held it in a vise grip as the man struggled. Jack hissed in a low voice into his ear. "The day that you tell me how to run my business or my team is the day I've already been put six feet under. You steer clear of me Newman. It's in your own best interest. You got that?" Jack released the man and sat back, watching the other squirm and rub at the back of his neck. He looked over to Grieves. "So what's this about this time?"

Grieves smirked at the display he'd just witnessed. "I just wanted to reissue our offer. You seemed hesitant in our last conversation."

Jack looked at him with barely concealed contempt. "You mean our only conversation."

Grieves shrugged. "True. Anyway, some first rate bags of cocaine made it into the evidence lockup a couple of days ago. Our man is going to get some of that out along with a couple of confiscated weapons and a whole wad of cash."

"And you don't think anybody is going to be able to tell it's missing?" Jack asked, his brow furrowed.

Grieves shook his head. "Nope. The beauty of it is, it was another one of our operatives that actually turned the evidence in. He had to turn it in. After all, he couldn't just take it in front of his colleagues now could he? But let's just say he wasn't exactly truthful with the tabulations so to speak."

"And where was the evidence clerk all this time?"

Grieves shrugged. "The clerk doesn't care. You sign your name to the roster and list the evidence yourself. He's supposed to go behind you and check but God bless a lazy man. This one isn't exactly dishonest, he just doesn't want to be bothered. He trusts a cop that's checking evidence 'in' instead of 'out'. Why wouldn't he?"

"So what next?"

"Our second guy checks more evidence in from a different case. While there, he slips casually over and lifts the 'extra evidence'. Anybody coming back through can match the sheet up with what's there and it will all jive. And since the second man had no connection to the first case, no one would think to link him to it. Simple."

"What if a check is done before your man has had a chance to lift the 'extra evidence' as you put it?"

"That's where I come in." Newman winced as he still rubbed at his neck. "They call me in, I investigate and find nothing wrong. It was a mere oversight and upon looking closer, the amounts were not that far off. No one is going to question Internal Affairs."

Jack pursed his lips in thought. "Sounds interesting."

"Sure beats the operation you had going."

Jack looked at Newman again. "And how is it that you know what I had going?"

Newman snorted. "How do you think Grieves found out about you in the first place? There is an IAB file on you. Seems Maybourne has a bug up his butt where you're concerned. They couldn't pin anything on you so obviously you're good. But this is safer."

Grieves spoke up. "Look, O'Neill. You're a good cop. We all are. How many times have we seen the bad guys walk? How many times have we watched the evidence pile up and yet never be enough to put them away? They have the money and the power and our hands get tied by politicians and budget cuts. So we skim what's in lockup and get a little power back. Where's the harm in that?"

"So who's the other man in Hammond's squad?"

"There's more people involved here than just him, O'Neill. People outside of Hammond's realm. You have no idea how far this goes. You have to realize I can't tell you more than you need to know at any given time. And right now, that's something that you don't need to know."

"And remind me why I should join your little game instead of staying solo."

"Because there's safety in numbers. He watches your back, you watch his. It would make it easier to move evidence as well." He locked his eyes onto Jack. "I just need to know if you're willing to play ball. If not, then this and the previous conversation never happened and we're done."

Jack looked from one to the other. "And what if I go straight to Hammond with what you've just told me?"

Grieves smiled. "And what could you prove? It's your word against mine. The evidence in lockup will tally correctly, you don't know any of the players and it's only your behavior that is in question right now. Plus we are aware of your current activities and Newman has taken the liberty of providing me with some corroborating information." He sipped on his beer. "It really should be a no-brainer."

Jack studied his beer for a moment. Then looked at Grieves and shrugged. "Okay. Count me in."

~~

Jack studied the body lying on the bed. The man was hog-tied, one bullet entry to the back of the head, another bullet wound to the shoulder. Siler was finishing his photos and Frasier was assessing the victim.

"This one is definitely a drug-user. He's got heavy track marks on his arms, Jack. Some are pretty old. There are some newer ones around the toes." She pointed a latex-gloved finger at the victim's feet. Then she pointed at the cuts on the victims arm. "Looks like he was interrogated – and I use the term loosely – before he was executed."

"And the woman in the other room?"

Frasier continued to look at the current body while she spoke about the other. "She looked to be a user as well. Not as hard core as this one." Frasier straightened up. "From the position we found her in and the bruising on the thighs and genitals, it's a given she was sexually assaulted before she was killed. Bullet to the head there too, by the way. Looks like a .38 caliber. I'll run the standard tests, see what we come up with. Maybe the creep left us some DNA to catch him with."

Jack nodded and left the forensics team to finish gathering their evidence. He walked into the dining room where Murray and Carter were talking.

"What do you have?"

Carter spoke up. "Found these bags hidden in the broiler of the stove, underneath a pan. Looks to be pretty good grade. Probably what the perps were looking for. Also, we have three hand guns and a saw-off shotgun, along with enough ammo to have a mini-war."

Jack assessed the three plastic bags of white powder stacked next to the weapons on the dining room table. "What else?"

Daniel walked into the room, holding up a bag of little black capsules. "Haven't seen any of these in a long time. Found them stashed in the toilet brush holder in the bathroom." Then he held up two larger plastic bags of marijuana. He deposited them on the table as well. "Found these in the dog bed."

"Where's the dog?"

Daniel blew out a breath. "Shot dead in the kitchen. According to Frasier, death was probably instantaneous."

Jack's lips thinned. He hated what mankind could do to each other. But he hated worse what mankind could - and would - do to the 'lesser' creatures of the world.

Daniel continued. "Chances are the dog was taken out first so the perps could get to the victims and search the house." He knew Jack loved dogs and hated it when criminals used them to guard their stash of dope and guns.

Jack paused in thought. "The place looks pretty well tossed. It's hard to believe that they would have overlooked an obvious place like the dog bed." Jack looked around and shook his head. "No. They weren't finished looking before they got interrupted."

He looked at his team. "Walk me through it."

Daniel started, taking on the role of the intruder. "I know the guy. He either owes me or has dealt with me before. I bring at least one other person with me. I bang on the front door, he lets me in – no forced entry here."

"How do you know they were let into the front and not through the back?" Jack interrupted.

"The back yard is boxed in with six-foot tall privacy fence. The side gate leading into the back has a padlock on it, plus the back door is still locked."

"How do you know that they were let in and didn't push their way in once the door was opened?"

"The dog was on a leash. You only have a dog on a leash inside the house if you are trying to keep them off of 'guests' in your home. If they had tried to push in, all he'd have had to do was let the dog go here in the living room."

Jack nodded. "Go on."

"Probably, the victim feels safe with the dog in the house. We walk into the kitchen where he wants to do business. Like I said, he has the dog on a leash. I make my demands known. We argue. He lets the dog go, the dog lunges and either I or my partner shoot the dog. Now there's nothing to stop me from getting to my victims and searching for what I want."

Carter picked up next as the woman. "The dog has been killed so I know we're next. I run to the smaller bedroom and lock the door."

Jack interrupted again. "Okay think. Are you in the kitchen with the others or are you already in the bedroom or somewhere near there?"

Carter paused. "You're right. If I was in the kitchen with them, one of them would have been watching me and I would never have been able to make it from there into the back of the house."

"How do you know she was in the bedroom of her own accord and not taken there?"

"The bedroom door was locked. Still is. The door jamb is busted open and the door is currently hanging crooked. I try to use the phone in there to call for help."

"How do you know that?"

"The phone cord is yanked out of the wall to prevent its usage."

"Go on."

"The phone cord, now conveniently in the perp's hand, is then used to tie me up. I'm not killed outright. Instead, I'm violated as part of my 'interrogation'."

Murray began, taking the role of the second victim. "The dog is dead. The woman is in the bedroom, her attacker preventing her from contacting help. I have a weapon at hand. Either on my person or nearby. One man would not be able to overtake me."

Jack pursed his lips in thought. "So there had to be more than two intruders. Three is more likely here. Pick it up where two suspects are after the man."

Murray continued. "I move for my weapon as they reach for theirs. Gunfire is exchanged, I take a hit in the shoulder and am then overpowered by the two men. I am taken into the bedroom and tied up and tortured for information. I tell them nothing so they begin to ransack the house. At this point, the woman and I are still alive."

"And this would be because......?"

"It would gain them nothing to kill us before they had obtained what they sought. Killing the victims would be the last step before leaving the house."

Jack looked to Daniel who began again. "The woman and man have told us nothing. We search the house and find a few items but not what we want. Something happens to interrupt the search. Whatever it is, we know we don't have much time to get out. The victims can identify us, so they have to be killed. Maybe it's even a message to others. Both are executed with a single shot to the head. We leave without finding what we came for."

Jack nodded and looked around the scene again. "Good work. Let's make sure we get a good set of prints from the vics. See Frasier about that. We need to verify that the IDs the prints pull actually match the ones in the wallets. And I want something on these people other than street names. We got any witnesses? Neighbors see anything?"

Carter spoke up. "Not so far. Riley and a uniform are canvassing right now. We've got a couple of the units keeping the onlookers back. Nobody has stepped up to volunteer anything."

Jack snorted. "Good luck on that. Okay. The biggest outstanding question - other than the identities of both vics and perps - is what happened to stop the search? We figure that one out and we might actually be able to track our killers."

~~

When they returned to the precinct, Jack volunteered to check in the evidence.

Carter looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure? You don't normally log stuff in."

"What, Carter? You don't believe I'm capable of handling it?"

She frowned. "No. I mean yes, I know you can but you usually don't."

"Well, today I am. Got any objections?"

Carter shook her head.

"Good. I'll catch up with you guys upstairs." Jack grabbed the box and headed to evidence lockup.

Carter watched him walk away. He was acting weirder and weirder every day.

~~

Jack sat at the bar waiting on Grieves to appear. He wasn't surprised when the man quietly slipped onto the barstool next to him and ordered a beer. Jack glanced around casually. "Newman not with you tonight?"

Grieves snickered. "It would seem you make Newman feel a little uncomfortable."

"Do I?" Jack smiled wickedly.

"Yes, you do. But then Newman is just a lackey. He follows orders well. But then that's all he needs to do."

"The orders being yours?"

"Mine among others."

Jack studied him. "I did the test like you suggested. You were right. It's easy. Biggest damn hole in the system I've seen in a while."

Grieves grinned. "See? I told you. Piece of cake. Now do you have it with you?"

Jack nodded. "In the truck. Wasn't about to bring it in here."

"Well, how about we just take a trip outside for a moment?"

"Sure." Jack finished off his beer and tossed some bills onto the counter.

They walked out of the bar into the night and headed for Jack's truck. They passed a couple of prostitutes hanging out in the parking lot. The women called out to the two men.

"Evening, Ladies." Jack responded as his eyes passed over them briefly, summing them up. He looked at Grieves who ignored them as he continued walking briskly.

When they reached the truck, Jack unlocked and opened the passenger door and pulled a paper bag onto the seat. "It's in there." He motioned for Grieves to look in the bag.

As Grieves moved in to look at the contents, Jack pulled a gun out from the back of his pants where he had tucked it earlier. He pushed Grieves forward, pressing his face into the seat and placed the barrel of the gun against the man's head.

"What the hell?" Grieves sputtered as he managed to turn his head to the side a little. He became still as he felt the cold steel against his skull.

"Call your girls off Grieves."

"What are you talking about?"

"The hookers. They belong to you. Call them off."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Jack cocked the hammer back on the gun. Grieves heard it click. "Okay! Okay!"

Jack jerked Grieves upright by the scruff of his neck but released the hammer gently back into place. "Call them over. Now." He nudged the muzzle against the base of Grieves' skull.

"Oh, ladies! A word with you please." Grieves yelled out nervously.

The two women looked at him, puzzled. Then they looked at Jack standing behind him and began frowning.

Jack nudged Grieves with the gun again.

"Now, ladies! Please!" Grieves grated out.

The two women walked warily closer. One slipped her hand into the purse hanging from her shoulder. The other shifted a jacket she had draped over one arm.

Jack hissed in Grieves' ear. "You tell them to gently drop the weapons into the bed of the truck or I'm gonna blow your fuckin' brains out all over this parking lot. You know I mean it."

Jack could feel the man's breath catch in fear. "Tobias, Kershaw. He's on to you – us - and unless you want to see my gray matter splattered all over the place, please just do as he says and put your guns into the bed of the truck."

The women complied and stepped back as Jack pushed Grieves away from him towards the street-walkers. He leveled his gun at all three.

"So what was this all about Grieves? A little test? A double-cross? You're really starting to piss me off."

"We had to be sure. You could have just been sent to spy on us. We just wanted to make one last check to be sure you weren't trying to set us up."

"Yeah. Right." Jack eyed all three of them. "You know, this is really getting tiring. I think maybe I should just run my own game here, now that I know how it works."

"Not a wise move, O'Neill."

"How so?"

"They will kill you if you double-cross them. Surely you know that."

"Ah yes. The faceless 'they'. Kind of loses its threat value when you don't have any names or faces to go along with it. In fact, I'm beginning to believe that 'they' are simply a figment of your imagination."

"I assure you they are very real."

Jack snorted. "Yeah. Like your contact in Hammond's squad."

"He's real too."

"Sure he is."

"Okay. In a few days, a significant raid is going down. It's gonna be one of the biggest busts the department has ever pulled. Your guy just happens to be volunteering to be a part of that raid."

"There's no way he'd be able to pull anything off in the middle of something like that. There will be too many eyes watching something on that kind of scale."

"Not if the eyes are misdirected." He indicated one of the women standing next to him. "Meet Tobias. She works in Vice. She and Kershaw will log in the evidence as they always do. And she's gonna open the door – figuratively speaking – for your guy. Everything is already set up. We're just waiting for it to go down."

"You keep saying 'your guy'. I have no idea who this person is."

"When he's ready to contact you, he will. He'll have no choice when the raid goes down because after that, the goods will have to be moved out faster than the usual setup because it will be more noticeable. And he's going to need your help getting the 'overflow' out of lockup." Grieves looked over at the paper bag in the truck. "So, you going to hand that over so we can process it for you?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope. Don't think so. I'm still getting bad vibes off of you Grieves. I might have been inclined to fork it over earlier before this little charade but now I'm thinking I'll just hold on to it a while."

"What about our guns?" Kershaw spoke up.

Jack's eyebrows rose. "What about them?"

"Are you going to give them back?"

"Hmmm. I'm thinkin' not."

"You can't have them!" Tobias hissed out.

"Already do." Jack countered. "Tell you what. I'll remove the ammo..."

"And then give them back?" Kershaw jumped in.

"Ah, ah." Jack held up a finger. "You didn't let me finish. Now, since I'm pretty sure you have an extra clip in that purse of yours and you," he looked at Tobias, "probably also have another full load hidden somewhere as well, it wouldn't be too smart of me to just hand them back to you. So, as I was saying, I'll remove the ammo from the guns and then drop the weapons into the mailbox around the corner. That way the weapons won't fall into the hands of the general public and once you find a postal worker who will open the bin for you, you get your guns back." Jack smiled at them, ignoring the scowls directed his way.

He waved his gun at them ordering them to step further back as he closed the passenger door.

"So tell me O'Neill before you go. How did you make these two for my people?"

"Well, for one thing there's a reason they're called 'street walkers', Grieves. You don't find many in parking lots unless it's at a truck stop. Second, hookers are smarter than to wear real gold jewelry around their necks to get ripped off. Third, there's no pimp in the picture. Street girls can't work without one. If they try, they get taught a lesson really fast. Fourth, you ignored them a little too much, walked by a little too fast. I could go on but you get the gist."

Grieves grinned wryly. "You enjoy being a wise-ass don't you?"

"Every day." Jack made his way over to the driver's side and climbed into the truck. He rolled down the window and mock-saluted the three. "Until next time."

~~

Days passed by and people noticed Jack being uncharacteristically brusque with subordinates. He still would give no explanation to Daniel for his recent attitude and they remained living separately. All the two could seem to do was argue and accuse each other of not trusting one another. Finally, Daniel stopped asking for an explanation and if Jack noticed, he never brought it up.

Carter walked into the squad room and looked around at the empty desks.

Daniel came in behind her, reading some pages in a folder as he was walking. He looked up just in time to keep from crashing into her. "Hey, Sam. What's up?"

"Have you seen Teal'c?"

"I'm pretty sure he and Jack are out on a case. Whatcha need?"

"The District Attorney's office wants to look at the evidence from the Meyers case. There's a couple of boxes. I could get a uniform to help me but you know how funny this particular assistant D.A. is about 'chain of evidence'. A uni isn't good enough for her."

"Oh, one of those, huh? Well, I bet one is good enough for her if a burglar is breaking into her home."

Carter snickered. "Are you kidding? She lives in one of those gated communities with the latest technology and the highest paid rent-a-cops you can find. Burglary in her home? Nev-ah, dah-ling!"

Daniel laughed at Carter's exaggerated imitation. He closed the folder and tossed it onto the desk. "Okay, I'll help. Lead on."

~~

Carter brushed the dirt off her hands. "God, it's dusty in here. You think they ever clean?"

Daniel frowned as he read the label on one of the boxes. "Uhm, don't know. Kind of makes you wonder though if the dust we're breathing in is just the ordinary kind or a little something extra." He moved his eyebrows up and down to emphasize the 'extra'.

"Well, I'm not getting a buzz in here. Just getting hot." She stood with her hands on her hips, craning her neck, trying to see the upper shelves.

Daniel shook his head. "I thought these things were supposed to be organized. Some kind of system."

"Well, they probably were when they first came in but then something else came in and stuff got moved around and more stuff came in.....kind of like musical chairs."

"Here's a box that kind of looks like Jack's handwriting."

Carter looked over his shoulder. "Oh, yeah. That's the evidence from the drug dealer's homicide earlier in the week."

"Jack logged it in?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"Yeah, kind of insisted on it actually."

"Huh. Will wonders never cease." Daniel started to shove the box back then looked at the label closer. He frowned and then opened the box to look inside. "Sam?"

"You found it?"

"Uh, no. That evidence that Jack logged in? How many bags of coke were there?"

"Three. I remember thinking it was funny we had one bag of pills, two bags of weed and three bags of coke. One, two, three!"

Daniel nodded. "That's what I thought. There's only two in here."

"What?" Carter pushed her way closer. She looked inside, then at the label. "There's only two listed on the label." She looked at Daniel wide-eyed. "Oh, Daniel...."

Daniel's face darkened. "No, Sam. Jack would not do anything like that. He and I may be going through some bad times right now but you can't make me believe he'd do anything like that."

"Normally, I would say no too, Daniel. But he has not been acting normal lately. He kicked you out of the house, he's been temperamental and not just with you. He's been going out at night and heading to out of the way bars and heaven knows what else that we're not aware of." She chewed at her lip. "We have to think about this carefully."

Daniel shook his head. "This is Jack, Sam. There has to be an explanation."

"Like what? That he can no longer count to three?" She looked at him exasperated. "The bags were there, Daniel. I put them in the box myself. And even if you doubt me, Jack was there at the crime scene just like you were. You remembered how many bags there were. Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that Jack wouldn't and that he wouldn't have questioned it if there was a difference?"

Daniel stared at the box. How could this be true? Sure he and Jack were having problems but this? It couldn't be real. Not Jack. Not 'by the book', 'champion of underdogs' Jack. He was a man of honesty and integrity. A truer, more decent man Daniel had never met. How could that have been a lie? No. No, this 'evidence' was the lie. It had to be. Jack would straighten it out. He had to.

Carter softened her voice and squeezed his arm lightly. "Come on. Help me find the boxes for the Meyers case and we'll sort this out later. Maybe Teal'c can come up with something."

Daniel nodded and shoved the box back onto the shelf. He wished he had never seen it.

~~

Murray frowned at the information being relayed to him. This indeed was most unsettling. He had considered himself a good judge of character. To suddenly be confronted with the possibility that O'Neill was not the man he believed him to be was unfathomable.

"Perhaps it was not O'Neill who made the error. Perhaps it was the evidence clerk."

Carter shook her head. "It's Jack's handwriting and it clearly says two bags of cocaine along with the approximate weight of each bag."

"I am at a loss to explain this." Murray looked from one to the other.

Carter sighed. "So are we." She watched Daniel pacing the floor slowly and then a thought struck her. One that she didn't want to consider but had to given the circumstances. "Daniel?"

Daniel stopped pacing and looked up. "Yeah?"

Carter licked at nervous lips, knowing she was going to step on toes here. "When you were working undercover in the nightclub and one of the drug-lords caught you and Jack...." She paused.

"Yeeess?" Daniel drew out, not liking where she was going with this.

"Jack was drugged. By the same man that had tried to turn him into an addict previously." She could see Daniel's face turning red but continued anyway. "What if Jack was not okay after all? What if he has a problem now and we've been too blind to see?"

"I cannot believe you'd say that....or even think that!" Daniel angrily yelled her, his arms gesturing in the air.

"Think about it. His behavior, his mood swings. It's like he's pushing us all away. The missing cocaine." She held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her. "No, we don't know that he took it but we also don't know that he didn't. And if he did, who's to say he sold it? It could be for personal use. Maybe it started out as something small, something we didn't even see but has grown bigger and more uncontrollable. As ugly as that sounds, we have to consider it."

"No! No, we don't. No way in hell is Jack using." Daniel angrily paced in front of her like a caged tiger coiled tight and ready to spring, ready to fight and protect its cub.

"How do you know?"

"I'd know. In case you forgot, he is my lover." Daniel hissed out. "I'd see the evidence, I'd know."

"Maybe that's why he pushed you out of the house because he knew he couldn't hide it any longer. He knew you would see."

"No! You're wrong." Daniel growled out.

"Then how do you explain it?"

Daniel clenched his fists. "I can't but I know Jack. There is a good reason for all of it. I trust him. I may not always understand him or always trust 'how' he does something but I do trust HIM." He turned away and mumbled under his breath. "Whether he believes me or not."

Carter studied Daniel and saw the anger trembling through his frame. He was angry at her, angry at Jack. Probably even angry at himself. She ran a hand through her hair and blew out a breath. What the hell was happening to them all? She looked at both Murray and Daniel.

"So what do we do now?"

"I think it would be wise for me to continue following O'Neill in the evening. I would also suggest that someone stay in near proximity during the day. And do not allow him around evidence by himself."

"Don't you think he's going to pick up on that?" Daniel asked wryly.

"Perhaps. But we have no other recourse open to us at this moment. We cannot go to Lieutenant Hammond at this time if we wish to be able to help O'Neill."

Carter shook her head. "So, what? We sit and wait for the other shoe to fall?"

Murray frowned at her. "If by that you mean do we wait for something else to happen, then yes. Things cannot continue as they have without coming to a head at some point. We will have to be alert and ready for when it does."

"Doesn't sound like much of a plan, Teal'c" Daniel said softly.

Murray lifted an eyebrow in response. "It is not. But sometimes waiting is all one can do. When he needs us, we will be there."

~~

Jack turned his head when he heard someone follow him into the room.

"Daniel?"

"Jack?"

"Whatcha doin'?"

Daniel snickered. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Jack looked at the man standing at the urinal next to him. "Taking a piss."

"Very observant, Jack. Want to guess what happens next? I walk over to the sink, wash my hands, walk out the door....."

"Just seems like every time I walk in here lately, you show up soon after."

"It's called having normal bladder function and after all the coffee I drink in a day, I'm glad of it. What? Am I smothering you again, Jack?"

Jack grimaced. "You had to go there. I never said that."

"But you didn't really deny it either. You just said you didn't voice it." Daniel zipped up his pants and flushed the urinal. He moved over to the sink and began washing his hands. He heard the other urinal flush and Jack moved to the sink next to him.

"You can be a real piss-ant sometimes, Daniel."

"I learned from the best, Jack." Daniel was drying his hands on the paper towels. He looked in the mirror over Jack's sink and saw a tired reflection. Jack's face looked a little drawn and pale. Funny he hadn't noticed that before. He wadded the towels up and tossed them into the trash. He had his hand on the door when he paused and spoke over his shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry about that. It's just....." Daniel hesitated, trying to find the words. "I don't know what's happening with us...with you. It doesn't bring out the best in me to not have that understanding."

Jack dried his hands as he studied the other man. He knew Daniel was waiting for him to say something but he honestly didn't know what the right thing to say was. So he said nothing. After a moment he heard the other man's exasperated sigh as he snatched the door open and exited the restroom. Jack looked in the mirror. Some days he really felt like the bastard he pretended to be.

~~

Jack tried to shrug off the feeling he was being followed. All day at work it seemed someone was always underfoot or in his space. Now, the hairs stood up on his neck like individual little radars. He steeled himself not to turn around and look but it felt like two hot coals were boring into his back. Someone was watching him. Jack swallowed hard. Had he been found out? It was a dangerous game he was playing. He had to stay on his toes and do whatever he had to do to make this all work and to get out alive. He had already had to tap into that dark side of himself, that part that he tried to keep hidden. Calmly putting a loaded gun up to someone's head - even in self-defense - took nerves that came from a depth he rarely wanted to acknowledge. But he'd do it again if it's what he had to do. He didn't have to like it. He just had to do it. It never occurred to him that his choices would impact the people he cared about the most.

~~

Murray turned off the car and headlights and removed his seat-belt. He shifted to get comfortable. He had driven and Carter sat in the front passenger seat next to him. Daniel sat in the back seat. He unbuckled his seat-belt too and moved forward, resting his arms on the back of the front seat and propping his chin on his arms. They were parked on the darkened street not far from Jack's house. Close enough to see without being obvious.

"Okay, Teal'c. So what is it that you wanted me to see?"

Murray winced. It was not that he wanted Daniel Jackson to see this. He simply did not want to be the one to tell him what he had observed the previous night with his own eyes. He had hoped he was wrong. But the car was there again tonight.

"Observe. There is a vehicle in O'Neill's driveway."

"Yes. And?"

"It was there last night as well."

Daniel's brow furrowed. He hoped Murray wasn't implying what he seemed to be implying

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"Wait and observe, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel sighed and sat back. He slid over to the passenger side window where he could get a better view.

"I don't suppose you brought any coffee with you on this stake out?"

"Indeed, I did." Murray tossed a small thermos to Daniel. "We each have one."

Daniel grinned and began opening his container. "Teal'c you are a god-send."

Murray lifted an eyebrow at that and Carter chuckled. Daniel sipped on the hot liquid and leaned back against the seat, getting comfortable.

"If I fall asleep, you're gonna wake me up, right?"

Carter smiled. "Yes, Daniel."

All three adjusted their positions to get more comfortable. They waited with the car radio turned on at a low volume to break the dead silence and help maintain alertness. After a couple of hours had passed, Carter saw Jack's front porch light turn on.

"Daniel, you awake?"

Daniel opened weary eyes. "Yeah."

"Good. Looks like someone is getting ready to come out."

Daniel sat up and leaned against the window, trying to see. The door opened and a petite woman stepped out. Daniel studied her. She looked just like.....Oh, my God!

"What's Janet doing here?" Carter asked out loud and looked at a silent Murray who wore a pained expression.

Daniel pressed his face against the glass. Jack stepped out behind Frasier, buttoning up the front of his open shirt. Daniel's breathing started to become shallow as thoughts and explanations of the scene whirred through his head. Then Janet turned and Jack leaned forward and they kissed. Not a simple, friendly peck on the cheek but a passionate, full-on-the-lips kind of kiss. Definitely a lover's kiss. For Daniel, all time stood still at that moment. He couldn't breathe, his chest felt constricted, and he heard a roar in his ears as blood rushed in his veins sending his pressure sky high. This – this infidelity - on top of the other lies. Oh, God how could he have been so wrong about Jack? Daniel began to gray out slightly and he thought he could actually feel his heart breaking, his chest hurt so bad. His world was falling apart before his very eyes. It felt like the ground was opening up beneath him, his foundation gone. All that he believed, all that he 'knew' was now in question. He gasped and focused again. He saw Frasier touch Jack's face and say something then climb into her car and drive off. Jack waved at her and then went back inside the house, closing the door and turning off the light. Daniel sat with his forehead pressed against the window, his eyes shut tightly, tears streaming down his face.

Carter looked at him and then to Murray. Moisture began gathering in her eyes and she reached for Murray's hand. He squeezed it in return. Both felt the pain and grief being silently endured in the backseat. Murray turned the car on and fastened his seat belt. He turned the radio volume up to cover any gasps or sobs that might escape Daniel, trying to provide some modicum of privacy for the man until they could get him home. Murray put the car in gear and headed for Daniel's apartment.

~~

When they arrived at Daniel's apartment complex, he appeared almost catatonic to Carter. She had to speak to him several times to get him out of the backseat and then physically push at him to get him moving towards the building. Once inside however, he seemed to become aware of himself and his location and as they rode the elevator up, he shakily fumbled in his pockets for his keys.

They stepped out onto his floor and walked Daniel to his apartment. With trembling fingers, Daniel managed to get the right key in the lock after several tries. Carter had to bite her lip to keep from offering to do it for him, he looked so fragile right now.

"Do you wish us to stay with you, Daniel Jackson?" Murray offered.

Daniel looked at the floor at Murray's feet, unable to meet his eyes and the pity he knew he'd find there. He just shook his head 'no'. Carter stepped forward to hug him but he held his hand up to block her. He was holding on by a mere thread. If she touched him now, he felt like he would shatter into a million pieces. He didn't want to hurt her but he was in too much pain. "Please." Was all he could manage to softly croak out.

Carter nodded. She understood. Barely able to keep her own tears in check she spoke gently. "We're here if you need us, Daniel. You just call us and we'll come. You know that, right?"

Daniel nodded, his eyes never leaving the floor. Then his lips began to quiver. He was so close to losing it, he needed to get inside his apartment - now. He opened the door and slipped in, closing it quickly behind him.

Carter and Murray could hear the door lock and they moved back over to the elevators, pushing the down button. Then they heard a muffled, mournful wail and what sounded like a fist beating on the door. Carter quickly moved to head to Daniel's apartment but she was grabbed around the waist by Murray who pulled her back. He quietly shook his head 'no' and held her to him until she ceased to struggle. As the wailing turned to soft sobbing, she let her own tears silently fall at her friend's pain and didn't argue as Murray led her blindly onto the elevator and out of the building.

~~

The next morning, both Murray and Carter anxiously watched the doorway to the squad room, looking for any sign of Daniel. Carter had called his apartment but there had been no answer. She had hoped he had gone into work early but when they arrived and he was not there, she started to get worried.

When Jack walked through the door, he noticed the scowl on Carter's face and saw Murray suddenly stand up and head towards the breakroom. Okay. He'd been here exactly twenty-two seconds and had pissed off his team members already. That had to be a world's record.

"Morning, Carter." Jack said as he finished hanging up his jacket and moved over to his desk. Carter mumbled something in reply, he wasn't exactly sure what. He noticed Daniel wasn't at work yet then started sifting through his in-basket as his PC booted up. Jack looked up to see Carter still watching the doorway, briefly glancing at her watch, then at her phone and then back at the room's entrance.

Okay. Something was definitely up. "Carter? Mind telling me what's going on?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. Was he really pretending not to know?

"Well?" Jack prompted.

"O'Neill."

Jack looked over to see a frowning Murray standing at the breakroom entrance. "A word with you a moment, please."

Jack's eyebrows lifted. What was this all about? He dropped the papers back onto his desk and crossed over to follow Murray into the small room.

"Okay, T. Mind telling me what you and Carter are glaring at me about? You both look like you could slit my throat."

"Your behavior lately has been out of character O'Neill. There have been rumors and speculations. It has been troublesome to say the least." Murray's facial features hardened further. "Particularly your treatment of Daniel Jackson."

Jack frowned. Daniel? Was this because he had asked Daniel to move back to his own place or their recent arguing? That was no one's business but theirs. "Daniel is a big boy. He can take care of himself."

"I do not wish to have my friendship tested O'Neill."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Your odd behavior and lack of forthrightness caused us to follow you over this past week. We observed you and discovered that not all your evenings were spent alone."

"What?!" Jack thundered. "You've been tailing me?"

Murray stiffened and straightened even taller. "I have."

Jack growled. He moved back out into the squad room. "Carter! Get in here!" He came back in, glaring at Murray.

Carter walked in and moved to stand cross-armed next to Murray.

"So, you've been following me?"

"Yes." Murray answered again. "Your behavior and lack of communication warranted it."

"Yes. And we saw you. You and Janet. At your place last night." Carter added defiantly.

"And Daniel?"

"He was there. He saw too."

Jack groaned and ran his hands over his face and through his hair. He was going to have to tell them now. He had to. Hammond would be pissed but there was no way around it any longer.

~~

Jack quietly slipped into Daniel's apartment. Carter said she had tried to call multiple times but there was no answer. He pocketed his key and looked around the living room. The curtains were still pulled shut and no lights were on so it was a little dark except where sunlight tried to peek through. He heard a soft voice speaking and knew Daniel must be on the phone with someone. He stealthily made his way to the bedroom and saw Daniel sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor facing away from the door. Jack edged further in and saw the framed picture of Daniel and Jack together at the lieutenant's last barbeque resting in his lap. Daniel had the phone up to one ear and was leaning his head against a half empty Jack Daniel's whiskey bottle as he spoke into the phone.

"Hey Lou. It's Daniel. How are things going with you? Good, good to hear. Uhm, say, I was wondering do you know if they've permanently filled my teaching position at the academy yet or not? They have? No, that's okay. I was just wondering. Oh? Another position? Active case work, huh? No, it's not the same as what I've been doing here. Yeah, I've seen a lot of stuff here but I don't have to get into their heads like I do for a serial." Daniel paused as Feretti obviously had more to add. "Well, let me think about it some more and get back to you. Yeah, I'm fine. Really. You know me, Lou. Can't seem to stay in one place for very long. Probably goes back to all those years as a kid moving between foster homes so much. Seriously, I'm fine. I'm just looking into my options, that's all. Thanks again, Lou. You take care. Yeah. You too. Bye."

Daniel hung up the phone without even looking at it. He ran his hand lightly over the framed photo, his fingers tracing Jack's face. He took a sip from the whiskey bottle then held it back to his temple again as though the cool glass would help ease the pounding ache in his head. He rocked gently back and forth in quiet turmoil.

Jack watched in silence, his heart breaking at the sight of the pain his lover was in. Pain that he had caused. Pain that was not necessary and had no foundation in truth. Then Daniel unfolded his legs and struggled to get up off the floor to return the phone to the bedside stand. He clutched the photo to his chest as he swayed, unsteady on his feet.

"Daniel...." Jack started.

Daniel staggered back a little, startled by Jack's presence. "How did you get in here? Never mind. Always sneaking up on people. Get out! You have your own place. You made that perfectly clear. Well, this is my place and you are no longer welcome." He teetered as he struggled to remain upright, never releasing the photo or the bottle.

Jack moved towards Daniel but he shrugged Jack's hand off as he attempted to steady him. "Damn sneaky bastard. Sneak into someone's life and into their heart and then crush it because you're finished having fun. Well, I guess you've got her for that now." Daniel stumbled and pushed Jack away as Jack moved to catch him. Daniel fell, seated, onto the bed. "Sneaky bastard. Never should have let you in. Not into my heart. Never my heart." Daniel took another swig of the whiskey. "Nope. Never should have."

Jack knelt on the floor in front of Daniel. "Daniel....."

Red-rimmed, swollen eyes looked at Jack. "You didn't even have the decency to tell me yourself. Let me think I had done something wrong without actually saying I had. Smart and sneaky. That's what you are. Although I got to admit you lie pretty damn well. Better than I ever would have expected. I believed you were decent and honest and caring. I believed it all. Hook, line and sinker. You really reeled me in. Hell, I even defended you. Not much of a profiler anymore am I, huh?" Daniel looked away. "I even believed you loved me. How stupid is that?" Trembling lips took another pull at the whiskey bottle as tears gently, silently fell.

Jack's own eyes began to dampen. "Daniel." Jack said softly. "Daniel, babe, you've misunderstood. You think you know the truth but you're wrong. I have never cheated on you and I do love you with all my heart."

Daniel looked to see tears begin trickling their way down Jack's face. He reached trembling fingers to brush at them as his own tears continued to fall unchecked. "Are these real, Jack? Or are they part of the lie too? I can't tell anymore." He swallowed hard. "Please help me be able to tell."

Jack closed his eyes and grabbed Daniel's hand and held it against his face. "I love you, Danny. I love you so very much. Just hang onto that one truth if nothing else." He opened his eyes and continued, his voice unsteady, his chest aching. "Daniel, I have been working undercover for Hammond and Maybourne. I couldn't tell you and the others, I wasn't allowed to. I had to get you out of the house because I knew it would probably be watched or bugged or both once I went under. I couldn't let them have access to our life together. Hammond insisted I didn't tell. It's what he and I argued about that day in his office. If anyone suspected my change of behavior wasn't real, the whole investigation would have been blown and my life and maybe even others lives would have been in danger. Frasier was involved because we needed her forensic help. I couldn't talk to her on the phone or go to her office so she'd come to my place to get the dope and then the next time she'd come to give it back. We were collecting evidence against the bad guys, Danny. We had to pretend to be a couple for anyone that might be watching but I swear Daniel, I swear nothing happened more than a hug and a kiss. It was only for show, nothing more. Please, you have to believe me."

Daniel's thumb lightly brushed over Jack's cheek removing the tears, only to have others take their place. He brushed his thumb over them again and again more fell. He chuckled to himself softly. It was like a tiny windshield wiper removing raindrops only to have more rain fall. He felt like he was losing his mind. Maybe he was. Or maybe it was just hysteria from having his world ripped apart and then turned around and handed back to him on a silver platter. At least that's what he thought the gist of Jack's words were. His mind seemed kind of cloudy right now. Maybe it was the whiskey. He was just really, really tired all of a sudden. He looked into the sad chocolate brown eyes, so full of emotion and love and pain. Daniel wanted to believe them. Those beautiful eyes. The most beautiful, beautiful eyes that he had ever looked into. He slowly leaned forward to kiss them and as his lips gently touched one wet corner, he heard the sob escape Jack's lips. And then he knew. This was the truth. This was Jack. Open and raw and vulnerable. Jack wasn't hiding anymore. Daniel kissed the closed lids again and tasted the warm, salty tears as he felt Jack tremble beneath him. He sat back and Jack opened his eyes, his love for Daniel shining brightly through a shimmering gaze. Daniel began to card his fingers through Jack's hair as he studied him and Jack leaned into the caresses, closing his eyes at the soft touches.

"You know.....kneeling like that on the floor is bad for your knees." Daniel gently said.

Jack swallowed hard. "Can I...," he started. "Is it okay if....," he looked at the bed next to Daniel.

Daniel smiled softly at the hesitancy and set the photo and whiskey bottle on the floor. He took Jack's hands and pulled at him to help him onto the bed. They stared at each other in silence for a moment then Jack leaned in and brushed his lips lightly over Daniel's.

When Daniel didn't push him away, Jack leaned in again. This time when he pressed his lips against Daniel's, the other man's mouth parted slightly, allowing Jack access. His tongue darted in and found Daniel's and then a hunger seemed to set upon both of them as they began to devour each other in need and want.

They broke apart panting, their foreheads touching. "You know I think I might have had a little too much to drink. I'm feeling really lightheaded." Daniel gasped out. He patted Jack's leg. "And I don't think I can – uh – 'do' much, if you know what I mean." He blushed at having to admit that the alcohol was impairing some of his other 'functions'.

Jack smiled. "It's okay. I'd feel like I was taking advantage." He squeezed Daniel's thigh. "How about we just lie down for a while, take a nap maybe?"

Daniel nodded. He was exhausted. A nap sounded good. Jack kicked off his shoes and then scooted back further onto the bed. He held his arms open for Daniel to lie with him. Daniel moved up next to Jack and draped an arm across Jack's chest as he nestled his head against Jack's shoulder. Jack pulled Daniel into him even tighter. Then Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Carter's number.

"Carter. Yeah. Look, I need you to tell Hammond that Daniel is sick and that he called in first thing this morning but I forgot to relay the message. Also, tell Hammond I'm taking some lost time and will check in with him later. Yeah. Thanks, Carter. To you and Murray both." He snapped the cell phone closed and set it aside. Then he kissed the top of Daniel's head and felt him squeeze back.

"What about the case, Jack? Won't Hammond be pissed? You probably shouldn't stay."

"The case can wait. You are more important to me than anything else." His voice became choked as he continued. "I tapped into a part of myself that made me lose sight of that. I really screwed up, Danny and I'm sorry for that." He gently ran his hand up and down Daniel's back.

"We both screwed up, Jack. We can continue to beat ourselves up about it - and each other - or we can just try to move beyond it. I love you, Jack. I never stopped loving you."

Jack hugged him tighter. "I love you too, Danny." He sighed and closed his eyes. He was tired too. All the pretending, all the walking on eggshells, always having to be wary and watch his back - it had all begun to wear him down. He was glad his team knew now. He was especially glad Daniel knew. He wasn't sure how they'd get past all the hurt and anger they had aimed at each other over this past week but he knew they would. They had to.

~~

"I had to tell them, sir. My own people were following me. They could have inadvertently blown the operation at any time."

A cross-armed Hammond frowned at Jack. "How do you know they haven't already?"

"Because Grieves has the next contact still scheduled."

"I see. Has he given you the name of the man in my squad yet?"

"No. I find that out tonight. I tried figuring it out on my own by checking the roster for the evidence room but a lot of goods have been logged in within the last week. I also tried to discreetly check what raids were being scheduled and who might have volunteered to help that would not normally be part of the teams." He shrugged. "I got nothin'."

Jack looked at his lieutenant and tried not to fidget under Hammond's glare as he waited for the man to dismiss him.

"Very well. You need to stay alert here, Jack. The stakes are getting higher and higher the more they reveal to you. I know you are aware of the danger but you need to make sure your people stay out of the way. You've already risked yourself enough and put too much work put into this operation to blow it now." Hammond waved him off. "Now get out of my office and let me pretend you're not trying to drive me to an early grave."

Jack smiled and nodded then made his way out of the office to find his crew.

~~

Jack took Carter and Murray to a late lunch at O'Malley's. He had left Daniel sleeping at his apartment to go back to work and explain to Hammond what he had revealed to his people and why. They ate their steak lunches and talked in more detail than they had in the breakroom about what Jack had been working on for the past week. Murray and Carter confessed what the remaining trio had been up to as well.

Jack leaned back in his chair, lifting the front legs off the floor as he rocked it, a toothpick stuck in his mouth. He set his beer down and looked over to Murray who was eating the largest bowl of ice-cream Jack had ever seen.

"So. Murray."

Murray looked up from his dessert. He hoped O'Neill wasn't going to ask to share.

"Were you really going to punch my lights out about Daniel?"

Murray paused. "Indeed I might have. I did consider it a possibility."

Jack's eyebrows rose. He hadn't really expected that answer.

"And you, Carter?"

She blushed. "Uhm, well. I did think something might be in order."

"Such as?"

She pursed her lips and looked towards the ceiling. "Oh, maybe a slashed tire or two." She bit her lip then winced under his glare. "Or all four."

Jack dropped the chair back to the floor with a thud. He looked at the two of them incredulously. "You two really would have done that?"

Murray stopped the spoon mid-air to his lips. "Indeed I would have." Then he drew the creamy delight into his mouth with a look of contentment.

Carter snickered then straightened in her seat. "Well, you have to realize from our point of view you were being - well – a real bastard."

Jack snatched up his beer. "Oh yeah? Well...." He paused. "Well, you're right. But it was all circumstantial evidence you had against me, you know."

Carter cleared her throat. "Uh, not the Janet thing. We witnessed that."

Jack winced. "Yeah, that's right. You do understand that was part of the show, right?"

She smiled. "Yes, we do now. But it was one pretty convincing kiss, particularly considering you were half-dressed at the time." Then her face saddened. "But innocent or not, it had some pretty devastating effects." She met Jack's eyes. "He deserved better."

"You're right, Carter. He did. And does. Although, in my own defense, I wasn't expecting the people to be spying on me to be my own crew." Jack half-teased.

"Touche'." Carter replied.

"So Murray was going to punch me out and you were going to slash my tires. What were you going to do to Janet?"

Carter rolled her eyes. "You make it sound so petty."

"Carter?"

She drummed her fingers against the table, hesitating to answer. "We considered advertising her home phone as a hot sex line."

Jack's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you'd do that. Janet's our friend. Your friend in particular."

She frowned. "I said we considered it. We didn't actually do it!"

"You know, I find it slightly disturbing that as law enforcement officers, you seem so willing to break the law."

"Hmmm. Okay, Pot? Kettle here. Think you need to reconsider that one."

"Good one, Carter."

"Indeed." Murray mumbled around a mouthful of ice-cream.

Jack eyed the bowl. "You about done with that, big guy?"

"Soon, O'Neill." He scooped some more of the cold treat into his mouth.

Jack picked up his spoon. "Well, maybe I'll just have a little taste then."

Murray quickly blocked Jack's spoon with his own, the two tiny sabers clashing. "Perhaps you would enjoy your own bowl better." Murray advised Jack.

"I just want a taste, Murray."

"You do not. You wish to commandeer the remaining amount for yourself." Murray narrowed his eyes. "I have seen you do so with Daniel Jackson's ice-cream before."

Carter pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. This is the way it should be with the friends. Joking and teasing and enjoying each other. Not the horrendous doubt and anguish they had experienced over the past week. She wished Daniel was there with them but she knew he had been emotionally and physically wiped out by the roller-coaster ride of events. When this was all over, when things settled back into some kind of semblance of normalcy, they would all have to go out together and reconnect again, putting this week and the strain of it behind them.

~~

Jack dropped back by Daniel's place on the way home from work. It seemed like it took a long time for him to answer the door and Jack was becoming concerned. Then he heard the deadbolt turn and the door opened. A tired-looking Daniel stood there a moment then stepped aside and opened the door further to let Jack in.

Jack entered the apartment and waited until Daniel had closed the door before he approached him for a hug. They held each other in a quiet embrace.

"Are we good, Daniel?"

"Yeah," came the soft reply.

Jack frowned and pulled back so he could see Daniel's face. "You sure?"

Daniel slipped out of Jack's arms and moved over to the couch. He flopped down onto it, running his hands over his face and through his hair. "Yes, Jack, I'm sure. I'm just wiped out right now. Not a lot of energy to give here at the moment."

Jack nodded. He understood. He was fast running down himself and he had known everything that was going on. He sat down on the couch by Daniel but didn't push. After a few moments, Daniel held out his hand to Jack and he took it and squeezed it gently.

Slowly, Jack began to detail for Daniel all the events that had taken place over the past week, his role in the operation, and his reluctance to exclude his team. Especially, Daniel. He felt Daniel squeeze his hand in return, communicating his support for the difficult duty Jack had faced alone. Jack lifted the hand and kissed it. He sensed that Daniel was still hurting – after all a person couldn't just shut their emotions off and on – but he also saw forgiveness there and at the moment, Jack would take what he could get if that meant that Daniel was still there.

"I'm not going to be able to stay. I have to meet with Grieves in a couple of hours. I'm supposed to meet the other man in Hammond's squad tonight."

Daniel nodded. "Be careful, Jack. You're really in deep here. You have no backup and you don't know who all the players are."

"I know, Danny."

Jack leaned in and gave Daniel a kiss. "I may not be able to talk to you later because I think they have my phone tapped. I'd use the cell but they could also have visual and radio surveillance on me once I leave the meeting since the timing is so close to everything happening."

Daniel chewed at his lower lip. "You could always call here and let it ring once then hang up. I have caller id. I'll be able to see that it's you and then I'll know you're okay."

Jack smiled. "Okay." He gave Daniel another quick kiss and then reluctantly left. He had enough time to go home first before he headed out for the meeting. He hoped this was the last time he had to play this little charade with Grieves.

~~

Jack waited at the bar. He was glad this operation was coming to a close. In his younger years bars were okay but now he found he'd rather be at home with a beer in front of the television watching a hockey game or listening to Daniel fuss about incorrect 'facts' in some of the documentaries they watched. An occasional night out was one thing but to hit the bar scene on a regular basis was not anything he was interested in any longer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone slip onto the barstool next to him. He turned to see if it was Grieves but his eyes widened in surprise at the figure he found instead. "Makepeace?" Jack looked around him to see if his contact was anywhere nearby.

Makepeace nodded. "Jack."

"You just dropping by for a drink?"

"Isn't that what bars are usually for?" Makepeace signaled the bartender and placed his order.

"That and to meet people." Jack watched the man warily. Was he here innocently or was this the contact in Hammond's squad?

"True. You meeting someone here tonight, Jack?"

"Maybe." Jack eyed the other man as his drink was set before him.

Makepeace took a sip of the drink and then looked back to Jack. He shrugged. "Maybe I am too." He swiveled the barstool around and faced the crowd. He pointed to a woman among a group of others. "Now, she's someone I'd like to meet."

Jack glanced at the woman and then studied the man again, still undecided about the significance of his presence. He sipped on his beer in thought.

"Of course, I don't suppose she'd interest you. What with that pretty little thing you got at home keeping your bed warm."

Jack almost choked on his beer.

"I mean, who knew you and Janet Frasier had a thing going on?"

Jack breathed an internal sigh of relief. For a moment he thought Makepeace was talking about Daniel. But for him to bring up Frasier, it meant that he definitely had been watched by someone other than his own team this past week. Maybe even Makepeace himself. So now he had his answer. The man was here with a mission. Definitely not an innocent bystander.

"My private life is just that. Private." He looked at his watch. "Aren't you supposed to be working the night-shift?"

"Who says I'm not?"

Jack snorted and shook his head. "So, is Grieves coming?"

"Nope. You passed all his little tests. If you hadn't, I wouldn't be here."

Jack discreetly looked around the room. He was pretty sure Makepeace had someone monitoring them. "So, what's next?"

Makepeace stood up from the bar and gestured for Jack to move towards a small table in the corner. As they sat down, Jack noticed a man across the room relocate himself as well and casually glance their way before turning his attention to the television. Jack smiled. Gotcha.

Makepeace set his beer down. "You know Jack, I'm really kind of surprised that you've joined this little operation. I mean, I know you see the same things that we do and maybe even feel the same but I never would have expected you to act on it. Just goes to show you can never really know another person."

"I could say the same thing about you. Guess we both have a little darker side than we like anyone to know about."

"Oh, I wouldn't necessarily label it as 'dark', Jack. More like 'untapped'. We do what we have to do when called upon. There's nothing wrong with that."

Jack leaned forward. "Okay, so how about we drop the drama theater and get down to business. You've got something to tell me? Tell it."

Makepeace grinned. "I like that about you, Jack. Straight to the point, no frills."

Jack leaned back in his chair but didn't reply.

Makepeace smiled. "To the point it is then." He sipped his drink. "Tomorrow there's going to be simultaneous raids going down on two buildings believed to be connected to a gang called the Jaffa Warriors. Vice has been sitting on them for awhile now. One is believed to be a factory, a lab where they're cutting and cooking the dope. The other is supposed to be a sort of clearing house, lot of retail going on down there. Grieves will be there as part of the anti-crime/gang unit. Tobias and Kershaw as part of vice. Volunteers, like you and me, will be assigned by Grieves."

"And then what? We just waltz in and take what we want?"

Makepeace shook his head. "There are too many players that aren't part of our script to be able to do that. I don't know yet which site we will be sent to and I imagine we'll probably be split up when we all gather tomorrow. It doesn't really matter, nothing actually happens until we get back to the precinct anyway. Just make sure you're partnered up with either Tobias or Kershaw. They'll lead you through the steps."

Jack studied him. "How are we supposed to get clearance from Hammond to 'volunteer' for these raids? Particularly when you work nights and I work days and it's tomorrow? Kind of left it late, haven't you?"

Makepeace shrugged. "Grieves is taking care of that even as we speak. He's contacting Hammond to get his permission to seek volunteers from the night crew this evening and then he will come around personally tomorrow to ask the day shift. Grieves gets to select who goes and who stays so we don't have to worry about unnecessary baggage, so to speak."

"So just what time are these raids taking place?"

"Around three in the afternoon. It's late enough in the day that we catch them with a lot of junk and dough but early enough we can do what we need to and get out before the sun sets. I don't know if you've been on any, but night raids are not fun. And you really don't want to get caught in gang territory at night. It's too unpredictable."

"And this is all you've got for me?" Jack frowned. "You guys really play it close to the vest don't you?"

Makepeace smiled wryly. "It's how it's all able to work so well. A need to know basis only scenario. Keeps everybody separated into distinct pockets." He shrugged. "Just think of it as a body, Jack. Only the head needs to be aware of the other parts. Limbs can be lost and the body survives. Only the head is not expendable. Without it, the body dies."

Jack took a swig of beer. "And do you happen to know who the 'head' is, Makepeace?"

Makepeace shook his head. "I'm only an arm, Jack. All I need to know is what my function is. For now, it's gathering goods." He eyed Jack over his drink. "But I can tell you that there are outside interests involved here."

"As in politically motivated interests?"

"Very likely." Makepeace downed the last of his drink then looked at his watch. "I've got to get back to the precinct." He looked at Jack. "Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

Jack nodded and watched as Makepeace left the table and eased his way through the crowd and out the door. He saw the man who had been covertly watching them, quickly pay his bar tab and follow behind Makepeace. Jack's eyebrows rose in surprise at that. If anything, he had expected the man to follow him to make sure the 'new player' did not contact anyone or reveal anything of the plan for tomorrow. Not that he could reveal much but shadowy details at best, still it's what he would have done. Jack pursed his lips in thought. Okay, so Makepeace had a tail following him. That was interesting. Could be Maybourne or Grieves or anybody for that matter. There was a good chance that he had a spy waiting for him to leave as well. He'd have to be doubly aware when he left to see if anyone paid attention to his departure.

Jack blew out a breath. He was getting too old for this. When you're young, it's an adventure. You can always tell the good guys from the bad guys because you are naïve enough to believe you can. But as you got older you saw the lines were not so finely established. That right and wrong were not always 'black and white'. That 'grays' had a disturbing habit of appearing and blurring those lines. And things you thought you'd never be capable of, were now considered as possible options.

Jack shook his head. If you got to the point where you could no longer see the lines of separation at all - what did you become then? Was that going to be his fate one day? He shuddered. He tossed back the last of his beer then stood up and glanced around casually before making his way to the door. He was pretty sure he was going to have company following him home.

~~

The next day, Grieves appeared in the squad room going through a great pretense of seeking and selecting volunteers for the raids happening that afternoon, offering seldom-given overtime pay to those who helped. Of course he had to pick some legitimate people as well as the operatives. So it was no great surprise that Grieves selected members of Jack's own team to join them.

Jack had argued with his crew early that morning, not wanting them to volunteer. But they had argued back.

"Would it not look more suspicious, O'Neill if we did not do so? It is most likely each of us would have offered to help before we knew of any of these activities. If we choose not to do so now, it will appear that we know something that we should not."

"He's right, Jack. And us 'knowing' something would imply that you told us. Then the game is over." Daniel pinned him with a look. "And you've already put too much into this to let that happen now."

Carter piped in. "And who's to say he will pick any of us anyway? We don't know what will happen if we volunteer but we're pretty sure what will happen if we don't."

All three nodded and Jack looked at each one, seeing the determination on their faces. So reluctantly he agreed. Now as he watched Grieves point to Murray and Daniel, Jack felt his stomach knot. To put himself in danger was one thing. To have his friends, especially his lover, in harm's way was something else entirely. He really, really hated the direction this was taking.

~~

When they gathered for instructions, Jack recognized several other officers there that he worked with. Riley, Reynolds and Makepeace. He didn't know if all three were bad or just Makepeace. He looked next to him to see Daniel and Murray slipping into their Kevlar vests and strapping on gun holsters. He saw Tobias and Kershaw across the room. Grieves was separating the people into two groups. He sent Riley, Kershaw, Murray and Jack to a group already gathered in the far corner and Tobias, Makepeace, Reynolds, and Daniel to the second group.

Jack didn't like that Daniel was separated from him and Murray but he could make no objections without raising suspicion. He had to keep reminding himself that Daniel was not someone that needed protection and rescue. He had made his way in a harsh world long before he ever knew Jack. Still, Jack couldn't help but feel anxious for the danger Daniel could find himself in among people Jack wasn't really sure they could trust. It would be so easy for someone to hesitate in providing backup or to ignore a request for help. It would look like the 'bad guys' just got lucky, not that the 'good guys' had willingly sacrificed one of their own.

Jack half-listened to the speaker of his group providing instructions as he scanned the members of the crowd, looking for any obvious 'tells' to help him identify other operatives. He looked to Murray but couldn't read the enigmatic expression he saw there. Then he looked across the room back at Daniel and saw him glance up briefly and lock eyes with Jack before turning back to pay attention to the speaker in his own group. Jack smiled to himself. He recognized the look. Apparently, Daniel was just as anxious about Jack's welfare as Jack was his.

Watches were synchronized within and between the groups. Additional weapons and ammunition were issued. Neck chains were distributed to allow badges to be visibly displayed. Light-weight jackets with 'police' boldly emblazoned on them were also passed out. Instructional highlights were tossed out one last time and then the order to load up into the four vans and move out was given.

~~

Jack's group was headed in two vans to the building acting as the factory for the gang's drug activity. They knew they would have to move in fast and furious to prevent word from spreading of their arrival and the evidence literally going up in smoke in a fire set by the criminals.
The coordination between the two raids was phenomenal as each had to occur nearly simultaneously to prevent contact between the two bases of operations. Jack shook his head. He didn't know if any of the bad cops had been involved in the efforts or if they just happened to be taking advantage of them but Jack had to appreciate the skills that had gone into organizing and planning the raids. It took almost a military mindset and precision to be able to coordinate something so massive and have it reach a successful conclusion. Of course, they hadn't gotten that far yet. Still, Jack was impressed.

Daniel looked at his companions in the van heading to the clearing house. He tried to evaluate who he could rely on and who he had to be aware of. He knew both Tobias and Makepeace were crooked based on what Jack had told them but he didn't know anything about Reynolds other than they had worked together once before on The Ripper case. The other officers in this vehicle and those in the van that followed them, he didn't know at all. He looked up to see Grieves watching him and he shifted uncomfortably. Did Grieves know something? Daniel checked the clip in his gun once again. It was better to be safe than sorry.

~~

The two teams hit their targets simultaneously as planned. Jack's group divided its members, some staying outside to cover the exits and to provide a second wave if necessary while most of the group stood ready to enter, using battering rams to break into the stronghold, announcing their presence as they flooded into the building.

Daniel's group surrounded the second building. A handful of members were chosen to gain access to the entrance as the others waited, ready to go. One of the drug buyers exited as the cops approached and the officers shoved him back inside, pushing their way into the dealer's domain. Daniel and the others rushed in behind them, yelling their identities for all to hear.

Gunfire was exchanged at both sites, havoc and chaos spilling forth as criminals and cops alike were each determined to win the day.

~~

Jack saw Riley take a hit trying to cover for one of the other officers. Jack moved to help him but it was already too late. A bullet had entered the opening of the vest's armhole and then unfortunately the vest had done its job too well. It had blocked the bullet from passing through, causing it to ricochet within, shredding Riley apart from the inside. Jack shook his head in disbelief. He turned and called to Murray who was taking on gunfire. Jack spied the gang member who had Murray pinned. He aimed and shot twice, the bullets knocking the gunman off his feet when he was hit. Tiny puffs of white powder shot into the air as bags of cocaine were hit with stray bullets. Beakers and tubes shattered everywhere and when Jack saw the lit Bunsen burners, he scrambled to grab Murray to escape the blast he knew was coming.

~~

Daniel followed behind Makepeace assuming that it was better to deal with the devil you knew than the one that you didn't. He figured the man didn't have a death wish so if he stuck close, he had a good chance of surviving as well. That is, unless Makepeace decided to get rid of him. Gunfire rang out and angry curses and screams filled the air. Daniel felt a sharp sting across his ear and quickly reached up to touch it. He drew bloodied fingertips back. Damn. He had been creased and hadn't even seen or heard it coming. Hell, forget Makepeace. Daniel scrambled over to a stack of crates. He found the best position he could and began returning fire.

~~

The blast blew out a number of windows in the building and a fire immediately broke out within the factory's lab. Jack slowly sat up amid the debris, shaking white powder out of his hair. He looked around and saw Murray lying nearby. He reached over to check him and saw he had cuts and scrapes from the blast just like Jack had but was otherwise okay. Jack carefully pushed to his feet and then helped Murray to get up. Jack shook his head to try to get his hearing back. It sounded like he had cotton in his ears and he pulled on them as he saw Murray trying to speak to him and pointing behind him. Jack turned around. Kershaw was sitting on the floor, leaning against one of the walls, blood pouring from her leg where an artery had been severed. Jack stumbled in her direction and dropped next to her, trying to stem the flow of blood, the wound too high to use a belt to help cut the circulation. She looked at Jack, knowing the gravity of her own situation and slowly shook her head. She may have crossed the line but she had been a good cop once, damn it. Jack stayed with her trying in vain to help until paramedics could arrive.

The cops that had been stationed outside now came flooding in, aiding their fellow officers, arresting the stunned gang members, calling in for backup and fire/emergency rescue services. And Jack watched helplessly as Kershaw took her last breath.

~~

Daniel eased out of his position and moved in to arrest the man with raised hands kneeling before him. The dealers and buyers were losing the battle and gradually being gathered up and removed from the building. A few of the officers were injured but nothing like Daniel had expected.

They ran out of the plastic flexi-cuffs and some of the crooks had been bound by whatever was handy. Daniel frowned as he looked at some of the prisoners. Something looked oddly familiar about them. He cocked his head to one side and studied them.

Slowly his eyes widened as it dawned on him that it wasn't the people themselves but rather the way in which they were tied that he recognized. Hog-tied. Like the two people in the house executed along with the dog. Daniel stiffened. Of course. The people who had ransacked the house and killed the man and woman were cops. They had stopped searching when someone gave them the heads up that fellow officers were on the way to the scene after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor. But which cops? Grieves? Makepeace? Tobias? Or someone else entirely?

Daniel nervously licked at dry lips as he tried to discreetly scan the area looking for the location of the three. He saw Makepeace loading prisoners into a van with Reynolds' help. Tobias was removing bags of money from the building and carrying them out to waiting transport. He didn't see Grieves anywhere. Daniel stepped away, trying to lose himself in the background. He needed to let the others know. He turned and came face to face with Grieves. Daniel held his breath, trying not to give away his knowledge by acting oddly.

"Good job, Jackson." Grieves said as he locked eyes with Daniel. He gestured behind him. "I need some help over here if you're free."

Daniel blinked several times, trying to size up his next move. He nodded hesitantly and Grieves smiled. Daniel felt his stomach lurch at the sight. This was so not good.

~~

Jack flinched as the paramedic flashed the penlight in his eyes.

"Hold still, Detective. You could have a concussion here." The emergency technician then moved to look into Jack's ears. "Is your hearing returning to you?"

Jack nodded. "Yes, it's getting better. Can I go now?"

"In a minute." The man finished wiping some alcohol pads over scrapes and cuts. "Give me your hands and squeeze as hard as you can."

Jack rolled his eyes but grabbed the man's hands and squeezed. "Okay. Very good grip you have there." The paramedic shook his hands to get some feeling back into them. Jack smirked at the sight. "Okay, how about standing up for me and walking a little bit?"

Jack grumbled but did as he was asked. The paramedic nodded. "All right you can go. I'd prefer that you let us transport you but I can't force you to go. But I'm highly suggesting that you go see your own doctor as a follow up to be on the safe side."

Jack thanked him for his treatment and concern and saw Murray approaching with a bandage on his arm.

"You okay?" Jack asked, pointing to the injury.

"I am fine, O'Neill. And you?"

"I'm getting there." Jack looked around him and blew out his breath. "What an afternoon, huh, T?"

"Indeed." Murray replied tiredly.

Jack ran a hand over his face. "I've got to find out what's going down at the other location. If it's anything like here....."

"I know. Daniel Jackson could be in trouble."

~~

Daniel followed Grieves back into the building. He tried to keep some distance between them, unsure of the man's intent.

They approached two large crates and Grieves reached over to pick up a crow bar. Daniel's hand slid to the gun in his holster but he didn't leave it there when he saw Grieves begin to pry up one end of the crate with the tool. Daniel looked around and found another crow bar and began to help.

They lifted the lid off the crate and found weapons inside. Automatics and semi-automatics along with high-powered, full metal-jacket bullets. Daniel swallowed hard. He hoped this wasn't the fire power Jack and Murray were facing at the other site. He watched Grieves lift one of the weapons out of the crate and turn it over in his hands, studying it.

"Do you know what one of these things can do, Detective? It can tear a body in half at the blink of an eye. Why do you suppose anyone other than a military unit would have need of something like that?"

Daniel watched the man warily as he caressed the gun and then reached in to pick up a loaded cartridge. He slammed the cartridge in place, weighing the weapon in his hand again.

Daniel's mouth went dry. "Do you think that's such a good idea?" He managed to croak out.

Grieves smiled. "The safety is on. I wouldn't want to have an accident." He pointed the gun in Daniel's direction.

Daniel stiffened. "That's not funny, Grieves."

The man shrugged. "None of it's funny, Detective Jackson." He stepped forward and Daniel stepped back. Grieves eyebrows rose in surprise. "Do you really think I'd shoot you here in front of all the others?"

"You could always say it was an accident."

Grieves nodded. "True. But one cop shooting another. Hmmmm. Not really good for the ole' image. And I really don't relish Jack O'Neill coming after me for dispatching one of his 'kids' as he is so fond of calling your little team." He looked around. "But if you were killed in the line of duty by one of the gang members - who managed to escape by the way - well, let's just say you would become a hero and I would have a problem eliminated all at the same time."

Grieves motioned for Daniel to move deeper into the building but Daniel had no intention of moving from the spot and making it any easier for Grieves to kill him.

"Jack will know it was you."

"Perhaps. But can he prove it?" Grieves shook his head. "I have no motive that he is aware of."

"You underestimate him. He'll figure it out. And then you'll come for you."

"Pretty sure of that, are you?"

"Yes."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see." He raised the weapon again but before he could aim it at Daniel, rapid gun shots rang out and Daniel saw Grieves knocked off his feet, bullets impacting him in the chest where his vest protected him. Grieves lay stunned, moaning.

Daniel looked behind him to see Reynolds approaching cautiously, his gun still aimed at Grieves. "You okay?"

Daniel nodded. "How...," he started. "Why..."

Reynolds kicked the rifle out of Grieves reach. "I saw you two head back in. Thought I'd come help. Then I realized something was wrong. Grieves was wrong." Reynolds shook his head. "I never got good vibes from the man but this.....this was not something even I had expected."

"Watch out for Makepeace and Tobias too." Daniel warned quickly.

"They're part of this?" Reynolds gestured towards the figure on the floor.

"Yes, but we can't let them know yet that we are on to them. I have to find out what is going on at the other raid. They have at least one operative there as well."

"What the hell is going on, Detective?"

Daniel shook his head sadly. "Delusion. In the guise of honor and sacrifice."

~~

Jack and Murray arrived on the second site to see Daniel and Reynolds dragging out an unconscious Grieves from the building. A paramedic stepped in and took Daniel's place.

Daniel turned to see his two friends fast approaching him. "Jack! Teal'c!" He looked at their wounds and frowned. "Are you okay?"

They came to a stop before him. "We are well, Daniel Jackson."

Jack ran his eyes over him, looking for injuries before reaching over and grabbing his chin to turn his head, surveying the bleeding ear.

"Ow! Jack, it wasn't hurting until you did that."

"Whiner." Jack grinned. He was happy to see no other obvious injuries. He'd save checking for the unobvious ones later.

Jack looked over to the stretcher where Grieves was being evaluated. "What happened there?"

Daniel quickly explained, watching Jack's face darken as he spoke. He placed a hand on Jack's arm. "Jack, it's done and over with. Grieves will be arrested at the hospital. Reynolds will stay with him to make sure he doesn't go anywhere and no one sees him either. We can take Tobias and Makepeace into custody back at the precinct. It's done, Jack. Let's go."

Jack nodded and allowed himself to be steered away. He glanced back over his shoulder. Grieves was lucky. If Jack had been escorting him to the hospital, he might not have made it.

~~

When they reached the precinct, Carter was there to fill them in. Grieves had been placed under arrest at the hospital. Maybourne had taken Newman into custody. Kershaw was obviously out of the picture having died on site at the raid. Riley had not been involved at all. He had been an innocent. A good cop lost in the performance of his job. And for now, they weren't going to be able to trace the operation any higher to find the mastermind behind it all. Grieves was the highest member of this particular operation and he refused to cooperate or forfeit any knowledge he might have of others' involvement. So there only remained Tobias and Makepeace to account for at this time. The two had been allowed to return to the precinct, carrying on their roles, unaware that everything had fallen apart.

When they exited the evidence room, Hammond and Mayborne stepped in front of their paths. Murray and Carter blocked their exits and Daniel handed Jack the flexi-cuffs for him to bind their hands with.

Jack informed them of the charges of their arrest and then recited their Miranda rights to them as he placed the cuffs on their wrists.

Makepeace squirmed and balked. "This is wrong Jack. You saw today what we face out there. It's just going to get worse. We take 'em down and they pop right back up in our faces. Laws meant to put them away and protect victims are being perverted and used to serve the criminal element instead. Good officers are dying every day and here you sit in your lily-white castle in the sky pretending that it's not as bad as it is and arresting those of us that are trying to make a true difference. We're losing on the front lines Jack. You can only hide your head in the sand for so long before you too come to understand."

"What I understand Makepeace, is when you blur that line between you and them to the point where people can't tell you apart, then they have already won. You lost yourself, became like them. And the sad thing is you don't see it at all."

Hammond motioned for them to be taken away.

Maybourne stepped up to Jack. "We may not always see eye to eye, Jack, and whether you trust me or believe in what I do doesn't really matter. But I just wanted to say, you did a good job. It was the right thing to do."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Gee, Harry. I wish I could say that meant something.....coming from you and all." Jack blew out a breath and shrugged. "But it doesn't."

"Maybourne laughed. "Don't worry. No hard feelings here. I know you love having me around."

"There's no fooling you, Harry."

Maybourne laughed again and said his goodbyes to all before leaving. Hammond stepped up to his top-notch team and looked at the tired, ragged-looking troupe. "You people looking for a day or two off now, I suppose?"

Jack grinned. "Wouldn't be opposed to it myself sir."

The sentiment was echoed by the other three.

Hammond tried to cover the smile with a stern look. "Very well. I'll get someone to cover for you for two days. Put in your time-off requests before you leave the station."

They all thanked him and as he turned to leave, he softened his gaze. "You did good work people. Especially you, Jack. I know this hasn't been easy. I want you to know that I personally appreciate what you have done for this department."

"Coming from you.....now THAT means something, sir." Jack smiled.

Hammond chuckled and waved them off. "Now, get out of here before I change my mind."

~~

Jack pulled back from kissing Daniel and studied him. The water from the shower was running over the both of them. Daniel opened his eyes and brushed away at the water on his face.

"What?"

Jack smiled. "I was just lookin'."

Daniel kissed Jack's neck. "Why?"

"To see what injuries you might be hiding and didn't tell me about."

"I got clipped on the ear, Jack, that's all. Now you on the other hand," Daniel kissed a cut on Jack's cheek, "have a lot more wounds to tend to."

Jack smiled. "You offering to play doctor?"

"Hmmm. Maybe. It would of course have to include a FULL examination of my patient."

"It would, huh?" Jack washed the soap off the both of them as his hands lightly caressed his partner.

"I think so. And of course, I'd have to kiss each injury to make it all better. Every cut, every scrape, every bruise." He ran his tongue over Jack's ear and whispered breathily, "Every aching, fevered, swollen inch of flesh."

Jack's cock sprung to life at the whispers and his knees weakened.

"I think I might be clean enough. Wouldn't you prefer to carry on your exam in the bedroom, doctor?"

Daniel laughed huskily into the crook of Jack's neck before lifting his head. Then he kissed the cut across Jack's eyebrow.

"It hurts here too." Jack pointed to his chin.

Daniel pressed his lips, trying not to laugh. He moved and kissed the scrape on Jack's chin.

"And here." Jack pointed to the corner of his mouth which was promptly kissed.

"And here?" Daniel asked, gently grabbing Jack's throbbing erection.

"Oh yeah. That's aching a LOT."

Daniel did laugh this time. "I think it's definitely time to move this to a place I can continue my examinations more closely."

Jack grinned. "Sweet!"

Jack pulled Daniel to him. They were going to be okay. They both knew it. They would put this past week behind them and they'd reconnect, stronger even than before. They quickly dried off and headed to the bedroom, Jack leading the way with Daniel following closely behind, taking in the lovely backside of his partner.

"Did I mention Jack, what I'll use to take your temperature with?"

A groan came floating back to him and Daniel grinned, picking up the pace behind his lover.

Next: Where There's Smoke