On The Planet Of The Beholder

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/beholder.php
Summary: A case of mistaken identity leads to a dangerous situation

"Good morning, campers." Jack pasted a big smile on his face as he entered the locker room. The rest of SG-1 were already there getting changed.

"You're cheerful this morning, sir," Sam commented as she put her jacket on.

"I'm allowed to be cheerful," he reminded her. "Besides, it's a beautiful day outside, my team won the play-offs last night, and we're going to a planet with lots of trees." If truth be told, he was actually cheerful because he'd had a revelation last night... well, not really a revelation but he had come to a decision. He had decided not to ignore his feelings any longer. And because of that decision, a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders and his heart.

"Jack, you hate trees," Daniel pointed out, pausing in the middle of tying his bootlaces. Something was different about Jack today but Daniel wasn't sure what it was. Daniel knew Jack had been having some problems but he hadn't confided so Daniel hadn't pushed. Things weren't quite the same between them anyway since the Tollan had been wiped out. They had got over the 'no foundation' thing ages ago, so that wasn't it. But Daniel didn't have a clue why Jack had withdrawn from him.

"Not today." Jack gave in to an impulse and patted Daniel on the head as he went past to his locker.

Daniel stared after him for a few seconds and then went back to tying his bootlaces. That was the first time Jack had touched him in months - voluntarily, that was. Although it was nice that Jack was reaching out to him again, he could do without the patting. What was he, a dog?

Putting aside the colonel's behaviour, Sam got down to business. "The UAV showed a town about five clicks from the gate."

"Sweet. A nice stroll through the forest," Jack stated as he got changed.

"With a castle at the end of it." Daniel had seen the preliminary report. "That denotes a possible English ancestry."

"And there are strong traces of naqadah present in the soil," Sam added.

"So, something for everyone then." Jack had read the same report as the others but he had a reputation to maintain. Just like the one he had tried to maintain all these years when it came to feeling something extra for one of his colleagues; if he was going to fall for someone, he would go for the one people would expect. Well, not anymore. No-one else would know but he would. And so would the one he had fallen for.

~~~

Upon exiting the wormhole, Jack adjusted his sunglasses and looked around. So far, P2A-707 seemed just like many other worlds SG-1 had visited over the years. A few trees, some open grassland, and a path leading to the nearest village or town. Nothing so far to indicate what kind of mission it was going to be.

Daniel checked the DHD while the others investigated the perimeter. He was excited about the castle and was looking forward to talking with the locals; it would be very interesting to see how the English language had developed on this planet. He suddenly became aware of a presence behind him and he turned to see Jack standing nearby - so close, in fact, that they were almost touching. "Jack?" As in, what are you doing?

So blue, Jack thought as he looked into Daniel's eyes. Then he mentally shook his head. Focus - he needed to focus on the mission. He patted Daniel's shoulder. "Ready to move out?"

"Ye-es." Daniel was suspicious; what was Jack playing at?

"Good." Jack motioned for Daniel to precede him then fell into step behind him. And speaking of behinds... "Teal'c, take point!" he called out to the Jaffa, trying to drag his mind away from the gutter. Then he made sure he kept his eyes on the scenery and not on the civilian in front of him. Just because the planet looked peaceful, it didn't mean it was.

The fifty minutes it took to reach the village surrounding the castle was filled with wide-ranging conversations. Jack didn't contribute much, preferring to listen to Daniel talk. It had been rather galling to admit to himself that he had fallen in love with a genius that loved to talk; even more galling to admit he had been denying this fact for years. He had foolishly flirted with the idea of 'liking' Carter for a year until he had come to his senses. But he had fought hard not to acknowledge what he felt for Daniel, and had started to consciously push the young man away, furiously in denial. Until yesterday, that is. Jack had turned down a meal at Daniel's place, and the hurt yet resigned look had hit him right between the eyes. That had forced him to look at why he was hurting Daniel. And now he was going to remedy all the hurt he had inflicted in the past year or so.

The inhabitants of the village watched the group carefully, not scared but not welcoming either. Daniel observed them and commented, "They appear to be from the same era as those on Simon's planet."

"Great," Jack muttered. "Another one of Sokar's planets."

"Except he's dead now," Sam stated, watching the locals carefully.

"But that might not change their beliefs," Daniel said.

"They have not hidden from us." Teal'c believed that to be a good sign.

Sam nodded. "So, no demons coming through the gate. That's good."

"But these people haven't advanced," Daniel pointed out. "That means there is probably still a strong Goa'uld influence somehow." But he wasn't sure if the Goa'uld would be on the planet.

Jack took off his cap, adjusted his hair, then put the cap back on. "Alright, keep your eyes open, kids." He went to move forward but was stopped by a middle-aged man who abruptly stepped in front of him.

"Excuse me, milord. We weren't expecting you so soon," the man said, bowing his head in respect.

Milord? Jack automatically turned to Daniel for a reason.

"Maybe it was the grey hair," Daniel muttered, a small smile on his face. This wouldn't be the first culture they had come across where age was venerated.

The man in front of Jack shifted nervously. "Would you like to see Lord Ka'tan straight away?"

"Uh... sure." Jack shrugged. He started to follow the man, and the rest of his team fell into step behind him. Or in Daniel's case, beside him. "What?"

"Is this wise?" Daniel asked, concerned. "We don't know anything about this Ka'tan. What if he's a Goa'uld?"

"Then we'll get out of here really fast," Jack replied, enjoying Daniel's closeness. He brushed his free hand against Daniel's casually, as if it were nothing more than an accident. He knew he shouldn't be doing it but the temptation was too strong to resist.

Daniel looked sideways at Jack, puzzled. Jack wasn't acting like normal and that worried the linguist. "Did you hear the man say that he wasn't expecting you so soon?"

Actually, Jack hadn't quite taken that in but fortunately he was saved from replying.

"Mistaken identity?" Sam piped up from behind the duo. She had been wondering about that comment too.

"Obviously," Teal'c chimed in. "Perhaps it would be wise not to contradict them."

Jack turned his head to look at Teal'c; it wasn't like the man to want to conceal their identities. Unless... "Do you know of a Goa'uld called Ka'tan?"

"I do not. However, I believe we should be cautious."

"Okay, now you're freaking me out." When Teal'c expressed the need to be cautious, Jack listened because the Jaffa's instincts were usually spot on.

By this time, they had reached the castle entrance. "Shouldn't there be a moat?" Jack observed.

"Not within a village," Daniel informed him. "The idea would be impractical. In fact--"

"I get it," Jack cut him off, hating the brief look of hurt that crossed Daniel's features. Much and all as he liked Daniel's voice, he wasn't in the mood for a lecture. "At least we won't have to swim our way out."

SG-1 was led into a huge throne room. There were red drapes everywhere, and red carpet leading up to the throne. Seated on the throne was a handsome young man, mid-thirties, with short raven-black hair and green eyes. Surrounding him were a number of much younger men, all of whom were blonde and half-naked. One of them was seated at the raven-haired man's feet, and was gazing adoringly up at him while his hair was being stroked. Even Daniel, who had the reputation of being oblivious, knew how the young man served his master.

"Welcome to Videre," Ka'tan said in a rich, metallic voice as he observed each stranger in turn. He was especially interested in the Jaffa before his eyes landed on the beautiful young man in the middle of the group. His gaze lingered for several seconds too long before going back to the man at the front of the group. "I was not expecting you for several days, Lord Natel."

Jack immediately moved into protector mode as soon as he heard the Goa'uld voice, and shifted it into overdrive when the man looked at Daniel. Almost unaware he was doing it, he stepped slightly in front of the linguist. "We travelled faster than we thought."

Ka'tan nodded. "When you travel with so few, that is to be expected." He stood up and made his way down to the group, stopping in front of Daniel. "Although it is unusual that you would all wear similar clothes." That fact made him slightly suspicious, although he did not know why.

"It's all the fashion back home," Jack replied, trying to keep the Goa'uld's attention on him.

"I will arrange suitable attire for your stay." Ka'tan was already mentally picking out the wardrobe for the young man. He signalled for one of his slaves, and then quietly gave him instructions. The slave left hurriedly. "I insist," he said when he saw Natel start to protest.

Jack didn't have much choice but to agree. He was, however, already planning how to get his team back to the Stargate where they would be safe. Where Daniel, especially, would be safe.

"Besides," Ka'tan continued, "such attire does not befit someone of your standing." And it did nothing to enhance the young man's beauty. "We will be dining soon. It is my wish that you will join me. It will be nothing elaborate as I was not aware of your impending arrival today."

"I'm sure it will be suitable," Jack replied, starting to get into the role he had been assigned.

Ka'tan beckoned another slave to his side. "Show Lord Natel and his people to their rooms."

As the slave bowed, Ka'tan whispered something else to him. Jack looked on suspiciously. He would just bet that the content of that whisper had something to do with Daniel. No way was this Goa'uld getting his hands on Daniel.

The linguist in question was glad to get away from Ka'tan's gaze; it had been making him uncomfortable. "What do we do now?" Daniel asked Jack in a low voice as they followed the slave down the hallway.

Jack eyed the guards that lined the passageways. Leaving straight away didn't seem to be an option. "Play along until we get outta here."

"Your rooms, milord," the slave said, bowing low. "The woman and your Jaffa can sleep here." He indicated two rooms nearby before opening the heavy wooden door to the main room. "This is for you."

A huge bed dominated the room. To Jack, it seemed big enough to sleep ten people. It looked too big for one person... Wait a minute. How come Daniel didn't get a room? "What about him?" Jack asked, using his thumb to point to Daniel.

The slave looked puzzled. "Will he not share with you?"

Because Jack was relieved that Daniel wouldn't be sharing with the Goa'uld, it took a moment for the comment to sink in. "Uh..." Could he share a bed with Daniel and not tell him the truth? Now was not really a good time to have that conversation...

"If you wish, he may stay with the other concubines," the slave suggested, trying to please.

"No!" No way was he letting Daniel sleep in the same room as Ka'tan kept his 'concubines'. "No," he said more gently. "He will stay with me."

The slave bowed his head in acknowledgement. "You will find suitable attire in your rooms. Someone will be by to inform you when your presence is required for the feast." After another bow, he left.

"Why do I get the feeling the rest of you will get more to wear than me?" Daniel muttered as he looked around the room. The furnishings were very ostentatious, rich reds and purples, and the bed was very large - plenty of room for him and Jack to share without disturbing the other.

Sam was immediately by his side. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried about the role he had just been assigned.

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I just don't know why they thought I was Jack's sex slave." He caught Sam's shocked look at his words. "What? That's all that a concubine is." And considering he knew that, why wasn't he more worried about it than he was?

"I believe Ka'tan was influenced by the gender of his own slaves." Teal'c believed that was part of the reason but he knew that the two men often came across as a couple. He did not believe they were but the connection was certainly there. And O'Neill's automatic protection of the scholar in the throne room had looked like jealousy. Teal'c was sure that Ka'tan had seen it, thereby confirming the assumption.

"Great." The dry comment escaped Jack before he could prevent it. To cover it up, he turned to his other team-mates and said, "You two better check out your rooms. Looks like we're going to have to stay for a while."

"Sir, the longer we stay, the more likely it is that Ka'tan will find out you're not the real Lord Natel."

"I know," Jack replied to Carter. "But can you see a way out of this at the moment?" He was met with silence. "My point exactly. Now..."

Abruptly, four Jaffa rounded a nearby corner. None of them wore the usual armour but they all carried zats, and a black pentagram adorned their foreheads. They came to a halt next to SG-1. "You will relinquish your weapons while you are here," the biggest one ordered.

"I don't think so," Jack stated. He did not want his team to be unarmed while there were Goa'uld around. And even though the Jaffa were only ordinary men - the lack of a pouch was obvious - they still looked very strong.

"It is our custom to retain our weapons when we are in a new place," Daniel interjected. "We are a very cautious people," he added. He knew that the weapons were a sign of aggression and distrust but just this once, he happened to agree with Jack. They should not be unarmed while under threat from a Goa'uld.

"It is Lord Ka'tan's order," the Jaffa stated firmly. "There is no need for weapons in the castle."

"Then why do you carry them?" Jack argued, looked pointedly at the zats.

"How about we just leave them in our quarters?" Daniel suggested a compromise. "We won't carry them around with us."

The Jaffa appeared to think about this. Then he stated, "You will relinquish your weapons."

"Oh, for--"

"Ja-Master," Daniel interrupted him, remembering at the last second that he was supposed to be Jack's slave. "Perhaps if I explain our customs to Lord Ka'tan, he might relent on this point."

The use of the title surprised Jack for a moment before he remembered the roles they had to play. Much as he didn't want Daniel to go anywhere near Ka'tan, Jack had to admit that the linguist would have a better chance of persuading the Goa'uld than anyone else would... No, he couldn't let Daniel go talk to the snake. "That won't be necessary," he told Daniel. 'If Ka'tan wants our weapons, he will have to come and ask nicely."

The Jaffa clearly did not like that but he took the hint and left with the others.

"Jack--" Daniel started to warn his friend.

"I know," Jack cut him off. He was almost as bad as Daniel was when it came to snake-baiting. "We might be giving in on the clothes but we are not going to hand over our weapons. Right, Teal'c?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied.

"You know, sir," Sam piped up, "the servant knew that Teal'c was a Jaffa, and would probably therefore be your master-at-arms, so technically he should be armed at all times so he can, uh, protect you."

Daniel's lips twitched with amusement. Somehow, he didn't think that Jack really needed protecting.

"Actually, I believe that the master-at-arms had to protect his Lord's consort, which in this case appears to be Dannyboy," Jack said with a sly grin on his face. The more he thought about Daniel being his 'concubine', the more he liked it, especially in light of his love for the young man. But he liked the idea of Daniel being his real-life consort even better.

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" Daniel said ruefully. He knew, though, that Jack would never say anything about this that would embarrass Daniel in public.

"Nope." Jack reached out and ruffled the linguist's short hair. Hey - he just thought of an advantage of this role in that he would get to touch Daniel all he wanted and it would be excused as keeping up the act. Sweet. "C'mon, let's see what Lord Catman considers suitable attire."

Daniel shook his head at the name Jack had given the Goa'uld. He knew that Jack remembered the names; it was just part of the act that the older man liked to put on. "So if I'm your personal slave, and Teal'c is your - or my - defender, what does that make Sam?"

Jack ignored the image of Daniel being his personal slave, and tried to concentrate on the question. "Uh... good question. Any ideas, kids?"

"Well, we don't have any horses or ladies of high birth," Daniel replied, trying to think of what would be the most suitable. "Oh, wait! Maybe your steward." At Jack's blank look, he elaborated. "The person who looks after your money."

Sam liked that idea better than being the cook or something else equally demeaning. "Sounds good to me. Hand over your wallet, sir," she ordered with a smile.

"Very funny, Carter." Jack gently pushed Daniel into the room they would be sharing, then spoke to his 2IC again. "We'll met back here in fifteen minutes." Then he shut the door as he followed Daniel into the room.

Daniel made a beeline for the bed, curious to know what he would have to wear. His fingers trailed over a lot of satiny outfits, most of which appeared to leave little to the imagination. "I think I've changed my mind."

Jack wandered over and had a look at the outfits. Nice materials, he noted. He reached over and picked up a navy blue outfit that looked like a pair of satin pyjamas. Given the size, they would cling like a second skin. Much as he would like to see Daniel in them, perhaps something a little less revealing would be better. He put that outfit back and picked up a looser one, brown in colour. "How about this?"

Daniel viewed the outfit with trepidation. "How about you wear that and I'll pick something from your side?" Jack's clothes looked a lot less... flimsy. More substantial. It wasn't fair. "How long do you think we'll have to stay here?"

"However long it takes to find a way outta here," Jack replied, his eyes still roaming over the outfits. "If it's more than two days, Hammond will send the troops in." He put the brown outfit down and picked up a rich green one. He resigned himself to the fact that Daniel was going to look gorgeous in anything so it was just a question of what would best hide Daniel's assets from coveting eyes.

"I can't figure out where Ka'tan fits into Goa'uld society," Daniel stated, moving on from the clothes to inspect the bathroom. "He's not a System Lord, and there's no references to him in any Earth mythology."

"He probably took this planet from some other Goa'uld." Laying Daniel's outfit on the bed, Jack went over to pick one for himself.

Daniel came back into the bedroom and saw the dark green outfit separated from the others. "Is that mine?"

"Yup."

"It's sleeveless," Daniel noted with distaste.

"All of them are sleeveless." Jack found a grey-and-black tunic that seemed suitable. "I'm thinkin' that Catman's an arm man." Or maybe, judging by the slaves in the throne room, the top was for the more modest slaves.

Daniel caught a hint of something in Jack's tone. "Do you think Ka'tan wants me?" When Jack didn't say anything, Daniel looked at him with wide eyes. "We've only just met him!"

"So?" That was all the time it took people to want his linguist. "You're a good-looking man, Daniel, and he thinks you belong to me. Both of those things would make him want you."

"You think I'm good-looking?" Daniel couldn't believe what he had just heard. From Jack, of all people!

"Focus, Daniel." Jack berated himself for the slip; now was not the time to let on about his feelings. "Belonging to me will give you some measure of protection but you still have to be careful. Remember, he's a Goa'uld and they don't like taking no for an answer."

"You do think he wants me," Daniel read between the lines. Then something Jack said sunk in. "Belonging to you?"

"Just for the sake of appearances," Jack quickly said, not wanting to start an argument. He really looked at Daniel for the first time since the whole 'concubine' subject had been raised and saw a lot of apprehension in his face. Jack wasn't sure whether it was about acting as his sex slave or the fact that Ka'tan wanted to sleep with Daniel. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," came the automatic response. But Daniel was having a hard time getting his head around the revelation that Ka'tan wanted to sleep with him, and that Jack had complimented his looks. He was also beginning to realise how he and Jack were going to have to behave in order to pull this off. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around his chest; what if Jack had to kiss him or... or touch him intimately?

"I can tell. Danny." Jack got close and put his hands on the younger man's shoulders. "There's nothing to worry about."

Sure. Just the fact that he was in a castle with a Goa'uld who wanted him in a sexual way, and he had to act as though he and Jack were intimate. What was there to worry about? He felt Jack's thumbs brushing over his collarbones in reassurance. "That's easy for you to say."

Actually, it wasn't considering Jack's mouth had gone dry. It was taking all his willpower not to lean forward and plant a kiss on those tempting lips.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I know this goes against everything you are," Daniel apologised. Technically it wasn't his scene either. But for the sake of the mission, he thought he might be able to act out the role.

If only it did, Jack thought. "Daniel," Jack said as he moved one hand up to cup the linguist's cheek. "Does it look like this is a problem for me?" His thumb started to stroke along the firm jawline while he let the love he felt appear in his eyes.

Daniel took a good look at Jack's face and the penny finally dropped. "Oh."

Jack chuckled. "'Oh', he says." He kept up the stroking, enjoying being hands-on again.

Daniel's mind whirled. This wasn't happening. He must have knocked himself out or something because that was the only way he could believe what Jack had just admitted. "You-you want me?"

"Yes." Jack slid his hand around to the back of Daniel's neck.

"And you're telling me this now because...?" He was still in shock but there was a little anger mixed in there now too.

"If I over-react about Catman, you'll know why." Jack knew he was going to be extra protective of Daniel during this mission.

"You always over-react, Jack," Daniel pointed out. Ever since Hathor, the older man had assumed that every Goa'uld - and plenty of non-Goa'ulds - wanted to sleep with Daniel. He moved away from Jack, his arms crossed. He really wanted some time to process this but had the feeling that he wouldn't get it.

Jack felt his heart wrench at the rejection. In all the scenarios he had gone over in his mind, this hadn't been one of them. "I'm sorry, Danny. I'll resign as soon as we get back." He wouldn't be able to work with the younger man and not want him, and besides which, it would make Daniel uncomfortable.

The question "Why?" was out of Daniel's mouth before he even thought about it. He looked at Jack and saw the misery there. "You're serious!"

"Of course I am! What, you think this is a joke?" It hurt that Daniel would think he would do that.

"No, I--" Daniel broke off, embarrassed. He just couldn't believe this was happening! "I never thought that... you know..."

That didn't sound promising. "I realise that you don't feel the same way. I won't mention it again." He felt like such a fool.

Daniel immediately felt bad - he didn't want to hurt Jack. He knew Jack's body language better than he knew his own, and he could see that Jack was really hurting inside because Daniel wasn't exactly jumping into his arms. "I-I don't know what I feel, Jack. All of this is a bit sudden."

Jack dared to raise his hopes a little. "So it's possible you might--" he gestured between the two of them.

"Maybe." Daniel sat down on the bed and gripped the edge of it nervously. "I need some time to think about it."

"Well, we don't have a lot of time. Pretty soon we're gonna have to go back out there and put on a show for his Lordship." Jack stepped in front of Daniel, looking down at him. "Are you going to be okay with it?"

"Honestly? I don't think so," Daniel replied, keeping his eyes averted from his best friend. "But I have to do it, don't I?"

Jack didn't answer that, knowing it was rhetorical. "Set some boundaries. I won't overstep them." Keeping Daniel's friendship was very important to him.

Daniel had no doubt about that; he trusted Jack with his life. "I know. I just... I don't like being touched," he admitted. It hadn't been any one thing that had created that but many accumulated over the years. The only person who hadn't triggered the avoidance response from the time they had met had been Jack; even Sha're had triggered it to start with. But he didn't know if that extended to intimate touches with Jack.

"I've noticed." Jack had seen how Daniel had reacted to other people getting close to him. Jack took a chance and sat down next to Daniel, close but not too close. "I promise not to make you uncomfortable. If you don't want me to touch you, I won't." It would be extremely hard though, especially as they had to act like master and slave.

Daniel was well aware that he was overreacting but he couldn't help it. It wasn't every day that one found out that their best friend wanted more from the relationship. The question now was, where did they go from here? He had never thought about doing anything physical with Jack before. What if he didn't like it? What if he did? What if he wanted more? "As you said, we have to put on a show." He turned his head towards Jack and saw the concern in his eyes. "I would rather you touching me than him."

Jack gently placed his hand over Daniel's, which was still gripping the edge of the bed. "We'll be fine."

"Right. Except it's not every day I have two men lusting after me." He gave a small smile.

Didn't Daniel open his eyes when he was at the SGC, or on another planet, for that matter? "But he's only after your body. I'm after your heart," Jack said without thinking. Then he berated himself; Daniel was going to think he was mad!

Daniel's jaw dropped as his heart started pounding faster. That had to be one of the most romantic things anyone had ever said to him! He cautiously brought his free hand up to touch Jack's face. "Really?"

"Really," Jack confirmed as he urged his body not to get carried away; those wide blue eyes were really ringing his bells. He took Daniel's hand and pressed a kiss to the palm.

Daniel felt that kiss clear down to his groin. "Jack--"

A knock on the door startled them both. "Daniel? Sir? You decent?" Carter called out.

"Not exactly!" Jack yelled back. "Give us a few more minutes!" He turned his eyes back to Daniel. "I suppose we'd better get changed," he said reluctantly.

"Yes," Daniel agreed faintly but didn't move away. He was too busy processing everything. Jack wanted a relationship with him, and judging by its reaction to the kiss, Daniel's body wanted that too. He just didn't know what his mind wanted.

Jack stood up and pulled Daniel up with him. He retrieved the dark green outfit, put it in Daniel's hands, and then guided the younger man over to the bathroom. He closed the door behind Daniel, giving the man some privacy. Then he proceeded to get changed into his own outfit.

It was a few seconds before Daniel recovered sufficiently to get changed. He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss - his palm still tingled where Jack had pressed his lips to it - and all that it meant. Jack wanted him, cared for him, and maybe even loved him. And he had told Daniel on a mission! Why couldn't Jack have waited until they had gone back to Earth? Daniel could have coped with the role as concubine better without knowing about Jack's feelings because it would have just been two friends acting out their roles. Now, he was well aware that Jack wouldn't be acting and that scared him a little because it would be real. And there was also the possibility that he might fall in love with Jack, and that would be a disaster because he always lost those whom he loved; he didn't want to lose Jack too.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Daniel couldn't believe his eyes. Jack looked drop-dead gorgeous in the grey-and-black tunic. Why had he never noticed before how good-looking Jack was? There was an interested twitch in his groin, which he tried to ignore; he didn't want to think of Jack that way.

Jack couldn't help but notice how hot Daniel looked, and he got hard quickly. The satin material positively clung to Daniel's body, highlighting all the good bits - which was pretty much everything. It also made Daniel look like someone straight out of a Persian fairytale, what with the vest and pyjama-like pants. And the strip of skin showing between the two halves of the outfit made Jack's mouth go dry. He wanted Daniel now!

Forgetting all about his earlier promise, Jack stepped over to the linguist, put a hand behind his neck, and pulled Daniel in for a kiss.

Daniel was in no way prepared for the feel of Jack's lips on his. Too late, he tried to protest and managed only a sharp intake of breath before he was robbed of the ability to speak. His hands came up to rest against Jack's chest while his legs threatened to collapse. His body reacted to the stimulus, the stiffening in his groin startling him. A hand settled on the small of his back to press his body against Jack's. Daniel could feel Jack's erection against his own and everything suddenly became too real. He pushed at Jack, trying to create some space. He had never imagined anything like this.

Jack released Daniel's mouth as soon as the younger man started pushing, but he continued to hold Daniel close. He could feel how Daniel's body had enjoyed the kiss, and he had to fight the urge to create some friction between them. Instead, he let his fingers slide up into the short brown hair and start stroking. He looked into the dazed blue eyes and tried to figure out what Daniel was thinking. "Danny?"

Daniel couldn't stop staring at Jack, his best friend who had just turned his world upside-down. He tried to speak but no words came out as his brain was still in shock.

"Daniel Jackson, speechless. I never thought I'd see the day," Jack teased. "If I'd known this would happen, I would have kissed you sooner." He had wasted five perfectly good years just thinking Daniel was only a friend when they could have been having mind-blowing sex.

The linguist was spared from making a retort by another knock on the door. Jack released Daniel and called out, "Enter!"

Sam, dressed in a navy blue tunic and leggings similar in style to Jack's, entered first. When she saw Daniel, she froze on the spot. "Holy Hannah!" She knew Daniel was beautiful but this... this was just beyond words.

"Indeed." Teal'c came in behind MajorCarter and thoroughly agreed with her assessment of the scholar. Dressed in a warrior's tunic of chain-mail, Teal'c straightened up to his full height; Ka'tan would have to go through him first to reach DanielJackson.

Daniel self-consciously crossed his arms across his stomach. Everyone else got to wear way more than him and they got sensible shoes, whereas he had to wear sandals. It wasn't fair! Why did the universe always pick on him?

Jack turned to his other two team-mates and shook his head slightly. Daniel was upset enough; he didn't need them making a big deal out of his costume or the role he would have to play. "So, anything interesting?"

"There are no windows in our rooms, O'Neill." That had been the first thing Teal'c had noticed.

"Any sign of surveillance devices?"

"Not that I could detect," Sam replied, shooting another glance at Daniel. He was very quiet and self-conscious, so she was betting it had just sunk in what his role entailed. "But there are guards at either end of the corridors."

"I'm beginning to think that Catman doesn't trust this Natel guy," Jack commented.

"Either that or he knows we're Tau'ri and is playing with us," Carter stated.

"Well, that would be a change," Jack said sarcastically. "Why not shoot us and be done with it?"

"Maybe he wants to see how far we will go," Daniel piped up, managing to string a sentence together. His body was still tingling from the kiss.

"That's a cheery thought." Jack would do anything to protect his team. He tucked his 9mm into the back of his leggings so that it was hidden but accessible. Handing Daniel a knife, he said to the others, "You two armed?"

"Yes, sir. Teal'c has a zat and I have my 9mm." Sam had hidden it in the same place as the colonel - except on her, obviously.

"Good."

"Ah, Jack?" Daniel held the knife out in front of him. "Where exactly am I supposed to hide this?" His costume wasn't designed for concealing weapons - or anything else.

That was a very good question, Jack mused as he ran his eyes over Daniel. Because the material was so clingy, there wasn't anywhere it could be concealed. He didn't want Daniel to be unarmed though.

Daniel blushed under the scrutiny. He could feel the heat in Jack's gaze and was uncomfortable with it.

Going over to the bed, Jack grabbed his belt and started fiddling with it. He worked one of the small straps loose, then took the knife from Daniel and attached the holster to the strap. He then gave it back to Daniel. "Here, tie it about mid-calf."

Daniel's fingers tingled where they brushed Jack's. It took him a few seconds to regroup, then he knelt down on one knee and tied the strap to his inside of his left calf. The knife handle pointed downwards for easy access. He then pulled the pant leg down to conceal the weapon, and straightened up.

"That should be okay," Sam observed. Too bad she didn't have a camera handy; a lot of people in the SGC would pay good money to see Daniel dressed like this.

The slave from before appeared in the doorway. He bowed his head low and stated, "Lord Ka'tan wishes you to know that the feast will begin presently."

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Jack replied, hoping that the man hadn't heard anything.

"You may be attended by your concubine if you wish, but the other two must dine with the others."

"Uh, excuse me?" Jack did not want to separate his team.

"It is tradition, milord. Servants do not dine with the highborn." The slave kept his head bowed, knowing that his words did not please Lord Natel.

Jack looked towards Daniel for advice. The linguist nodded, confirming that this had been a tradition on Earth too. And that left Jack with very little option but to go along with it. "If that is the way it is done here," he said, starting to get into character again. "I assume my servants will be shown where they are to eat."

"Yes, milord."

"Very good. Come, Daniel." Jack beckoned the younger man to him.

Daniel noted that Jack had slipped into his role and therefore he must too. "Yes, master." His eyes on the floor, he went over to Jack.

"This way."

The two men followed the slave through the maze of corridors, Daniel walking slightly behind Jack as befitted his status. He was fascinated by the swords and portraits that adorned the walls, and under other circumstances would have loved to study them. Perhaps if he asked Jack nicely...

The feasting room was huge. A long, U-shaped table dominated the centre of the room. There were at least thirty people seated at it, and nearly all had someone kneeling beside them. As Jack was led to the head of the table where Ka'tan was seated, he observed that most of the concubines - both men and women - wore very little clothing; in fact, Daniel was the most decently dressed of the lot.

Daniel noticed this too. He was also aware of the interaction between the masters and slaves, with lots of stroking going on. To fit in, Jack would have to do the same, which Daniel was sure would be no hardship for the older man. But he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

Jack was encouraged to sit at Ka'tan's right, with Daniel kneeling between them. Tense as anything, Daniel obeyed but made sure he was as close to Jack as he could get. He had been a Goa'uld's plaything once and he did not want it to happen again. He felt Jack's fingers in his hair and he tried to relax; Jack was not going to let anything happen to him.

Ka'tan looked down at the beautiful young man. The outfit was not the one he would have chosen but it still showed off the slave's assets nicely. It was obvious that Natel was possessive of his slave, as evidenced by the hand on the man's head, which meant that it would not be easy to procure him. However, it would be worth it in the end. "I hope your accommodation is to your liking."

"It is adequate," Jack replied, his eyes cataloguing everything in the room. All the masters - and there were several women in that group - appeared to be human, presumably highborn locals from the town outside. They all treated the slaves as pets, which set Jack's teeth on edge; it just wasn't right. A fair number of the slaves he recognised from the throne room, meaning that Ka'tan was probably prostituting them for the night. He was not going to let that happen to Daniel.

The food was delicious. The meats were juicy and tender, and the vegetables were sweeter than on Earth. After doing some covert surveillance of the others at the table, Jack noticed that the slaves were being handed the occasional tidbits, so he provided Daniel with food the same way. He also kept one hand on Daniel at all times but never ventured below his shoulders. This was hard enough for the linguist as it was without him doing some roaming.

"Is your slave new?" Ka'tan asked at one point, noticing that the interaction between the two men was more restrained than everyone else.

"Why do you ask?" Jack avoided the question. He could feel Daniel tense at the question, and gently massaged his neck to get him to relax again.

"He is not at ease." Ka'tan could see the tension in the young man.

"Yeah, well, we don't do this kinda thing at home. It's a little too public, if you get my meaning." Some of the couples were beginning to get too touchy-feely for Jack's liking.

Ka'tan nodded. "I did not wish to make you uncomfortable," he said, sounding quite sincere. "If I had such a slave, I would not wish to display him either."

Alarm bells started to ring at the back of Jack's mind. The Goa'uld hadn't even bothered to hide the coveting gleam in his eyes. If Jack couldn't stop Ka'tan from getting his hands on Daniel, then the young man would be in big trouble. "On that note, I think we might retire for the night."

"You do not wish to stay for the entertainment?"

Jack looked around. "I don't think so."

"In that case, I wish you a good night." As the slave stood, Ka'tan let his fingers brush against the young man. Tomorrow he would begin his campaign to seduce the slave.

Jack didn't miss the gesture and he put his arm around Daniel's waist in response. Mine, he projected at the Goa'uld. "We'll see you in the morning then." He kept hold of Daniel as they walked back to their room, playing to their audience of Jaffa that had fallen into step behind them. "How're ya doin'?" Jack murmured just loud enough for Daniel to hear.

"Okay," Daniel replied. He wasn't exactly lying either, although he was somewhat disconcerted by Jack's closeness. He tentatively put his arm around Jack's waist and received a squeeze in return. "Weird," he amended in a low voice. Jack's fingers were burning his skin where they rested over his hip.

Jack could understand that; he was feeling quite weird himself. Having Daniel this close was playing havoc with his libido. "Good or bad?"

"Don't know yet." Daniel managed a small smile. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

"No need to rush," Jack said as he opened the door to their room. He wasn't surprised to see the rest of his team waiting for them. "How'd it go?"

"I think we managed to blend in," Sam replied, watching the two men untangle themselves. Although she was pretty sure that both men were straight, she would have to make sure that the colonel didn't take advantage. "And we found out a few things too."

"Like?" Jack prompted. He was missing holding Daniel already so he made sure that he stayed close to the linguist.

"Ka'tan only arrived here thirty years ago," Teal'c stated. "He challenged the local lord to a battle and won."

"Then he set himself up as Overlord of the whole planet," Sam continued. "And he killed anyone who tried to dispute that."

"Overlord?" Daniel questioned. "Not a god?" That was unusual for a Goa'uld.

"That's what they said," Sam confirmed. She moved closer to Daniel, sensing that he wasn't completely fine.

"It is likely that he did not have the resources to convert everyone to worship him," Teal'c suggested.

"No resources?" Jack queried, shooting a sideways glance at Carter. Why was she so close to Daniel? "How did he fight battles then?"

"The battles were single combat," Teal'c replied. "We have seen no true Jaffa in the castle. He therefore most likely relies on Goa'uld technology to maintain his rule."

"Nothing unusual there. Any hints of nishta or some other chemical that makes everyone oblivious to evil?" He definitely didn't want Ka'tan using anything like that on Daniel.

"Not so far," Sam replied. None of them had a very good track record with nishta, especially Daniel. Actually, Daniel didn't have a good track record with the Goa'uld full stop.

They continued discussing things for a while, then Sam and Teal'c retired to their rooms to get a good night's sleep. This left Daniel all alone with Jack and the bed. He glanced at it, realising that soon they would have to share it; he wasn't sure if he liked the idea or not.

Jack noticed the hesitant look. "I'll sleep on the floor," he offered. He didn't want to make Daniel uncomfortable.

Daniel shook his head. "It wouldn't be good for your back. Besides, what if someone came to check on us?"

"Would they do that?"

"I don't know. But it's a possibility."

Jack considered that. "Okay then. You go get changed in the bathroom." Far away from temptation, although how he was going to keep his hands off Daniel in bed, he didn't know.

"Changed into what?" Daniel wanted to know. The only things they had to wear to bed was their uniforms or what they had on.

"Daniel, just go."

Daniel went. Five minutes later, he walked back into the bedroom still dressed as he had been. After Jack went into the bathroom, Daniel took off his shoes and vest, then got into bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. He normally wasn't shy around Jack but knowing that his friend desired him made Daniel very self-conscious. How long had Jack wanted him? Had he been looking in the showers? Daniel didn't think his body was anything special but Jack obviously thought it was. He lifted the covers and looked objectively at his chest. It was just a normal chest. Nothing to go crazy about.

Jack came back into the bedroom and saw what Daniel was doing. He grinned; teaching Daniel about his attractiveness was going to be fun. "Daniel?"

The linguist jumped and pulled the covers back up to his chin, blushing at being caught. Then the blush deepened as he realised that Jack's torso was bare. Normally that wouldn't have worried him but given how everything was different now... He looked away. "Jack."

The grin grew wider as Jack got hard quickly. Daniel looked so cute lying there, blushing and trying to cover up his body. It was so sweet. "I've seen it all before, Danny. There's no need to hide."

"It's different now," Daniel replied.

"Why? Because you know that I think you're hot?" Jack took advantage of Daniel facing the other way to walk over to the bed and hop in. He turned onto his side to face the younger man, who was staring determinedly at the wall. "You are, you know."

Daniel shook his head. "You're just saying that." Surely he would know if he was 'hot'... wouldn't he?

"No, I'm not. Daniel." Jack reached over and prised the edge of the covers out of Daniel's tight grip. Then he moved the covers back until Daniel's chest was bared.

"Don't," Daniel protested, crossing his arms over his chest, keeping his face turned away from Jack. He didn't like being on display. A warm hand was placed lightly on his stomach and he drew in a sharp breath at the contact. Skin on skin - Jack had never touched him like this before. "Jack..." He turned his head to look at Jack.

"It's okay, Danny, I promise." Jack moved in closer, being careful not to move his hand. "Just tell me when you want me to stop and I will." The bare skin felt so good that Jack never wanted to stop touching. But he would if Daniel asked him to.

Daniel bit his lip. He trusted Jack to keep his word but he wasn't sure that he trusted himself. It had been so long since he had been touched like this, what if he didn't want to stop? He couldn't let that happen, not while he was still unsure. He had liked Jack's kiss but was that enough to risk everything? "I-I don't know, Jack." He looked away again.

Removing his hand from the enticing stomach, Jack used it to turn Daniel's face towards him. Indecision and fear were clearly shown in the young man's eyes. "You liked the kiss, didn't you?"

Daniel nodded slowly.

"Then let me kiss you again. We won't do anything else, just kiss. Okay?" Jack's thumb stroked over Daniel's jaw. He was hard but he would stop at just kissing if that's what Daniel wanted.

"I'll lose you," Daniel said quietly.

"What?" That had come out of nowhere.

"I lose everyone I love," Daniel stated softly, closing his eyes so that he didn't have to look at Jack. "If I fall in love with you, I'll lose you too. And I don't want to do that."

What could Jack say to that? "I can't promise that you'll never lose me physically but in here," he tapped Daniel's forehead and then over his heart, "and in here, I'll never leave you."

Daniel swallowed hard, tears threatening at the back of his eyes; that was exactly the right thing to say.

As Jack wiped away the moisture from Daniel's eyelashes, he found himself fighting tears as well. To counteract the emotions, he asked, "Now, can I kiss you before I make an idiot of myself?"

"Do you love me?" Daniel needed to know that before he let Jack go any further. He never got involved with anyone lightly, and if this was just sex for Jack, then Daniel would call a halt to this right now. He opened his eyes so he could look into Jack's.

"Yeah, I do," Jack replied, his voice sincere. He moved his arm across Daniel's crossed ones to hold him gently.

Daniel looked at Jack with wide eyes. The whole of his left side was tingling and warm where Jack was pressed against him. "You're a man." No man that Daniel knew of had ever been in love with him.

"Very astute observation, Doctor Jackson."

"Jack," Daniel warned. This was serious.

Jack realised it wasn't the time for teasing. "It just happened. It wasn't supposed to and I never expected it. I've never fallen for a guy in my life until I met you." He looked down at the young man. "Now, about that kissing..." This time he didn't wait for Daniel to respond but simply leaned over and kissed him.

It was a brief kiss, there and gone again before Daniel could blink. He automatically flicked his tongue over his lips, unable to taste Jack after such a brief contact. "That's it?" he said, surprised by the brevity.

"I'm easing you into it," Jack replied, his tone light even though he was serious. Daniel was way more nervous than he had expected so he had to take things slow.

"Do you think you'll have to, um, kiss me... out there?" Daniel waved his hand at the door. Kissing Jack in public - the thought was terrifying.

Jack was about to reply 'no' when he saw an opportunity. "Maybe. Perhaps we should practise. You know, if you're comfortable with it then it won't be a problem."

A wry grin appeared on Daniel's face; he knew why Jack had suggested that. "And I suppose this will involve a lot of touching too."

"Well..." Jack grinned down at the younger man; Daniel knew him so well. "What's the good of having a sex slave if I can't touch him?"

Daniel's grin disappeared at the title. Normally he would be able to laugh it off but this was different. Especially since Jack actually wanted to have sex with him. "If this was real, I think you would be very disappointed." He didn't have nearly as much experience as Jack seemed to have.

"No, I wouldn't." Nothing Daniel could - or couldn't - do would disappoint him.

"I don't want to fall in love, Jack."

"I know." He hadn't either. "But you might not have a choice. I didn't." Jack shifted his arm down to Daniel's waist. "How many other people do you let into your space like you let me?"

Daniel remained silent, biting his lip. Jack was the only one he had let really close, physically and emotionally.

"No-one," Jack replied for him. "Do you trust me? Do you really like being around me? Do you feel good when I touch you? Do you really really hate it when I'm injured. Am I such a vital part of your life that you can't imagine living without me? If the answer was yes to all those, then I think it's already too late. I know because I feel all those things and that's what helped me realise that I was in love with you."

Daniel shook his head. "I can't be in love with you. I would have known if I was." He was sure of that because he had been in love before.

"I think we're both very good at hiding things from ourselves," Jack commented. He leaned forward until his lips were only an inch away from Daniel's, and he stared into the wide blue eyes. "So do what I did and listen to your heart." He closed the distance.

This kiss was stronger than before, more demanding, and Daniel found himself responding to it. One hand moved to hold onto Jack's bicep. He felt Jack's hand move up and down his side, and Daniel shifted his weight and bent one leg up to give Jack better access.

Jack immediately took advantage and slid his hand down to caress Daniel's thigh. This was much better now he had gotten Daniel feeling rather than thinking. Moving his hand back to Daniel's waist, he rolled onto his back, his weight pulling Daniel with him so that the younger man was half on top of him. One of the linguist's legs lay between his, pressing against the hard erection, while Jack could feel the stirrings of Daniel's erection against his own thigh.

Daniel pulled back from the kiss, breathing heavily. His body was indeed enjoying the kissing and the contact, and he was a little freaked out about that. He tried to move away but Jack's hands kept him in place, one on his back, the other behind his neck. His own hands were resting on Jack's shoulders, the skin warm and smooth under his fingertips. "Jack..."

"Shhh. Don't start thinking," Jack ordered. Daniel was a welcome weight on top of him, and Jack didn't want him to move, which he would do if he started thinking.

"I can't help it," Daniel protested. He tried moving again but was pinned in place. "Jack, stop."

Those words made Jack let go because he had promised to stop if Daniel wanted him to.

Slightly surprised, Daniel sat up but didn't move away. One leg still rested next to Jack's, and the other was bent, the foot planted in between Jack's legs. His eyes focused on Jack's warm brown ones as he tried to deal with why he had liked Jack kissing him. Daniel absently rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip as he was thinking.

Jack reached out to rest a hand on Daniel's thigh. He didn't know what else to say to convince the young man that everything was okay. His fingers found Daniel's and Jack entwined them together. "How about we get some sleep?"

That sounded like a very good idea, although Daniel was so wound up, he didn't know how he was going to sleep. Jack tugged on his hand, indicating that Daniel should lie down next to him. Slowly, Daniel did so, and he let Jack arrange him so that they were both comfortable. This involved Daniel's head being on Jack's shoulder, his hand on the firm chest and one leg slightly over Jack's. "This is weird," he commented.

Jack couldn't agree more. But he loved it. His arm curled around Daniel's waist, holding him close. Then he kissed Daniel's forehead. "Just go to sleep, Daniel," he said in a loving yet exasperated voice.

And surprisingly, Daniel did just that.

~~~

Daniel dreamed that he was being kissed. He couldn't see who was kissing him but he was enjoying it nonetheless. He put his hands up to hold the person to him, wanting the warm feeling to continue. He flicked his tongue out, trying to taste the other person's lips, and found another tongue swirling round his. Daniel gave himself up to the sensations flooding through him, and jousted with the tongue invading his mouth.

When a heavy weight settled over his body, Daniel woke suddenly. He opened his eyes to find Jack's mouth on his, and his body pressing Daniel's into the bed. He could feel a hardness pressed into his groin and he started to panic. Pushing against Jack's chest, he managed to break free from the kiss and protest, "Jack!"

"Good morning," Jack replied casually, as if this was something he did every morning. When he had woken earlier, he hadn't been able to resist the beautiful man lying next to him.

"Good morning," Daniel replied automatically, his brain still trying to function. Nearly every inch of Jack's body was pressed up against his, which was proving to be highly distracting. He removed his hands from the bare chest in front of him, only to have Jack capture them and press them into the pillows beside his head. The change of position had their chests crushed firmly together, although Jack was trying to keep his full weight off Daniel. The younger man was grateful for that; he was having enough trouble breathing as it was. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Jack threaded his fingers through Daniel's; oh yeah, this was the way to wake up every morning.

"I'm not going to have sex with you." Although several traitorous parts of his body disagreed.

"I don't want to have sex with you."

Daniel eyed Jack suspiciously. That wasn't what it felt like from where he was. "Uh--"

"I want to make love with you," Jack continued.

"Oh."

Jack chuckled and kissed the tip of Daniel's nose. "Surprised?"

Daniel nodded. A part of him hadn't believed Jack's declaration of love the previous day so Jack had surprised him with his words. "We can't. We're on a mission," he pointed out.

Jack sighed; he knew that Daniel had a very good point. Then he cheered up a little. Daniel hadn't said that he didn't want to make love, just that they couldn't right now. That boded well for the future. "I know. But you can't blame a guy for trying."

A knock on the door sounded. "What is it?" Jack called out without moving away from Daniel.

The door opened and the slave from the previous day entered the room. "Excuse me, milord. My master would like to know if you wish to dine in your room this morning." He kept his eyes lowered but he didn't miss a thing.

Jack looked down at Daniel, who nodded slightly. It would be better than putting on a show for the locals. "We'll eat here, thanks."

"As you wish." The man withdrew.

Daniel started blushing as he realised what it must have looked like they were doing. But he was glad it had been a stranger and not Sam or Teal'c; that would have been hard to explain.

Jack hitched up a little so he could look at Daniel's chest; it seemed to be an all-over blush. That was so cute. "You're adorable, Danny."

That made Daniel blush even more, although he objected to the term. Puppies were adorable; he wasn't. "Are you planning to let me up anytime soon?"

"Nope."

"What if Sam or Teal'c decide to drop in?"

"They'll knock first." Jack thoroughly enjoyed the feel of Daniel beneath him and wanted to prolong it as much as possible.

"If I agree to a-a deeper relationship with you, are you going to be like this all the time?" Daniel wanted to know. When Jack avoided his eyes, Daniel sighed. "You might be the 'master' on this mission but that persona is not coming home with us." He would not put up with this back on Earth.

"Whatever you say," Jack happily agreed. He was going to keep Daniel! He did a little dance of joy in his head.

"Good. Now let me up."

Jack didn't want to so he settled for a compromise. He kissed Daniel. Then just as quickly released him when he heard Carter shouting through the door. "Just a minute!" he yelled back. He scrambled off the bed, flung - at random - an outfit at Daniel, and motioned for the linguist to go to the bathroom. Then he quickly threw on the top he had been wearing the previous day. "Come in!"

Sam entered the room, not noticing that her CO looked a little flushed. She was carrying a tray of food. "Your breakfast, sir." She looked around. "Where's Daniel?"

"In there." Jack pointed over his shoulder. "Why are you bringing us breakfast?"

"Apparently it's part of my job," Sam replied, rolling her eyes. "Any reason you're not eating with Ka'tan?"

"He's a Goa'uld," Jack said, believing no further explanation was needed. He looked at what Carter was wearing - clothes had obviously been left for her too. Her outfit was similar to his but it showed that she was definitely a woman. In many other realities, he apparently liked that. But not in this one, that was for certain. This one belonged to Daniel. He took the tray from Carter, put it on the bed, and sampled some of the food. "Have you eaten?"

"Teal'c and I have been invited to the servant's dining room again," she replied.

"Fun."

In the bathroom, Daniel put on the outfit Jack had given him. It was the brown one, and it was just as revealing as the green one. Daniel looked ruefully at the skin that was revealed; wearing this outfit was just asking for Jack to touch him there. He had noticed that Jack hadn't been able to stop touching him last night and this morning, and Daniel believed it was because of all that bare skin.

He smiled as he remembered Jack's words of love last night; the memory warmed him. He might not be ready to acknowledge his feelings for Jack but that didn't stop him from revelling in the other man's confession, especially now that he had time to think. Someone loved him. Jack loved him. It was so unexpected. But not unwelcome, Daniel decided. And not totally unrequited either. Thinking with his heart instead of his head, Daniel realised that he might be in love with Jack too. The idea of being intimate with Jack didn't stop being scary but at least he now knew that he wanted it too.

He walked back out into the bedroom, his arms crossed over his stomach; he didn't want Jack to focus on that straight away. His hope was in vain however; Jack just seemed to fill in the blanks and his eyes filled with desire. Uncomfortable with that, Daniel turned his attention to the other occupant of the room. "Morning, Sam."

"Morning, Daniel." The outfit he was wearing was just as slinky as the previous one, and although the two of them were just friends, she wasn't immune to the sight of Daniel in slinky pyjamas. "You look... nice." The adjective seemed so inadequate but it was easier for Daniel to hear than the truth.

"Thanks." It was nice of Sam to say so but Daniel knew that he looked like a hooker.

"Carter brought us breakfast, Daniel, so eat up." It was all Jack could do not to go over and ravish Daniel. His linguist looked absolutely hot! Maybe later, he thought, he could show Daniel just how hot.

~~~

After his slave reported back to him, Ka'tan was thoughtful. He had begun to think that the two men were perhaps not master and slave after all but the fact that they had been seen in an intimate position indicated otherwise. Therefore he would enjoy the challenge of seducing the slave away from his master; after one night with Ka'tan, the boy would not want to go back. And if seducing him failed, there were other methods of obtaining him.

Close observation of the slave during yesterday's meal had revealed that the boy had an interest in history. So that would be how Ka'tan would start. A tour of the castle, under the guise of showing Lord Natel around, should capture the slave's interest. The only problem would be separating the slave from his master but Ka'tan was confident that an opportunity would present itself.

When the slave entered the throne room, walking obediently behind his master, Ka'tan was immediately transfixed. The rich brown material complimented the boy's colouring, and the well-built body was nicely on display. Ka'tan's fingers itched with the need to touch but with a practice born of many years of discipline, he did not let this show; there was no need to warn Natel of his intentions.

Unbeknownst to Ka'tan, though, 'Natel' was plenty aware of his intentions. Jack had therefore resolved not to let Daniel out of his sight. And, if failing that, to make sure one of SG-1 was always with him. To that end, Teal'c was accompanying them this morning while Carter did some exploring. Jack had no qualms - okay, maybe just a couple - about letting her go off by herself; he knew she could take care of herself. Daniel, on the other hand, couldn't and he was already a target. So that warranted protection.

Ka'tan greeted Natel with a nod and an inquiry as to how he had slept.

"Very well," Jack replied. He sat down in the chair he was shown to, Daniel kneeling by his side. He couldn't believe how well he had slept with Daniel in his arms. Reaching out absently, he carded his fingers through Daniel's hair just as a real master would.

Ka'tan smiled - a chilling sight to the two visitors. The Goa'uld was sure that he would sleep very well next to the young slave. "I have arranged for a tour of the castle. I believe there are many things that will interest you." Even though the slave was looking downwards, Ka'tan saw the flicker of interest on his face.

"I'm sure." Jack would have to keep a tight rein on Daniel; exploring old castles was exactly what the linguist enjoyed doing.

To Jack's surprise, Ka'tan started showing them around himself. There were several Jaffa trailing the group, including Teal'c, as well as one of the concubines who had been in the throne room. Daniel walked behind Jack's left shoulder - right behind, their arms touching as they walked. Every so often, their fingers would twine together, the gesture hidden from view by their bodies. Daniel was enjoying the casual touches, so much so that he missed some of the information Ka'tan was giving them. His mind kept wandering to thoughts about him and Jack together in bed last night, and what was likely to happen tonight. Now that he was getting used to the touching, he quite liked it, and he wondered how far they would go tonight. He saw Jack look sideways at him, and he gave a shy smile. Maybe he could do some touching tonight as well.

Jack found Daniel's hand and squeezed it, happy to see the linguist smiling. He saw a hint of desire in Daniel's eyes too, and wondered what the young man was thinking. Hopefully the same as him but probably not, he decided; Daniel hadn't had time to come up with the elaborate fantasies that Jack had.

During the long tour, Ka'tan found it impossible to split the pair up. The slave never left Natel's side and any suggestion to observe something that required moving apart was politely refused. It was almost as if Natel could not bear to be parted from his concubine. Or maybe the man was used to others trying to steal his slave away and was just being cautious. "What is your castle like?" he asked, not out of curiosity but a need to keep the conversation going.

"A little smaller than this," Jack stated. "But I like to call it home." And the first thing he was going to do when they got back to Earth was take Daniel home to bed, which was plenty of incentive to get home in one piece.

Ka'tan nodded. He stopped in front of a tapestry and then, when Natel and his slave halted, casually walked around behind them while explaining the history of the picture. He stopped right behind the boy and casually ran a hand over the satin-covered behind.

Daniel tensed and shot a sideways look at the Goa'uld. Ka'tan appeared to be focused on the tapestry but his roaming hand suggested otherwise. Daniel couldn't move away without making it obvious; besides which, it would insult their host and they couldn't afford to annoy the Goa'uld just yet. So he gritted his teeth and endured the caress, hoping that it would be over soon.

When Teal'c saw DanielJackson tense, he immediately looked to Ka'tan for the reason. His hands clenched at his side when he saw the hand touching DanielJackson, and had there not been so many guards around, he would have snapped the Goa'uld's neck. As it was, he forced himself to do nothing - the opportunity would present itself later on, that he was certain.

The tour continued in a similar fashion. Ka'tan used every opportunity he could to stand beside Daniel and touch him, so by the time the tour was over, the linguist was extremely tense. His skin was crawling from the Goa'uld's touch, and it took all of his inner strength to keep in character and to prevent his revulsion from showing.

The group was led to the main dining chamber where the Jaffa were told to wait outside. Teal'c did not like this order but obeyed it after a slight nod from O'Neill. He knew DanielJackson would be safe with the warrior.

Jack followed the Goa'uld into the room. There were many of the same people from last night, many of whom just looked like they had woken up. There was an unmistakable smell of sex in the room, and Jack was pleased that he and Daniel had missed the orgy that had obviously taken place. He looked at Daniel, and from the expression in the linguist's eyes, Jack knew that he had come to the same conclusion. He reached out and caught Daniel's hand briefly, drawing strength from the touch. They would be able to get through this.

They sat down next to Ka'tan, Daniel kneeling right next to Jack. The hand that immediately threaded through his hair calmed him a little; everything would be alright so long as Jack was there. He kept his eyes focused downwards, uncomfortable with the scene in front of him.

The meal continued in similar fashion to the previous evening, with the two guests doing their best to stay in character and to blend in. Unfortunately for Jack, he had to keep his gaze upward so he saw the dried semen covering the male and female slaves, evidence that things had got quite busy during the orgy. The sight triggered images of him and Daniel lying in bed, the evidence of sex drying on their bodies; he felt himself harden at the thought. He immediately tried to think of something else before anyone noticed.

Near the end of the meal, Ka'tan gestured to two of his servants, who came to stand in front of their master. In Goa'uld, he said, "Prepare this slave for me."

Daniel's heart started to pound as he translated the words. No, Ka'tan wouldn't try anything now, would he? The men moved behind him and pulled him to his feet. Okay, obviously Ka'tan would try to take him away from Jack.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Jack asked casually, although he was anything but.

"Do not worry," Ka'tan responded smoothly. "My slaves are merely going to freshen up and I thought that your slave might join them. He will be returned to you shortly."

Jack saw the slightly panicked look in Daniel's eyes and knew that the Goa'uld was lying. However, he wasn't sure how he could prevent them from taking Daniel. "We're already freshened up, thanks all the same."

Ka'tan almost smiled. "No harm will come to him. And I promise you, you will enjoy the results." He nodded to his slaves, who led the reluctant young man away. "Perhaps I could offer you some entertainment while you are waiting." He gestured to two more slaves - both male - who went into the middle of the room and started caressing each other.

Jack just sat there, hating that the Goa'uld had outmanoeuvred him, and extremely worried about what was going to happen to Daniel.

~~~

The linguist was escorted into a nearby bath room, where a dozen men and women were already enjoying the warm water. The bath was quite large - about a third the size of an Olympic swimming pool - but with the amount of people already in there, it was too small for Daniel. "Uh, you know, I did this earlier so I think I'll just wait here." He really didn't want to get out of his clothes because he had the feeling he might not be allowed to put them back on.

He was held tightly by the two men who had brought him in, while a third came up and unlaced the vest. Then Daniel was forcibly undressed, his glasses taken from him, and he was dragged into the bath. He resisted briefly then realised that this wasn't exactly how he was supposed to be acting. The water was very warm but Daniel couldn't relax into its embrace because there were soon hands all over him, washing him everywhere they could reach. The touches were invasive and Daniel flinched away from them.

"Don't you like this?" a sultry voice said in his ear.

"Not really," Daniel replied. "I'm not, uh, used to bathing with strangers."

"Better get used to it," another voice said as a hand reached down to his genitals. "Soon you'll be one of us."

Daniel moved the hand away. "No, I won't."

"Yes, you will," the first voice disagreed. "Once our master has taken you, you will never want to leave."

That was such a cliché, Daniel thought, managing to move out of their clutches. "I'm not staying."

The others didn't bother arguing with him, instead just shooting knowing glances at each other.

"Now, I want my clothes, and I want to go back to my master," Daniel said firmly. Much as he didn't like to admit it, he wanted to go back to the safety of Jack.

One of the servants, whom Daniel recognised as the one who had asked about breakfast that morning, swam forward towards the linguist. "You're only a slave like the rest of us. You do not give orders; you have to obey them. My master wants you therefore you will be taken to him and you will serve him."

"No, I won't," Daniel replied, standing his ground. "And if he tries, my master will kill him." Just like he had killed Hathor two years ago, although Daniel had no proof that Jack had done it for him.

A female servant entered the room. "Lord Natel wishes for his slave to be returned immediately," she announced. In her hands was a large square of cloth.

It's about time, Daniel thought with relief. He got out of the bath and, taking the cloth towel from the young woman, quickly dried himself off. He got dressed, retrieved his glasses, and then followed the servant back to the dining room.

Jack was relieved to see Daniel unharmed. He had been worried the entire time the young man had been gone, and consequently hadn't seen much of the 'entertainment'. He absently noted that the two men had finished their performance but his focus was on Daniel. The dark hair was ruffled and damp, evidence that Daniel had indeed been taking a bath. The first thing he did when Daniel reached his side was to run his fingers through the short hair, making it stick up. "Nice look, Spacemonkey," he said in a low voice. Then he put his arm around Daniel's waist.

A smile briefly appeared on Daniel's face. Jack had never complimented his looks before... well, not like that anyway.

"Well, thank you for the meal," Jack said to Ka'tan. "If you don't mind, we're going to have a look around your village. Alone," he added pointedly.

"By all means." Ka'tan let them go, annoyed but already planning his next move.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Daniel asked, "How did you get me back?"

"Easy. I just told him that I'm very possessive about my things, and that everyone who had tried to take you can no longer enjoy their own slaves." The Goa'uld had been sceptical but obviously hadn't wanted to take the risk.

"I'm your 'thing'?" Daniel queried, insulted by the term.

"You know what I mean." Jack spied Teal'c still waiting for them. He steered Daniel over to the Jaffa and ordered, "Find my steward. I wish to explore the village."

Teal'c bowed low. He did not miss the change in DanielJackson's hairstyle, nor the possessive arm around his waist. However, he would not ask questions about either of those things now. "As you wish."

"Meet back at our rooms," Jack added in a lower voice. As he and Daniel walked away, he said, "So what happened?"

"Not here," Daniel said, looking around him at the locals travelling the hallways. He was pleased when Jack nodded, and they walked in silence to their room.

As soon as they were there, Jack asked again.

"I had a bath. The pool was similar in design to the Roman baths - quite large. In fact--"

"Daniel." Jack knew what it meant when the linguist started rambling.

"Sorry." Daniel crossed his arms in a betraying gesture that, surprisingly, Jack didn't notice. "Ka'tan gave his slaves the order to, um, prepare me for him."

"I knew it!" Just as well he had insisted on getting Daniel back. "Catman is so dead!"

"Jack, you can't kill him. At least, not yet," Daniel amended when he saw the anger in the older man's eyes. Shocked, he realised that this was what Jack had meant by over-reacting, and truthfully, he was a little scared by it. He'd never had a lover who was so possessive of him, and it worried him. He knew that Jack had always been protective but this was something different. "I think these people adore him, and they wouldn't take very kindly to his death."

"So?" Jack didn't care about that right now. All that mattered was the fact that the Goa'uld had tried to take his Daniel.

"So, Colonel," Daniel put an emphasis on the title, wanting to reach the military part of the man. "They would quite likely kill us before we even got out of the castle."

Jack had been pulled up short by the use of his title; Daniel rarely used it. He started thinking with his brain and realised that Daniel was right. Much calmer now, he put his arm around Daniel again and hugged the linguist to his side. "I'm sorry. You're right." He now noticed Daniel's body language. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Daniel muttered, not really meaning it but not feeling like explaining it. He rested his head on Jack's shoulder. The sooner they could go home, the better - he did not want to be raped by another Goa'uld. It had been hard enough getting over it the last time.

Jack shifted his hand into Daniel's short hair. "I'm going to do everything I can to prevent that guy from hurting you," he promised softly. "And if he... does... then we'll get through it together, okay?"

Daniel nodded. Jack hadn't left him in five years despite everything, so he had no reason to assume that Jack would leave now except for his own fears. He felt a kiss in his hair, and allowed himself to believe that things would be okay.

"Good. So this afternoon we'll explore the village and look for a way out. Catman won't get near you." The rest of SG-1 would make sure of that.

"Thank you," Daniel said before he realised that he was playing into Jack's overprotective hands. He stood up straight and then took a couple of steps away from Jack. He was not some weakling who needed constant protection; he could look after himself. It was kind of patronising to be treated as such.

"Daniel?" Jack questioned cautiously. The mood change had been very sudden.

"I can look after myself, you know."

"I know that," Jack said slowly, trying to figure out exactly what was wrong. Then it hit him; Daniel didn't like the almost submissive way he had been acting. Come to think of it, that had been rather unusual behaviour for Daniel. "I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't. But I don't like the situation here, and you're the one Catman is after."

Daniel felt embarrassed to have protested. He ducked his head and looked at the floor; the knowledge that Jack loved him - and that he possibly loved Jack too - was colouring everything. "So it's not just because... you know."

"Because I love you?" It was getting easier to say that. "You know me, Daniel. I've always tried to protect you. And Carter," he added. Jack went over, tilted Daniel's head up, and then kissed those soft lips. He was tempted to linger but knew that the rest of the team could be arriving soon. "It's no reflection on your abilities, believe me. I would trust you with my life. But I don't trust the Goa'uld."

A knock at the door had them drawing apart. "Come in," Jack called.

Sam entered first, then Teal'c. "We're going into the village?" she questioned straight away. Teal'c had mentioned that on the way to the rooms.

"We are," Jack confirmed. "Find anything interesting on your explorations?"

Sam nodded. "This place is huge. The ground floor is like a maze, with so many corridors. But I did manage to find a couple of back doors. One in the kitchen, the other is in what looks like a laundry room."

"Can we sneak out easily through them?" Jack wanted to know, already planning.

"There is always someone working in the kitchen, so the other one would be best."

"Where does it lead to?"

"The garden." Sam had been most impressed by the scale of it, as well as the flora that she had not seen before. "From there, we can go into the village."

"Did you locate a sarcophagus?" Teal'c asked, wanting to know whether Ka'tan would stay dead if they killed him.

"No." Sam shook her head. "But there was one door that had an orange oval next to it."

"So only those with a symbiote may enter," Teal'c concluded.

"That doesn't make much sense," Daniel spoke up. "We've seen no evidence of Jaffa or other Goa'ulds on this planet, so only Ka'tan would be able to open it. But if he was dead, how could someone get into it to put him in the sarcophagus? There would have to be a way that his most trusted servants could get in."

"I couldn't see any other way in," Sam stated.

"What if he's keeping weapons in there," Jack theorised. "It would explain why he wouldn't want just anyone getting in there."

"Or perhaps it is a dungeon," Teal'c contributed. "For those who oppose his rule."

"There's a cheering thought," Jack muttered.

"I don't think so," Sam disagreed with Teal'c. "I saw some dungeons in another part of the castle. This has got to be something that he doesn't want anyone else to see."

"Sounds like it's worth checking out," Jack noted. They would have to be very careful though. "Is that area heavily guarded?"

"The corridor was deserted when I was there," Sam reported. If there had been anyone there, she wouldn't have investigated the door.

"Okay then. Teal'c, Carter, you two can check it out while Daniel and I are dining tonight." That way, they wouldn't run into Ka'tan. "But for now, let's check out the village."

"Why can't we go out the way we came?" Daniel asked as the others started towards the door.

"We could but Ka'tan would be expecting that," Jack explained. He put his hand on the small of Daniel's back and gently pushed him towards the door.

Daniel glanced at Jack, and heat suffused his cheeks at the desire he saw in the brown eyes. He sent a reproving glare at Jack, which apparently didn't have any effect judging by the amused grin. "Jack," he warned softly. Much as he was flattered - and slightly freaked out - by how much Jack wanted him, this wasn't the time.

"Sorry," Jack mouthed before patting Daniel's behind. He knew he shouldn't be doing this with the others so close but he loved touching the young man. "Let's go shopping."

Jack took the lead as SG-1 wandered around the village, with Daniel right behind his left shoulder. Carter was a couple of steps back on the right, and Teal'c was behind Daniel, making sure the linguist was well protected. Jack didn't dare do anything with Teal'c's eagle eyes watching him so he prudently kept his hands to himself. Instead, he focused his energy on finding a back entrance to the village. As he had noticed when they had arrived, there was no wall or fence surrounding the village but the houses were built very close together in a series of maze-like streets. Jack deduced that they were built that way to slow down any invaders... not to mention SG-1 when they decided to get out.

Daniel's mind was on a totally different track. He was examining the architecture of the houses, the dusty streets - his feet were covered in dirt already - and the locals' clothing. Unlike the silks and satins in the castle, the people wore sturdier clothes, probably cotton or something similar, in bland colours. These people were obviously peasants, Daniel surmised; that paralleled Earth culture. He felt a tug on his pantleg and looked down to see two kids - a boy and a girl - feeling the satiny material. "Hi," he said softly to them. "I'm Daniel," he added when they didn't run away.

"Dan-yel," the young girl copied. She looked to be the elder of the two, maybe six years old. "Sharlee."

"Hi, Sharlee." Daniel crouched down to her height. "Do you like this?" He gestured to his outfit.

Sharlee nodded. "Are you strangers?" She looked at the others in the group.

"We're visitors." Sam stepped forward, smiling at the pair.

"What's a vis'tor?" the little boy asked, holding on tightly to Sharlee.

"It's someone who travels from one place to another to see someone," Daniel explained in simple terms.

Sharlee nodded knowledgeably. "I like this," she said, reaching out to touch Daniel's vest.

The linguist smiled sadly; these children may never have felt this kind of material before. Then he became aware that they were drawing a crowd of adults.

"Uh, Daniel, I think we should be on our way," Jack said just loud enough for Daniel to hear. He didn't want to attract a lot of attention.

"Just a minute," Daniel started to protest before he was pulled upright. "Bye," he said to the kids, then turned to Jack. "What are you doing?" he hissed as he was pulled along.

"You're supposed to be a slave, remember?" Jack kept a firm grip on Daniel's arm. "You're not supposed to stop and chat with the locals." He had seen the speculative looks on the adults' faces and had realised that Daniel was blowing their cover.

"But the locals will know the best way to get out of here," Daniel argued, trying to make sure that his voice didn't carry.

"Maybe, but it's not going to do us much good if we're in that dungeon Carter mentioned." He glanced over his shoulder to see the adults still watching them. "So keep in character." He cuffed the back of Daniel's head lightly, as if punishing him.

Daniel dropped his gaze to the ground, reacting as a slave would. But inside he was seething at being treated in such a way.

Walking behind the couple, Teal'c heard the quiet conversation. Had he not, he would have been angry with O'Neill for striking DanielJackson. He had never seen the warrior raise a hand to the scholar, not even when both men were extremely angry, but he understood the need for it now.

The group wandered around the village for another hour or so, trying to memorise the streets. They even found several paths that led out of the village, which was good. However, they attracted quite a following of children, all of whom wanted to feel Daniel's costume. Jack tried to shoo them away several times but they always came back.

It was about four o'clock when they went back into the castle. Surprisingly they were met by one of Ka'tan's concubines, who requested that they join his master in the throne room.

"We'd love to," Jack replied, "but unfortunately we've got some things to do first."

"Lord Ka'tan does not like to be kept waiting," the young man stated. Four armed Jaffa appeared behind him. "And it is not wise to make him do so."

Jack was not happy and he let it show. "And I do not like being ordered around like some common slave. Nor do I like to be threatened. You will tell your master that we will join him after we have cleaned up." He put an arm around Daniel's waist and went to leave. The Jaffa all primed their zats and aimed them at the group.

"Jack," Daniel said in a low voice, "if we don't go, Ka'tan will likely beat the man for his failure to carry out orders." He didn't want to go to the throne room but nor did he want anyone punished because of them. Of course, the fact that they would be zatted if they tried to leave was also a factor.

"For cryin' out loud," Jack muttered but halted anyway. He would never hear the end of it if that happened. He turned around to face the slave. "Fine, let's go."

Jack kept a possessive arm around Daniel as SG-1 was led into the throne room. Ka'tan was seated upon his throne, a dozen male concubines surrounding him. As the team advanced towards the Goa'uld, the Jaffa separated Teal'c and Carter from their master.

Ka'tan didn't bother standing when Natel and the slave approached him. He had been doing some thinking and had become suspicious of his guests, especially when he had belatedly recognised the Jaffa's gold tattoo. "Lord Natel, I am curious. How did a servant of Apophis end up in your employ?"

Uh-oh, Jack thought. "He was fleeing a battle and crashed his glider near my village."

"A minion of Apophis fleeing a battle?" Ka'tan was sceptical. "Then he is a coward." He smiled at the anger that appeared in the Jaffa's eyes.

"He has proven to be nothing but brave in my service," Jack stated calmly.

"That is surprising." Ka'tan stood up and walked down to stand in front of Daniel. "As for this one, I do not truly believe he is your concubine. He is not comfortable with your touch."

Daniel kept his eyes on the floor and tried to relax. He hadn't realised that his discomfort yesterday had been showing.

"As I said last night, at home we tend to keep our intimacy behind closed doors." Jack lightly stroked Daniel's side to help keep him calm.

"Well, I wish to see it now. Kiss him," Ka'tan ordered.

Jack quickly assessed the situation and realised they were in big trouble if they couldn't convince Ka'tan of their identities. "I am a Lord, Ka'tan. You cannot order me."

"Maybe not. But I can threaten you." He nodded at his guards, who aimed their zats at the two servants. "Kiss him."

Jack turned slightly towards Daniel then leaned in to kiss him. Daniel met him halfway, and their lips met eagerly. Jack was surprised by the amount of enthusiasm in the kiss, and was naturally aroused by it. He put a hand behind Daniel's head to hold him in place while his other hand pressed firmly against Daniel's spine. Oh, yeah, this was the way he had imagined kissing Daniel.

The sight of Daniel and the colonel kissing transfixed Sam. Despite being weird, it was also hot, and she shifted restlessly. It was really, really hot. Had they practised it? Or maybe they were actually a couple... no, don't go there! Concentrate on the Goa'uld who is standing there watching them... no, still a bad image. Think about the bad guys wanting to shoot us... yeah, that works.

Daniel threw everything he had into the kiss, trying to make it look convincing. His hands slid up to grip Jack's shoulders, and he pressed himself against the older man. He could feel Jack's erection against his own, and he pushed against it, enjoying the sensation.

Jack pulled back when he felt Daniel start to push; now was so not the time. "Satisfied?"

"I will be." Ka'tan gestured to his concubines. The two biggest men came over and pulled Daniel away from Natel. They held his arms immobile out to the side.

"Hey!" Jack protested. He took a step towards Daniel then heard the zat guns being discharged. He looked behind him to see Carter and Teal'c fall to the floor. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded, turning back to Ka'tan.

"It's very simple. I wish to possess your slave." Ka'tan smiled smugly at Natel. The slave was indeed passionate, and Ka'tan was looking forward to their joining.

"He's mine," Jack stated in a tone that brooked no argument. "You will release him now."

"You are greatly outnumbered," Ka'tan pointed out. His eyes flicked to behind Natel, and two Jaffa came up to hold the man in place. Then the Goa'uld went over to stand behind the slave. "Such a beautiful specimen," he noted, his left hand reaching around to caress the bare stomach.

Daniel tried to move away from the touch but was held firmly in place. Anger started to rise in him, along with fear; how was Jack going to stop Ka'tan?

Jack remained outwardly calm while the Goa'uld pawed Daniel. "I believe I mentioned what happened to the people who have previously tried this. Normally people aren't in such a hurry to die." Although how he was going to accomplish that, he didn't know.

Ka'tan laughed; it was a chilling sound. "Your bravado intrigues me. You are outnumbered and you have no weapons yet you threaten me with something you cannot carry out." He pulled the slave back against him, his arm firm around the slender waist. He put his other hand at the top of the young man's throat. "Although I can see why you wish to keep him. He is very beautiful."

"Let him go," Jack ordered in a deadly voice. He seethed at the Goa'uld for daring to put his hands on Daniel.

"No," Ka'tan refused. He could feel the slave's quickened breathing and knew that he was afraid. The sense of power this gave him made Ka'tan aroused; he enjoyed making people afraid of him. "He is mine now." To emphasise this, he leaned into bite the sensitive skin between the shoulder and neck.

Daniel bit back a shout of pain, his teeth digging hard into his lower lip. He had been trying to keep calm but hadn't succeeded all that well, and he was aware that he was headed towards panic. He was very much afraid of what Ka'tan was going to do to him. Daniel caught Jack's eye and saw the same fear reflected in his gaze. 'I love you,' he mouthed at the older man, then smiled when Jack mouthed the words back to him. Whatever happened next, Daniel would be able to get through it knowing that Jack loved him.

Ka'tan gave the bite one final lick and then looked with satisfaction upon the red mark. The slave was now his. He turned his gaze upon Natel, not surprised to see the man angrily glowering at him. He licked his lips in satisfaction and, deciding to fuel the anger, let his left hand drift lower until two fingers were below the waistband of the slave's outfit.

Jack's eyes hardened as he saw what the Goa'uld was doing. He could also see how uncomfortable Daniel was, the young man unable even to struggle because of the tight hold. "If you take him, you'll die." That was directed towards the Goa'uld but it was a promise to both Ka'tan and to Daniel.

Ka'tan merely smiled. "Jaffa! Take them to the dungeon."

Jack was dragged struggling and protesting from the room. Daniel watched him go and his panic started to come back. He twisted his shoulders, trying to break free; he was not going to let the Goa'uld take him easily.

"You will only hurt yourself," Ka'tan stated in amusement. "It is easier not to resist."

"Yeah, well, I've never taken the easy option," Daniel retorted.

"I would hate to take measures to ensure your co-operation."

It wasn't hard to hear the threat. Daniel was torn between complying and getting into a situation where he definitely couldn't escape, but only for a few seconds. As Jack kept drumming into him, one has to do what is necessary to survive until the cavalry arrives. Of course, he hadn't exactly been talking about this kind of situation but Daniel figured the rule would still apply. "What kind of measures?"

"Now that would be telling." Ka'tan released his new slave. "Bring him."

As Daniel was forced out of the room, he wondered just how long it would take Jack and the others to rescue him...

~~~

"Sir?" Sam patted the colonel's shoulder. When she got no response, she looked across at Teal'c. "They must have zatted him too."

"I concur." Teal'c looked around at their surroundings. They were presently in the dungeon, in the first of three cells. The other two were currently empty. "Do you still retain your weapon, MajorCarter?"

Sam nodded. "They obviously didn't expect me to be carrying anything. You?"

"I have my zat'n'ktel."

"That's good news." Sam turned back to the colonel. "Sir, wake up!"

Jack groaned as he regained consciousness. He draped a hand over his eyes. "Carter?"

"Yes, Colonel."

"They zatted me, didn't they?"

"Yes."

"Where are we?" He really didn't feel like opening his eyes.

"We are in the dungeon, O'Neill," Teal'c replied. "We need to escape so that we may rescue DanielJackson."

Hearing the linguist's name made Jack's eyes fly open. Ka'tan had his Daniel. That situation had to be remedied as soon as possible. "Suggestions, kids?"

"Both Teal'c and I still have our weapons," Sam replied. "Teal'c could zat the lock, then we take out the guards, get our other weapons and GDO, then get Daniel and run for it."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack sat up and made sure all his limbs worked. "How far away are we from our rooms?"

Sam shared another look with Teal'c. "Near as I can figure, on the other side of the castle."

"Of course." That was just typical of SG-1's luck. Jack tried standing up and found that most of the zat effects were gone. He got his gun out and held it ready. "Teal'c, do your stuff."

Teal'c aimed at the lock and fired three times in quick succession. On the third time, a large hole appeared in the bars.

Jack went through first. "Nice work," he observed. Why hadn't he thought to do that when rescuing Chaka from Burrock? It would have been a lot easier, and then he and Daniel wouldn't have been caught and imprisoned.

"Thank you, O'Neill," Teal'c said as he followed MajorCarter out.

The fight at the door was short, with SG-1 the victors. After looking around to see whether the noise had attracted anyone's attention, Jack ordered, "Carter, take point."

"Yes, sir."

~~~

Daniel was taken to the locked room that Sam had mentioned. Ka'tan opened the door by placing his hand on the orange dome and then he entered the room. The two slaves dragged Daniel into the middle of the room then left. Daniel looked warily around him. There was a big bed against one wall, with a gaudy red cover and purple pillows. Along another wall were items Ka'tan obviously used on his slaves, such as pain sticks, whips, and some things Daniel didn't even want to identify. The third wall had one shelf with an assortment of jars and containers on it.

"Like it?" Ka'tan asked, noticing Daniel's curiosity. "Everything in here I can use for pleasure or for persuasion, depending on what you choose."

It looked more like pain either way, Daniel thought. He wrapped his arms around his chest. This was not looking good.

Ka'tan went over to the weapons rack and retrieved his hand-device. After putting it on, he picked up a knife, then sauntered back over to the slave. He lovingly ran the flat of the knife over the young man's right cheek, testing to see how the slave reacted. The man didn't flinch away, instead staring steadily back at him. Ka'tan removed the slave's glasses and threw them onto the floor. Then he placed the tip of the knife in the hollow at the base of the slave's neck, pleased to see a waver in the young man's resolve. "Are you going to strip or am I going to do it for you?" he asked, making sure the tip pressed into the soft skin.

Daniel eyed the knife. "Given the options, I think I'll do it myself." He started unlacing the vest, his fingers shaking slightly; he was both angry at and afraid of the Goa'uld. He moved slowly, wanting to prolong this in the hopes that he would be rescued before anything happened. He flinched back when Ka'tan ran the knife down his neck and over his chest. "Do you mind? That's very cold."

Ka'tan chuckled but didn't cease what he was doing. Daniel finished unlacing his vest then slowly took it off, letting it fall to the floor.

"Very nice," Ka'tan purred, abandoning the knife to run his hand over the bare skin. There were a few faint scars that he could see and he wondered what had caused them. He walked around to inspect the back, his fingers tracing over the spine until it disappeared under the silky trousers. "Perfect." Putting the knife against the slave's throat, he moved around to kiss the young man.

Daniel remained frozen in place, not participating but not fighting either. He wasn't going to do anything stupid while there was a knife at his throat.

Pulling back, Ka'tan removed the knife. The young man tasted so sweet. "Now the rest." Ka'tan moved behind the man again.

Reluctantly, Daniel knelt down to undo his sandals then froze. His knife! He had forgotten all about the knife strapped to his leg. As soon as Ka'tan saw that, he would be in big trouble. Unless... if he could get his knife out without Ka'tan getting suspicious, then he might have a chance to get away. Daniel quietly slipped the knife out of its' holster, being careful not to betray his intentions.

"Hurry up!" the Goa'uld demanded.

Holding the knife as he had been trained to do, Daniel surged upwards, spinning around at the same time and aiming for the Goa'uld's stomach. To his surprise, Ka'tan captured his wrist only inches away from the target. Daniel winced as the grip tightened.

"Foolish child!" Ka'tan scorned. He twisted the slave's wrist until the young man dropped the knife. Then he kept twisting until the slave was kneeling on the floor. "Did you truly expect to harm me?"

"I was hoping for it," Daniel replied defiantly, not looking away from the Goa'uld. He was going to be in for it now. But the thought of being beaten didn't worry him nearly as much as being raped did.

"You will cease your attempts to escape," Ka'tan stated, his other hand moving to slide through the short brown hair. "They are futile."

Daniel gritted his teeth at the bad cliché. "I didn't think you could get Star Trek all the way out here," he retorted, channelling Jack. He quickly regretted it when he was flung forward to the floor and a foot was placed between his shoulder blades. Well, he thought to himself, at least I'm stalling him.

"Your last master did not teach you well. I will not make that mistake." He went over to the weapons side of the room.

Daniel looked towards the door but decided against running for it; the naqadah-operated lock he saw next to the door meant that he wouldn't be able to open it anyway. And when he saw the whip that Ka'tan was handling, he decided to stay put.

Ka'tan turned back to his new concubine and was pleased to see him still on the floor. "Good, you are a quick leaner. Get on your knees."

Slowly, Daniel obeyed. He rested his hands on his thighs and kept his eyes on the floor. Where was the cavalry when he needed them?

~~~

SG-1 made their way quickly and unsuspiciously through the maze of hallways to their rooms. Once there, they quickly grabbed their weapons and anything else they needed, then headed off again. None of them were in any doubt about what would be happening to Daniel, and they wanted to get there as fast as possible. Sam had theorised that the room with the human-proof lock would be the most likely place Ka'tan would have taken Daniel because he wouldn't think that anyone else could get in. Jack only hoped that she was right.

~~~

After discarding the whip and deciding to go for something that wouldn't leave marks, Ka'tan stood in front of the young man. "Look at me," he commanded. When Daniel did so, with defiance in his eyes, Ka'tan activated the hand-device, determined to teach the impudent slave a lesson.

Pain exploded in Daniel's skull; he would never get used to that thing. He tried to fight the pain but with little success. All he could do was endure and hope that it would not last for long. When the pain stopped, he gasped with relief.

Deciding that was enough for now, Ka'tan went over to the other side of the room and picked up one of the bottles. He took the cork out of the top then walked back to the slave and handed it to him. "Drink this."

This can't be good, Daniel thought as he took the bottle. "What will it do?"

Ka'tan raised his jewel-encased hand.

"Okay, I get the point." Daniel took a mouthful of the liquid and found it quite nice. After a quick glance to see whether the hand-device was still aimed at him - which it was - he took another couple of mouthfuls then put the bottle down. His mind started to feel a bit sluggish, and he realised that the liquid probably contained something to make him pliable. He shook his head, trying to clear it; he was not going to give in.

Ka'tan watched the internal struggle with amusement. He reached out and stroked his fingers through Daniel's hair, enjoying the silky feel of it. When he saw the blue eyes begin to glaze over, he knew that the liquid nishta had taken hold of the slave's mind. "Slave," he purred, "I want you to remove your clothing and lie down on the bed."

"Yes, Master." Daniel tried to fight the order but found himself obeying. Soon he was naked and lying on his back on the bed, open to Ka'tan's inspection. When the Goa'uld started caressing him, Daniel tried to move away but his limbs wouldn't co-operate.

The slave was beautiful, Ka'tan mused as he fingered the soft genitals. Too bad he had to be drugged for their first time together. Ka'tan leaned down and bit the sensitive skin at the top of the young man's thigh - a second mark to show that he now belonged to Ka'tan. He pushed Daniel over onto his stomach and proceeded to caress every inch of smooth skin. Then, kneeling between the long legs, Ka'tan ran his finger down the crease, brushing it over the target. He pushed the tip of his finger inside, surprised at how tight it felt. It seemed he would have to do some preparation first so as not to ruin the slave for further use.

Daniel's foggy mind balked at the invasion. "No," he protested in a slurred voice. The intrusion got bigger and started to hurt but he couldn't fight it. His eyes started to feel heavy and he closed them, trying to block out the violation of his body.

Ka'tan fetched some more equipment upon seeing Daniel completely pliant. Then he returned to the bed, undid his breeches, and started slicking himself up.

~~~

"This is it," Sam whispered as she rounded the corner, P-90 held at the ready. She took up a flanking position, the colonel opposite her, and Teal'c in the centre, his staff primed for action. At Colonel O'Neill's nod, she put her hand on the dome. The door started to slide back. She was first into the room, and the first one that the Goa'uld saw.

As MajorCarter was knocked flying by the hand-device, Teal'c aimed his staff at Ka'tan and fired, hitting the Goa'uld in the chest. A split second later, gunfire sounded next to him and he saw the bullets rip into the falling Goa'uld.

Jack was over at the bed in an instant when he saw the naked figure lying there. "Daniel!"

After checking on MajorCarter, Teal'c followed O'Neill over to the bed. As he got closer, he saw the symbiote leave Ka'tan's body and head for DanielJackson. He quickly reached down and, grabbing the symbiote, killed it before it could take the scholar as a host.

Jack nodded his thanks at Teal'c then turned his attention back to his linguist. "Daniel, wake up!"

"J'ck?" Daniel looked through slitted eyes and tried to focus on the figure in front of him. "Safe?"

"Yes, Danny, you're safe," Jack promised him. He reached out to stroke Daniel's hair, hating the glazed look in the young man's eyes. And now that he was closer, he could see the mark on Daniel's forehead where a hand-device had been used on him. "We're going home."

"Good." Jack was here now; he was safe. Knowing this, Daniel stopped fighting the drug.

"Daniel!" Jack exclaimed in alarm when the linguist's eyes fluttered closed.

Sam, who was studiously ignoring Daniel's nudity, came over and felt for a pulse. "It's weak but steady," she reported.

"Damn Goa'uld," Jack muttered. He left Daniel's side to fetch the young man's clothing. "Carter, guard the door. Teal'c, help me dress Daniel."

Teal'c gently rolled the scholar onto his back, then lifted the long legs so that O'Neill could pull the satin pants up. A mark near DanielJackson's hip caught his eye and it disturbed him. He should have been able to protect his friend from this.

Jack also saw the mark. Swearing softly under his breath, he pulled the clothing up to cover the bite. He sensed Teal'c staring at him, and he looked up to see a question in the Jaffa's eyes. "It wasn't me!" he protested before thinking.

"I did not say that it was, O'Neill." But it did confirm that the warrior had begun a relationship with DanielJackson, possibly using this mission as an excuse to do so. Teal'c knelt on the bed and lifted the young scholar up so that O'Neill was able to finish dressing him.

Mentally cursing himself, Jack finished his task, then gently tapped on Daniel's cheek. "Come on, Dannyboy, open your eyes. We need to go home now." Daniel didn't respond, making Jack realise that their escape was going to be a little bit harder than he had planned.

"I will carry him," Teal'c stated. He placed DanielJackson over his left shoulder so that he could continue to use his staff weapon with his right hand.

"Right." Jack didn't like the fact that Teal'c got to carry him but the big man was better for the job. He picked up Daniel's glasses, which were lying next to the bed, and carefully tucked them into the front of his tunic; Daniel would want them when he woke. "Carter, take point!" Jack then fell back to cover Teal'c's six.

They made it around two corners before they were spotted. The servants - both female - took one look at the weapons and fled. Jack knew that they would head straight for the local Jaffa. "Head for the back way," he ordered.

"Yes, sir!" came the acknowledgement from Carter.

When they had almost reached the laundry room, the sound of a zat being fired alerted them to the presence of the guards. Jack pivoted and returned fire, deliberately aiming low, hoping that they would cease pursuit. That move bought them enough time to get into the village and turn into the maze of streets.

"Dan-yel?"

The quiet word stopped Jack in his tracks. He saw the little girl from earlier standing there watching, puzzlement on her face. He crouched down in front of Sharlee, aware that his team-mates had also now stopped. "That's right."

"What's wrong?"

A bad man tried to hurt him," Jack explained. "So now we want to get him home where he's safe. Can you show us how to get out of here?" He remembered what Daniel had said about the kids knowing the way.

Sharlee nodded. "This way." She headed down a street nearby, leaving the others to follow.

Placing their trust in the kid, SG-1 followed her. She led them through the streets to the outskirts of the village in what seemed like no time. Once there, Jack patted the little girl on the head. "Thanks."

"Dan-yel safe now?" she inquired.

"He will be."

After that, it was easy to get back to the gate. They did hear some Jaffa closing in on them when Carter started to dial home but they were too far away to worry about.

As soon as they got through the gate, Jack gave the order to close the iris. Only then did he start breathing easier. They were home.

"Colonel?" General Hammond bustled into the gate room. "What happened?"

"Just your average run-in with a Goa'uld, sir." Jack caught the stares directed at his team; most were at Daniel, and he told himself that they were just concerned for the civilian, not ogling him. "Permission to get Daniel to the infirmary."

"Granted."

Teal'c moved DanielJackson into his arms - a more dignified way to carry him to the infirmary. Partway there, Doctor Fraiser and a couple of orderlies met SG-1 with a gurney. Teal'c gently put the scholar down as Fraiser asked, "What happened?"

"We met a lovely Goa'uld on the planet," Jack said sarcastically. "We think he ribboned Daniel and then drugged him."

"Any idea what with?" Janet asked as the group walked quickly through the hallways. She saw the light burn mark on Daniel's forehead, and was pleased to see that it didn't seem too bad.

"Not a clue. He was barely conscious when we found him." A fact that had added more grey hairs to his collection.

Janet nodded, her mind already sorting through the possibilities. "Wait out here," she ordered SG-1 when they reached the infirmary.

Jack reluctantly obeyed as Daniel was wheeled away. He stayed nearby, too wound up to go anywhere else. He was aware of Carter and Teal'c leaving, then arriving back in their SGC uniforms. Jack looked down at the tunic he was wearing - it was an unwelcome reminder of what had happened on that planet but he didn't want to leave to get changed. He needed to be there when Daniel woke up.

When Fraiser stepped out of the infirmary, Jack snapped to attention. He wasn't pleased to see the grim look on her face, and he wasn't sure that he wanted to hear what she had to say. What if they had been too late in their rescue and Ka'tan had raped Daniel? He knew they should have gotten there sooner. If only they had...

"He's going to be fine," Janet reported to the anxious team members. "He was ribboned but it's not severe. I'm keeping him in overnight for observation," she said as General Hammond walked up to the group.

"Nothing else?" Jack queried sharply.

"There is a drug in his system which I would guess acted as some sort of narcotic but I won't know for sure until I do some more tests."

Jack stared at her. She wasn't mentioning any assault injuries; were there none or was she just not saying anything about them?

"At least our boy is home," Hammond stated. He had come to his own conclusions about the mission after seeing the outfits. "Colonel, I'd like to see you in my office."

"Ah, if you don't mind, General, I'd like to be here when Daniel wakes up." He had the feeling that Daniel might need some reassurance when he regained consciousness.

Hammond nodded; he knew how much Jack cared about his team. "Very well. Major Carter."

"Yes, sir." Sam fell into step behind the general, wishing that she could have stayed too.

"Doc," Jack said as Fraiser went to leave. "Was he... uh, what I meant is, um..."

Janet knew exactly what he was asking, having seen the bite marks and where they were located. "No, he wasn't." She could see the relief on his face, and she knew how he felt.

"Thank God," Jack murmured. They had rescued Daniel just in time. Not that Jack wouldn't have still loved Daniel anyway but he hadn't wanted the young man to suffer through anything like that again.

When Janet left, Jack went to sit next to Daniel's bed while Teal'c remained standing at the foot of the bed. A red mark was just visible above the hospital gown, and Jack realised that was where Ka'tan had bitten Daniel in the throne room. The sight angered him, his fist clenching automatically; the Goa'uld had deserved to die for treating Daniel like that. He forced himself to calm down; Daniel wouldn't approve of his thoughts.

The two men kept silent vigil over the linguist for fifteen minutes before the young man started to stir. Jack immediately grabbed Daniel's hand. "Danny?"

His head hurt. That was the first thing Daniel noticed as he returned to consciousness. The second thing he noticed was that someone was holding his hand. No, not just someone - Jack. He could hear the older man saying something but he was too tired to work it out. "Jack?"

"Yes, Danny, it's me. You're in the infirmary." Jack couldn't help grinning at hearing his love speak. "Open your eyes for me." He needed to see if Daniel was back to normal yet. Well, that and he wanted to see those beautiful blue eyes.

Daniel opened them a fraction but quickly shut them again. "Hurts." The light was too bright.

"What hurts?" Jack became concerned.

"Head. Pounding." He wanted the pain to go away.

Janet came bustling over and, having heard the last statement, stated, "The drug and the ribbon device combined are probably causing that. I'll give you something for it in a minute. Does anything else hurt?"

"No." Daniel turned his head towards where Jack's voice had been. "Thirsty."

Jack got the glass of water from the nearby table and, supporting Daniel's head, helped him to drink some of it. "Better?"

"Head still hurts." Daniel sank back onto the pillow, his eyes still closed. He felt a cool hand on his forehead, too small to be Jack's so he assumed it was Janet's. "Can I go home?"

"Not today. I want to make sure that the drug has left your system first." The hand was removed.

The first time Janet had mentioned the drug, it hadn't sunk in. This time, the memory slammed into him. Ka'tan had drugged him and had made him strip! The events after that were too hazy to make out properly but Daniel remembered the panic that had accompanied them.

Jack noticed Daniel's quickened breathing, and he squeezed the linguist's hand. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe now." What had triggered the panic, he wondered.

"Did he-?" Daniel couldn't bring himself to finish asking the question. He bit his lip; it didn't feel like anything had happened, there was no pain.

"No, he didn't," Jack replied, knowing what Daniel was asking.

"I didn't co-operate," Daniel said softly. He felt a pinprick in his arm and he jumped, having been unaware of the action.

"Sorry, Daniel," Janet apologised; she realised that she should have warned him. "The pain should start easing soon."

That was good news. He heard her footsteps fading away and then Teal'c's murmured voice. Finally he was left alone with Jack.

"I know you didn't co-operate," Jack stated, continuing where they had left off. "Otherwise Ka'tan wouldn't have drugged you."

"It made me obey him. Just like Hathor. I couldn't fight it." He felt so guilty about that.

"Wasn't your fault," Jack immediately stated. Hathor's name sent anger coursing through him again, and he had to push it back so that he could comfort Daniel. "It was Ka'tan's fault. He thought you would be an easy target but you weren't, and I am so proud of that."

"What if he'd--"

"He didn't." Jack reached out and briefly touched Daniel's cheek, then leaned in to whisper, "And I would still love you even if he had."

Daniel's lips curved into a smile; it felt good to hear that. "Me too," he said softly before the meds kicked in and he drifted off to sleep.

Jack smiled and just stared at Daniel for a few moments. Then he left to go and talk to Hammond.

~~~

Jack made his way back to the infirmary about an hour later. He had tried to keep things as vague as possible but he could see Hammond reading between the lines; his CO wasn't dumb. Now all he had to do was write up his mission report, avoiding all references to concubines and sex slaves for Daniel's sake.

Upon entering the infirmary, he found Carter sitting by Daniel's bed. She was staring at him, guilt written all over her face. Jack realised that they were all going to feel guilty over this mission. "Major."

Sam jumped; she hadn't heard the colonel come in. "Sir," she acknowledged him.

"How is he?" Jack went to stand next to her but his eyes were on Daniel.

"Still sleeping." She was planning on staying there until he woke up - too often, she left that to the colonel.

"We got there in time," Jack told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Daniel was his usual stubborn self, which delayed the Goa'uld long enough for us to get there."

"Yes, sir." Sam still wasn't convinced that they hadn't failed Daniel somehow. And the sight of Daniel just lying there, naked...

"You did good, Carter," Jack continued, wanting to stop her from feeling guilty. "If you hadn't known about that room, we would have spent ages trying to find them, and then it would have been too late." And if Teal'c hadn't had his zat, then none of them would have gotten out of that cell. Maybe he should suggest that someone make a pocket-sized zat for future imprisonment; it would sure save a lot of time picking locks or waiting to be rescued.

Sam stared up at her CO. Compliments from him were rare these days. "Why does it always have to be Daniel? Why couldn't it have been me?"

"You know, Daniel asks the same thing every time one of us gets injured," Jack stated. "So does Teal'c. So do I. That's part of what makes us a good team." One he wouldn't trade for anything.

"Are you sure you didn't have some of the local alcohol, sir?" This didn't sound like her CO at all - well, not the one of the past couple of years, anyway.

"Don't worry, Carter, it'll wear off," Jack tried to joke. "I'm just saying there's no point in all of us blaming ourselves."

"Yes, sir."

"Noisy," Daniel complained as he became aware of his surroundings again. His head still hurt but not as bad as before.

"Daniel!"

"Daniel!"

Jack and Sam's voices overlapped each others, causing Daniel to wince. "Ow!"

"What's wrong?" Jack stepped closer to the bed then realised that he really couldn't soothe Daniel's brow as he had planned to. He really ought to remember where he was; these thoughts were getting way out of hand!

"Three guesses," Daniel replied. He tentatively tried to open his eyes and found that he could keep them open so long as he squinted. But that hurt his head so he closed them again.

Sam put a hand on his forehead; it was warm to touch. "Shouldn't the pain be going away by now?"

"You'd think," Daniel borrowed one of Jack's sayings. He lifted a shaky hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose. "What was in that drug?"

"Janet thinks your headache might have been caused by the combination of the ribbon device and whatever Ka'tan gave you," Sam stated. She shifted her hand down to his shoulder.

"She also says that it probably won't go away until the nishta leaves your system," Janet said as she entered the infirmary after hearing the earlier shouts.

"Nishta?" Jack and Daniel questioned at the same time.

"The chemical left a similar residue to the nishta left in your body after Hathor," Janet explained to Daniel.

"But..." Daniel was confused. "He made me drink it!"

"Obviously he found a way to distil it then." Janet produced a syringe. "Daniel, I need to take another blood sample. Once I've examined it, I'll get a better idea about how long it will take to dissipate."

Daniel nodded, the movement small. "And until then, I've got to put up with this headache, right?"

"I'm afraid so." Janet slid the needle into Daniel's arm and withdrew some blood. "I'm reluctant to give you anything that might react badly with the nishta."

"Great."

Jack almost smiled at the dry tone of voice. He knew that the pain had to be bad if Daniel was actually complaining, and that it wasn't really a smiling matter, but he couldn't help it. "Doc, how about we take Daniel into one of the VIP rooms, dim the lights, and get him to eat something."

Janet considered that. "Actually, that might not be a bad idea. Someone will need to keep an eye on him though."

"No problem." Jack patted Daniel's leg. "How's that sound, Daniel?"

"You just want a comfy chair, Jack." Daniel kept a straight face but on the inside he was smiling as he wondered whether Jack had an ulterior motive.

"You know me too well."

~~~

Daniel was shifted to one of the VIP rooms. The first thing Jack did was turn off all the lights except for one in the far corner. Daniel opened his eyes slowly and found that the dim light didn't hurt them. He looked at Jack for the first time since they had been back and saw the concern written there. "You look terrible," he said, trying to grin.

"This lighting does nothing for me," Jack complained, well aware of the others in the room.

"How's the head?" Sam asked as she went over to stand next to the bed.

"Better." He noticed Sam's gaze flick downwards for a second, and he remembered the bite on his neck. She and Teal'c had been unconscious when Ka'tan had done that, so he couldn't blame her for her curiosity.

"I'll take first watch," Jack said, wanting to stay with Daniel.

Janet checked her watch; there was still a couple of hours before she could order him to bed. "Four hours, Colonel, then I expect you to get some rest as well."

"Will do," Jack promised. He waited until everyone had left before perching himself on the bed beside Daniel. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi." Daniel's reply was equally as soft. He gave Jack a shy smile when the older man placed a hand on his stomach.

"So how are you really feeling?"

Daniel guessed that Jack wasn't talking about physical pain. But he didn't really want to talk with his potential lover about what had happened in the castle; the events were still too recent. "Can this wait?"

Jack looked into the pain-filled blue eyes and reluctantly gave in. "Only if you promise me that you'll tell me when we get home."

"I promise." That way he would have distanced himself from the events and have dealt with it by pushing it out of his mind. "Did you really mean what you said?"

"Which bit are you referring to?"

"The... wanting me bit." The words were hesitant; Daniel was scared of losing Jack, that it might not mean anything now they were back on Earth.

Jack leaned down and kissed Daniel, lingering for a few seconds. "I meant it, Daniel, don't ever doubt that. I also meant the part about loving you too."

Daniel was relieved to hear it. "Why?" he wanted to know; besides being 'hot', Daniel wasn't sure why Jack would love him.

"For millions of reasons, including that insatiable curiosity of yours." Which he was hoping would extend into the bedroom.

Daniel smiled. "You hate it when I'm curious." Jack had told him to 'stop touching' things often enough.

"Only when it's dangerous." Deciding to be more hands-on, Jack shifted so that he was lying next to Daniel. Then he pulled the young man into his arms, being careful not to aggravate Daniel's headache. "Are you curious about us?"

"I'm starting to be." Daniel found that he liked having Jack hold him like this, the broad shoulder making a good pillow for his head. This led to thoughts about what it would be like to lie fully on top of Jack. Naked, of course. "There wasn't much time on the planet to take all this in."

"I shouldn't have sprung it on you like that," Jack conceded. "But you know me, the master of bad timing."

"Yes, I do know you," Daniel agreed. "Which is why all this is hard to take in." He turned his head so that he could see Jack. "Aren't you supposed to be straight?"

"You're asking this now?" Jack moved his fingers into Daniel's hair. This was nice, just lying there together. "I can't explain it. It's just... you."

"What about Sam?" Daniel had seen the way Jack had looked at her, and, on occasion, mourned for her.

Jack knew exactly what Daniel was meaning. "It was safer than thinking about you."

Daniel thought about that. "Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Jack was somewhat surprised that Daniel hadn't asked him to elaborate.

"That's it."

"No declarations of undying love?"

"I'll get back to you." But Daniel couldn't hold back a smile, his mood lightened - as always - by Jack's playfulness.

Jack groaned dramatically. "So I guess this means we aren't going to have sex anytime soon." He wanted it badly but was willing to let Daniel set the pace.

"I thought we were going to... make love," Daniel said, a teasing smile on his lips.

Jack shifted onto his side, supporting Daniel's head with his arm, then traced the fingers of his other hand over those tempting lips. "I should know better than to mess with a linguist."

"Not with words, anyway." Daniel looked up into the loving brown eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"Never been surer," Jack replied.

"More sure," Daniel automatically corrected, then was silenced when Jack kissed him. He reached blindly for something of Jack to hold onto and found the back of his head. Desire started to grow in his groin, threatening to smother the pain he was in. He welcomed it, wanting to feel, not to think. But all too soon Jack pulled back, and Daniel groaned in protest. "Ja-ack."

"Now is not the time, Danny." Although his body violently disagreed with him. Daniel's enthusiastic participation had only aroused Jack more. "But I promise that after we get home, we'll take this further."

"Okay." He was definitely looking forward to that.

~~~

The nishta left Daniel's body the next day but Janet kept him in for an extra night just to make sure. After she released him, Daniel went to his office and worked extremely hard so that he was ready to leave by four o'clock. He was extremely curious about sex with Jack, and he was impatient to find out what it was like.

Jack glanced at his watch when Daniel caught up with him in his office. "Aren't you working?"

"Nope. I'm finished for the day. I want to go home and finish our conversation from the other day."

Yes! Most of Jack's blood supply headed south when he realised that Daniel wanted to make love now. Calm down, he told himself, just be patient. "I suppose I can knock off a little early," he said nonchalantly, trying to be casual.

"Good. I'll meet you at the truck. Janet said I shouldn't drive home today." She hadn't exactly said that but it was a good excuse.

Jack didn't take too long to get changed and make his way up to the surface. On the way back to his house, they talked about mundane things, trying to draw out the suspense.

Daniel kept part of his mind on the conversation while the other part was thinking about the evening ahead. He had done a lot of thinking while recovering, and he had determined that he was definitely in love with Jack. Everything the older man had listed, Daniel felt, and of course there was the physical desire too. He was planning on telling Jack at just the right moment - preferably before the sex because afterwards, Jack would be in no doubt anyway. As soon as Jack shut the front door behind them though, he started to get nervous. It was like his first time all over again, and Daniel hoped it wasn't going to be equally as disastrous.

Jack noticed the change of mood straight away. When the arms went across the chest, Jack knew that Daniel was nervous. "Want a game of chess or something?" he offered, trying to be supportive.

Daniel shook his head; waiting would only make him more nervous. "Let's do this."

"Daniel, I am not taking you to bed like this, although I have to admit this is turning me on." Daniel looked so cute when he was nervous.

"Really? Um..." The linguist couldn't think of anything to say to that. He chewed his bottom lip as Jack came closer and gathered him into his arms. Oh - Jack obviously wasn't kidding about being turned on. "This would probably be a bad time to mention that I'm not very good at sex."

"That's okay." Jack let his hands slip down to cup Daniel's ass. "Because we're going to make love."

"You just like saying that, don't you?" Daniel accused, annoyed that Jack could say that term without hesitation.

"Going to love doing it too." That was pretty much guaranteed. Jack slowly rubbed his groin against Daniel, watching the sparks of desire in the clear blue eyes. "Shall we progress to the bedroom or just stand here for a while?"

"Bedroom." Daniel stepped out of Jack's embrace and, shoving his nerves firmly aside, headed through the house to Jack's bedroom. He paused when he got there; nearly five years of being Jack's friend and he had never once stepped inside that particular room.

Jack embraced Daniel from behind then stepped forward, forcing the young man into the room. He understood the hesitancy; guys just didn't go into other guys' bedrooms. He could also tell that Daniel was thinking again when he should just be feeling. So he started stroking Daniel's growing erection through his trousers.

Daniel's breath hitched as the caress made him grow harder. "No fair," he complained. "I can't touch you."

"There's still plenty of time for that." Besides, if Daniel touched him now, things would move along rather rapidly. "I've been thinking about this for way longer than you so it's only fair that I get to explore first." Quickly unbuttoning Daniel's shirt with one hand, Jack deftly stripped it from the young man's body. He had seen the bare torso up close a few days ago but he hadn't had time to explore. He ran his hands over Daniel's back, then turned the linguist around to face him. Daniel was definitely well-built, Jack observed, tracing over the faint appendix scar. Then he knelt down and pressed his lips to the scar; he had almost lost Daniel then because of the linguist's stubborn refusal to admit to being in pain.

Daniel's hands found their way into Jack's hair and he held on tight as Jack continued to place kisses all over his stomach. He hadn't expected anything like this but he was definitely enjoying it. A little gasp escaped him when Jack's tongue swirled around inside his navel - obviously an erogenous zone if the electric current to his groin was any indication.

Jack smiled wolfishly as he continued to arouse Daniel. The younger man wasn't at the stage of being aroused just by looking at Jack, so the colonel had decided to help him out. Of course, the fact that he wanted to kiss every inch of Daniel's body had nothing to do with it.

When Jack figured that Daniel was ready, he backed Daniel over to the bed and helped him to lie down on it. Jack then quickly divested himself of shirt, trousers, socks and shoes, leaving only his briefs. Then he removed Daniel's clothes, revealing that the linguist also liked briefs. He put his hand over the prominent bulge as he leaned over to kiss Daniel's mouth.

Daniel arched up into Jack's touch, wanting more now that he had got over his nerves. When Jack didn't start rubbing, Daniel placed his hand over Jack's and moved it for him.

"My, someone's eager," Jack commented with a chuckle.

"I haven't done this in a really long time, so what do you expect?" Daniel retorted. He didn't do one-night stands, and it had been difficult to date anyone since he had joined the SGC, so it had been quite a few years since he'd had voluntary sex with anyone.

"Really?" Jack sounded surprised but he wasn't really. Daniel had always seemed like the commitment-type - as long as someone else made the first move.

"I don't sleep around, Jack," Daniel tried to excuse himself with.

"I know." Jack moved his hand under Daniel's briefs and started stroking the hard flesh. "You're not easy."

"Never," Daniel gasped. Part of his mind was shocked that Jack was touching him so intimately while the rest was begging for more. "I wouldn't want you to take me for granted."

"Just give me a swift kick if I ever do." Jack eased the briefs over Daniel's hips, baring the solid erection. "You're so beautiful," he breathed. Scooting down the bed, he placed a kiss on the bite mark on Daniel's thigh, then contemplated the sight in front of him. Deciding to just go for it, Jack licked the erection from base to tip before closing his mouth over the head.

"Jack!" Dio! That was so... so... Daniel couldn't think of words to describe it. Daniel's fists clenched in the bed sheets as he instinctively bucked up into Jack's mouth. He felt Jack's hands on his hips, holding him down. Daniel lifted his head far enough to see Jack's head bobbing up and down over his groin, and then he lay back with a groan. It wasn't long before he felt that familiar tightening in his groin, and he called out to Jack, wanting to warn him.

The knowledge only caused Jack to suck harder. Soon Daniel exploded into his mouth, and Jack swallowed quickly, learning how Daniel tasted. Then he moved up to lie on top of the younger man and kissed him hard, sharing the taste with Daniel.

Daniel just lay there, quivering as the aftershocks racked his body. His mind was still trying to process the information that Jack had just given him the best blow-job of his life. He could feel that Jack still needed to be satisfied but didn't think he could summon the energy to return the favour.

Jack looked down at the satiated expression and was smug; yep, he was still good at this. "I think I'll file that under the heading of 'ways to make a linguist speechless'."

Daniel tried to glare at him but it didn't work. How could he be mad at Jack right now? His body was starting to still, although every small movement that Jack made sent shivers through him. "You mean that way doesn't work on mouthy colonels?" He suddenly had the urge to find out.

Correctly reading the gleam in Daniel's eyes, Jack grinned. "Not tonight, Josephine. How about in the morning?"

"You want me to stay?"

"Of course I do. And no, it won't look suspicious because you've stayed over heaps of times before," Jack stated before Daniel could voice the question. He stroked Daniel's sweat-soaked face. "But this time you'll be in here with me."

"I love you, Jack." The words just fell out of Daniel's mouth.

Jack froze, scarcely believing what he had just heard. He had seen Daniel mouth the words in the throne room but it wasn't the same thing. "What?"

"I love you," Daniel repeated. He smiled up at Jack. "You were right about all the warning signs. I just didn't know what they had meant." Not until he'd had it pointed out to him.

"I'm always right." Jack ignored the amused snort from his lover. "Even if I can't always protect you." He touched the mark on Daniel's neck.

"Jack, let's not talk about this now." Daniel was feeling too good to let those memories intrude. "We're here, and I'm fine. Let's be grateful for that."

That sounded like a very good idea. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Daniel agreed. He gave a little wriggle, causing Jack's breath to hitch. "Meanwhile, is there something you want me to attend to?"

Jack pushed his erection into Daniel's soft groin, grinning when the blue eyes widened in surprise. It was good being Daniel's first male lover. "I think I've got it covered." He felt Daniel wriggle again and then there were two strong legs wrapped around his thighs. "Comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you." Daniel drew Jack down for a kiss and rocked his hips upwards again in a not-so-subtle hint.

Taking the hint, Jack pushed again and again into Daniel, the sensational friction quickly pushing him over the edge.

As Jack lay gasping from the intensity of his climax, Daniel rolled them both over and then snuggled into Jack's chest. His stomach was sticky but he didn't want to move to clean up; he wanted to savour everything about their first time together. He listened to Jack's heartbeat returning to normal, comforted by the sound. "Lost for words?" he teased shyly.

Sensing that Daniel needed some reassurance that he had done good, Jack simply smiled and ruffled the young man's hair. It would presumably take a while for Daniel to become confident in his abilities in bed, and Jack was thoroughly willing to help him with that. It would require practice. Lots and lots of practice. They had a couple of days downtime. Plenty of time to explore each other and for Jack to show Daniel that he owned Jack body and soul. He glanced down at Daniel, who was seemingly drifting off to sleep. The young man was such a sight to behold whether happy, sad, angry or merely content. And he was all Jack's, every last argumentative part of him.

"Coffee?" a sleepy voice demanded.

Jack reluctantly got up and headed out to the kitchen. He knew who was the slave in this relationship. "Coming right up, Master." Daniel had always been able to easily wrap Jack around his little finger. Why should things change now?

THE END