Could I Have This Dance?

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/dance.php
Summary: SG-1 change their team night ritual with some surprising results

Jack looked at the scene in front of him. There were seven middle-aged women milling about the room and shivers went down his spine. "T, when I agreed to changing where we went on our team nights, I didn't know you were suggesting this."

Teal'c tilted his head to the side. "You do not wish to participate?"

"It's not that I don't want to participate, it's that I can't. Bad knees, you know."

From beside him, Daniel gave a small huff of laughter. "Which means he doesn't want to do it," he interpreted. He couldn't blame Jack; this wasn't going to be his cup of tea either but he was prepared to give it a go.

"Come on, sir, it will be fun," Sam said from the other side of Jack. "You know, the kind of fun you're always saying we should do."

"'You' as in you and Daniel," Jack clarified. "I already know how to have fun. You two don't. And we're off duty, Sam. Lose the 'sir'."

"Yes, sir," she replied with a grin.

Jack peeked into the room again. One guy had joined the women and was in danger of being eaten alive - much as he suspected three-quarters of SG-1 would be as soon as they entered. "Are you sure you want to do this, T?"

"I am."

"Come on, Jack, you'll love it," Daniel stated. He was rather looking forward to seeing Jack do this.

With a heavy sigh, Jack gave in. "Okay, you guys win. But I hope someone has their cell ready to call an ambulance."

With an amused grin, Sam led the way into the Latin dancing class. She had to admit to being thoroughly surprised when Teal'c had suggested this a few weeks ago but she had decided that it could be really fun. And goodness knows, they needed to do something that was totally unrelated to going through the Stargate. Of course, there was also the promise of seeing Teal'c do the fluid, sexy dances - she couldn't imagine it!

When the class started - after the seven women had all checked out the new arrivals - Jack, Daniel and Sam all gravitated towards the back line. Teal'c, however, went straight to the front, much to his friends' surprise. He was very interested in learning, and did not have the self-conscious attitudes that the others had.

They learnt a few basic moves first from the salsa, and then the moves were put together into a routine. The fitness training that SG-1 did hadn't prepared them to dance for long periods of time, and at the end of an hour, the human contingent of the team were feeling the effects in their legs. Teal'c was fine.

Then came the part of the evening when everyone had to pair up to do partner dancing. There was a general stampede in the direction of the men. Daniel was quick enough to grab Sam so Jack had to choose from the other seven women. Teal'c graciously accepted the offer of a lively woman in her fifties, unperturbed by the gleam in her eyes.

The next fifteen minutes were spent learning how to dance as couples. Daniel and Sam had a great time, laughing at each other's attempts to dance. Daniel found that he was enjoying himself immensely, even if his hips didn't always want to swing the way they were supposed to. He stepped on Sam's toes a few times but didn't feel too guilty as Sam returned the clumsiness.

When Jack heard the laughter, he looked over at his two teammates and envied them. He had become stuck with a pushy woman who reminded him of Janet, except this woman couldn't hide the desire in her eyes. Not that he'd ever suspected Janet of desiring him... anyway, that was neither here nor there. He would much rather be over there with his kids. Daniel, especially, looked like he was having a good time as his rarely seen smile was plainly in view. Why couldn't that smile be directed at him instead of Carter?

Jack pulled his thoughts back to what he was doing. He couldn't afford to think about the strange thoughts he'd been having in regards to Daniel recently, otherwise he would embarrass himself in front of all these strangers, and it was bad enough doing this dancing in the first place.

Daniel's gaze kept drifting over to Jack during the evening. Jack didn't look like he was enjoying himself and Daniel couldn't blame him; the woman he was dancing with didn't seem to be very co-ordinated. Daniel wanted to go over there and show Jack that it could be fun but knew that the older man wouldn't appreciate it. Not only that, but there was the danger that dancing with Jack might just reveal too much about Daniel's feeling for him.

For the last five minutes, they got to change partners, so Jack was able to get away from the woman he had dubbed 'Mrs. Napoleon'. He watched Daniel as the young man danced with her and even from across the room, he could see the gleam in her eyes. Jack gritted his teeth; it looked like he would have to protect Daniel from ordinary women as well.

Jack briefly danced with Carter, and was surprised at the lack of desire he felt for her. Only a month or so ago - if one didn't count the time loops - he had all but declared his love for her. Now, Jack wasn't so sure that it was true. In fact, it was his other blue-eyed team member who seemed to be the object of his affections.

At the end of the evening, Sam drove Teal'c back to her house for the night to save him going back to the mountain, and Jack took Daniel home with him. They went inside and Jack immediately sank down onto the couch. "I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow," he complained. His legs were so sore.

"Me neither." Daniel sat down beside Jack and stretched his long legs out. "I didn't realise dancing could be so strenuous."

"What on earth possessed Teal'c to suggest doing this?" Jack wanted to know. He had been the only one of the team who hadn't known where they were going tonight.

"He saw a special on television and thought it would be a 'worthy activity'," Daniel told him. He leaned his head against the back of the couch. "You know Teal'c and his strange ideas."

"Yeah." Jack mirrored Daniel's position and stared up at the ceiling. "Remind me to cut off his television privileges."

Daniel chuckled; he knew Jack would never do such a thing. "Come on, are you telling me that you didn't enjoy it?"

"It had its moments. But I just don't have the knack for it." And his knees were killing him.

"You weren't doing too bad, Jack," Daniel stated with a smile. "You just had to loosen up more. Like Teal'c." He couldn't believe how good Teal'c was at dancing; the big man had no inhibitions and apparently had a very flexible body - Daniel had never seen Teal'c move so fluidly. In a way, Daniel was envious of that.

Jack snorted, remembering how Teal'c looked. "Who would have believed that underneath that stiff Jaffa exterior lay a dancer just waiting to come out?" He hadn't even been able to move that fluidly when he was twenty!

"Let's practice," Daniel said suddenly. He stood up and held his hand out to help Jack up.

Jack blinked at the young man. "Excuse me?"

"You just need some practice." Daniel took Jack's hand and pulled him up. "I'll lead until you get the hang of it." He turned some music on and then came back to arrange their arms the correct way.

"I don't need practice," Jack lied. He just didn't want to be holding Daniel this close. There wasn't much space in between their bodies, and his hand was on Daniel's shoulder. This could be dangerous, he decided.

"Yes, you do. Please, Jack," Daniel said, giving the older man his best pleading look.

"Oh, alright."

"Thank you." Daniel then proceeded to take Jack through the basic steps and after a while, Jack found himself moving better than he had all evening. They were moving together, something that shouldn't have been surprising given their close friendship but somehow, it surprised both of them.

After another few minutes, they swapped roles and Jack took the lead. His hand rested on the small of Daniel's back, so close to the swell of... No! He wasn't going to think about that. Jack focused on the dancing, finding that he liked dancing with Daniel. For some reason, it was a lot easier than dancing with Mrs. Napoleon.

Several minutes passed before Jack stopped dancing. Daniel looked up at Jack and thought he saw something there, something that warmed him. He unconsciously leaned forward in anticipation...

Jack quickly took a step back, untangling himself from Daniel. He had seen something in Daniel's eyes, something that he hoped wasn't also in his. It wasn't allowed so therefore he couldn't let it happen. "We've got an early start tomorrow. Better get some sleep." With that, he left the room.

Daniel was left standing in the middle of the living room, alone and hurt. He wrapped his arms around his middle, berating himself for letting his feelings show. There was no doubt that Jack now knew how he felt, and the decision to run hurt Daniel deeply. He had known that there was no chance of entering a relationship with Jack but the rejection had still hurt. How would Jack treat him tomorrow? As if this had never happened or would start to freeze Daniel out of his life? Either way was going to be painful.

With a heavy heart, Daniel turned the music off, checked to make sure that the front and back doors were locked, and then headed for the spare bedroom. He would not be able to sleep at all tonight.

~~~

Jack went for the first option, preferring to ignore what had almost happened. It was very stressful for Daniel, especially when he had almost been blown up while on the Gadmeer ship. Both he and Jack had gone about things the wrong way; Jack's stubbornness in not seeking another option, and Daniel getting mad because Jack couldn't see that both races deserved to live. Things had escalated from there, almost culminating in Daniel's death when he had been on the Gadmeer ship trying to reason with Lotan. He had been wrong to do it, he knew that, but he couldn't let the Gadmeer be destroyed when there was another choice. But Jack had also been wrong in his attitude and actions, and Daniel was under no illusions about why. He hadn't been able to talk to Jack all week, the older man deliberately keeping his distance, and it had carried over into their work. That was just not acceptable, and if General Hammond found out, they would both be in a lot of trouble.

Tonight would be the night when Daniel would make his decision. They were all going dancing again - Teal'c would be bringing Jack - so Daniel was guaranteed of having some fun. But if Jack continued to ignore him then Daniel would seriously have to consider whether remaining on SG-1 would be worth it. If Jack ignored his advice off-world, the consequences could be deadly. Daniel wouldn't put the team at risk like that again. It would hurt him to leave but he would if necessary.

Daniel quickly picked Sam as his partner again, and they had a lot of fun learning the new moves. At one point Sam suggested that they switch roles, so Daniel learnt the traditional female steps for the fancy turns they were doing. Because of their similar heights, it wasn't too awkward, and it made for a whole lot more laughter.

Jack kept his eye surreptitiously on Daniel the whole time. He was jealous of the fun time Daniel seemed to be having with Carter as Jack had been stuck with Mrs. Napoleon again. He tried to get into dancing with her but all he could think about was how much easier it had been with Daniel. How right it had been. As he watched Daniel and Sam going into the last move, ending with Sam's arms around Daniel, he wished it were him over there. But it never would be. Not only because such a relationship wasn't allowed but also because Daniel would never forgive him for the way he had been acting this week. He had tried to shut Daniel out on a mission and had almost killed him. Not a very bright or professional thing to do. He had seen Daniel's hurt body language when they had got back to base yesterday and knew that it was all his fault. Several bottles of beer in his trash attested to the guilt he felt over that last night. He should make it right with Daniel but he didn't know how.

When the class finished, Jack tentatively approached Daniel. The linguist was chatting with Teal'c but the Jaffa quietly withdrew when he saw Jack. Teal'c knew that the two men had something to sort out although he was not aware of the specifics, and decided to leave them to it.

"Hey."

"Hey," Daniel replied, his good mood starting to evaporate.

"Listen, we need to talk. Come back to my place?" Jack offered.

Daniel tried to assess Jack's mood but couldn't read him, his own emotions making things difficult. He didn't want to fight with Jack but knew they had to talk about what had happened. He nodded then went over to tell Sam that he wouldn't need a ride home.

The trip home was quiet, neither of them wanting to start the conversation. Inside Jack's house, they sat down opposite each other, Jack on the couch, Daniel on the chair. There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute as they remembered what had almost happened last week. Finally, Daniel made the first move. "I'm sorry."

"For...?"

"Last week." Daniel looked down at his hands. "I guess I can't blame you for hating me."

Jack started in surprise. "I don't hate you, Daniel. I was just surprised. I mean, I never expected..." he trailed off.

"That I would have feelings for you? Yes, that would have been a surprise," Daniel agreed dryly. Who would have thought that the geek would be in love with the colonel? Certainly not Jack, that was for sure.

"Daniel, you know that nothing can happen between us--"

"Yes, I know," he cut Jack off. "But we can't let it affect our work. That's why I'm going to resign from SG-1." That was the best option for everyone.

"What?" Jack hadn't expected that.

"I've been thinking for a while about staying on-base. I mean, there's so many translations that I just don't get time to finish. And there are always several teams whom I could travel off-world with if necessary." He could be content with that. He would have to be content with that.

Jack didn't know what to say. He hadn't realised things were that bad. "Because of me or the missions?" he wanted to know.

"A bit of both," Daniel replied honestly. "How many missions that SG-1 are assigned these days actually need a linguist or archaeologist? And when they are, how often do you actually listen to me?"

"Daniel--" Jack tried to protest but he was cut off again.

"SG-1 would be better off without me," Daniel continued. "That way you don't have to worry about me lusting after you or whatever." He gave Jack a sad smile. "I wish things could be different but..." Daniel trailed off, not wanting to expose himself more than he had already.

"You don't need to leave SG-1," Jack stated, not able to deal with the 'lusting' statement. "I'm the one who stuffed up, I should be the one to go." If he couldn't separate personal from professional then he shouldn't even be leading the team.

Daniel shook his head. "The team needs you, not me. I promise I won't get in your way at the SGC." Jack would never have to see him if he didn't want to. "I'll get a taxi and go." He stood and headed over to the front door.

Jack panicked; he couldn't let Daniel leave, not the house, not the team and definitely not him. Over the sudden pounding of his heart, he knew that he loved Daniel as more than just a friend. He couldn't lose him, not when Daniel had come so close to dying yesterday. So what if this wasn't allowed! "Wait." Without knowing why he did it, he went over and switched the radio on. Jack smiled as he listened to the words of the song that was playing:

//Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?

Will you be my partner every night?

When we're together it feels so right.

Could I have this dance for the rest of my life?//

He couldn't have expressed it better himself. Jack held his hand out to Daniel, inviting him to join him. "Could I have this dance?"

Daniel stood near the door for a long moment, just staring at Jack. He was wary of the sudden invitation although inside, he was ecstatic. Did this mean Jack wanted him too or was it only to stop him from leaving? Hoping it was the former and not the latter, he walked over and took Jack's hand. He allowed Jack to take the lead and relaxed into the older man's arms. Because the song was so slow, they didn't really do more than sway together but that was fine by them.

After a while, Jack moved into position for the turn they had been taught earlier. They performed it flawlessly and Daniel ended up in Jack's arms, facing the rear window. He felt the older man press up against his back and he leaned his head back to rest on Jack's shoulder. This felt so right. However, he had to know. "Jack?"

"Mmm?" Jack felt very content holding Daniel in his arms; he wanted to do it forever. Okay, he might not actually ever admit that to Daniel - he wasn't that sappy - but he could certainly think it.

"What is this?"

The temptation was there to make a joke but Jack didn't let the words past his lips. This was serious. What he said now would determine their future. "This is me finally seeing what was right in front of me. This is you putting faith in us. This is us having a chance to love again." Where those words had come from, he couldn't say. He only hoped they were the right ones.

Daniel was speechless. Part of him was afraid that Jack was just spinning him a line while the other part - his heart - just melted. Jack loved him. Hopefully. Getting his mouth working again, he said softly, "I thought you were disgusted."

Jack knew what Daniel was talking about; his behaviour during the past week had been disgraceful and unnecessary. "Not with you." He chastely pressed his lips to Daniel's short hair. "With me. I'd been having these... thoughts... about you, and I couldn't cope with the knowledge that you might have been having similar thoughts."

"What changed your mind?" Daniel turned his head slightly so that he could see Jack's face.

"You did," Jack replied, his voice equally as soft. "When I almost blew you up, it hit home just what you mean to me." And he had still been busy denying to himself just what his feelings for the young archaeologist were. "I am so sorry for that."

"I should never have put you in that position," Daniel accepted responsibility for his part. "I guess I got a little mad at the fact you weren't listening to me," he admitted.

Jack accepted that, knowing that his behaviour had only fuelled Daniel's determination to do the right thing. "I should never have let this carry over into our work. I promise I'll try to separate this from work in the future." He still thought he should retire but if Daniel wanted him to stay, he would - for the moment. If he crossed the line again, his retirement papers would be on Hammond's desk within seconds of exiting the wormhole.

"So you do want... this?" Daniel asked hesitantly, a tiny part of him still uncertain.

Jack thought he would be a fool not to want this. "Yes," he said firmly.

Well then... Daniel spun in Jack's arms so that they were face to face and then captured the older man's mouth in a searing kiss. He was risking a lot with the kiss because there was still the possibility that Jack might change his mind, but if that were the case, at least he would have had one kiss. Although, given the enthusiasm Jack was currently displaying - tongues were duelling and groins were clashing - maybe there was no reason to worry.

Jack couldn't believe he was so hard just from kissing Daniel - well, maybe not just from kissing; the rubbing at groin height had a lot to do with it. He put his hands down to cup Daniel's ass, pulling the younger man closer to him at the same time. This was good. This was really good. Who knew Daniel was such a good kisser? He backed Daniel towards the nearest wall and trapped him there, pushing his erection unsubtly into Daniel's.

"Jack!" Daniel gasped, pulling his mouth away and inhaling some much needed oxygen. He could feel the hard bulge of Jack's erection pressing against his own, and wanted to slow things down. After all, Jack still hadn't given Daniel any verbal indication of his feelings; an 'I love you' or 'I'm in love with you' would be good.

"What?" Jack leaned in to trail his lips along Daniel's neck, thoroughly getting into the whole sex thing.

"I think we need to - to slow down," Daniel gasped as Jack's lips found a sensitive spot. In contrast to his words, the music sped up into a tango.

Jack put his hands on Daniel's hips and pulled the younger man in so that their groins were pressed together. "No, we don't," Jack disagreed.

"Yes, we do," Daniel argued. He pushed against Jack when the older man didn't back off. "Jack, please!"

"I love you," Jack stated, looking Daniel straight in the eyes. He should have said the words earlier. "I'm sorry it took me a while to realise it."

"That's okay. You can be a bit slow on the uptake sometimes," Daniel teased, a tentative smile appearing on his lips. His hips started moving in time with the music, slowly brushing his erection over Jack's.

Jack ignored the deliberate provocation. "I take it you love me too?" He was certainly hoping so at this point.

"With my whole heart."

Jack just melted at that; Daniel was placing so much trust in him. In them. "I don't know about you but I think the whole dating thing is overrated. Wanna skip straight to the sex?"

"Will you still respect me in the morning?" Daniel asked, creating some more friction between them. He wasn't planning on saying 'no' but he didn't want Jack to think he was easy. The song lyrics caught his attention and he smiled; they, like the earlier song, were very apt.

"If you'll still respect me," Jack replied.

"Lead the way then." Daniel allowed Jack to take his hand, not finding it the least bit strange to be doing so. This - what was between them - was right. They tangoed down the hallway, laughing at the silliness of it, and breathless at what was to come.

As they headed towards the bedroom, a whisper of music followed them...

Let's make love and dance the night away...