It Must Have Been The Mistletoe

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/itmustha.php
Summary: When Jack takes Daniel to meet his family at Christmas, his parents decide to play Cupid.

It must have been the mistletoe, the lazy fire, the falling snow.

"Where do you want this?" Jack inquired of his mother, holding the piece of mistletoe at arm's length as if it were something disgusting.

"The doorway between the dining and living rooms," Anne O'Neill informed him as she bustled into the living room. Nearly seventy but looking ten years younger, she was six inches shorter than her son but just as slim, and her blonde hair hadn't yet turned white - thanks to the hair dye she used. It amused her greatly to see Jack's silvering hair, and she often teased him about it. "Then give your father a hand with the lights."

"Daniel's already doing that." Jack looked out the window to see the young linguist with Matt O'Neill on the veranda. He had invited Daniel up to his folks' place for Christmas to get the young man's mind off Sha're's death. Even though it had been many months since her death, Daniel's grief had reappeared when Christmas season had begun. So Jack had decided to bring Daniel to meet his family and immerse him in holiday cheer.

"He's a guest," Anne admonished her son. "He shouldn't be doing that."

"He wanted to." In fact, Daniel had jumped at the chance to keep busy. "You won't be able to stop him from working. Daniel's the kinda guy who loves being occupied all the time," he informed his mother.

"And you let him?" Anne sounded scandalised as she bustled around the room.

"Actually, no, I don't." Jack was very proud of his mothering skills that had allowed him to keep Daniel from working himself to death. "But right now, a bit of distraction is good for him."

Anne stopped in the centre of the room as she remembered what Jack had said about Daniel's wife. "Oh. Of course." She turned her head to look out the window too. "The poor boy."

"Just don't say that to him," Jack warned. He finished tying the mistletoe to the doorframe. "There."

"Very nice, Jack." Anne patted him on the arm as she bustled towards the kitchen. There was still plenty of work to be done before all the relatives arrived tomorrow.

Jack went out onto the veranda before his mother could involve him with the cooking. "Hey, Dad, need a hand?"

"Nope. Daniel and I have got everything under control," Matt replied. He was the spitting image of his son except thirty years older and hunched over from arthritis. He was handing the string of lights up to Daniel, who was attaching them to the roof. "And unlike someone I won't name, he knows how to follow instructions."

"How did you get him to do that? He never follows my instructions," Jack complained.

"When they make sense, I do," Daniel countered, grinning down at his friend. He was enjoying himself and found Matt to be an amusing conversationalist.

Matt chuckled; he liked his son's friend. From past phone calls and conversations with Jack, Matt knew that Daniel had helped Jack to get past Charlie's death and live again. He could see that Daniel's attitude of taking no nonsense was good for Jack, and vice versa. They seemed to be very close and Matt wouldn't have been surprised to learn that they loved each other. However, he didn't think they had admitted it to themselves or each other yet. A plan was already forming in his mind about how to encourage them. But he would need an accomplice. "Jack, take over for me. I'll go see how your mother is faring with the food."

"Good luck," Jack said dryly as he stepped forward to take the lights from his father. "So, you having fun?" he asked Daniel as soon as his father was out of earshot.

"Actually, I am," Daniel replied. "Your parents have been wonderful so far." It made him wonder what his parents would have been like if they had lived.

"Mom's been easy on you so far. Just wait until tomorrow when we have to help clean up." Jack looked at what Daniel was doing. "Shouldn't they be further apart?"

Daniel rolled his eyes and kept attaching the lights as he had been instructed to do.

Inside, Matt stood opposite the window and watched the two men interact. After a minute, Anne joined him. "What are you doing?" she inquired.

"What do you think about Daniel?" he asked by way of a reply.

Anne smiled gently. "He's lovely. Why?"

"I'm not sure but I think our boy is in love with him." Matt watched as Jack got close to Daniel in order to fix something with the lights and then as Daniel firmly pushed Jack aside with a patient expression.

"Do you think so?" Anne turned to observe the men for awhile. "You may be right," she said eventually. She certainly recognised the signs. "Jack would have told us if they were together though, wouldn't he?"

"Unless he thought us 'old fogies' wouldn't understand," Matt replied. "But no, I don't think they are together, not with Daniel being so recently widowed." Matt knew it was possible that the two men could have been having an affair but he hoped that his son was more honourable than that. "I don't think Daniel is even aware of the possibility." Nothing in Daniel's demeanour suggested anything more than a strong friendship.

"Then maybe they need a nudge in the right direction," Anne suggested, a twinkle in her eyes.

Matt turned his head to look at his wife. "What do you have in mind?"

***

/It could have been the holiday, the midnight ride upon the sleigh./
/It could have been the steeple bell that wrapped us up within its spell./

In accordance with Anne's plan, a light snowfall started that afternoon and kept up into the evening. Daniel had been watching it with fascination so Anne casually mentioned that Old Bill still ran evening sleigh rides around the park in mild weather. Jack - who had been watching Daniel watch the snow - took the hint. He made sure Daniel dressed warmly and then took the younger man down to the park.

Daniel's eyes lit up when he saw the old-fashioned sleigh, with the two white horses in front of it. He immediately went over to the nearest horse and greeted it with a pat before inspecting the sleigh.

Jack smiled indulgently then went over to greet the man seated in front of the sleigh. "So how's business, Bill?"

Old Bill - whose age was unknown but everyone agreed he was at least eighty - grinned. "Can't complain. Been a while since you were down last," he commented.

"I've been busy," Jack said non-committally. He had missed the last two Christmases due to work, and the one before that he hadn't exactly been social as he had still be mourning Charlie. Catching Bill looking curiously at Daniel, Jack stated, "Bill, this is Daniel, a friend and colleague of mine."

Daniel obediently came around to Jack's side and shook Bill's hand. "The sleigh is beautiful," he told the old man.

Old Bill preened proudly. "Restored it myself."

"Really?" Daniel was fascinated. He climbed into the sleigh and started asking questions about the sleigh and the restoration.

Jack climbed in after Daniel and just sat back, listening indulgently. He allowed himself to just watch Daniel's animated face; the cold making the linguist's cheeks red, and the enthusiasm making the blue eyes sparkle. Jack was aware of something stirring inside him at the sight but he was feeling too lazy to work out what it meant. He was content just to sit back and enjoy the ride.

After a while, Daniel ran out of questions and he sat back to observe the scenery. The light covering of snow on the ground and the trees, and the darkening sky, made it look almost magical. Daniel turned his head to look at Jack. "Is this a family tradition?" He could imagine how wonderful it would be to do this every year.

"Sort of. Sara and I used to bring Charlie here every year," Jack stated, the pain of the memory muted by time and Daniel's presence. "My parents also take a ride at least once a year." He felt lucky that his parents still loved each other even if it could be embarrassing at times.

"That's nice," Daniel said sincerely. It was good to see a couple still enjoying being with each other after nearly fifty years of marriage. He turned his head to stare whimsically out at the snow-covered trees; would he and Sha're have lasted fifty years if circumstances had been different?

Jack saw Daniel's mood change and without thinking, put his arm around the younger man's shoulders. They sat like that for a while without talking, just taking comfort in the other's company. Daniel's head rested naturally on Jack's shoulder as he accepted the silent support that his friend offered. He was so lucky to have Jack as his friend, especially after all he had put Jack through. And he was pleased that Jack considered him enough of a friend to invite him home for Christmas. "Jack?"

"Mmm?" Jack was busy resisting the urge to rest his head on top of Daniel's head and therefore was a bit distracted.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

Jack felt a moment of tenderness at Daniel's words. He squeezed Daniel's shoulders. "Anytime." After all of life's disappointments, he would do anything to keep Daniel happy.

Towards the end of the ride, a church bell somewhere nearby started pealing. The sound added to the atmosphere of the evening, and Daniel smiled. If he had been a woman, it would have been romantic. Being here with Jack instead - well, it wasn't romantic but it was something special just the same. Jack cared enough about him to invite him into his family, despite what the older man had said only a short while ago during his undercover sting. Because of that, Daniel was sure he would never forget this Christmas.

***

/It must have been the pretty lights that glistened in the silent night./
/Or maybe just the stars so bright that shined above you./

The snowfall had stopped by the time the sleigh ride finished, and the clouds had cleared, so Jack and Daniel were able to look at the stars on their walk back to the O'Neill house. "Is this what got you interested in astronomy?" Daniel asked after Jack pointed out another constellation. He was enjoying seeing this side of his friend, the smart and scientific side that Jack rarely showed at the SGC. It was as if being here in his hometown, he could truly be himself.

"Partially. That, and the natural curiosity of wondering what's up there," Jack replied. He often looked back on those days and wondered when he had changed from being that curious little boy to the cynical man. Daniel, he thought, had never lost that curiosity, and Jack intended to make sure that he never did. If Daniel stopped being curious, stopped thinking, then the world would be the worse for it. "Didn't you ever look up at the stars and think 'I wonder what the aliens look like?'"

"I was looking in the other direction," Daniel stated, a small smile on his face. "I was too busy thinking about all the wonders lying hidden beneath the Egyptian deserts." It hadn't been a waste of time either; he had become part of something he never could have imagined and yet, was something he now couldn't imagine not being a part of. And he had become good friends with Jack - that was something else he had never imagined.

"You know, sometimes I go up onto the roof and see if I can find the planets we've visited," Jack shared. He put his arm companionably around Daniel's shoulders. "Anytime you want to look at Abydos, feel free to come over," he said in a softer voice. He should have made that offer a long time ago but he hadn't wanted to watch Daniel stare longingly at it.

Daniel fought back the reflexive grief at the mention of Sha're's home planet. "Thank you." His voice was equally as soft.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Daniel enjoying the warmth of being close to Jack. When they got the front door of the house, Jack removed his arm and Daniel felt a sense of loss - why, he didn't know. They went into the lounge room where Matt and Anne were still up, both sitting on the couch and reading.

"How was the sleigh ride?" Anne asked as she looked up from her book.

"It was wonderful," Daniel replied, a smile lighting his face. "I can see why you go every year." He sat down in the chair opposite them; Jack sat in the chair near the fireplace.

Anne returned the smile. "I understand you spent part of your childhood in Egypt. That must have been quite different to this."

"Very." At Anne's prompting, Daniel related a few stories from his childhood and then he listened to the O'Neill's talk about Jack's early Christmases.

After about fifteen minutes, Jack noticed that Daniel was shivering so he directed the linguist to sit closer to the fire - which, coincidentally, meant that Daniel had to sit on the floor between Jack's legs. Matt and Anne exchanged knowing glances; their boy was well and truly smitten. They said their goodnights to the two men, then headed off to bed, already formulating new plans.

Left along with Jack, Daniel said, "I really enjoyed today, Jack. Thank you." He had liked feeling that he belonged there.

"Let's see if you can still say that after tomorrow," Jack stated. Tomorrow being Christmas Day, was when all the relatives would descend on the place for the party.

"I'm sure I will." Daniel leaned back against Jack's chair. "You were so lucky to grow up with all of this," he mused aloud.

Jack put his hand in Daniel's short hair and ruffled it gently. He didn't need to say anything, his communication with Daniel at a level where words weren't necessary.

Daniel smiled up at Jack then went back to staring at the fire. It would be so nice to have this permanently.

***

/The countryside all dressed in white, that crazy snowball fight./

Christmas morning dawned bright and clear, and a layer of snow coated the ground. Seeing this, Jack bundled Daniel up warmly again and, after breakfast, took him outside to play in the snow.

Daniel put up a token protest but he was secretly pleased that Jack was making such an effort to do all these things with him. He had missed out on so many things - although he had made a snowman and been in snowball fights before - and it was fun doing them with Jack.

Matt watched through the window as the boys had a snowball fight, and then as Jack tackled Daniel and they both went down into the snow. Then he glanced over at the mistletoe; somehow he had to manoeuvre both men underneath it so they would kiss and realise their feelings for each other. Matt, despite being 'an old fogey', could see that Daniel made Jack happy so therefore it didn't really matter that Daniel was a man. And Daniel, of course, was special in his own right, Matt thought as he watched the two men wrestle, Daniel giving as good as he got. They belonged together.

Outside, Daniel had managed to get Jack flat on his back and was straddling his chest while pinning his hands to the ground. The younger man's cheeks were bright red from the cold and his eyes were sparkling with joy. "Give up?"

"Never," Jack replied, grinning up at his friend. It felt so good to see Daniel having fun. He ignored the stirring in his groin, which he dismissed as friction, and focused on winning. Using his bodyweight, he managed to throw Daniel off-balance and onto the ground. Then Jack pinned the linguist so he couldn't move. "Surrender?"

"I never surrender," Daniel stated, staring up at Jack. Without his glasses, things were a bit blurry but he could see the joy on Jack's face clearly. He also noticed that Jack was attractive - a not entirely welcome realisation. If Jack had a steady girlfriend, or even got married, then Daniel would never be invited here for Christmas again.

Jack saw Daniel's expression change to one of sadness. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing." Daniel forced a smile back onto his face. "So when do we open our presents?"

"After everyone gets here." Jack wasn't fooled by Daniel's smile because it didn't reach the younger man's eyes. Maybe he was thinking about Sha're; Jack could understand that because he often thought about Charlie at this time of year. "You in a hurry?"

"Just curious." Daniel continued to stare up at Jack; he was very attractive. A warm feeling started to form in his stomach and groin, a feeling Daniel recognised as desire. Quickly, he turned his thoughts to something else; since Jack was sitting so close to his groin, Daniel was sure he could notice something. Daniel thought about the snow underneath him and realised something else. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm getting cold."

"Oh." Jack moved off Daniel so the young man could stand up.

"Thanks." Daniel stood and brushed as much snow off himself as he could. Jack did likewise and then brushed the snow from Daniel's back. After thanking him, Daniel asked, "What do we do next?"

"Well," Jack said, looking around at the snow to hide what he'd felt having Daniel underneath him. "We could try building a snowman."

"Okay."

***

/It only took one kiss to know it must have been the mistletoe./

An hour later, the snowman - midget-sized - had been built, and both Jack and Daniel had showered and changed ready for the Christmas party. By 11am, the guests had started arriving - Jack's siblings, elderly uncles and aunts, and young nieces and nephews. By noon, at least twenty-five people were milling around the living room and kitchen, or in the case of the younger children, running around the house and playing with their new toys.

Jack tried to keep Daniel nearby so that he could keep the linguist involved. However, with all the relatives that wanted to speak with him, Jack soon lost sight of Daniel.

Kath Flannery, Jack's older sister, was the first to strike up a conversation with the young man. She was intrigued by the fact that Jack had chosen to invite him for Christmas and she wanted to know why. "So you work with Jack? You don't look like you're in the military."

"Oh, I'm not," Daniel replied. "I'm a civilian consultant attached to Jack's team."

"And what is your specialty?" she asked.

"Archaeology and linguistics," he stated.

"I see." The whole family knew that Jack's work was classified but they liked knowing a little bit about what he did. Any answers like the one Daniel had just given, helped them with that. "You must travel around a lot."

Daniel gave her a quick smile. "We do a fair amount, yes." A lot further than any of them could ever imagine.

"You are the first friend or colleague Jack has invited around for Christmas," Kath told him while mentally speculating on why Jack had done so.

Daniel felt that warm feeling inside him again, pleased to know that Jack hadn't done this before. "I think he didn't want me to be alone for Christmas. My wife died a few months ago," he added with a quiet dignity. An ache formed in his heart at the loss.

"I'm sorry." Kath could see the grief in his eyes. She changed the topic and talked for a few minutes more. Then everyone was called to lunch. She watched as Jack immediately found Daniel and encouraged the younger man to sit next to him. There was something definitely going on there, she decided as Jack leaned in close to whisper something in Daniel's ear. The question was, what exactly?

At the end of the meal, Anne called upon Jack to help clear the table, judging that Daniel would also assist. To her delight, both men got up to help her. Now all she needed to do was manoeuvre them underneath the mistletoe and hope that they would take the hint. If not, Matt was on standby to assist.

Daniel was making his last return trip to the kitchen when he literally ran into Jack. The older man reached out to steady him with one hand while the other went to prevent the dishes from falling.

Seeing her opportunity, Anne bustled over to them. "Oh, look at that, you're under the mistletoe."

Jack, sensing a trap, looked suspiciously at his mother; her voice had been too innocent. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing. Jack, give Daniel a kiss and then let him past, there's a dear." Anne watched expectantly.

"Mom, you know I don't believe in that stuff," Jack complained. His mother was up to something, and he was sure he wouldn't like whatever it was.

"It's fine, Mrs. O'Neill," Daniel added. He wasn't sure that he wanted Jack to kiss him anyway, what with them both being men.

"Jack, do as you are told," Anne commanded in a stern voice. "It's a tradition and I won't have any son of mine ignoring it."

With a sigh, Jack turned back to Daniel. "I'm sorry about this," he apologised before leaning in to give Daniel a peck on the cheek.

"Properly, Jonathon," Anne ordered.

Jack changed direction and aimed for Daniel's lips, intending for it to be a mere touch. However, as soon as his lips touched Daniel's, he was frozen in place as an electric current of desire ran through him. Then his lips started moving of their own accord.

Daniel's eyes widened in surprise; desire was spreading through him as he responded to Jack's kiss. The current settled in his groin and started to make him hard. He quickly stepped back, staring at Jack in shock. No, he couldn't be feeling this way, not about Jack! He moved around his best friend, handed the dishes to Anne, and then went swiftly out the back door.

***

/The magic in the frosty air; that feeling everywhere./

It took a few seconds for Jack to get his feet moving. He followed Daniel outside, needing to know what had made Daniel run. If it was anything like the desire he had just felt, well then, he could understand it. He couldn't believe that he had felt so much from one little kiss! "Daniel!" The linguist didn't even turn around. "Hey!"

Daniel slowed down and turned around to face Jack. However, he kept his eyes on the ground. "What?"

"I think you know." Jack caught up to his friend but was careful to keep some distance between them.

"No, I don't," Daniel replied, not wanting to talk about it. How could he admit to Jack what the kiss had done?

"Danny..." Jack took a deep breath; one of them was going to have to say it otherwise it would always come between them and their friendship would be ruined.

"What just happened?" Daniel asked, finally lifting his eyes to Jack.

"I'm not sure," Jack stated honestly. "But we need to talk about it."

"Jack--"

"I think I'm attracted to you," Jack stated, looking Daniel straight in the eye. "And I think you're attracted to me, or else you wouldn't be out here."

Daniel didn't say anything to refute that as it was too close to the truth. He looked away, his arms crossed over his chest. "So?"

"So... we should try again, get some more proof," Jack suggested. He took a step towards Daniel, and the linguist moved backwards. However, Daniel couldn't go very far as he'd backed himself against the fence. "What do you say?"

"Jack, if we do this, we could be wrecking our whole lives," Daniel argued, trying to think of reasons why they shouldn't kiss again. "How will we be able to work together when we go back?"

"We'll think of something." Jack put his hand behind Daniel's head and pulled him close. "I promise."

Daniel automatically tried to pull back when Jack's lips descended on his but he froze when they connected. He inhaled sharply and then held his breath as desire sped through him. His hand came up and hooked itself behind Jack's neck, and his knees buckled with the strength of his arousal. Oh yes, he was definitely attracted to Jack! How had he not noticed this before? Images shot through his mind of what it would be like to make love with Jack, and he hardened even further.

Jack pressed his body close to Daniel, causing their groins to rub together. He was able to feel that Daniel was equally as aroused by the kiss as he was, which was good. Then he remembered that they would be in full view of anyone looking out the kitchen window. Pulling away, he turned and saw a glimpse of someone at the window - his mother, no doubt. Sighing, he turned back to Daniel. "I think we've been set up."

Daniel looked quizzically at Jack. "How?" Then he thought of Anne's insistence about the mistletoe. "Oh."

"Yes, oh." Jack reached out to brush the back of his hand over Daniel's cheek. "She must have seen something that we hadn't." That was the main reason he could think of why his mother would interfere. "Remind me to thank her later."

"Why?" Daniel's breathing was still quick, although his arousal had dimmed slightly.

"Because I never would have got round to kissing you if it hadn't been for her." He needed to have a long chat with his mother - and most likely his father too - later. But right now... "Would you like to take it further?"

"Would you?" Daniel shot back. The images of them together came back to him.

Jack saw Daniel's pupils dilate; what was the linguist thinking about? Probably the same as him. Now that he thought about it, he wanted to take Daniel to bed and love him thoroughly. "Yes."

Daniel was taken aback for a second, not expecting Jack to say that. "Really?"

"You're my best friend, Daniel, and I would like you to be my lover," Jack said with uncharacteristic directness. "I think we would be able to handle it at work because, let's face it, it's not as though I don't already give you special treatment."

"Can I - can I think about it?" Daniel asked, needing some time to decide whether he could give Jack his heart - because that is what he would do if they became lovers; he couldn't separate sex and his emotions.

"Sure." Jack kissed Daniel on the cheek. "I'll be inside if you want me."

Daniel watched Jack walk away and hugged himself again. Could he let himself become vulnerable again so soon after losing Sha're? He already loved Jack as a friend; if that love turned into more, he would constantly be afraid of losing Jack. But he hadn't lost Jack in the three years they had been working together - that was longer than any of his other relationships. Maybe with Jack, he would break the pattern.

One thing he would have to determine was whether Jack loved him as more than a friend. Daniel didn't want any new relationship to be purely physical; if it happened, he wanted Jack's love. He wanted to feel safe, and valued, and as though he belonged with someone. With a start, he realised that he had already felt those things with Jack - not all the time but certainly a lot. And he knew that Jack had been trying to help him fit in with the O'Neill family... Maybe they were already in love with each other and just hadn't realised it.

Daniel slowly walked back inside and stood in the doorway to the living room where he could see Jack. His friend was joking with some of his older nieces and nephews, and Daniel smiled at the way they were hanging on his every word. Jack certainly had a way with children and young adults; Daniel imagined he would have been a very good father to Charlie, even if he hadn't been around much when Charlie was young. That made him wonder - would Jack ever want to have more children? If so, he would be making a bad choice in Daniel because the linguist wasn't quite sure what kind of father he would make - not to mention the fact that neither of them would actually be able to bear children. Could he deprive Jack of having that chance again?

Jack looked over just at that moment and smiled at him. Daniel felt himself just melt at the love in that look. Jack wanted him - loved him, maybe. The knowledge felt good. He smiled back. If Jack had wanted to father more children, he wouldn't have chosen to reveal his feelings to Daniel. They could have both ignored the kiss and just continued on their way. But Jack had followed him outside and asked him to be his lover. That meant that Jack wanted him. All Daniel had to do now was determine just what kind of relationship Jack was proposing, and whether he could live with it.

***

/Our first Christmas; more than we'd been dreaming of./
/Old St. Nicholas has his fingers crossed that we would fall in love./

"Do you love me?" Daniel asked later when they were in bed; they weren't sleeping together - the spare room had two single beds.

"Excuse me?" That hadn't been what Jack had been expecting. In fact, he had been hoping that Daniel wouldn't ask that because he didn't want to answer. Yes, he did love Daniel but he was scaring of actually admitting it out loud in case Daniel rejected him.

"You heard me."

"Do I love you?"

"That's what I asked."

Jack hesitated. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," came the prompt answer. "And your answer would be...?"

How could Daniel just say it like that? It took a lot of courage to say that to another man, courage Jack wasn't sure he had. "Love as in 'love', or love as in 'in love'?"

"I've already answered one question," Daniel replied. "It's your turn."

Jack took a deep breath; he might as well take the risk. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as he replied, "Yes."

Daniel's heart fluttered; Jack loved him. "Both," he responded to Jack's other question, hoping that Jack would give the same answer.

"Both what?" Jack was confused by the seemingly unrelated response.

"Both kinds of love," Daniel clarified. It was easier to talk about this in the dark where they couldn't see each other. If they had discussed this during the day, he wouldn't have been so open.

"You're in love with me?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Are you sure?"

"Jack!" Daniel found himself getting frustrated and he took a couple of calming breaths. "Are you in love with me?" he asked quietly.

Again, Jack hesitated. He had been thinking that afternoon too and had realised that he was in love with Daniel. He didn't know when it had happened, only that it had and now he couldn't live without the younger man; just the idea of Daniel's death caused his heart to clench in pain. "Yes," he answered equally as quietly.

Since that was established, Daniel made his decision. He got out of bed and pulled back the covers on Jack's bed. "Move over," he ordered.

Jack automatically obeyed, although he asked why.

"Because." Daniel lay down facing Jack, both of them on their sides.

"Daniel, we can't do anything here," Jack protested. His parents' bedroom was right next door, for crying out loud!

"We're not going to. I just want to see what this is like," he said. It was going to be cramped in the single bed but it would be worth the discomfort. He put his arm around Jack's waist. "Is this okay?"

Was it ever! Daniel's proximity was making him hard. But he played it cool, just shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Yeah."

The corners of Daniel's mouth curved into a smile; even in the dark, he could see through Jack's casualness. "Goodnight then." He closed his eyes and starting counting...

"What, that's it? No more talking?" Jack queried; Daniel was usually more tenacious than this.

Three seconds, Daniel thought with amusement. "We won't let this interfere with our work and we'll both be discreet. What more is there to talk about?" For the moment, he was content with the knowledge that Jack was in love with him; it was his very special Christmas present.

There was a pause while Jack thought. "I guess we have covered the essentials." He put his arm around Daniel and shifted slightly so that the linguist was lying partially on top of him - it was more comfortable for him that way. "Merry Christmas, Daniel." He planted a kiss in Daniel's hair; it seemed that Santa had given him a special present this year.

"Merry Christmas, Jack." Daniel snuggled into Jack's embrace and rested one hand on Jack's chest. It had indeed been a Merry Christmas.

***

In the next room, Anne quietly got back into bed. "It worked," she whispered.

Matt grinned; they were fortunate that the walls were thin enough to eavesdrop through - and neither of them had any guilt about doing so. "I can't wait until breakfast."

"Should we let them know that we know?"

"Oh, I think Jack's already worked it out," Matt replied. "But there'll be no harm in asking them how they slept."

Anne chuckled; she loved this husband of hers. "Merry Christmas, love."

"Merry Christmas."