Pygmalion 2

Blood Money

by Sistine

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/pygmalion02.php
Summary: What's a little blackmail between family?
Info: """

Date: 30th September, 2004

Notes: After the positive feedback I received from people after I posted Pygmalion to the list, encouraging me to write a sequel, I eventually got it done. Thank you to Kim for her plot ideas - they certainly helped me write this - and for pointing out some changes that needed to be made. And thank you to my beta, Rossy, who did her usual meticulous job and picked up my errors and little bits that didn't make sense.

Warnings: Some violence, and mentions of rape.

Part 1

"He looks so happy," Jack observed to Sam as they watched Daniel and Charlie playing outside in the snow.

"He hasn't been," Sam informed him, thinking back on the past six months. "The month after you left was hard for him. He tried to act normal but I could see the sadness in his eyes." She knew that something had happened to Daniel that no-one had told her about but she hadn't inquired, thinking it better if she didn't. "Daniel spent a lot of time in his room before he started university."

Jack kept his eyes on Daniel, trying to imagine how the young man had felt after Robert's horrible attack. Jack still carried a lot of hate in his heart for the dead man because of the way he had treated Daniel. "He had a lot to adjust to." His words sounded lame.

"So I gathered." No, she wasn't going to ask. "I think he is happy now because of you." She had seen the trepidation in Daniel's eyes before the trip and knew now that it was because Daniel had been nervous about how Jack was going to act towards him. Somehow, Sam didn't think that Daniel had expected this outcome.

"Really?" The idea flattered him.

Sam just shook her head; Jack had no idea how long Daniel had had feelings for him. "Treat him carefully, Jack. He might act tough but underneath, I think he's scared." She trusted Jack not to take advantage of that.

"Of what?" Jack wanted to know.

"I don't know. Maybe of being hurt again."

"I am not going to hurt him," Jack vowed.

Little did he know just how hard it would be to keep that vow.

***

The week at Jack's house went very quickly. Daniel treasured each moment he had alone with Jack, not yet willing to completely trust that Jack was sincere in his desire to court him. They hadn't progressed any further than kissing, which was fine by Daniel because he wasn't ready for the next step. He enjoyed kissing Jack, and he felt pleasure doing it, but it wasn't arousing certain parts of him. In fact, he hadn't been able to get aroused since Robert had raped him. Daniel was starting to wonder whether there was something wrong with him. Fortunately, Jack wasn't rushing him but Daniel knew it would only be a matter of time before Jack wanted more.

On the last evening, after everyone else had gone to bed, Jack and Daniel remained in the sitting room. Jack patted the seat beside him on the couch, wanting Daniel to join him now that the others had left. Daniel obeyed but kept his distance. Jack immediately closed the gap and put his arm around Daniel's shoulders.

Daniel tensed involuntarily. Jack had held his hand before, and put his arms around his waist whilst kissing, but had never done this, and Daniel was nervous about where it was leading.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, feeling the tension in Daniel's body.

"Nothing."

The way Daniel avoided his eyes told Jack he was lying but he decided not to push it. Instead, he used his free hand to turn Daniel's face towards him and then kissed him. Desire flooded through him and he quickly deepened the kiss, savouring Daniel's sweet taste.

Daniel just went with the flow, a little scared by the new intensity of the kiss but enjoying it nonetheless. He placed one hand on Jack's chest, liking the feel of the strong muscles under his fingers but ready to push Jack away if necessary. It would hurt him to say 'no' to Jack but Daniel would if he couldn't go any further. He felt Jack's hand slide down from his face over his side to settle temporarily on his hip, and Daniel tensed even more, praying that Jack wouldn't go any further.

Jack allowed his hand to roam up and down Daniel's side, exploring the difference between him and Sam. There were no soft curves, just firm muscles and straight lines. It was very strange, and Jack wasn't sure yet whether he liked it. Therefore, he continued to investigate, sliding his hand around to Daniel's back and then lower.

Daniel abruptly pulled away, his heart thudding in his chest. "No!"

"What?" The sudden rejection surprised him.

Standing up and moving across to the fireplace, Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't," he said without looking at Jack.

"You can't what?" The arousal he was currently feeling caused the words to come out harsher than he had intended.

Daniel winced and retreated further into himself. His heart-rate was beginning to slow down again but the panic was slower to disappear. "I just... I can't," he said in a small voice.

Jack was about to comment that if he could have sex with strangers, then there shouldn't be any problem with him, when he really looked at Daniel's face. He could see what Sam meant about scared as he looked at Daniel standing there, afraid of something. "It's all right, Daniel. I wasn't going to go any further." Jack could see the relief on Daniel's face at those words, and he wondered why Daniel was scared of having sex with him. The idea that Daniel might be afraid because of the rape didn't cross his mind.

"Really?" Daniel looked up then, measuring Jack's expression for sincerity.

"Yes. Now, come back and sit down." Jack held his hand out towards Daniel until the younger man was within touching distance. Then he took Daniel's hand and gently pulled him into the couch. "I'll be in London next week to find a house for us to live in, one that would be suitable for two bachelors." That was Jack's cover story if anyone asked.

Daniel got the hint and was hurt by it, even though he knew that Jack would not want it to get out that he was having a relationship with a man. The hurt was slightly tempered by the fact that Jack actually wanted to live with him. "You still want me to stay with you?" he asked, wanting to hear the words.

"Yes, I do." Jack was quite looking forward to it now. "But only if you want to."

"I-I don't know. Last time wasn't really all that good."

Jack squeezed Daniel's fingers. "But this time I won't be trying to push you away, will I?" He had treated Daniel abominably back then. "I don't know why you even like me after that."

"Neither do I," Daniel replied half-seriously. Maybe Jack had a point, maybe despite the fact he loved Jack, he might not actually like him. "Maybe we should wait a bit, get to know each other first. After all, you wouldn't ask a woman to move in straight away, would you?"

"No, I suppose I wouldn't." Jack leaned over and kissed Daniel briefly. "You had better go to bed before the others start gossiping."

"Goodnight, Jack." Daniel treated him to a warm smile.

"Goodnight, Daniel." After the young man had gone, Jack sighed; this wasn't going to be easy. Nevertheless, he hoped it would be worth it in the long run.

***

Their goodbyes the next day were very constrained considering they had an audience. The trip home was quiet; Daniel slept for most of the journey as he had not slept much the night before, which meant the others could not question him. When he was awake, Daniel studied, his level of concentration making him deaf to those around him. And by the time they got home, it was almost time for bed, so there was no chance to discuss anything until the next morning.

Charlie got in first. "So, are you moving out?" he asked Daniel.

"Not yet. Jack doesn't even have a townhouse yet," Daniel patiently replied.

"But are you going to move out straight away?" Charlie persisted, curious about the relationship.

Daniel gave a small grin at Charlie's curiousness. "No, I will not. With Sam's permission, I will remain here for some time." He looked across at Sam.

"As long as you like, Daniel," she stated. Sam couldn't refuse him that.

"Will Mr. O'Neill be here for the ball next Saturday?" Charlie questioned of Daniel.

"Possibly." Daniel was not looking forward to the ball given what had happened after the last one. However, he would attend because that was what a gentleman would do.

***

Jack arrived in London two days later. He dropped in briefly at Sam's house - only Sam was at home at the time - then started looking for a townhouse. Since he had timed his arrival for early morning, he had all day to search. Fortune smiled upon him for by evening, he had found a townhouse only four blocks away from Sam's. Jack would put a deposit on it in the morning, and then he would be able to start furnishing it. Therefore he was in a good mood when he went to call upon Daniel just before the evening meal.

"Jack," Daniel greeted him, his smile nervous but warm. He knew Jack couldn't make any advances towards him in Sam's house but he was nervous just the same. He imagined it would take a while to be completely at ease in Jack's presence despite - or perhaps because of - his feelings for the older man. "Good evening," he continued, remembering his manners.

"Good evening, Daniel." Jack bid Sam and Charlie a good evening also. "I hope I haven't missed dinner."

"Right on time, as usual," Sam replied. "I'll just go and see if everything is ready. Charlie," she beckoned the teenager to follow her, leaving the two men alone.

Jack took advantage of that and went over to where Daniel was sitting. "How are you?"

"Fine," Daniel replied automatically. "And you?"

"Very well." Jack put his hands behind his back, uncertain of what he should do next. If Daniel were a lady, Jack would kiss his - her? - hand, but since Daniel was a gentleman... An awkward silence fell. "So."

Daniel had to smile; Jack was just as uncertain as he was. "Did you find a house?"

"Actually, I did." Relieved, Jack sat on the chair nearest to Daniel. "It is just four streets away, and a reasonable price."

"How much?" Daniel had thought about this and wanted to put in some of the money. Otherwise, he would feel like a kept man and he didn't like that thought.

"Enough." Jack saw the stubborn look on Daniel's face. "What?"

"I want to pay my way," Daniel told him.

"There's no need. I have enough money for both of us."

Daniel's eyes grew flinty. "I know that, Jack, you need not remind me." He was well aware of how little money he had. "But I need to pay my way."

"There's no--" Jack started to repeat.

"Yes, there is!" Daniel said forcefully, anger and stubbornness kicking in. "I need this relationship to be as equal as possible! I do not want to feel like an educated whore!"

The words hung in the air as Charlie entered the room. The teenager looked from Daniel to O'Neill then back again, sensing he had interrupted at a bad moment. "Uh, Sam says dinner is ready." With that, he quickly retreated to the safety of the dining room.

Daniel forced himself to calm down. It would be bad manners to go to the dinner table in an angry mood. "We had better go," he said a few moments later.

Jack nodded. "We will continue this discussion later tonight." He understood why Daniel was so adamant in paying his share but he couldn't see how Daniel was going to get the money.

***

When everyone else had gone to bed, Jack and Daniel remained in the living room. Jack stood in front of the fireplace, hands behind his back. During the evening, he had been trying to work out what kind of job Daniel could obtain given his background, and hadn't come up with anything. Before he could start the conversation though, Daniel did.

"The librarian at the university is looking for an assistant," the young man said. He had learnt of the job three weeks ago and had already applied for it. "The pay is not good but it is a start."

An assistant librarian? Jack was initially appalled by the idea - it was not something gentlemen usually became. Okay, it was better than some of the alternatives but still... Then he saw Daniel's quietly determined expression, and he knew he had better tread carefully. "What are the hours like?"

"My classes finish at two o'clock each day, so from then until six." Four hours a day was pretty good, Daniel thought.

"And what are the wages?" Jack wanted to know.

"One pound ten shillings a week," Daniel said, his gaze cast down to the floor.

"What?!" That was a mere pittance! "No, we will find you another job." No paramour of his would work for such a small amount.

Daniel's angry gaze very quickly came up to meet Jack's. "I don't want another job! I want this one!"

"It's a librarian, Daniel! An assistant librarian!" Jack tried to get his point across. "It is not a profession the rich get involved in."

"Considering most rich people don't actually work, that is not surprising," Daniel said dryly. "I'm not exactly rich, and I'm not qualified to do much else so I have to take what I can get."

This pointed reminder of Daniel's past caused Jack to pause. He couldn't argue that point so he decided to change tactics. "What about your grandfather?" If Daniel could get some money, he would forget about getting a job.

"No!" Daniel's refusal was adamant and swift. "I will not ask my grandfather for money!" Not that it would be likely that Sir Nicholas Ballard would give him money anyway.

"How have you been paying the rent here?" Jack inquired, the thought suddenly occurring to him. Daniel looked away, his face grim. "You are not paying anything!" Jack accused.

"Sam said I could pay her back when I leave university and start earning money." Daniel hadn't been satisfied with that but he'd had no other option.

"Well, you can do the same while you're with me then." Jack thought that was very reasonable.

"No, I can't. It's a totally different situation," Daniel argued. "I will not be your wife, Jack. I will not be kept by you and rely on you for everything. I want to be able to pay for my own clothes, my books, my food - do you get the idea?" Daniel was standing now, toe to toe with Jack, trying to get the older man to see his point.

Jack subsided; he did see Daniel's point. On the other hand, he could also see Daniel's beautiful blue eyes right up close. Naturally, he took advantage of Daniel's proximity and kissed him. A hand moved of its own volition to cup the back of Daniel's head, keeping the younger man from moving away.

Daniel automatically took a step back but found he was unable to move far because of that hand. So despite the pleasure he felt at the kiss, he began to panic. He put his hands up to Jack's chest and pushed him away. "Don't."

Jack looked at Daniel and saw real fear in his eyes. "Why not?" Why was Daniel scared of him?

Daniel didn't feel he could tell Jack the real problem so he chose to go on the offensive. "You think by kissing me, you will make me forget about getting a job?!"

"No, that wasn't what I was doing!" Jack protested. "I just wanted to kiss you!" By golly, Daniel was so frustrating at times!

"Well, this is not a good time!" The panic had gone now, especially since he had moved away from Jack.

"So it seems." Jack began to realise that he had done the wrong thing by kissing Daniel at that point. Instead of acknowledging that, however, he let his frustration out. "Why are you afraid?"

Daniel was well-practiced in keeping his emotions to himself, although being around Jack had made it harder. It seemed that his defenses automatically dropped when he was around Jack, and he hadn't built them up again yet. Still, he managed not to show any reaction to the question. "I wasn't afraid."

"Yes, you were, I saw it in your eyes." Jack took a step towards Daniel, who unconsciously took a step back. "Are you afraid of me?"

"No." That wasn't exactly a lie; Daniel was afraid of how much Jack could hurt him emotionally.

"Are you afraid of us?"

The question made Daniel pause because it hit the nail on the head. He was afraid of having a relationship with Jack. He was afraid of everything that it involved. "Kind of," he said.

"Kind of." Now that he saw Daniel's anger was lessening, Jack slowly made his way over to the young man. "Tell me what you are afraid of, Daniel."

"I can't," he whispered. He didn't want to give Jack any more means with which to hurt him.

"I'll tell you what I am afraid of then." Jack cleared his throat; he had never talked about his feelings or fears openly before, not even with his ex-wife. "You. My feelings for you. What my life with you holds--That sort of thing," he finished lamely, uncomfortable with having revealed so much.

Daniel looked at him, amazed and flattered that Jack had just shared that with him. He could do no less than to share some of his own reasons. "I have never had a relationship before - Robert saw to that. I don't know what is expected of me and I don't want to disappoint you." All I know is how to please a man in bed and I can't even do that now, he thought bitterly.

Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel and pulled him into a gentle embrace. "Considering I have never had a relationship with another man before either, I guess we will just have to muddle our way through." He would have to be careful not to make the mistake of treating Daniel as he would a woman because Daniel was definitely not one. He needed to treat Daniel as an equal. "How does five shillings a week for rent sound?" He wanted Daniel to save as much of his money as possible. And since Jack was thinking of putting the house in both their names, he would put Daniel's rent in a bank account so that the young man would have more money later on.

"Ten," Daniel countered.

"Seven."

"Eight."

"Seven."

Daniel smiled to himself; Jack wasn't going to give in on this. "Done." He would be able to save just over one pound a week.

"Good."

They remained in each other's arms for a few moments longer, just savouring each other. Then Daniel pulled back. "Goodnight, Jack."

"Goodnight, Daniel." Jack let go of Daniel and watched the young man leave. We're going to have a bumpy journey, he mused silently.

***

The next day Jack was up bright and early to complete the transaction. By midday, he was the joint owner of the townhouse. By five in the evening, he had furnished two bedrooms, the kitchen and the sitting room, courtesy of some hasty shopping by Sam. At five-thirty, he was back at Sam's house to collect both Daniel and Charlie - Sam had stayed at his house - to come and see everything. Charlie, excited by the prospect, ran ahead of the two men, allowing them a few minutes to talk.

"Did you inquire about the job?" Jack asked, walking a little closer to Daniel than polite society would approve of.

"I start on Monday," Daniel told him with quiet pride. It might not be a gentleman's occupation but he was thrilled with it, and he was looking forward to being amongst all those books.

"Congratulations," Jack said sincerely. Then a thought struck him. "You already had this organised, didn't you?" He looked sideways at the younger man. "Daniel?"

"I got the job today," Daniel sidestepped the question with practised ease.

Jack shook his head and decided not to pursue that further. "So, are you going to the ball on Saturday?" Sam had told him all about it while arranging the furniture.

Daniel sighed. "Sam said I should go."

"But you don't want to," Jack surmised. He gave Daniel a wry smile. "I understand completely. All those women dressed in their finery, the younger ones looking for a husband - not my idea of an enjoyable evening."

"Then why do you go?" Daniel was genuinely curious.

"Because it is expected," Jack replied. "If I'm away with the army, then people won't expect me to come but when I'm in town, then it is incumbent on me to attend."

"Oh." With the new season of balls starting up, they would both have to attend, and the idea of spending so much time away from his studies was frustrating. Not to mention the amount of time away from Jack, of course. And as for the women... "Jacob thinks that all the eligible women are going to want to marry me." He screwed up his nose in disgust. "Do you think so?" Daniel couldn't believe it was true.

With a stab of jealousy, Jack reluctantly agreed. He added, "We will have to think of a story to tell them before you end up accidentally engaged to one of them."

Daniel gave him a startled look. "Could that actually happen?"

"I know of several soldiers to whom that has happened." Jack didn't mention it had almost happened to him once. "Only one managed to get out of it because he got another woman with child."

"Oh," Daniel said again. That option wasn't really open to him. "Do I have to go?" Maybe he could stay home all the time.

Like Daniel, Jack found that he wanted the young man to stay home and not be prey to the hungry men and women of society. Unfortunately, social obligations took precedence. "Yes. If I'm going, so are you."

Charlie came running up then. "Hurry up!" he said to them before running off again. He found the right house, went up to knock on the door, and then disappeared inside a few moments later.

"Do you think he is excited?" Jack said dryly, nudging Daniel with his elbow.

"Anyone would think it was his house," Daniel replied. Then his eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. "Oh no."

"What?" Jack stopped at the bottom of the steps leading to their new home.

"I think Charlie might be expecting to move in with us." Daniel stopped next to Jack. "He has always lived with me - well, not always, but since he arrived at Robert's. It is possible that he might want to stay with me."

The door opened and Sam looked out. "Jack, if you don't hurry up..." She left the threat hanging.

Jack ushered Daniel in ahead of him and was pleased to see the look of wonder on the young man's face. The hallway was impressive even without furniture, painted as it was in pale gold and creams. Suspended from the high ceiling was a large chandelier. "Wow," Daniel voiced his awe. He still wasn't used to living among rich society.

Charlie was already at the top of the stairs, eagerly exploring. "This is fantastic!" he called down to the others. "Which one is my room?" He disappeared from view.

"Oh no," Jack muttered, echoing Daniel's earlier words. He turned to see Sam looking at him with amusement. "Did you know about that?"

"I guessed," Sam admitted. She had developed a good friendship with Charlie, and she knew the boy had a crush on her, but he and Daniel were like brothers. Wherever Daniel went, Charlie would go too. "What are you going to tell him?"

"Jack, you can't say no," Daniel quickly interjected before Jack could say anything.

"Why not?" Jack kept his voice low. "Do you know how hard it is going to be to have any privacy with him around?"

"Privacy for what--oh." Daniel realised what Jack meant and felt his cheeks redden. Privacy for that.

"Yes, 'oh'." Jack thought the blush was cute but didn't know why Daniel was embarrassed about the prospect of them sharing a bed. "Well?"

"We will think of something." Daniel was sure of that, considering the move wouldn't be for a few months.

"Come on," Charlie interrupted again, leaning over the railing. After everyone went up the stairs, he led them to an empty room right at the front of the house. "This is my room," he announced.

Jack breathed a sigh of relief; it was at the opposite end of the house to the main bedroom. That didn't mean there would be any guarantee of more privacy but it was better than right next door. "Very well, Charlie, that can be your room."

"Smashing!"

"Thank you, Jack," Daniel said quietly into Jack's ear. He appreciated the fact that Jack was willing to have Charlie here with them.

Letting Sam do the honours of tagging along after Charlie as he explored the house, Jack showed Daniel around at a more leisurely pace. When they reached the main bedroom, Daniel showed some reluctance to go inside.

"Go on." Jack gently pushed Daniel into the room.

A large wooden bed dominated the room, the cream bedspread in stark contrast to the dark wood. It didn't quite match the yellow-flowered walls but Daniel figured there would be some redecorating done. "Sam picked it out, didn't she?"

"How did you know that?" Jack queried, miffed that Daniel could spot that.

"It's almost the same as hers," Daniel replied, stifling a laugh. Somehow, the bed didn't quite suit Jack - it wasn't quite masculine enough.

"Are you laughing?" From behind Daniel, Jack wrapped his arms around the slender waist. "Are you laughing at my bed?"

"No," Daniel lied, trying not to laugh.

"I think you are." Jack could feel Daniel's stomach muscles moving with suppressed laughter. He tentatively tickled Daniel's side with his right hand and was rewarded with a giggle. "You are definitely laughing."

"No, I'm not." Daniel tried to squirm away from the tickling fingers but with no success. "Jack!"

With a start, Jack let go, the memory of Sarah popping into his head. He realised he was doing the same sort of thing with Daniel as he had with his ex-wife. Not only that, but he was feeling the same sense of happiness and arousal. Was that wrong? How could he feel the same thing?

"Jack?" Daniel turned and put one hand on the older man's cheek. "Jack, what's wrong?" He could see something in Jack's eyes - it looked like confusion. Making a guess, Daniel thought that Jack was confused about his feelings and possibly about how normal this was. "It's all right."

At those words, Jack relaxed. Of course it was all right. So long as he had Daniel, everything would be fine. "I know."

Glancing over his shoulder, Daniel decided to give Jack some tactile reassurance. Biting his lower lip, he took Jack's hand and led him over to the bed. Then Daniel sat on the edge and got Jack to sit down next to him. "Kiss me," he ordered softly.

Jack obeyed without thinking. He put his arms around the young man and held him tight, his lips passionately claiming Daniel's. Gradually, he lowered Daniel backwards until they were both lying on the bed, Jack half on top of Daniel. An unwelcome thought intruded - the fear Daniel had shown in St Albans at Jack's touch. He drew back slightly and saw the same fear now in Daniel's resolute face. Perhaps Daniel had worn this same face when he had worked in the brothel. This caused Jack to shift off Daniel to the side and place his palm on the young man's stomach, stroking gently until the fear disappeared.

"Why did you stop?" Daniel wanted to know. He had been quite prepared to do whatever Jack wanted to assure him this was normal.

"Besides the fact that Sam or Charlie could walk in on us at any time?" Jack replied. Admittedly though, he hadn't been thinking about that when he had stopped. "You didn't like it."

"Yes, I did," Daniel hastened to assure Jack. He wasn't lying about that - he had enjoyed the kissing.

"Daniel, I saw your eyes." Taking a deep breath and telling himself that he really did need to know, Jack decided to ask a question that he normally wouldn't ask. "Were your... your customers violent?"

"Excuse me?" Daniel felt a chill settle over him at the question, and he sat up, dislodging Jack's hand. "Why?"

"Because you're scared. So I'm just asking if it's because - they - were violent." By the last few words, Jack couldn't look at Daniel.

Daniel stared at Jack. "I can't believe you're asking me this!" He went to get off the bed but felt Jack grab his arm in an iron-grip. "Let go!"

"Tell me!"

"No!" He couldn't. It was too shameful, and he was trying to put that part of his life behind him.

"I will draw my own conclusions from that then." A slow anger started to boil inside him at the thought of faceless men hurting Daniel for pleasure. "I'm not like them," he promised.

Daniel's shoulders slumped. "I know that." He did. It wasn't that he was scared of Jack; he was just scared of getting hurt again.

Jack sat up, not relinquishing his grip. His eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Is it because of Robert?" When Daniel went to move away, Jack held on tight. "Daniel?"

"I don't want to talk about this," Daniel stated firmly. He had fought hard to bury those memories deep in the recesses of his mind. "You're hurting me, Jack."

Jack let go immediately. "Daniel, I didn't mean--"

"I've never had anyone to talk to," Daniel interrupted, wanting to explain about his reluctance to talk. "Anyone who really cared. Talking isn't easy for me."

"I understand." Jack had the same problem. "It's not the done thing in high society," he said self-mockingly. Sometimes the stiff upper lip mentality was really annoying.

Daniel laughed mirthlessly. "It's even worse in the slums. You can't show any weakness or you'll end up dead." Unless one had protection like Daniel had had. But the cost of that protection was usually quite high, as Daniel had found out. "Old habits die hard."

"You told me you loved me," Jack pointed out.

Daniel opened his mouth to reply but the sound of Charlie's voice nearby interrupted him. He quickly stood up and went out into the corridor, leaving Jack still sitting on the bed. "So, what do you think?" Daniel asked Charlie, trying to forget how vulnerable he was to Jack.

"Absolutely smashing!" Charlie replied, practically bouncing with excitement. "When are we going to move in?"

"I don't know yet." Daniel turned to look at Jack as the older man stepped out of the bedroom. It would depend on when he could trust his relationship with Jack.

***

Sir Nicholas Ballard sat in his den, staring at the piece of paper his butler had just given him. Sir Nicholas had the reputation of knowing everything that happened in high society - courtesy of his network of informants, which included his butler. But there was one piece of information they - and consequently he - had missed.

His grandson was still alive.

The butler, Frederic, had discovered this yesterday when he had been talking to his friend at the bank. Frederic had served Sir Nicholas for twenty years, and had recognised the name when the banker had spoken it. Since the bank dealt with property, Frederic always asked about who was buying or selling houses, and yesterday he had been informed that Colonel O'Neill - known for his broken engagement to Samantha Carter - was buying a house with a Daniel Jackson. Frederic couldn't be sure that this man was Sir Nicholas's grandson but he brought the information to his master just in case.

"Find out more details," Sir Nicholas ordered his butler. "I want to know where he has been living, how long for, where he has been hiding all this time, and most importantly, why he didn't die when he was supposed to."

"As you wish, milord." Frederic bowed and then left.

Sir Nicholas leaned back in his chair. He hadn't seen Daniel for - what was it now? Twenty years? Daniel would be a young man, quite handsome if he was anything like his parents. Sir Nicholas may not have liked his daughter's husband but he had to admit the man had been quite good-looking. Any child of theirs would doubtless be the same.

He had thought that Daniel had died along with his parents all those years ago, although there had been no proof. Only Claire and Melbourne Jackson had been found at the scene; young Daniel had mysteriously disappeared. If it became known that Daniel was still alive, there would be serious consequences financially, and that would not be good right now, not with his gambling debts.

Frederic returned in the evening to impart the new information he had gathered. "It would appear that the Daniel Jackson in question is a cousin of Mr. Jacob Carter, sir. He was at the Midsummer's Ball, although he has not attended any since. He resides in Miss Samantha Carter's home, and attends London University, studying history."

"Well done, Frederic," Sir Nicholas praised him. The butler's talents for gathering information were excellent. Sir Nicholas pondered upon the information. The Midsummer's Ball - was it a coincidence that O'Neill had broken his engagement so soon after the ball to the woman Daniel was now living with? Or was there something more to it? "Is this Daniel truly Jacob Carter's cousin?"

"There is little evidence to suggest otherwise," Frederic replied.

Sir Nicholas sighed. "Then he cannot be my grandson." That was most fortunate.

"With your permission, sir, I will attempt to discover more about this gentleman." Frederic's instincts told him that there was more to this young man's story than had been uncovered so far.

"By all means." Sir Nicholas wanted to know for sure before he ran out of time. It also wouldn't hurt to learn if there was a connection between Daniel and O'Neill - it could prove to be quite profitable.

***

Delegating his household responsibilities to the under-butler, Frederic personally went to Miss Carter's house the next morning. He waited patiently until a young man stepped out of the house, his arms full of books. Frederic took one look at the young man's face and knew this to be Daniel; the resemblance to Claire Ballard was unmistakable. This young man was most certainly Sir Nicholas's grandson. Waiting a decent interval, Frederic started to trail him.

It didn't take Daniel long to realise he was being followed. One legacy of living in the slums was the super-awareness of one's surroundings - a necessary ability if one didn't want to be taken unawares by other thieves or murderers. Within thirty seconds, he had identified which man was following him. The man was in his mid-thirties, with short dark hair and a thin face. He had never seen the man before, and since he appeared to be of the gentry, Daniel was puzzled as to why he was tailing him. Better to be safe than sorry though, so Daniel set about losing his shadow.

Frederic cursed silently when he realised he had lost sight of Daniel. The young man must have slipped into one of the alleyways after he had turned the corner. That fact would indicate that Daniel knew either someone was following him, or had some sort of dark business to attend to. Frederic dismissed the idea of searching and decided to have a chat with his contacts. Someone around here should know something. And if not, Frederic would have to search further afield.

Daniel relaxed when he became aware that his follower had given up. Slipping out of his hiding place in the alley, he continued on to the university, still puzzling over who was interested in him. But he never reached an answer.

***

That evening, Frederic returned with more information. "The bank has no account in the name of Daniel Jackson, so it is unlikely that he has any money. I have also been unable to verify that Jacob Carter is his cousin, although he has paid Daniel's tuition fees at the university."

"What is he studying?" Sir Nicholas wanted to know, forgetting that Frederic had told him already.

"History. Apparently he also has an aptitude for languages." Frederic had gleaned this information from his source at the university.

"Just like Claire," Sir Nicholas muttered. The words were not in praise.

"Yes, sir. Speaking of your daughter, sir, I happened to view Daniel today. He is very much like her in looks and colouring. A very handsome lad."

Sir Nicholas took a moment to absorb this. His grandson had indeed been found. "Have you found out his connection with the Carters or with Colonel O'Neill?"

"I am afraid not." And Frederic hated not knowing. "But I will endeavour to have that knowledge by tomorrow night."

"What about where he had been these past twenty years?"

Yet another piece of information that had eluded him so far. "He has either lived out of London or on the streets, sir. My contacts will hopefully know by tomorrow."

Sir Nicholas nodded. The latter would make for good blackmail material if necessary. "Make sure Daniel attends the ball tomorrow night. I wish to see my grandson." Then he would decide what to do about him.

"Yes, sir." That, unlike information, might be a bit harder to organise.

***

Once again, Daniel was dressed in his best suit, ready to attend the ball. He stood impatiently in front of the fireplace while Sam fiddled with his bow tie.

"Daniel, stop it," Sam admonished him as he fidgeted. She completed the bow and stood back. "There, all done."

"It's too tight," Daniel complained, tugging at his collar.

"You'll be fine, Daniel," Jack said from his place on the couch. He had arrived an hour ago so that he could escort Daniel and the others to the ball. Right now, he sat admiring how Daniel looked in a suit.

"Easy for you to say," Daniel muttered. He had been on edge the past couple of days, what with Jack courting him and someone following him around. The mystery man had followed him back from university yesterday - or had tried to, as Daniel had once again evaded him.

Jack sighed. Daniel had been harder to talk to since the conversation at their house. Maybe I shouldn't have brought up the past, Jack thought as he stared at the beautiful young man; Daniel wouldn't have liked the reminder. "Do you want to stay here?"

Daniel paused for a moment, thinking. The last - and only - ball he had attended had been okay until afterwards; maybe this would be okay too. Besides, he had to make an effort so that Jack wouldn't be disappointed in him. "No. I will go."

"Good." Jack gave him a warm smile. "It will be all right, you'll see."

A couple of hours later, Daniel saw the truth in those words. He was never short of a partner - neither was Jack, he noticed - and the music was lively. And in between dances, he got to talk to Jack, Sam or Jacob, which kept him happy.

The music ended, and Daniel walked off the dance floor, escorting his partner to the nearest chair. Upon spying Jack nearby, he made his excuses to the young lady and then went over to the older man. "Hello again."

"Enjoying yourself?" Jack asked, hiding his jealousy behind a smile. He knew he had nothing to worry about because Daniel wasn't interested in women but still the jealousy formed inside him. He hated that the women could dance with Daniel and he could not - no, wait, that couldn't be right. Why would he want to dance with Daniel? He must be hating that he couldn't spend time with Daniel - yes, that was it.

"Sort of." It wasn't much fun dodging seemingly innocent invitations from half the women at the ball.

"Colonel O'Neill, isn't it?" a voice said from behind them.

Jack turned to see Sir Nicholas Ballard standing behind them. The man was about seventy or so but robust looking nonetheless. "Yes," he confirmed cautiously. He looked at Daniel out of the corner of his eye and saw that the young man had his mask of ignorance on.

"My name is Sir Nicholas Ballard." The old man held out his hand for O'Neill to shake. After he had done so, Sir Nicholas continued. "And you must be Daniel Jackson," he said to O'Neill's companion. He held out his hand again. Frederic had received more information about Daniel that day concerning his whereabouts for the past twenty years. He had no precise details yet, but it appeared Daniel had resided in the slums for most of that time. Perfect blackmail material.

Daniel's face gave nothing away but inside he was in shock. How had his grandfather recognised him? "I am," he said calmly.

"It certainly is a pleasure to see you again after all these years," Sir Nicholas stated, looking at his grandson for signs of recognition.

"Do I know you?" Daniel asked, feigning ignorance.

"You don't recognise me?" That didn't surprise Sir Nicholas. "Well, you were only a young lad when we last met. My, you look so much like your mother." Frederic hadn't lied about that; the resemblance was remarkable.

"Really?" Daniel was thrown off-balance by that comment. The memory he had of his parents had faded to a blur, and no-one else had known them, so he had never known just how like them he was. "I mean, how do you know?"

"Drop by my house tomorrow afternoon," Sir Nicholas said, handing Daniel a card, "and I will explain everything." Now was not the time to talk, not in front of witnesses. He melted back into the crowd.

"That was unexpected," Jack commented as he watched the old man disappear. There was something about Sir Nicholas that he didn't like but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Very." Daniel examined the card; it had Sir Nicholas's address on it. "How did he know who I was?"

"I don't know." Nevertheless, Jack had his suspicions because this meeting hadn't been spontaneous. "It appears he has been doing some digging though."

Daniel hoped that he hadn't been digging too far. "Should I go tomorrow?"

Jack shrugged. "There's probably no harm in hearing what he has to say." On the other hand, Sir Nicholas could do a lot of damage depending on what he said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Part of him wanted to say 'yes' but Daniel felt he needed to do this by himself. "Thank you but no."

Jack nodded, accepting that for the moment. "Let me know if you change your mind."

"I will." But Daniel did not intend to change his mind.

Part 2

Daniel stared at the mansion in front of him. It was just as he had remembered from his youth - large, forbidding and unwelcoming. He wanted to turn back but he forced his feet forward, curious to know what his grandfather wanted after all this time.

The man who opened the door and then showed him to his grandfather's study was familiar, and Daniel had the sneaking suspicion that he could have been the spy. Then he put that thought aside when he saw his grandfather. "Good afternoon," he said politely, remaining standing.

"Good afternoon," Sir Nicholas replied, having observed Daniel before entering the foyer, taking note of Daniel's eyes darting everywhere as if taking it all in. "You have your mother's curiosity too, I see." His tone made it clear that wasn't a compliment.

"After your comments last night, anyone would have," Daniel retorted, bristling at the tone. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about?"

So like Melbourne, Sir Nicholas thought; direct in his manner. Unfortunately. "It's very simple, Daniel. I am your grandfather."

Daniel showed no reaction to this. "I have no grandfather."

"You disbelieve me?"

"Yes," Daniel lied.

"Your mother, Claire, was my daughter," Sir Nicholas informed him. She had been the daughter he hadn't wanted. "She married Melbourne Jackson without my consent in 1875. You were born in 1876, making you twenty-five now." He paused and stared directly at his grandson. "How am I doing so far?"

Daniel was surprised that the old man had remembered those details; he had always assumed that his grandfather would have forgotten all about them.

"We had an argument when you were five and I never heard from or saw them again. What happened to them? To you?"

"They died," Daniel said bluntly.

Sir Nicholas schooled his expression into one of shock. "When?"

"A while ago." No way was he going to tell his grandfather exactly when because that would lead to questions he didn't want to answer.

"I see." At least that part had worked. So why wasn't Daniel dead? "I suppose that makes you my heir." Unfortunately, that also meant Daniel was also the heir to his great-grandparents fortune too - what was left anyway.

"I suppose it does." Daniel had never thought much about it.

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"None." Not living, Daniel silently amended; his younger sister had died soon after birth when he was six after being born too early.

"You probably don't want my money, and I can't blame you. But surely you will need some to pay Colonel O'Neill your share of the house." Sir Nicholas eagerly awaited Daniel's reaction.

Daniel was surprised into an honest response. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't you know?" The old man oozed innocence.

"Know what?" Daniel's eyes narrowed; Sir Nicholas had done his homework and was now luring him into a trap.

"That you are co-owner of the house." Sir Nicholas's eyes gleamed. "A fact I find strange considering the lack of money to your name."

Anger started to rise within him. "You've been spying on me?" The fact that Sir Nicholas knew this much about him made Daniel wonder just what else he knew. "How dare you!"

"Don't get all indignant on me, Daniel." Sir Nicholas's voice turned hard as he closed in for the kill. "After all, I'm sure you did a lot of spying and surveillance while you were living on the streets." Daniel's facial expression didn't change but his face drained of colour, confirming the old man's theory. "How did you become involved with the Carters?"

Daniel remained silent, frantically trying to think his way out of this situation.

This didn't bother Sir Nicholas too much. "They almost certainly knew about your background, so the question remains of why they brought you back into society."

"What do you want?" Daniel demanded, seeing the trap. Sir Nicholas wanted something, and if Daniel didn't co-operate, his secret would be exposed to high society, and he, Jack and the Carters would all be ostracised because of it.

"I find myself in need of a little financial assistance." His fondness for cards had made him lose too much money - again. "If you and your friends would assist me, I would be most grateful."

"No." He would not be blackmailed.

"Come now, Daniel, don't be so hasty. Think about your friends," Sir Nicholas stated.

Daniel wished he could say with certainty that the Carters and Jack would tell him not to give in to blackmail but he wasn't entirely confident about his friendships with them. Would they sacrifice their life in London for him? Probably not.

"Your involvement with them is quite interesting," the old man continued. "Soon after you arrived, Colonel O'Neill and Miss Carter broke off their engagement. You remained in the house with Miss Carter but now own a house with the Colonel. Most interesting indeed." Sir Nicholas hadn't worked out the reason for this yet but with some more snooping, he soon would.

"Are you finished?" Daniel said coldly, despising the man in front of him at the same time as fearing what he might have already discovered.

"Not quite. You will not tell your friends about this." That way, it would only be Daniel's word against his. "If I find out that they know..." He left the threat hanging.

"Why should I care?" Daniel tried to project nonchalance.

"Because you do," Sir Nicholas replied.

"No wonder my mother left," Daniel stated flatly. "You probably threatened her too."

Sir Nicholas ignored the barb as it was too accurate. "One hundred pounds by next Sunday. Deliver it here, in person, after midday. Frederic!" He raised his voice.

"Sir?" Frederic materialised from the next room.

"Show Daniel out."

Seething, Daniel followed Frederic out of the house. Once he was on the street, he just stood there for a couple of minutes, trying to work out what to do. He would have to lie to Jack about meeting with Sir Nicholas, and then he would have to find out some way to raise the money himself. Daniel didn't really want to pay the money but he would have to in order to protect his friends. With any luck they would never find out.

***

"So, how did it go?" Jack asked as soon as Daniel walked into the living room of their house.

"I didn't go in," Daniel lied. He sat down on the chair opposite Jack. "I got there and I, uh, I decided that I didn't want to talk to him. I mean, why should I? He's the one who kicked my parents out, forcing us to live on the streets!" Daniel didn't have to fake the indignation.

"Still, it might have been interesting to see what he said," Jack stated, not doubting the truth of Daniel's words for one second.

"Maybe." Actually, it would have been better if Daniel hadn't gone at all; then he wouldn't have known what kind of man his grandfather was. Now he was faced with finding 100 pounds in one week and few options on how to raise that amount. He briefly thought of telling Jack but decided against it. If Jack did decide to help and withdrew money from the bank, Sir Nicholas would know about it and would start spreading those vicious rumours. No, he had to do this on his own.

***

Over the next week, Daniel found that old habits did indeed die hard. He lifted several wallets each day on his way to and from university, always making sure that no-one was following first. He dumped the empty wallets in alleyways where someone would find them later. By the end of the week, he had eighty-four pounds. All he needed was sixteen pounds and he only had an hour to get it.

Waiting until Sam was otherwise occupied, Daniel went up to her room and found her purse. There was twenty pounds in there. Daniel took the sixteen pounds necessary, silently apologising to Sam for needing to do so; he hoped he would be able to replace the money before she knew it was gone.

With the money safely hidden on his person, Daniel left the house and headed for his grandfather's place.

***

Sir Nicholas was pleased to see his grandson arrive on time. He'd had Daniel tailed throughout the week but the boy was good at evading the spies, so Sir Nicholas didn't know how Daniel was obtaining the money. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find out too much more about Daniel either, except from one anonymous source in the slums. Apparently, Daniel had occasionally worked for the source in a brothel - a pretty boy who had been enjoyed by men. Much as the idea disgusted him - his grandson degrading himself like that - it did shed some light on his connection with the Carters and O'Neill. Instead of Daniel somehow seducing Miss Carter, it would appear that he had seduced O'Neill instead; whether true or not mattered little as the accusation could be damaging; it was very good for blackmail material.

Daniel strode into Sir Nicholas's study, contempt radiating from every pore. He threw the envelope containing the money onto the desk, and then turned to walk out.

"Just one moment, Daniel," Sir Nicholas ordered. He picked up the envelope and quickly counted through the notes there. Yes, there was 100 pounds there - Daniel had done a good job. "Well done."

There was no need to reply to that so Daniel again went to leave.

"You know, a very interesting piece of information crossed my desk this week," Sir Nicholas continued smoothly.

Daniel tensed. Several possibilities crossed his mind, and he hoped it wasn't the worst one. "That's nice," he said, feigning disinterest as he turned back to the man.

"Actually, it's quite disgusting. I never expected to discover that my only grandson worked as a common prostitute."

How had Sir Nicholas found Harry, Daniel wondered, glaring at the old man as a sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. "What do you want from me?" he demanded, knowing that Sir Nicholas wouldn't be talking about this if he didn't have an ulterior motive. "I got you the money."

"But it's not enough. And since you seemed to have little trouble gathering the money this week, I want two hundred pounds by next Sunday."

Was he kidding?! "It was hard enough getting one hundred," Daniel stated angrily. "Two hundred is impossible!"

"You mean you are not charging O'Neill for your services?" Sir Nicholas smiled when Daniel looked away. "How very remiss of you."

"Jack O'Neill is a friend, nothing more." Daniel was very worried that Jack might not even be that soon given that Daniel - because of his guilt in stealing - was not co-operating very much.

"If you say so." Sir Nicholas let his disbelief come through in his words. "Still, he wouldn't want that kind of rumour getting around, would he? Especially when it could get someone... hurt."

Daniel cursed silently at the obvious threat. The kind of rumours Sir Nicholas was threatening to spread could conceivably result in a beating by 'well-meaning' moral citizens, not to mention how it would damage Jack's reputation. "How come you can't pay the debt yourself?"

"That, my boy, is none of your business. I will see you next week." Sir Nicholas dismissed him and went back to his work.

Fuming at being so easily blackmailed, Daniel stalked out of the house. He briefly contemplated stealing something from the house to sell on the black market but knew that it would only give Sir Nicholas another thing to blackmail him with. Therefore, he went empty-handed into the street, planning how he was going to raise 200 pounds in seven days.

Back up in the study, Sir Nicholas leafed through the money, counting it again just to make sure. Daniel had done a very good job in collecting the money - no doubt by illegal means. What lengths would Daniel go to in securing the money this time?

***

Daniel lifted two wallets on the way home, collecting the sixteen pounds he needed plus a little extra. At the first opportunity, he put the money back in Sam's purse, hoping that she hadn't noticed anything missing. Then he went downstairs and pretended that nothing was wrong.

***

Jack called around every night in that second week, and he grew more confused by Daniel's behaviour. Instead of the confident young man who had visited St. Albans, Daniel had become nervous and jumpy, and there was a lot of guilt and anger in his eyes. On the occasions Jack had tried to talk about it with him, Daniel would just say that there was nothing wrong, or that he didn't want to talk about it. Jack thought it might have something to do with their relationship but how did the anger tie in with that?

The answer came on Friday night when he stayed over at Sam's house. Although he had been in bed for an hour, he hadn't fallen asleep, and so he was able to hear the slight creak of the floorboards as someone snuck past the guest room. Curious, he got out of bed, quickly got dressed, and went to investigate.

From the top of the stairs, he saw Daniel put something from the hall table into a black bag. Astonished, Jack stood there frozen for a few seconds. Daniel was stealing! When Daniel moved away towards the front door, Jack started quietly down the stairs. He had to see what Daniel was up to.

Pausing at the doorway to put on his shoes and a warm cloak, Jack then followed Daniel out into the street. The quarter moon gave a little light to see by, as did the lamps along the streets. Jack tailed Daniel for at least half an hour into the slums of London, managing to stay hidden whenever the young man looked around. He was still in shock over seeing Daniel steal something - Jack had thought that Daniel had turned over a new leaf. Now it seemed that his initial assessment of Daniel was correct, and Jack's gut wrenched with the thought. He didn't want Daniel to be a thief.

Daniel stopped in front of an old warehouse. He knocked three times on the door then disappeared inside. Jack caught a glimpse of someone inside the building, so he discounted that as a way of getting in. From his hiding place, he started looking for another way in.

Inside the building, Daniel walked quickly into the room where Billy Card did business. He took the small gold clock out of the bag and placed it on the table in front of Billy.

Slowly, Billy took his feet off the table and leaned forward to inspect the item. He looked like a typical thief - unshaven, with dark unkempt hair, and several scars marred his face. His body, although thin and wiry, was strong. He had met Daniel on several occasions when the lad was working for Simpson, and Billy wondered at the sudden reappearance. "Nice piece."

"Thanks." Daniel hid his impatience; he hated being back here and wanted to leave as soon as possible. "'Ow much can you give me?" he said, slipping back into his old accent.

Billy continued his examination. "Fifty pounds," he said at last.

"It's worth more than fifty," Daniel argued.

"You're an expert now, are you?" Billy leaned back in his chair and observed the young man. "You're game coming back 'ere, you know. There's a rumour that you murdered Simpson. A few people want to see you pay for that." Including him.

"Well, I didn't do it. If I was you, I'd look to one of his so-called friends." Daniel crossed his arms as he glared at Billy. "Seventy-five pounds."

"Sixty." Billy casually got up and rapped on the door behind Daniel. "My final offer."

Daniel made some rapid calculations. Adding sixty pounds to what he had already lifted, he would have 140 pounds - still sixty to go. "I'll take it." He would have to find something else to fence quickly.

"You must be desperate," Billy observed as he went back to his chair. "Ned should be bringing the money now."

Daniel froze. Ned was one of the men who had raped him. When the door opened behind him, Daniel involuntarily turned to face the man.

An evil grin spread over Ned's face when he saw who was in the room with Billy. "Well, well, well, if it ain't young Daniel Jackson. Posh life not goin' too well, eh?"

"It's going fine," Daniel responded coldly.

"Posh life, eh?" Billy latched onto that piece of information. He stood up again and went to stand in front of Daniel. Although he was a head shorter than the younger man, he was twice as deadly. "What do you need with money then?"

"None of your business." Daniel refused to be intimidated. "My money," he demanded of Billy.

"In a minute." Ned circled around Daniel, boxing him in. "I wanna 'ave me another taste first."

As a cold hand slid around his neck, Daniel spun around and smashed his elbow into Ned's unprotected face. He followed that up with a knee to the groin, dropping his attacker to the floor. Then his left leg buckled as something hit the back of his knee. A strike to his head knocked him to the floor. He cursed as he hit the hard floor; he had forgotten that Billy might weigh into the fight. Quickly, he rolled over onto his back and away from Billy.

"Whatcha do that for?" Billy advanced on Daniel, his dark eyes glittering. "'E just wanted some fun." He knew exactly what Ned had planned to do.

"I didn't," Daniel shot back, scooting backwards until he was against the wall.

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it?"

Whatever Billy might have done or said next, Daniel never knew. A piece of wood hit the side of Billy's head, and he fell unconscious to the floor. Daniel looked at the figure wielding the wood, and his jaw dropped in surprise. "Jack?"

"What the heck is going on, Daniel?" Jack offered his hand to help Daniel to stand. He hadn't seen very much, only from when Daniel had hit the floor, but it was enough to make him mad.

Daniel allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. "Did you follow me?" That was the only way Jack would have found him.

"Yes, I did." Jack picked up the clock then took hold of Daniel's arm and led him out of the building.

Once they were outside, Daniel wrenched his arm free. "I'm fine, thanks for asking, Jack," he said sarcastically. It hurt that Jack hadn't stopped to see if he was injured.

"Don't take that tone with me, Daniel." Jack was furious, his anger at the two unknown men now finding a target in Daniel. "I trusted you and all this time you were stealing from Sam!"

"No!" Daniel denied the accusation. "I haven't been stealing from anyone!"

"Then how do you explain this?" Jack brandished the clock. "You were sleepwalking?"

"I needed the money!" How was he going to talk his way out of this? He couldn't tell the truth but he couldn't think up a convincing lie either.

"Why?" Jack demanded to know.

"That's none of your business!" Daniel sought frantically to think up a lie while his heart began to break. Jack was not going to forgive him for this, and his one chance at a happy life was disappearing in front of his eyes.

"Yes, it is! I need to know why the man I am courting has suddenly decided to return to a life of crime!"

If Jack had said love, then Daniel would have told him. As it was, he couldn't. The words hurt him unexpectedly, and he fought against tears - reaction, he told himself, to the situation he had just been in. "I haven't returned to it!"

"Well, it sure looks like it to me!" Jack could see the hurt in Daniel's expression but he couldn't stop the words from pouring out. "Are you going back to your other job too?"

That was it! "Screw you, Jack." Daniel turned on his heel and started walking away. Tears pricked at the back his eyes and he raised a hand to wipe the moisture away. Why had he fallen in love with this man? He should have known it was only going to bring pain.

"Wait!" Jack cursed himself; now he'd done it. He chased after Daniel and stood in front of the young man, barring his way. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"No, but you would have thought it anyway. Once a whore, always a whore." Daniel turned his face away so Jack couldn't see how much this confrontation was hurting him. A gentle hand cupped his face and turned him back to look at Jack.

"I never thought that, Daniel. I was just angry at the thought of you betraying me." Jack had no defences against the hurt that he could see in Daniel's eyes.

"I would never betray you, Jack," Daniel promised.

"Then can you tell me what is going on?" Anything had to be better than Daniel going back to his former lifestyle.

"Not here. It's not a good idea to linger around here." The night held many predators of the human variety.

"Right." Jack wasn't going to think about how Daniel knew that. "After you."

Once they got into the better parts of London, Daniel gave Jack an abbreviated version of what happened with Sir Nicholas, glossing over the part where he stole Sam's money. By the time he was finished with the tale, Jack was furious again. "I'm going to kill him," the older man stated.

"Jack--"

"Daniel, your grandfather is blackmailing you into being a thief again! He deserves to go to gaol." Jack started planning how soon they could report Sir Nicholas to the police.

"He won't, even if we report him," Daniel said, looking at the practical side of the situation. "It's my word against his. Who are the police more likely to believe?"

Jack knew that Daniel had a point, and it galled him that Sir Nicholas would get away with this. "How much more do you need?"

"Around 120 pounds." And less than two days to get it.

"I'll give you the money," Jack offered.

Daniel shook his head. "Then he will know that you know, and he will start spreading rumours. His spies are everywhere." Including the slums.

Another good point. "I'll think of something." Jack tentatively put his free arm around Daniel's waist, aware that such a gesture was very out of place for a non-demonstrative Englishman. "I won't let him take advantage of you anymore."

"Thank you," Daniel accepted the help; he was tired of dealing with this alone. Although he wasn't used to sharing his problems, it felt good to be sharing this one with Jack.

"By the way, why were you fighting with those two men?" Jack inquired. He hadn't given too much thought about that when he had intruded on the scene.

"One of them wanted something that I wasn't prepared to give him," Daniel replied, leaving out the details.

"Which one?" Jack asked, anger boiling anew.

"Not the one you hit." Daniel smiled faintly at the memory of Jack coming to his rescue.

That was the one Jack was hoping it had been. Now he felt like going back and hitting the other one. "Did you know him?"

"Yes, actually."

Jack waited for more information. When none was forthcoming, he prompted, "And?"

Daniel looked away. "He was there the day Robert... you know." He couldn't voice what had happened out loud.

"He forced you?" This piece of information shocked Jack; he had only thought Robert had done it. "How many others?"

"One," Daniel replied quietly.

No wonder Daniel was still scared of intimacy if three men had forced him! "I'm sorry," he said, the words feeling inadequate.

"It wasn't your fault," Daniel stated, turning back to look at Jack. "Things like that happen."

"Not any more," Jack vowed. Hugging Daniel closer to him, they walked the rest of the way home in silence.

***

After seeing Daniel to his bedroom, Jack went back to his own bed and spent the rest of the night lying there thinking. How could Daniel's grandfather put him in such a position? What if Jack hadn't followed Daniel tonight? Daniel could have been beaten or worse, and Jack wouldn't have been able to prevent it. That thought caused Jack's gut to clench in fear, and his heart started beating rapidly. He had almost lost Daniel tonight, and that scared him. And part of it had been his fault, yelling at Daniel when there was no cause to. How could he have done that? Those angry words had broken the vow he had made never to hurt Daniel. He loved Daniel; how could he hurt him like that?

Something else occurred to him - Daniel didn't know Jack loved him. That was entirely Jack's fault. All the strict rules about not showing affection and all that... Who had made up those stupid rules anyway? Not showing his feelings was part of the reason he and Sarah had divorced; she had thought him cold and unfeeling. Maybe that was why Daniel hadn't felt loved and secure enough to tell Jack what was going on - because Jack wasn't truly showing his love. Of course, it was hard for him after all these years of being unemotional but Jack had thought he'd been doing well. Maybe he ought to do more. He knew Daniel hadn't experienced a lot of love in his life. So how could he show Daniel just how much he cared?

***

Daniel woke late the next day, having been unable to fall asleep for a long time. Last night had been a terrible experience - if Jack hadn't been there... Daniel smiled, a warm feeling spreading through him. Although Jack had been justifiably angry, he hadn't stayed that way, and had in fact been angrier with Sir Nicholas. Daniel had expected more of a scolding from Jack about the stealing, and had been surprised when Jack had suggested taking the money from his bank account. Then there had been the shock of Jack actually putting his arm around his waist in public. Granted, it was dark and no-one had been around to see them but still, it was the thought that counted. And because of that simply gesture, Daniel had felt more loved than all of Jack's kisses so far had done. The kisses were excellent but they were just a prelude to expressing love physically. The holding had signified affection, and that's what Daniel needed most - to know that Jack cared about him.

"Good morning."

Daniel jumped at the sound of Jack's voice. Then he looked at Jack, the smile still on his face. "Good morning."

He couldn't help responding to Daniel's smile with one of his own. "I come bearing breakfast." Jack held up the tray of food as evidence. "Or it could be lunch, since that meal is closer."

"Thank you." Daniel sat up in bed and Jack placed the tray over his legs. "Where is everyone?" The house sounded very quiet.

"Sam took Charlie ice-skating about an hour ago, and then she was planning on taking him shopping for some new clothes." He pitied poor Charlie - shopping with Sam could take hours. "So we have a couple of hours at least before they come back. Or we could just go over to our house and spend the day together," Jack suggested.

"Doing what?" Daniel asked as he started eating.

"I don't know," Jack admitted. He put one hand on Daniel's leg and squeezed it through the bedcover. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Fine."

"Daniel--"

"No, really," Daniel assured him. He put his hand over Jack's. "Thank you for following me last night."

"You're welcome." Jack turned his hand over and threaded his fingers between Daniel's so that they were holding hands. "I want you to know that I really do... care about you." The word 'love' just wouldn't come out. "And if Sir Nicholas wants to discredit me, let him."

Daniel's heart swelled with love; Jack did care about him. There was just one problem... "You know what people will do to us. To me." He hadn't told Jack about the threat to his life yet.

"So we will go and live somewhere people don't know us, where we don't have to be stuck-up all the time." The thought was very appealing. "What do you say?"

"What about Sam and Jacob? Sir Nicholas was going to spread rumours about them too. And what about Charlie? I can't leave him behind."

Jack had forgotten about those aspects. It was alright to condemn his own reputation but not to also condemn the Carters'. "I don't see any other options then. If you take the money to Sir Nicholas, he's just going to ask you for more. If you don't, he'll try to ruin us all." It was a no-win situation unless they could come up with something else fast.

Daniel slumped back against the pillows. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"Don't be. I'm glad I know what is going on." Jack moved so that he was sitting next to Daniel and then tentatively put him arm around the young man's shoulders. "I think we should talk to Jacob, see if he can come up with anything." After all, Jacob was indirectly involved too.

Daniel nodded his agreement. "And if he can't?" He leaned into Jack's side, thankful for the support.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Jack was really hoping that Jacob could think of something because he couldn't at the moment. "So eat up and then we will pay him a visit." And hopefully everything would work out fine.

Hopefully.

***

"He needs money, you say?" Jacob asked Daniel an hour later.

"Yes."

"Pretty desperately, I would say," Jack stated, "if he wanted 300 pounds in two weeks."

"And he has threatened to expose your relationship with Jack if you don't get the money?" Jacob wanted clarification.

"Yes." Daniel shot an apologetic look at Jack.

"How did he know?" That was something that was bothering Jacob.

"Jack put the house in both our names." This time the look was more of a glare.

In hindsight, that probably hadn't been the best move he could have made but he had thought that it was the right thing to do at the time. "Sir Nicholas has been digging deep to find out what Daniel has been doing," Jack commented.

"Then maybe we should do the same," Jacob mused. He thought about it for a few seconds. "I have a few contacts too. Let me see what I can come up with."

***

Over in his mansion, Sir Nicholas was looking at a new report from one of his sources. It appeared Daniel had gone to try and pawn a gold clock but O'Neill had followed him and the transaction hadn't taken place. There was no indication as to whether O'Neill knew why Daniel had been there though. But just to be on the safe side, maybe he should arrange a little 'accident' - non-fatal this time - to serve as a warning in case Daniel tried to do something stupid like not pay up. Too bad he couldn't use the original henchmen - that would have been a nice touch. But both of them were dead now, one apparently by Daniel's hand. Sir Nicholas had just been informed of that fact, and had been surprised to learn that one of the men he'd sent to get rid of the Jacksons had kept the boy for himself. It was fortunate that Sir Nicholas had never found out about that before or Simpson would have died a long time ago. He'd had his reasons for getting rid of his daughter and grandson, reasons that were still valid. That was why he would have Daniel removed before the inheritance was threatened. Maybe not killed though - Daniel might come in handy in the future.

He looked at the clock. There was still plenty of time before the ball to get something organised.

***

The ball was a very tense affair with Daniel, Jack and Jacob all keeping an eye out for Sir Nicholas. The old man was elusive though, keeping an eye on them but not letting them see him. Things were all arranged, and now Sir Nicholas hoped the plan would work.

Sir Nicholas made sure he was there when Daniel and O'Neill got into the same horse-drawn cab - unbeknownst to them, the driver was Frederic. Then he made sure his grandson could see him as he waved goodbye.

Daniel's eyes widened in alarm. That wave had an air of finality about it. "Jack, we have to get out," he said as the cab started to move.

"Why?"

"Because I have the feeling he wants me dead." The cab started to speed up.

"What?" That was a bit extreme. "What makes you say that?" Jack moved closer to Daniel.

"Are cabs supposed to go this fast?" Daniel inquired, sticking his head out the window to see what was going on.

"Now that you mention it..." A dark blur went past the window. "What was that?"

"Our driver." Oh God, Sir Nicholas arranged this, Daniel thought; he must have somehow found out that Jack knows about the blackmail. The horses continued at a gallop, causing the cab to bounce around on the bumpy cobblestones. "Jack, what are we going to do?"

"There's only one thing to do. We'll have to jump for it." Jack grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him in front of him, then opened the side door. "One, two, three..." He pushed Daniel out first.

They landed hard on the ground, the stones bruising their bodies as they rolled towards the curb. The cab continued without them, the horses unaware that the passengers had left.

Jack was the first to get up, his body aching from the hard impact with the ground. He crossed the short distance to Daniel, who was lying on his back and cradling his left wrist to his chest. "Are you all right?"

"No." His left wrist and ankle were throbbing painfully.

"Where does it hurt?" Jack was immediately worried and hovered over the young man.

"Wrist. Ankle." Daniel tentatively moved his fingers; there was pain but he could wriggle them so he didn't think his wrist was broken.

That wasn't good. "Can you sit up?"

Daniel nodded, then accepted Jack's assistance to sit up. "Where are we?"

Jack looked around and saw the street sign. "Only a few streets from the ball. Do you think you can make it back there?"

"No! I'm not going back," Daniel stated adamantly. If his grandfather was still there, he would see that they were still alive. "He was there, Jack. He planned this."

Jack knew exactly whom Daniel was talking about. "I didn't see him." And he had been looking, although not as they were leaving the ball.

"I did. Just before we left." Daniel felt cold inside from more than just the chilly evening. His grandfather wanted him dead. "Somehow he knows you know and he was carrying out his threat."

That caught Jack's attention. As he helped Daniel to his feet and put one arm around his waist to steady him, Jack asked, "What threat?" Daniel hadn't mentioned that before.

"'He wouldn't want that kind of rumour getting around, would he? Especially when it could get somebody hurt'," Daniel quoted. He put his left arm over Jack's shoulders for balance, grateful that he had Jack with him to help.

"And you didn't think it important to tell me this?" Jack asked, a hint of anger in his voice. Someone had just tried to kill them! How could he protect Daniel if he didn't know the full story?

Daniel hung his head. "I didn't want you to worry," he said in a quiet voice. Obviously, that had been the wrong thing to do.

"Next time, tell me," Jack ordered. He looked around him again - the street was deserted. They needed to find another cab so he could get Daniel to a hospital. "Can you put any weight on your foot?"

Gingerly, Daniel tried to do that and found that he could, although there was a lot of pain. "A little."

"Probably not broken then," Jack guessed. He'd had broken bones before. "We'll go to the hospital first and make sure, then we'll go home."

"Our home?" Daniel inquired.

"Yes. Our home." It felt good to say that now that Daniel knew about the joint ownership. "By the way, I was going to tell you about that--"

Daniel cut him off. "I know, when I was ready to hear it." If he had known straight away, he wouldn't have appreciated the gesture. "We can talk about it some other time. Let's just concentrate on getting there now, okay?"

Jack picked a direction and started walking slowly with Daniel limping along beside him. They travelled that way for ten long minutes until they found a horse-drawn cab to take them to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor on duty examined the injuries and determined that they were just badly sprained. Then he strapped them tightly and told Daniel to keep off his foot for the next few days.

Jack was relieved that the injuries weren't too serious. He assisted Daniel back to the cab and they went on to their new townhouse. Navigating the steps was a slow business, both at the front door and inside, to get Daniel up to the guest bedroom. By the time Daniel had changed - without Jack's assistance - into his nightshirt, his energy was waning. He didn't resist when Jack helped him into bed, and he curled up under the covers.

Leaning down, Jack kissed Daniel's forehead. "Goodnight. I'll be next door if you need me."

"Okay." Daniel suppressed the urge to ask Jack to stay; he didn't need comforting just because he was injured. "Wait, won't Sam be worried?" He was supposed to have gone back to her house after the ball.

"I sent a message from the hospital. She knows you're here," Jack replied. "Now get some sleep." With a final pat on Daniel's shoulder, Jack left the room.

It took Daniel only a short time to drift off to sleep, despite the throbbing in his wrist and ankle. Fortunately, it was a deep sleep, so he was undisturbed by nightmares. Jack, however, wasn't so fortunate, and he woke in terror twice, afraid that Daniel had died. After the second time, he took his blanket and settled down on the chair in Daniel's bedroom. This way, he would be able to reassure himself that Daniel was still alive.

Part 3

Sam rushed over to Jack's house the next morning, worried about poor Daniel. She was invited in by Teal'c - who had not gone to the ball - and was shown to the guest bedroom. A wistful smile crossed her face when she saw Jack sprawled out in the chair fast asleep, and she wondered whether he would have done that for her. Of course he would have, she chided herself; Jack had always cared about her.

A movement from the bed caught her attention and she looked in that direction to find two blue eyes staring back at her. "Good morning," she said softly so as not to disturb Jack.

"Is it?" Daniel rolled onto his back, cradling his left hand to his chest. The pain was less this morning but he didn't want to aggravate it. And his heart was still heavy with the knowledge that his grandfather had tried to hurt, possibly kill, him and Jack.

"Daniel." Sam carefully sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"

Daniel didn't answer; he had just seen Jack. How long had he been there? Some of the heaviness lifted at the thought of Jack watching over him.

Sam knew that he was looking at Jack so she didn't push for an answer. "Is there anything you want for breakfast?"

"Toast, please." Daniel wasn't very hungry but he knew she would insist he ate something.

"I'll be right back." Sam gave him a smile, brushed the fringe off his forehead, and then went to organise breakfast.

"She could have asked me too," Jack grumbled as he woke up. He stretched and immediately discovered all the aches and bruises from last night's adventure. "Ow."

"Jack?" Daniel turned over to face him.

"I must have hit the ground harder than I thought." His leg muscles had seized up during the night and Jack wasn't sure he wanted to try standing. "How are you this morning?"

"So long as I don't move, I'm fine," Daniel replied.

Jack stifled a groan as he slowly sat up properly. "I know what you mean."

"Last night wasn't just a bad dream then." Daniel had hoped briefly that it might have been. Anything was better than knowing his grandfather wanted to hurt him.

"Unfortunately not." Jack tried standing up. Every muscle in his body protested but he persevered. Then he slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down next to Daniel. "This is going to put a serious crimp in our courting, you realise? I was going to take you on a picnic today." He'd had it planned for a week.

"We can have it right here," Daniel suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Jack agreed. It would also be practical because if they wanted to do some kissing, they could do it in comfort. And speaking of kissing... Jack leaned down and briefly captured Daniel's lips. "A very good idea."

A thrill went through Daniel at the promise of what was to come. He pulled Jack down for another kiss, a deeper one this time. The usual pleasure started coursing through him but there was still no movement in his groin. Disappointed and frustrated, he broke away.

"Daniel, what is it?" Jack asked when he saw the frustration on the young man's face.

"Nothing." He couldn't exactly tell Jack what was wrong - that was just way too personal.

Jack opened his mouth to inquire but Sam arrived back, interrupting him. So he kept quiet, deciding that he could ask again after the picnic.

After breakfast, Daniel got dressed in the clothes Sam had brought over and then went down - with assistance - to the sitting room. Jack supplied him with some books so that Daniel could spend the morning reading. Sam went home and brought Charlie back, and the two of them kept an eye on Daniel while Jack went to Jacob's to fill him in. Then when he came back, Jack organised the food for their bedroom picnic.

Daniel kept an eye on the clock, eagerly awaiting noon. He and Jack hadn't spent a lot of time alone together since that weekend at St. Albans - Sam was acting as a chaperone in her own house. Therefore, this would be the first actual romantic thing they had done. Not that Daniel was particularly into 'romantic', having had no experience of it before, but he would like to at least try it.

When noon came, Daniel hinted to Sam that she should take Charlie home. To her credit, she got the hint, although Charlie didn't. He wanted to stay but Sam could see that the two men wanted some time alone. Daniel escorted them to the front door, limping heavily. When they had left, he went to the base of the stairs. "Jack!"

"What?" Jack said a few seconds later, appearing at the top of the stairs. He had been getting things ready in the bedroom.

"They're gone." Daniel smiled sweetly. "Are you going to help me up the stairs?"

Jack's feet started moving of their own accord. "How is the ankle?" he asked when he got closer.

Daniel weighed his answer carefully - 'fine' was going to be an obvious lie. "It doesn't hurt as much when I'm sitting down."

Jack got the hint. He put his arm around Daniel's waist, and the young man slung his left arm over Jack's shoulders. "Ready?"

They slowly manoeuvred their way up the stairs and then into the bedroom. By the time they got there, Daniel was very relieved to sit down on the bed. He immediately scooted into the middle of the bed, his left leg remaining outstretched, and waited for Jack to join him. He could only remember ever having one picnic with his parents before they died - a proper picnic, that was - when he was about six. When the money had started to run out, they'd had 'special' picnics indoors, his parents making a big fuss over them so that he wouldn't notice the meagre amount of food; he had missed that over the years. Now he could start afresh. "Coming?"

"Just a minute." Jack pulled out the basket from under the bed and gave it to Daniel to hold. Then he unfolded a small red-checked blanket and spread it on the bed. Finally, after taking his shoes off, he joined Daniel on the bed. "Would you like to unpack?"

Would he ever! Daniel opened the basket and started unpacking the food. There were no utensils or plates - it was all finger-food. Cold chicken legs, bread and butter, oranges - they would get messy - apples, grapes, and a nice bottle of wine. Two champagne glasses had also been packed. It wasn't an expensive or elaborate meal but Daniel didn't mind; he still preferred the simple things in life. "This is wonderful," he commented with a smile.

"So are you," Jack said without thinking. Daniel's face glowed with a radiant pleasure and Jack couldn't stop staring. He smiled when Daniel ducked his head; the young man was obviously unused to compliments. "Shouldn't I have said that?"

"No, it's just, um... No-one has ever said that to me before." He felt extraordinarily warmed by the compliment. Jack thought he was wonderful. That pleased Daniel more than being called beautiful. "Thank you." He smiled shyly over at Jack.

That look made Jack's heart melt - him, the hardened soldier! It amazed him how Daniel could affect him so. "You're welcome." He picked up a chicken leg and handed it to Daniel. Then he got another one and started eating it to cover his own embarrassment; he wasn't used to giving compliments of that nature to a man.

They ate in silence for a while. Then Daniel asked Jack about life in the military so the older man started relating humorous army stories, making Daniel laugh. Jack felt proud to be able to do that considering Daniel's life hadn't been much of a laughing matter.

When his ribs started to hurt from laughing too much, Daniel flopped back on the bed and tried to calm down. He had never laughed so much in his life! It had felt good to do so.

Jack cleared away the picnic things, keeping only the grapes. Then he got back on the bed and manoeuvred Daniel so his head was on Jack's lap. Holding a grape above Daniel's mouth, Jack said, "Open wide."

Obediently, Daniel opened his mouth and accepted the grape Jack placed in there. Then he chewed and swallowed, lifting his head a little to make the passage easier. Jack continued to feed him grapes for a few minutes until they were all gone. Then he leaned down for a kiss. Daniel obligingly lifted his head so that their lips could meet. It was a different sort of kiss, given that one of them was upside-down, but Daniel found it exciting. It was also hard on the neck so he dropped his head back onto Jack's lap and smiled up at the older man. "You sure know how to spoil a person," he commented.

"I aim to please." Since he couldn't say the words 'I love you' to Daniel, he had to use other methods of showing his feelings.

Daniel shifted off Jack to the side and indicated that Jack should lie down next to him; it would be easier for kissing. When Jack obliged, Daniel rolled onto his right side so he could see Jack better. "Did you do this kind of thing with Sam?"

"Sometimes. Well, never a picnic but a few outings," Jack amended. "It's the expected thing when you're courting. And there was nearly always a chaperone." In most cases, Jacob himself would do it.

'Never a picnic.' Those words made Daniel feel special. This was something Jack had only done with him! "Is this romantic?"

Jack had almost forgotten that Daniel wouldn't know what romance was like. "Definitely. Just the two of us, this nice big bed..." He reached out to run his hand over Daniel's side. "I never realised I could be romantic with another man."

Daniel rewarded him with a brilliant smile. "I'm glad you can be." He leaned down and gently pressed his lips against Jack's. The hand on his side pulled him in closer until he was lying half on top of Jack. Daniel didn't tense at this; he was on top so therefore he wasn't trapped. He deepened the kiss, hoping that it would arouse him but nothing happened. He could feel Jack's hard length against his thigh but his own wasn't responding despite the pleasure. Slowly, he started rubbing himself against Jack but even that didn't work. He was no good anymore!

"Ah, Daniel? What are you doing?" Jack wanted to know. He looked at Daniel's frustrated face and wondered what was wrong. Then he got it. "Daniel..."

"I can't... I can't get hard," Daniel admitted, turning his face away in shame. "I should leave." He went to move away but Jack's arms held him in place.

"No, you don't. You are not going anywhere."

"But I can't--"

"So you said." A few things fell into place for Jack. "How long?"

"Jack..." Daniel was uncomfortable with the subject.

"How long?" Jack persisted.

Daniel hesitated before answering, "Since the attack."

"The one with Robert?" When Daniel nodded, Jack continued. "I'm not surprised." He didn't ask why Daniel didn't say anything earlier; gentlemen did not speak of such things. "So it's not me?" A tiny part of him was insecure about holding Daniel's affections.

"Definitely not!" Daniel assured him. "It's just me."

"Well, don't worry about it. It will just make things worse."

"If you say so." That would be easier said than done. However, he could still pleasure Jack. He undid the buttons on the jacket, pushed the shirt up out of the way, and then undid the buttons on the long-johns. As he reached for a nipple, Jack's hand closed around his. "Jack?"

"I thought I heard something." Jack listened carefully for a few seconds but heard nothing. "Must have been imaging things." He released Daniel's hand, which immediately zoomed in on its target again.

Daniel was thrilled to be touching Jack just like he had in his fantasies. The coarse chest hair contrasted nicely with the smooth skin. Finding he wanted to feel more, he lowered his face to Jack's chest and closed his lips around one nipple. The chest hair tickled his chin and upper lip as he went to work pleasing Jack.

Jack just lay back and enjoyed what Daniel was doing to him. As he did so, he realised how Daniel had learnt to do this, and his enjoyment waned. He was jealous of all the men Daniel had done this to, he realised. "Daniel."

"Yes?" Daniel lifted his head.

"Is this what..." he trailed off. His question was stupid and embarrassing, he decided. "Never mind."

Daniel ran his mind through the possible ends to that question and came up with the most likely. Jack wanted to know whether he had been like this with his customers. He was annoyed for a couple of seconds before he understood where Jack was coming from on this. "Most of them didn't waste time on foreplay," he stated. "Those who did... I never wanted to do it." It was mostly the fat ones who asked for it, and Daniel had found it disgusting - hygiene was usually lacking in the slums. "It's different with you."

That was good to know. Jack tugged at Daniel until the young man was level with him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It's all right, I understand." He shouldn't have been surprised; it was only natural for Jack to wonder. Tentatively, he put his hand on Jack's cheek, not certain whether he should touch.

Jack put his hand over Daniel's and linked their fingers together. "Maybe I should warn you that I can be a jealous person."

"I've never had the opportunity to be jealous," Daniel stately matter-of-factly. He had missed out on so much growing up.

"Well, I cannot promise to give you the chance." Jack considered himself a faithful man. "But I will promise to try and keep my jealousy under control." He had seen how destructive jealousy could be.

Daniel looked into Jack's eyes and saw the sincerity there. "I love you, Jack," he said softly. He was so lucky to have found someone to truly love and who appeared to love him in return.

"Me too." Those three simple words that Daniel could say so easily still eluded him. He just couldn't bring himself to voice them.

"O'Neill!"

Teal'c's voice outside the bedroom door made Jack jump. He quickly sat up and pulled down his shirt, embarrassed at the compromising position he was in. "Yes?"

"This just arrived for Daniel Jackson." Teal'c stepped into the doorway, a white envelope in his right hand.

Daniel's heart sank. Only one person outside of the Carters and Jack knew that he might be here. Teal'c walked over to the bed and gave him the envelope. "Thank you," Daniel said. He looked at it, worried about what might be inside. "Jack, could you please open it?" he asked, handing the envelope over.

Jack took it and opened it slowly, having come to the same conclusion about the sender. "'That was a warning'," he read aloud. "'I will see you soon'."

"I told you he was behind last night's accident," Daniel stated, crossing his arms over his chest. His good mood had completely evaporated.

"You were right," Jack acknowledged. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do with that information. And he still didn't know how they were going to thwart Sir Nicholas.

"So, what do we do know?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know," Jack replied. "I don't know."

***

Sometime later, Teal'c approached O'Neill in the study when he was alone. "How did Daniel Jackson's parents die?" He had the beginnings of a theory.

"I don't know exactly." Daniel hadn't been forthcoming with the details. "All he said was that it was a street accident involving horses. Why?"

"I believe it possible that Sir Nicholas Ballard does not want a grandson."

Jack stared incredulously at Teal'c. "Are you saying that the old man really would kill Daniel?"

"He would not be the first," Teal'c stated. "It may also be possible that Daniel Jackson's parents' deaths were not a true accident."

If that was so, Daniel was in grave danger. "Find out whether it really was an accident they died," he instructed Teal'c. "If Sir Nicholas was somehow involved, we have our own blackmail material to end this with."

Teal'c bowed and then left to carry out his orders.

Jack left the study and went back up to the bedroom where Daniel was sleeping. He studied the young innocent face and wondered why Sir Nicholas would want to kill Daniel, much less his own daughter, but Teal'c had been right. There were far too many 'proper' families who had done far worse with unwanted children or grandchildren.

***

"The letter was delivered," Frederic informed his master.

"Good." Sir Nicholas was pleased. "Keep a close eye on that house and the Carters. If anything suspicious occurs, bring Daniel to me." If the blackmail was no longer working, he would have to resort to a different method of getting the money. It would make things messier but he would have what he needed - one way or another.

***

Daniel remained at Jack's house - he didn't think of it as theirs yet - for a few days while the swelling in his ankle went down. He could walk without assistance, although it was painful and the stairs were tricky. He would have to wait until the next week to go back to university though. Jack had gone to the university to get notes on the classes he had missed so far, and Daniel spent a few hours every day looking them over. During that time, he was able to forget about the situation with his grandfather.

Jack, however, couldn't. He, Teal'c and Jacob spent a lot of their time investigating the life of Sir Nicholas Ballard. What they found was very interesting.

Sir Nicholas had been fond of gambling from quite a young age. By the time he was twenty-five, he was already heavily in debt, so he arranged to get himself married to a young heiress, Eliza Michaels, and he used the dowry to pay off the debts. However, her parents must have suspected something for they changed their will so that Sir Nicholas would not inherit anything if his wife died. The money would go to any children produced in the union and any subsequent grandchildren. So Sir Nicholas had a daughter, Claire. Eliza died when Claire was nine, leaving the poor child alone with her father. Despite that, she matured well and turned into a fine lady. When she was twenty-one, she married Melbourne Jackson against her father's wishes. Less than a year later, Daniel was born.

When Daniel was five, Sir Nicholas disinherited his daughter and grandson but they were both still heirs to the Michaels' family fortune. Eliza's father died the following year, and her mother died when Daniel was eight, leaving the fortune to Claire and her family. Two months later, Claire and Melbourne had been killed in a freak accident - they had been crossing the street with Daniel when a runaway horse-and-cart had come barrelling towards them. Claire had pushed Daniel out of the way but had herself been struck by the horse, as had Melbourne. Both had been killed instantly. The witness whom Teal'c had found stated that the horse had seemed to go straight for them; they had no chance to escape. One of the drivers had been Robert Simpson, who had subsequently taken Daniel in. Teal'c had tracked down the other driver, who had died five years ago. But he had confessed to a friend that he and Robert had been hired to kill the whole Jackson family.

A little digging on Jacob's part had yielded the evidence that in the event of Claire and Daniel's deaths, their inheritance reverted to Sir Nicholas. However, because Daniel had simply disappeared, Sir Nicholas had been appointed guardian of the inheritance instead. He had taken out money to supposedly search for his grandson. So far, Sir Nicholas had received 30,000 pounds out of the 100,000-pound fortune, and had recently tried to access more on the grounds that he should receive the rest now since there was little hope of finding Daniel alive after seventeen years.

"If the solicitors knew that Daniel is still alive, Sir Nicholas would lose what remains of the inheritance," Jack summed everything up. "No wonder he wants Daniel dead." The lengths that the old man had gone to in securing the inheritance were amazing. It also made him very dangerous.

"We need to get Daniel into the solicitor's office as soon as possible," Jacob stated. "He can then make a will so that Sir Nicholas can't ever get his hands on the rest of the money. All we need is some proof Daniel is who he says he is."

Robert would have been good proof but unfortunately, he was dead. "I'll ask Daniel, see if he has anything," Jack said. "If he has, we'll go in this afternoon." The sooner they got this sorted out, the better.

Jack headed into the study where Daniel was studying. "Hi."

"Hi, Jack." Daniel lifted his head briefly to look at his boyfriend.

"Daniel, I need you to listen to me for a minute."

The young man looked up curiously. When he saw Jack's serious face, he put his pen down. "What is it?"

"Jacob was doing some digging and he has discovered that you inherited a small amount of money from your great-grandparents." Jack figured this was close enough to the truth - he wasn't going to tell Daniel about the rest unless otherwise unavoidable.

"Grandma Mary?" Daniel vaguely remembered the old lady who used to visit him.

"Yes. The money has just been sitting there waiting since you disappeared. The problem is that to claim it, you are going to need some proof that you are the right Daniel Jackson."

The news surprised Daniel. He'd had money all these years and he hadn't know about it! Except... "I don't have any proof, Jack. The only photo I had disappeared years ago." Robert had presumably taken it away.

Darn! That meant they would be facing a lengthy battle with Sir Nicholas over the money. "Are you sure?"

Daniel frowned as he tried to think. Suddenly, something came to him, something he hadn't thought about in years. "Grandma Mary used to call me her little man because I was named after her husband, Daniel Thomas Michaels. Would that help?"

"We can try." If Daniel could remember enough, maybe it would work.

***

Jacob accompanied the two men into the solicitor's office. The solicitor, a kindly middle-aged gentleman by the name of George Hammond, was initially sceptical about Daniel's claim but as he listened to what Daniel could remember of his early life, he began to believe. "The problem," he said, "is that I can't give you the money without solid evidence."

"Sir Nicholas himself has verified Daniel as his grandson at a ball two weeks ago," Jack put in. "I was there, I heard him say it."

George couldn't argue with O'Neill's credentials but... "Unfortunately, Sir Nicholas will have to come in and verify this before the inheritance can be signed over to Mr. Jackson."

"Well, that's not going to happen because the old man wants the inheritance for himself," Jack stated.

"Then there is nothing I can do."

"Can you freeze the inheritance while the claim is investigated?" Jacob asked. "We will try to get you some proof but in the meantime, Sir Nicholas should not be allowed to access the money."

George nodded. That sounded fair.

"Excuse me? Why would he be accessing the money anyway?" Daniel queried, thinking the request strange.

Jack and Jacob shared a glance. "It's just a precaution," Jacob explained, bending the truth somewhat.

"I will draw up the papers straight away," George said. "I suggest you all lay low for a while. Sir Nicholas will not be happy about this," he warned them. He had known the man for many years, and knew Sir Nicholas's temperament.

"We will," Jack promised. He handed an envelope over to Hammond, which contained all the information they had gathered on Sir Nicholas. "If anything should happen to any of us, you should open this."

George understood the implication. "Yes, sir."

Outside in the street, Daniel asked, "What was that about?"

"Just a few things that old Grandpa wouldn't want people to know about," Jack replied evasively.

"Listen, I've got some shopping to do," Jacob said. "I will meet you back at the house later."

Jack nodded. He looked around for a horse-drawn cab and spotted one across the street. "Come on, let's get you home." He helped Daniel into the cab and then followed him in, giving the address to the driver. If he had been more observant and less concerned about Daniel, he would have noticed something familiar about the driver.

As the cab started moving, Daniel stretched his foot out to rest on the seat opposite. "Just how much money are we talking about?"

Jack hesitated in his answer. He should tell Daniel the truth in the matter. "Seventy thousand pounds."

Daniel's eyes opened wide. "Seventy thousand pounds?" he echoed incredulously. That was a small fortune. By his calculations, he would have enough money to pay Jack back for his part of the house and still have plenty left over.

"Yes." Jack smiled at the stunned look on Daniel's face. "How does it feel to have that much money?"

"Ask me again when I actually have it," Daniel replied. Seventy thousand pounds! He couldn't believe it! He grabbed Jack's hand with his uninjured one. "Do you know what this means?"

"You'll be an independent gentleman," Jack stated. He squeezed Daniel's hand, sharing in the young man's excitement.

"Yes!" Daniel was very happy about that. His grin segued into a frown when he felt the cab slow down. "Why are we stopping?" he mused out loud.

"I don't know." Jack stuck his head out the window to ask the driver and immediately ducked back inside. "We're in trouble," he announced. Several big disreputable men waited just a few yards ahead. "Looks like a robbery."

The cab stopped level with the men. One of the men, a brute with a shock of red hair, stepped up the cab. "If you wouldn't mind gettin' out, sir..."

"I would mind actually," Jack said, assessing the men for threats.

The man opened the cab door. "We don't wanna get physical, if you know what I mean." Two more men came to stand behind him.

If it had just been him, Jack would have considered calling their bluff but with Daniel there - injured and unable to run or fight - he wouldn't. He held his hands out in front of him to show he had no weapons. "All right, I'm coming out."

The second he stepped onto the ground, two men grabbed him. The red-haired man moved around Jack and got into the cab. Daniel instinctively started to move towards the other door but found his way blocked by another man who had obviously gone around that side to prevent escape. He was trapped. "Jack!" he shouted as the two men grabbed his arms and forced him into the middle of the cab.

"Daniel!" Jack struggled to get free once he saw the men grab Daniel. A fist slammed into the side of his head and his vision swum alarmingly.

"Ja-!" A meaty hand cut off Daniel's shout over his mouth. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the hand.

"Shut up, lad!" the red-haired man said forcefully. He nodded at the other man, who captured Daniel's injured wrist and twisted it. The hand muffled Daniel's cry of pain. "Drive!" the man yelled up at Frederic.

The cab took off at a great speed. Jack watched it go, still struggling to free himself. Then the two men started bashing him, and although he put up a fight, the odds were against Jack. Soon he was lying on the street, semi-conscious.

The thugs left him, confident that Jack would not be moving for some time. Jack lay there for a minute, trying to gather his strength to move. He needed to get up and go after Daniel before any more harm could come to him. And Jack knew exactly where to go - Sir Nicholas Ballard's townhouse.

He tried to push himself into a sitting position but his head spun too much. He flopped back to the ground, breathing heavily. Sir Nicholas was the only person who would kidnap Daniel, so therefore Jack had to go there as soon as possible - preferably with Teal'c and Jacob in tow. There was just this slight problem in not being able to get up. As he rolled over for a second attempt, he prayed that he wouldn't be too late to rescue Daniel.

***

Meanwhile, Daniel had been forced onto the floor of the cab so that he wouldn't be seen by anyone outside. He was sitting in between the red-haired man's legs to prevent him from moving. One hand held Daniel's left arm twisted painfully behind his back whilst the other was over Daniel's mouth. The other man sat opposite, one foot lightly pressing Daniel's injured ankle against the floor. Daniel was very effectively pinned in place.

Daniel guessed that he was being taken to his grandfather's. He wasn't sure why but he deduced that this was payback for not giving him the money on Sunday. Or maybe since this seemed to be a set up, that they had been followed and had just taken the opportunity when it had arisen. Either way, Daniel figured he was in trouble. He wondered about Jack and whether the men had hurt him. His stomach twisted at the thought of Jack lying in the gutter, slowly bleeding to death. The blood drained from his face at that thought. Please don't let Jack be dead! he prayed silently.

Pain in his ankle made him look up at the man opposite. Daniel glared at him, trying not to let his fear show through.

"Ooo, stop, you're scaring me," the man said sarcastically, pressing down harder with his foot.

Tears of pain scalded Daniel's eyes but he continued to stare defiantly at the man. His quickened breathing, however, alerted the red-haired man to what was going on. Suddenly Daniel's head was tilted back and cold green eyes stared down into his. Then those eyes were directed at the other man. "Our orders were not to damage him too much," the man said.

"I'm not," came the protest. "Besides, a boy as pretty as him would be used to rough treatment." He leered at Daniel, who fortunately couldn't see it as his head was still arched back.

"Take your foot away," the red-haired man ordered.

The pressure on Daniel's ankle was removed and he quickly tucked his legs towards his chest.

The red-haired man looked down again. "We're nearly there. You're not going to cause any trouble when we get out, are you?" The voice was cold and deadly.

Daniel shook his head; he did have a sense of self-preservation. Besides, struggling wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Smart lad." He let Daniel's head fall forward again. "Keep that common sense and I suspect you might be allowed to live."

The casual way he said that made Daniel's blood run cold. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to give in to Sir Nicholas either but he suspected he might have to if he wanted to survive long enough to get back to Jack.

The cab slowed down and then stopped. "We're here," the man behind Daniel stated. He released Daniel's arm and mouth. "Get up slowly."

Like he could get up quickly! Daniel put his right hand on the floor and slowly pushed himself up, balancing on his uninjured foot.

"Let's go." The man pushed Daniel towards the door.

Daniel staggered, only preventing himself from falling by grabbing the doorframe. The other man had disembarked already and was waiting for him on the pavement. Very carefully, Daniel stepped down onto the ground, almost overbalancing again. Rough hands held his arms and steadied him.

Frederic stepped down from the driver's seat and stood in front of Daniel. "Bring him in," he ordered the two thugs.

Remembering the threat, Daniel allowed himself to be led into the house. His ankle was throbbing, causing him to limp badly. He was relieved when the group stopped in the entrance hall, giving his sore ankle a rest.

Sir Nicholas strode towards his grandson, his sharp eyes noting the bandages. "Well done," he said to Frederic. "Where was he?"

"He and O'Neill went to Hammond's office," Frederic replied, referring to the solicitor.

"Someone's been prying into the inheritance," Sir Nicholas guessed. "That was a very bad move."

Daniel remained silent and just stared at his grandfather as the old man came to a halt in front of him.

"What am I going to do with you?" Sir Nicholas mused. "I can't let you get the money but I can't get rid of you either." But he would come in handy as a hostage. After a few seconds, Sir Nicholas nodded to his butler.

Frederic nodded back, knowing exactly what to do. "I will take him from here," he told the two hired men. When the men left, Frederic took hold of Daniel's arm. "Come with me." He led Daniel further into the house until he reached the trapdoor for the cellar. He pulled back the long rug that covered the trapdoor. "In here," he said, opening the door to reveal a small dark room.

Daniel shook his head; he had hated small confined places ever since Robert had locked him in a cellar when he was young. "No."

"You have no choice," Frederic stated unsympathetically. "Get in there." He tugged Daniel forward.

Daniel stumbled and nearly pitched headlong down the steps. He caught his balance just in time. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and limped down the steps, determined not to show any more weakness.

Frederic waited until the young man had reached the back wall before closing the door, leaving Daniel in complete darkness.

Fighting down the panic, Daniel turned and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold floor. He wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged them close. It was unbelievable that his own grandfather was doing this to him. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was being held for ransom - that was why he hadn't been killed yet. As long as he was useful for something, he would be safe.

Tears came unbidden to his eyes and he brushed them away impatiently; he was not going to cry. Tears were for those who were weak and he was not. He had survived worse, so he would survive this.

He hoped.

***

Travelling home, Jacob saw someone lying on the pavement. As the cab drew closer, he saw the man was well dressed, so he told the driver to stop. Then he got out and went over to the man. "Jack?" he exclaimed upon seeing the man's battered face.

"Jacob?" Jack opened his eyes - well, one eye as the other was starting to swell shut.

"What happened to you?" Jacob helped Jack to sit up.

"Some of Ballard's goons, I think. Jacob, they took Daniel." Jack tried to stand.

"Hey, just take it easy." Jacob assisted Jack to sit back down. "What makes you sure it was Ballard?"

"I just am. This was planned," Jack said. "They were waiting for us and they took him." It really sank in then. Those men had taken his Daniel. Jack dropped his head into his hands. "God, Jacob, they took him." How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to protect Daniel.

"It's all right, Jack. We'll get him back." Somehow. "But how about we get you cleaned up first."

Jack stared at Jacob for a couple of seconds and then nodded. He was going to need all his strength to get Daniel back.

***

Teal'c was waiting at the door when the cab pulled up. He had been concerned at O'Neill's long absence. When he saw Jacob alight from the cab, Teal'c stepped forward. "Mr. Carter, have you seen O'Neill?"

"He is here, Teal'c." Jacob showed him inside the cab. Jack had passed out during the journey home. "Can you take him inside?"

"I can." Teal'c easily lifted O'Neill and carried him into the sitting room. There, he set his master upon the couch. "What has transpired?"

Jacob told him all that he knew, which wasn't very much at this stage.

"Do you believe Sir Nicholas Ballard would do this?"

"I have no doubt that he is capable of it," Jacob replied. "The question is, what does he want with Daniel?"

Teal'c could not answer that question. "How can we get Daniel Jackson back?"

"I'm not sure. Sir Nicholas isn't just going to hand him over."

"Should we inform the police?"

Jacob hesitated before replying; he wasn't sure it would do much good. "Sir Nicholas would have anticipated that. He will have hidden Daniel away carefully. But a visit might stall him long enough to prevent him from harming Daniel." Jacob headed towards the door. "You stay with Jack. I'll report Daniel as missing, and that we suspect he has been kidnapped."

"As you wish."

Part 4

Time had no meaning in the dark. Daniel didn't know whether he had been there for only a few minutes or a few hours. He was getting hungry so he figured it was probably around teatime - he had left Mr. Hammond's office just before four o'clock, so perhaps two hours. Daniel wondered whether he was going to be fed or if his grandfather would leave him down here to starve.

To fight the panic that kept surfacing, Daniel focused his mind on Jack. On the romantic picnic they had shared on Sunday, and their time together since. He had been getting to know Jack better these past couple of weeks, and he liked the man Jack was now. Jack was quite open for a gentleman, able to share some of his feelings, and Daniel appreciated that. And Jack always made him feel loved. Daniel did not want to lose that.

He stiffened as he heard muffled voices above. They were very faint - the trapdoor was quite thick - but they inspired hope in Daniel. He had known that Jack would come for him as soon as possible! "Hello!" he called. "I'm down here!"

There was no indication that anyone had heard him. He moved onto his hands and knees, and crawled carefully forward to the bottom of the steps. Then he slowly climbed the steps like that until he was at the top. "Hello?" he tried again, banging on the heavy wooden door. "Can anyone hear me?"

The voices faded away. No-one had heard him. Either that or it hadn't been a rescue party at all, and it had been Sir Nicholas's servants going about their chores. Tears came into his eyes again but this time he didn't brush them away. He was very afraid of being left here to die.

Daniel carefully made his way back down again, this time by sitting on each step. When he reached the bottom, he crawled over to his wall, curled up again, and let the tears flow silently.

***

"As you can see, Officer," Sir Nicholas said to the policeman, "Mr. Jackson is not here."

Jacob, who was standing next to the policeman, bristled at the smug tone. There had to be some place that they hadn't checked because Sir Nicholas certainly had Daniel.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time," the officer said. "Thank you for your co-operation."

"Not at all."

Jacob didn't say a word as he left with the police officers, settling for just staring at the old man to let him know it wasn't over.

Sir Nicholas stared back impassively. When they had gone, he turned to his butler. "I take it they didn't find the cellar."

"No, sir." Frederic himself had escorted the police through that area.

"Any news from Hammond?"

"The inheritance has been frozen pending an inquiry into Daniel's identity." No amount of bribes had swayed Hammond on that point.

"I see." That was easily worked around. If Daniel couldn't be found, it would be presumed that he was not the true heir. "Feed him - I don't want him dead yet. Oh, and prepare a note for Colonel O'Neill in the morning. Tell him to withdraw the claim on the inheritance and to bring two thousand pounds by sunset tomorrow or Daniel will die."

"What if he takes the note to the police?" Frederic asked.

"He won't," Sir Nicholas replied confidently. "He wouldn't risk Daniel's safety."

Frederic inclined his head. "Yes, sir." He went down to the kitchen to fetch some bread and a bowl, and then went to the cellar.

Daniel flinched against the bright light when the trapdoor was opened. A figure advanced towards him, and it took him a couple of seconds to work out it was Frederic.

"Here." Frederic held the bread out to Daniel. "Eat this."

"Thank you." Daniel took the food, the thought of refusing it never crossing his mind.

Frederic put the bowl down in front of Daniel. "This is for when you pass water." He didn't want Daniel to make a mess.

Daniel silently watched the man leave. At least they were allowing him some basic comforts, he thought as he was trapped in darkness again. He reached out and secured the bowl, bringing it closer so he could find it easily when necessary. Then he slowly ate the bread, knowing it could be a long time before his next meal. After he had done that, he curled up and tried to get some sleep - but it was a long time before he could.

***

His head hurt.

That was the first thing Jack noticed as he regained consciousness. He groaned and rolled onto his side - and suddenly found himself lying on the floor. "Ow!" he exclaimed, becoming wide awake instantly.

"Be careful, O'Neill."

"Thanks, Teal'c." Jack looked up - with one good eye - to see the big man looming over him. "Where am I?" The last thing he remembered was getting into a cab with Jacob.

"At home," Teal'c replied, retrieving the steak from the floor. He had put the meat over O'Neill's swollen eye to help reduce the swelling, and it had fallen to the floor when the man had awoken.

"Right." Jack hauled himself back onto the couch. "Where's Jacob?"

"He went to the police to report Daniel Jackson as missing. That was two hours ago," Teal'c reported. He had hoped that Jacob would have returned by now.

Darn! Jack had hoped to go with him because he was certain he would be able to locate Daniel. He quickly stood up, determining to go after Jacob, but just as quickly sank down onto the couch again as his head was spinning. "Well, that was not a good idea," he said dryly.

Teal'c said nothing; his silence radiated 'I told you so' smugness. He handed the steak back to O'Neill.

"Thank you." Jack put the steak back on his eye. He hated to think what his face looked like.

The front door opened and there were footsteps in the hallway. Jack peered out of his good eye as Jacob hurried into the room. He looked eagerly behind Jacob but his heart sank when Daniel didn't follow. "Where is he?"

"The police searched Ballard's property." Jacob hated having to report this. "They couldn't find any sign of Daniel."

"Damn!" Jack didn't often swear but he was very upset. He threw the steak across the room. "He has Daniel, I know it!"

"Daniel wasn't there," Jacob restated. He was convinced, though, that Ballard did indeed have Daniel hidden somewhere.

"He has to be!" There was no other place he could be. "We need to go back and prove it!"

"No, Jack!" The older man stood in front of him. "We can't. Not today."

"I have to!"

"No!" Jacob was adamant about that. "You're in no fit state to go there anyway, Jack. We need to wait and try a different tactic tomorrow."

Jack put his head in his hands; he didn't want to wait. "He's going to kill Daniel," he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jacob subsided and sat down next to Jack. "No, I don't think he will. If he were going to kill Daniel, he would have done it on the street. Daniel is safe for now." That, he truly believed.

"I love him, Jacob." Jack's voice was anguished. "I never told him that. What if he dies not knowing?" He felt tears prick his eyes at the thought of Daniel dying.

"We'll find him, Jack," Jacob promised, unused to seeing this side of the younger man. He put his arm awkwardly around Jack's shoulders. "We'll get him back."

For the first time in his adult life, Jack started crying, the events breaking down his defences. All he could think about was that he had never verbally told Daniel he loved him, and he desperately hoped that it wasn't too late to remedy that.

***

Daniel spent a terrible night in the cellar. He had woken at one point, freezing cold and his bladder full, and he had awkwardly relieved himself into the bowl. After that, the stench of urine - not to mention the cold and his throbbing wrist and ankle - had prevented him from going back to sleep. So when the trapdoor was lifted, he was very tired and cold. He squinted against the harsh light, his eyes now used to the dark.

"Good morning," Frederic greeted him in a crisp manner.

Daniel just stared back; there was nothing good about this morning.

Frederic gestured to someone out of view. A female servant - one of the lowest in the household, Daniel assumed - came down the steps and removed the bowl, replacing it with a new one. The woman then went back up the steps and disappeared from view.

"Do not worry, you are not going to starve," Frederic stated, coming down the steps himself. He gave Daniel some bread and dripping. "You had best eat it now while you can see it."

Daniel needed no further prompting. He gobbled the meal down, trying to make it last but not succeeding. Once finished, he looked directly at Frederic. "Please, I need some ice for my wrist. I think the swelling is worse."

"Mary!" Frederic called for the servant.

"Yes, sir?" The woman reappeared at the top of the steps.

"Bring me some ice," he ordered.

Mary curtsied and disappeared again.

"Thank you," Daniel said softly.

"I remember your mother," Frederic said suddenly, crouching down in front of Daniel. "I was only eighteen when she married. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. You take after her."

Daniel couldn't believe what he was hearing. "If you liked her so much, then why are you letting him do this to me?"

"Because I have children to protect. If I do not carry out my orders, I am afraid he will hurt them." It had started off being just another job, finding dirt on Daniel, but seeing the young man like this when there was no call for it... Frederic couldn't help but be affected.

"Please help me," Daniel pleaded softly.

"I cannot."

The servant, Mary, returned just then and brought the linen-wrapped ice down to the butler. Frederic took it from her and put it gently on Daniel's bandaged wrist. When he was sure she had gone, he said, "I will try to stop him from going too far. But I cannot do any more than that." He left Daniel holding the ice and went up the stairs.

Daniel's world plunged into darkness again, as did his heart.

***

Jack hardly slept at all. His aching body, and his concern over Daniel, had conspired to keep him awake. Before dawn even crept through the windows, he was dressed and ready to go out searching for Daniel.

He had been thinking about what Jacob had said yesterday regarding trying a different tactic as the search with the police hadn't worked. A distraction might work - get everyone out of the house so he could go in and search more thoroughly. But there were too many unpredictable elements in that plan so Jack was keeping it as plan B. Unfortunately, he still didn't have a plan A.

Jacob arrived at eight o'clock, accompanied by Sam and Charlie. The teenager immediately found Jack and demanded, "What happened to Daniel?" Then he realised what Jack looked like. "What happened to you?"

"Three guesses," Jack said wearily. "Jacob?" He noticed the man was holding a white envelope. "What's that?"

"I found this on your doorstep." Jacob handed it over.

Jack reluctantly took it, his hand suddenly shaking. He knew whom it would be from and he didn't want to read it. But he needed to know what it said. So he ripped the envelope open and quickly scanned its contents. Then he screwed the note up and threw it away.

Sam picked it up and silently read it. Then she wordlessly handed it to Jacob.

"What is it?" Charlie demanded. He hated being left out of the loop. He snatched the note from Jacob and read it. He paled at the threat to Daniel's life. "Who sent this?"

Jacob retrieved the note. "Daniel's grandfather."

"Isn't he supposed to be rich?"

"Very."

"And you couldn't find Daniel yesterday?" Sam asked her father, having been informed of last nights events.

"No. The police searched everywhere," he replied.

Charlie's brain was working overtime. "Did they look in the cellar?" he asked, remembering Daniel's aversion to confined spaces.

"What?" three voices said in unison.

"The cellar," Charlie repeated. He looked at the others in surprise. "Don't all houses have a cellar?" He had always been told they did.

Jack and Jacob exchanged looks. Why had no one thought of that? "Can we get the police out there again?" Jack queried, hope rising in him again.

"I'll take you to the police to make a statement," Jacob said, "and see if we can convince them to look again." If necessary, he would have Teal'c intimidate them into looking again - he could do that with just his presence.

"Let's go then."

***

Sir Nicholas absently rubbed his left arm - it had been aching a little this morning - as he viewed the police lining up outside his house. Why were they back again? When he saw Colonel O'Neill step to the front of the group, he knew why. Sending the note had been a stupid move but he'd had little choice.

"Instructions, sir?" Frederic asked his master.

"Get him out of here. Back entrance. I don't want them to find him near this place." That way, the police couldn't prove a thing.

"Yes, sir.' But Frederic knew he wouldn't have time to do that given that the police were already advancing. Still, he went out of the study and slowly walked towards the cellar. He heard the policemen swiftly enter the house, several of them heading in his direction. Frederic reached the cellar just before two officers found him.

"Oy, you!" one of them called.

"May I help you?" Frederic inquired politely. He deliberately dragged his feet while stepping aside, moving the rug so that part of the cellar door could be seen.

"Where's Mr. Jackson?" the other one asked.

Frederic didn't get a chance to answer as Jack O'Neill came around the corner. His undamaged eye was busy roaming over the floor.

Jack spotted the two cracks sticking out from under the rumpled rug. "Here," he said, pulling back the rug to reveal a trapdoor. "Daniel!"

The young man's ears pricked up. "Jack?" he yelled back.

"Open it!" Jack ordered the butler; his own injuries prevented him from opening it himself.

Quietly amazed at how O'Neill had found the cellar, Frederic obeyed. He pulled the door up to reveal Daniel.

Jack went quickly down the stairs, relieved at seeing the man he loved was alive and well. "Daniel!"

"Hi, Jack." Daniel managed a smile. "Here to rescue me again?"

"Always," he answered softly. "Are you all right?"

"I will be." There was no damage that time and some loving wouldn't fix. "Been playing in the street again?" Daniel asked as he took in Jack's appearance.

"You should see the others." Jack carefully helped Daniel to his feet.

"Not a scratch on them?" Daniel removed the ice blocks from his wrist.

"None."

The smile was bigger this time. Daniel balanced carefully on one leg as he prepared to limp up the steps. "How did you find me?"

"I'll explain later," Jack replied, walking behind Daniel. He could tell that the limp was more pronounced - what did those men do to Daniel? "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Jack," Daniel warned. Now was not the place to fuss. When he got to the top of the steps, he saw that the two policemen were guarding Frederic. Remembering the butler's words about his family, Daniel said, "He was only following orders."

Jack shook his head; he couldn't believe Daniel was forgiving this man.

Frederic looked at Daniel, grateful that the young man was sticking up for him. "You have your mother's compassion. She would have been proud of you," he said as he was led away.

Not again, Daniel thought as emotions swelled inside him. He didn't want to cry in front of everybody.

"Hey." Jack put his arm around Daniel's waist. "Let's go home." He had a few things he wanted to say.

Daniel nodded. Home sounded very nice. He let himself be escorted out by Jack, not even sparing a glance for his grandfather as they went past; he never wanted to see Sir Nicholas again. Jack's eyes, however, shot daggers at the old man.

The trip home - accompanied by Teal'c - was uncomfortable for both gentlemen as it aggravated their injuries; horse-drawn carriages were not the smoothest of rides. They were greeted by a very anxious Sam and an equally anxious Charlie, who latched onto Daniel as soon as he walked through the door. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Daniel replied, not wanting to worry Charlie. "They didn't hurt me." He gave the teenager a one-armed hug.

Charlie accepted that but Jack didn't. He had seen the ice on Daniel's wrist - someone had obviously aggravated his sprained wrist, and Jack wanted to hurt that person in return.

"Do you want something to eat?" Sam asked solicitously.

"Some soup would be nice, thank you." Daniel was very cold and hungry, and he wanted to get warm again.

"Come through to the kitchen then." Sam hurried ahead, leaving the others to follow.

Daniel welcomed the warm soup but by the end of the meal, he was getting drowsy. Charlie and Jack helped him up to the main bedroom, and then Charlie left the two men alone.

Jack helped Daniel get partially undressed, finding it an interesting experience to undress a man. Then he helped Daniel get into bed, a small thrill running through him at the sight of the young man in his bed. "Get some rest, Daniel."

"Wait!" Daniel turned onto his right side. "Join me?" he requested, annoyed with himself for not being strong enough to sleep alone. Even though he was safe, and the room wouldn't be completely dark, he didn't want to be by himself.

"Daniel, the others are just downstairs," Jack pointed out. It wouldn't be proper for them to share a bed while others were in the house.

"Fine." Disappointment stung his heart, and Daniel turned onto his back, his head facing away from Jack. It wasn't as if he needed Jack there anyway. "Go keep them company then."

Jack kicked himself when Daniel turned away; the last thing he had wanted to do was hurt Daniel more. He had almost lost Daniel forever and here he was trying to avoid keeping the young man company. What was he thinking? To hell with propriety! Jack went over and shut the bedroom door, then removed his outer garments. "Move over," he instructed Daniel, drawing back the bedclothes.

Daniel moved over, surprised at Jack's change of mind. "What about the others?" he asked as Jack got into bed.

"They'll just think I stayed to watch over you or something," Jack replied. He looked at the distance that was still between him and the man he loved. "Meet you halfway?"

"Okay."

The two of them moved towards each other until they were touching. Daniel was on his right side; Jack on his back. "Hi," Jack said.

"Hi." Daniel smiled tentatively at Jack. "I've never slept in the same bed as anyone else before." Well, not like this, he thought. When he was young, he had occasionally shared a bed with Robert to keep warm but this was totally different.

"It's the best thing about a relationship," Jack told him, touched that he would be the first and that Daniel wanted him there. "Having someone to hold." He stretched out his left arm in invitation.

Daniel hesitated, then allowed Jack to slide his arm under his body. Then he moved in closer and put his head next to Jack's on the pillow. "It does seem nice." He rested his left hand gently on Jack's chest as the older man's arm wound around his waist. He felt very safe, very secure. Loved.

"It gets better," Jack promised. He moved his head to plant a kiss on Daniel's lips. "Get some rest. I'll be right here."

"Okay." Daniel obligingly closed his eyes. "I love you, Jack."

The older man waited for a minute until Daniel's breathing had evened out into that of sleep. Then he felt confident enough to reply, "I love you too." Daniel's hand twitched on his chest as if in response to the words. Feeling better now that he had said the words, Jack too closed his eyes and went to sleep.

***

After a while, Teal'c went to check on where O'Neill was. When he could not find him in the guest bedroom, he opened the door to the main bedroom. He smiled inwardly at the sight of the two men sleeping peacefully together, and then quietly closed the door again.

***

Jacob arrived back a couple of hours later, having remained with the police. "Where's Jack?" he asked as he entered the sitting room where the others were.

"He and Daniel Jackson are sleeping," Teal'c replied. "They should not be disturbed."

"Did they arrest Sir Nicholas?" Charlie asked eagerly.

"They did," Jacob confirmed. "Unfortunately he will never be charged though."

Sam was aghast. "Why? He was clearly guilty."

Jacob nodded. "Yes. But he died of a heart attack an hour ago." Poetic justice, Jacob thought.

"Oh my," Sam exclaimed.

"Serves him right," Charlie stated vehemently. No-one in the room disagreed.

Jacob gave him a small smile. "Do you want to know what the most ironic thing is?"

***

Jack awoke slowly with a feeling of contentment. There was also something pressing down on his chest, something warm and heavy. He slowly opened his good eye and realised that Daniel had curled in closer while sleeping until he was practically lying on top of Jack. It brought back memories of Sarah doing the same thing, seeking warmth and love. As slow desire started to burn inside him, he lazily stroked Daniel's back - well, tried to stroke but his arm had gone numb from the young man's weight. He loved this man so much - how could anyone say this was wrong?

It was another few minutes before Daniel started to stir. As consciousness slowly came back, he realised he was lying on something hard, and he couldn't figure out what it was. "Hi," Jack said as Daniel's eyes flew open. He saw the panic flare and then subside as Daniel realised where he was. "Have a nice sleep?"

"Uh, I think so." He was feeling well rested, so he must have. "What time is it?"

Jack carefully reached for his pocket-watch that was on the bedside table. "Two o'clock." They'd had four hours sleep. "I'd say we missed lunch."

That didn't worry Daniel too much. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long. I couldn't move," he teased.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Daniel immediately went to move away.

"No!" Jack reached out and pulled Daniel back. "It wasn't a bad thing. I loved it."

"Oh." Daniel didn't know what to say to that. He ducked his head shyly. "Really?"

"Yes." Just say it, Jack berated himself. "And... I love you."

Daniel's head shot up, almost colliding with Jack's. "What did you say?"

"I said I love you." That wasn't so hard, Jack thought. "I'm sorry I have never said the words before."

"You warned me that you couldn't so I had never expected them," Daniel said, still shocked. For Jack to say those words, he must really mean them. "What made you change your mind?" Not that he was complaining.

"The thought of never letting you know just how much you mean to me." Jack reached up with his right hand and gently traced over Daniel's lips before exploring the rest of his face. "You have become so important to me, Daniel - I don't want you to ever doubt that. And I never want you to think that you are unworthy or anything because to me, you're worth everything." He didn't know where the words were coming from but he meant every one of them.

Daniel couldn't stop the tears from forming in his eyes at the unbelievable sentiments. No-one had ever said such things to him or believed he was worthy enough of them. He felt Jack's fingers wipe the moisture away, which just caused more to flow at the tender touch; being with Jack had turned him into a crybaby. "You've made me weak," he complained. "I never used to cry."

"It's not a weakness, Daniel," Jack said, ignoring the fact that crying was seen as such. "It's a strength. It means you care - that's a good thing."

Daniel shook his head. "It makes me vulnerable."

"But would you rather live your entire life without loving someone else?" Like Sir Nicholas, Jack silently added. "That doesn't sound like much of a life. I know which one I would choose." Which one he had chosen. "Besides, life hasn't been treating you all that well recently. Is it any wonder that you're a little emotional?"

"A little?" Daniel hadn't cried so much in his life!

"Don't change that. I don't want you to not feel anything." Jack paused. "Did that come out right?"

Daniel smiled briefly at that. "You want me to love you." He could have taken offense, thinking that Jack wanted him to remain weak, but the question at the end had helped him interpret Jack-speak.

"Exactly." Jack was glad Daniel knew what he meant. He hooked his hand behind Daniel's neck and pulled him down for a lingering kiss.

The smile stayed on Daniel's face this time.

***

They both went downstairs ten minutes later - having changed and freshened up - to find everyone in the sitting room. A lively game of whist was in progress so it took a few seconds for anyone to notice the new arrivals. Sam was the first. "Daniel!" She went over to him and led him to a chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Daniel replied as he glanced sideways at Jack.

"So, Jacob, what's happening with Ballard?" Jack asked, going to sit near Daniel.

"Not a whole lot."

"What?" Daniel and Jack exclaimed in unison.

Jacob proceeded to fill them in on Sir Nicholas's heart attack. "Mr. Hammond arrived not long before I left," Jacob continued. "After Sir Nicholas died, Hammond informed me that due to circumstances, it was obvious that Daniel was telling the truth and therefore will receive the inheritance. And," he said, holding up a hand to stall the celebrations, "that Daniel would also inherit the Ballard estate and fortunes."

Daniel was shocked speechless at the news, as was Jack. The latter recovered first, managing to ask, "How? Why?"

"Hammond opened the letter and after he read it, he made a small correction to Ballard's will."

"Was that legal?" Daniel questioned.

"Don't know." And Jacob didn't care. "But I think that he thought it was only fair considering what Ballard put you through."

Jack agreed thoroughly. "So how much is it all worth?"

"Well, there's actually very little money left," Jacob reported, "but the townhouse and the country house are apparently worth quite a lot."

"Two houses?" Daniel couldn't believe he now owned two houses! He looked up at Jack and then back at Jacob. "You can't be serious!"

"Can I have one?" Charlie asked. Several people promptly replied, "No!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Sam asked Daniel.

"I don't know." He couldn't get his head around this. "I will need some time to think." The sudden increase in fortune had left him stunned.

"Hammond will have things finalised in the next few days, so you will have some time," Jacob stated.

Daniel didn't think that a few days would be long enough. Changing the subject, he asked after the butler, and Jacob told him that the police were probably not going to press charges if Daniel didn't want them to. Daniel didn't want to; he just wanted to forget the whole thing. "So what's for lunch?" he asked, diverting the conversation. Plenty of time to think about the situation at a later date.

Epilogue: One month later...

Daniel looked happily at the children and teenagers running around his country estate. He had converted it into a boarding school for orphans who otherwise would have ended up on the streets as he had. So far there were only thirty students but he expected that numbers would rise once the school became established. Four teachers were currently employed and they also acted as foster parents. The money to set all this up had come from selling Sir Nicholas's townhouse and its contents, and the remaining money had been invested so the teachers' salaries could be paid. Daniel had also taken some of his inheritance and invested it so that there would always be a steady stream of income for the school for future times to come.

"You have done a wonderful thing," Jack said, coming to stand beside Daniel. "These children will now have a future."

"I know it's not much but at least I'm making a difference, right?" Daniel knew that thirty children were only a small amount in the scheme of things.

"Right," Jack agreed. He was so proud of Daniel for setting all this up, not to mention thinking of it in the first place. He absolutely loved this man. "So, how about moving in with me?"

Daniel smiled. Jack had asked that question every few days but Daniel hadn't felt ready. Until now, that was. "Okay."

"I know, I know, it's too soon... wait." Jack's brain caught up with his hearing. "Okay? That's a yes, isn't it?" Jack threw his arms around Daniel to embrace him, happy that he had finally said yes. They had progressed a little physically but Daniel had still been shy of committing. "As soon as we get back?"

"Yes," Daniel agreed. And he was planning on making love with Jack on their first night together - he wanted to make it a special night.

***

When they got home the next evening, Jack carried Daniel over the threshold of the bedroom. He placed the laughing man gently on the bed and then stretched out beside him. "Hello," he said gravely.

"Hello." Daniel couldn't return the seriousness after that lovely, if strange, gesture. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Daniel knew that he wasn't exactly light.

"I don't think so." Jack looked down at Daniel's beautiful face. "But it would have been worth it." He reached out and reverently cupped Daniel's cheek, his thumb brushing lightly over the cheekbone.

Daniel felt his cheeks redden; compliments still embarrassed him. He put his hand on Jack's arm, feeling the muscles under his fingertips - he knew that Jack would never use that strength to harm him. "What do you want to do tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know. Everything. Whatever you want to do." Jack desperately wanted to know what it would be like to make love with Daniel but knew he probably would have to wait.

"I want you to make love to me," Daniel stated. It had been eight months since Robert and the others had raped him; the scars that had been left in his mind were healing, and in the past couple of weeks, Jack's kisses had started to arouse him.

"Are you sure?" He didn't want Daniel to do this for his sake.

Daniel nodded. "I want to move on. Robert has ruined enough of my life."

That was an understatement, Jack thought, recalling the fact that Robert had killed Daniel's parents. But now was not the time to think about the past. Now was the time to love.

Jack sat up and took off his jacket and shirt. Then he undid his trousers and slid them off, the material getting caught on his shoes. Impatiently, he kicked his shoes off then got rid of the trousers, leaving him clad only in long-johns and socks.

Daniel giggled at the sight - long-johns were so unromantic.

"Hey, don't laugh!" Jack protested, feeling slightly inadequate as it was. How was he going to compete against all the men Daniel had been with?

"Sorry." Daniel was immediately contrite. He sat up and removed his clothing until only his long-johns were left. "Shall we keep going?" He put his hands on Jack's chest, just hovering above the buttons.

"By all means." Jack held his breath as Daniel slowly undid the buttons, brushing his fingers against Jack's chest as he went. When Daniel got to the final button, Jack caught his hands and held them away from his body. "My turn."

It was Daniel's turn to hold his breath as Jack's nimble fingers made short work of the buttons. Daniel could feel himself begin to get aroused, his groin stiffening slightly. "Jack," he breathed, pleased that something was happening.

"What?"

Daniel flicked his eyes downwards. "I think I'm cured."

"Wha-oh." Jack looked downwards but couldn't see anything yet. "That's-that's good." He continued down the buttons to Daniel's waist. "Now what?"

"What would you normally do?"

"Get naked."

"Well then?"

Not wanting to rush, Jack drew Daniel in for a kiss. There was a hunger present that hadn't been there before. Jack ran his tongue over Daniel's lips and they parted, letting him in. As he deepened the kiss, Jack pushed the material off Daniel's shoulders and down his arms until his torso was bared. Then he ran his hands over the smooth skin that he'd never touched before. "Beautiful," he murmured against the soft lips.

Daniel wondered how Jack could say that without even looking. "No, I'm not," he disagreed softly as Jack's lips moved to his neck.

"Oh yes, you are," Jack argued, gently pressing Daniel down to lie supine. He quickly stripped, then proceeded to kiss his way down Daniel's chest until he reached the light hair at the groin. "May I?" he asked for permission to go further.

"Be my guest."

Jack pushed the long-johns down over Daniel's hips, baring the half-hard erection. He removed the garment altogether and then went up to inspect the groin. He had seen naked men before in the army but never up this close. Shifting to kneel between Daniel's legs, Jack reached out and tentatively touched the erection. It was hot and throbbing, and it thickened in his grasp. He moved his hand up and down the shaft, watching it with fascination.

Daniel's arousal grew at being handled by Jack, and his back arched up off the bed. "Jack!" He felt the hand quicken, and his hips started thrusting upwards. "Oh, Jack, please!"

Jack watched, utterly bewitched, as he brought Daniel to orgasm. He had never seen such a sight nor had he been the cause of it. As Daniel lay trembling, Jack moved to lie beside him, just content to look at the young man as he recovered.

It took a minute or so for Daniel to regain the power of speech. When he did, he looked up at Jack and said, "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"I'm a fast learner," Jack replied smugly. He gently kissed the swollen lips.

Daniel reached out to hold Jack there for a few seconds. Then he pulled back and asked, "Do you have any oil?"

"What?" Jack couldn't work out why Daniel was asking for oil at this stage.

"It will make things easier when you're inside me," Daniel explained.

"Oh." Reaching over to his bedside drawers, Jack opened one and withdrew a small tub of muscle liniment. "Will this do?"

"Yes. Now, put some on yourself... down there." Daniel felt awkward giving Jack instructions.

"Okay." Jack obeyed then looked expectantly at Daniel. "Now what?"

"What do you think?" Daniel opened his legs wider and gestured for Jack to kneel between them; he wanted to see that it was Jack making love to him. "Closer." When Jack's knees touched his bottom, Daniel lifted his legs and put them over Jack's shoulders. "Now line yourself up and then gently push in."

"Will this hurt you?" Jack wanted to know as he moved into position.

"Possibly. It's been a long time." That's why Daniel wanted to do it when he was relaxed. "Just take it slowly and I'll be fine." He felt the head nudge against his entrance and he tried to remain relaxed; this would not be like last time. He was safe with Jack.

Jack slowly pushed in, watching for signs of pain and freezing whenever he saw them, then when Daniel's face relaxed, he started moving again. When he was all the way in, he stopped and revelled in how good it felt. It was fantastic! It amazed him that it could feel that way with another man.

Daniel watched Jack with a half smile on his face. Although the penetration had hurt, he was enjoying the fact that he was Jack's first male lover. The feel of Jack inside him was wonderful, and Daniel could have stayed like that all night. But he knew it wasn't possible so he pushed his hips up towards Jack.

Jack took the hint and started moving in and out of Daniel, slowly at first then faster as the urgency grew until finally his release came. He collapsed to the side, pulling out of Daniel as he did so.

Daniel winced as the movement pulled at his sore muscles. He clenched those same muscles together to prevent the warm liquid inside from rushing out - he wanted to savour the feeling for as long as possible. Then he turned onto his side to face Jack. Reaching out, he ran his fingers over Jack's face. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too," Jack replied. He drew Daniel into his arms and kissed him thoroughly. "Never going to let you go."

Content and feeling utterly loved, Daniel snuggled into Jack's embrace. He had finally found a home.