Sticks And Stones 1
Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones...
by Sistine
URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/ass/sistine/sticks01.php
Summary: Not supplied
Daniel gazed forlornly at the blank wall opposite him. He was cold, tired, hungry, and worried about the fate of his lover. He hadn't seen Jack since they had been kidnapped at gun-point, drugged, and driven to wherever this place was. He had been dumped in this cell while Jack had been dragged past the door on his way elsewhere. Daniel couldn't even tell how long it had been because his watch - along with his glasses - had been removed. By his reckoning, it couldn't have been more than six hours but being alone in the dark cell had completely screwed up his sense of time. The way his stomach was growling though, he had long since missed dinner. He had no idea who had kidnapped them or why, and his captors obviously weren't in a hurry to enlighten him.
He hugged his knees closer to his chest, trying to keep warm. Even though he was wearing a tweed jacket, the cold was still seeping through. That, and shock had probably set in. Everything had happened so suddenly and without warning...
He slid the comb through his hair one last time and then looked in the mirror. It would have to do. He was anxious about this evening, and he wanted to look his best for Jack. It was their three-month anniversary dinner, and it was the first time that Jack had taken him out on an actual date. They were going to drive over to Denver - less risk of being seen by anyone they knew - for dinner in a reasonably expensive restaurant, and then they would come back and make love until they were thoroughly exhausted. Daniel couldn't think of anything more romantic.
"Come on, Daniel, or we'll be late!" Jack shouted from the living room.
After one last look in the mirror, Daniel left the bathroom, and he grabbed his jacket as he went through the bedroom. He shrugged it on as he went into the living room of his apartment. "I'm here, I'm here."
Planting a quick kiss on Daniel's lips, Jack complained, "You're almost as bad as my ex-wife." He opened the door and let Daniel walk out ahead of him. "What took you so long anyway?"
Daniel smiled secretly. He wasn't about to tell Jack just how much effort he had put into looking good for this date. He wanted the evening to be perfect.
They headed down to Daniel's car, which was in the car-park under the building. As Daniel unlocked the door, he commented, "Like you've never been known for spending a lot of time picking out your wardrobe."
"Speaking of which... tweed?" Jack questioned, looking over the top of the car at him.
Daniel's face fell. Didn't Jack like the tweed? "I..."
A hand over his mouth cut him off. As he automatically struggled against it, he saw that Jack was in a similar situation except doing a better job of fending off his attacker. Daniel was about to step on his attacker's foot when he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun's safety being clicked off. Seconds later, the gun was pressed against his temple. Daniel froze, and across the car, he saw Jack do the same. The thought crossed his mind that he should be able to knock the gun away but what if they decided to shoot Jack? So Daniel just stood there quietly as the other attacker pinned Jack's hands behind his back...
They had been forced into a black van, Daniel's hands tied together in front of him, and then something had been injected into his arm that made everything go black. Later he had woken up as the kidnappers had dragged him out of the van. He had tried questioning them but had only received orders to be quiet and a backhanded blow across his face when he hadn't obeyed. Then he had been dumped in the cell without any explanation.
Where was he? Who had kidnapped him? Why had he been kidnapped? Of course, he was assuming that he had been the main target. What if it was Jack, and he was the leverage? It still didn't make any sense whichever way he looked at it.
He shivered again, the cold of the floor seeping through his trousers. He had tried pacing the cell for a while but when it became obvious that no-one was coming back for him, he had given in and sat down, his back against the wall for support. Perhaps this was all part of the process, wearing down his defences so that they could get information out of him. Well, it wasn't going to work; he wasn't going to tell them anything. Not even if they threatened Jack's life.
Okay, maybe he would give in if they did that. He didn't want Jack to die, especially when they'd only had such a short time with each other. If he gave in, then maybe they would be able to get out of here and continue spending their lives together. Jack wouldn't want him to give in, just like he hadn't on Bedrosia. But this was different. Their kidnappers obviously know that they were close, so pretending otherwise wouldn't help. Therefore the threats would be designed so that he would crack quickly.
Mentally, he apologised to Jack in advance. The colonel in Jack wouldn't be happy to know that Daniel had caved in to save his life but the lover in him would. Of course, Daniel wasn't planning on caving in until the last possible minute, but still...
It was all still theoretical though. If it was Jack they wanted, then Daniel would be the one they were threatening to hurt or even kill. How would their involvement affect Jack's ability to stay silent?
He believed that their love had grown stronger over the past three months after everything they had gone through. The Harsesis child, being tortured, going out-of-phase, being attacked by Replicators, destroying Apophis's new ship... and that was just a few of their missions. But their loyalty to each other had never wavered. Jack hadn't always shown his love in big ways - although searching for something he didn't believe in might count - but he definitely had in little ways, such as bringing Daniel coffee in the mornings, or discreetly brushing his hand to let Daniel know he was there for him. It had taken Daniel a while to truly believe that Jack loved him, and there were still the occasional twinges of doubt. But he was now confident about their relationship - well, mostly confident anyway. The fear of being left by Jack still haunted his dreams, although not as much recently as in previous months.
A faint noise outside his cell caused Daniel's eyes to focus on the door opposite him. He stayed where he was as the door opened. A figure in black stood silhouetted in the doorway, the light from behind him illuminating the cell.
"Morning, Doctor Jackson."
It was morning? Surely that much time hadn't elapsed while he had been in here! He forced himself not to respond to the cheerful greeting. They knew who he was so therefore this had something to do with the SGC.
A man in black, wearing a balaclava, brushed past the other one and entered the room. He hauled Daniel to his feet, the linguist managing to get his feet under him before he was dragged across the room. Passing the first man, Daniel couldn't resist asking, "Are we going somewhere?" There was no response; an ominous sign as far as Daniel was concerned.
He was led through a number of corridors before entering a room that had one chair in the middle of it, and another man in black was standing nearby. Daniel was roughly pushed onto the chair and strong hands on his shoulders made sure that he couldn't get up again. Aware that struggling would be futile, Daniel settled for staring defiantly at the man who was standing in front of him. There was something familiar about the man, although Daniel didn't know what. But, he decided, he didn't really want to know.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Jackson."
No, it couldn't be. Daniel felt a chill run down his spine at the familiar voice. Then the blood drained from his face as the man removed his mask.
Makepeace.
***
Jack paced up and down his cell, his agitation clear to anyone who wanted to look in on him. After being kidnapped and drugged, he had then been separated from Daniel, shoved into this room, and drugged again. He had woken a short time ago to find that his situation hadn't changed. Daniel was still not there, and the lover in Jack was extremely worried, hence the pacing. He knew he shouldn't be communicating his worry to anyone watching but he couldn't help it; he hated the thought of what might be happening to Daniel right now. In his mind's eye, he could see the men in black beating Daniel senseless because he refused to answer any of their questions. And Jack was helpless to prevent it. The image of Daniel lying in the infirmary, bruises covering his face after Makepeace's thugs had bashed him, came to mind. He never wanted to see Daniel like that again.
He went to slam his hand against the stone wall but held back at the last second, knowing that hurting himself wouldn't help the situation. He hated feeling helpless, especially when his lover was in danger. Now he knew how Daniel had felt when Jack had been on that sub about to die, unable to do anything to help. Davis had confided that Daniel had been in tears when faced with the prospect of ordering Jack's death. Jack had been blown away - metaphorically speaking, of course - by how much Daniel must love him to have let his emotions show in front of all the military men. Fortunately, there had been no repercussions from anyone at the SGC; everyone had accepted that it was just the way Daniel was. Jack never wanted to put Daniel through that again either. Judging by the events of the past few months though, that would be an extremely hard thing to avoid.
Cursing under his breath, he turned to pace his cell once more.
***
"Jackson," Robert Makepeace replied, a smug grin on his face. He had been waiting so long for this moment. Every day since he had been jailed, he had dreamt about what he would do to the civilian if the opportunity arose. And when someone within the NID had freed him - he didn't know who - to do this job, he hadn't believed his luck. And the best part was that he would also be able to repay O'Neill for arresting him by taking what was his. He felt a familiar ache as he looked at the beautiful young man sitting in front of him; this time they would not be interrupted, and the handcuffs would prevent the linguist from defending himself.
"How did you get out?" Daniel wanted to know. A sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as he remembered what the marine had done to him. With Jack's help, he had got past that a couple of months ago, but that didn't stop him from fearing what Makepeace would do to him this time. He tried to keep his expression neutral but knew from the smug look on the other man's face that he wasn't successful.
"I believe I mentioned I have friend in high places." Makepeace kept his distance, enjoying seeing that the linguist was scared; it made him feel good that he could inspire such a reaction in the normally fearless civilian.
"They obviously decided you had some uses after all then," Daniel said, determined to remain defiant. He would not let Makepeace have any power over him. "I'm surprised they are letting you be part of this job."
Robert chuckled and stepped closer to the doctor, forcing Jackson to tilt his head back in order to keep eye contact. "Still got that smart mouth, I see." He reached out and grabbed the stubborn chin. "What a shame it's wasted on O'Neill."
Daniel said nothing, refusing to be goaded into saying anything about his and Jack's relationship.
Makepeace smirked and released his hold on Jackson. He took a few steps back and crossed his arms. "You know the drill, doctor. I'll ask a few questions, you'll answer them. If you don't, someone will get hurt."
"I won't tell you anything," Daniel promised, wishing that he could rub his chin as he could still feel the bruising grip.
"Even if O'Neill's the one being hurt?" Robert didn't believe the linguist could hold out if that was the case.
"Jack can cope," Daniel deliberately avoided the question.
"But will you? Can you cope seeing your lover tortured in front of you?"
"Jack's not my lover," Daniel denied, looking the ex-colonel straight in the eye.
"That's not what you said last time," Makepeace countered, amused by the denial. "Why should I believe you now?"
"Because it's the truth." Yeah, like anyone was going to believe him! Daniel forced himself to continue staring at Makepeace, as looking away would indicate he was lying.
"That's not what we've heard," Makepeace continued to taunt. "In fact, we have information from a very reliable source that you are."
"Who?" No-one at the SGC, save Teal'c, knew.
"Me," a soft female voice said.
As the woman came around to stand next to Makepeace, Daniel's eyes opened wide. "Selena."
---
Two weeks earlier...
A knock on the door interrupted Daniel's concentration. Annoyed, he threw the pen onto the table, then went over to open the door and yell at Jack, who was the only one with the knack for interrupting at important times. He was taken aback to see a strange young woman standing there instead of his lover, and it took a moment to get his mouth into working order. "Uh.. hello?"
"Hi, I'm Selena Matthews." The pretty raven-haired woman held out her hand for Daniel to shake. "I've just moved in across the hall."
Daniel's eyes flicked past her to the door of the apartment opposite. Of course; he had seen the boxes being shifted in yesterday and had wondered about his new neighbours. Looking back at her, he smiled. "Welcome. I'm - I'm Daniel Jackson. How do you like the apartment so far?"
"It'll be a lot better when I get everything sorted out," she replied with a smile of her own. "Speaking of which, I wouldn't be able to borrow some milk, would I? The refrigerator hasn't arrived yet, and I don't know where the supermarket is."
"How much do you need?" Daniel asked, inviting her in and then going over to his fridge to determine just how much milk he had. It had been a while since he had checked his food supplies, having spent a lot of his time around at Jack's.
"Just half a cup will be fine." She followed him into the kitchen area and leaned back against the bench, watching him. "My coffee wouldn't be the same without it."
"I know what you mean." Daniel stood up, the milk container in one hand. "You like coffee then?"
"Doesn't everyone?" Selena replied. "I think it would be more accurate to say that I couldn't live without coffee."
Daniel smiled again, finding a kindred spirit in the woman. "Then stay and have a cup with me."
"How can I resist?"
---
By the end of the day, they had been firm friends. Daniel had helped Selena settle into her new apartment, receiving many cups of well-brewed coffee in payment. Selena had tentatively probed into Daniel's availability status, and hadn't appeared surprised when he said that he was taken. Daniel had introduced her to both Jack and Sam, and she had seemed to get along well with both of them. Jack had been slightly reserved whenever Selena had made an appearance though. At the time, the linguist had just thought that his partner was doing his usual 'protect Daniel from the predatory female' routine. Now, Daniel couldn't help wondering whether Jack had actually sensed that she wasn't exactly what she had appeared to be. But he didn't think that there had been anything in his or Jack's behaviour to indicate their relationship, so what was Selena basing her information on?
"I see you two know each other," Makepeace observed with a straight face.
"You're NID?" Daniel asked the young woman, annoyed with himself for not seeing what she was. He was too trusting - Jack was always telling him that.
Selena nodded. "I'm sorry, Daniel." She genuinely liked him, and was now sorry that she had got involved.
Daniel didn't respond, and he shifted his gaze to the floor. He felt used, and he suspected that was how he was supposed to feel. He had thought that he had found a nice new friend outside of work, and to find out that she had just been using him to get information... it felt terrible.
"Cheer up, Jackson." Makepeace stepped forward, grabbed a handful of the linguist's short hair, and pulled it backwards. "You've still got me." He released the hair to run his hand across one smooth cheek, feeling smug when the young man flinched away from his touch.
"That's so reassuring," Daniel bit out to cover his reaction. He didn't like that he was still afraid of what Makepeace might do to him.
"Shall we get down to business?" Robert didn't wait for an answer. "Tell me where the Harsesis is."
***
Jack was going out of his mind. He'd had no visitors yet, which meant that they were probably too busy with Daniel. And that was the scary part. He had talked with the linguist about torture before - especially after Bedrosia - and had told him about a few tricks to try and stall but whether Daniel could use them effectively if it was Jack's life at stake, he didn't know. If it was only himself at risk, Daniel would hold out for ages but if it was Jack...
He wasn't sure himself that he would be able to hold out for long if they hurt Daniel in front of him. There were always the stalling techniques if things became desperate but if they actually threatened to kill Daniel, well, he just couldn't let them do that. If necessary, he would have to stall long enough for Carter and Teal'c to find them; he had no doubt that they were already looking for him and Daniel. But it would be like searching for two needles in a haystack. So in the meantime, it was up to him to keep Daniel alive because he couldn't lose him now. He just couldn't.
The door suddenly opened, surprising him. Jack readied himself for action, however the figure in black didn't enter the room. He just remained standing in the doorway, a gun in his hand.
"I'm sure you want to stay in one piece, don't you, Colonel?" the man said in a casually threatening voice.
Jack held up his hands to show that yes, he did want to remain unharmed for the moment. He walked slowly over to the door, his eyes never leaving the gun. When he got there, his hands were tied together behind his back with plastic cuffs, and then he was shoved into the hallway.
"Let's go," the other man said, and Jack obeyed, hoping he was being taken to Daniel.
***
Makepeace watched with satisfaction as Jackson tried to pick himself up off the floor. The last blow had knocked the linguist off his chair, and Robert noted that he was taking some time to get back up. That meant that Jackson was already hurting. He was surprised that the civilian hadn't cracked but pleased that he would be able to continue messing with him.
Daniel pressed his bound hands to his jaw as he sat there on the floor. Several different parts of him were aching where the punches had landed, especially his ribs. Every time he refused to answer a question about the Harsesis, Makepeace would hit him. And of course, the marine didn't believe him when he said that he didn't know where the boy was, so Daniel would get hit for that as well. He figured that pretty soon they would get tired of hitting him and start hitting Jack instead; he could cope with his own pain but he wasn't sure about coping with his lover's as well. "You know, if you break my jaw, I won't be able to answer any more questions."
"Don't worry, Jackson, I won't." Makepeace gave him a half-grin and knelt down to whisper in his ear, "You're gonna need it for more than just talking."
Oh boy. Daniel's stomach churned, knowing exactly what the other man was talking about. That indicated that he probably wasn't going to get beaten up too badly, otherwise he wouldn't be able to be raped. "Go to hell."
Robert straightened up, amused at the response. He nodded to the other man to pick the linguist up and put him back in the chair. Then he focused his attention on the man just entering the room. "O'Neill! Nice of you to join us."
Daniel pointedly didn't turn around, not sure whether to believe Makepeace or not. Part of him wanted Jack there but the other part wanted him to be far away from here and safe.
Jack took in the scene quickly and was pleased to see that Daniel hadn't turned around. It was good to see that some of the talk on not showing weaknesses had sunk in; the goons knew the two of them were close but it wasn't a good idea to show them how close. On the other hand, it wasn't good to see that Makepeace was out of jail and standing so close to Daniel. "Makepeace. Which idiot let you out?" He kept his eyes on the ex-marine as he was pushed forward towards Daniel, not wanting to see the damage.
Robert's expression didn't change. "Jackson and I were just having a little chat but he's being a bit stubborn about a few things. I hope you can change his mind."
Yeah, right, Jack thought, coming around to face Daniel and finally focusing on the archaeologist. There wasn't any visible damage showing yet except for a red mark on his right cheek, which meant that most of the bruises were hidden by clothing. Of course, it all depended on how long Makepeace had been working him over. Jack could see the pain in Daniel's eyes even though the linguist was trying to hide it. Silently, Jack renewed his vow to kill Makepeace as soon as possible. "I doubt it."
"We'll see."
Something struck Jack across the back of his knees, forcing his legs to collapse. He tried to hide the grimace of pain as he landed hard on his knees. "You know, that is getting really old," he commented.
Daniel recognised that Jack was already trying to keep Makepeace's attention on him, and the linguist was grateful for the brief respite. Unfortunately, not being beaten meant that he had time to think about what was going to happen next. He tried to steer his mind away from that topic but with no luck; visions of Jack's battered and bloodied body kept popping into his head and causing his stomach to clench in fear. What would they do to him?
Makepeace disappeared from Daniel's view, then returned a few seconds later carrying something that looked like a cattle prod. The archaeologist tried to keep his face expressionless, giving Makepeace nothing to feed off. He looked briefly at Jack and saw that he was trying to do the same thing.
"Either of you experience one of these before?" Robert asked, holding it up for examination. "Apparently, it's a Goa'uld pain-stick. It affects every nerve in your body, causing excruciating pain." He let them think about that for a moment.
"What, you're not going to soften me up first?" Jack questioned, trying not to think about that the pain was going to be like.
In reply, Robert gave the pain-stick to the nearest accomplice. The man then stepped behind O'Neill and held the stick just behind the latter's head. "Feeling like talking, Jackson?" Makepeace asked.
Daniel glanced at Jack, who shook his head slightly. 'Don't talk' was the message. Right. He should just let Jack try out the pain-stick instead. But it wasn't like he had any other options. Bracing himself against what was going to come, Daniel looked squarely at Makepeace. "There's nothing to say."
For what felt like an eternity, Jack couldn't think of anything coherent except for how much pain was running through his body. Every single nerve was on fire and it hurt.
Daniel flinched away, his eyes dropping to look at the floor, as soon as Jack started screaming. He could hear the raw pain in Jack's voice and it tore at his heart. For Jack to cry out, that meant he was in a lot of pain. Daniel didn't want to look at his lover but his head was forced upwards - Makepeace behind him pulling his hair - and he caught a glimpse of Jack before he averted his eyes. How could he let him continue to go through this? Maybe he should just make something up.
After ten seconds, Robert motioned for the pain to stop. O'Neill slumped to the floor, conscious but his breathing was shallow. Robert looked at Jackson, the effort to keep his emotions under control showing on the linguist's face. "Anything to say now?"
"Why is knowing about the Harsesis so important?" Daniel wanted to know. He managed to keep his voice reasonably steady.
"'All the knowledge of the Goa'uld who fathered him' - I believe they were your words." He tilted Jackson's head further back so that the civilian was looking at the ceiling. "We need that knowledge to fight the Goa'uld."
"He's just a baby," Daniel pointed out, his whole body arching backwards to try and relieve the pressure on his neck. "It'll be years before he'll be able to tell you anything. And how would you get to him without a Stargate anyway?"
"The NID... has never been big... on logic," Jack spoke up from his position on the floor. The pain was still travelling through his body, making speech difficult. He lifted his eyes to see the awkward position Daniel was in, and noted the quickened breathing. 'Keep calm, Danny', he mentally projected at his lover.
Makepeace just smiled and looked down at Jackson. "Where is the Harsesis?"
Daniel couldn't even look at Jack to see what he would suggest but he knew what it would be - 'don't give in'. So he kept his mouth shut and stared defiantly up at the marine, trying to find that place in his mind where he wouldn't be able to hear Jack's screams.
The colonel was hauled to his knees and the prod once again placed at the back of his neck.
"Look at him, Jackson." The order was stated into Daniel's ear as his head was pushed forward. The linguist heard the threat and obediently looked in Jack's direction as the screams started. He unfocused his eyes so that everything became blurry - without his glasses, that was easy to do. However, he couldn't block out the sounds - the scream ripped right though him - or the light that shone from Jack's eyes and mouth.
The prod was removed and Jack again slumped to the floor, fighting to stay conscious. The pain had been worse that time and he knew that a third time would send him over the edge into darkness. He rested his forehead against the cool floor, gaining a small measure of relief from it. This was not fun.
"Well, Jackson?" Makepeace purred into the linguist's ear. He figured that the young man couldn't hold out too much longer.
Daniel swallowed hard and stared at the wall opposite. Whatever he said - or didn't say - Jack was going to get hurt again. "I really don't know where the Harsesis is," he said truthfully.
Robert couldn't decide whether Jackson was telling the truth or just extremely stubborn. Testing the civilian's reaction, he nodded at his accomplice, who dragged a still-gasping O'Neill to his knees again. Jackson squared his shoulders as he braced himself for what was about to come.
"Enough," Selena's voice came from behind Daniel. She stepped into his field of vision. She had been watching proceedings through the video feed set up in a nearby room. "I believe him."
"You would," Makepeace sneered.
"Daniel wouldn't risk O'Neill becoming permanently damaged, so he would tell you if he knew," she pointed out, believing this to be true. Selena took the pain-stick from the man wielding it. "He doesn't know."
"You're too close to him." Robert shifted away from Jackson and confronted Matthews.
"So are you," Selena shot back, fully aware of the lust the man had for the archaeologist.
"He wishes," Jack interrupted as he got his breathing reasonably under control. "He's just mad because he's not Daniel's type. Hi, Selena."
"O'Neill," she replied.
Instead of lashing out, Robert crouched down in front of the man he had once held in high regard. "It's good to see that not all of you has gone soft, O'Neill. But how long could you keep quiet if I took Jackson right here in front of you?" His voice was low and menacing.
Jack looked Makepeace in the eye, knowing better than to challenge him by saying something stupid like 'you wouldn't have the guts'. Instead, he settled for, "Keep quiet about what?" Was he there to answer questions too?
Makepeace smirked, recognising O'Neill's avoidance of provocation. "We'll talk later." He stood up and, withdrawing a knife from his pocket, cut through Jackson's bindings. "Jacket," he ordered.
Daniel silently obeyed, choosing not to fight that battle as there would be others to come. His hands were tied together again, the plastic digging into his skin. He then tried to move his head away from Makepeace's touch, his skin crawling as the large hand caressed his bruised cheek. Then the touch was gone. A few seconds later, the door closed.
Before going over to Jack, Daniel checked behind him to see whether they were alone. Then the linguist knelt next to Jack, his bound hands automatically going to steady his swaying lover. "Are you okay?" He was alarmed at how pale Jack was, not to mention the fact that the older man was swaying slightly.
"Peachy," Jack replied, trying to steady his body's movement. "Cameras?"
Daniel looked around but couldn't see any. He told Jack that, then added, "But there's bound to be at least one, isn't there?" How else could they keep tabs on them?
"Most likely." They would have to remain circumspect in their actions, which meant no overt comforting or giving Makepeace any more ammunition to use against them. "How are you?"
"I'll be fine." He could get through this; his aches were nothing compared to some of the pain he had experienced on missions.
Jack managed a small smile at Daniel's words, reading between the lines; the younger man could cope with the pain and he didn't want Jack to worry about it. "Help me up, will ya?" He needed to sit against the wall so that he could remain upright, and he couldn't ask Daniel to hold him.
"Why?"
"Because I need to sit over there." He hoped that Daniel would understand without any further explanation.
"Oh." Daniel looked at his bound hands, then at Jack, trying to figure out how to help him.
"Never mind." Jack shifted his weight towards the young man while kneeling up, and managed to get one foot underneath him. Then, accepting Daniel's limited help - the linguist grabbed the top of Jack's trousers - he managed to stand up. "Thanks. Now, point me towards the wall." The room was starting to spin around.
Gently, Daniel helped Jack over to the nearest wall and assisted the colonel as best he could to slide down it to sit on the floor. Daniel then took a seat next to Jack and drew his knees to his chest. "What do you think Makepeace wants to talk about with you?"
"Search me." Jack leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes to make the spinning stop. No way was he going to let anyone use that pain-stick on Daniel except if the only other alternative was rape; Daniel seemed to cope better with conventional torture.
"Whatever he does, don't give in," Daniel stated in a low voice. "I can cope with it."
"You shouldn't have to," Jack responded, opening his eyes briefly to glance at his partner. "But I know you can." That was the closest he had ever gotten to praising Daniel for his ability to cope. "I won't let him touch you," he promised in an equally low voice.
Daniel said nothing, comforted by the promise but he knew that it wouldn't be easily kept. He copied Jack's pose but kept his eyes open, ready for trouble. He couldn't rest, not until they were home...
***
A sharp nudge to his bruised ribs caused Daniel to wake abruptly. He realised that he had fallen asleep, his uninjured cheek resting on Jack's shoulder. The position would have looked very compromising, he realised, and he straightened up immediately. "Sorry," he muttered.
"S'okay," Jack replied. He had liked having the linguist so close, a reassurance in their bad situation. But it also made him realise just how long they had been working Daniel over. "You needed it." Jack had let the younger man sleep for about half an hour before waking him.
"So," Daniel said, blinking rapidly and trying to clear his groggy head. "What's wrong with tweed?"
Jack raised his eyebrows at the question, not expecting it. "Nothing. Except you're in your early thirties and therefore shouldn't be wearing it."
"What should I be wearing then?" Daniel happened to like tweed; it was comfortable and he thought it suited him.
"Do you want the majority opinion or just mine?"
Daniel looked at Jack's face and stated, "I don't think I want to know." He had the feeling the latter would be 'nothing' and as for the majority opinion, well, he was sure he didn't want to know. He thought Jack suffered from paranoia where other people were concerned anyway; the older man was convinced that everyone wanted to sleep with Daniel.
There wasn't time for any more conversation as the door opened and Makepeace, followed by his two cronies, entered the room. He grinned when he saw where the two men were sitting. "Isn't that cute?" he commented sarcastically before gesturing to the linguist. "Jackson, come here."
Daniel raised one eyebrow and sent him a 'you must be kidding' look. He wasn't going to go anywhere near Makepeace voluntarily. He kept up the defiant act as he was roughly hauled to his feet and dragged over to his tormentor. "You didn't learn any manners in prison," Daniel stated as he came to a halt right in front of the marine.
"You'd be amazed what you can learn in prison," Makepeace retaliated, leaning in close and invading the young man's personal space. Jackson leaned back but couldn't get far because of the man holding his arms.
"How to win friends and influence people, obviously," Jack cut in, trying to get Makepeace's attention away from Daniel. "Cut to the chase, Makepeace. What do you want to know?"
Robert stepped around the linguist and went over to O'Neill. "Your mission to Euronda - why did you really break off the alliance?"
"They didn't have a sense of humour," Jack replied. "Something you'd be familiar with."
"You do realise that it's not you that's going to get hurt this time, don't you?" Robert asked, crossing his arms as he stared at the colonel.
"Yeah, I kinda got that." Jack decided he had better lay off the smart remarks for Daniel's sake.
"Good. So what happened on Euronda?"
Jack couldn't figure out why they were asking him. "It's all in my report which I assume you've read. There's nothing else to add."
"The 'Nazis', as you called them, wanted the heavy water to fight an enemy they called the 'Breeders' in exchange for disclosing all their advanced technology," Makepeace recited. "Yet you set of a chain-reaction that would destroy the Eurondans, and let the leader die against the closed iris. Not a very good outcome, was it?"
"What's your point?" The colonel wasn't interested in playing that game, especially when he still had doubts about his own actions. He avoided Daniel's outraged eyes; he hadn't told the linguist about Alar. For that matter, only Carter and Hammond knew that. How did Makepeace know?
"The Eurondans were more technologically and medically advanced than we are, and they were willing to share. But you decided that they weren't fit allies for Earth. Why?"
"Why are you so interested anyway?" Daniel enquired from his place in the middle of the room. He would be talking with Jack about Alar when they were home, specifically to find out why Jack felt he couldn't mention it to him.
"There was hardly any evidence against them yet you condemned them to death," Makepeace continued, ignoring the civilian. "Jackson said that he didn't know how but, quote, 'they started it'; Carter mentioned air vents going up the surface; and Alar told you not to bring Teal'c back. Based on this, you decided that they deserved to die. Why?"
Jack decided to keep quiet; people like Makepeace wouldn't understand why he had done it. Sometimes, he wasn't quite sure himself. He tried to keep his face expressionless as he heard flesh impact on flesh and Daniel emit a grunt of pain.
"Listen carefully, O'Neill," Makepeace stated, not taking his eyes off the colonel. "Someone believes that you did it because you didn't want to bring back advanced technology. Having allies like that would mean that you wouldn't be the hero any more. I don't know how you got everyone to cover for you, but everyone knows that your team is way too close, especially you and Jackson. So I'm going to make this simple for you. You will sign a confession saying that you deliberately sabotaged the alliance with the Eurondans."
"And if I don't?" Such a confession would lead to his court-martial.
Makepeace went over to Jackson, forced the linguist to his knees, and then held the pain-stick up to the back of his neck. "How long do you reckon he'll be able to stand the pain?"
Resolute blue eyes stared at Jack, determined not to show any fear. However, Jack knew enough about Daniel's body language to know that he was worried. The older man knew just how much pain would be involved, and he didn't want to put his lover through that. And he always maintained that Daniel was more important than his career. But Daniel wouldn't thank him if he gave in to this. So, without taking his eyes off the linguist, Jack replied, "Long enough."
The pain was instantaneous, and nothing like Daniel had ever experienced before. It was even worse than a ribbon device. Every inch of him felt like it was on fire and he couldn't hold back the scream of pain. He was in excruciating agony for what seemed like hours until it suddenly ceased and he slumped to the floor. As he gasped for breath, Daniel thought to himself that he really didn't want to go through that again.
As part of Jack's mind cringed in sympathy, another part wondered why Makepeace was going to all this trouble for a signature; there were easier ways to get him out of the SGC. Why not just try the conduct unbecoming charge again? He focused his complete attention on Daniel again as the younger man lay on the floor, his breathing ragged and his eyes closed in pain. His conscience advised him that it would be better to be out of the SGC and have Daniel relatively unharmed than hold out and risk Daniel's life, but he didn't want to give in to Makepeace. Doing so would be an admission that he had gone soft, and would give the marine more of an advantage.
Robert crouched down in front of O'Neill and noted the internal conflict reflected in the brown eyes. He couldn't wait to see just how much the colonel cared about Jackson. "Change your mind yet?"
"How long do you think it would have been before the Eurondans decided to get rid of us because our reproductive ways didn't suit them?" Jack argued. "Or decided to renege on the deal when they realised that we weren't exactly like them?"
Makepeace shrugged. "That's not my concern." He pivoted around and reached out to run his hand down Jackson's cheek. "What do you think O'Neill should do?"
"Shoot you," Daniel said flatly, slight tremors still racking his body. He didn't have the energy to move away from the marine so he just had to lie there and endure the caress. The hand on his face abruptly shifted into his hair, and his head was yanked back hard. "Argh!" Pain spiked again and he fought to get it under control.
"I thought you didn't like violence, doctor," Robert taunted, looking at the vulnerable throat and remembering the mark he had left there three months ago. Desire began to build in him again upon seeing the beautiful young man lying there, helpless. He definitely would have to have Jackson at least once before they were freed.
"Why not try for a dishonourable discharge instead?" Jack queried, hating that he was helpless to stop Makepeace from touching Daniel.
"Surely you can work that out."
Unfortunately, he thought he could. Treason meant that all his actions would be suspect, whereas sleeping with a team member would only call his ability to command into question. Someone was determined to destroy everything that he had worked for. "What about Daniel? What if he tells Hammond about this?"
"He won't tell if he knows what's good for him."
"What about the bruises?"
Makepeace ran a hand over the bruise on Jackson's right cheek and then pressed down on it, causing the linguist to bite his lip in pain. "You two had an argument about keeping the sabotage quiet, and you 'persuaded' him that this was for the best."
"No-one's going to buy that," Jack commented. The only time he had ever hit Daniel was when he was under alien influences.
"You'd better be very convincing then."
The door opened then and Selena entered the room. She didn't like where this was heading, so she had decided to intervene. And since she liked Daniel, she didn't want to see him suffer any more. "Colonel, I need to speak with you. In private."
Makepeace reluctantly stood up. "Watch them," he commanded the guards. He then followed Matthews out of the room and closed the door behind him. "What?"
"They're not going to co-operate," Selena said. "We should just let them go now before the SGC tracks us down."
"We have our orders," Makepeace countered, recognising that Matthews had gone soft. He surreptitiously reached for the gun in his forearm holster.
"I know. But we can still set up the dishonourable discharge for O'Neill."
"Maybe." Makepeace drew the gun, aimed it, and fired. "Or maybe not," he continued as the woman crumpled to the floor. Not waiting to see if she was dead, he stepped back into the room, and with two shots, took out the two guards before they could draw their own guns. He then went over to Jackson and hauled him to his feet.
Daniel went boneless, slumping against Makepeace and forcing the former officer to support all his weight. He wasn't going to make it easy for Makepeace to take him anywhere.
Under other circumstances, Jack would have found the scene funny, with the marine struggling to hold Daniel up with one arm. The other hand was pointing the gun straight at him, something Jack thought was completely unnecessary because it wasn't like he would be able to do anything useful with his hands tied behind him. "What happened?"
Robert finally managed to sling Jackson over his shoulder, cursing the linguist under his breath. He held on tight as the younger man started to struggle, almost throwing him off balance. Deciding threats were the way to go, Makepeace stated, "If you don't stop moving, O'Neill will die."
Daniel could tell by the tone of voice that it wasn't an idle threat, so he immediately stopped struggling. He didn't want Jack to die - he couldn't lose him now. He felt a hand curve over his buttocks and he fought the instinct to start moving again.
Anger and fear constricted Jack's heart when he saw what Makepeace was doing. The marine was about to walk out of there with Daniel, and Jack wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him. If he tried to move, Makepeace wouldn't hesitate to shoot him, and he was no good to Daniel dead. But it was extremely hard to sit still and do nothing, knowing that Makepeace was taking the linguist somewhere to rape him.
"Well, so long, O'Neill," Robert said, backing away towards the door, keeping the gun trained on the colonel for as long as possible. "Don't worry too much - Jackson will be returned in one piece." And with that parting shot, he left the room, locking the door behind him.
Jack immediately started to get to his feet. His tied hands hindered his movement but he was motivated. He needed to get up, find something to free his hands with, unlock the door, and then go after Makepeace before he could do anything to Daniel. Not an easy mission but he'd had worse. As soon as he was able, he made his way over to the two dead bodies still in the room and looked them over for weapons. One of the men appeared to have a knife in his pocket, so Jack turned around and tried to get it out without being able to see what he was doing. He had to get free; Daniel was counting on him.
***
In the corridor outside, Makepeace quickly made his way through the building. He stopped at the viewing room and after going inside it, dropped Jackson onto the floor. Robert went over to one of the tables and picked up another set of cuffs and a syringe.
Daniel immediately started backing away when he saw those. "There's no need for that," he said, trying to gauge the distance between him and the door, and whether Makepeace would be able to catch him before he escaped. But he spent too long thinking, and then Makepeace was back in front of him, putting the cuffs around his ankles. He kicked out at the marine but wasn't able to prevent his ankles being tied together.
"Sorry, Jackson," Makepeace apologised as he pulled the civilian's shirt back far enough so that he could stick the needle into the shoulder. He didn't give Jackson the full dose though; he didn't want the linguist to sleep through what he had planned.
"You don't have to do this," Daniel protested as the sedative started to make him drowsy. He tried to fight its effects but it was a losing battle.
"Yes, I do," Robert replied, hoisting the young man over his shoulder again and heading out of the room.
***
Jack eventually got the knife free and then used it to start sawing through his cuffs. It only took a few seconds for the plastic to snap, and then he was free. Quickly, he went over to the other dead man and searched him, finding a gun tucked into his waistband at the back. He checked it for bullets; it was full so there would definitely be enough bullets to shoot Makepeace with. Then he went to the door and tried to figure out how he was going to get it open.
He was taken by surprise when he heard the door being unlocked, and he quickly moved out of the way and pointed his gun at the doorway. When Selena entered the room, clutching her bleeding shoulder, he lowered the gun slightly. "Where is he?" Jack demanded.
Selena looked around the room and saw that Daniel was missing. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I tried to stop him before but..."
"He shot you," Jack surmised. "You're lucky he didn't kill you." He was lucky too because now he had a way out. "Do you have any idea where Makepeace might have taken Daniel?"
The woman shook her head. "But there's a van out front. They might have left in that." She looked at the colonel when he didn't move, and saw that he was looking at her injury. "I'll be fine. Go get Daniel."
Jack nodded at her, then rushed out of the room. He headed down the corridor, trying to find an exit. It took him several precious minutes before he found one and he went outside. There was no sign of a van. Gun held at the ready, Jack made his way around the stone building but found nothing. Tyre marks in the damp ground showed him where the van had been. He was too late. Daniel was gone.
***
When Daniel came to, he was lying on a concrete floor. But instead of being dark this time, light was streaming in through a couple of windows. He tried moving and registered that he was still tied up, and that there was now a gag in his mouth to prevent him from calling for help. He couldn't hear Makepeace moving around but that didn't mean that the man wasn't in the room. He reflected that something had obviously gone wrong back in the other building, and Makepeace had high-tailed it out of there with him in tow. And now there would be no witnesses to what the marine really wanted to do to him.
I can get through this, he told himself. He had got through it before with Jack's help, he would do it again. All he had to do was hold onto that belief and he would be fine.
Moving awkwardly, Daniel managed to get into a sitting position. His various bruises were making themselves known, especially the one on his cheek because it had been pressed against the cold, hard floor for way too long. He determinedly ignored the throbbing pain and tried to concentrate on his surroundings. It was a large room - a warehouse, he deduced - with several windows up high. He could only see one exit, and very few objects that could be used as weapons. At least he wasn't tied to one of the pillars because then escape would really be impossible. But it also meant that Makepeace was confident that Daniel wouldn't be able to escape anyway. Not a cheering thought.
He examined his restraints even though he knew he wouldn't be able to break free without something sharp to cut them with. Maybe there was something in the room that was sharp enough for the job. His eyes fell upon a sheet of iron that had partially curled inwards, forming a small hole in the wall. And it was at just the right height to free his hands.
Scooting across the floor using his feet and backside, Daniel managed to eventually reach the wall. Getting up onto his knees, he started to rub the plastic cuffs against the sharp edge. The plastic snapped, and Daniel quickly untied his gag.
A shadow fell across him but Daniel didn't have time to react as an arm encircled his neck. He grabbed at the arm as he was pulled back against Makepeace, and he berated himself for letting the marine sneak up on him.
"Nice try, Jackson," Robert said as he pulled the linguist away from the wall and back into the middle of the room. "O'Neill teach you that?"
Daniel could only hold on as he was dragged across the floor, tilting his head back so that the arm didn't press so hard against his windpipe. He refused to reply, knowing that none was really needed. He was then forced onto his knees again, and this time Makepeace knelt right behind him, his legs trapping Daniel's together so that he couldn't move. Daniel felt the marine's arousal pressing into his back, and he bit his lip as fear started to rise in him. Jack had taught him how to make love in this position but this was going to be nothing like that, and at the moment, there was nothing he could do to stop Makepeace from raping him.
"I bet he's taught you all sorts of things," Robert said into the linguist's ear, his voice filled with lust as he pushed his groin against the young man. He had Jackson right where he wanted him. Using his free hand, he turned the young man's face towards him and captured the soft lips in an urgent kiss.
Daniel closed his eyes and endured the onslaught while tugging at the arm that was still around his neck in the hopes of moving it. Makepeace's grip was just too strong though, and Daniel temporarily gave up. There would be another opportunity to break free.
Robert savoured the taste of Jackson, kissing him for as long as he could. All he had been able to think about in prison was how sweet the linguist had been to taste and what he wouldn't give for another chance to do so. He felt Jackson stop struggling and felt victorious; the civilian was finally giving in to him. Releasing the luscious lips, Robert looked into the defiant blue eyes and smiled. His thumb reached up to stroke the swollen bottom lip, feeling Jackson's breath ghost against the tip. "O'Neill definitely knew he had a sweet deal in you," he commented. "Too bad he won't be able to enjoy you any more."
"Wha - what do you mean?" Daniel asked, dreading the answer.
"There's no way out of that room. As soon as we're finished here, I'm going to finish him. Permanently."
Daniel's heart contracted in fear. No, he couldn't do that to Jack! "Don't kill him," he found himself saying to Makepeace. "Please!"
The marine smirked at him. "What are you willing to do to save his life?"
Swallowing hard, Daniel looked away for few seconds. Could he... no, he couldn't. But if it would spare Jack's life, then surely it would be a small price to pay. Would Jack understand why he had done it though? And would Makepeace keep his word? The marine could easily use him then still go and shoot Jack. But if Daniel continued to fight him, then Makepeace would definitely kill Jack. He would have to take the risk. "Let him go now and... and you can have me." He felt sick at saying those words.
"I can take you anyway," Robert pointed out, emphasising his words by moving one hand down Jackson's chest.
"Yes, but I'm not willing. If you let Jack go, I - I'll do whatever you ask," Daniel said with a sense of sealing his fate. He would do anything to keep Jack alive, and he would just have to hope that his lover would forgive him.
Robert smiled in victory. Finally. But he wasn't going to be so stupid as to let O'Neill go right now. No, first he would have what he wanted. "I'll let O'Neill go afterwards. If you don't co-operate, he's dead."
Daniel nodded. He wasn't in a position - literally and figuratively - to negotiate. He felt Makepeace remove his hand from his chest, and then he heard a zipping sound behind him. He closed his eyes as Makepeace took his hand and twisted the arm behind his back.
Robert almost came when he felt the long fingers close around his hard shaft but he managed to hold back; he didn't want this to be over too quickly. Keeping a firm grip on Jackson's hand, he started to guide the hand firmly up and down.
The linguist cringed as his hand touched heated flesh, and he reflexively tried to pull away. The thought of touching Makepeace so intimately made him sick, and he had to consciously fight the nausea. He could get through this. Jack wasn't far away and would find a way to get out of the locked room and arrive in time to save him.
Makepeace thrust into Jackson's hand, quickening the pace a little. This was every bit as good as he had thought it would be. He imagined that he was actually thrusting into the linguist, a thought which made him harden even further. Reluctantly, he released the hand so that he didn't come too soon.
Gratefully, Daniel snatched his hand away and wiped it on the arm that held him. He really wanted - needed - to wash that hand and get the feel of Makepeace off it. His thoughts were distracted from that when he felt his captor slide a hand down the back of his trousers. A finger brutally probed his opening and then pushed its way in. His muscles instinctively tightened against the intruder, trying to stop the digit from exploring. "No." The soft protest left his lips unconsciously.
He gasped as a second finger painfully joined the first, stretching him. When Jack did this, he felt nothing but pleasure but this... this was just painful. He... he couldn't do this!
"You like that, don't you?" Makepeace said into his ear as he thrust the fingers roughly into the tight channel. "I always knew you were a slut," he continued. "I am going to take you so hard you won't be able to sit down for a week."
"You try that and I'll castrate you," Daniel promised, well aware he was probably signing Jack's death warrant but unable to stop the words from escaping.
"You and whose army?" came the amused response.
"I don't need one," Daniel said as he reached behind him and, bracing himself, grabbed Makepeace's erection and yanked it hard sideways.
Makepeace abruptly let go as pain flared through his groin. The linguist took the opportunity to scramble away, placing as much distance as he could between himself and the marine. Then Daniel desperately looked around for something to free his ankles with, otherwise he was really going to pay for that last action.
***
Inside the original building, Jack found a phone and placed a call to the SGC. He had every faith that Carter and Teal'c would be able to track Makepeace down, hopefully in time to stop him from harming Daniel.
"Where are you, Daniel?" he asked softly as he looked out the window at the warehouse next door. He didn't know why but a sudden chill went down his spine and as he continued staring at the warehouse, he figured out why. Daniel was in the warehouse. Jack didn't know how he knew that but every instinct was telling him that it was true. Spinning on his heel, he ran out of the room and out of the building, hoping that he wasn't too late.
He was at the warehouse door in less than a minute. Cautiously, he pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sounds from inside. When he couldn't hear any, he slowly opened the door and eased inside, his gun at the ready. If Makepeace had so much as laid a finger on Danny, Jack would shoot first and ask questions later.
There was no sign of anyone in the first room so he went through to the other side and repeated the process with the next door. This time he distinctly heard Daniel telling Makepeace to get away from him. Easing around the door, he saw his partner sitting on the floor, waving a piece of wood in the marine's direction. Makepeace, who fortunately had his back to the door, was trying to avoid being hit by that piece of wood while simultaneously trying to get closer to Daniel and issuing threats against Jack's life. Time to intervene. "Someone mention my name?"
Robert turned to look at O'Neill - how had he freed himself? He started to reach for his gun, the movement hidden by the angle of his body. However, he had forgotten about Jackson.
Daniel realised that Makepeace was going for his gun and promptly swung the wood so that it smacked into the marine's arm. Makepeace yelped with pain.
"Keep both hands where I can see them," Jack ordered, moving cautiously closer. He briefly gave Daniel the once-over, wincing at the spectacular bruise on his cheek. "You okay?"
"Fine." Now was not the time to go into details.
Jack nodded and switched his attention back to Makepeace. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you."
Makepeace just kept both hands in the air and his mouth shut.
"Move away from Daniel." Jack gestured with his gun. When Makepeace had moved a reasonable distance away, Jack took his knife out and slid it across the floor to his linguist.
Daniel quickly cut through the plastic tie around his ankles, then stood up and moved over to Jack. Adrenaline flowed through his body still, keeping the tremors and pain at bay. "What kept you?"
"You know me, I couldn't find the right type of gun," he replied dryly. "What do you want me to do with him?"
"He'll just get out of prison again, won't he?" Daniel asked, already knowing the answer. And if Makepeace was free, then he could easily try this again. The linguist didn't know if he could live with that fear.
"So we shoot him."
"Jack!" Daniel didn't want Makepeace dead either, especially in cold blood. He looked at Jack, pleading with his eyes for his lover to find another solution.
In the brief second that the colonel looked at Jackson, Robert struck. He whipped out his gun and shot at O'Neill.
The bullet ripped through Jack's left shoulder, the impact spinning him around and causing him to lose his balance. He fell to the floor, dropping the gun in the process, his mind focused on the burning sensation in his shoulder. He heard someone call his name, and felt cool hands on his shoulder, and he realised it was Daniel. "Gun," he croaked out, trying to tell Daniel to get the gun and cover him. Another gunshot rang out, and he expected to see Daniel collapse on top of him. But that didn't happen. Confused, he tried to sit up and see what was going on.
Daniel gently restrained Jack, not wanting him to move, and then turned his head to where Makepeace had been. The marine was now lying on the floor, unmoving. Shocked, Daniel looked the other way and saw Selena standing there, gun in hand.
"Orders," was all she said before she turned and left the building.
Knowing Jack would be all right for a few seconds, Daniel went over to check on Makepeace. There was a neat hole in his chest, blood running out of it, and Daniel knew before he checked for a pulse that the man was dead.
"Daniel?" Jack called out, not knowing what was going on but taking a good guess. The linguist came back over to him, his face white. Jack reached out with his good hand to grasp Daniel's tightly as the young man knelt next to him.
"He's dead," Daniel reported tonelessly. "Selena shot him." Makepeace was gone, just like that. He wouldn't be able to touch Daniel ever again. Relief warred with several other emotions as he accepted the comfort Jack was offering.
"Good. Help me up, will ya?" Jack knew that now was not the time to talk about this. He needed to keep Daniel busy so that he wouldn't think about all this until they were safely home. "Let's go home, shall we?"
***
Several hours later, Jack was lying on an infirmary bed, his shoulder bandaged and his arm in a sling. Several anxious people stood at his bedside. Looking at the shortest of them - and the one who was the least sympathetic - Jack asked, "Can I go yet?"
Janet shook her head. "I'd like to keep you in overnight for observation. Daniel too."
Daniel looked up from his position on the other side of Jack. "Why?" All he wanted to do was go home and collapse... preferably with his colonel. His own injuries weren't severe, just annoying, like the bandages around his wrists and the bruise on his cheek.
"You've both been through a traumatic experience," Janet continued. She saw how pale her favourite linguist was, and the self-hugging he was currently engaged in indicated that all was not well. In fact, the colonel was almost as pale as Daniel was, although that could be explained by blood loss. But she knew that the two men were very close, and that Daniel would naturally be upset that the colonel had been injured. "I'd like to keep an eye on you."
Teal'c had been quietly observing proceedings. He recognised that the two men needed to be together, and moreover, they needed to be close. "I am willing to do that, DoctorFraiser." He would take them back to O'Neill's house and let them be alone together.
Janet weighed up the offer, and then made the mistake of looking at Daniel. He looked so tired, so worried, and Janet knew that he didn't like the infirmary very much. And Teal'c was a very responsible person. "All right. But I'm trusting you to keep an eye on them and make sure that they get some food and rest."
Teal'c nodded solemnly. He would not fail in that duty.
***
A while later, the three men were dropped off at Jack's house, and Teal'c escorted the other two inside. He ushered them into the kitchen, then proceeded to look through the cupboards for something to eat. Daniel and Jack meekly sat down at the table, exchanging glances with each other. They knew Teal'c wasn't to be argued with in this mood.
After the meal, Teal'c ordered them both to rest, and headed into the living room to meditate, assuming that the two men would obey him. Daniel shared a look with Jack, then stood up, deciding that sleep actually sounded pretty good. He headed to the main bedroom, Jack following close behind. They didn't have to hide their relationship from Teal'c so they would be able to sleep in the same bed while he was in the house.
Jack lay down on the bed, too tired to get changed. Besides which, getting changed would mean that he would have to move his shoulder, and he didn't want to aggravate his wound. "Come here, Danny," he said, patting the mattress beside him.
Daniel briefly considered the virtues of changing then decided that it could be done later. Right now, all he wanted to do was curl up next to Jack and be held by the man who loved him. So he took off his shoes and lay down next to Jack.
Putting his good arm around Daniel, Jack hugged the linguist to him and planted a kiss in the soft hair. "You okay?"
"No," Daniel replied honestly. He couldn't talk about it right now though. "But I will be."
The expression on the linguist's face told the older man that he would be alright because he had Jack with him. It was extremely flattering to know that. "I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too," Daniel echoed, a small smile on his face. "Now go to sleep, Jack, I'm tired." He used their private joke to lighten the moment, and received an answering chuckle.
"Night, Daniel." Jack closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep, finally able to relax.
***
An hour later, Teal'c looked in on them to make sure that they were sleeping soundly. Both men had fallen asleep on top of the covers, too tired to get into bed properly. They had their arms around each other, their legs were entwined, and DanielJackson's head rested on O'Neill's good shoulder. Satisfied that they were indeed sleeping, Teal'c withdrew from the bedroom, allowing the lovers to be alone again.
***
/Jack watched helplessly as Makepeace straddled a struggling Daniel. He tried to move but was frozen in place, his feet stuck to the ground. "Daniel!"
There was no reply. Makepeace started laughing maniacally as he tore Daniel's shirt from him and then pawed the linguist's body.
"Stop it!" Jack yelled, still unable to move. "Don't touch him!" He struggled, pain from his left shoulder spiking through him.
"Jack!" The image shimmered.
"Daniel!"
Makepeace removed Daniel's trousers, then turned to Jack. "You can't stop me," he taunted.
"No!"
"Jack!"/
Abruptly Jack awoke. It took him a couple of seconds to realise where he was, and that Daniel's hand was on his good shoulder. "Danny?"
"You were dreaming," Daniel replied. He had been woken a few minutes ago by his lover's movements, and understood what Jack had been dreaming about because of the vocalisations.
Jack turned slightly towards his partner. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
"And I'm sorry I couldn't prevent you from being shot," Daniel stated. He lay back down again and put his arm across Jack's chest.
"Wasn't your fault," Jack replied. "I shouldn't have taken my eyes off him." That split second of carelessness had almost cost them their lives.
"Maybe." Daniel wasn't going to get into an argument about that now. He yawned, then closed his eyes. "Go back to sleep," he ordered.
"Yes, love." Jack closed his eyes and went quickly back to sleep
***
When Jack next awoke, it was because Daniel was moving around restlessly and murmuring in his sleep. The older man tried to work out what the linguist was saying and heard enough to figure out that he was reliving the attempted rape. "Danny, wake up." He sat up so that he could get a good grip on his lover. "Daniel."
"I'm sorry, Jack," the sleeping man muttered, becoming distressed. "Please forgive me."
"Daniel, wake up!"
Blue eyes abruptly opened and focused on him. The vivid images fled quickly from Daniel's mind as he blinked blearily at his partner. "Jack?"
"You were having a bad dream," Jack echoed Daniel's words from earlier. He reached out and ran his hand through the linguist's hair. "It's over now. Makepeace can't harm you any more."
Daniel closed his eyes again, his face scrunching up as he tried to keep the emotions in. Makepeace might be dead but that didn't erase what he had tried to do. He concentrated on the feel of Jack's hand sliding through his hair, and taking comfort from his presence. He would be able to get through this but it would take time.
"Want to talk about it?" Jack asked gently.
The linguist took a deep breath, then opened his eyes. "I need some coffee," he decided. He couldn't talk to Jack about it without something to fortify him. Getting out of bed, he started for the door.
"Daniel." Jack waited until his linguist had turned around. "Don't be long."
"I won't." Daniel knew that Jack didn't want him to put off the discussion. So as soon as the coffee was ready, he took his cup and went back into the bedroom.
Jack had moved so that he was sitting up against the bedhead, and when he saw Daniel, he patted his lap. "Come here."
Although he would have preferred to sit next to Jack, Daniel gave in without any argument, understanding the need for contact. He straddled Jack's lap, being careful not to spill the coffee, and kept most of his weight off the older man's thighs.
Jack stroked his hand along Daniel's thigh, the action soothing to them both. "I see you didn't bring me any."
Daniel smiled as he took a sip of coffee. Things were already getting back to normal. "You didn't ask."
"That's beside the point." Jack looked deep into the troubled blue eyes and became serious. "You did good, Daniel. Don't ever doubt that."
"I was so close to giving in," Daniel confessed. "That second time, when he asked me, I thought about giving him any address so that he wouldn't hurt you."
"Well, if it helps, I thought about signing the damn confession," Jack stated truthfully.
"You did?"
"I did. I didn't want them to hurt you again." Jack took hold of Daniel's left hand and brought it to his lips. "I should have been able to stop them."
"You couldn't have," Daniel absolved the older man of his guilt. "Makepeace had his own agenda anyway."
"I noticed," Jack said flatly, his fingers tightening on Daniel's. "What did he do this time?"
Without looking at Jack, the linguist quickly related what had happened in the warehouse. It was devoid of a few details but the older man could fill in the gaps. Jack was very glad Makepeace was dead, although he would have liked to put a few bullets in the marine himself.
Daniel felt a little better after telling Jack what had happened, although the sense of shame and disgust was still there. "He said he would kill you if I didn't give him what he wanted so... so I let him," he continued, staring into his coffee, unable to meet Jack's eyes. "But then I - I changed my mind, I - I couldn't go through with it, even though I knew he was going to kill you. Forgive me please, Jack."
Jack took the cup out of Daniel's hands and placed it on the bedside table. Then he gently lifted the young man's chin so that he could see into Daniel's eyes. "There's nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong, Danny. Makepeace forced you into a horrible situation, and you had no way of knowing whether he'd keep his word anyway. You were right to say no to him."
"Was I?" Daniel still wasn't sure.
Moving his hand around to the back of Daniel's neck, Jack drew the younger man forward. "Yes." He then kissed the linguist deeply, expressing his love through actions not words.
Daniel relaxed into the kiss, understanding that Jack still loved him despite what had happened. And he still loved Jack, more than he ever could have imagined. He put his arms around Jack's shoulders, being careful of the gunshot wound, and held his lover close. They had been so lucky.
Jack gently drew back from the kiss and stared at the beautiful man in front of him. Deciding to lighten the moment, he said, "Shall we have sex now?"
Daniel laughed out loud and rested his forehead against Jack's. The older man always knew the right thing to say... well, nearly always. "Janet said you weren't to do anything strenuous."
"Yeah, well, what does she know?" Jack moved his hand along Daniel's arm until he could entwine their fingers together.
"A lot." Sitting back, Daniel looked at their joined hands, a symbol of the relationship they had. "You're not going to give up though, are you?" He knew from previous experience that virtually nothing stopped Jack when he wanted sex.
"When it comes to you, never," Jack replied solemnly, not talking about sex now. He kissed Daniel's fingers and then rested their hands on the linguist's thigh. "Don't ever forget that."
"Same goes," Daniel promised him. Because of their commitment to each other, they would be able to get through anything.
