Title: Aftermath – Part Two

Author/pseudonym: the_tenth_muse (nancy)

Fandom: Stargate

Pairing: Dr. Daniel Jackson/Col. Jack O'Niell

Rating: R (some bad language and sensitive topic)

Status: new

Archive: sure - just let me know where!

Series/Sequel: apparently so. this is the 2nd part of Aftermath, and there might be more if the muse whips me hard enough.

Disclaimers: not mine, don't own them, still trying to deal with a Daniel owie. I believe the proper owners are MGM/Showtime and I'm not making any money from this.

Summary: Jack helps Daniel deal with being Hathor's Beloved

Warnings: Spoilers for the episode Hathor and deals with rape.

Aftermath - Part Two
By the_tenth_muse (nancy)

Her eyes were dark and enormous and the only thing he could focus on as she leaned in for a kiss. Unnaturally magenta hair swung forward to drift in front of delicate, even features. A few strands tickled between their lips as she fed hungrily on his mouth.

Inside, Daniel was shrieking at himself to stop, to pull away, to run away. But the eyes that had been so dark before now glowed white with command and he stayed exactly where she wanted him. Her hand traveled eagerly over his body, seeming to enjoy his firm muscle through the material of his clothing.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him towards the bed then shoved him around and onto the bed with a growl. He stayed exactly where she flung him, knowing that to move would be to invite pain. He'd dealt with the Goa'uld far too often to think that he'd escape this unharmed. He'd be lucky if all she wanted was a quick fuck.

Watching her as she looked over every bit of him, Daniel knew he wasn't going to get lucky in any sense of the word. Unexpectedly, she pounced, knees to either side of his hips and leaning over him, smelling and nuzzling him as she murmured, "My Beloved. You will be Our Favored for years to come with the strength and will I sense in you. Perhaps, when you have served me long enough, I shall honor you with the gift of becoming a host. Would you like that my Beloved?"

Daniel didn't answer, moving his eyes so that he could see the ceiling and not the monster of a woman straddling him. She growled again and a hand gripped his chin painfully, turning his head so that he was forced to look at her. The eyes glowed white again and she repeated, "Would you like that my Beloved."

"What do you think?" Daniel rasped, fear clawing at his throat as the hand gripped tighter.

"We are not Ra, Daniel. We would take care of you and treasure you, not hurt you," Hathor assured him, her grip loosening to become a caress.

"Then let me go," he pleaded. "Let us all go. You can leave here. Leave while they're all still under your influence and no one will stop you. We won't come after you."

"Oh but I think you would. Perhaps not you personally, but your Colonel O'Niell would seek vengeance on what he perceives an injury to you," Hathor countered.

Shaking his head, Daniel exclaimed, "No! I wouldn't let Jack do that, I swear. Just please, please leave."

"But why when I am going to reclaim this planet as my own? Shall I tell you Our plans, Beloved? Once we have taken the fullness of pleasure and there are Goa'uld larva, your Colonel shall become out first Jaffa, our First Prime. He is a worthy warrior and shall serve Us with cunning and strength. Once my army of Jaffa is complete, We shall use the Stargate to find a planet rich in the mineral and export slaves by the thousands to mine it. Perhaps you know of such a planet?"

Daniel stopped himself from saying anything but only just barely.

"You know of a planet. Tell Us."

The command reverberated through Daniel's mind and he spared a brief thought to wonder if whatever she was using to control him provided a psychic link. The question faded almost as quickly as it had come because her words echoed through his mind over and over again until it was too painful to think. "Abydos! The world you seek is Abydos."

Practically purring, she leaned over him and licked the side of his neck. "Very good, my Beloved. What are its defenses?"

This time the pain was much quicker to take root. Groaning against it, Daniel betrayed the people he loved so much. "They have none. Not against us. I lived there with my wife and her family for a year. Until Apophis came and took her. The stargate is buried but will be open again in a few months."

"Excellent, that will be just about right," Hathor murmured. Her hands massaged his shoulders and she kissed him long and deeply, her tongue steeling entrance. She pulled back, partially sitting up as she continued, "You see my love? There is nothing you can do to stand against me. Tell me you love me."

Tears slipped free as Daniel's heart shattered. "I love you."

* * * *

Jack woke to complete darkness, the sound of muffled whimpering and an empty bed. Turning blindly towards the sound, Jack called out, "Daniel?"

There was no response, even the crying stopped. Reaching to the lamp beside the bed, Jack fumbled around for a bit, then managed to switch it on. Scanning the room, he found Daniel curled up in the corner, his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around his knees. Instantly rolling out of bed, he moved slowly towards the other man. "Danny? You okay?"

Still nothing. Jack knelt beside the younger man and hesitantly reached out to grasp Daniel's shoulder. Daniel flinched at his touch but didn't pull away. Quietly, Jack asked, "What is it? Can you tell me?"

Raising a tear-stained face, Daniel answered, "I betrayed Shau'ri. I betrayed Kasuf. I betrayed all of Abydos. I think that's the worst of everything. The physical part…I could mostly pretend it wasn't happening. Put myself somewhere else. But she hadn't even started on me and I spilled my guts about Abydos and the mines. Told her they wouldn't defend against us, and when the gate would be active again. I can't even blame torture Jack, because she'd barely even touched me!"

Jack had seen that hollow look before but it hadn't been on the archeologist's face; it had been staring back at him from the mirror. It was the look you got when the worst that could happen did and you had to go on living anyhow. To Daniel, the people of Abydos were the most important thing, probably more important than Earth since Earth could defend itself. They had adopted him upon marriage to Shau'ri and he had lived there happily for almost a year.

Shifting closer so that he was sitting directly against Daniel, Jack put his arm around his friend's shoulder. Daniel turned towards him, burying his face against Jack and staying there silently. Jack rested his chin on Daniel's head and sighed. "No one would fault you, Danny. With that mind control whammy she had, you just aren't responsible for your actions. I'll keep saying that until it finally gets through to you. You had no choice. Got it?"

When Daniel didn't say anything, Jack just wrapped his other arm around him and continued, "It doesn't matter what you said to her. It doesn't matter what you did. You are not responsible. Just like...just like I can't hold myself responsible for not being able to stop her from hurting you even though that's the only thing running through my mind. Especially right now. Don't you think that I'm blaming myself for all of this?

"If I hadn't gotten so close to her, she couldn't have breathed that crap into me. I could've stopped her with Teal'c and Sam's help and none of this would have happened. If I hadn't been such a fucking incompetent, then you wouldn't be going through this!"

As Jack's voice deepened with self-loathing, Daniel pulled away and shook his head. "Jack, you can't blame yourself for any of this."

Snorting, Jack corrected, "I shouldn't. But I do. It's my job to protect you and I failed. End of story. My failure hurt you in ways that I can never make up for."

"But you were under her control. There was no way to fight back against her."

"Exactly! You just proved my point! If you won't let me take responsibility for my actions while under her control then how can you let yourself?" Jack demanded. Daniel fell silent and Jack almost crowed with triumph when that familiar, thoughtful expression at last appeared on Daniel's face. Holding his breath, Jack waited.

Finally Daniel said, "I guess I can't."

Letting his breath out slowly, Jack nodded and agreed, "You can't."

"What do I do now?" Daniel asked uncertainly.

Gripping his friend's shoulder tightly, Jack answered, "You go on as best you can and stop whipping yourself over it. Don't give her any more satisfaction, or power, that she already took from you."

"You'll help me?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

Daniel looked at him for a long moment then smiled hesitantly. "No. I guess I don't."

"Good answer," Jack said with a wink. He stood up, helping Daniel to stand as well. "C'mon. Let's get some sleep."

"It's okay. You ah, you don't have to…"

Jack cut him off with, "I'm too tired to go all the way back to my own bunk Danny. Just lie down and close your eyes, okay?"

Nodding, Daniel slid under the covers and held them up for Jack. Shaking his head with a grin, Jack said, "I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'm the envy of the entire nursing staff right at this very minute."

Chuckling, Daniel said, "So long as you stay on your side of the bed, I don't think we'll have to worry about any rumors getting started."

Jack snorted. If only it was that simple. "Well, my lips are sealed if yours are."

Daniel pulled the blanket up tight and yawned, closing his eyes.

"Daniel? Your lips are sealed, right?"

"Good night, Jack."

"Danny? Oh fer cryin' out loud."

* * * *

The Tauri had many customs of which Teal'c was unfamiliar, this he knew. That one of them should forbid the giving of aid and comfort between comrades seemed especially…odd. It had been a few hours since he had taken up position at the door to the room where O'Neill and DanielJackson rested but he had gone through Kel-no-Reem directly after the incident with Hathor and he would be able to stand for several more without difficulty.

There had been exhaustion O'Niell's face when Teal'c had looked in on them. He knew that whatever had passed between his friends, it had been a hard and difficult thing. Offering to stand watch while they rested was his way of contributing to DanielJackson's recovery.

Still, the necessity for warding them in the first place eluded him. The Tauri were generally a social people, even within their military. He had observed friendships throughout the base, regardless of rank, so it couldn't be because O'Niell was a Colonel. Perhaps it was because DanielJackson was not of the military? His logic told him that this could not be so. If it were, would not the friendship between O'Niell and DanielJackson simply not exist in the first place?

"Teal'c? What are you doing?"

Teal'c looked over as Samantha Carter approached and replied, "I am standing guard."

Interested blue eyes looked at him and she said, "I can see that. May I ask why?"

"You may."

A smile appeared on her face as she asked, "Why are you standing guard?"

"O'Niell required rest, as did DanielJackson. He informed me that were anyone to find them sleeping together, it would cause problems. Although I fail to understand why this would be the case," Teal'c admitted. He could tell from Samantha Carter's expression that she was surprised at his statement.

"Define 'sleeping together'," she said slowly.

Right eyebrow arcing, he replied, "Sleeping. A necessary, physical act humans perform to replenish the energy stores in their bodies. It usually occurs during the night cycle of whatever planet they inhabit. During the course of this sleep cycle, humans generally experience what is known as dreaming which is actually the subconscious mind expressing various emotions and thoughts in a visual way."

Smiling more broadly now, Sam said, "I suppose I should have expected that. Teal'c, sleeping together can mean more than one thing. It can mean occupying the same bed while sleeping or it can mean, ah, having physical relations."

"You mean sexual intercourse," Teal'c clarified.

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean," Sam confirmed.

Thoughtfully, he commented, "It is this latter action that would cause problems, correct?"

"It is."

"Why? Because DanielJackson is not of your military?"

"Oh boy. Okay. Let me ask you a question, Teal'c. Is it considered wrong on Chulak for two men, or two women for that matter, to have sexual intercourse?" Sam asked uncomfortably.

"It is not. Do you claim that the Tauri believe it to be wrong?" Teal'c was surprised. Such an attitude usually existed among less developed peoples; he had considered the Tauri to be far above that level.

"Unfortunately, it is. Especially in the military," Sam replied.

Frowning in distaste, Teal'c said, "This is most unexpected, Samantha Carter."

"And something you're not happy with."

"It is a known fact that if warriors have a bond, they fight all the stronger for it."

"Perhaps. Putting aside any religious or social taboos about same sex, ah, sex, there's a school of thought, a dominant one here on Earth, that if the bond between teammates strays into love, or sex, that it will weaken the soldier's resolve to put the mission first," Sam explained.

"They are wrong." A thought occurred to Teal'c and he asked, "Is this what you believe?"

Sam shook her head. "I have no problems with who sleeps with whom as long as it doesn't compromise their unit. Probably because of my academic background. Academics are more liberal than the military. I'm sure Daniel could tell you a lot more about the subject than I could, with his background."

"I shall ask him about it at a more opportune time," Teal'c said.

"Speaking of Daniel. How is he?" Sam asked.

""I do not know. When I arrived, he was already sleeping. O'Niell looked as though it had been a hard night, however," Teal'c reported.

"Can I, do you mind if I look in on them?" Sam requested hesitantly.

He thought this would this be acceptable to O'Niell and stood aside.

"Be right back."

Teal'c watched as she opened the door then moved back into position.

* * * *

Oh boy. It was a damned good thing that Teal'c was standing guard out there from what Sam was looking at. She'd never seen anything quite like it. The Colonel was lying on his back with his arms around Daniel, who was plastered to his chest. The blanket had been pushed most of the way off, which revealed them to be fully clothed but they were also pressed full length against each other with their legs entwined.

It was very sweet, almost heartbreakingly so. Even in sleep, the Colonel had that protective aura he always got around Daniel. Until now, she'd been certain it was purely platonic. For the most part, they acted like brothers who got on each other's nerves a little too often. And okay, that was probably exactly what their relationship was, but right now it sure as hell didn't look like it.

She backed out of the room and carefully closed the door behind her. Gazing thoughtfully at Teal'c, she saw his poker face had returned and offered, "So Teal'c. Ever hear of a game called poker?"

* * * *

Jack woke up slowly, feeling very comfortable, even with the heavy weight on his chest. There was a damp spot just by his shoulder that felt a little sticky but otherwise, it was warm and comfy and he really didn't want to move. Sighing out a yawn, his eyes blinked open and he frowned at the unfamiliar surroundings. For a long moment, he truly didn't know where he was or who was in his arms. Then the events of the previous night flooded back and he stiffened slightly.

Looking down, he saw Daniel's mussed brown hair and sighed. How on earth could he get out of this without waking the other man?

"Running away already?"

He hadn't realized that Daniel was awake. "No. Of course not." Daniel looked up at him and Jack knew that Daniel knew it for a lie. "Well okay. Maybe I got a little paranoid that someone might walk in."

That got Daniel scrambling away in a flash. He rolled off Jack and into a sitting position within seconds. Flushing, he apologized, "Geeze, Jack, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about how that might look to someone just walking in."

Jack shrugged somewhat guiltily. "That's okay. Teal'c did offer to guard the door but who knows how long ago that was. I think we were out of it for a long time. Hey. How are you?"

Daniel nodded shyly. "I feel better. Thanks."

Looking closely at his friend, Jack saw that for the first time since Hathor showed up, Daniel did look almost normal. Or what qualified for normal for Daniel, anyhow. That thought brought up a smile and he reached over to ruffle Daniel's hair. "I bet an IV of coffee and a decent breakfast would put you the rest of the way right. How's that sound?"

Smiling, Daniel got off the bed and offered his hand to Jack.

Hesitating only a second, Jack took it and was hauled off the bed with a strong tug, almost back into Daniel's arms. Looking into those enormous blue eyes, he actually saw a twinkle there and grinned in response. "You little stinker. You did that on purpose!"

Daniel assumed an innocent air and blinked at him. "Who, me?"

Shaking his head, Jack shoved Daniel forward, ahead of him and towards the door. He almost walked right into Daniel when the other man stopped short after opening the door. Jack peered over Daniel's shoulder and started chuckling. Sam and Teal'c were sitting at a small card table as the blond woman was trying to explain the meaning of what looked like 5-card stud poker. She looked up as the door opened and a brilliant smile crossed her face. "Daniel! You're all right!"

Jack watched as Daniel found himself on the receiving end of a very enthusiastic hug from Sam. When she pulled back, he was smiling. "Thanks for trying to talk some sense into me, Sam. I'm sorry I didn't..."

"No, no. That's okay. It's a rough situation. As long as you're okay now," Sam interrupted, retaining a hold on his arm.

"I am," he assured her.

"I am pleased to see you looking better, DanielJackson," Teal'c rumbled.

Daniel looked over at Teal'c and said, "Thank you."

"All right kids. I promised Daniel an IV of coffee so how about we take this show on the road?" Jack suggested. "Carter, Teal'c, get rid of this gambling den and we'll meet you out front of the mountain in twenty minutes. My car."

As Carter and Teal'c began cleaning up the cards and chips, Jack ushered Daniel towards the locker room.

Daniel realized where they were going about halfway there and asked, "Why are we going to the locker rooms?"

"Because we could both use a shower and a change of clothes," Jack informed him dryly. "I don't know about you, but I've got a drool mark on my shoulder that ain't going to quit."

"I do not drool," Daniel said indignantly.

Jack pointed to the darker section of his gray shirt. "Evidence, Daniel. The shirt does not lie."

"You probably spilled something on it and are using me as a convenient scapegoat," Daniel grumbled as they walked into the locker room.

"Knock it off with the big words before coffee, okay?" Jack asked with a grin. He had walked through the storage area and was opening the locker room door before he noticed that Daniel wasn't right behind him. He frowned and turned then cursed himself for an idiot. This was where Hathor had been killed. Or at least where it had seemed like she'd been killed but had actually pulled a disappearing trick.

Fuck! Daniel was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the blackened area where the tub had been. Where he had sat and gazed adoringly at Hathor while she spawned and promised death for Carter and the other women. Hesitantly, Jack asked, "Daniel? You okay?" Bleak eyes looked back at him and Jack could see that Daniel was visibly trying to control himself.

"I ah, I thought I was," Daniel said finally. He swallowed heavily then ran past Jack into the locker room.

Jack followed quick enough to see Daniel hurtle himself into a bathroom stall. The sounds of retching echoed through the empty room as Jack moved quietly to kneel beside Daniel, rubbing his back soothingly. It was pretty much a dry-heave session since Daniel didn't have anything in his stomach to begin with. When it seemed like it should have ended, he said, "C'mon Daniel, stop it. Try to take deeper breaths and get it under control or I'll have to call Doc Frasier. That's right, you can do it, just breathe slow and deep, get it under control."

When the heaving finally stopped, Daniel rested his forehead on the porcelain seat, taking deep, shuddering breaths.

After a long few minutes of just sitting there, his arm around Daniel's waist, Jack asked, "You okay now?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine," Daniel answered, kneeling upright. "I really need to brush my teeth though."

"Sure. Probably a good idea for both of us," Jack agreed, moving away and getting to his feet. He helped Daniel up then walked towards the sink, keeping an eye on his friend but not hovering too close as they got ready for the day.

"You can stop the mother-hen act, I'm fine," Daniel said around a mouth full of toothbrush.

Putting his hand to his chest in a 'who, me?' gesture, Jack spit then said, "I do not have a mother-hen act."

Eyebrows arching in disbelief, Daniel countered, "Right. And calling us kids is just your way of...?"

"Keeping my superiority intact?" Jack answered weakly. Daniel's snort told him what the archeologist thought of that response. "All right, all right. I'll knock it off. You just gave me a little scare is all."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I can't keep reacting like that if I'm going to get back to normal. I am going to get back to normal," Daniel repeated, as though reassuring himself.

"Oh Daniel?"

Daniel frowned suspiciously at the neutral tone. "Yes, Jack?"

"You weren't normal to start with, remember?"

Jack easily ducked the hairbrush Daniel threw at him.

* * * *

It was slightly more than twenty minutes later that Jack and Daniel made it out of security to join Sam and Teal'c. Daniel was still feeling the effects of his bathroom display and wasn't sure how well he'd be able to deal with food. Coffee he was positive he could handle but he knew that Jack wouldn't let him have one without the other. Didn't matter what Jack said, he was still in the 'protect Daniel' mode he always got into when he thought Daniel was in trouble.

He'd been grateful for it the night before but in the light of day, it was started to get on his nerves. Daniel didn't mention it again, though, as all four of them piled into Jack's jeep. Teal'c had a baseball cap on that looked fairly ridiculous but it was necessary to hide the mark of Apophis.

Jack pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards the town that rested at the base of the mountain. Sam brought up an artifact SG-4 had returned with and Daniel found himself interested despite himself. They talked about it for the rest of the ride into town. People were out and about doing their Sunday errands and the line at the coffee shop was out the door. Daniel looked at Jack via the rear-view mirror and pleaded with him silently not to change his mind.

Jack sighed but pulled into the parking lot. "All right, here's the situation. Carter, you and Daniel secure a table while Teal'c and I wait in line. Hopefully we can use the Jaffa intimidation factor to get through the line quicker."

"Good idea, sir," Sam said with a grin.

Daniel shook his head at Jack and Sam but couldn't help smiling. "Just try not to beat them into submission. I would like to be able to show my face here again."

Jack grinned. "Trust me."

"Oh God. C'mon Sam, I feel a military coup coming on that I really don't want to witness. And Jack? Cherry danish, please," Daniel ordered, hooking his arm around Sam's and leading her away.

It wasn't too long before Jack and Teal'c returned with four large cups of coffee and various pastries. 'Maybe there's something to the strategy,' Daniel thought with an inward grin. He decided to bring Teal's with him on his next visit to try out the hypothesis. Jack made a point of placing the cherry danish in front of Daniel before sitting beside him.

"See? I can take an order," Jack pointed out virtuously.

"Right," Daniel agreed, slow enough so as to make it completely skeptical. He noticed Teal'c looking just as skeptically at the pastry in his large, brown hand and encouraged, "Go ahead, Teal'c. It's a, Jack what is that? Apple cheese danish?"

Jack nodded, his own mouth already filled with his muffin. Daniel barely restrained the teasing comment trying to get out about whether or not it was a bran muffin. Turning his attention back to the Jaffa who was still staring suspiciously at the gooey danish, Daniel said, "It's a special treat, Teal'c, honest. If you look around, everyone is having one type or another."

"I know what pastry is, DanielJackson. I do not know whether I wish to sample this form of it," Teal'c replied at last.

Flushing a little, he hadn't meant to sound condescending, Daniel apologized, "Of course. I'm sorry, Teal'c."

"No offense was taken," Teal'c replied. He took a tentative bite of the food then swallowed thoughtfully. "It is sweet and yet…not sweet. An odd combination but a good one."

All three humans at the table relaxed a little at the pronouncement. Daniel took a long drink from his coffee and savored the sharp, hot liquid as it went over his tongue and down his throat to land happily in his stomach.

"Oh yeah. Daniel in ecstasy, right here," Jack teased.

Opening his eyes, Daniel made a face at him and took another drink.

"Samantha Carter informed me that I should ask you why the Tauri believe that sexual intercourse between two men is wrong."

Daniel choked as he tried to breathe and swallow at the same time and spewed out his coffee the same time Jack did.

In a strangled voice, Jack demanded, "Carter!?"

Obviously trying not to laugh, Sam was dumping napkins over the coffee spills as best she could. "I'm sorry sir. He didn't know why you would consider a guard necessary on the door where you and Daniel were sleeping. I thought that Daniel would be able to go into a better explanation than me, what with his background."

"My background?" Daniel sputtered.

Eyes still laughing, Sam said, "I'm sure that you know more about the subject since history is your forte."

"Funny Carter. Real funny," Jack commented dangerously.

Realizing that she might have gone a little too far, Sam backtracked with, "Sorry sir, Daniel. He had some legitimate questions and I really did feel that Daniel would be better equipped to answer them from both a historical and societal point of view."

Somewhat mollified, Daniel agreed, "Perhaps. But not here, Teal'c."

Curious, Teal'c asked, "Why not?"

"Because it's not something you talk about in public," Jack said flatly.

"Very well, O'Niell. I shall wait until DanielJackson can explain things to me, in private."

If that comment had come from anyone else, Jack would have been suspicious. It sounded a lot like the Jaffa version of, "Let me show you my etchings, little girl." Shaking his head, Jack commented, "Even a coffee run is never dull with you people."

Grinning openly now, Sam offered, "We wouldn't want you to suffer from boredom now, would we sir?"

* * * *

Daniel found himself at loose ends. He'd met with Janet shortly after the team had returned from town. They had talked for a long time and she'd given him the name of a security-cleared counselor, but he doubted that he would use it. It was still there, lurking in the shadow of his mind. He could still hear Hathor's voice as she took everything and more from him without any shadow of resistance he could offer.

The difference between today and yesterday was that he knew he had help. He didn't have to be alone in the fight to keep his sanity and his emotions from spilling over into the black hole that had threatened. Jack was there for him and would be there any time he needed the other man's strength and comfort. Teal'c and Sam were there for him as well. It was a little more difficult to let them in but he was working on it.

Teamwork had taken on a whole new meaning for Daniel. For someone who had been alone most of his life, Daniel found it hard to let anyone close to him. He'd let himself fall in love with Shau'ri because it had seemed safe. They were on the other side of the galaxy and no one could hurt them. He was married into a warm, extended family that took him in without a second thought. Daniel had been in heaven for almost a year.

When it had come crashing down around him, when his wife and brother were torn from him and his heart left in shambles, Jack had been there. He'd offered his home and his friendship without a second thought. Sam and Teal'c had come into his life more slowly, but they had become just as important to him as Jack, although in different ways.

"Thinking great thoughts, oh wise one?"

'Speaking of Jack,' he thought with a wry grin. Looking at the man in his office door, Daniel answered, "Always."

Jack snorted. "Yeah right. You want to grab supper? Maybe catch a game or something?"

For all the fact that Jack knew he wasn't the sports type, it never stopped him from offering. And knowing the heartfelt reason behind it was to keep Daniel from being lonely, he never refused. Smiling, Daniel stood up and said, "Sure. Sounds good."

"Great! The hockey final's are just heating up!" Jack exclaimed. "If we hurry, we can get some pizza and get home in time for warm ups!"

'Home. Funny that Jack should use that word,' Daniel thought as they walked through the corridor to the elevator. He had work and he had his apartment but now that he thought about it, Jack's house was home; at least here on earth. The only other home he knew was on the other side of the galaxy. Jack's arm went around his shoulder and Daniel started in surprise, looking at his friend curiously.

"Time to move on, Danny," Jack observed quietly.

Nodding slowly, Daniel thought, 'Perhaps it is, at that.'

END