Title: Infinite Possibilities
Authors: Brenda
Author Page: Brenda
Category: Slash
Rating: NC-17
Summary: When Jack O'Neill unwittingly brings back the wrong Daniel Jackson through the Stargate that leaves *his* Daniel under the care of the wrong Jack O'Neill...
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. This story may not be posted anywhere without the consent of the authors.

"At every point in time there are infinite possibilities, and a parallel reality exists for each possibility..."

 ~ Daniel Jackson in "Point of View"~

Pain. Smoke. Burning. Noise.

The acrid smoke stung Daniel Jackson's eyes, and he wiped them with the bloodied sleeve of his jacket. It was no good. He'd lost his glasses and his sight when the Goa'uld stun grenade landed too close to him. When he came to he was alone, and he'd been dazedly stumbling along since then, trying to find his team. His vision was coming back, but the landscape was a blur, whether from the effects of the grenade or his likely concussion he didn't know. He remembered the four of them and SG3 running from the contingent of Jaffa pursuing them, lungs burning, legs straining, Jack at his side urging him on. Then he heard a warning shout in his ear, saw the bright, blinding flash of the Goa'uld device, then the sudden sensation of falling. A long, long way. Then nothing.

P4X-229 was very Earth-like, and they were in the foothills of a larger mountain range. He must've rolled down a hillside when the grenade hit. He supposed he was lucky he didn't splat into a tree or boulder on the way down. Still, the gash on his head and the cuts and bruises making themselves known on his body proved his descent hadn't been a gentle one. As he carefully navigated around trees and rocks he knew he was getting closer to some kind of action because smoke hung heavily in the air, and he could hear the blast of staff weapons and bursts of automatic gunfire. SG1 and SG3 were heavily outnumbered. God only knew if anyone had been able to get back to the 'gate for reinforcements.

He fumbled for his holster and groaned in dismay when his hand didn't encounter his gun. He must've lost it in the fall. He had to get back to Jack, Teal'c and Sam. At least then he could use one of their weapons and be of some use to someone. If only he didn't feel so damned dizzy and sick to his stomach... Concussion. Definitely concussion. Definitely... oh god. Nausea hit him hard and he dropped to his knees beside a tree, retching as his stomach tried to turn itself inside out.

Long minutes later he straightened, keeping one hand on the tree for balance as his head pounded ferociously and sweat dripped into his eyes. Or was that blood? He wiped a shaking hand across his forehead then blinked blearily at it. Combination of both apparently. He had to find Jack. He couldn't take the chance of passing out here alone. Gritting his teeth, he dug his fingernails into the bark of the tree and managed to get to his feet, squeezing his eyes shut as everything swam around. He didn't realize he was no longer alone until a voice behind him barked, "Tau'ri, kree!"

Oh. Shit.

Slowly, swallowing hard to try to keep his stomach where it belonged, Daniel turned and saw the blurry image of a Jaffa standing a few yards away, staff weapon leveled at him. As they stared at one another, a slow, taunting smile curved the Jaffa's lips as he primed the staff weapon for firing. Daniel always knew it could come down to this. In fact it had come down to this before, but it still always came as something of a surprise to find yourself facing death in this way. A refrain of 'Haven't I done this before; oh you know I believe I have...' played through his head. Part of him said 'You've lived through this before' while another part replied, 'Yes, but maybe not this time.' As a fresh wave of dizziness hit him he wondered if the killing blast would hit him before he passed out...

It took him a moment to realize the roaring in his ears was actually the angry burst from a P90, and an extra moment to understand he wasn't dead. He watched stupidly as the Jaffa jerked and then dropped to the ground. In the next instant strong arms were supporting him, lowering him carefully to the ground. A warm callused palm cradled the side of his face, and he found himself blinking into the close up and worried features of Jack O'Neill.

"Daniel?"

Oh yeah. It was okay; Jack was here. He could pass out now. With that comforting thought, Daniel let the darkness claim him.

***

Jack O'Neill dropped to the ground and quickly rolled behind some bushes, watching warily as three Jaffa marched by. The bastards were everywhere. He itched to take them out but knew if he did the shots would only bring more of them, and he couldn't afford that. Waiting until they were safely out of sight, he stood up and moved out again. He had to find Daniel. In the confusion of the firefight the archaeologist had become separated from the team. The concussion of the shock grenade had sent Daniel tumbling down the side of the rocky hill they were on, and the rest of the team had been helpless to go after him because they were under attack. The fight had been long and heavy, and when the last Jaffa had been dispatched he had immediately sent SG3, Carter and Teal'c off to secure the 'gate and transport the wounded while he followed what he hoped was the trail Daniel had left behind. Teal'c and Carter had both argued his decision, but the wounded of SG3 needed to get back to the 'gate, and they would need the protection those two could provide. Yes, Teal'c was a better tracker, but Daniel was his responsibility. He'd lost the trail thanks to the Jaffa crossing his path and forcing him to detour, but he thought he'd picked it up again. At least he prayed he had.

He felt that same chill in his blood he felt every time one of his team was in danger, that same feeling of rage mixed with grim determination. Nobody fucked with his team. They were his responsibility, and by god he was going to bring every last one of them back home safely. That incipient stirring of panic - that this time would be the time he would fail - was always worse, always sharper when it was Daniel who was in trouble. The truth was he went a little nuts inside when it was Daniel. He had admitted that to himself a long time ago, and he had accepted that it was as much a part of him - and as inevitable - as the silver in his hair. He didn't think about it, didn't try to analyze; he just knew it was so.

As he moved stealthily through the trees, every sense on alert, his thoughts ricocheted wildly between 'Be safe, be safe, be safe' and 'Don't  you dare be dead; don't you dare do that to me.'  

A sudden scuffling noise up ahead made him duck quickly behind a tree and freeze. A moment later he heard the unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh and a grunt of pain. "You will answer us, Tau'ri!"

Dead Jaffa walking.

O'Neill was silent as he slipped through the trees, his footsteps cushioned by the moss covering the floor of the forest. Another sound and a low moan caused him to grit his teeth, but he maintained his stealthy approach. Just before he stepped out of the cover of the trees he saw them: two Jaffa had Daniel on his knees with his hands tied behind his back. One of them had a fistful of Daniel's hair and was pulling his head back sharply to expose his neck. The other was trailing a knife along his jaw line, and Jack could see the thin line of blood left behind from where he was standing. The kid looked like he'd had the crap beaten out of him and then some.

Oh yeah. Definitely dead Jaffa.

Pulling his sidearm, he took careful arm. The Jaffa with the knife dropped like a rock as a bullet took off the back of his skull. The other one whirled around only to be thrown backwards as a series of shots slammed into his chest. Jack didn't spare either one of them a glance as he strode quickly into the clearing and knelt down by Daniel's side. Without prelude he drew his knife and sliced through the ropes binding the younger man's hands together, quickly grabbing his shoulders as he sagged. "Easy now," he murmured.

Daniel gave him a smile of such sweet affection that Jack was momentarily caught and held in the warmth of it. The whispered, "Knew you would come," barely reached his ears before Daniel slumped in his arms, unconscious. He gathered the warm weight close to him for a long moment, letting his hand cup the back of Daniel's head and allowing himself the liberty of gently threading his fingers through the soft, short hair. Dangerous. For so many reasons. But certainly he could be allowed this one moment? Dropping his head, he buried his nose in the tangled hair and drew in a deep breath of the sweaty, male, uniquely Daniel scent he had grown to know from four years of sharing a tent with the man. After a long moment when he'd finally accepted the fact Daniel was alive and safe, he let out a sigh, "Dammit, Daniel." The guy just kept doing things like this to him. Kept scaring the crap out of him and making him face his fear that maybe the next time he wouldn't get here in time.

He gave his head a shake and pressed the switch on his radio. Time to get him home.

***

Daniel woke to the oh-so-familiar smells and noises of the SGC infirmary. It was a gentle awakening; he was warm, knew instinctively he was safe, and the nausea and headache he'd been suffering the last time he was conscious was in the background now, simmering but not overwhelming. He blinked his eyes open, noting the dimmed lights and lack of the usual bustle and knew it was late at night. At least that meant he'd likely get some uninterrupted sleep. It wasn't like when Janet was on duty; usually he no sooner opened his eyes than she'd be darting out of her office and making a bee line for his bed with her nasty little penlight. At least he should be spared that for a few hours.

With that thought in mind he turned his head to burrow a little deeper into the thin Air Force issue pillow when he froze, his eyes widening in surprise. Jack was sitting at his bedside, head on his chest, fast asleep. Daniel blinked a few times to bring him into sharper focus, then frowned. A year ago the sight of Jack O'Neill holding vigil at his bedside in the infirmary wouldn't have surprised him. In fact, a year ago if he'd woken up in the infirmary and hadn't found Jack by his side he would have been surprised. But times had changed. In the last year there had been times when he'd needed Jack to be around, and Jack just wasn't. Not that he expected a colonel in the US Air Force to be sitting by his hospital bed...but it was just something Jack had always done from the beginning. So he'd come to expect it, look forward to it, count on it. It had come as something of a shock when Jack had breezed out of the infirmary after he'd had his emergency appendectomy and asked Sam to go on the fishing trip they had planned to go on together. Granted, he'd been in no shape to go, but still.

Not for the first time, Daniel wondered when and why they seemed to have drifted apart. When had the affectionate teasing turned into sniping? When had their differences of opinion - a part of their relationship since the very beginning - turned into both of them standing on either side of a line drawn in the dirt, each one daring the other to cross it? Recently there just seemed to be no end to the ways they could piss each other off. Daniel had been hurt and angry when Jack had agreed to work undercover for the Asgard and hadn't trusted him enough to bring him into it. Jack had been furious with him when he'd challenged what he considered Jack's blind eagerness to aid the Eurondans without knowing the whole story of their civil war. Then Daniel had taken a step on a mission that forced Jack into making a decision that could have resulted in his death if not for the intervention of Lotan, an artificial life form. Daniel had fully expected Jack to be furious about that; instead Jack had disappeared after the debriefing, and Daniel only found out later from Teal'c that he'd requested a personal leave. They never spoke of that mission, and it still hung between them, unresolved.

Through it all another situation reared its head further confusing their already confusing relationship. After four years of working side-by-side with them both, Jack had suddenly taken to flirting with Sam, which in turn had both flustered and flattered her. If that wasn't bad enough, it had made him and Sam a little uncomfortable and stiff around each other, and at one point Daniel was afraid their very special sibling-like relationship had been damaged beyond repair.

It hadn't been hard for Daniel to work out he was jealous of Jack's attentions to Sam. After all, those attentions in various forms had been his for the last four years. A little of Sam's early hero worship of Jack came to the surface as a result of Jack's new interest, and she basked in his attention and approval, not noticing - or choosing not to notice - Daniel's hurt at being shut out on both sides. It was their sudden trip to Egypt to confront Osiris that repaired their friendship. As Daniel was recovering from the effects of a hand device in a hotel room, Sam stayed by his side, and they had a long talk, both of them getting a little sniffly in the process. Sam wasn't interested in Jack; she'd been surprised and flattered by his attentions, but she was the first one to admit they didn't have a thing in common, and even if it weren't for the regs she wouldn't be looking in his direction. She slipped easily back into big sister mode with him and was solicitous and protective of him to the point where he thought she must have suspected what he'd only just come to privately admit: he'd fallen in love with Jack himself.

He gazed at the unshaven, softly snoring man with resignation. Just his luck. Losing Sha're had ripped him apart. He didn't see much difference between that and losing his heart to a US Air Force colonel.

Impatiently squeezing his eyes shut against the dampness wanting to form there, he turned his head again from the figure on the chair and let out a long sigh.

"Danny?"

'Danny? I must be hurt worse than I thought'. When was the last time Jack had called him that either in teasing or concern? But before he could react, he felt a warm hand cover his.

"You awake?"

Surprised by the contact, he turned back to find Jack watching him closely, brown eyes anxious. As soon as he saw Daniel's face Jack broke into a grin and tightened his hand briefly around Daniel's before removing it.

"Welcome back," he said softly.

"Hi," was all Daniel could manage at the moment, still stunned from the contact and the sight of open affection on Jack's face.

"How are you feeling?"

Daniel stared at him. "Okay," he answered slowly.

Jack's tired features suddenly creased in a frown. "You sure you're okay? It's not like you to be at a loss for words." Before Daniel knew what was happening, a warm, callused palm was placed gently on his forehead. "Don't feel like you have a fever," Jack murmured to himself. "I'll get the doc --"

"No!" Daniel objected. "I mean, I feel a lot better than I did. A little headache, that's all." Jack's hand was still on his forehead, carefully avoiding the sore spot that indicated the gash he remembered.

"Not surprising. Concussion. You've been out for fifteen hours."

"Wow." He eyed Jack closely, noting again his unshaven features and the air of tiredness that hung over him, conscious still of the hand that hadn't moved from his forehead. "You were here all that time?" he asked cautiously, preparing himself to feel like a fool when Jack told him he'd been off playing poker and had just wandered in and fell asleep.

Jack looked surprised, but then smiled softly as he trailed his knuckles down the side of Daniel's face before asking, "Where else would I be?" While Daniel was still staring at him, mouth open, Jack got to his feet. "I'm going to go get Warner to check you out or Fraiser will fry my ass in the morning, and then we're both going to get some real sleep."

With that, Jack was gone, and Daniel was left staring after him and wondering what had happened to Jack in the fifteen hours he'd been unconscious.

***

Jack stood by the bedside of the unconscious man, arms crossed and hands tightened into fists. Fraiser said Daniel would be fine, that it was worse than it looked, he was in no danger, yadda, yadda. Jack had suffered enough beatings in his life to know that was probably true, but that didn't make it any easier to stand here and look at the results of him losing Daniel for those few hours. The Jaffa hadn't been finished with him. More, and worse, had been in store for him, and if they hadn't stopped to have a little fun with their prize Jack might have missed them completely. If they'd managed to get him through the Stargate... Jack gave his head a sharp shake. Damn it. That kind of thinking was unproductive. He'd found Daniel, and Daniel was safe back here at the SGC. End of story.

As soon as they got the news Daniel was going to be okay, he had sent Carter and Teal'c off to shower and get something to eat. Privilege of rank meant he could hang around for a while. Besides he was Daniel's C.O. He could get away with standing around in the infirmary waiting for one of his team to wake up. Except he hadn't done a lot of that recently. It was getting harder and harder to stand here and face his failures. Every time Daniel got hurt on a mission meant he hadn't done his job; and every time he had to bring Daniel through that 'gate and yell for a medic while Daniel bled all over him he knew it could be his final failure.

He'd failed so many ways with so many people in his life. He'd failed his son. He'd failed Sara. He'd failed Daniel when they didn't get Sha're back as he'd promised. He'd failed Carter, the best damned 2IC he'd ever had, when he'd used her in a desperate effort to prove something to himself. He was only now getting to the point where he could look her in the eye without a twinge of guilt, but they thankfully seemed to be back to their old professional relationship now and hopefully no harm was done. Except to Daniel. Jack winced as he looked down on the bruised, battered face, pale against the whiteness of the pillow. He'd failed Daniel again and twice over: once by being a lousy friend, pulling away from him without explanation and turning his attention elsewhere; and again by falling in love with him. Christ, was there any way he didn't fuck up the good relationships in his life?

Teal'c and he still seemed okay, he admitted wryly. At least he hadn't flirted with the big guy or fallen in love with him.

"Colonel?"

Jack tried not to start as Doctor Fraiser joined him at his side. Not good form to be caught off-guard like that. "Doctor."

"He will be okay, Colonel."

"So you said."

She studied the chart in her hands for a moment. "He's likely to be unconscious for a few more hours yet. If you'd like to stay, I'll --"

"No, that's okay. Just call me when he wakes up." He turned away abruptly, knowing her dark eyes were boring into his back as he left the infirmary. He wondered what she and Carter talked about, whether Carter had confided in her, whether Fraiser had noticed the way he'd been sniffing around his 2IC. Probably so. There wasn't much going on in the complex Fraiser didn't seem to know. Which meant she was probably wondering why a colonel who had been known to spend entire nights in the infirmary waiting for his archaeologist to wake up had suddenly seemed to stop caring. That wasn't true, of course; if anything, he cared too damn much. If he wasn't careful, one day Daniel was going to notice. And then what? Confess all? Admit he'd fallen in love with his best friend and risk losing the most important friendship he'd ever known? No, better to go on as he was: put a little distance between them and make sure it stayed there.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he walked down the corridor toward his office. Better to hurt Daniel a little by pulling back than drive him away completely if he learned the truth. Daniel had never confronted him about the sudden change in their friendship, but Jack knew he never would. Daniel would just assume it was because of something he'd done and accept it. That made him feel like a louse of the first order, but despite many sleepless nights where he'd thought of nothing else, he hadn't been able to come up with a better plan.

As he entered his office to write up the mission report to P4X-229 he reflected not for the first time that his life would have been so much easier if he had fallen in love with his female second-in-command and not his very male, very civilian archaeologist. But then, when had his life ever been easy?

***

Daniel moved the underdone eggs around on his plate, took a listless bite of overdone toast, and scowled at the cup of lukewarm decafe coffee on his tray. Janet was delusional if she thought he was drinking that. He thought she knew him better than that. She certainly knew his body better than anyone else on this or any other planet.

"Not hungry this morning, Doctor Jackson?"

He laid his fork down and pushed the tray away. "I'm not really much of a breakfast person." Like they haven't had this conversation about a hundred times in the past.

Janet smoothly moved the table out of the way, and a nurse removed it. "How are you feeling this morning?" she asked, referring to the chart in her hand.

"Fine," he said swiftly. "There's no need to keep me here."

She didn't bother to comment on that, and Daniel took a moment to study her, noting she'd changed her hairstyle again. He recalled when he first came to the SGC she looked different every time he saw her. Remembering how annoyed Sha're could get if she'd fastened a ribbon or feather in her hair to please him and he hadn't noticed, he overcame his initial shyness at one point to comment on her hair style. What he quickly discovered was that Janet Fraiser didn't always like the results of her experiments and certainly didn't want anyone calling attention to them. He never mentioned her hair again. Her hair seemed a lot lighter today though. Janet Fraiser using peroxide?

"How's the headache?"

"What headache?" he replied smoothly. When her eyes narrowed dangerously, he quickly added, "Two on a scale of one to ten," lying through his teeth.

"Good save," came a cheerful drawl from behind Janet's shoulder. Jack grinned at him, then winked.

Janet lowered her chart and finally gave him her full attention. "There really is no good reason to keep you here, Daniel. Provided you get plenty of rest over the next two days, and eat properly."

"Which is why I'm here," Jack spoke up, dropping a small overnight bag onto his bed. "Going to make sure you do both." He was bouncing on his toes, looking more relaxed and happy than Daniel had seen him in a long time. Jack had seemed so damned tense and unhappy over the last few months, but now he looked more like... like he had before whatever it was between them had gone wrong.

"You mean I can go?"

"Unless you'd like to stay," Janet replied sweetly, turning away. "The nurses will be making the rounds shortly to begin sponge baths."

"Very funny," he muttered, throwing back the covers and grabbing the overnight bag.

As he pulled out a fresh set of clothes, Jack moved closer and leaned over, whispering, "We'll save the sponge bath for later." Daniel's head snapped up, and he stared at Jack, mouth hanging open. With a smile Daniel could only describe as fond, the older man gently tapped his chin. "Catchin' flies, Danny. Come on, get dressed and let's blow this Popsicle stand."

As he watched Jack move off, whistling softly to himself, Daniel wondered yet again what had happened to Jack during the fifteen hours he'd been unconscious.

***

Even though he had intended to return to his office after breakfast, when the elevator doors opened Jack found himself on the level for the infirmary. He stood still for a moment, then grimaced and stepped into the corridor. His subconscious was obviously in control here, and his subconscious obviously wanted to know if Daniel was awake yet. He'd stayed on base last night so he would be nearby 'just in case', even though he'd gotten little sleep. It had been one of those nights when his mind just wouldn't shut off and let him have any peace.

He walked into the infirmary, still brooding, when Fraiser's voice stopped him. "Colonel, I was just trying to reach you." Her heels clicked sharply as she came out of her office and smiled at him. "Daniel's awake." She paused, then added carefully, "He's been asking for you."

Jack felt a twinge of guilt at that, but merely looked down at her and asked crisply, "How's he doing?"

Fraiser began walking, and he had no choice but to fall into step with her. "Mild concussion, badly sprained right wrist, some bruises and contusions; painful, but not too serious." As they stopped by the patient's bed, she concluded with a meaningful look at Daniel, "But he needs to take it easy for the next forty-eight hours, and he's not allowed to drive."

Jack couldn't not notice how Daniel's face lit up when he saw him, and he felt another twinge of guilt for not being here when he woke up. Was that really too much to ask?  "Hey, Jack."

Jack found himself grinning in response, both relieved and tickled by the warmth in Daniel's tone. At least it didn't look like Daniel held his absence against him. "Hey, Daniel."

The other man's intent gaze was locked to his. "Janet says I can go home if someone stays with me."

Jack slid the doctor a questioning look. "That so?"

Fraiser was giving Daniel a very direct look. "His choice is to stay here on base for the next two days where I can keep an eye on him to make sure he takes it easy. We can set him up in one of the VIP rooms, but we'll probably have to place a guard at his door because he's banned from his office until I release him. Or he can go home where he'll be more comfortable as long as someone keeps an eye on him for me to make sure he takes it easy."

"Janet doesn't trust me to look after myself," Daniel said primly.

Fraiser's eyes narrowed dangerously. "With good reason."

Daniel merely gave her what Jack could only describe as a mischievous grin, then turned an expectant gaze on Jack. Hands in his pockets, he rocked back on his heels, considering the situation. It looked like Daniel had already decided which option he wanted and who it was he expected to keep an eye on him. They had done this for each other countless times over the years without fuss. Maybe this was just what they both needed to get their friendship back on a safe, sane path: watch some TV, play a few games of chess, rent some movies. They'd been perfectly comfortable with each other all those other times; maybe they could finally recapture that. At the very least he owed it to Daniel to try.

He heaved a put-upon sigh. "Okay, then. Get your stuff together." He immediately saw he wasn't fooling anyone. Janet walked a few paces and lifted a carry-all from the empty bed behind him, dropping it onto the bed beside Daniel.

"I'll send something along home for headaches. Keep that wrist elevated as much as possible. And, Daniel," she added before turning away, "I'll see you back here in two days - and I'll know if you haven't been keeping your arm in that sling." With that, she marched away, heels once again clicking smartly as she headed back for her office.

"Wow, someone would think you have a reputation for being a bad patient, Doctor Jackson," Jack noted mildly.

Daniel snorted as he gathered up his clothes one-handed. "You should talk. Hey, do me a favor while I get dressed. There's a book in my office, it's laying open on my desk, you can't miss it. The title --"

"Hey. Do you recall Fraiser banning you from your office - oh, like as of five seconds ago?"

"She banned me, Jack, not you." Jack found himself the recipient of a begging look that turned his insides to water. "Come on, Jack, it's just a book."

Jack rolled his eyes in exasperation. "And that will be 'just an enema' I'm faced with the next time Fraiser gets me in her clutches if she finds out. Daniel, do the words 'taking it easy' mean anything to you?" Daniel was struggling to button his shirt one-handed, and without thought, Jack stepped forward and batted his hand away, taking up the job himself. It was the most natural thing in the world for him to look out for this guy, from watching his six on missions to buttoning his shirt when he wasn't able. That hadn't changed.

As Jack deftly buttoned his shirt Daniel looked up at him from under his lashes. For a moment all Jack could think was how ridiculously long those lashes were and how very blue his eyes... "I suppose there are...other things we could do for two days," Daniel said, his voice low with a hint of huskiness.

"Absolutely," Jack agreed heartily, "and a lot more fun than any dusty old book you've got on your desk." He buttoned the last button and gave the other man a quick pat on the shoulder. "All done."

He saw a grin before Daniel quickly ducked his head. "All right then. Meet you outside in five minutes."

Jack nodded, satisfied, and turned and walked toward the exit. That was more like it. A couple of days together was obviously just what they needed to get their friendship back onto firm ground.

***

His eyes hidden behind sunglasses to keep out even the mild glare of the overcast day, Daniel let them side shut as the movement of Jack's truck lulled him into drowsiness. The annoying pain throbbing behind his eyes was worsening, and he knew he was going to have to break down and take one of Janet's little pills once he got home.

He let his head rest back against the seat and turned his face toward the side window. Jack had been incredibly solicitous since he'd woken up in the infirmary; solicitous and...different somehow. Different than the way he had been for the past few months anyhow. It was like whatever problem had driven the invisible wedge between them had suddenly vanished as if it had never been. He and Jack had always had such an intense relationship, right from the beginning. That was part of what made it so special. Recently it didn't seem as if Jack considered it that special any more. Of course, maybe Jack was just feeling guilty that a member of his team got hurt on the last mission. Jack always took that very personally. Still, whatever the reason, Daniel admitted to himself it was kind of nice having Jack fuss over him again...

"Daniel? Wake up, we're here."

Daniel blinked his eyes open to the sound of Jack's coaxing voice and a hand gently shaking his shoulder. "Fell asleep," he mumbled, sitting up and fumbling with the clip-on sunglasses. "We're at your place," he realized, staring at Jack's house. "Thought we were going to mine."

"Six of one, half a dozen of the other." Jack looked a little surprised but obligingly reached for the key still in the ignition. "But if you want to go to your place --"

"No, no, this is fine. I just wasn't expecting - I mean, it's fine." Daniel's uncertain smile was answered with an easy one from Jack. It was a surprise of sorts to find that Jack had brought him here, but Daniel had always been at home at Jack's place. From the first time Jack had brought him here when he'd first come back from Abydos and was homeless and friendless, except for Jack, Daniel had found refuge here. It had been his home until he finally got an apartment, and he actually felt at much as home here as he did at his own place. Or maybe that was because Jack was here too.

"Good. Then let's get you inside. There's a little pill with your name on it you need to take."

Daniel grimaced as he climbed out of the truck but didn't argue. His head was pounding in time to his heartbeat, and all he wanted to do was lie down in a dark room and be surrounded by silence.

Jack carried his hold-all with his clothes and hovered by his side as he walked to the door. It only took moments for Jack to unlock the door, usher him inside, and shut and lock it behind them. Hearing a soft thump, he looked down to find Jack had dropped his carry all to the floor. As he turned around to ask what was up, he found his shoulders taken in a firm, but gentle grip, and he was backed up against the door. Jack moved his hands so they were laced behind Daniel's neck, and in the muted light of the hallway Daniel found himself staring into dark, solemn eyes.

"You gotta stop scaring me like this, Danny," Jack whispered. "My poor old heart can't take it."

Daniel felt his mouth go dry and his breath catch in his chest. "Umm..."

Jack's lips quirked. "That all you can say? How about 'I'm very sorry, Jack, and I won't ever get myself almost killed by a Jaffa again?"

Mesmerized by the look of tenderness in the deep, brown eyes, all Daniel could do was stare at him and automatically repeat the words, "I'm very sorry, Jack, and I won't --"

"You talk too much," Jack murmured, and moved in, fitting his lips to Daniel's and delivering the sweetest and most unexpected kiss Daniel had ever received on this or any other planet. He was so stunned, so surprised, and so overwhelmed, that he promptly turned off his brain and kissed Jack back. It felt good. Oh god, it felt good. It felt right and perfect and - my god, what were they doing? Before he could tear himself away from Jack and that liplock in a panic, Jack broke away gently, then nuzzled the side of his face.

"Jack..." Daniel took a deep breath to try to slow his breathing and calm his racing heart, which felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Mmm, welcoming you back home. Celebrating your escape from Doctor Fraiser's clutches. Checking for myself you're in one piece. Take your pick." He buried his nose in Daniel's hair and drew a deep breath as if taking in his scent. "Got more where that came from."

Daniel shivered as a tongue flicked the top of his ear. "More?" His voice cracked.

"Oh yeah." Jack drew out the word, rubbing the side of his face against Daniel's. "Lots more."

For one insane moment Daniel was tempted. Tempted to ignore the little voice in his head that insisted on whispering questions he couldn't answer; tempted to surrender to his deepest and most secret longing to be loved by this man; tempted to lower every defense he'd ever built up over the years and hand his scarred, scared - make that terrified - heart over to Jack for safekeeping. But he couldn't. This was too fast, too unexpected, too much all at once. As much as he wanted to accept this for what it seemed to be, he had learned at a very young age that nothing came without a price, and it was a lesson he had never forgotten. What was the price of turning their friendship into something more? And how had Jack made that jump from friendship and that uncertain place in-between they had been inhabiting for the last few months, to this? There was a piece missing. A very important piece.

He let his head thump back on the door. "Jack, I can't..."

Jack's smile was gentle. "I know. You've probably got a headache the size of the Grand Canyon, don't you?" The pads of his thumbs began making light, soothing circles against his temples. "Why don't we get you upstairs so you can get some rest?"

Rest. Yes, rest would be a very good idea. Before he could verbalize that thought, he found himself being ushered upstairs and into Jack's room. He blinked around the darkened room in confusion. He always stayed in the guest room. Firm but gentle pressure on his shoulders made him bend his knees and he dropped down onto the mattress, staring up at Jack.

"Get undressed and under the covers," Jack murmured, leaning over to press a kiss into his hair. "I'll get those pills."

Daniel continued to stare at the empty doorway long after Jack had disappeared, his thoughts whirling around in bewildered circles. He wanted this so badly, this affectionate, tender, caring Jack who apparently wanted to take their friendship to a new level. So why was he holding back? Wasn't it just like Jack to make a decision and carry it through without talking about 'feelings' or consequences? Yes, it was just like Jack. He sighed as he pulled off his clothes and dropped them onto the floor, too tired to fold them up neatly. Jack certainly did pick his moments. Slipping under the covers, he resisted the urge to pull them over his head. He couldn't deal with this now.

"Hey there." The bed dipped as Jack sat down beside him. "Got the pills. Here you go."

As a glass of water and little white pill were held out to him, Daniel snaked out an arm and accepted first the pill and then the glass. After he'd swallowed the pill he handed the glass back and dropped his head back onto the pillow. After a moment he felt a hand on his head and an inadvertent moan escaped his lips as his scalp was gently massaged. A soft chuckle sounded nearby, "Like that?"

Oh god, yes. Yes he liked that. As the pill and the massage both began to lull him into that silent darkness he craved so badly, he took a deep breath, drinking in the smell of Jack's scent on the pillow.

***

Jack climbed back into his truck, carefully closing the door so as to not wake the man beside him. The bags with their Chinese takeout went into the back, then he turned on the ignition and continued their journey home. Daniel had put up a good fight and a good front, but Jack had known at the base he was in more pain than he was letting on to Fraiser. He knew the soreness of the bruises and contusions would be setting in with a vengeance, Daniel's sprained wrist would be throbbing, and his head would most likely be pounding, so he had insisted Daniel take one of Fraiser's pills before they left the Mountain. Jack shook his head fondly, looking over where Daniel's head had drooped onto his chest. Fraiser was right not to let him out without a keeper. He'd get him home, get some hot food into him, and then make sure he got a good night's sleep. Taking care of Daniel: it was what he did.

A few minutes later he pulled into his driveway, bringing the truck to a gentle halt and turning off the ignition. He started to reach over to wake Daniel, then hesitated and flicked on the soft overhead interior light instead. He sat there for a long time taking in the sight of the sleeping man. He didn't allow himself to do this on missions, but he thought he could permit it now if only for a few moments. He let his eyes linger on Daniel's face, even more youthful in repose, and thought about how much Daniel had changed since that first mission to Abydos. Back then Daniel had been all floppy hair, big eyes and tangled limbs, like a colt just finding its legs. He'd been shy, awkward, a little stumbling when he talked, and clearly lost in the military world he found himself in. But that Daniel was in the past. No one would call him an ungainly colt now; more like a thoroughbred, strong, confident and sleek. Jack could feel his fingers twitch with the desire to touch that perfect skin, to trail his fingers along that stubborn jaw line, to trace those soft, lush lips..

He snapped his head around and stared out into the night, tightening his grip around the steering wheel in case he forgot himself and actually did what he'd been fantasizing about. With a stifled groan he dropped his forehead onto the steering wheel. He was fucked. He couldn't even pretend to himself any more that he hadn't fallen in love with Daniel. Trying to substitute Carter had been a howling failure and if anything had only served to drive home the truth of his feelings. He raised his head and straightened his shoulders. Well, he'd just have to deal with it. He sure as hell wasn't going to hurt Daniel any more than he already had. For the next couple of days he would do his best to take care of him - something he did better than anyone else - and start being the kind of friend Daniel deserved. With only the slightest hesitation, he reached over and gently shook the sleeping man's shoulder. "Daniel?"

"Hmm...wha?" Sleepy blue eyes blinked open and fixed on him. Jack's breath caught in his chest at the warm, open affection he found aimed directly at him. This was Daniel without any shields, and it was absolutely terrifying. How was he supposed to remember all his good intentions when Daniel was giving him the kind of sleepy-eyed invitation he'd only dreamed of? "We home?"

Jack swallowed in an attempt to generate some moisture in his suddenly dry mouth. "Yeah, we're home. Let's get you inside, okay?"

Daniel responded with a sweet, dopey smile that Jack couldn't help but return, even though he knew it was only the pills making him so...compliant. Snorting softly to himself at the very thought of Daniel Jackson being 'compliant', he got out of the truck and was around to the other side before Daniel could tumble out onto the driveway.

"Easy there, big fella." He slipped an arm around the other man's waist to steady him as they made their way to the house, surprised when Daniel leaned into him. 'Those pills must really be doing a number on him.' It was almost like dealing with a slightly drunk Daniel, something he had done on more than one occasion, so he efficiently got him inside and the door locked behind them, prepared to settle him on the couch while he got their supper out of the bag. But when he turned around from locking the door he found himself literally nose to nose with the other man, staring directly into those fathomless blue eyes. "Um..." Startled, he tried to take a step back, only to find himself backed up against the door and no place to go.

"Thanks for springing me, Jack," Daniel said, his warm breath whispering across Jack's skin.

Jack was transfixed by that soft, indulgent gaze. "You're welcome," he replied automatically, unable to think of anything except Daniel's body pressed up against his and those eyes filled with... Jesus... Before he could gather his wits about him to even put a name to what he thought he saw in Daniel's eyes soft lips were pressed to his. His mouth opened of its own accord, and he felt a warm, wet tongue slip inside. This was no mere brushing of lips or a quick, tentative kiss. This was a long, leisurely locking of lips that left his brain leaking out of his ears and his heart trying to burst out of his chest. When Daniel finally pulled away, he was smiling with dopey satisfaction, and Jack was panting.

"That was nice," Daniel murmured happily, his words slurred.

Jack closed his eyes and let is head thud back against the door none too gently. It was the pills. Daniel was stoned, higher than a kite thanks to Fraiser's pain pills. Well, what else could it be, he thought derisively. He certainly couldn't think Daniel would feel that way about him. Daniel was an affectionate drunk, and it seemed like he was even more affectionate when he was doped to the gills. 'Oh, Danny, what you do to my poor old heart.'

"Jack?" Jack blinked his eyes open to find Daniel staring at him, concern written all over his face. "I'm sorry."

Daniel sounded so miserable Jack reached out without thinking, laying his hands on the other man's upper arms and rubbing them soothingly. "Nothing to be sorry about, Daniel."

"Sorry for scaring you."

"Well, you surprised me, but --"

"I knew you'd find me in time. You always find me in time."

Daniel sounded so certain, so absolutely rock-bottom sure of his belief, that without meaning to Jack tightened his grip on Daniel's arms as his fear for the archaeologist's close call flooded back. "Damn it, Daniel, it was --"

"Ow."

"Christ!" Jack released his hands as if burnt, remembering too late the bruises hidden under Daniel's shirt and the fact that one arm was already in a sling and probably throbbing painfully. "I'm sorry."

"'s okay." Daniel reached out with his good hand and touched the side of Jack's face in an almost unbearably tender gesture. "I know what it's like, remember? Close calls go with the territory, but that doesn’t make them any easier, does it?"

Jack was aware of the warmth of Daniel's hand against his face as he stared into eyes filled with painful understanding. "No," he said quietly, "it doesn't." Covering that hand with his, he gave it a little squeeze, then moved it back down to where it belonged. He needed to put a little distance between them before he completely caved, crushed Daniel to his chest, and babbled everything that was swirling around madly in his heart. "Let's get some hot food into you," he suggested gently.

Daniel yawned widely. "Think I'd rather sleep."

Jack nodded. "Okay, but I'll warm the stuff up in case you're hungry." He started to steer Daniel toward the stairs, but the other man just chuckled indulgently.

"I know the way, Jack."

Jack acknowledged that with a grin. "Okay, get yourself settled and I'll bring up the food."

He waited until Daniel was on his way upstairs before taking the bags of Chinese into the kitchen. Once there, he dumped everything onto the counter, sagged against the refrigerator, and ran his hands through his hair. He was sweating, and his heart was beating more wildly than if he'd been in a firefight. Rubbing his eyes, he almost laughed out loud. So close. He was that close to having what he wanted...and it wasn't real. Daniel was just reacting to the pain medication in his system - probably because he took them on an empty stomach, for cryin' out loud. He grabbed two handfuls of his hair and gave it a sharp tug, trying to bring himself back into focus. Daniel wouldn't even remember it in the morning. He let out a sigh that came from the bottoms of his shoes. But he would. He would remember the taste of him, the warmth of those soft lips against his, the press of that lean body, the touch of that long-fingered hand against his face. He would remember it all...and know it wasn't his.

"Fuck it!" he swore viciously, and pushed himself away from the refrigerator to tear open the bags and fix their dinner.

Once it was warmed up he put all the boxes on a tray, added a bottle of juice, and carried it upstairs. He headed upstairs for the guest room, but stopped in the doorway, staring at the empty bed. Frowning slightly in puzzlement, he walked slowly into his bedroom and stopped beside the bed, staring down at the crumpled clothes puddled on the floor and the tousled head on the pillow. His pillow. His heartbeat was doing strange things again, but he took a few deliberately slow breaths. Daniel was tired, he came upstairs, and was so out of it he fell into the first bed he saw. A little like Goldilocks. End of story. Nothing more to it than that. Except...he wished there was more to it than that. Setting the tray on the bureau, he watched as seemingly of its own volition his hand reached down, and he felt soft hair under his fingers.

"Mmmm. Jack?" The sleepy voice made him freeze, but Daniel was smiling, and before Jack knew what was happening he found Daniel's long, elegant fingers intertwined with his. "Coming to bed?"

Jack's mouth went dry, and his cock gave an enthusiastic twitch. Jesus. He took a deep, steadying breath and croaked, "In a little while."

Daniel snuggled a little deeper into the pillow, like a puppy burrowing into a blanket in a basket. "'kay," he murmured, and he was asleep.

Jack stood there for a long time by the bed, Daniel's lax fingers in his. Finally he untangled their fingers and carefully tucked the limp hand under the blankets. Checking to make sure Daniel wasn't lying on his sprained wrist, he twitched the covers up a little higher, then turned abruptly and left the room. Shower. Cold shower. Then the guest room. That was the only way he was going to make it through the night.

***

Daniel woke up slowly, aware of a familiar scent in his nostrils - a scent that instantly meant 'safe' to him - and a warmth pressed up against his back. He laid perfectly still, his eyes flicking around the dim interior that he could see from the muted light spilling in from the hallway. He was in Jack's room. In fact, he was in Jack's bed. A few moments of concentrated thought brought the tendrils of memory back, and his eyes widened suddenly. He remembered coming home with Jack, and Jack...kissing him. He flicked his tongue out and ran it slowly across his lower lip, remembering the taste of Jack, the feel of those lips on his, how it all felt so...right.

The weight behind him shifted a bit, and he froze. It would be Jack, of course. It wasn't like he and Jack hadn't shared close quarters on missions before. Quarters didn't get much closer than the tent they shared off-world. They'd become comfortable with each other in all aspects of their lives a long time ago. Still, after what happened between them last night... Wait a minute. What had happened between them last night? A kiss. A simple kiss. It was unexpected, it was incredible, but did it mean anything? Was it just Jack being relieved he was alive and well? Would Jack even remember it? It may have meant nothing to Jack, he reflected miserably, but it had meant a lot to him. He was so confused and so frustrated that all he wanted to do was hit something. He settled for giving his pillow a petulant thump.

"Danny?" He froze again as a warm hand began a slow up and down motion on his arm. "You awake?"

He swallowed. "Um hm."

There was more movement behind him, then he felt himself being carefully turned onto his back so he was staring up into the softly smiling face of Jack O'Neill. "You got a few hours sleep. How're you feeling?"

How was he feeling? Well, except for the fact he couldn't seem to get his breath and his heart seemed to be trying to jump out of his chest, he felt pretty good, aside from the nascent headache and protesting muscles. "Okay, I guess," he managed.

Jack didn't look convinced. "Ri-ight. How's the head?" Before Daniel could answer, the other man dipped down and placed a careful kiss between his eyes. "Still pounding?"

"Just a little," he whispered, trapped like a fly in a web under that soft, dark gaze.

"Tell you what." Jack shifted so he was lying down again, wrapped his arms around Daniel, and pulled him close against his body. Stunned, Daniel could only marvel at how naturally their bodies seemed to fit together, how right it all seemed, how damned happy he was... He felt his head being gently pressed down until it was tucked under Jack's chin. "Why don't you get a little more rest, and then I'll fix you something to eat. In the meantime, I'll just lie here and keep reminding myself that you're alive and safe."

A callused hand trailed a path down the sweep of his back and came to rest on the rise of his ass. Where it remained. It was like every sense and nerve in his body was suddenly hypersensitive. He felt soft chest hair press against his own smooth chest; heard Jack's strong and steady heartbeat under his ear; felt his hair stir slightly with each breath Jack exhaled; and he could feel the warmth of Jack's hand where it rested possessively on his rump even through his boxers. His eyes slid shut and he instinctively burrowed into the warmth and safety offered by those strong arms. He wanted this. Oh god, how he wanted this. As if in response to his thoughts, he felt Jack's lean arms tighten around him.

He swallowed hard, called on all his hard-won courage, and pressed a light kiss onto the chest under his cheek. Then he waited for the sky to fall in. But the sky didn't fall in. Jack's chest expanded in a deep, contented sigh, and he felt a matching kiss pressed into his hair.

Feeling sleep tugging at him once more, he closed his eyes, and prayed, 'Don't let this be a dream... Please don't let this be a dream...'

The next time Daniel woke up he was alone. For an instant he panicked - what if it had all been a dream, or a hallucination - but then he saw the indent in the pillow beside his, and he relaxed. It hadn't been a dream. Jack had been here in bed with him, and they had lain in each other's arms. He thought about that, and a warmth spread through him as he realized Jack seemed to have taken the first step to make their friendship something more; and that meant Jack wanted it too.

His nose twitched as he smelt coffee wafting up from downstairs, and at the same moment his stomach grumbled. He finally felt hungry and halfway normal. No headache, no fuzziness due to Janet's pills. Slowly he sat up, grimacing as his stiff muscles protested. A shower would definitely make him feel more human, so a shower was first on his agenda. Scooping up his clothes where Jack had neatly laid them, he padded out of the bedroom and headed for the shower.

He was still drying off when the bathroom door flew open. "Hey, why didn't you wait for me?"

Daniel looked up, startled and nude, his towel frozen over his chest. "Umm..." But the comical leer on Jack's face vanished, replaced suddenly by a dangerous look of rage. Before Daniel had time to blink, he found himself pushed up against the wall, Jack's arm around his neck and one of his arms twisted painfully behind him. "Jack!"

"Shut up!" Jack hissed into his ear. "Don't call me that. Now you tell me who - or what - you are and tell me what you've done with Daniel Jackson." A sharp twist on Daniel's arm made him gasp in pain. "Or I'll kill you."

"Jack - what - ow!"

"Talk, damn you!"

"Jack, it's me. I am Daniel Jackson!"

Jack's cold voice whispered in his ear, sending a chill through him. "I know every inch of Daniel Jackson's body, and Daniel Jackson does not have a scar on the right side of his abdomen."

Daniel's jaw dropped. "Jack, that's my appendix scar. You remember when my appendix burst right before Thor --"

"Daniel Jackson never had his appendix removed," Jack snarled. "Now who are you?"

"Never had --" Daniel felt the blood drain from his face. "Never had his appendix out," he repeated, a new and different chill racing through his body. "Oh my god --"

"Who. Are. You?"

The sudden twist on his arm nearly drove Daniel to his knees. "Was there a mirror?" he gasped out desperately.

"What?"

"A mirror! Did you go through a mirror?" As memories of his first journey through a mirror flashed through his mind, Daniel snapped harshly, "Damn it, Jack, was there an alternate reality mirror on P4X-229?"

The pressure on his arm relaxed. "Oh my god." Suddenly his arm was freed and strong hands on his shoulders spun him around so he was staring into Jack's wild eyes. "You mean there were two SG-1's on that planet, and you're not..."

"I'm not your Daniel Jackson," Daniel finished dully, a sour sickness spreading through his stomach. "And you're not my Jack O'Neill." It was too much. The concussion, his rough handling just now, the sudden knowledge that he wasn't really home, the fact that last night meant nothing more than he had been the wrong person... His legs gave out suddenly, and he would have dropped to the floor had not strong arms caught him and lowered him carefully.

"Easy, easy." Daniel heard the splash of water, then a glass was pressed into his hand. "Here, drink." He tried to push it away, but Jack merely pushed it back. "Drink," he ordered firmly. "You damn near passed out."

"Did not," he replied crossly, taking a sip of the water, then setting the glass on the tile with a heavy thump. He realized he was sitting on the cold tile bullocks naked at the same time the other man apparently did, and a towel was quickly offered. He accepted it without a word and draped it over his thighs. "I don't believe this," he mumbled miserably, his head in his hands.

"I left him behind."

Daniel's head snapped up at the sound of the anguish in the other man's tone. He was so like his own Jack that he reached out without thinking and touched his arm, offering automatic comfort. "No you didn't," he said seriously. "Jack wouldn't have left me - him - behind. You know that."

At first O'Neill looked ready to argue, but then nodded and dropped onto his rump onto the floor. "God damn it," he swore softly, running a hand through his hair. "What were the odds of both teams being on the same world at the same time?"

"Not long enough apparently." Daniel sighed, rubbing his forehead where a headache was once again teasing him.

"We've got to get back there," O'Neill said abruptly, and jumped to his feet. "I'll call Hammond and let him know what's happened. You'd better get dressed." He started to turn away, then stopped and looked back down at Daniel, his face softening. "Are you okay?" he asked in a gentler tone. "I’m sorry about --"

"No, no, I'm fine." Daniel waved off the apology. "I'll get dressed and meet you downstairs."

O'Neill looked at him a moment longer, then nodded and left. When he was once again alone, Daniel let his head thud back against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't allow himself to think about what happened last night or about the relationship between the other Daniel Jackson and this Jack O'Neill. But how could he have been so fucking stupid to not know this wasn't his Jack? He took a deep breath and held it a long moment before exhaling. No, this life - and this Jack, apparently - belonged to the other Daniel. He had to get home to his life, to his - oh god, were they even still alive? Jack, Sam, Teal'c…what if they…? They were alive, he told himself firmly; just like the last time he ended up in another reality. They were alive and he was going to get back to them. Pushing himself to his feet, he finished drying off and went into the bedroom to get dressed.

By the time he was downstairs and walking through the living room Daniel had noticed things he hadn't seen last night: The closet in Jack's bedroom had been neatly divided between Jack's clothes and the other Daniel's wardrobe. There were other things in that room to convince him Daniel wasn't just an occasional visitor too: little personal items that he knew would have belonged to his other self were everywhere, so smoothly integrated that Daniel knew this room was truly shared. And the moment he stepped into the living room he recognized books and artifacts that he knew would not be Jack's. Since he knew the other Daniel also had an apartment, he was willing to bet there were a number of O'Neill's items there as well. What had O'Neill said when he had brought him home and Daniel had asked about his apartment: six of one, half a dozen of the other. They obviously shared their lives completely.

He heard O'Neill's voice in the kitchen where he was talking on the phone. "Yes, sir. But, General - yes, sir, I understand. Yes, sir." There was a click as O'Neill hung up the phone.

Daniel stood in the doorway, looking at the rigid set of his back before asking tentatively, "Was that General Hammond?"

O'Neill answered without looking around. "Yeah. He's sending a team back to our 229 so they can check out your 229 through the mirror. When we left there it was crawling with Jaffa. He's not gong to authorize a mission until he knows it's safe."

His tone indicated what he thought about that, and Daniel said quietly, "I'm worried about my team, too."

O'Neill snapped around, and his grim features softened. "I know you are. Here, have a seat." He produced a small grin. "If you're anything like my Daniel, you're about ready to climb the walls  due to caffeine withdrawal. We've got time for a cup of coffee."

"Thanks," Daniel said gratefully, and took a seat while Jack busied himself making the coffee.

The somewhat uncomfortable silence between them lengthened until Jack turned around to face him while the coffee pot rumbled behind him as the water heated. "Hammond's going to want to debrief you," he said apologetically. "In case you know something that could help us with the Goa'uld."

Daniel nodded, unsurprised. "My General Hammond is probably doing the same thing to your Daniel." He frowned, thinking. "He must have been unconscious too; that's the only way this could have happened. You got to the planet through the mirror; we got there through the Stargate. I didn't wake up until I was in the infirmary; odds are he didn't either. Our two realities are very similar. I mean, I didn't pick up on anything that clued me in. Of course..." He gestured toward his head. "I was a little fuzzy around the edges."

"Well, I wasn't," Jack said grimly, "and I didn't pick up on anything either." He gave a little embarrassed cough. "Ah, sorry about last night."

"Um, that's okay," Daniel mumbled, hoping he just dropped the subject.

O'Neill gave a little snort of rueful laughter. "My Daniel's not going to be too happy if he finds out I couldn't tell the difference." Daniel managed a weak smile, but didn't say anything. He let out a silent sigh of relief as Jack turned back to pour two cups of coffee, hoping that was the end of it. But as Jack set the cup in front of him and dropped down into a chair on the opposite side of the table, he gave Daniel a curious look. "So you couldn't tell the difference either?"

Daniel quickly picked up his cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. "No, but I was kind of…out of it."

"Not too out of it," the other man grinned cheekily. "Just as well you weren't feeling up to anything before we got a chance to really compare, isn't it?"

Daniel couldn't meet his eye; he looked down at the table and just hoped his face wasn't really flaming. His distress and embarrassment must have been all too obvious because he felt a touch on his arm, and he looked up to find O'Neill gazing at him with concern.

"Hey, you okay?"

He shrugged, and tried to sound as off-hand as possible. "Jack and I don't really…we're not…like you and your Daniel."

O'Neill first looked confused, then understanding slowly dawned on his face. Daniel felt his face burn again as the understanding turned to realization. Jack and Daniel weren't lovers, but he'd acted like Jack's lover last night; he'd returned this Jack's kiss and snuggled up to him in bed like he did it every night.

"That poor stupid sonofabitch," O'Neill swore softly.

"What?"

O'Neill dumped a spoonful of sugar into his coffee and stirred it a little harder than necessary. "The other me," he snapped. "Stupid bastard." He stopped as coffee splashed out over the sides of the cup and gave Daniel a direct look. "He doesn't deserve you," he said flatly. "And when I see him I'm going to tell him that."

"No!" Daniel sat his own cup down so fast more coffee sloshed out onto the table. "You can't. I mean…you can't. Jack's never given any indication that he - I mean, he's not --"

"Not that kind of guy," O'Neill furnished dryly. "I didn't think I was either. But I found out gender didn't mean a whole lot when it came to falling in love."

Falling in love. Daniel stared hard into his cup and hoped that other Daniel Jackson knew how damned lucky he was.

"Hey." The softly-spoken word brought his head up. There was real compassion in the other man's eyes. "I don't need to tell you how dangerous it is out there. I mean, if you've died as many times as my Daniel has, you know that better than anyone." Reaching out, O'Neill patted his hand gently. "Don't waste time, and don't wait for that clueless moron to make the first move."

"I don't want to screw up what we already have," Daniel said, a little desperately.

"How do you know you'll screw it up? Listen, do you know how long Danny and I have been together?" Daniel shook his head. "Did you ever run into the Destroyer of Worlds in your universe?" When Daniel's eyes widened, O'Neill nodded. "Okay, you know who I'm talking about. We ran across her again --"

"Kira," Daniel whispered.

"That's the one," O'Neill said grimly. "Daniel had just lost Sha're, he was all mixed up and grieving and angry, and boom, suddenly there was a pretty girl batting her eyelashes at him, and he fell for it."

"So, that's when you two…?"

"Not right away. But that's when I realized what I was feeling. I was never jealous of Sha're. Danny loved her, and she loved him, and no one should have had to go through what she did. But once Sha're was gone, I just started to kind of think of him as…mine. Then Kira came along and brought it all to a head." He gave Daniel a sly look. "How did your Jack react when Kira made a play for you?"

"He didn't…" Daniel's automatic reply trailed off as he thought back to that time and how Jack had acted when he seemed to be falling for Kira. O'Neill was watching him closely, but Daniel finally shook his head. "That was just Jack being protective of his team."

"Uh huh." O'Neill wasn't convinced. "Look, Daniel, I'm going to get you back to your Jack even though he doesn't deserve you, but the rest is up to you." Getting to his feet, he gave Daniel's shoulder a gentle pat. "We'd better get back to the Mountain. Hammond may have word on 229 by now, and he still wants to debrief you." As Daniel got to his feet, Jack pulled a face. "Oh yeah, and just so we have our stories straight, I told him you realized something was wrong when you noticed things were all different here at the house, and we got to talking, and you worked it out because of that other trip you'd taken through the mirror." He gave Daniel what could only be called a deep meaningful look. "I couldn't very well tell him I noticed your scar, could I?'

Daniel felt himself caught in that gaze for a long moment before shaking himself free. "Um, no, I suppose not," he replied, trying not to sound as flustered as he felt. "How do you two…cope? You know, don't ask, don't tell?"

"Nobody asks, and we don't tell," O'Neill answered flippantly. Then more seriously, "We're careful. Hell, we've been friends since anyone at the SGC knew us. I mean, I lied for the guy on an official report after that first mission. I brought him back home with me when he had no place to stay. We've always hung around together. There are rumors," he shrugged, "but there were rumors before Danny and I ever got together. Hell, there are rumors about me and Carter, me and Teal'c, Carter and Teal'c, you and Carter --"

"Me and Sam?" Daniel asked, aghast.

"You and Teal'c," O'Neill continued. "And I won't even get into the rumors about us and Fraiser. Actually, all the rumors are good cover, so I don't worry about it."

"But, if you get caught?" Daniel asked hesitantly.

O'Neill seemed unconcerned. "If the USAF don't want me saving the planet, they can retire me. I retired once, I can do it again."

"You seem to have it all worked out," Daniel murmured, a little dazed.

O'Neill stood in front of him and tapped on his chin until Daniel met his gaze. "The only thing we have worked out," he said plainly, "is that we want to be with each other for as long as we've got. Everything else will take care of itself." Sliding an arm around Daniel's shoulders, he ushered him out of the kitchen. "Now, let's get these alternate realities straightened out."

They were halfway back to the Mountain before Daniel finally asked a question that had been on his mind ever since he'd found out he was once again in an alternate reality - and this time there was a live Daniel Jackson in the picture. "What's he like?" he asked somewhat hesitantly, looking over at Jack.

Jack picked up on his question immediately. "My Danny?" He shot Daniel a grin. "He's a bit of a flirt actually."

"What?" Appalled didn't begin to cover how he felt about a flirtatious Daniel Jackson running amok in his universe.

"But only with me," O'Neill assured him solemnly, with a twinkle in his eye.

"You did that on purpose," Daniel accused.

"Yes, I did," the other man admitted readily, "and with good reason." He took his eyes off the road long enough to give Daniel a searching look. "Your O'Neill obviously doesn’t make you smile enough."

Daniel quickly turned his attention to the passing scenery. "He's not my O'Neill."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," O'Neill murmured. Before Daniel could say anything to that, O'Neill added cheerfully, "And he's got one helluva temper."

"Jack?"

"Nope, my Danny. He's got a temper." O'Neill said this in such a tone of respect that Daniel sank back into the truck seat with a resigned sigh. A flirtatious Daniel Jackson with a hair-trigger temper who thought his Jack is his lover. Oh, boy...

***

Once again Jack stood by his bed, looking down at the tousled head of hair on his pillow. He'd spent a night either tossing and turning or staring at his digital clock, waiting for the night to end. He'd come in a few times - just to check on Daniel - and found him peacefully asleep. He couldn't stop thinking about their kiss last night, about the obvious invitation in Daniel's eyes, and the open affection Daniel showed him. He'd spent the whole night wresting with the question: was it just the pills? Or was it Daniel taking a step that he himself had been too much of a coward to take? What answer would the light of day bring?

"Hey." The sound of the soft, sleep-roughened voice brought him out of his thoughts with a start, and he found himself staring into a pair of drowsy blue eyes.

"Hey," he replied, the way he had a hundred times before, so why was his heart pounding so hard? But he'd come prepared with a diversion: holding out his hand he announced, "I've brought coffee."

The blue eyes widened, and Jack swore he saw Daniel's nose twitch. With a muttering of "ow-ow-ow," the other man managed to push himself up to a sitting position and reached out with his good hand. Jack received the sweetest smile in payment as he handed over the cup. He was still reeling a little from that as Daniel buried his nose in the cup, took a healthy sip, then made a face. "Jack, you forgot the sugar," Daniel accused.

"You don't take sugar in your coffee," Jack stated with complete certainty. Hell, he'd watched the man drink gallons of the stuff over the years; he would have noticed something like Daniel pouring in sugar. The coffee went straight from whatever pot it was in to a cup to Daniel's mouth.

Daniel shot him a sideways look of annoyance. "Jack, how long have you known me?"

"Long enough to know you don't take sugar in your coffee."

This earned him a full-on glare. "Are you sure you aren't the one with the concussion?"

Jack slid his hands into his pockets. So much for tender gazes and soft kisses. "Look, Daniel," he said a little wearily, "I don't want to argue --"

"No, me either," Daniel said quickly. "Forget the coffee." Suiting action to words, he set the cup on the bedside table, and patted the bed next to him. "Come here."

Jack eyed the bed a little warily. "There?"

"Um hm." He gave Jack what could only be termed a sultry look from under his eyelashes, and Jack found himself sitting on the bed without having consciously made the decision to do so. For a long moment they simply stared at one another, then Daniel reached out with his good arm, laid his hand against the back of Jack's neck, and gently pulled him closer.

Oh lord, it was just like last night. Daniel's lips on his, Daniel's tongue in his mouth, playfully wrapping around his, then sucking Jack's tongue into his mouth where Jack tasted the faint after-flavor of coffee. When Daniel finally released him, the other man chuckled softly. "Thanks for the coffee, Jack."

"You're welcome," he managed, his voice somewhat breathless. He looked closely at Daniel's happy face and saw no trace of the drowsy, doped up man he was last night. So this was for real. This was Daniel in full control of his faculties taking that first step Jack had wanted to take for so long. Realizing suddenly he'd been given permission to do what he'd so long wanted to, he reached out and cupped the side of the other man's face. Daniel immediately turned into his hand, rubbing his cheek against Jack's palm. Deliberately he moved his hand to the back of Daniel's head and exerted just enough pressure to bring him forward. Daniel came without resistance, and this time Jack took the lead, fitting his mouth over Daniel's and sending his tongue on a quest of discovery. Daniel made approving noises as he took his time in a slow, sweet kiss. When he finally pulled away he was amused to see Daniel had that dopey look on his face again, but this time it wasn't from pills. Besides, he probably had the same expression on his own face.

With their faces still so close he could feel Daniel's every breath brush across his skin in a warm wave, Daniel gave him a sultry look from under his lashes and whispered huskily, "So, soldier boy, if I’m in here, what're you still doing out there?"

Good question. Just as Jack was moving in for another taste of those very willing lips, Daniel's stomach growled loudly, effectively breaking the mood. Jack grinned, "Just as well I've got breakfast started."

"Breakfast can wait."

But Jack stood up, lifting his index finger, "Ah ah. I'm not answering to Fraiser if I bring you back in two days and you've lost weight. Get dressed and I'll have everything ready by the time you get downstairs."

As he turned and left the room he could hear Daniel mutter plaintively, "Everything's ready now, Jack."

Jack moved around the kitchen in a daze, opening the refrigerator and getting out the eggs without really thinking about what he was doing. He still couldn't believe it: he and Daniel were going to take the step he'd only fantasized about, and Daniel apparently wanted it as much as he did. Daniel wanted him. He was still standing at the counter, eggs in his hands and staring out the window without really seeing anything when he heard Daniel shout, "Jack!"

Frowning, he hurried back upstairs to find Daniel in a pair his old sweatpants and his bedroom closet door wide open.

Hands on his lean hips, Daniel turned an irritated face to him, demanding, "Where're my clothes?"

Blinking, Jack pointed to the chair with Daniel's neatly folded clothes from the night before in obvious plain sight. "Right there."

"Not those clothes," Daniel said impatiently, "my other clothes." He gestured at the closet. "The clothes that were in that closet."

Jack looked at him blankly. "You didn't have any clothes in that closet."

Daniel strode over to stand toe to toe with him, eyes flashing. "Are you going to stand there and tell me that when we left here Monday to go to the SGC half that closet wasn't taken up by my clothes?"

Puzzled, but a little irritated himself, Jack retorted, "Yes, Daniel I will tell you that. You have never had any clothes in that closet. And we didn't leave from here on Monday. You were already at the SGC when I got there. You were in your lab, and --" He broke off when Daniel's face went dead white. "Daniel?"

But the only response from Daniel was a whispered, "Oh my god," as he pushed past Jack and ran for the stairs.

"Daniel!" Spinning around, Jack followed him as the other man bounded down the stairs, injured wrist held tightly to his side. By the time he got downstairs Jack found him in the living room, standing in the center and turning a slow circle, a look of utter desolation on his face.

"This is wrong," Daniel whispered. "This is all wrong." He sank down onto the couch, shock evident in his voice. "I didn't notice it last night. It was dark and everything was kind of..." He dropped his head onto his chest. "Damn it!"

Bewildered and concerned, Jack joined him on the sofa, where Daniel was hugging his sprained wrist to his chest. "Daniel, what in the hell are you talking about?"

Slowly, Daniel raised his head and turned to look at him. Where only minutes before there had been playfulness and happiness now there was bleakness and despair. "Did you go through a mirror to P4X-229?"

"A mirror?" The look on Daniel's face was starting to scare him, and in reaction he snapped, "Damn it, Daniel, what's going on?"

A tongue flicked out to moisten his lower lip before Daniel answered hoarsely, "This isn't my world."

"What do you mean this isn't your..." Jack felt a chill settle in his chest right around his heart. "You said mirror."

The other man nodded miserably. "My team - SG1 - went to P4X-229 through a mirror."

"Your team went through... " He stared into the face he knew better than he knew his own and realized he was staring into the face of a stranger. "Jesus fuckin' Christ," he swore savagely, jumping to his feet. "Daniel's still on 229."

As he spun away to grab the phone and alert Hammond, a quiet voice behind him corrected, "Jack wouldn't have left him behind."

"He may've had no choice," Jack growled, snatching up the phone.

"Jack doesn't leave anyone behind. Ever," Jackson stated firmly, his eyes flashing.

"I hope you're right," he said flatly, and jabbed in the numbers the SGC.

"Would you have left your Daniel Jackson behind?"

As he viciously punched in the last number on the phone pad, he grated out harshly, "I did leave my Daniel Jackson behind."

Five minutes later he hung up the phone, his hand not quite steady as he replaced the receiver in its cradle. He was still reeling from the fact he'd left Daniel - his Daniel - behind, and all this time he'd been...

"Colonel?"

The sound of the soft query brought him out of his thoughts, and he straightened his shoulders and turned around. Jackson was still sitting on the sofa watching him with wide eyes. He looked so much like Daniel - hell, he was Daniel - that Jack heaved a little sigh and went over to join him. "Hammond's sending through a MALP. When we left that planet it was crawling with Jaffa. He needs to make sure it's safe before he'll send us through again. Wants us back at the SGC ASAP."

Jackson nodded. "Okay." He paused for a moment, then added in a raw whisper, "I'm worried about my team too."

Jack winced at the distress in the other man's eyes. "I know you are. Sorry if I..." He waved a hand helplessly.

To his surprise a little smile quirked Jackson's lips. "Don't apologize. You and my Jack are...very much alike." He lowered his eyes and gave a little embarrassed cough. "I mean, I couldn't tell the difference."

"Oh shit." Jack wanted nothing more than to bury his flaming face in a pillow. He'd spent the whole night hoping what was happening between him and Daniel was real and not Daniel's reaction to medication; then he thought he must be the luckiest guy in the world when he found out it was real; and now turned out it wasn't real at all because it wasn't Daniel.

"I'm taking some comfort in the fact you didn't notice the difference either," Jackson said dryly.

"I didn't exactly have anything to compare it to," Jack mumbled.

The other man's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean you and the other Daniel don't...?"

"No, we don't," Jack retorted, somewhat defensively. He was only too aware of the expressions flitting across Jackson's mobile face as he obviously remembered how Jack had reacted in the bedroom earlier. He certainly hadn't acted like a man who was adverse to it, did he?

But where he expected mockery what he got was a gentle smile, one he recognized immediately, and an understanding touch on his arm. "Maybe you should," Jackson said softly. Then he got to his feet, announcing, "I'll go get dressed," and left the room.

Jack sat without moving for a long time, trying not to remember how it felt to have Daniel's lips crushed to his, to believe he had permission to touch and hold and explore, to see that wonderful sparkle of affection in those blue eyes when Daniel looked at him. None of that had been for him; it had been for that other Jack O'Neill. The one who currently had possession of his Daniel Jackson. That sudden thought sent a blaze of jealous anger through him. That sonofabitch had better not take advantage of Daniel. If this Daniel Jackson was any indication, then that O'Neill was both willing and able to do just that; and this Daniel admitted he couldn't tell he wasn't the right O'Neill. If that bastard so much as touched him...

"I'm ready."

Jerked out of his thoughts, Jack snapped his head up to see Jackson standing in the middle of the living room, dressed in the clothes he'd come in, and trying without success to figure out the sling he'd managed to tangle around his neck. Some things, he noted dryly, didn't change in any universe, and he got to his feet to straighten out the twisted sling like he'd done for his Daniel on more than one occasion.

***

Daniel sat in a perfect replica of the briefing room back at his SGC, at his usual place, and saw all the usual faces around the table. Except these were the faces of the alternate universe versions of his friends. As he studied them he noticed little differences that probably wouldn't have jumped out at him in the whirl of usual activity around there: Janet's hair color (although he had noticed that and chalked it up to Janet simply lightening her hair); Sam's hair being a bit longer and the fact she had an engagement ring on her left hand (At least he knew she wasn’t engaged to Jack in this reality); he couldn't see any discernible difference in Teal'c or Hammond; but he noted again that this Jack seemed...more relaxed than his Jack. Or at least he had been until he realized he'd left his Daniel Jackson back on 229. Now the man was fairly vibrating with tension and the need to get out there and do something. He wondered if his Jack had discovered the mix-up yet, and if his team was okay.

He sat up a little straighter when General Hammond broke the silence, "While we're waiting for the report from SG3 about the situation on P4X-229, I'd like an explanation of how our guest -" He bestowed a kindly nod on Daniel - "managed to get through a physical examination and released with no one being the wiser?"

Janet Fraiser straightened the file in front of her, folded her hands on top, and met the General's gaze. "Sir, this Daniel Jackson was given an MRI to check for goa'uld infestation and cleared. Doctor Malakek performed the initial medical exam when Daniel was brought back. At the time I was in surgery with Lieutenant Myers from SG7." She looked at Daniel, one eyebrow arched. "The only thing that would have alerted me if I'd done the exam was the scar from his appendectomy. But as it was an old scar, and there was no reason to doubt this was our Daniel Jackson, Doctor Malakek, who isn't as familiar with Daniel, wasn't alerted to anything wrong."

"I see." Hammond turned to look at Daniel. "And you saw or heard nothing to alert you this was not your SGC?"

"No, sir." Daniel flicked a gaze around at the other faces. "This is very much like my own Earth. Not like the other reality I went to the first time when I noticed immediate differences."

"I was a general, General Hammond was a colonel," Jack murmured beside him.

"Your Daniel too? Wow, amazing." He turned back to Hammond, eyes wide. "General, I'd like to hear more."

"As would we, Doctor Jackson," Hammond assured him. "If our realities are so similar, it's possible we may have information to exchange regarding the Goa'uld."

Daniel nodded readily. "Of course. But as soon as we get word back regarding 229 --"

"We'll be on our way," Jack interrupted, his tone reassuring. "The mirror is about ten miles from the 'gate in a cavern. It's going to take SG3 a while to get there, do a recon, and report back. We're ready to move out as soon as we have a go."

"I don't see why SG1 couldn't have done that though," Daniel objected, impatience coloring his tone. "It would have saved time. We could already be on the planet instead of waiting here."

"This may look like your reality, son," Hammond told him gravely, "but it isn't. You aren't a member of this SGC or SG1, and we can't risk your life - or the lives of the members of SG1 - with someone who is virtually a stranger."

Daniel looked down at his hands which were gripping a cup of coffee. "I understand." He did understand, but he still thought it was a waste of time when he didn't know if Jack, Sam and Teal'c were all right or hurt and in trouble on 229.

Jack laid a hand on his arm and gave it a little squeeze. "Believe me," he said grimly, "we're not going to waste any time once we get the word, Daniel."

Daniel felt himself relaxing, just like he did when his Jack would give him an encouraging little pat on the shoulder or laid a reassuring hand on his arm. He just wished he knew they were all right.

"Daniel." He looked up as Sam leaned across the table. "Did you ever run across replicators in your universe?"

Replicators. Trying to hold his impatience in check, Daniel sank back in his chair and began to relate what he knew of the metal bugs.

***

Jack kept his foot down on the accelerator as they sped toward the Mountain. He and Jackson hadn't exchanged a word since they left the house. Frankly he wasn't in the mood to talk; he just wanted to get back to that damn planet and get his Daniel back.

"Colonel."

Jack spared the other man a glance before quickly changing lanes to overtake a slower moving vehicle. "Yeah?"

"Do you mind if we…talk? If I don't do something to keep myself from thinking, I'm going to go nuts."

Jack felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders and managed a wry smile. "Yeah, me too. So, what do you want to talk about?"

Jackson shifted a bit in his seat so he was turning more toward Jack. "What's the other me like?"

Jack flicked him another glance. "Looks a lot like you." 'Except you smile a lot more. Does that mean you're happier than my Daniel is?'

The archaeologist looked down as he picked at the sling around his neck. "I guess he didn't manage to save his Sha're either."

"No," Jack answered quietly. "He didn't."

"Did Teal'c have to...?"

"Yeah."

Jackson nodded. "Did his parents die when he was a kid?"

"Museum accident."

"Foster homes?"

"Yeah." Jack negotiated the turn off to the Mountain. "Nick?"

"Giant aliens."

"Wow. Talk about parallel universes."

"Well, almost parallel," Jackson murmured and gave him a sideways look.

Jack ignored the opening. "So what's the other me like?" he asked in a casual tone.

Jackson spent a few moments studying him with a critical eye before deciding, "I think you have more grey than he does."

"I'll have you know every grey hair on my head is inscribed with Daniel Jackson's name."

The other man chuckled. "Is he really that bad?"

Bad? No, not by a long shot. "He just has a bad habit of scaring the living hell out of me."

"If you're anything like my Jack you've probably scared the living hell out of him a few times yourself," Daniel countered, his voice so soft he seemed to be speaking to himself.

A quick glance showed the other man's thoughts were focused inward; he was probably remembering something like replicators on a sub or a goa'uld slithering into his best friend's head. At that memory Jack gave an inadvertent shiver and was aware of Jackson shooting him a look of concern.

"You okay?"

Making the turn into the Mountain complex, Jack shook off his memories and gave his head a brisk nod. "Let's get this show on the road."

As Jack strode down the corridor toward the control room he was unusually aware of the man by his side. That was the position occupied by Daniel more times than not, and he was always aware of Daniel too, where he was, what he was up to, but it was more subliminal. This was different. He wasn't sure he could put a name to it, but if he had to he'd say the 'vibes' given off by this man were totally different than those given off by his Daniel. Of course, some of that could be tension, pure and simple. Jackson was thrumming with it, and he knew he was practically vibrating himself. Every step he took now was taking him closer to Daniel, and he couldn't get there fast enough. As Jackson was matching him step for step, apparently the same could be said for him as well.

As soon as he stepped into the control room and saw the look on Carter's face his heart sank. She was sitting at one of the terminals, and when she looked up at them apology was written all over her face.

Before she should speak Hammond walked over to them. "Colonel. Doctor Jackson."

"General." Jackson was practically twitching with impatience.

"Sir, do we have a go?" Jack asked, even though Hammond was wearing the same expression as Carter.

"I'm afraid not, Colonel. At least not at the moment." He turned to Carter. "Major?"

"There's a storm, sir. The MALP has recorded winds of up to one hundred fifteen miles per hour and heavy rain and lightning. Gate travel would be too dangerous under those conditions."

"Damn it," Jack swore under his breath.

"I'll go," Jackson spoke up quickly. "All I have to do is get through the 'gate. I know where the cavern is with the mirror."

"And how far from the 'gate is that, Doctor?" Hammond asked.

Jackson flicked a quick glance at Jack before dropping his gaze to the floor and muttering, "Ten miles, I think."

There was a brief silence before Hammond cleared his throat. "I don't think that's feasible, son. Besides which, you are under our care until we can return you back to your reality, and we plan to do that as safely as possible."

Jack rubbed his eyes tired. "How long does that storm look to last, Major?"

"There's no way of telling, sir. But we're monitoring the situation. As soon as there's a window, we'll be on it." She offered a tentative smile to Jackson, and he responded with one of his own.

"In the meantime," Hammond said, "I think we have an opportunity here with Doctor Jackson for an exchange of information that may be beneficial to both our worlds. Doctor, are you up to that?"

Jackson gave a nod. "Certainly, sir."

"General, maybe we could delay that just long enough for Daniel here to get some breakfast? We left the house in a hurry, and he didn’t get a chance to eat."

"Of course. We'll debrief in an hour."

Jack clapped the archaeologist lightly on the arm. "Come on, Daniel. Let's get you fed."

"All I really need is coffee," the other man protested.

Jack rolled his eyes and gave Daniel's arm a little tug. "Where have I heard that before?"

A mutinous, "No wonder I couldn't tell the difference," drifted his way as Daniel reluctantly fell in step with him, and they made their way to the cafeteria.

Three hours later after an exchange of information that only proved each reality was running amazingly parallel with the other, Jack dropped back down into the chair beside Daniel, who was still sitting in the briefing room. "Storm's still going on," he reported. "Carter says the wind speeds are dying though, so maybe in a couple more hours."

Jackson nodded and pushed away his empty coffee cup. "I can't just sit around doing nothing."

Jack studied him critically. "You should get some rest. I'll call you when --"

The other man gave his head a definite shake. "I couldn't sleep." He looked at Jack. "Would you mind if I went to…his lab?" He flickered a smile. "I'm betting he's got about a dozen translations waiting to be done. The least I can do is make myself useful. And besides, maybe it'll take my mind off this waiting."

Jack considered that as he studied the other man's tense and tired face. He knew when they ran into mission delays and Daniel found himself with a few hours, he'd immediately retreat to his office and immerse himself in the translation work that never seemed to get caught up. Of course, when they were at loose ends he often trailed after Daniel and spent his time there as well, sometimes catching up on the sports news or sometimes just annoying the hell of out him to get him to take a break. It seemed as if this Daniel was as bad at turning his mind off as his Daniel was. If working on translations helped him cope with jangling nerves, then that sounded like a good solution to him. At least he'd be tucked away someplace safe until they got the go-ahead.

He raised his eyebrows. "I assume you know the way?"

Jackson gave him a haughty look. "Does Starbucks sell coffee?"

***

Daniel sat in the deserted briefing room, empty cup by his elbow, and restlessly turned a pencil over and over in his fingers. It had been a long debriefing, but neither side had really gained anything from it. Their worlds were so parallel that they had pretty much faced the same threats and gained the same allies - if you could really count the Asgard, Tollan and Tok'ra as true allies. It seemed those races were pretty much the same in this reality as well: sharing information if it would gain them something, but more often than not simply going their own way until they needed Earth for purposes of their own.

"Hey."

"Hey," Daniel replied automatically, responding to the familiar voice and greeting. But then he looked up into the face of the man who had dropped down into the chair opposite him, and he felt his shoulders sag.

O'Neill didn't miss the disappointment that flickered across his face, and he said carefully, "SG3 is still monitoring the storm on 229. The winds have let up a little, so we're hoping a few more hours and we'll be able to move out."

"Why don't we move out now?" Daniel demanded. "We could be there with the mirror ready to step onto my 229."

O'Neill shook his head. "Daniel, it was just yesterday that you were lying in the infirmary with a concussion. Fraiser's already made it clear you're not leaving here until we know we can go straight to your Earth. Hanging around a cold, damp cavern for hours waiting for a storm to let up just isn't gonna happen."

Blowing out a frustrated sigh, Daniel rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

The soft snort from the other side of the table made him look up. "I've heard that line enough times from someone else; I don't believe it when he says it either." But there was kindness in the man's eyes and a deep understanding that reminded Daniel he wasn't the only one who was impatient, and with good reason.

"I’m sorry. I'm just not very good at waiting," he offered apologetically.

O'Neill looked down at his fingers tapping a tattoo on the table. "Yeah, me either."  He gave the table top a final tap and looked up. "When you find yourself with time on your hands, what do you usually do?"

"Work in my lab," Daniel answered immediately. Of course, Jack often ended up there with him if he was at loose ends. Sometimes he'd just sit there and read the paper while Daniel worked, but other times he'd wander around picking up priceless artifacts and making a nuisance of himself until Daniel put aside his work and paid him some attention.

A broad smile lit O'Neill's face. "My Daniel too. You want to go there? If nothing else, he's got plenty of books to read."

Daniel brightened. "Could I?"

O'Neill got to his feet. "Don't see why not. Let's go."

Daniel walked slowly around the lab, taking in the shelves of reference books, the artifacts crammed into every possible crevice, and the piles of papers and photographs on the large desk. It was so like his lab it was positively scary. Walking over to the bookshelves, he ran his fingers lightly over the titles as he read them to himself. "Wow, where did he find this?" Very carefully he pulled out a thick, leather bound book, and reverently opened the cover, mindful of the dry, fragile pages. "I've been looking for a copy of this for years."

"Well, I guess you're set for a while."

At the sound of the amused voice, Daniel looked around. "Oh, sorry, but I can't believe he's found a copy of Stanhope's Translations of --"

"Yadda yadda," O'Neill added helpfully, grinning. Walking over to join Daniel, he clapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Enjoy yourself. I'm going to back to the control room."

"You'll let me know --"

"As soon as we can move out," O'Neill promised. "I think you know where everything is," he added dryly, and left the room.

Daniel stood where he was, looking around the lab for a few moments longer, then carefully placed the book on the desk and turned to the coffee maker. A few minutes later he was settled comfortably at the other Jackson's desk, carefully turning the pages to the book he coveted.

A long time later he sat up straighter and rubbed his aching neck. Maybe he could get his other self to lend him this book and Sam could get it scanned or something. Or maybe this Sam would scan it for him. After all she was very like his own Sam. Just thinking about Sam and Teal'c and...Jack sent a wash of something like homesickness through him. If he just knew they were okay, he wouldn't be so tense. And if he just knew what Jack was doing with that other Daniel maybe he wouldn't be so...what? Jealous? He frowned, chewing the inside of his lip. Concerned, maybe, he conceded, but certainly not jealous. After all, he had no right to be jealous.

He started to push himself up, then stopped and looked at the desk drawers on the right side of the desk. After a brief hesitation, he reached down and tried to open the last drawer. It was locked. A brief examination confirmed the rest of the drawers were unlocked; it was only that small drawer at the bottom that was firmly locked. Without conscious thought he got to his feet and walked across the room to where the bowl he and Sha're drank from on their wedding was tucked away carefully into a niche just above eye level. Reaching in, he pulled out a small, silver key. He knew without trying it that this was the key to the drawer; and he knew without looking that inside that drawer was the other Daniel Jackson's private journal. With a little smile, he replaced the key.

***

Airmen quickly got out of the way as Jack bulldozed his way through the corridors. Finally, after hours of waiting, they had a go. Carter and Teal'c were gearing up, and he only had to collect one slightly-out-of-place archaeologist, and they were on their way. He was getting his archaeologist back.

Jackson was working away at Daniel's desk, scribbling industriously when Jack burst in. His head snapped up, eyes wide behind his glasses.

"We have a go."

"Yes!" Jackson tossed his pen aside and jumped to his feet. As Jack stepped aside to let him pass into the corridor, Jackson stopped in front of him, gazing at him seriously. "Colonel, you remember what I said back at your place when we first found out I wasn't 'your' Daniel?"

Jack eyed him warily. "We said a lot of things."

Daniel looked at him a few moments longer, then touched his arm. "You won't know until you try, Colonel," he said softly. "And you might be surprised at the results. Just promise me you'll remember that."

Jack's first impulse was to tell the man they didn't have time for this, but he saw such understanding in those well-known eyes that all the fight went out of him. "I'll try," he promised reluctantly.

He was treated to the same sweet smile he sometimes - but not often enough - got from his Daniel, and Jackson nodded his approval. "Okay. Now let's get me home and get your Daniel Jackson back where he belongs."

***

Daniel was engrossed in a translation in progress he'd found on the desk. After debating long and hard with himself he'd decided the other Daniel would take the corrections in the same spirit they were offered, and had been at work making notations for the other man to use in amending his translation. He didn't even realize anyone was in the room with him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Daniel."

He started, looking up to find O'Neill standing by his side.

"It's time."

"Really?" Daniel dropped the pen without a second thought and started to jump to his feet. "Let's go."

But O'Neill kept his hand on his shoulder and by applying only slight pressure kept him in his seat. "In a minute. We may not have time later, so I wanted to say something now."

Daniel stared up at him; Jack's voice was serious, his eyes dark with compassion. And he remembered suddenly how it felt to be kissed by this man, to be held by him, to be loved by him, and how much he wanted all those things. It must have shown on his face because O'Neill's eyes softened and he gave Daniel's shoulder a squeeze.

"Tell him, Daniel. Don't piss around with this; it's too important."

"I-I can't. You don't understand," he said miserably. Tell Colonel Jack O'Neill he'd fallen in love with him? Oh yeah, that would work.

O'Neill began rubbing his shoulder soothingly, the way Jack did when he was really, really upset. "Then leave him to me. I'll tell him."

"No!" This time Daniel did jump to his feet. "You can't. Promise you won't."

O'Neill was obviously doing his best to hold up against the begging look Daniel was throwing at him full force, but finally caved. "All right, I promise." Reaching up, he lightly tousled Daniel's hair. "But I still think he doesn't deserve you." At that Daniel could only stare at him, mouth slightly agape until O'Neill gave him a little grin and nudge toward the door. "Let's get you back to that clueless moron before I decide to keep you myself."

***

As reunions went, Jack figured the other O'Neill definitely got the best of the bargain. As soon as Alternate Daniel spotted Alternate O'Neill, his face lit up like a kid at a birthday party. He paused only long enough to throw a quick thank you to Jack, and then he was on his way, striding across the yards that separated them, his eyes only on O'Neill. As for Alternate O'Neill, there was no mistaking the look on his face when he saw his archaeologist heading for him. The man did take his eyes off Jackson's approach long enough to turn to Daniel, murmur something, and touch him on the arm, but then he was moving forward to greet his team member, not even the military face he was wearing able to hide the anxiety in his eyes or the way they softened as the other man called his name.

As for his archaeologist, well, it looked like Jack was going to have to be the one to make the first move because Daniel was standing as if he were rooted to the ground. With Carter and Teal'c by his side, he walked over to Daniel, who was doing the self-hug thing instead of bounding up to Jack and talking a mile a minute about his experiences. As Jack swiftly passed the other O'Neill and Jackson he saw Alternate Daniel was doing that as the other O'Neill pretended to listen while checking out the sling and visible bruises and obviously coming to the conclusion Jack didn't know how to take look after the civilians under his command.

Daniel's eyes were studiously fixed on the other pair when Jack walked up to him and touched him on the arm. "Hey." Daniel jumped like a scalded cat, and Jack stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing," Daniel said quickly. "It's good to be back. I'm glad you're all okay." But he was looking at Carter and Teal'c as he spoke, not at Jack. As Jack stepped back and let Carter give him a big hug and Teal'c rumble something to him, he glanced over at the other pair and saw that O'Neill looking at him with a mixture of pity and open dislike. Yeah, well, right back at'cha, asshole. Daniel sure wasn't having any trouble talking to Carter, and he was doing so a mile a minute, his hands moving as fast as his mouth. Well, he'd better get over there and exchange greetings with Colonel Asshole so he could get Daniel back home where he belonged. He touched Daniel's arm to get his attention, and the man started again, then murmured, "Sorry." This time Jack left his hand on Daniel's arm and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm just going to say a few words to 'him', and then we'll get you home, Daniel." He let his gaze pass over the other man. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"I'm fine," came the swift reply.

Jack gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile, patted him on the arm, and then turned away to walk grimly toward the other O'Neill. When they got home, he and Daniel were going to have a long, private talk. And the answer to every question he asked had better be, 'No, Jack, he didn't.'

The other O'Neill and Jackson were waiting for him, Jackson with a smile and O'Neill with no expression at all. "Colonel," he greeted, coming to a halt.

"Colonel," the other man said coolly.

Jack jerked his head in Daniel's direction. "Thanks for taking care of him and bringing him back in one piece."

"Same here," O'Neill said, looking at his Jackson with unmistakable affection, which Jackson was returning in spades. It struck Jack suddenly that he could be looking at Daniel and himself. Here were two guys in exactly the same circumstances who had come together the way he wished he and Daniel could, and it was working. Of course you needed two willing people to make it work. Now that he could see both Daniels nearly side-by-side he saw differences he hadn't noticed when Alternate Daniel was in his world. This Daniel was brimming with happiness to be with O'Neill, and he didn't care who knew it. He was giving off vibes of playfulness and had a definite look of mischief about him. Whereas his Daniel looked like he'd like to be anywhere but here. He was certainly showing no great happiness at being back with Jack and was just looking tired and a little defeated. Whatever was wrong, Jack promised himself in a fierce rush of protectiveness, they'd fix it.

"Well, look after him," Jack said softly, turning his attention back to the two in front of him. "We need all the Daniel Jacksons we can get in our worlds."

"You do the same, Colonel. It'd be a shame to waste what they offer."

Jack opened his mouth to tell this asshole he had no intention of wasting anything Daniel had to offer when he realized the man wasn't even looking at him; he was looking over his shoulder. Turning quickly, Jack saw he was looking right at Daniel and that Daniel was wearing his most begging look. He snapped back around to glare at O'Neill, but the colonel was once again gazing coolly at him. What the hell had happened between Daniel and this guy? He ground his teeth in frustration and forced himself to extend Hammond's invitation to exchange information now that they each knew the other existed instead of knocking the guy on his ass like he so richly deserved.

O'Neill had been given orders to issue the same invitation, and they went back and forth for a few minutes before setting a time and date for a team to meet back here, Jaffa and weather permitting. Daniel would probably want to be a part of the welcoming committee, but he'd deal with that when and if. Right now he just wanted to get him home and away from the guy who kept throwing him anxious little looks as if to make sure he was okay. That was his job.

He nodded toward the asshole. "Colonel." He got a brief nod back. Then he turned to Jackson, who was trying to send him some sort of message with the pleading look in his eyes. As if he didn't know. "Doctor Jackson," he said with a rueful smile, and got a sweet one in return.

"Colonel," the archaeologist replied, his tone a little huskier than it should have been. That earned him a sharp look from O'Neill, and Jack performed a smart about face and gratefully returned to his own team.

They were waiting for him. Daniel apparently having run out of things to babble about was frowning at the ground, his arms once again wrapped around his chest, and Carter was looking a little worried while Teal'c elevated an eyebrow at him. There wasn't much he could do about it now, so Jack merely took up a place beside Daniel, deliberately put a hand on his arm, and announced - loud enough for the other O'Neill to hear - "Okay, kids, let's go home."

***

Jack stood outside the pointedly closed door, hands in his pockets, and considered the events of the day. After they got Daniel back from 229, he'd been whisked away by Fraiser for a thorough check-up, then they'd all been whisked away by Hammond for a thorough - and rather pointless - debriefing. Then Daniel had mumbled some excuse that Jack would swear no one in that room heard or understood, and bolted for his office.

Jack could have followed, but he didn't. Instead he retreated to his office under pretext of catching up on paperwork. But it wasn't unfinished paperwork that drove him to seek solitude in his office. It was Daniel. Or rather it was the memory of that other Daniel, and how it felt to be kissed and loved by the man he thought was his Daniel. How was he supposed to go back to being just a good friend to Daniel when he knew what it was like to be more? He saw how the Alternate Daniel and his colonel looked at each other, and he knew from what he saw in their eyes what they meant to each other. But then he started remembering how Daniel had looked on that planet and about that 'look' Daniel and Colonel Asshole were exchanging. What was that about? More than anything, he didn't want his friendship with Daniel to be fucked up beyond repair. That's why he was here. He'd made a promise to himself on that planet: whatever was wrong, he was going to fix it. He'd better get started.

Taking a deep breath, he didn't bother knocking and instead flung open the door, calling out a cheerful, "Hey."

Daniel started where he was sitting behind his desk, then visibly tried to relax. "Hey."

Jack ambled in, deliberately casual. "How you doin'?"

"Fine. I'm fine."

Jack filed that away but didn't comment. "It's getting kind of late. Want to go grab a bite to eat?"

Daniel shuffled through the mess of papers on his desk. "No, I don't think so. I was working on something..."

When he didn't continue, Jack raised his eyebrows, "You were working on...?"

The face Daniel turned to him was a picture of pissiness. "He corrected my translation."

Jack blinked. "He who?"

Daniel waved at the papers on his desk. "He, the other me." His gaze turned accusing. "You left him in here, didn't you?"

"We were waiting for the storm to stop on 229. He needed something to do --"

"So you let him in here so he could mess with my stuff?"

Jack had to bite back a grin. Daniel sounded like a twelve-year-old complaining because his kid brother got into his 'stuff' and messed it up. "Daniel, in case it slipped your mind the first thing you did when you walked into this facility was correct Doctor Meyers' translation of the glyphs on the cover stone."

Daniel had the grace to look abashed. For all of two seconds. "That was different." At Jack's  raised eyebrows he replied crisply, "Doctor Meyers was wrong." He lowered his head and began methodically striking through the notations on his paper, adding scornfully, "He was using Budge."

There was something about the way Daniel wouldn't meet his eye and in his body language that reminded Jack of something...and then Jack remembered. It reminded him of when Charlie was trying distract him and get away with telling only part of the truth but not the whole truth. Realization hit, and a grin slowly spread across his features. "You did it to him! You did, didn't you? You went into his office and corrected his translation."

The pen in Daniel's hand began tapping a rapid tattoo on the desk top. "Jack, I'm kind of busy right now."

End of conversation. Jack gazed at his bowed head for a few moments, then jammed his hands into his pockets and took the plunge. "So, how'd you get along with the other me?"

"Fine." Then Daniel seemed to actually hear the question and looked up with something like panic in his eyes. "Why? What did he say?"

"He didn't say anything," Jack replied, then watched as Daniel quickly looked back down in an attempt to conceal the relief on his face. "But you got along...okay?"

"He was nice to me."

"Nice? How nice?" The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Daniel glanced up. "What do you mean 'how nice'? Weren't you nice to the other me?"

Jack shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, sure I was." He was aware of Daniel's eyes on him as if gauging his answer before returning his attention to the papers in front of him.

"When did you find out it wasn't me?"

The tone of the question was much too casual to be casual, and Jack answered it in a matching tone. "Apparently the other me has different taste in interior decorating." He was watching closely and saw Daniel's stiff shoulders relax a bit.

"Really?"

"Yep. How about you?" Shoulders stiffened again.

"Like you said, the other you had different taste in interior decorating."

Daniel had just lied to him. It was in his tone and in his body language. Daniel was the most painfully honest person he'd ever known, yet he'd just lied to him. Jack wondered bleakly why he felt he had to.

He'd promised the other Daniel he'd try, and maybe someday he would. But this definitely wasn't the time. Daniel was closed off to him, uncomfortable with him, and had just lied to him. Maybe something had happened in that other universe that had changed their friendship, and it was already fucked up for good. He couldn't stand there anymore looking at Daniel and contemplating a future like this.

"Okay then, I guess if you don't want anything to eat...?"

"No, I'm good." Daniel didn't even bother looking up when he answered.

"Right. Don't work too late."

This time Daniel's answer was soft, "I won't. Good night, Jack."

"Yeah, 'night, Daniel." Jack turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

As soon as he heard the door close, Daniel slumped in his chair and dropped his head into his hands. Right now banging his head against a wall for fifteen minutes sounded pretty appealing. How was he supposed to go on like this? How was he supposed to continue to work side by side with Jack and want nothing more when he remembered what it was like to be held by him, kissed by him, and damn it, loved by him?

The other O'Neill's words came back to him: Tell him, Daniel. Don't piss around with this; it's too important. How was he supposed to do that when the result could be that he lost everything? How could he take that chance? The very thought of losing Jack's friendship, of no longer having Jack in his life, was too terrifying. Better to try to go on as he was, forget he'd ever met the other O'Neill, and keep Jack's friendship. There. He'd made his decision. Fine.

He stared at the papers in front of him and only when he saw how blurred the words were did he realize he'd been crying. Taking his glasses off, he carefully wiped his eyes, then got up and locked the door. The last thing he needed was Sam or Teal'c walking in on him like this. He could hear Jack's voice in his head, in his most atrocious Ricky Ricardo accent: 'You have some real 'splainin' to do, Dannyboy.' Yeah, no kidding.

He stood in the middle of the office for a long time, knowing there was no way he could return to his work tonight yet not wanting to go home to an empty apartment. Part of him wished he'd taken Jack up on his offer, while the more sane part of him realized why he couldn't. Walking across the room, he reached up to the bowl he and Sha're had shared on their wedding day and retrieved the little key he kept inside, remembering doing this in the other Daniel's office. He went back to his desk, unlocked the drawer, and reached in, feeling the soft leather of his personal journal. He needed to clear his head, get some of this turmoil out, and this was the only way he knew how.

Two hours later, Daniel was sitting in his car outside Jack's house. There were two pizza boxes on the seat next to him, and if they did eat the pizzas Jack was going to have to stick them in the microwave first because he'd been sitting here so long they must be cold by now.

Two questions kept tearing through his mind, both with no ready answers: What would Jack do when he walked in there and said what he planned to say? And was his counterpart a nasty little prick with an evil sense of humor or was he really an okay guy who was just trying to help?

Daniel shifted in his seat and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He'd gotten the surprise of his life when he'd opened his journal and found a neatly written note for himself by his other self. According to the other Daniel, Jack wasn't exactly adverse to taking their relationship to a new level; in fact, the other Jackson could pretty much guarantee an enthusiastic response, and if Daniel didn't take courage in hand and do something about it then he didn't deserve Jack O'Neill. Oh yes, there was one more question as well: Just how in the hell did the other Daniel Jackson know this? Smacking the steering wheel, Daniel grabbed the pizza boxes and climbed out of the car. 'This better not be your idea of a practical joke, you little prick, or I'll come over there into your world and kick your ass.'

The doorbell was an unwanted intrusion. After Daniel made it clear he didn't want anything to do with him tonight, Jack had come back home and planned to spend the evening getting stinking drunk. Maybe then he'd stop thinking about all the things he really wanted to do to Daniel that he obviously was never going to be able to do. With a muttered curse, he pushed himself off the sofa and went to answer the door.

Daniel was the last person he expected to see tonight. The other man was standing in the doorway, two pizza boxes in hand, and he looked like he'd rather be anywhere than here. So why was he? "Thought you were working," Jack said in a neutral voice.

Daniel shrugged. "I was. I got hungry. I thought maybe if you hadn't eaten yet...?" He sounded so uncertain and his gaze was so anxious that it was like a distress signal going out, and there was no way Jack could stand there and not respond to it.

"Yeah, sure, come on in." He didn't miss the relief that seemed to wash through Daniel as the other man stepped inside.

"I think they're cold."

Jack looked from the pizza boxes to Daniel's face. The boxes were from the pizza place only ten minutes away. How long had he been sitting out there in the car? And why? Christ, he wanted to make that look of stark uncertainty in those blue eyes go away. "We can warm them up," he said gently and reached out and patted him on the arm, just like he'd done a hundred times before when Daniel needed a little reassurance.

But Daniel's reaction this time was different from all those other times. Dropping the boxes to the floor with a thud, he straightened his shoulders, moved forward until they were standing toe to toe, and looked Jack right in the eyes. "I didn't come over here for pizza tonight, Jack." His voice was a little breathy, probably from nerves, but it sent an unexpected tingle down Jack's spine. Something was going on here between them. He couldn't put a name to it, but he almost felt an electric charge surge through him as Daniel stepped closer.

"You didn't." He didn't know how the words even came out of his dry mouth. "Then what did you come for, Daniel?"

He watched, mesmerized, as a pink tongue darted out to lick a lower lip. Then Daniel closed his eyes, leaned forward, and fit his lips to Jack's in a slow, sweet kiss. It was like every dream Jack had ever had. It was like the last piece of a puzzle falling into place. It was like a hole in himself had finally been filled. It was like coming home.

Daniel pulled away and stepped back, his eyes huge behind his glasses as he stared at Jack, his expression anxious yet a little defiant as he waited for Jack's reaction. Jack deliberately and slowly ran a tongue along his lower lip, tasting Daniel. His heart was hammering in his chest, and his first impulse was to grab Daniel, crush him to his chest, and never let him go. But this wasn't the time for grabbing or crushing; this was a time for slow and gentle and savoring. "Is that all you came for?" he asked, his voice husky with want and need.

The expression on Daniel's face was one of endearing confusion. His gaze locked with Daniel's, Jack reached out slowly and cupped the back of the other man's head, bringing him closer, aware of how Daniel's breathing increased and of the tension in his body. This time he was the one who leaned forward and who fit his lips to Daniel's. There was a moment of surprised resistance, then Jack found himself with an armful of willing Daniel Jackson. Daniel filled his senses: the scent of him, the feel of his lean body pressed against his, the sound of his soft moans of approval as Jack slipped his tongue between those soft lips. Finally, Jack broke the kiss, pulling back far enough to gaze at Daniel's face: cheeks flushed, eyes closed, lips kiss-swollen and mouth slightly agape. He was the most beautiful thing Jack had ever seen. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss on each closed eyelid and felt Daniel's body shudder with a sigh as the man buried his face in Jack's neck. What guts it must have taken him to come over here tonight.

"Jesus," he breathed into Daniel's hair, "you're braver than I am, you know that, Danny? I can walk through the Stargate, but I never would've had the guts to do what you did tonight."

There was a snuffle against his neck that could have been a laugh or a sob. "Going through the Stargate is nothing, Jack. The first time I went through that 'gate I had nothing to lose. But when I came over here tonight I had everything to lose."

Jack caught his breath. The sound he just heard was his heart breaking into a million pieces over this guy. Starting at his temple, he nuzzled his way down around an ear, cheekbone, jaw, and once again found those soft, willing lips. If it took him the rest of his life, he was going to make sure Daniel realized just how much he was loved, needed and cherished by one Jack O'Neill. There were questions - lots of questions - and things they needed to talk about, but right now he needed to feel skin, lots of warm, naked Daniel skin. "Upstairs?" he mumbled against questing lips.

"Bed," came the immediate reply as Jack's lower lip was gently bitten.

Jack didn't remember the scramble up the stairs or the actual removal of clothes. It was all something of a blur until found himself lying on the bed facing Daniel who was gazing at him with something like wonder. It must have occurred to them both at the same time that they'd actually been give permission to touch, to explore. It started out with hesitant feather-light touches that quickly grew more bold until they were pressed against each other, rubbing, kissing, licking, nipping, desperate to touch and be touched, trying to crawl into each other's skin. It all came together in a flashpoint that set off fireworks behind Jack's eyes and blew the back of his head off. When he came to his senses again he was wrapped around a warm body, and a wet tongue was lazily exploring his chest hair.

He sighed happily and pressed a kiss into the tousled hair under his chin. "We've wasted so much time," he mourned, thinking of that other pair who had taken this step a long time ago.

"Doesn't matter," came the contented, confident voice from the vicinity of his chest. "We won't waste any more."

No they certainly wouldn't. "Hey."

Daniel lifted his head to look at Jack. "Hey," he said softly. And there it was; there was the look that had been in Alternate Daniel's eyes when he'd seen his Colonel O'Neill. They certainly couldn't walk around the SGC gazing at each other like this (because he was pretty damn sure the same look was on his own face), but here it was just...perfect. He placed a kiss between those eyes shining with happiness, then reached up and flicked up the tousled strands of hair on Daniel's forehead until they were sticking straight up. When Daniel didn't so much as raise a fuss, he realized they were so soppy for each other Daniel could probably paint him head to foot in woad and he'd just lie here and let him.

Daniel, who apparently had developed the frightening ability to read his mind, laughed ruefully. "We're pretty far gone, aren't we?"

Jack ran a hand lightly up and down his back, loving the feel of that silky skin under his fingers. "You got a problem with that, Doctor Jackson?"

The other man shook his head, then dipped down to bestow a kiss. "I've been pretty far gone for a long time."

Jack wrapped his arms around him to keep him where he was and said seriously, "It wasn't a one-way street, Danny. I just didn't have the guts to say anything."

"Doesn't matter," Daniel smiled, and Jack could see from the deep contentment in his eyes that it didn't matter. They were here now; that was all that mattered.

His arms still wrapped around the other man, Jack turned so they were once again facing one another, legs entangled, and he took the opportunity to look his fill. What he saw immediately was that the shadow of sadness that he'd seen in Daniel's eyes for far too long was gone now. There was a peace there that he hadn't ever remembered seeing before. He swallowed hard as he realized he'd put that there. Just as important, he was determined to keep it there.

"Jack?" Daniel was engrossed with testing the different textures of his hair with his fingers. "Did the other me come onto you?"

Was that just a hint of jealousy in Daniel's tone? Jack grinned. "The other you thought I was the other O'Neill."

Daniel's fingers stopped, and he gave Jack a sharp look. "And you couldn’t tell it wasn't me?"

Enjoying himself immensely Jack replied, "Well I didn't really have anything to compare. I mean, how was I supposed to know -- mmpth."  Jack was incapable of speech for the next several moments as Daniel stuck his tongue down his throat and did his best to give Jack a baseline for comparison should one be needed in the future. When Daniel finally pulled away, Jack was gasping and Daniel was looking insufferably pleased with himself as he laid his head back on the pillow. "I think - " wheeze - "I'll be able to remember now."

"Good." Jack felt a gentle pat on his thigh. "Of course, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to go around letting Alternate Universe Daniel Jacksons do that do you," Daniel told him in a deceptively mild tone.

No, he could see immediately that wouldn't be a good idea at all. There was another side to this though. He knew what he and the Other Daniel had done (which was precisely nothing), but he didn't know what Daniel and that Other O'Neill might have gotten up to. In fact, there was still that unanswered question... "So, Daniel."  Shifting around, Jack busied himself with nuzzling the other man's face. "How did the other me find out you weren't his version of Daniel?" The hand that had been stroking his thigh paused for a moment, then continued.

"I told you."

"Mm hm. Tell me again." He gazed down into the wary blue eyes. "The unedited version this time."

Daniel searched his face for a moment, then heaved a sigh. "Okay, Jack, it was my appendix scar. The other Daniel never had his appendix out."

Jack twisted his head to see the scar in question, tracing it lightly with one finger, noting its exact location. "And the other O'Neill would have seen this scar...how exactly?"

Daniel gave him a look from under his lashes. "What, you think I'm going to say 'while we were making wild, passionate love?'"

"Ohh, for his sake, I certainly hope you're not going to say that," Jack replied silkily.

Blue eyes softened as Daniel began to rub his arm soothingly. "I took a shower. He walked in while I was drying off."

"While you were naked," Jack said flatly.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack, you and I have seen each other naked in the showers like a hundred times at the SGC."

"Not the same." As he saw the rebuttal forming on Daniel's lips he changed directions, "You said he was nice to you."

"He was. You'd prefer he hadn't been?"

"I'd prefer he hadn't seen you naked. Just how nice was he?"

"He was as nice to me as you use --" Daniel stumbled, then finished lamely, "As you."

"He was as nice to you as I used to be," Jack finished woodenly and dropped back onto the bed. "Christ, Daniel."

"Jack." Scrambling around so he was looking down into Jack's face, Daniel framed the other man's face with his hands and wouldn't let him look away. "We've both been pretty screwed up for a while," he said softly, "and we both know why. But that doesn’t matter any more. We're here. And this is exactly where I want to be."

As he stared up into the blue eyes that mirrored every emotion he was feeling, Jack knew that once again, Daniel was right. The past didn't matter. Reaching up, he trailed his knuckles down the side of the other man's face. "This is where I want to be too," he assured him, and pulled him down for a kiss.

All that mattered was they had both finally found their way home.

***

In another reality far, far away...

In the aftermath of sex, the two men lay entwined, sated and drowsy in each other's arms. Jack O'Neill pressed a kiss into the sweaty, tousled hair of the head lying on his shoulder. "How's the arm?" he asked, a little concerned after their energetic session in bed.

"What arm?" came the drowsy answer.

"The one Fraiser's going to be asking questions about if you're not more careful with it."

The other man wriggled a bit, then settled more comfortably against Jack. "It's fine, Jack. Stop worrying."

"I'll never stop worrying about you."

Daniel raised his head then, giving him a long look before bestowing a tender kiss. "I'm fine." Then, eyes shining with mischief, he added with just a touch too much innocence, "The other colonel took good care of me."

"Did he now?" Jack murmured.  With a swiftness that never failed to take the other man by surprise, Jack rolled them over until he was gazing down into laughing blue eyes. He took a moment to make sure the sprained wrist wasn't trapped between them, then continued, "And just how did he do that?" A bare foot began to lazily trail a path up and down the back of his thigh.

"Don't worry. He couldn't stop thinking about that other Daniel," came the rueful answer. Reaching up, Daniel played with the silver strands sticking up over Jack's head. "He looks older than you," he decided thoughtfully.

Jack spluttered with laughter. "Yeah, you keep me young, Danny," he said wryly and placed a kiss on the smooth chest beneath him.

The other man grinned. "You think?" Then his grin faded. "I think he was unhappy. Just like we were...before."

Before they'd both taken that terrifying step that had made Jack the happiest man in the universe. Spending time with that other Daniel and seeing his other self had reminded him how desperately unhappy he'd been before, and how utterly happy and content he was now.

"Do you think they ever got together?"

Jack grazed along the side of Daniel's face. "Dunno. We did all we could; the rest is up to them."

"Are we going to be on the team that goes to 229 again?"

"Christ, Daniel, this isn't a mission briefing here," Jack complained, biting a convenient ear a little harder than necessary.

"Are we?" Daniel repeated, using his leg to pull Jack a little tighter against him.

"Maybe. Yeah, probably," Jack conceded as Daniel's fingers skimmed over his back.

"They'll be there too," the other man said with certainty.

Jack admitted silently that was probably true.

"We'll know when we see them if they're together."

Jack stopped his foraging and looked down at the thoughtful and well beloved face and knew Daniel was right yet again. They'd be able to tell as soon as they saw the other two. Jack had recognized his old despondency in the other O'Neill, and there was no doubt in his mind he'd be able to recognize his current contentment and happiness as well. He wasn't about to admit it to Daniel, but he fervently hoped those two did get together. He couldn't bear to see the unhappiness in the other Daniel's eyes.

"What're you thinking about?"

He'd been quiet too long. Planting a quick kiss on the tip of that perfect nose, he replied, "The other you."

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Oh really? Any particular reason you'd be thinking about him when we're lying here all naked and sweaty and about to make love again?"

Jack dropped his head so Daniel wouldn't see his smile. Would he ever admit what a warm rush of joy it gave him because Daniel never called it anything but 'making love'? This man owned his heart. "Just thinking how much cuter you are," he answered finally, trying for an expression of total innocence.

Daniel stared at him for a moment, then moved his hands around to lightly pinch his ass. "Bastard." But he was laughing at him.

Jack clamped his hands around Daniel's head and held him still until he had thoroughly explored every tooth in his mouth. When they finally parted, he rested their foreheads together. "I was thinking of that other clueless bastard me and hoping he had the guts to at least meet Daniel halfway. I guess I just can't stand to see a Daniel Jackson in any universe that unhappy."

"This Daniel Jackson is very happy," the other man assured him, his warm breath whispering across Jack's face. "Want me to show you just how happy I am?"

"If you're sure you don't mind, Doctor Jackson..."

"Oh, not at all, Colonel..." As arms and legs wrapped around him, he barely had time to wish the other Jackson and O'Neill good luck before all his thoughts were claimed by his own warm and loving reality.

~fin~