Chapter 4

Getting home from the Sua home world with at least a promise of more talks with the Anunnaki settled Maynard and the others into minor grumbles rather than full-blown ranting. At least they got a clear picture of what the SGC was up against on a daily basis; they had the sore muscles and calluses to prove it. They were more concerned with the secret panel behind Philips’ filing cabinet. Not only was the file on Nate found there, but also eight other Top Secret files that really shouldn’t have been out of Vidrine’s office. Nate’s file was the only original, the others were copies. 

The Crypto department went to work on Philips’ computer, looking for more information that he shouldn’t have. Philips was promised early retirement in place of a court martial if he quietly dropped his witch-hunt against Major Davis. According to Sam, Philips was an ass when she was at the Pentagon; a major at the time, Philips was under the impression that he’d be first in line for any military hardware development that came out of the newly formed SGC. He was shocked when Davis was jumped ahead of him and was made General Vidrine’s right hand man. When he still wasn’t given the SGC upon becoming a colonel, he knew Davis had been putting bad bugs in the general’s ear. Faced with treason charges and a psych-eval, Philips agreed to the retirement.

Nate was warned that his file was compromised. He took it with only a few curses and agreed to carry a gun, which he had been refusing. He still wasn’t in Jack and Sam’s good graces on the Cassandra front.

Daniel printed out the image of him and T’Keet and framed it for his base quarters. Jack had been referring to the cub as Daniel’s adopted daughter who might be getting a sex change into a son. At least the name was unisex. Daniel flicked a Cheerio at him.

He found Sam in her quarters finishing up her report.

“Hi,” he said, coming in and sitting on the edge of her bed. She smiled and turned to face him.

“Hi, did you finish your report?” she asked.

“Yes, Colonel, I did, and it’s in your inbox,” he reported with a sloppy salute. “I’m a little disappointed that Dad won’t let me keep the kitten, but I’ll survive.”

“And you’re tickled at finding a missing pantheon,” Sam guessed. Daniel had been practically bouncing on air since they got back. He grinned and nodded.

“I got so much information from that short time, it makes me nauseous that I can’t publish it,” he said.

“Why don’t you publish under a pseudonym?” she suggested. “Make it look like one of those crazy Grail books. You’ll get a cult following.”

Daniel grimaced. “You’re hysterical,” he dryly informed her. “I am thinking of holding an in-service for our people, though. For various topics, not just this one. Maybe once every couple of weeks. Instead of sending around memos, get everyone together and we can get the information out and questions asked and answered.”

“Have you talked with Jack?” she asked.

“No, I’m still formulating a formal proposal. I know he’d let me, but he needs to answer to higher-ups and I’d like him to have as much information as I can get him.”

He reached out and pulled her chair closer.

“Did he remember to tell you that I’m coming over tomorrow for dinner and talking?” he asked

“No, but that’s alright, come over,” she said. Daniel took one of her hands, linking their fingers and lightly swinging their hands.

“How would you like the evening to end?” he asked.

Sam flushed and lowered her head for a moment. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “Jack’s response is my main concern; I know how he feels about you and I’m good with it, I think it’s beautiful.”

“No, Sam,” Daniel stopped her. “How do YOU feel? Do you want me, too? If you don’t I want you to tell me. I do want you, I have for a long time and I was very disappointed when we couldn’t get together before, but I’m a big boy and I can take a No from you.”

Sam leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she picked at his fingers. “I do want you, Danny,” she said softly. “I’m married; I’m not supposed to be with another man. I know it’s just social conditioning and I’m working through it.”

They were aware of Jack coming into the room, leaving the door open due to the whole husband-wife thing. He saw the heavy talking and leaned quietly against the wall, watching and listening. There was nothing they would say behind his back that they wouldn’t say to his face; it was his right to stay.

“It feels different, what I feel for you compared to what I feel for Jack,” Sam continued. “What I feel for Jack is so deep and so strong that sometimes it hurts. I drown in him. He encompasses me and I feel reborn in his arms. I have never loved someone as much I love him. You’ve changed since being Ascended. You used to be scattered air; you are now fire. I can feel you blazing into me sometimes. You have this way of cutting through the crap and getting to the heart of the matter. Sometimes it scares me, but I feel the better for it afterward. I’m a little afraid of the changes that will happen and that’s the part that scares me about all this. So, yes, I do want you, but I don’t know if I’m brave enough to allow the changes in me that I know are going to occur.”

Daniel leaned forward and put his forehead to hers. “You’re the bravest person I know, Sam,” he whispered. “I wish I could kiss you and hold you properly at this moment, so consider a rain-check given. We will talk tomorrow night. Don’t have any expectations for anything else, okay? Whatever happens, happens. No planning. One of the Anunnaki, Ereshkigal, referred to you as our queen, which I found appropriate; as our Queen, you have the final word. I wouldn’t mind the three of us ending up in bed, making love to each other. If you aren’t ready to go there, that’s fine, too, I will never pressure you. You just need to tell me.”

He stood and pulled her up into his arms, holding her close. He breathed in her hair as she breathed in his own scent off his chest, taking comfort with each other. To anyone walking by the open door, this was just SG-1 being their usual touchy-feely selves, and with Jack in the doorway watching, no one would think any differently.

Sam stepped away and smoothed out Daniel’s shirt.

“Okay?” Jack asked. Sam gave a nod. “Good. Actually, I’m glad you’re both here, saves me repeating myself. Col. Philips has disappeared. I already called Nate and put him on alert. Cassandra has instructions that if anything happens she is to call in and if she can, get here right away. I want them both off-world if it looks like something is going down. Daniel, I want your take on Nate.”

Daniel lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms into his thinking position. “In what way?”

“Overall; emotionally, mentally, what do you see?”

“I see a mostly well-adjusted young man who happens to have your memories,” Daniel said. “I think that after the initial joy-ride, reality set in and he made the conscious decision to dig out your baggage and dump it, which probably kept him sane. I think he shocked himself when he discovered Cass really is an attractive and available young lady and I think that finding each other is a good thing. They’re both strangers in a strange land and holding onto each other gives them a sense of community and family. I think Nate needs his parents, your parents, having your love for them, and I think that there is a secret part in him that is hoping for acceptance from you so that he can have them in at least some semblance of family. He isn’t mentally a child, he’s you -which makes the mental child debatable- so he doesn’t look to you as a father-figure, but I think he could use a friend outside the teenagers he’s hanging around. I think he’s looking forward to college in the fall. He’s majoring in Primary Education, did you know that? He wants to teach, nine- to fourteen-year-olds, preferably. Knowing you, Jack, I think it’s a wonderful choice and he’ll be perfect for it. I already promised to tutor him in Spanish and child psych. I was going to ask Sam if she would volunteer for the science. He should breeze through the rest of it by himself.”

Jack nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “No, I didn’t know about his major. Teaching was actually my secondary choice when I was figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I went into the Air Force, telling myself that I’d be out after my first tour. I decided that I liked it. As for family, I understand his need for it and I will think about it. Promise. Am I really that irritating?”

The other two tried not to smile too much. “Sometimes,” Daniel said. “We love you anyway and you seem to be mellowing in your old age.”

Jack glared at him. “I’ll show you old,” he warned.

“I’m going to hold you to that, Jack,” Daniel immediately responded. Jack flushed, caught. Sam snickered.

“Yes, I’ll help him pass the science requirement,” she said. “I’ll let him know. He shouldn’t have any problem with the math; you’re good at that, Jack.”

“I’ll offer him history tutoring, too,” Daniel remembered. Sam looked at him and nodded. “Jack’s terrible at history.”

“Cassie passed with flying colors after our help,” she mentioned. “She said something about another language for next year.”

“Really?” Daniel brightened. “I’ll call her.”

“Do you two mind?” Jack butted in. “You sound like proud parents.”

“We are,” Sam said. “We all raised her, Jack; you can’t tell me you aren’t proud of her, too. Who got her through math and English?”

He gave a reluctant smile. “I did,” he admitted. “Okay, you’re right, we did good. If those two make us grandparents, I will not be a happy camper,” he grumped.

***

When Daniel got to their house the next evening, Jack was so obviously nervous Daniel was surprised the man didn’t fall over in a dead faint. It was sweet and amusing, on a certain level. Daniel kissed Sam and pointed a thumb at Jack who was jumping from room to room.

“Yeah, well, I’m a little nervous, too,” she admitted. Daniel put his arms around her.

“It’s just me, Sam,” he reminded her. “We don’t need to do anything; we’re having dinner and talking and being together. Nothing we haven’t done before.”

“Yes, but the intent is completely new,” she pointed out.

“Is it?” he asked, leaning back against the counter and settling her against him. “You and I have made out before, and I’ve showered with Jack so many times that being naked near him is second-nature. This is just one more step and if it doesn’t feel right, all you need to do is say so.”

Sam laid her forehead against his chest. “Actually, this feels better than I thought it would,” she said into his chest.

“Good.” Daniel lifted her face and kissed her, pouring himself into her, tasting her mouth slowly, thoroughly, as he wanted to do the previous day in her quarters. Sam took her mouth away and looked at his, millimeters from hers. She licked her lips, tasting him.

“How come we couldn’t do that before?” she asked.

“Because Jack wasn’t with us,” Daniel suggested. He held out a hand to Jack who had stopped to watch them. “Are you going to stop flitting long enough for me to get in a kiss?” he asked. Jack flushed, looked at Sam, and stepped forward. Daniel kept one arm around Sam and put the other arm around Jack’s waist, pulling him into their circle. Jack felt self-conscious about kissing Daniel in front of Sam but after Daniel put his mouth to Jack’s, all reason escaped out the window. After a moment, Jack surrendered and gave into it. His arms went around both and he took his enjoyment of kissing Daniel.

Jack looked at Sam. Her eyes were glazed and she was smiling at him. Jack kissed her and went back to puttering with the grill.

“I’ve never seen him shy before,” Sam whispered to Daniel.

“He’ll relax,” Daniel promised. “I think he isn’t sure how you are taking this. A lot of times this is the stage where things either jump forward or stop dead in the water. We shouldn’t just jump into bed; we need to talk this through. I have a good idea of Jack’s needs, taking his past into consideration, but I don’t know about you. I don’t know what you want out of this. You don’t know my needs and desires. You may not like to do the things I like to do.”

Jack brought in a plate of grilled chicken and they moved to the table.

“Why wouldn’t I like the things you like to do?” Sam asked. They sat down and helped themselves. Jack was quiet, watching and listening to them.

“Well, I enjoy making love just as much as the next person, but sometimes I like to experiment. An unusual position, a different place. I like being together outdoors. I like to play games, nothing hard, just playful. I like the energy exchange that happens, and sometimes the energy is more important than an orgasm.”

“I know what you mean,” Sam nodded. “Just being together is sometimes better than the fireworks. What kind of games?”

Daniel smiled and swallowed his chicken. “The kind that will have you calling me names,” he said. “Like making you hold a scarf or tie and telling you not to let go no matter what because if you do, the game ends and I turn over and go to sleep. Head games. Sex really is all in your head because without the will and imagination, nothing happens below the waist. Sometimes I like to just get fucked, plain and simple.”

Sam choked and took a drink. She nodded, slightly red.

“Okay, I can appreciate that,” she said. “I have my moments, too. Which Jack is quite willing to assist me with.” He chuckled and took a sip of his water. “What do you mean by nothing hard?”

“Hard games refers to things like BDSM. I can get into a little fetish, like specific clothes and such, costumes, sometimes toys, but nothing like whips or anything that causes pain. After all the times I’ve had the crap beaten out of me, I don’t need it in the bedroom.”

Sam nodded. “What do you mean by clothes?”

“Skimpy, frilly things, silk, uniforms. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten off on the thought of blowing Jack in his full-dress blues.”

Jack choked on a piece of broccoli. Sam laughed.

“You can laugh, Sam, but you bent over the back of the couch in your blues does it for me, too,” Daniel warned her with a playful grin. She turned red.

“Does it for me, too,” Jack echoed. Sam tossed her fork down and covered her face with her hands.

“You two stop it!” she insisted after a moment. She cleared her throat and tried a couple times to speak. She wadded up her napkin and threw it at Daniel.

“Come on, Sam, are you going to tell me you’ve never thought about putting your uniform on for a little fun and games?” Daniel asked her. “Tell me what kind of things you’d like to try that you haven’t done before. Tell me a fantasy.”

Sam turned even redder. “I’m going to clean up,” she stated, standing and collecting plates.

“Samantha Carter, what are you hiding?” Daniel cooed as he stood to help. “Come on, tell Uncle Danny all about it.”

“Pick on Jack,” she told him.

“Later; you’ve piqued my curiosity. You’re a very bad liar, Sam, spill. Jack, do you know what she’s hiding?”

“Not a clue,” Jack said. “I’m kind of curious myself. Honey, what are you not telling us?”

Daniel cornered her against the counter, his arms locking her in. He trailed his mouth against the back of her neck, barely touching her skin. He flicked his tongue at her and she quivered. A flash came to him, showing him something that he hadn’t noticed before.

“I have an idea,” Daniel said in her ear. “I need you to trust me, though, and play my game.”

“What game?” she asked.

“Just more talking,” he said. “I talk, you respond. Only completely open, honest answers are allowed. Will you do this with me, Sam, will you trust me with you?”

An hour later…..

“You did good,” Jack whispered huskily to her. “I love you so much; don’t ever be afraid to ask me for something.” He buried his face in her neck and rocked all three of them. They quieted after a while and shared kisses and nuzzles.

“I didn’t know that was in me,” Sam whispered. Daniel's 'game' had drilled into her brain and heart so deeply that she was still reeling from it. He got her to spill things she didn't even know were in her.

“And I thought our communication was so good,” Jack said. “I missed all that. I’m sorry, honey.”

She half turned, curled into Daniel’s chest and shook her head. She brought Jack down to her and kissed him, using Daniel for a pillow. Daniel held them, silent, waiting as they whispered to each other, loved and caressed each other.

“I need to put water on my face,” Sam said, sniffing. Jack nodded and let her up. Sam didn’t seem to notice that she was still naked as she walked through the house. Jack let out a breath and leaned back against the couch next to Daniel.

“What was that, Daniel?” Jack quietly asked, an arm over his eyes.

“I was following a feeling I had,” Daniel said. “Jack, haven’t you noticed that she doesn’t talk very much about what’s inside? She’ll give a surface answer if she’s asked, but she doesn’t volunteer much deeper than that. What she said to me in her quarters yesterday was a surprise; she’s never spoken like that before, not in my hearing, anyway. Seemed to me she had a lot in her that no one has asked her so she hasn’t said it. I also got the impression that she wanted it pulled out of her, which meant someone needed to Top her into it. So I Topped her.”

Jack lifted his arm and looked at Daniel.

“That isn’t a bad thing,” Daniel assured him. “Neither does it mean she’s weak. She’s very strong, which is why she needed someone to do that. Believe me, after she calms down, she’ll be flying high from the weight lifted. I’ll bet you anything when she comes back in here, she’s still naked. We’ve seen a piece of her soul, Jack, what’s a little skin compared to that?”

Sam came back in a moment later, her eyes red and glazed. She was still naked. She returned to her position in Daniel’s legs and curled into his chest again. She reached out and pulled Jack over. He put an arm on the couch behind Daniel and spooned himself to them, both men holding Sam as she snuggled between them. Daniel pressed his mouth to the top of her hair. Jack stroked her back and turned his head to kiss Daniel. Daniel licked the taste of Sam from Jack’s lips and took it from inside with a slow, exploring tongue. Jack tightened his arms and welcomed Daniel. He held them as they breathed deeply of each other. He licked skin, not caring whose skin it was.

After loving each other, breathing became steady in the pile, turning into light snores. Daniel blinked sleepily at them and smiled, tired but happy. He carefully reached for his jeans and felt around until he found his cell phone. He opened and dialed with one hand.

“It’s me,” he said softly, gazing with affection at the two sleeping next to him. “I’m officially out of the dating pool.”