The Forever Series

JUST HOW FAR I’D TRAVEL, JUST HOW FAR WOULD I GO Chap 1

by Debi C

THE SONG

FOREVER MAY NOT BE LONG ENOUGH FOR MY LOVE.     

(The theme from ‘The Mummy Returns)

By LIVE

Forever, Forever may not be long enough for my love.

I have a will but I’m lost inside your touch

If you could would you come with me to the other side?

Forever may not be long enough,

Forever may not be long enough,

Forever may not be long enough for this love,

Forever, Forever, Forever.

This world is never enough and I’m not giving up.

My baby, love is like blood, I spill it freely.

My baby, love is like blood, it goes in every way.

Don’t stop to look at it, look at the clock.

Forever, it won’t be long enough.

Forever may not be long enough for you to know,

Just how far I’d travel, just how far I would go.

Open your heart and everything will be all right,

Open your heart and believe with me...Don’t be afraid forever.

This world is never enough and I’m not giving up.

My baby, love is like blood, I spill it freely.

My baby, love is like blood, it goes in every way.

Don’t stop to look at it, look at the clock.

Forever, it won’t be long enough.

Chapter 1 (Forever, Forever may not be long enough for my love,)

ROCK MOUNTAIN, MINNESOTA

"Daniel. Daniel, where are you?" Jack O'Neill entered the cabin carrying the mail and the Duluth Daily News, the only paper they could get this far up in the mountains. He was tall and lean at six foot two and one hundred eighty pounds. His light brown hair, heavily garnished with silver, had grown longer and lightened considerably since he'd moved back to the great outdoors of Minnesota, the land of his youth. The red checked flannel shirt, jeans and hiking boots fit him like a second skin making him one of the favorite topics of conversation in the small town of Elk Horn. There was no answer to his call.

The retired Air Force Colonel lay down the mail on the kitchen table. "Daniel?" He checked the bedroom, still no good-looking significant other in sight. A quick glance into the bath also proved fruitless. He reached into the small cabinet by his side of the bed and checked. The 9MM Glock handgun was still in it's holster inside the drawer. He removed the firearm from it's resting place, checked the clip and shoved it in the back of his jeans. He went back out through the living room and pushed the back screen door open. "Yoo-hoo, Lucy I'm home." Jack stepped out the back door and his breath caught in his throat.

Daniel Jackson was out away from the cabin, concentrating on the task he had set for himself. He was presently facing away from their home, holding the big compound bow that Jack had taught him to use. Daniel was aiming a practice tip arrow at a circular target they had set up out in the small meadow that constituted their back yard. That in itself was good, but what took Jack's breath clean away was the picture he was unconsciously presenting.

Daniel too had benefited from the active outdoor life. He was standing in the classic archer pose, shoulders back, left arm extended and right arm pulling the nocked arrow. Shirtless and glowing from a sheen of perspiration, the posture emphasized his trapezoids, biceps, triceps, and lower back. His hair had lightened to a golden ash blond and it had grown out considerably from the short military style he'd worn before when he was still with the SGC. The worn gray sweatpants Daniel had on were living up to their name and clinging tenaciously to his lower body, molded like a second skin to his gluts, thighs and calves. The soft suede moccasin boots finished the picture creating a vision of a feral woodland godling. Jack stood mesmerized by the scene before him. In a few seconds, the arrow was released and it flew towards it's intended target, striking the circle in the white ring, off center by only a few inches.

"Good shot!" O'Neill called out to the neophyte archer.

Daniel turned to greet his lover, with a small grin. "No. I missed." He protested the praise.

"You hit the target." Jack walked over to greet Daniel. He wrapped his arms around the younger man and kissed him soundly.

"But I missed the center." The kissed one protested. "Jack, I'm all sweaty!"

"Yes, you are." Jack agreed, "You certainly are. Absolutely sweaty, just the way I like you."

As Daniel slid his arms down around Jack's waist, where he felt the weapon tucked into his jeans.

"Oh, is that your gun or are you just happy to see me?"

"Yes, dear." Jack kissed him again.

"Don't take this wrong, but why do you have a gun?"

"Well, you didn't answer when I yelled your name..." Jack stopped nipping at his lover's bare neck for a second. "So I got a little antsy." He shrugged and slipped his hands down the back of the immoral sweat pants firmly caressing the firm muscles. He could feel Daniel's reaction as he pulled the younger man against him.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come back." He leaned into Jack and kissed him back, working his mouth to insinuate his talented tongue into Jack's eager kiss.

"You, uh, got some ma....lll. Umpummm." The trained archaeologist's hands started a new excavation down the front of his Levis. He could feel Daniel's fingers moving around between them, unfastening his jeans and sliding into his boxer's fly. To reciprocate, he began kneading the firm flesh he presently had his hands on. Jack was beginning to get a little lightheaded, what with all the blood presently pooling into his nether regions. As Daniel began to fondle his cock and balls, Jack traced his forefinger down the sweat-slicked cleft and located the sphincter muscle. As his erection started to harden further, he insinuated his finger into the delicate opening and began to stroke gently, keeping pace and rhythm with his assaulter. Daniel groaned his appreciation into Jack's mouth. Jack was simply losing his mind.

"Do you want to go inside?" Daniel asked breathily.

"I already am." Jack managed to get out around the tongue that had presently taken up residence around about where his tonsils had been once. He tweaked his finger as a reminder then hooked his booted foot around the suede moccasins and gently tilted his lover over and down onto the ground.

"Jack,"

Jack was past any skills of verbal communication. As he lowered Daniel to the soft grass, his hands slid the sweats down past the younger man's hips. Daniel had been forced to release his lover's genitals so as not to hurt him, but his hands had slipped up around Jack's ribs kneading the strong back muscles that supported him. As he was laid down on the soft ground on his back, Jack shifted and moved between his legs.

Suddenly, Daniel stiffened and hissed into O'Neill's ear. "Jack, there's someone in the trees!"

"Whaat?" His attention had been broken by the tone of his lover's voice.

"Ssssh." The younger man breathed. "There's someone in the trees, watching us."

Jack stayed where he was; lying over Daniel's prone form but his mind was working quickly. "Where?"

"Five o'clock." Daniel replied. "He's only just been there a few minutes."

"Do you see my gun?" Jack asked, not remembering where it had slipped out of his waistband.

"About eight inches to the right of your hip. I can reach it easily."

"Good, grab it and aim it at him, but if he moves...shoot." Jack spoke in a soft serious voice. "I'll block you till you get your sweats up."

"Great." Daniel grimaced. "I hope it's not any of the neighbors." He slowly reached down to the weapon lying on the ground where it had slipped out of Jack's jeans. He palmed the 9MM and slid the safety off and nodded to Jack who was tensed and ready to go. O'Neill nodded and pushed himself off of his lover as Daniel leaned forward and pointed the weapon at the still form in the trees.

The silhouette slowly raised his hands over his head and spoke in a clear familiar voice. "Hi Jack. Long time no see!"

Once O'Neill gained his knees he spun around and deftly took the pistol from Daniel's hand. In a second, Daniel had his sweats back up to his waist and was in a crouch behind Jack. He grasped his lover and pushed, the two men stood up as one.

The figure remained standing still, arms up still in a position of surrender. "How you doing Jack? I see the rumors of your death are still greatly exaggerated."

Jack kept his gun pointed at the shape in the trees. "What hole did you crawl up out of Harry?"

"Oh you know me, here there and everywhere." The voice continued familiarly. "Hadn't heard from you in a while, thought I do a little checking. I was afraid that something had happened to you."

"Come out of the trees, Harry," The retired Colonel called. "But keep both your hands where I can see them." Jack said grimly, holding the gun steady and pointing it at the smaller man. "You don't have to worry about me, Harry. But you might be concerned about yourself."

"You surprise me, Jack. Who's your friend?" The smaller man called out to him. "I thought your taste ran more to tall, blond women than pretty boys?" Maybourne still hadn't gotten a clear look at O'Neill's partner. "If I had known about this weakness earlier we could have been doing business a lot sooner and more to my advantage."

It occurred to O'Neill that Harry hadn't recognized Daniel, that he thought his companion was someone new. Of course the old NID spy would have heard of Jackson's apparent death while at the SGC. And Danny had changed in his appearance, growing his sun-bleached hair longer, filling out and becoming more tanned due to his active outdoor life since their reunion in the wilderness of Minnesota.

Jackson had got to his feet and was standing close behind Jack, still obscured from Harry's view. He was tugging on O'Neill's jeans trying to secure them by reaching around under the long shirt tail that hung down to and buttoning his fly back up. "Jack?"

"Stop fidgeting with my pants and stay behind me," He responded sotto voce. "He doesn't recognize you."

"What?"

"He thinks your dead, remember. Go into the cabin and don't let him see your face," He continued. "I don't want him to know who you are yet."

"I don't want..."

"Go in the house and hold the rifle on him. Let him see the barrel through the window."

Daniel managed to get O'Neill's belt buckled, kissed him on the back through his shirt and trotted back to the cabin, ducking his head as he turned. He didn't like it, but Jack was right about Maybourne not knowing him. It was safer for them both this way.

"So who is he, Jack?" Harry had a knowing grin on his face as he stepped out into the sunlit meadow. "Are you corrupting the local youths? A small town will run you out on a rail for moral sins."

"What do you want, Maybourne?" Jack asked him pointedly. "You didn't come all this way for a friendly visit."

"Jack, I'm hurt." The smaller man stopped about ten feet from when Jack was standing. "After all we've been through together." He shook his head. "I was worried about you. I know you have a, shall we say history, of depression. I came to offer you a job opportunity."

"Another one? What kind of job are you talking about this time ?" O'Neill pretended to be interested. He never knew what this slime ball was into and it might be to their benefit in the long run to know where he was coming from.

"Well, there are several that you might be interested in." Maybourne started to lower his hands. Jack motioned with the barrel of the 9MM. "Come on, Jack. My arms are getting tired." He complained. "Aren't you going to ask me in?"

"No, I don't think so, Harry," Jack remarked dryly. "Not yet. I'm still not sure you aren't the one who shot me in that hospital that time."

"I've told you that it wasn't me. Hell, it was probably Simmons. He'd shoot his own mother if he had enough reason." The former NID agent continued. "Besides, he's involved with one of the situations that I was going to tell you about. He's still got that Goa'uld."

Jack shrugged. "He can keep him; they deserve each other. Hell, if the Earth is lucky, they'll kill each other. But it's no skin off my nose, not anymore." He smiled thinly at Maybourne. "I'm retired remember. Out the door, down the road, past tense, and old news. If you want a rise out of anybody, e-mail Carter. She may care. Me, I don't...not a rat's ass...especially not about you."

"Jack, you've changed." Harry shook his head sadly. "I'd heard that when Jackson died it had taken the heart out of you. Now, I can see it for myself. It was a tragic loss, even if he was a bit irritating at times."

"Shut the fuck up, Harry!" Jack said softly. "He was so far out of your league; you couldn't even begin to get it."

"It didn't take you long to replace him though, did it." Maybourne smiled grimly. "Maybe your feelings weren't returned. I know he grieved for his wife for years. Then you took him for your own." Harry shrugged. "Maybe he just did it so he could keep looking for her...to pay you off. You always did like those long legged blonds: your wife, Carter, Jackson, now this kid."

"Harry, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now...just to get you out of my life forever." Jack straightened his arm, pointing the weapon directly at Maybourne, his finger unconsciously tightening on the trigger.

"Come on, Jack. Cause I'm you. I'm the dark side of Jack O'Neill." The shorter man looked at him with confidence. "We've seen the same stuff, done the same things, been the same places and been fucked over by the same people. You are me, Jack. I just got caught, and it took another me to do it." Maybourne looked at him steadily. "If Hammond hadn't sicced you on me, I'll still be a Colonel in the Air Force...hell, I'd probably be a General by now. You owe me Jack. You queered my deal big time."

Harry casually dropped his right hand to his hip pocket. Before O'Neill could react, a shot rang out from the window of the cabin. Maybourne spun around with a curse and hit the ground, grasping his upper arm where his blood leaked onto the flannel shirt he was wearing. "Damn it, Jack!" Harry spit out. He was now sitting on his butt in the dirt. "Who the hell is that and why did he shoot me?" He whined. "I was just reaching..."

"Exactly. You were just...reaching." O'Neill ambled over and reached down behind the other man's back, picking up the automatic pistol from where Harry had dropped it. He also did a quick pat down of the prone man and pulled a boot knife from his trouser leg and a wire garrote from Harry's pant cuff. O'Neill straightened up and glanced back at the house. The rifle barrel was gleaming in the sun and still protruding from the window, overseeing the scene. Jack looked back at the cabin with a smile. Daniel's instincts were better than ever. He looked back down at the man on the ground in front of him.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't finish the job right now Harry. One reason."

Harry glared up at him, still holding his wounded arm. "Okay, Jack. I have information you need."

"You got squat, Harry!"

"No, really." He continued as if uninterrupted. "Simmons and Senator Kinsey are going to cause an incident at the Stargate. I don't know exactly what or how, but it will involve the Russians and affect our relationship not only with them but also with one or more of Earth's allies. I don't know who, or which ones. Maybe General Carter's group. They think that they can fool Wallace. Without you or Jackson there to mediate it just might work. The resulting confusion could allow the Goa'uld to get the upper hand over us and the Tok'ra!"

Jack looked suspiciously at the man sitting on the ground. As unlikely as it sounded on the surface, the change of command at the SGC and the resultant confusion could cause enough instability to allow something like this scenario to occur. He knew he'd have to get in touch with Hammond or Sam Carter and let them know what was going on.

Maybourne watched the retired Colonel's face as the flash of insight crossed his expression. For all of O'Neill's vaunted cynicism, he remained one of the few men Maybourne knew he could depend on to take the proper actions on these matters.

The only unknown element that Harry hadn't counted on was the unidentified paramour. He had been surprised to discover O'Neill shacking up with someone...a young man no less. If Daniel Jackson had still been alive, it would have been no surprise, hell even expected given the close relationship of the two men. But when he'd finely located the hideaway and discovered this other youngster he'd been astonished. He didn't like surprises in his schemes and this definitely counted as one. Plus, it detracted from his confidence in his knowledge of O'Neill.

*******

Jack was rapidly dissecting the scenario that Harry had presented him with. He didn't know Wallace well, though he had met the General years before when, as a Captain on a Special Operations team, he was on had gone behind the lines to pull the then fighter pilot out of harm's way. Hammond thought highly of the man but Jack was a bit too experienced to take anyone at face value. He really wanted to talk to Daniel about this to get the younger man's take, but he was unwilling to reveal to Maybourne just who his companion was as yet. It would open too many opportunities to the wily man to hold Jack in check.

Daniel had been watching the complete episode from his seat by the window, but he couldn't hear what was being said between the two men. He could tell from Jack's stance that whatever was being said was interesting at least. Whether or not it was important to anyone other than them, he couldn't discern. When the other man had dropped his hand to his side, Daniel had made the split second decision to fire the rifle. He could have easily killed the ex-NID operative, but he didn't really want to shoot the man in cold blood, though if the threat to Jack had continued Daniel would have done so without any qualms. After the two men had continued to talk for a while, Jack finally tilted his pistol's barrel up in the air and glanced back to the cabin, nodding at Daniel. Jack then reached down and pulled Maybourne up by his good arm. He then escorted him to the back deck of the cabin.

Once Jack got him to the area, he called out to the man in the kitchen, still not using his name. Daniel took it to mean to still not reveal his identity. O'Neill turned Harry to face the woods away from the door then motioned for his partner to come out.

"Bring me the first aide kit. I want to patch up our guest," Jack requested. When the small white box was brought out he moved around in front of Maybourne and scowled at the visitor. "Just because I'm patching you up doesn't mean I still won't finish the job later, Harry. So, don't do anything stupid."

"Jack, I'm hurt by your lack of trust." Maybourne complained. "After all we've meant to each other."

"The only thing you've meant to me has been a pain in my ass. Shut up," Jack groused at him. "Harry, I'm retired. I live up here to get away from all this shit." O'Neill opened the kit, removed a small pair of scissors and cut open the sleeve so he could see the wound to treat it.

"Jack, I understand. I really do. It's just that I'm worried that no one else is capable of handling this situation. They don't have the....skills required." Harry shrugged. "I could do it, but they won't trust me." He watched O'Neill treat his flesh wound. "Ouch, be careful. That hurts, Jack."

"Yeah, they'd throw your butt back in jail if they could find you." O'Neill agreed, concentrating on treating the other man's wounded arm.

Maybourne nodded in agreement. "They don't appreciate the tool after the job is done. You know Jack, I've only done what's been asked or expected of me, just like you." He complained.

"Funny that's what William Calley said after My Lai, and what Oliver North said after the Iran-Contra Scandal. Face, it Harry. You got caught, embarrassed your boss, and he hung you out to dry; you and Makepeace both." Jack shook his head as he finished tying the bandage off. "I'm sorry, I can't help you, Harry. I can't protect you against yourself. Maybe you're right, maybe I was just lucky that I got a Commander like Hammond who had enough sense and courage to stand against people like that. But I've paid my dues now. I've lost enough. I'm not going to risk what I have now, not for you, and not for your old bosses to clean up their mess. You're on your own."

"What do you have now, Jack? A crummy cabin in these woods, a penny-ante pension and an illicit affair with some stupid kid?" Harry stopped at the last phrase.

O'Neill's face had gone very cold very fast. "Shut up Harry. Shut up and get the fuck out of my woods and off my property...." Then he glanced up over his prisoner's shoulder to the cabin's back door. Daniel was standing there watching and listening. Then the younger man motioned Jack to come over to where he was standing. He glanced back down at their guest. "Don't run, Harry. I will shoot you in the leg. Don't turn around, I will shoot you in the head." He straightened up and stepped over to the door, keeping an eye on the ex NID agent. "What?"

"Jack, don't you think we should do something?" Jackson looked at him then at Maybourne.

"We can't trust this guy. It could all be a set up to get something on us." Jack patiently reminded the younger man.

"He could also be serious about the threat. I don't like the idea of this Goa'uld being here on Earth. Shouldn't we at least call Sam and let her know. I mean, she was the one that was being threatened by him last time."

Jack grimaced, then nodded. "Yea, we could send her an encrypted e-mail. That way they have a heads up anyway."

"See, if you can find out where he was the last time Maybourne heard of him," Daniel suggested. "That way we could point them in the right direction."

Jack sighed, then nodded at the younger man. "You're right. Hell, he's right. I don't like it any more than you do. We can't just let this guy run around on Earth." He glanced back at Harry, then nodded. "Go on in and e-mail Carter. Use the code thing she installed. Tell her we'll be in touch when we get more information." Daniel nodded and went back into the cabin.

Harry had sat still, looking out over the meadow. He had overheard the low conversation. "Jack, I'm surprised at you. Did you tell him all your little secrets? All about the SGC? I'm shocked!"

"Don't worry about it Harry." O'Neill commented. "Where was the Gould the last time you heard about him?"

"No, Jack. There's got to be some give and take here." Harry turned to look at O'Neill. "I can't trust you if you won't trust me." He stared up at the taller man. "What are you so afraid that I'll find out? Hell, Jack nobody cares if you're..."

Jack made a decision. He pulled his boot knife, then reached down and grasped the other man's flannel shirt by the front collar. Then O'Neill leaned down very close into Harry's face laying the blade alone his cheek. "Listen to me Maybourne. You're right. I do care...I care about my friends here on Earth...I care about having that damn Simmons and his pet gould running around ...and I care about that fucking Senator Kinsey having the power and ability to close down this planet's only defense against things that he doesn't even begin to comprehend. So, I'm going to do something I can only hope I won't come to regret. I'm going to have to trust you. Don't make me sorry, Harry. Cause there's a great big deep lake over there that a man can disappear into and never be seen again. You got it?"

Harry tried to keep up a brave front and smiled weakly. "Don't worry, Jack. Believe it or not, we are on the same side here. You can trust me."

Jack released him and walked back over to the doorway. He opened it and leaned in. "I think we're going to have to trust Harry here."

Daniel turned from where he was sitting at the computer and nodded. "I think you're right. I don't like it, but I don't see any other options.

O'Neill shrugged. "You could stay here."

Daniel grimaced at him. "That's not an option, Jack. We've had this discussion before. Where you go, I go." He smiled. "I'll watch your back."

Jack looked at him for a minute, just watching that smile. "Okay, and I'll watch yours. Together, buddy, we can't lose."

*******

The two men came out onto the deck and looked at their 'guest'. Harry was still looking towards the woods and hadn't seen Daniel's face yet. Jack looked into his lover's eyes, smiled and nodded. Daniel winked at him and walked around to the front of Maybourne.

Daniel's ash blond hair had grown to almost shoulder length and he no longer needed his glasses thanks to Oma Desala's miracle of his rebirth. He had pulled a tee shirt on and he was still wearing the sweat pants and moccasin boots from earlier. As he stepped around to where Harry could see him, he squatted down in front of the older man.

"Hello, Maybourne. It's been a long time."

Harry looked at him in blankly; then shocked recognition came. "Doctor Jackson? Is that you?"

Jack came around to stand behind him and laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder. Daniel turned to look up at his lover. The two men's eyes met then turned to Maybourne.

"Your files list you as deceased." He remarked, surprised.

"They've said that before." Daniel nodded amicably.

"But Doctor Fraiser...her reports said you died of radiation poisoning."

"And so I did...I don't recommend it, by the way."

"But how?"

"Harry," Jack said with a smile. "Haven't you learned yet? Nothing is impossible where Daniel's concerned. I found that out a long time ago."

"So this is your secret." Maybourne said. "This is what you're protecting up here in the middle of nowhere."

Jack looked down at the younger man. Just who was protecting whom? He hadn't figured that out yet. "No, Harry. I'm not protecting him. He's protecting me."

"Yea, right." Maybourne commented unbelievingly.

"Harry, I'm not the one who shot you."

******* Chapter 2 (I have a will but I'm lost inside your touch.)

ROCK MOUNTAIN, MINNESOTA

The three men entered the cabin. Harry looked around the comfortable furnishings. "This is nice, Jack." He settled in the inviting overstuffed chair in front of the fireplace.

"Yea, not bad for a crummy cabin, a penny-ante pension and an illicit affair with some stupid kid." Jack went to the fridge and pulled out three beers. He pitched one to Maybourne who caught it deftly with his good arm, and then he walked to where Daniel had sat back down at the computer and put one down next to him on the desk on a coaster. The younger man smiled up at Jack. O'Neill paused a moment and just looked at him in appreciation before going over to sit on the couch.

Harry shook his head. "Okay. Not so crummy, not so penny-ante and not so stupid." He opened the beer bottle with a twist, grimacing at the pain caused by the motion to his injury. "So how did you do it Daniel? A sarcophagus?"

Jackson looked at him, not sure if he approved of Maybourne's use of his given name. "No."

After a few seconds, he realized that Jackson wasn't going to tell him. Harry looked at O'Neill who looked at him smugly and took another sip of beer. "Well, how did he do it?" At the continuing silence, Maybourne continued. "Come on Jack, you don't expect me to believe that his was the Second Coming do you? Who does that make you? Saint John or Mary Magdalene?"

"Harry, don't blaspheme." O'Neill commented darkly. "You may not like the role you get cast in."

"Let's not bring any Christian references into this, shall we." Daniel glared at their uninvited visitor. "It's bad enough I have to deal with my chosen field of study being corrupted without any reference to the Christian belief system. I am not, nor ever claimed to be a god of any sort or in any context of the word. Nor do I want to be!" He glared at both of the older men. "So can it, both of you!"

Jack looked over at him and smiled. Daniel's eyes softened when they rested on his lover.

"Well." Maybourne demanded, not put off by the younger man.

"Just call it a miracle, Harry." O'Neill gaze shifted to him for a moment before returning to Daniel. "And don't worry about it."

The younger man finished shutting down the computer, got up and came over to the couch, sitting down beside O'Neill. Jack reached up and pushed the longish light brown hair out of Daniel's face to behind his ear, then running his thumb along the younger man's jaw line.

"I sent that e-mail to Sam. She should read it before she goes home tonight." Daniel said, then considered something else. "What do you want to have for dinner? There's not enough steak thawed for three."

"How about some of that venison stew? Do we have enough left?" Jack asked, glancing at their unexpected guest.

Daniel nodded. "Did you get that barrel of flour today? I can make some flatbread."

Jack nodded. "Yea, that would work. The flour and sugar are still out in the truck." Then added, "I chopped some wood before I left this morning."

The younger man nodded, then got up from his seat and headed out the door. Jack crossed the room to the wood-burning stove. Maybourne watched him in amazement.

"What are you two doing?"

"Starting a fire to make dinner, Harry." Jack commented dryly. "In case you hadn't noticed, our staff took the day off."

"You really live like this, Jack?"

"Yea, Harry. We do. We like it. If you don't, you shouldn't have come up here." O'Neill rose and went into the kitchen kneeling in front of the large cast iron cooking stove. "We also wash our own dishes, store our own food and don't watch television much."

"I saw the satellite uplink," The Maybourne protested.

"That's for the computer and the telephone. The television is extra. We mostly use the VCR and DVD, though I do watch the hockey games, CNN and the Discovery channel every once and a while." Jack continued to talk as he stirred up the embers from the morning's breakfast fire.

Daniel came back in with an armful of wood that he dropped it on the floor next to the stove. He then went back outside. Jack began to stoke the smoldering embers. Once the fire had built up, O'Neill crossed to the back pantry and came back with a package of frozen food.

Jackson had returned, this time carrying a large keg that appeared quite heavy. He took it back to the storage area. Once he dropped that off he left again and returned with two smaller containers. As Jack started to heat the frozen stew in a large pot on the stove, Daniel started the process of making flat bread. The two men worked together as a team, interspersing their work with teasing commentary. Maybourne watched in amazement as the hardened Special Ops trained officer and the highly educated scholar started a food fight with flour and bread dough.

"So, what's Simmons been up to that's got your drawers in a twist Harry?" Jack asked casually, noticing his attention

"Well, he's moved the Goa'uld, probably to another safe house." Harry came over to the kitchen area but staying well away from the flour-spattered arena. "I think he's going to try something with him here shortly. He and Kinsey have been in contact for about a month. Kinsey's due for re-election soon and since the Democrats are out of power now he's not such a sure thing any more." Maybourne chuckled. "He thought that the new administration would be easier to deal with. But the First Lady doesn't like him at all and that's affecting his relationship with the President."

"Smart lady." Jack commented.

"Yes," Harry returned. "She's not interested in furthering her own career, she wants what's best for her husband and the country, and she has a lot of common sense."

"How does this cause problems for the SGC?" Daniel asked, looking up from his bread-making task. He still had some residual flour on his face from the earlier food fight and looked quaintly domestic. "It seemed that the relationship between the USA and Russia were taking a turn for the better...when I left at least." Jack reached over with a towel and gently wiped the white powder off his face.

"Well, Daniel." Harry replied, shaking his head at the domesticity evidenced by the two men. "When you, uh.....left, Colonel Chekov wanted to put a Russian on SG1. However that suggestion was met with.... well, disapproval...with the then Team Leader of SG1. It put a damper on the relationship."

Jack was over at the stove stirring the stew. He shrugged and smiled at Daniel. Daniel shook his head at him in mock dismay.

"The Russians now have their own team." Harry continued. "Lieutenant Colonel Carter has a team comprised of two aliens and a young lieutenant. And one of these days Teal'c is going to leave. He never did develop much of a relationship with Jackson's replacement."

"He hasn't killed him yet. For Teal'c, that's saying a lot." Jack interjected as he handed Maybourne some silverware and paper napkins, motioning him back to the dining area. "Set the table Harry." Maybourne looked at him in disbelief for a moment then finally took the flatware and headed back to the table.

"So, what do you think Simmons is going to do with his Goa'uld?" Daniel asked curiously as he prepared the dough for cooking on the griddle top of the stove. "It was a juvenile larva wasn't it? It can't have much of a power base, even if it does have the genetic memories to work with."

"Yea, Harry. Who is this Gould anyway?"

"Either it hasn't told Simmons or Simmons is keeping it quiet. I haven't been able to find out. Does it make that much difference?" The ex-NID finished with the place settings and was moving chairs to around the table.

Jack and Daniel glanced at each other. "It could," Daniel answered. "They carry the race memories of their family. "Their parentage can indicate what the Goa'uld's interests are."

"And they can draw support from that group of Jaffa. If, for example, it's from Apophis's line, he could garner support from the Serpent Guard since both Apophis and Ammonet are dead." Jack glanced at Daniel to gauge his reaction.

"And Klorel is host-less, powerless and pretty much useless," Daniel added. "Unless Zipacnac was able to find another poor host for him."

"Yea, Zippy said that he would...but did he?" Jack asked thoughtfully.

"He wasn't at the Summit." Daniel told his partner. "Zipacnac was there but he was with Sarah, er, Osiris." Jack laid his hand on Daniel's shoulder and massaged it in silent support. Daniel nodded and turned his head to rub his cheek on Jack's hand.

"What Summit?"

"You mean there are secrets that Harry Maybourne isn't privy too? I'm shocked." Jack said with a sarcastic gleam in his eye. He carried the large pot of heated stew to the table and put it down on a trivet.

"Ah, well Jack..." Harry started to say something but Jack interrupted him with a raised hand. O'Neill crossed the room and going behind him to the cabin's front window.

"Son of a bitch." Jack commented softly. "It's always at dinnertime." A glow was starting to manifest itself on the front yard. "Daniel, are you expecting someone?"

"No," the younger man joined him for a moment at the window, then went to the front door of the cabin, opened it and walked out onto the lawn.

Harry came and stood beside Jack looking out at the bright light descending from the evening sky. "What the hell is that?"

Jack spared him a warning look, then followed Daniel outside. Harry remained where he was, taking O'Neill's hint to stay clear but watched with interest.

"Daniel, wait for me." Jack called, jogging up behind his young lover. Daniel paused and looked behind at him as Jack came to his side. "You are so not going anywhere without me, Danny boy." O'Neill said softly to his lover.

Daniel stopped and waited until Jack joined him. "It's Shi'fu. He may have news from Oma."

Jack reached out and grasped his partner's hand. "Together. We go together until we know."

"Together." Daniel smiled back at him then the two men went to meet the coalescing form of light.

An adolescent boy formed on the front lawn, looking very much like he had the last time O'Neill had seen him at the SGC. He was dressed in a white robe and the dark brown eyes of his mother looked out from under a shaven pate. The boy regarded them calmly.

Jackson and O'Neill approached him, then Daniel stepped out in front. "Hello, Shi'fu."

"Hello, Daniel." The boy replied. "I have missed you."

"And I have missed you. How are you?" Daniel walked over and lay his hand on Shi'fu's shoulder in a welcome.

"I am well, Oma says I grow every day." The boy smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Very good." Daniel smiled back at O'Neill who stepped up beside him. "You remember Jack."

"Yes, I remember your Jack."

"Hi ya." Jack waved with his hand that wasn't holding on to Daniel.

"Shi'fu, I'm very happy to see you." Jackson smiled down at the boy. "But, why are you here? Is there a problem?"

"No, I am here from Oma." He looked at Jack then where their hands were clasped. "I will not take Daniel away, Jack." He smiled at the two men. "He came back to be with you. He will not leave with me now."

Jack looked at the boy, but didn't release his hold. "That's good, Shi'fu."

"What message does Oma Desala send to us?" Daniel interrupted gently with a look at Jack.

"Oma says the Goa'uld who is among you grows strong, like the candle flame that feeds upon the hot wax. It burns deep on the wick and wishes to bind many together in his heat."

"How many?" Daniel asked.

Shi'fu looked at him patiently. "The others of his kin and their Jaffa. He seeks to return to his beginnings to seek the power of his blood."

"Do you know where he comes from? What his bloodlines are?" Jack asked, suddenly intent on the young boy's answer.

"He is of Chronus."

Jack looked at Daniel for the significance. Daniel started to explain. "Chronus was the Greek god who fathered the entire pantheon of their classic gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter and Hera. Their Mother was Rhea. But an oracle had told him that one of his children would overthrow him, so as the 'gods' were born, he'd swallow the infants before they drew breath. Finally, Rhea got tired of it and when she gave birth to Zeus, she gave Chronus a stone the size of the baby and he swallowed that instead. Zeus was secreted away and he grew to adulthood. According to the legend, Zeus stuck his father down and cut off his genitals, his body became the sky and his blood the seas. He also was the father of the titans and several other species in their myths and legends."

Jack waited patiently for Daniel to finish his recounting of the old tales. Even though he knew the myths were nothing but legends, he also knew that as with all legends they were based on some actual events and the ancient people used them to explain away things that they were incapable of understanding. So something had happened thousands of years ago; it was up to them to understand the message and use the information in a practical fashion. He looked at Shi'fu who was also patiently listening. "Chronus is dead." Jack said. "SG1 killed him on his own planet and started a revolt among his transplanted tenant peoples." He glanced at partner. "Daniel wasn't with us that time." At Daniel's nod, Jack continued. "He was busy with SG11 and got archaeologist-napped by an Unas."

Shi'fu nodded. "Oma is concerned. She says the melted candle is hot and the wax easily poured into many molds."

Jack returned the nod, trying very hard to follow the point of the words. He glanced at Daniel. "Candle?"

"It's an allegory Jack. She's referring to possible futures. The Jaffa could still be controlled by an offspring of Chronus"

O'Neill nodded following the train of thought but not understanding it. "But why would they voluntarily give up their independence? They're free now."

"They could be afraid that they'd die without the larval symbiotes." Daniel answered. "When their symbiotes mature, they'll need hosts but the Jaffa will need new larva within a day or two or they'll start to die for lack of an immune system. Without Chronus they have no one to provide them. They'll have to pledge to another Goa'uld."

"So, they live enslaved to a Gould or die free." Jack commented, thinking of Teal'c. It had been a concern of SG1 and Janet Fraiser since they had learned of the life situation of their own Jaffa warrior.

Shi'fu nodded with a look of gravity on his young face. "Oma says the fire will burn very hot if fed."

"Yea, well." Jack looked at him. "I agree, I think, but I'm not sure how we can stop it. Did she send along any good ideas with you?"

"No, Jack." The boy looked at Daniel expectantly. "Oma said that you must consider your steps carefully as you travel the darkened trail or you will become lost."

"Like I'm not lost enough already." Jack murmured into Daniel's right ear. Daniel and Shi'fu both smiled at him.

Daniel nodded. "We'll do that, and hopefully something will present itself to us. In the meantime, will you stay with us a while?"

"No," The boy smiled at his stepfather. "When I asked she said the time was not proper, but later, later I may return if it's all right with your Jack?" He glanced back at O'Neill.

"Well, of course. It's no problem." He quickly covered his surprise that the question was even asked. "You are family after all." He looked at his lover fondly. Daniel was smiling happily at the boy. Jack turned to go back into the house. "Look, you two talk. I'll go in and finish dinner now, okay Danny?"

The smile was turned his way. "Thanks Jack. I'll be there shortly."

Jack reentered the house and found Maybourne had been watching the scene with interest. "Who's that Jack?" The shorter man asked curiously.

"That is Daniel's stepson, Sha'uri's son by Apophis."

Harry looked at him sharply. "Then that's the Harcesis. The one you, well the SGC, let get away."

"Harry, we couldn't have stopped him." Jack gave him a look. "He's a little different now then when he was born."

"So I noticed. How did he get here?" Harry pressed. "Did he come in a ship?"

"No, he flew."

"Yea, right Jack." Maybourne shook his head in disgust. "If you don't want to tell me, Jack, then just say so."

"Harry, did you see a ship?" Jack shook his head at Maybourne. "They don't need ships. The Ascended don't even need to use the StarGate system unless they're convenient. They don't need anything else. They are some of the most powerful beings I've ever met."

"Are they the Ancients?" Maybourne looked at him suspiciously.

"No, they're more than that even." O'Neill turned back to the kitchen area to finish the dinner, tired of the obtuseness of the other man.

By the time Daniel rejoined them, the meal was ready to be served. Jack had finished the flatbread and was dishing the savory venison stew in large bowls for the table. He noticed how quiet his young lover was but didn't comment on it in front of their guest. When they sat down the two ex-Colonels kept up a conversation made up of thinly veiled comments and double entendres. Jackson kept to himself. After a desert made of canned peaches and a quick rise dough recipe, the dishes were quickly done by the younger man and Jack put them away. Maybourne was again taken by the unexpected domesticity of the scene here at their sanctum sanctorum.

After all was said and done, Jack looked over at Maybourne. "Okay Harry do you need a ride to town or do you have a car stashed somewhere around here?"

Maybourne looked up at him surprised. "You mean you're just going to let me go?"

O'Neill looked at him patiently. "Harry, I don't take prisoners, I don't torture people and I don't work for the government anymore so I don't have to turn you in. You came, you convinced me of your usefulness and you shared your intel. We didn't kill you, we fed you and we shared what information we have with you. Now, go back to your hotel or whatever. It'll be dark soon and you don't want to be on these mountain roads too late."

"Well, uh thanks Jack." Harry still seems a bit surprised. "I do have a rental car down on the road by the river."

Daniel came up behind him. "Come on, Harry. I'll escort you to your car. I wouldn't want you to get lost and get eaten by a bear."

"Uh, that's okay." Maybourne looked at him in surprise. "It's not far."

"No problem. I need to walk off dinner anyway." Daniel looked over at Jack. "I'll be back soon."

Jack nodded hesitantly. He didn't know why Daniel decided to do this, but he must have a good reason. "Fine, I'll check the e-mail messages. Don't be long."

Harry looked at the younger man suspiciously. "I know the way..."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, shook his head and gestured for Maybourne to lead. Harry nodded goodbye to Jack and left the cabin to start down the footpath short cut to the county road below. After about a mile, he finally turned back to look at Jackson. "Okay, Daniel. Why the escort? What's going on?"

"Harry, do I make you nervous?" Daniel smiled at him.

"Actually, yea. You do." Maybourne replied honestly and sat down on a convenient boulder. "I understand O'Neill. I know what makes him tick. You, you I don't get. You're too smart for this Jackson. You're too...good.." Harry stared at him suspiciously. "And you have a bad habit of surprising people and succeeding where no one else can. I don't know how you do it but you do. Who are you, Jackson, really?".

The young man's expression changed to one of amused self-confidence. "Why Harry, I'm surprised at you. I'm Daniel Jackson; you've known me for years. Geeky intellectual archaeologist and general pain in the mik'ta to a lot of people. Let's just say I've grown a little."

"And Jack?" Harry pressed. "What about Jack?"

"Jack is my reason for being here." The calm gaze grew dangerous. "Don't fuck with us Maybourne. If you hurt him, you won't be able to handle the repercussions. You can trust me on this one."

Maybourne nodded. "Okay, Daniel. I understand. No one will find out about you two from me, I swear." He motioned down toward the distant road. "I can find the car by myself from here. You can go on back. I'll be all right."

The younger man watched the ex-NID operative for a long moment. The blue glare softened and the younger man nodded his acceptance of Harry's words.

Maybourne got up from his seat on the rock, Harry glanced back down towards the road, then when he looked back to bid the young man goodbye...Jackson was gone. He looked back up the trail towards the cabin then glanced around at the encircling trees. He'd never seen this side of Jackson before. The boy had always been sort of a joke to the NID, one of those harmless intellectuals that they had to deal with on a daily basis. Now Harry realized that his estimation of this man was wrong. He could be dangerous, as dangerous as his partner was. The cute little harmless cub had grown up to be a mountain cat as lethal as the lone lobo who had mentored, protected and loved him for these past few years. He realized with a shock that these men were probably two of the most dangerous people he knew. He smiled at the thought of them going up against Simmons and his pet Goa'uld. Harry felt better than he had in a very long time. He shrugged and turned to go, carefully walking down the darkening trail to his car and civilization.

********* Chapter 3 (If you could would you come with me to the other side?)

ROCK MOUNTAIN, MINNESOTA

Daniel returned to the cabin after leaving Maybourne with his warning. He could feel that Jack was inside, puttering around the kitchen, putting up dishes and cleaning the counter surfaces from their flour fight earlier that evening. Daniel knew this was his heaven, . He didn't need nor want the pearly gates, cloud formations or winged neighbors that some of his foster parents had tried to convince him of. His heaven was made up of a small cabin in the deep woods and a rather crotchety retired Colonel that he could call his own.

Jack looked up when his young lover entered the front door. The kitchen area was back to its pristine condition. The older man smiled and welcomed him back with a hug and kiss. "Oh yeah," Jack said, remembering something after his greeting was properly explored. "Daniel, you've got some mail. I had brought it up from the store and laid it on the mantle when I got home this afternoon." He shrugged. "I kinda forgot about it with Harry sneaking by."

"Who from?" Daniel asked curiously as he relaxed into Jack's arms. "Who would...?"

"That publishing company...Knap-sac. It's addressed to Jonathan O'Neill...the author."

"Really?" Daniel got an excited look on is face. "Cool!"

"My linguist says cool. I have corrupted him." Jack remarked to the room's interior at the other man's enthusiastic reaction.

Daniel broke away and had hurried over to the cabin's hearth and looked on the ledge above the fireplace. There, lying neglected, was a legal sized manila envelope. He opened it eagerly and scanned the contents, several sheets of velum paper with a watermark.

Jack followed, coming up behind Daniel and peeking over his shoulder. "What does it say?"

"Well, they're definitely interested." Daniel replied. "But they're asking for a rewrite in some parts of the book."

"Which parts?"

"The parts between the two main characters, AmunNefer and Iskander...they want more graphic sex scenes."

"Told ya." Jack laughed and kissed him behind the ear, wrapping his arms around the younger man. "For the forty year old housewives. Sara used to read those historical romance books all the time. Some of them got pretty steamy."

"Humm." Daniel looked back at him speculatively. "Research time."

Jack hugged his lover to him; stroking the firm abdomen and nuzzling his neck and ear. "Always room for more research. I like the way you think, Professor."

Daniel leaned back against Jack and rubbed his head on the other man's cheek. "It's always the best way...to be accurate that is. Let's see. How would a warrior-soldier take a slave-scholar and make him his faithful servant?"

"As often as he could...uh, when he wasn't fighting battles, on parade duty, or doing paperwork, that is." O'Neill qualified his enthusiastic answer. "You know how soldiers are, horny all the time."

Daniel smiled up at him and nodded. "Papyrus. They used papyrus" He corrected then shivered as Jack explored the back of his ear with his mouth. "That's part of the scholar's job, to give him more free time."

"Cool." Jack replied, speaking against Daniel's soft hair that was tickling his nose and cheek.

"But what if the slave was bad?" Daniel pressed back against him, rubbing his sweatpant-covered ass against the bulky zipper of the other man's jeans. "You know, not efficient, and he had to be punished?"

Jack kissed Daniel on the other ear, enjoying the response he got. "Wouldn't be...couldn't be."

"And if he were good?"

"Couldn't help but be."

"When he was good he was very, very good, but when he was bad, he was better?"

"Ab-so-Slutly."

"Slaves were not sluts...they were...enslaved." Daniel protested and turned in Jack's arms to return the hug. "They had no choice, after all."

"Humm...sounds like time for some...research." He brushed his lips over Daniel's mouth.

"Research is a good thing."

"So I'm told."

"For accuracy."

"Definitely."

"Wouldn't want to be...imprecise..."

"Riiight." Jack murmured, moving in for the open mouth kill. Jack held the other man firmly, his hands tracing the spine and back muscles. Daniel pressed forward returning the caresses with an almost desperate passion that startled the older man.

"Danny?" He pulled back and looked in his beloved's face sensing something was different.

"Jack, I...I want..." Daniel breathed softly, his mood and tone changed from playfulness to one of restless need.

"What baby? What do you want?" Jack asked him softly. Daniel leaned against the taller man, draping his arms sensuously around the broad shoulders and relying on Jack to support him. O'Neill wrapped his arms more firmly around the slender waist that he held; slipping his hands down under the clinging material that covered the appealing rump. He massaged the firm muscles and the soft smooth skin with his wide, long fingered hands.

"Jack..."

"Um hum." He had buried his face in his lover's neck and was pulling Daniel as close as humanly possible.

"I'm afraid." The tone in Daniel's voice had changed.

"Of what, Love?' Jack nibbled on the strong column of the tan neck, listening now.

"Of losing this, of having too much...losing you."

O'Neill stroked his lover's hair, loving the soft feel of it on his hands. " 'M not going anywhere, Danny." The older man assured him. "And I won't let you leave me again." He hugged Daniel tightly to him, kissing his hair. "You're stuck with me; I lost you once...never again." He knew what had caused this, and knew why. It was one thing to have old trusted friends stopping by the cabin or neighbors that only knew them since their arrival. It was something else to be discovered by someone that Daniel didn't trust, someone who knew who they were, someone who could pose a threat to their newfound happiness.

"Now, you listen to me Daniel Jackson." Jack slid his hands up the strong firm back, supporting the shoulders, gripping the back of his partner's skull, to hold him firmly in place and look him in the eye. "You're mine, Danny boy." He emphatically declared to his partner. "Body and soul, mind and spirit...no one...no one in heaven, purgatory or hell will separate us again. Not Harry Maybourne, the SGC, NID, the US Air Force, the Azgard, not Oma Desala, Satan nor God in his heaven. You are MINE! And I am yours ...forever! You got that, Danny?" Daniel was standing passively in Jack's grasp, his head tilted back, eyes half open, his breath coming in little puffs from his mouth. When he didn't respond, Jack released the firm grip and pulled his lover back against him, cradling the precious head on his shoulder. "Daniel?" He asked softly, "Daniel do you hear me?" He felt dampness through the flannel shirt he was wearing. He began to stroke the shoulders shaking in his arms. A soft sobbing noise reached his ear. "Danny? Danny, love?"

A faint whisper answered him. "Hold me, Jack, don't let go." The warm breath, damp on his shoulder.

"Never." O'Neill whispered an oath for them both and tightened his arms. "Never, in a thousand years."

*******

Carter and Teal'c arrived the following day, Friday afternoon, in a rented Bronco. When she had gotten the encoded message from her retired commander, Sam had approached her new General with a request for a weekend of leave. Teal'c had also decided to come to visit and since Minot AFB was relatively close to Jack's house there wasn't a security issue for 'Murray' to travel by Military plane. Lieutenant Haley was busy on an experiment and Jonas, well, he knew that O'Neill had never quite accepted him after Jackson's death. That left the longtime friends and teammates to enjoy the solitude of O'Neill's retirement home and the relaxation of the weekend.

The cabin was enjoying the last of the late evening sunshine when they arrived. Jack was sitting on the porch in one of the rocking chairs working on his fishing fly collection. He had a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose and he was concentrating on tying a sure-fire-guaranteed trout fly. As the vehicle pulled up in front, he lay his equipment down and stood up to greet his friends, pitching the glassed down on the table.

"Hi ya, kids." He greeted his two old team members. "Have a good trip?"

"Indeed, O'Neill." Teal'c responded. "The good trip made even better by seeing you." The two men clasped arms and then parted to allow Carter to get her hug.

"Where's Daniel?" She asked knowing that he wouldn't be too far away.

"In the house working on his book."

"I thought he had finished that the last time we were here?" Sam asked curiously.

"Well, yea, he had." Jack smiled cryptically. "Sent it in to a publisher and everything but he got a letter back from them yesterday. They liked the book but wanted a rewrite or two." He motioned inside the cabin. "So he's in there trying to punch it up."

"What sort of rewrites?"

"Well, as you know cause you read the damned stuff, historical romance is more romance than history. They wanted more er, graphic descriptions of the activities."

"What sort of activities would these be, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked innocently.

"Oh, you know...intimate activities."

"Intimate as in...bedroom activities?" Sam asked with a smile thinking of their Daniel writing hot steamy sex scenes.

"Yep, just that kind." Jack had to chuckle. "And you know Danny, hard at work as ever." He turned and led them up the stairs to the porch and the interior of the house. He pushed open the door and glanced inside the room. "Daniel, we've got company."

Daniel raised his head from the computer. "They're here? Oh, hi, Sam...hello, Teal'c." The younger man got up from the desk and hugged his two best friends.

When Carter stepped back from the embrace, she studied him for a moment. "You look good, Daniel. Have you gained weight?"

"Indeed, Samantha." Teal'c agreed. "I believe that it is good health and happiness that has changed him."

"Yea, well, that and getting him outside for more than missions and an occasional weekend holiday." Jack agreed happily. "Not to mention eating real food regularly instead of field rations and commissary chow."

"And you too, Colonel. You're losing that lean and hungry look." Carter pressed.

"Thanks, I think. Yea, you tromp around up here in all this fresh air all week and you get exercised whether you want to or not." He looked at her with a smile. "But lose the rank, Sam. I'm retired, remember?"

"Well, it looks good on you both." Sam shrugged apologetically at her faux pau.

"Speaking of which," Jack headed to the refrigerator. "Either of you want anything? We've got beer, wine, coke, Kool-Aid...name your poison." He opened the door, pulled out a bottle of wine and handed it to Daniel, then waited expectantly for their requests.

Sam nodded to her friends. "A glass of that chardonnay would do nice right about now." Daniel proceeded to use a corkscrew and open the bottle, pouring two glasses and handing one to Sam.

Teal'c indicated a container of non-caffienated orange soda. Jack pulled it out along with a bottle of beer. He noticed Daniel's look and smiled charmingly. "Its' only my second one today, don't worry." Daniel silently toasted him with his glass.

At Sam's confused look, Jack shook his head. "He's still not convinced that I'm not gonna drink myself to death. Doesn't realize that he's the best reason I've got to stay clean and sober."

Daniel blushed at the compliment. "Yea, well after that stunt you pulled at the lake..."

"Hey, I knew what I was doing...just didn't want to do it any longer." He slipped his arm around Daniel's waist. "No hard liquor, quit smoking again and generally started behaving myself. It's downright disgusting how good I've been."

Daniel returned the embrace holding Jack for a moment, then declared to their two friends. "Got to keep him healthy, never know when he has to save the universe from itself."

"So, Colonel...ah, Jack," Carter started then adjusted her manner. "Don't take this wrong, but your message said it was urgent."

"Right. Well, Lieutenant Colonel Carter let's get comfortable and we can start." He indicated the seating area in the great room. "We've had two very interesting visitors." After they were seated, he proceeded to tell the story of Harry Maybourne's visit then that of Shi'fu.

*******

"So it looks like Simmons has Adrian Conrad, who now has been Goulded; and they're going to try to somehow interfere in the workings of the SGC," O'Neill summed up the military situation. "By causing internal problems with the Russians and enabling Conrad's Gould to contact other Chronus offspring and to establish a power base." Jack summed up the information succinctly.

"Wouldn't they have to gain access to Cheyenne Mountain to accomplish this?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes," Jack nodded. "But remember someone as wealthy as Conrad is bound to have some political clout. By using those old contacts and with all of his host's money, he can probably get just about anything he wants. Simmons will probably think that he's in control for now."

"And Simmons will not have control of the Goa'uld for long." Teal'c agreed. "The Goa'uld will be struggling against his influence at every step."

"Shi'fu said that Oma Desala and the other Ascended are concerned by the shifting of power within the hierarchy if he does succeed in reestablishing Chronus's power base." Daniel nodded. "It seems when you and your doubles killed him it left a large power vacuum. That's what encouraged the less powerful system lords to hold the Summit that I attended as lotar to Yu.

"But how does Simmons expect to get Conrad access to the SGC? Just because he has money doesn't mean that he can just walk in and make demands." Carter asked sounding annoyed.

"Ah, but if he comes in with someone's entourage, someone with enough political clout, someone who has already been there and is the watchdog of the common people against the wasteful expenditure of their hard earned tax dollars...

'Senator Kinsey." Carter finished for him, nodding her comprehension.

"That's my number one guess." Jack nodded. "We know he has connections to Simmons all ready. It wouldn't be hard for them to add Conrad to the list of hangers-on."

Carter considered her old commander's words with a sinking feeling. It was indeed very possible. "But how could that affect the relations with the Russians?"

O'Neill shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't even know how they are now." He looked at her. "How are they now?"

Sam considered. "Well, to my knowledge they've remained amicable enough." She glanced at Jackson. "They shared our grief over Daniel's death. They respected him as both a scientist and an explorer." She looked at her friend. "We didn't tell them about the Ascended. We didn't know what to tell them really, just...you were gone. They understand about radiation poisoning."

Daniel nodded. "It's probably for the best. I would have gone except for Jack. He glanced at his lover. "I left a lot of unfinished business. I could only hope he could handle it."

Sam nodded. "I understand now why Jack was the one you contacted. I was concerned about him, too."

Jack reached over and laid his hand on Daniel's. "I handled it as best as I could, for as long as I could." He smiled apologetically at Carter and Teal'c. "There wasn't anything you two could have done."

Daniel looked down at their entwined hands. "I almost took too long. If I hadn't found you when I did, I don't know what I would have done."

"Well, it didn't happen; so it doesn't matter." Jack squeezed his hand. "Next time I'll know, should have known anyway. You told me to wait."

"Well, considering the condition you were in when I gave you that particular message..."

"And that's why I let you count my beers now." Jack grinned at him. "I know my weaknesses." He shrugged then looked over at their two ex-team mates. "I am only human, ya know."

Sam smiled at the two men. "Oh, really? You couldn't prove it by me."

Jack rolled his eyes and made a face. "Great! Let me tell ya, Sam Carter, when I start yelling for help, you kids better come running."

"Not a problem sir." She promised with a laugh. "We'll be there."

Jack released Daniel's hands. "Who's cooking dinner? I'm starved."

The younger man shook his head and smiled. "You are."

"Sweet. Steaks anyone?"

After a little preparation, the four moved out to the back deck area. Jack poured some charcoal into the stone bar-b-que pit and started it to prepare the grill for the steaks that they had put out earlier. Dinner was a simple meal, the steaks done to a turn, potatoes roasted in their jackets and corn ears in their husks. Dessert was wild blueberries that Daniel had found the day before, just turning ripe for the picking with some thick clotted cream from the Dairy down the road. After the meal and cleanup, Teal'c excused himself for a brief kel-no-reem and Daniel had escaped back into the computer to continue to work on his book's rewrite. Jack and Sam sat out on the deck, admired the view and talked.

"You really have done it, haven't you?" She commented, sipping on the last glass of wine from the bottle they had opened earlier.

Jack sat back with a glass of iced tea and looked at her quizzically. "It? What's it, Sam?"

"Retired." She looked at him in admiration. "Really called it quits."

"Hell, yes." He nodded enthusiastically. "It's really nice here. Quiet, peaceful and with Daniel here well, everything is perfect. I can fish when I want, the steak you ate earlier was venison that I killed bow hunting with a special landowner's permit. Next year we'll have our own garden." He shrugged. "I know if Danny sells this book, he'll be happier to have something to do with himself. I think it bothers him that he's not contributing financially." Jack shrugged. "I told him I didn't care, but you know him."

She nodded and put the empty glass down. "I brought something with me he can take a look at if he wants too. The General told General Wallace that I had a top-secret contact that would help in a pinch. I can pay him for the consult. I guess once you've been poor it's more satisfying to earn your money."

Jack nodded, "I think its more than that, Sam. Daniel has his own needs that have to be met. Feeling useful and wanting to be needed is one of them. It adds to his feelings of security"

Carter started to answer him but Daniel's voice interrupted them from inside the house. "Jack, Sam. Can you guys come here for a minute?"

Mystified the two friends rose from their seats and entered the cabin to where he was sitting at the computer. Jack came up behind him and draped his arms around his lover. "What's up?"

"Well, I had finished the chapter I was working on when I decided to check the e-mail. I figure Harry would use this as a way to contact us since he hasn't shown back up." Jack nodded. It would make sense, Maybourne was very proud of his ability to hack into computers. "I was about to open the program when this happened." Daniel indicated the screen with his index finger. It was on the wallpaper mode displaying an F-14 Tomcat in flight without the normal 'Outlook Direct' framing on the monitor. On the screen overlaying the picture, there were runic symbols in large red block markings.

"What does it say?" Jack asked, never doubting that Daniel could read the message.

"Assist or help someone, I don't recognize this symbol, meet rock mountain three. There's no signature or symbol to indicate the sender." Jackson looked up at Carter. "This isn't in the e-mail, Sam. It's being sent directly to the monitor."

The woman bent over her friend's shoulder. "Does it come back if you reboot it?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried that...waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait." He dug around for a pencil and paper. "Let me copy it first, in case it doesn't." Locating the required items he carefully drew the runes on the steno pad. "There. Okay, now we can do it." At her nod, he clamped the pencil in his mouth and hit the control, alt, delete buttons at the same time. Another small window popped up asking for a command and finally the screen went black. The symbols remained red against the now black screen.

"How does that happen?" O'Neill demanded.

Sam raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips a moment in thinking mode. "Well, Sir...uh, Jack. Your computer is linked by satellite dish not the normal phone or cable lines. Theoretically, anyone could hook in through the EM waves."

"Uh, Sam. I thought this was encrypted?" Daniel asked.

"It is." She nodded. "I put the top of the line encryption device on this thing when I installed it for Jack last winter. General Hammond let me because we were hoping to stay in touch with the Colonel." She glanced at O'Neill. "There may be a newer one out, but if so it's so new that we don't have it at the SGC. This shouldn't be possible."

The two scientists' eyes met in agreement. Daniel stated slowly. "If it were coming from Earth."

Sam nodded. "The Azgard, the Nox and the Tollan would all have, or well have had, the technology to beat this."

Jack frowned. "And the Gould?"

"Well, yea..." Sam hedged a bit. "If they really wanted to, but why would they?"

Daniel shook his head negatively. "This is more Azgardian than Goa'uld Jack; these are Nordic Runes. I just don't understand this one symbol." He looked from Jack to the myriad of books displayed around on the walls.

Jack shook his head catching his lover's thoughts. "No, I don't know if I have a particular book of yours. I just put them on display...I can't read the damned things anyway."

"Oh, well...of course not." Daniel got up from the chair. "How did you sort them when you put them up?"

"Size."

"Size?"

Carter had to smile at her two friends' expressions, Jack's of innocence, Daniel's of surprise.

Jack just shrugged. "It was either that or color. Big on the bottom, little on the top you know, size."

Daniel's expression finally went from distraction to fondness. He shook his head and glanced back at the bookshelves. "Size. Okay, let's see..." The linguist turned explorer as he went in search of the proper book running his hands through his hair. "Size." He repeated. "Let's see big and green, I think."

"Can we help?" Jack called.

"Uh, no, well, maybe...will you? I'm thinking big and green or maybe maroon...with gold letters by Anderson..."

"Hans Christian? Any pictures?" Jack asked teasingly.

"Nonononono," Daniel replied absently, stopped, turned around, came back to O'Neill and kissed him soundly. "No pictures." He said softly. "We'll save the one with pictures for later. Thank you, Hans."

Carter turned away and walked towards the wall to give them a moment. "Big and green or maroon with gold letters." She murmured. "Anderson."

********* Chapter 4 (Forever may not be long enough for this love.)

ROCK MOUNTAIN, MINNESOTA

'Assist or help, something, Tor, three'. Several hours later, the mysterious message had finally disappeared from the computer's monitors.

"Hum; let's break this down into text." The large, forest green, leather covered, museum quality book lay open on the dining table. Four heads bent over the task, Daniel continued. "This symbol means to help or assist or to be given help or assistance. This means to meet with or join. This is the symbol for Tor, a rock mountain or Rock promontory and the fourth is the number three. This second word is the one that has no translation listed...so it could be an individual's name, a tribe or village or a new word coined since the Asgard took the Nordic peoples from Earth."

"Why would they do that?" Jack was getting frustrated. After about an hour looking for the damned book, Guide to the Mystic Runes by Rolf Danil Anderson, they had finally found it. The spine was maroon, the front and back cover green which made it nearly impossible to locate in the large literary collection.

"Well, they've probably invented lots of words by now. The Vikings didn't need a rune for airplane but the modern Nordic cultures do." Daniel replied in his professorial tone. "The more modern the culture the more descriptions you would need, and older words like uh, well, going a-Viking would fall in disuse."

Carter nodded. "But that still doesn't help us."

Jackson grimaced as he continued to doodle with the shape and form of the runes. "Yes, unfortunately. And the number three, that could be a number, a date, a place..."

"The only thing I can think of...is that this property, this location, is referred to as Rock Face Mountain on the old deed." Jack rubbed his hand across his face. "There's a bluff right above us that's too steep for the trees to grow there. And you can see the rock outcropping from the valley. The original settlers used it as a guide for finding the town at the bottom of the mountain. My Grandpa used to tell me stories about the people that were saved because of it."

"Then perhaps that is where you will discover whoever has sent the message." Teal'c put in.

"Yeah, but when? This could be in three hours, three days, the third of March 2003...when?" Jack shook his head. "And why announce it like this? The last time they just beamed us up."

"The last time they didn't keep us though." Daniel put in. "They just swept us up for a few minutes then returned us to the clearing. This time, if it is the Asgard, it could be for a longer period, say three days."

"Or three years..." Jack got up and went over to the drip coffee pot and poured the hot water from the wood stove into the top chamber of the stainless steel container. "So all we're doing is guessing."

"That's what translation is, Jack, guessing what is meant by who sent the message and who's supposed to get it and what it all means."

"That makes me feel so much better, Daniel." Jack said looking at him with frustration.

The younger man just shrugged. "Sorry."

O'Neill looked at the other two members of his old team. "Comments, opinions?"

Carter looked thoughtful. "Well, we know that the Goa'uld do not normally use Nordic runes as a written language. We know that the Asgard do. We know that they have contacted you in the past. We now have a new contact, via an Earth device. We know that the Asgard know where you are. If you don't understand what they want, I think that you can be confident that they will contact you again. Unless you want to try and contact them."

"How?" Jack asked. "They hacked into my computer. That doesn't mean that I, or any of us, can hack backwards does it?"

"Why not?" Daniel asked curiously. "I mean, I'm no computer expert, but when I get an e-mail I can reply without knowing the senders address simply by hitting the reply button."

"But you have to be using E-mail. They didn't."

"Well, yes they did. They just didn't use Outlook Direct." Daniel looked over at Carter. "Sam?"

She shrugged at her friend. "Sorry, Daniel. I haven't a clue. I'm sure that they did it, I just don't know how to do it back."

Jack picked up the coffeepot with the new coffee, poured himself a cup and took a drink. "Even the coffee isn't helping anymore." He groused.

Daniel looked up at him. "Well, it is after midnight and we have had a rather full day." He glanced over at Sam who was covering a yawn.

"Yeah, let's call the game cause of darkness and pick it up in the morning." Jack sat his still full mug down and crossed over to stand behind Daniel. "Come on, Grasshopper; let's get some shuteye." He looked over at Carter who was propping her chin up on her hand. "Sam, you and Teal'c can arm wrestle over the couch or the roll-away bed."

"Sounds good, Sir." She slowly got to her feet and headed for the corner where they had stashed their suitcases.

"Samantha, you please take the couch. I will meditate on the porch. It is very restful there."

Carter nodded and took the blanket that Daniel had brought out of the bedroom. "Thanks, Teal'c."

Daniel passed a blanket over to his friend as he headed out to the porch. "It gets chilly out there. I'll set up the bed in here for when you get through with your kel-nor-reem."

The Jaffa nodded his appreciation. "Thank you for your concern, Danieljackson."

As O'Neill helped Carter spread the covering over the couch he smiled at her. "Samantha?"

She had to laugh. "Leutienantcolonelcarter was a little long and Sam a little too short. Then he said that he knew too many people with my surname. We finally agreed on Samantha for casual use." She shrugged, and Colonelcarter for missions."

He nodded approval. "And the others?"

"Well, Jonas calls me Colonel Carter and Haley calls me Ma'am." Carter shook her head. "It works, but..."

"Yea, I know...I was Sir forever, as you recall."

"Well, you're being a full Colonel had a little to do with that. I certainly couldn't call you Jack then."

"Ferretti did, well, casually anyway."

"He'd known you a long time." Sam looked up at him. "He'll probably make full Colonel this time around. I know the General gave him outstanding ratings."

O'Neill nodded. "He's a good man. He deserves it."

She nodded. "I knew someone else I thought deserved General."

He shook his head disparagingly. "Never happen, and you couldn't give it to me now." They both watched Daniel come back in from talking to Teal'c. He went to the back storage room and pulled out the rollaway bed, then noticed them watching him. "What?"

"Nuthin."

Daniel gave him a look and snorted. "Yeah, right." He bent over, with his back and butt towards them and started unfolding the bed's frame to lay it out flat. "I know what you're doing." He called back in a singsong fashion, wiggling his derriere at them.

Jack smiled over at Sam. "I think he's a little telepathic."

She smiled up at her old friend. "I think he's a little knowledgeable about his subject."

Jack smiled down at her and turned back to admire the view. After Daniel had made the bed up, he walked back over to where they were standing. "C'mon, let's go to bed and let these people get some rest."

Jack patted him on the butt, and looked at Sam. "I don't know, seems pretty telepathic to me."

Daniel took the offending hand and led him towards their bedroom. "Next thing you know you'll be convincing Sam I have special powers or something."

"Well you do!"

"Only over you lover-boy. Good night, Sam."

"Good night, you two."

"Good night, Teal'c"

"Good sleep, Danieljackson, Jackloverboy."

*******

The next morning dawned bright and cool. Jack woke at his customary seven o'clock. He'd finally gotten over the five o'clock madness, as Daniel referred to his old wake up time, but not by much. But he enjoyed lying there next to Daniel watching him sleep. Their time together here on Rock Mountain was infinitely precious to him. After being without Daniel for almost a year, he had fully grasped just how much he needed the other man. They had never touched in an intimate manner when they were both a part of SG1, but Jack had heard all the rumors. He had actually been asked by one or two people if he and Daniel were lovers. He had always been able to reply that no, they were just best of friends. His answers were not necessarily been believed but he had not been called on it either. But when Daniel had ascended, Jack had always regretted not acting more aggressively, of not telling his young friend how much and in how many ways he valued him as a person, treasured him as a colleague, and loved him in every way but that one forbidden way. Then, all his hopes and prayers had been answered. Daniel had descended to find him passed out, dead drunk in the bottom of his damned dinghy. When Jack had awoke with Daniel holding his sick, disgusting self safely in his arms, it had been a miracle. Then, when Daniel proved his passion for him by making love to him; it was everything that he desired but had not deserved. Love wasn't quite enough of a word to describe what he felt for his life's partner...no, his eternal partner. They would never be separated again, of that he was sure. Daniel had assured him that they would go together, whether into real death or ascension, he would not be left behind a second time.

Finally, as if sensing he was being watched, Daniel yawned and stretched, flexing that heavenly body full length and coincidentally managed to rub Jack in all the right places. The older man smiled, and placed a kiss on the slightly open mouth, receiving a puff of Daniel breath and the entrance into an oral caress. He shifted upwards to follow the movement and wound up draped over a very willing victim. They lay there, just kissing and stroking, Daniel merely enjoying the wake up call and Jack conscious of only a blanket dividing them from their sleeping guests. After a proper greeting, the younger man blinked those incredible, blue eyes that never failed to amaze his lover.

"Hi."

"Hi, yourself."

"You were watching me." An old accusation.

"Um huh. I love to watch you when you sleep, you're beautiful."

"Not."

"Are. Take my word for it; you're the cat's meow, the pick of the litter, a knockout drop on legs, gorgeous George, divine Daniel, and mine...all mine."

"Yeah, right...I've got morning breath; I need to pee and probably smell disgusting since I didn't take a shower last night."

"I love the way you smell."

"Good grief, Jack." Daniel pushed off and headed for the bathroom. "You are so besotted."

"No, I'm horny," Jack smiled and watched his partner's wonderfully nude body as he pulled clean clothes out of the chest of drawers. "And it's your fault."

"Well. Okay, that I can accept. You are horny, but then you're always horny. Get over it."

"Dan-neee." Jack wheedled. "Come back to bed."

"Breakfast, Jack." Daniel came back to the bed and leaned down for another kiss. "Coffee, eggs, sausage, buckwheat pannncaaaakes."

"Food?" Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel's shoulders. "Food good, Danny better."

"C'mon, Tarzan," the young man pulled loose, smiling at his lover. "Let go, I've got to cook breakfast for the troops."

"You are no fun." Jack groused.

"Not when I'm hungry and caffeine deprived." Daniel regretfully slipped out of Jack's loosened grip. He leaned over again and whispered. "Save it for later."

Jack pouted, nodded, then whispered back. "Okay!"

*******

After his final escape from Jack, Daniel showered, dressed and went into the great room. He heard Jack mumbling incoherently as he got himself into the shower. Shaking his head and laughing quietly, he dumped the old coffee out and started preparations for their breakfast. He stoked the wood stove and got a fire burning merrily within its cast iron belly. By then the hot water for the fresh coffee was ready. After it had dripped he poured three steaming mugs of the fragrant liquid.

Teal'cs bed was empty, he was probably outside looking around already. Soon however, a tousled blond head looked over the back of the couch at him. Daniel smiled and carried Sam a mug and settled himself in the chair across from her. She sat up, tugging her pajamas into place and nodded her thanks as she took her first sip of the elixir of life.

"Good morning." He said when he was certain she could respond.

"Good morning to you." She peered at him. "If the Colonel weren't so sure you were you, I'd be suspicious. The Daniel Jackson I knew was never this chipper in the morning."

"I have a lot to be happy about, Sam." He nodded at her. "In fact, I'm a little scared that this is all too good to be true, and it can be snatched away at anytime."

She nodded her understanding, taking a sip from her cup. "Domesticity becomes you, you wear it well."

"Sha'uri always said I'm make someone a wonderful wife." He smiled an introspective smile. "I learned a lot about love from her."

"Well, she taught you perfectly...and your parents scripted you well too." Sam returned his smile. "You were greatly loved as a child. It shows."

Daniel blushed. "I don't know what any of them would think now...me being with Jack."

"I didn't know what to think at first either," She admitted. "I was a little jealous. But after seeing you two interact...you're like two kids on a honeymoon." Shaking her head. "I'm still envious."

"Sam, we never did it to hurt you."

"No, Mister linguist, I said envious not hurt. You found your love...I just want one too."

"He's out there Sam; you just have to find him."

"I don't know, Daniel. I'm getting a reputation back home...as a black widow."

"Whaat?"

"Everybody I care about dies." She grimaced. "Poor Martouff, Narim, Joe, Orlan, even you Daniel...it's like I'm cursed or something."

Daniel moved over to the couch to hug her to him and kiss her on the forehead. "Orlan's not dead, Sam. You know that."

"Not for lack of trying on the NID's part." She frowned into her coffee cup. "He would have died if he hadn't ascended again."

"Do you want to see him?" He pressed. "I can contact him for you. I think he thinks that you didn't care for him as much as he did you." Daniel shrugged. "It's hard on a guy, to be unsure like that."

Jack snuck in behind his two kids and slid in beside Sam on her other side, putting his arm around her shoulders. "That's the truth, look how long it took us. We were both clueless bastards."

She elbowed him in the ribs gently. "You're both guys...makes sense in your context. What about me...Miss pity party."

Jack glanced to the window that looked out onto the front porch. Teal'cs large form could be seen sitting on one of the rocking chairs. "Sometimes you don't have to look so far away."

She smiled at him and shook her head. "Team leader, team member...remember that lesson, dear Sir."

Daniel made a face at Jack who reached over to ruffle his long hair.

"Besides, Teal'c has his own issues." Sam continued. "The Jaffa rebellion, he's still not completely over either Drey'ac or Shau'nac." She sighed. "No, too many complications right now. I'm not a replacement, not any more. I played that game with Martouff and lost everything."

Jack nodded. "I know, I remember. It sucked big time, all of it."

"Yeah, nothing like being loved cause you're not you, but because you're someone else." she looked down into her coffee.

"Or someone thinks that you're someone else and won't let you be you." Daniel continued for her.

"And who was that, Danny?"

"Sarah. She was never really happy with me." He shrugged. "I even tried to be that someone for a while to make her happy, but you know...it didn't take."

"Who were you supposed to be?" Sam looked at her friend amazed. Who would ever want to change this guy into something else? She didn't get it.

"Oh, I don't know more respectable, more main line archaeology, dig up artifacts and find where they fit into classical knowledge, don't make up wild theories that would get you laughed off a stage."

"Yeah, I see that as the Daniel Jackson I know." Jack mumbled into his coffee mug. "Of course, you'd be as wrong as the rest of that bunch is and with no windmills to tilt at, no Senators to piss off, no NID bullies to insult to the point of them wanting to kick you off the project. You would have been miserable, and you know it."

Daniel nodded. "And I never would have been dragged into all of this by Kathryn, never opened the Stargate, never went to Abydos..."

"Never met Sha'uri..." Jack put in,

"Or you, or Sam, or any of you." He nodded. "Course, Sha'uri probably would still be alive and Ska'ara married with kids of his own,"

"If wishes were horses," Sam put in gently.

"Beggars would ride." Daniel finished.

"Yeah, and if frogs had wings he wouldn't bump his butt when he hopped." Jack commented as he stood up. Both the younger people stared up at him. "What?" Jack smiled an innocent grin. "What now?" When they both just continued to watch him, he drew himself up to his full six foot two inches, crossed his arms and said in a Colonel voice. "Well, okay, campers, if you're going to be that way. Shall we reconvene the translation department?"

Daniel looked at him and shook his head. "No."

Jack looked back at him in disbelief. "No?"

"No, I didn't heat up that damned stove not to use it."

"Oh, yea." Jack nodded. "Breakfast. Buckwheat paaannncaaakes. Yes, dear."

Daniel stood up and kissed Sam on the cheek, then looked at Jack. "Did we get the maple syrup?"

Jack shook his head. "Nope, not in yet...but we have the molasses."

"Well, okay." Daniel turned back into the kitchen and called back over his shoulder. "Can you set the table?"

*******

An hour or so later, after the breakfast was consumed, plates washed and the embers in the stove banked until the next meal, SG1 classic was gathered back around the table.

"It's apt to be a proper noun," Daniel announced. "It has to be. There is nothing else that even remotely resembles it."

Teal'c nodded. It does appear to be something not listed here in all of these words."

"So," Jack prompted. "What does it say?"

"What?" Daniel looked at him blankly

Jack patiently pointed to the piece of paper. "What does it say, oh linguist extraordinaire?"

"I don't know!" Daniel's voice got a tad louder.

"What does it spell?"

"Jack, these aren't letters. They're runes."

"I know. What do the ruins spell?"

"They don't spell anything...they're not like that."

Jack looked at him with infinite patience. "Daniel, just tell me what the damn ruins stand for."

Daniel sighed. "Okay, Jack." He pointed at the paper. "This represents a T, this one a U, this is an L and this stands for N."

Jack had pulled a separate piece of paper out and picked up a pencil. He copied down what Daniel said. "Okay, here's the letters. T-U-L-N." He looked at the markings and and thought a minute. "T-u-l-n. Tuln, Tu-ln...To-ln...Tul-lan." Jack kept sounding out the letters on the paper. "Tol-lan, Tollan." He looked up at Daniel with a smile of triumph.

Daniel stared at him in amazement for a few seconds then grabbed him and kissed him enthusiastically. "Now I'm sure I love you." The younger man exclaimed.

Jack grinned at his lover. Sam and Teal'c just looked on in astonishment.

The two men looked over at their two guests. Daniel finally spoke up when he realized they still didn't understand. "Tollans! Help... Tollans... Rock Mountain... three!"

On To Just How Far I'd Travel, Just How Far Would I Go, Part 2