Into Forever
by Jinx

Rating: PG (I guess)

Pairing: J/D

Betaed: Nope. All mistakes mine, Mine, MINE!

Warning: Keep out of reach of children. For external use only. Oh, and <mumble mumble> character death.

The grenade blast flung Jack and Daniel backwards into the temple wall behind them. Daniel landed with his back against the wall, partially propped up by the stones. Jack, who had been in front of Daniel, landed practically on top of the anthropologist; his back against Daniel's chest, and his head resting on Daniel's shoulder, lolling to the side, arms and legs sprawled out around him. The corridor in which the team had been running down was now blocked, cutting Jack and Daniel off from Carter and Teal'c. Voices could be hear yelling for them, but, the two men were unaware of the sounds.

"Hey, Jack! Get up!"

Jack's eyes fluttered open, however briefly. He was unable to keep them open, though awareness was creeping back and he was starting to feel the pain throughout his body.

"Danny?" The word was barely a sigh and no one should have been able to hear it. Somehow, Daniel did.

"Jack! C'mon. Get up. We have to go."

"Cn't." Jack's mouth was dry and his tongue, heavy. He was surprised that he was able to utter anything at all through the pain.

"Jaaaaack," Daniel whined.

Jack could feel Daniel's hand on his arm, shaking him, prodding him to get up. What the hell was wrong with Daniel? Couldn't he tell Jack was hurt? Hurt, hell! He couldn't move. He wanted to turn his head in the direction of Daniel's voice, but knew there would be no way. He didn't even try.

"Dn'yl," Jack groaned softly. "Pleez," he swallowed, hoping it would coat his throat enough to speak coherently. "You hafta find help."

"Jack," Daniel stated, moving around him to squat down next to him. "We have to go. If we don't go now, we never will."

Distantly, Jack could hear Carter and Teal'c calling out to them. However, his entire focus was on the man in front of him.

Jack knew he was dying and he was scared. Not scared of dying. Dying was just a fact of life. He was, though, scared of leaving Daniel behind. They had always talked of forever when they lay together in bed at night. And, now, he wasn't going to be able to keep his promise, and that frightened him for some reason. He loved Daniel with everything he was. Jack had never felt this amount of love for anyone in his life. Yeah, it sounded cliche, but it was the truth. For the first time in his life, he knew what a soulmate was and he had found it in one Dr. Daniel Jackson: pain in the butt and love of his life.

He could feel the sting of tears blurring his vision and tried desperately to blink them away. For the first time in a very long time, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live and live forever with Daniel.

Jack blinked up at Daniel, who was still squatting before him. He noticed that Daniel had one of his hands in his own and was tenderly kissing the older man's knuckles.

"D'n...," he swallowed and tried again. "Danny. 'm sorry."

"For what?" Daniel rubbed his cheek against the palm of Jack's hand.

"For not keepin' my pr'mise."

The look Daniel gave him caused the tears to well up in his eyes again. It was filled with love, a hint of exasperation and a bit of amusement.

Kissing Jack's fingers, Daniel said, "You always keep your promises, Jack. That's one of the reasons I love you so much."

"But, I promised forev'r."

Jack closed his eyes, his emotions getting the best of him; tears leaking out from behind his closed eyelids. Suddenly, a flash of pain ran through him and he gripped Daniel's hand in a bone-crushing grip. The pain was so intense, he was unable to hold back a scream, and the tears flowed freely down his face.

"Jack?! Jack, c'mon we have to hurry. I know it hurts, but, if you get up, it won't hurt any more. C'mon!!"

The pain finally faded and Daniel's words began to penetrate the fog in Jack's brain. Hurry? Get up? What the hell was Daniel talking about? Was Daniel totally unaware that Jack was hurt? That Jack was dying in front of Daniel's very eyes? It was then that Jack could hear the noises in the background getting closer. It was Carter and Teal'c. He watched as Daniel turned around at the sound, looking at the barrier that blocked the two halves of SG-1.

Without warning, Daniel turned around to Jack and began tugging in Jack's hand, panic written all over his expressive face.

"Jack? Jack?! C'mon. We have to go!" Daniel yanked on Jack's hand, causing more pain to shot through Jack's body.

"Daniel, stop! Pleasss! Hur's!!"

"Jack, we have to go! If we don't leave now, we never will. Please, Jack! Get up!" And with a last effort, Daniel heaved and pulled Jack up to his feet.

Suddenly, the two men were chest to chest, Jack's face red with anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Do the words, 'I'm hurt', mean anything to you? I'm dying, Daniel, damnit! Are you blind?! What...?" Jack's tirade broke off as Daniel started laughing in his face. "What's so damned funny?!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in a great imitation of Teal'c and he looked Jack up and down to make his point. "You look pretty good for a dead man, Jack."

"I..." It was then that Jack realized that he was standing. Not just standing, but standing without a hint of pain. What the hell...? "Danny?" Jack's anger turned to confusion and hesitation. He turned vulnerable eyes to Daniel, gripping Daniel's hands tighter in his own; afraid of what was happening to him.

Daniel smoothed a hand down Jack's face, tracing a thumb down the corner of an unsure eye. "Shh, it's all right." Then, taking Jack's arms in both hands, Daniel turned Jack around and stepped up behind him, giving Jack a secure wall behind him for what he was about to see.

Jack gasped and tried to step back, but was stopped by the solid(?!) body behind him. He found himself looking down into the sightless eyes of himself. He adjusted his eyes and glanced up to see Daniel slumped against the wall; one arm crooked awkwardly behind his back and the other out to his side--Jack was lying against Daniel's chest, between Daniel's legs; his body star-fished over the archeologist.

"D-daniel?"

"Shh, it's all right," Daniel repeated. "It's okay, now."

All of a sudden, Jack felt someone move by him and he took a step sideways to avoid falling over. Daniel still had his arms around him, and the two men looked on as Carter and Teal'c knelt down beside their bodies.

"C'mon, we have to go," Daniel urged, whispering in Jack's ear.

"But..."

"No, buts. Let's go."

Peeling his eyes away from the strange sight before him, Jack turned to Daniel and asked, "What? Where?"

With one hand entwined with one of Jack's, Daniel brought up the hand and kissed the fingers. Then he took Jack's lips in a soft, gentle kiss. "Into forever."

finis