Part 57
After the initial 'high' had worn off, Jack assessed the whole situation. He felt at once pathetic and lonely as he mopped up the remnants of an act that should never have happened. What was he thinking? Phil had a reason - he was becoming mentally unstable - that much was becoming painfully obvious as the moments ticked by, but what about Jack? What the hell were his reasons then? Desperation? An unquenchable need to please and be pleased by his lover? This had to stop! He has to thwart all of Phil's future attempts. He also had to swallow his pride and speak to Janet about this. What could be making Philip randy like this? Should he be worried, or should he just hop on board for the ride - so to speak?
Still on his hands and knees under his desk he wallowed in guilt and depression while cursing himself and his lover's appalling timing when he saw a shaft of light move across his floor, a clear indication that his door had been opened. He paused his actions, keeping still should he be discovered like this, as he heard the sound of boots scraping on the floor. He remained still - almost not breathing - not wanting to have to answer any awkward questions as to why he was on the floor, under his desk, with a handful of tissues.
"Where did he go?" He heard Daniel's soft voice, questioning himself rather than the room at large.
"Daniel?" He jerked his head up, slamming it hard against the desk. "Ouch!" Jack flinched.
"Ouch!" Daniel grimaced and peered at the desk inquisitively.
"You alone?" Came the muffled voice from beneath the desk.
"Yeah, sure," the anthropologist said as he stepped into the room and shut the door. Jack's face appeared over the edge of the desk. "Are you okay?" He asked his friend. The crouched man climbed to his feet now and dropped the wad of tissues into his bin.
"Did you spill something?" Daniel asked innocently.
Jack arched his brow then said, "Ah, yeah. You could say that."
As he twisted, he pointed over his shoulder with his finger, the younger man said, "Hammond wants us in the Briefing room. He couldn't reach you on the phone.."
Jack nodded and wiped his hands together then sighed and put a hand on his hip as he leaned onto his desk. "What's he want?" He asked, his face flushed and his eyes slightly squinted.
Daniel looked at him a moment then asked, "What's that smell?"
Jack's mouth dropped open. "You.. you can smell that?" He tilted his head in amazement. Daniel blinked then looked around the room then at Jack.
"You know," he said, starting off cautiously, "If we weren't in the middle of a military base and you weren't on duty and - alone - I'd... oh, I'd say it was...."
"Don't say it!" Jack sighed and rubbed his hand down his face as he shot his friend an embarrassed look. "It was. Is." He blinked then quirked his head to the side, trying to hold all the dignity he possibly could.
"EW!" Daniel said, stepping away from the desk. Jack looked at the desk then at his friend. "Was that Philip on the phone?"
Sucking in a deep breath through his nose, Jack nodded.
"Oh," Daniel said sharply, nodding as he felt the heat rise up his throat.
Jack lowered his face as he lightly knocked his knuckles against the desktop. "Oh," he said, with the enthusiasm of a teenager having been caught out by his mom.
They were silent a short while then Daniel exclaimed quietly, in total amazement, "You had phone sex?"
Jack lifted his dull eyes and stared at him.
"In ... here?" Daniel's nose screwed up.
Jack was waiting for the lecture on stupidity when Daniel said, "I've never had that."
Surprised by the confession Jack looked at him. "Oh, you should," he said dryly. "It's most satisfying!" He grimaced as he sat in his chair and put his face in his hands.
"So it seems," Daniel said, picking up Jack's sarcasm.
The fingers splayed over the colonel's rugged face and he peered at his friend through them. "I don't understand him," he growled as he sat back in his chair. "For months we were barely more than companions - but now? Now it seems he can't get enough of me!"
Occupied by thought, Daniel said, "Maybe he is losing his mind."
Jack stared at him blankly then when Daniel looked up, realizing how that must have sounded, he retorted, "Thanks!"
Daniel's mouth hung open. "No, I didn't...mean.. that.."
"I know, Danny," Jack said on a sigh then he pushed himself up to this feet and went over to his locker. He pulled out his deodorant, sprayed himself liberally with it, including down into his pants, before he put the can away again.
"Come on," he said without emotion. "Didn't you say Hammond wanted to see us?"
"Yeah, in five minutes time.." Daniel checked his watch. "Ugh, ten minutes ago.."
"Crap," Jack said, leaving his office and shutting the door behind him.
They walked in silence together towards the briefing room, both hand their hands in their pockets and their head bowed, lost in their own thoughts.
*
"General," Jack said as he reached the room and saw that the rest of his team was gathered around the table. He took his place, at Hammond's right hand, and sat down onto the black, leather chair while Daniel took his place diagonally opposite him.
Hammond waited, and once the two men were settled he said, "I've asked that this meeting not be minuted..." He jutted his head towards the empty desk in the corner. All four members looked over there, then back at him. "Because what I have to say, I don't want on permanent record.."
"Something wrong, General?" Jack asked carefully.
"You tell me, Colonel," he said with a strained voice. Jack looked at the others on his team then squinted his eyes as he refocused on the man at the head of the table.
"Colonel, the C.O of SG-4 just returned unexpectedly from P4r3999 and demanded to speak to me in confidence!" The small blue eyes looked around at the four faces then back at Jack. "And what he had to tell me was disturbing, to say the least!"
Jack frowned, looking around the table for any hints from his team members but they all looked as in the dark about the general's complaint as he was. He looked back at the Texan, clearly seeing the confusion in the beady eyes.
"What?" he asked, for there was little more he could say at the time.
Hammond sighed loudly as he turned his head so far onto its side that his ear almost rested upon his shoulder - had he been that flexible. "Apparently he was told by a native of P4r3999 that two of your team members were seen - kissing!"
Jack's throat tightened and he immediately shot a look towards Daniel, who looked back at him with very wide eyes.
Sam was also perplexed. "Sorry, Sir?" She asked the general.
Hammond looked at Jack, then Daniel, and then Teal'c. "I see that not all your team members were aware of this occurrence then!"
Sam stared at Jack with a furrowed brow. Her bright blue eyes asking and demanding at the same time. 'What the hell is he talking about - and why the hell wasn't I there to witness this!'
"Kissing, Sir?" The colonel tried to keep his tone neutral.
"Kissing. Colonel!" Hammond affirmed, with a sharp nod.
Jack arched his brow and looked over at Daniel. The younger man rolled his tongue across his bottom teeth as he lifted his eyes to the ceiling. Dammit! He knew at the time that this might come back and bite them in the ass, but after seven months, he'd completely forgotten about it! He was a little surprised at himself for not recognizing the planet's designation when Graham mentioned it last night, but he always did have trouble with remembering numbers.
"They must have been mistaken, General," Jack said finally, not sure if he sounded convincing or not. "Maybe from their angle..."
"Well in light of certain - recent- revelations..." Hammond said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, "I'm not inclined to just dismiss this claim, Colonel."
Jack felt the heat rise up his spine and through his hair. He wanted to say 'it wasn't me!' but he held his tongue.
"They were indeed mistaken," Teal'c said calmly from beside Jack, breaking the awkward silence. Everyone looked at the Jaffa.
"That was my first response," Hammond said gruffly, and then shot Jack a quick double take before looking back at Teal'c again. The Jaffa shifted his dark eyes to look directly at the bald man.
"Then your first response was correct General-Hammond."
Jack cringed slightly. He wasn't so sure that lying to the General was a good solution.
"Go ahead, Teal'c," Hammond invited him. Teal'c titled his head slightly, but didn't look at anyone. He continued to stare straight ahead, at the wall behind Daniel.
"It would be my belief that the villagers mistook an ancient Chulakian custom as a kiss."
"How so? The report was that you and Doctor Jackson were.. seen.. kissing, in the trees on P4r3999."
Jack closed his eyes and sighed softly, bringing his hand up to rub his tired eyes. What a day!
Daniel's face flushed and he bowed his head even further, consumed by his hands in front of him. He was well aware that everyone's eyes were boring into the top of his head at that moment.
Teal'c went on in a calm voice, "During the Rites of Passage I was approached by a villager who wished to make me her life partner."
"You? Surely they understood that you were merely visitors to that world? What made them think you'd be interested in this ritual?" Hammond asked.
Daniel finally lifted his head. "Exactly, Sir," he said then shrugged when Jack looked at him. "But Teal'c tried to explain to her that it was impossible for him to be.. her.. life-partner." He looked at Hammond now and shrugged again, this time with his lips tightly pursed.
"She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, basically, General," Jack offered, weakly.
"So what happened?"
Daniel piped up quickly. "We were concerned that the treaty would be lost if we insulted them by implying that one of their people were not ... good.. enough for one of us.."
Hammond nodded. So far, it seemed to make sense.
Wetting his lips quickly, Daniel shifted in his seat as he gained more confidence in his speech. "Teal'c tried, I believe twice, wasn't it..?" He waited for the affirming nod before returning his attention to Hammond - "To tactfully reject this village girl, but she simply wouldn't let it go."
"What did she do?"
"She went and got Dad, Sir," Jack said, then quirked his brow. "We were looking at - as Daniel put it so eloquently - kissing the treaty goodbye which meant losing the access to Naquada."
Hammond nodded, well aware how important it was to keep this access to the resourceful commodity and how vital that contact had been over the past seven months, supplying earth with the valuable resource to study before utilizing.
Jack glanced at Daniel and saw in his eyes what he was thinking too - that this might just be working. Now to deal with the actual 'kiss' part!
"So the two of you kissed in order to what?"
Daniel grew flustered but Teal'c remained calm. "It was not a kiss, General Hammond. It was an ancient custom from my world called 'Lek'ter'Mahoot'..."
Daniel gave that some thought then said, "Stealing of air.. no.. breath."
Teal'c settled his eyes upon him and gave a slow nod. "That is correct, DanielJackson."
"Stealing of Breath?" Hammond asked, looking between the two men.
"Correct." Teal'c said, returning his attention to the commanding officer. "It requires getting close enough so that one person may take the breath of their beloved."
"Beloved?" Hammond frowned. "So this is like a kiss...?"
"On my world, it is equivalent to a kiss, however, on yours-" He fixed his gaze onto Hammond and said, pointedly, "it is not!"
Daniel swallowed hard then started rubbing the side of his thumb with the tip of his index finger - a sure giveaway that he was nervous.
"Would you care for a demonstration, Sir?" Teal'c offered, much to the amazement of the others.
"No!" Daniel snapped but was overridden by Hammond's own, "Yes!"
Teal'c bowed graciously and then pushed himself up out of his chair. Daniel looked up at him, blinking wildly, as he slowly rose to his feet as well, meeting Teal'c at the end of the table. Jack winched uncomfortably at the two ex-lovers standing almost chest to chest and staring deeply into each other's eyes. A quick check on Sam showed him that this fascinated her.
Coolly, Teal'c explained; "The ritual is performed between my people, General Hammond. It implies great intimacy, which is why I chose to show this to the villagers. When DanielJackson was not successful in dissuading her, I decided that a display of our affections would be a better argument."
"Why Doctor Jackson, that's what I don't get?" Hammond said, baffled.
"I was unavailable," Sam offered quickly, aware that Daniel and Teal'c might have been lovers at that time and may well have been caught out kissing in the woods.
Jack piped up now. "Yeah, she was off with the women folk - doing women folk.. things!" He shrugged as he waved his hand around unenthusiastically.
"And upon Chulak, same sex relationships are not unfamiliar," Teal'c explained calmly. Hammond's mouth dropped open.
"They aren't?"
"No, General Hammond, they are not. Especially amongst the Jaffa warriors. I was grateful that DanielJackson would assist me in this matter. I did not want to be the cause of losing such a valuable treaty." Teal'c used the right amount of contrition to carry it off well.
Hammond nodded mutely.
Looking at Daniel before him, Teal'c said, "Are you ready Daniel Jackson?"
The younger man closed his eyes slowly as he nodded. Blinking them open he tried to keep from looking into the dark eyes that he used to stare into lovingly. He swallowed nervously, concentrating on Teal'c's words and instructions once more. He'd never heard of such a ritual and was sure Teal'c was practicing his deception with inventing it as he went along like this. But in order to be convincing, he had to look like he knew what Teal'c was on about.
Jack shifted in his seat as an apprehension surged through him. He also sensed that this was not a ritual that Daniel knew anything about. It could end up a disaster, especially if the tension he felt between the two of them in his office that morning was any indication of unrequited sexual tension - and they forgot where they were for a moment! He leaned onto his hand, resting his cheek against his palm. Sam was transfixed though, barely blinking as she watched her teammates enact this at the end of the table.
Teal'c asked Daniel to remove his jacket and the anthropologist did so immediately, dropping it onto his chair before turning back to face the Jaffa again.
Now the larger man shifted his hands up along Daniel's arms. Although they were not touching, Daniel could feel the warmth of the Jaffa's skin as it passed over him. The hands continued up to his shoulders then rounded them, cupped around his neck until they reached, and pressed gently against, his cheeks. He caught his breath as he stared into the dark eyes, the same twinkle within them that Teal'c often had when they were about to make love.
Wordlessly Teal'c shifted Daniel's face to the side slightly then tilted his own in the opposite direction - very much a 'kiss' pose. At the same time, he pulled the pink, pouted lips apart with his thumb, clearly seeing the restless tongue within the moist cavern. He shifted his intimate gaze back to Daniel's eyes - a mere quirk of his brow making comment on the view before him - and then closed the gap between them until a sliver of air was between their lips, keeping them apart.
Hammond muttered something quietly under his breath then shifted in his chair. Jack swallowed hard, hoping that the two of them didn't forget where they were and close the miniscule gap between them now. Sam was still transfixed.
Daniel exhaled loudly, due to nervousness, and Teal'c took the opportunity to make a show of gulping in his breath, then swallowing. Shifting his thumb, he closed Daniel's mouth again, brushed the dry, pink lips before stepping away, leaving Daniel to stagger on the spot slightly from the sudden lack of contact.
Looking at Hammond, Teal'c clasped his hands behind his back, broadened his chest and said, "As you will see, General Hammond. We did not kiss."
Jack closed his eyes, relief flooded through him as he twisted to look at the flushed commander.
"I.. I see.." Hammond stammered. Daniel returned to his seat, trying to keep his eyes diverted from everyone in the room. He did a double take when he saw the way Sam was watching him then he bowed his head and gnawed on his bottom lip.
"Yet," Jack said, as he held his hand up towards the still standing man, "Clearly mistakable for a kiss."
"Yes!" Hammond said, and then shook his head. "That was probably awkward enough to go through the first time, especially for you Doctor Jackson, so I appreciate you demonstrating it for me today."
Daniel glanced up as Teal'c slipped into the seat opposite him. Their gaze collided then Daniel flushed and looked down again. Teal'c arched his brow as he sat back, his laced hands in his lap.
"I did what had to be done, for the sake of the treaty, Sir," the anthropologist muttered.
"That is, after all, his job, Sir," Jack said then added, "To foster relations with the indigenous people of the worlds we visit."
"I'm aware of his job, Colonel."
Jack shrugged. "Sure, sir, but I just wanted to say that he went out on a limb this time and, as his commanding officer, I'm grateful."
"Well, I'm grateful, too!" Hammond said with a nod. Daniel looked more embarrassed now than before as he chewed the inside of his bottom lip. "And you're right. It would have clearly demonstrated intimacy to the villagers while not breaking any taboos of this world."
"Your world is full of unrealistic taboos," Teal'c commented, catching everyone's attention.
"Be that as it may, Teal'c, I'm pleased to see that I don't have any embarrassing questions to have to answer to the Pentagon..."
"You have to tell them everything, sir?" The colonel asked.
"I guess not, Colonel," he said with a friendly smile. "I'll have a quiet word with Major Shaeffer and tell him that the villagers were mistaken."
Jack raised his brow then nodded. "Thank you, sir. For the reputation of my men."
Hammond stared at him a long moment then looked around the room. "Only to happy to help in this instance. This team has once again instigated friendly relations with a race of people that can help us in the war against the Goa'uld. You're all a credit to the name SGC."
There were many mumbled "thank you, Sir," around the table then Hammond looked at Jack. "Colonel, if I may, I'd like to see you in my office. The rest of you are dismissed."
The group rose to their feet as Hammond left the room and then gave a collective sigh of relief. Jack walked up to the two men and patted them on their cheeks. "Thank you, to the both of you!"
"It was my pleasure, O'Neill," Teal'c said before bowing his head and leaving the room. Sam and Jack exchanged glances then looked at the red-faced anthropologist. Daniel merely shrugged and headed out of the room as well. Sam looked at Jack then leaned towards him and whispered, "Was it me, or was that hot?"
Jack straightened back then shrugged. She smiled but as she started to move away Jack whispered, "Damn hot."
She stopped and smiled at him before going out of the room. Jack eased the tension in his shoulders as he headed into Hammond's office.
"Closed the door, Colonel," The general said. Jack did as he was told then sat down.
<end of part 57>
Stories on this page are the property of Nessessitee and Slida. Please do not copy these without the written permission of the Author. All Rights are acknowledged for MGM, Gekko and Stargate Productions as to the Copyrights of the characters within this story and no infringement on the copyrights are intended. For the Bombshells Series the character of Philip Simmons is entirely the creation and intellectual property of Nessessitee and Slida.
While the performances given by RDA and MS help to fuel the author's desire to write for their characters in a niche that she feels is present on the actual show, the portrayal of their characters in loving relationships in no way reflects the Author's opinion of the men's private life, nor should it be construed in that manner.