"Jack!"

Colonel Jack O'Neill slowed his long strides to an amble when he heard the familiar voice call out to him from the other end of the long corridor. Soon Daniel Jackson had caught up with him, slowing his own trot to keep up with his friend as they made their way towards the elevators at the Cheyenne Mountain base.

"You called?" The colonel asked as he reached out to press the button for the elevator. It was Friday night and he was looking forward to the weekend.

Inhaling deeply to catch his breath before speaking, Daniel announced, "I'm not going to be able to make it tomorrow."

Jack tried to hide his disappointment in his succinct response. "Oh?"

"Saturdays" had almost become a ritual for Jack. He and Daniel would meet around 10 am in a local coffee house where they'd sit and read the paper together, commenting on issues of importance as they ate a leisurely late morning breakfast. After they'd had their fill they headed off to the markets and did their shopping together, knowing that buying in bulk made for better savings. From there they went back to Daniel's apartment and divvied up the groceries , placing what needed to be kept cold into Daniel's fridge before deciding on what they wanted to do with the rest of the day. Sometimes they took in a movie in the afternoon, or headed to the gym together, or just went back to Jack's place for the rest of the day, watching a game on the television, playing street hockey in his driveway, or pottering around in his garden. Occasionally, very occasionally, they spent the rest of the day apart.

Daniel's favourite choice overall, however, was to go to a small antique bookstore a few streets away from his apartment. The little store, over- flowing with hard-to-find books, had long been over shadowed by a larger book store in the vicinity but Daniel still preferred the ambiance of the little, cluttered shop to the clean lines and stark lighting of the chain store. The inquisitive anthropologist hunted through the dusty shelves while Jack often grabbed a book of interest and headed to the coffee shop attached to the rear of the bookstore to await his friend. Daniel would often find the book he was after and bring it to Jack at the table. They would sit and drink another coffee together before leaving the store, usually heading back to the younger man's apartment for more coffee or so that Jack could get his groceries and car, and go home.

The colonel hadn't realised how much he'd come to look forward to these sessions they shared until Daniel told him he couldn't be there this time. Turning to look at Daniel now, Jack saw the smile that his friend was unable to hide. It reached right up to his blue eyes and Jack figured that whatever he had planned for *their* Saturday instead, excited him greatly.

"I've a friend coming into town tonight," Daniel explained, the smile growing even wider as he spoke. Jack couldn't recall the last time he'd see *such* a smile on the anthropologist's face.

"Obviously a *good* friend," he commented dryly, turning when the metal doors in front of him slid open.

"Yeah, he is." Daniel beamed while nodding enthusiastically. He shot a quick glance over his shoulder at the awaiting elevator before looking back at his friend.

Unable to protest the change in his expected plans, Jack merely nodded then shrugged before stepping into the small grey box.

"I'll see you on Monday then." He reached out and pressed the top button as Daniel gave a soft sigh while biting his lips together. Perhaps, Jack thought, trying to control that insane grin of his.

"Yeah, Monday," the scientist said as he watched the door slide shut before him, his eyes briefly catching Jack's a mere second before the door separated them. Was that disappointment in his friend's brown eyes, he wondered. Suddenly a bolt of 'let down' went through him. Pushing that negative thought to the back of his mind, he turned and headed back to his office to gather his satchel and straighten up before leaving for the weekend. He had a few hours to kill before he had to be at the bus depot so he set about organizing some work for Monday. Throughout his actions, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of loss, however. It was as if he suddenly felt like a part of him, a ritualistic part of him, was somehow put on hold.

Jack had waited for the doors to close before he allowed his disappointment to fill his face.

"Damn!" He muttered to himself as he watched the lights mark the elevators ascent towards the surface of the great mountain.

.o0o.

Daniel waited at the bus depot, sighing exasperatedly as the board showed that Blair's bus was going to be delayed by half an hour. He went over to the café and picked out a good magazine and bought himself a cup of coffee before settling down for the long wait. He began to wonder about the phone call he'd received three days ago from Blair - out of the blue - asking if it would be alright for him to come out and stay with him a short while.

The two men had known each other well a few years ago when Daniel spent a semester at Rainier. He took a few anthropology subjects with his long haired friend, but they hadn't really kept in touch; the odd email and the occasional letter when something worth noting occurred, usually on Blair's end of the correspondence, but nothing really 'close'.

Wistfully, Daniel smiled to himself and wondered how much Blair might have changed over the past years. Would he still have all that hair? Did he still wear his glasses? Was he still wound tight like a spring about to explode, full of the kind of energy that wore the older man out at times? Before he had met the bundle of energy that went by the name Blair Sandburg, Daniel was pretty naive in the ways of the world. He was more your typical book worm; head down, getting incredible grades but without a friend in the world!

Until Blair seeked him out. One day in the library he'd settled in the cubicle beside Daniel's and started what Daniel now could see was his 'wooing of Daniel Jackson'. He'd leaned around the divider and asked to borrow Daniel's pen as 'his wasn't working'. Daniel handed him one. Then a few moments later Blair asked for some white out. Daniel handed it over to him, then returned to his reading. Blair then disturbed him once more, apologizing profusely through an infectious chuckle for the constant interruptions then asked Daniel what he was reading. The anthropology student revealed the book's title and Blair bounced in his seat, saying he'd chosen that book to study too and damn, if it wasn't the last copy in the library! Daniel had naively agreed to share the book, and that earned him a spectacular smile from the dark haired man, who asked if they could get together that night to work on it.

Daniel gave such a chuckle at that recollection now that the lady sitting in the seat beside him in the café shot him a curious glare before returning to the cross word book in her hand. Daniel wet his lips as he recalled the events later that evening.

Blair had come to his room, dead on seven o'clock as he said he would, then he tossed himself belly down onto Daniel's bed where he promptly started asking the older, but shyer, man questions about himself. Daniel pushed his glasses back into place much like he had on that night as the familiar sensation of awkwardness and shyness filled him once more. He had improved with age, but he still hated discussing himself to anyone. The only one he was truly comfortable with now was Jack. It was weird to think that the two people in the world that truly 'knew' Daniel were so un-alike. Colonel Jack O'Neill and Doctor Blair Sandburg, pole opposites, yet both contained certain qualities that had drawn the scientist to them, making him entrust them with his inner thoughts and feelings.

With another wistful grin Daniel went back to recalling his first evening with Blair. By half way through the night, Blair knew practically everything there was to know about Daniel Jackson, and he did his best to capture the man's gaze in long stares, fluttering his lashes over his brilliant blue eyes and dazzling the shyer man with his smile. He had awakened something within Daniel that night that the scientist didn't even realise was there.

It wasn't until Daniel started yawning that Blair knew he'd outstayed his welcome. He got up, headed over to the door and Daniel went to the door to see him out, saying something along the lines that they should do this again. Blair had grinned and said that he definitely agreed that they should, flashing Daniel yet another of his cute grins. The reaction that stirred within the older man had him blushing slightly, but then Blair did something that Daniel never, ever expected. The shorter man went up onto his tip- toes and kissed Daniel's cheek. It was a light, soft kiss but the touch seared Daniel's cheek, stunning him beyond words. Blinking rapidly, Daniel stared at Blair, his confusion growing as his body twitched when Blair smiled yet again. Touching his hand to his hot cheek now the dumb-struck man watched as the bundle of energy left the room, heading down the corridor with quite a bounce in his step.

Daniel couldn't sleep that night. Blair's face: his smile, his blue eyes and long lashes - filled his mind, making him hard. While it was true that he didn't have a lot of experience as far as women were concerned, he wasn't a virgin. However, the earth never did seem to move for him like he was told it should, yet after one night of just talking with Blair, Daniel knew he was more aroused by him than he ever felt for his past female lovers. Lying back on his bed, with his hands tucked under the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling, Daniel started to question his sexuality.

The next day, Blair had crept up behind him at the library and whispered 'boo' softly in his ear as he slid into the cubicle next to Daniel's. The distracted man had blunted the pencil within his grasp at Blair's greeting and he twisted his head quickly to look at him. With a twinkle in his eyes, Blair commented that Daniel didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep. The blond haired man blushed profusely, ducking his face and shaking his head slightly, confirming that. Laughing loudly then quietening down to a giggle, Blair then winked at Daniel and the older man was spellbound from that moment on!

Over the next few weeks they spent a lot of time together, but physically they never ventured further than a kiss on the cheek. Whilst Blair seemed oblivious to the strange 'friendship' Daniel was always distracted whenever they sat too close or when they would brush against each other, seeming to allow the touch to linger more than was usually platonically acceptable. The tactile younger man also often surprised the more aloof scientist by pulling him into a tight hug whenever he was overjoyed about something. And, Daniel noted, Blair was 'often' overjoyed about something!

It was driving him wild and he was growing more and more frustrated. After seeing Blair to the door one night and receiving yet another kiss on the cheek and squeeze to his shoulder, Daniel lent back heavily against the door, sighed then went over to his bed. As he laid down he discovered Blair's scarf, forgotten amongst his pillows. He picked it up, instantly smelling the aroma of his friend's woody aftershave. That night he discovered that even the mere scent of Blair drove him wild, making his throat dry, his heart thump in his chest and his pants tight.

Squeezing his eyes shut, the scientist tried to ignore his body's reactions but, after catching another whiff of the aftershave, he could deny himself no longer. For the first time Daniel touched himself while thinking about his long-haired friend. He allowed himself to fantasize about being with Blair; of touching him, of tasting him, of satisfying him like no other lover could which culminated in the strongest orgasm of his life, arching him off the bed and forcing him to muffle his cry into his pillow.

Shaking, a little with fear and a lot with desire, Daniel had gotten up, sat by the window and 'seriously' started to reassess his sexuality, and his dream of a wife and two point five children.

After a lot of soul searching, he decided that he needed some time away from Blair, wondering if the intensity of the friendship was confusing him. He simply disappeared for a few days, going to stay with a friend of his foster parents in the next town over. However, he soon found that he was like an addict without a fix when he didn't see Blair for three days. Still, he knew that the friendship wasn't going to be able to offer him what he needed and he could no longer keep thinking of Blair as a mere friend, allowing the touches and hugs without wanting more. He realised he was falling in love with the hippie and that was unacceptable to him. Unrequited love was a fool's game and Daniel expected a lot more of himself than to fall into that trap, especially with a man. So he returned to Rainier with the intention of telling Blair that they could no longer be friends.

As he headed down the corridor towards his room Blair was at his door, pounding on the wood, demanding to be let inside. When he saw Daniel coming towards him he jogged up to him, frantically grilling him about where he'd been for the past few days, demanding to know what the hell was wrong and why had Daniel left without a word! Ushering him into his room for fear that the others in the Frat house would hear them, Daniel shut the door quickly, stopping to gather his courage to end their friendship. He pressed his forehead against the back of the door, only half listening to Blair's tirade in the background. Once he had his courage up, Daniel turned to deliver the news.

As soon as he turned and looked into the worried blue eyes before him his resolve melted. Blair stepped closer to him, his face upturned, his throat arched and his Adam's apple bobbing as he asked, again, what was wrong?

Shaking himself Daniel asked him, as steadily as he could, exactly what kind of friendship Blair thought they had. The smaller man frowned then shrugged. Best Friends, he'd told him, and asked if he had a problem with that? Daniel shook his head and stepped away from the door, over to the window where the curtain billowed in the soft breeze and the sun streamed in through the window, making patterns on the floor. Daniel soaked up the warm rays of the late spring sun, knowing that they were soon going to be on vacation.

That was when he told Blair that he was going to Egypt in the summer break and that he wasn't coming back to Rainier after that. They'd argued for a few moments, but Daniel was pig headed and didn't reveal the real reason why he was leaving. He just told Blair that he 'needed' to go to Egypt and that was that. Blair knew that once Daniel had made his mind up, there was no changing it. It was one of his strongest qualities and the younger man respected that, trying hard not to argue with him. With bitter disappointment, Blair reluctantly nodded, his curls bouncing around his face, then he looked up at Daniel once more, asking if that was what he really wanted. With a little nod of the head, Daniel had said it was and stepped over to the door to show him out. Reaching out, Blair squeezed Daniel's shoulder then before the door was opened he reached up to kiss Daniel's cheek for the last time.

To this day Daniel didn't know if he intended to turn his head or if it was just fate, but he did start to turn away from the kiss, unable to take it, when their lips brushed together accidentally. For him, it was like electricity shocking through his body. He could still recall vividly how their lips seem to stick together out of dryness, peeling slowly apart as they pulled back. Both sets of confused blue eyes searched the face before them, stopping to stare at the rosy lips before looking back up at each other again. Without even enough time it judge his friend's reaction to the mistake, Daniel had pulled him closer once more, one arm tightly around the stocky waist while his other hand scrunched up the long, curly hair as he guided their faces together again.

From the soft moan that escaped Blair at the touch of their lips, this wasn't going to be a problem. However, the taste of Blair had Daniel's senses on overload and he couldn't get enough of his exotic friend, pulling him so damn close that Blair had to tap his shoulder in order to get himself some breathing space.

Daniel had always been shy about his body and about sex, in general, but that night, with Blair, he was the instigator. He was the first one unbuttoning the top and ripping it up over his partner's head, tossing it across the room so that it fell over the lamp, dulling the room with a mauve tone. He fumbled but succeeded in unzipping Blair's jean, worn tantalisingly too tight - he noticed - and then he lowered the younger man onto the bed and straddled his hips.

Daniel now realised his cheeks were flushed as he recalled the incredible sex he and Blair had shared that night and in the following months of the summer break. The younger man opened up all Daniel's inhibitions and dispelled all his insecurities, while together they discovered the excitement of the 'thrill-fuck', trying new and exotic places to 'do it'.

It started out one night in Daniel's room, when Blair dared him to 'do it' on the rooftop of the university, under the carpet of the stars. Never again, Daniel told himself as he recalled the amount of lights that went on in the buildings around them as they both cried out in the heat of passion. But they did do it again, over and over again, on roof tops, in the back of a car parked on the side of a main road (but that was Blair's fault that time!), in the middle of the football field late one very, very un- seasonally cold evening. With only a few weeks to go before the end of the holidays, they pooled their money together, affording a cheap trip to Egypt where they spent their days exploring the pyramids and culture, and their nights exploring each other.

Daniel sighed and shuddered slightly now, adjusting the book in his lap to cover his semi-hardness and the woman with the cross word puzzle eyed him cautiously once more.

Finally a bus pulled into the station and Daniel stood, his eyes glued to the main doors as he wondered if he'd even recognise Blair after all these years.

But he recognised him immediately. He still looked the same! Oh Ghods, Daniel thought to himself as he watched Blair scan the room for him, "he's still so damn gorgeous!" Blue eyes met across the room and then suddenly the room lit up with Blair's smile. He shook his head as he crossed towards Daniel, his arms opening wide as he dropped his bag to the ground. The two men flung themselves into the hearty hug, both laughing loudly, pleased to see the other again.

"Oh, man! You look incredible!"

Daniel gulped at the air as he tried to settle his heartbeat. "So do you!"

As they pulled back Blair had a slight frown on his face as he gazed around Daniel's arm.

"He's my brother!" He said to some unseen person. Daniel turned to see that Blair was addressing the lady with the cross word puzzle. She had her lips pursed tightly and was staring at them suspiciously. She diverted her eyes when Daniel looked back at her but she didn't look convinced. Daniel slipped his arm across Blair's shoulders while the smaller man bent to pick up his case.

As they walked out of the terminal together Daniel bent over and whispered to the woman, "Actually, he's *not* my brother at all!"

Blair frowned when he felt Daniel laughing, leaving the woman to draw her own conclusions. "What?" The shorter man asked before turning to look back at the slack jawed woman but the older anthropologist just shook his head as he continued to chuckle to himself.

"Daniel? What did you say to her?"

The grinning man merely shook his head as he pushed the doors open for them to leave the terminal.

.o0o.

"Wow!" Blair wandered around Daniel's cluttered apartment, picking up the nick nacks and taking a good long look at them before putting them back down again. He moved off to a photo and had a good look at that before putting it down and picking up something else. Daniel sat on the arm of his sofa, enjoying watching Blair take such an interest in his home as only a fellow anthropologist would.

"Oh, hey!" A soft laugh escaped the smaller man as he picked up the photo of Daniel in front of a pyramid in Giza. Turning to look back over his shoulder, he smiled and waved the photo he'd taken of Daniel on the mule. "This is the one I took of you, wasn't it?"

The other man nodded then slipped off the arm of the chair and came to stand behind him.

"That was the *best* holiday," Blair mumbled before tilting his face up to look back at his friend. Daniel's eyes shifted from the picture to the upturned face. He smiled slowly.

"We made the most of it, didn't we?"

"Did you ever go back there?" Reaching out, Blair placed the picture frame down again while still looking up at Daniel. Seeing the picture was about to topple over, the older man reached out and straightened it up, his hand going over Blair's as he did that.

"Sorry, man," Blair said, tugging his hand from the grip noticeably. Daniel stepped back, leaving him room to get away. It appeared being so close was unsettling his friend.

"Sort of," Daniel said, answering the question finally as he moved across to sit on the sofa and pick up his cup of coffee. Blair crossed with him, choosing to sit in the single chair to drink his tea.

Removing his glasses, the younger anthropologist chuckled slightly as he asked, "how can you *sort of* visit Egypt?"

"I went to Abydos." Daniel put his cup down then sat back in his seat

"Abydos? What for?"

With a slight shrug, Daniel said, "I was sent there to do some work a few years back."

"Were you there long?" Blair asked, sipping at his drink again.

"About a year," the archaeologist told him.

"And?"

Daniel frowned and sat forward again. "And what?"

"And did you enjoy it? What were you doing there?"

"Mostly an anthropological study really," Daniel said.

"Man, why can't I ever get a gig like that!" Blair smiled.

"Because you're more interested in Jungles than deserts," Daniel reminded him then frowned, "weren't you?"

Nodding, the smaller man reached out and put his empty cup on the coffee table.

"So what did you find in Abydos then?"

With a small smile on his face, Daniel ducked his head slightly and shrugged. "Oh, a .. wife."

Blair's jaw dropped. "A wife?" He looked around the room then back at Daniel. The guy was now *married*? Why didn't he think to ask something like that before coming up for the weekend? Why didn't Daniel think to tell him that on the phone when he rang? Blair immediately chastised himself. 

*Probably because he didn't realise you were coming out for some 'comfort'. After all these years it was probably the last thing on his mind!* 

After berating himself for his great detective work, Blair looked around the apartment again then back into Daniel's blue eyes. "Er, so where is she?"

"Well, she and I are.. no .. longer together, actually," Daniel confessed quietly.

With genuine disappointment, Blair said, "Oh, wow! I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

Daniel lifted his hand to scratch at his cheek as he arched his brow. "It's a long and very complicated story.."

Holding his hands up in front of himself, Blair cut him off with, "Hey, man, if you don't want to tell me, I *really* understand!"

"It's not like that." Daniel shrugged then sighed and tilted his face up, a small sad smile ghosted over his features. "Sha're and I *can't* be together."

Nodding like he understood, Blair said, "Cultural differences? I see!"

Deciding that was as good an excuse as anything, Daniel agreed and lowered his face to look down at his hands in his lap. Blair sat uncomfortably in his chair now, before turning to meet Daniel's gaze when he looked up again.

"What about you?"

"Oh, I'm not married," Blair laughed, then added self-effacingly, "who'd have me?!"

Daniel smiled. "Actually I was going to ask you what you've been doing all these years?"

Blushing slightly, the younger man nodded and looked down, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I'm working at Rainier now," he told his friend.

"Wow, that's great!"

Nodding, Blair smiled proudly and punched the air a little. "Yeah, I got my Masters and now I'm working towards that PhD!"

Daniel's smile reached his eyes. He titled his head back, resting it against the back of his chair. Blinking slowly, he said, "knew you could do it, Blair."

It might have been the angle of his face, the way it made his Adam's apple stick out, or it might have been the smile on his lips, or the gentleness of his voice, but whatever it was, it got to Blair. His own smile faltered slightly then he lowered his face and gave a soft cough. Daniel noted the reaction and sat up.

"Blair?"

Looking up, there seemed to be tears in the long bottom lashes. Daniel frowned.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing." The younger man shook his head, his voice steady. Daniel sat forward in his seat, getting a little closer to his friend.

"Blair?" He reached out and touched his hand to Blair's knee. The curls bounced as the head snapped up, crystal blue eyes stared directly into Daniel's.

"It's just, I don't know, weird being here, I guess," he said, trying to add a smile to his words but failing.

"I must say, when you called me I was really surprised. I never thought I'd hear from you again."

"Well, you're not exactly easy to track." Blair did smile this time, then sniffed back any tears from the back of his nose before sitting forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. Daniel shrugged.

"I keep a pretty low profile!"

"I'll say. I tried looking for you through work and nothing!"

"Through Rainier?" Daniel arched his brow high.

"No, I, er.." He pointed over his shoulder then flashed a quick grin at Daniel. "I also do a bit of work with the Cascade PD."

Daniel's brow creased into a frown. "Police department? What on earth are you doing with the Police Department?"

"I could ask you the same thing! What's the military want with an archaeologist?"

Daniel lowered his face then nodded. "I guess so."

Watching the reaction, Blair knew Daniel was hiding something. He inched forward in his seat then said, "Daniel, I found one!"

The good looking man looked up. "Found one?"

Wetting his lips quickly, Blair almost bounced in his seat. "A sentinel. A *full* Sentinel!"

Taking a few moments to digest that information, Daniel stammered, "you did?"

Blair's grin split his face now as he nodded. "I work with him.. I.. I'm his Guide.  Helping him to work with his abilities and not zone on them!"

Daniel's eyes went wide. He looked impressed. "I'm surprised! How did you find him?"

"Well that's the strange thing, man. He found me! Well, there was this guy I was dating at the local hospital at the time, only I told Jim it was a girl, but anyway," Blair shrugged and Daniel frowned, trying to keep up with the quick talker. "I met him and we hit it off straight away!"

"Hit it off?" Daniel asked.

Cringing a little, Blair shrugged, "Well, really it was more a case that he wanted to hit me for calling him a throwback to the Neanderthal man, but.."

"Well, that will do it, usually," Daniel added quickly, making Blair burst out in laughter.

"You know," he smiled as he stared at Daniel, "You haven't really changed much, have you?'

Daniel smiled. "I guess that depends on what you mean by 'changed'."

The smile faded slightly. Blair's hopes for the weekend seemed to fade immediately. "Oh, I was just meaning, that you seem.."

Seeing the discomfort, Daniel reached forward and patted Blair's knee.

"How about I get us a refill?"

The grateful man nodded then handed up his cup. Their hands brushed again but this time Blair didn't tug away. Daniel stared down at him then moved off to the kitchen. Blair sat in the room, looking around at the contents overflowing on the shelves. After a few moments, he got up and went over to the patio doors. Stepping out, he lifted his face to the bright moonlit night. Daniel stepped out quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace. As if sensing him, Blair turned and smiled before opening his eyes.

"It's so quiet here at night," he said with a soft sigh as Daniel stepped up beside him. The taller man looked down at his friend, his eyes scanning the chiselled face closely before looking away across the park opposite his block of apartments.

"Compared to Cascade, I guess," he said. Blair remained staring at the profile until Daniel turned to him again. They didn't say a word for the longest time, then finally Daniel ducked his face and sighed, contemplating asking the question on his mind.

Blair spoke first though. "Do you still love your wife?"

Without hesitation Daniel gave a most definite nod.

"Yes, I do. She's in a situation that neither of us can control and my heart breaks for her," he confessed softly, tapping his fingers against the patio railing. Blair reached up and squeezed his shoulder. Daniel blinked slowly as they stared at each other - almost anticipating the kiss that Blair would give him whenever he squeezed his shoulder. Instead, Blair just let go slowly and dropped his hand to his side before looking out across the road.

This time it was Daniel who stared at the profile, and realised - for the first time - how alike Sha're and Blair were in appearance. Perhaps, the anthropologist wondered to himself, that was why he was instantly attracted to her. Right now, standing in the moonlight with the gorgeous man, he wondered how he had the strength to leave him in the first place. But he had. And he'd survived. And they'd both moved on with their lives, growing in different directions. Living different lives.

But what he wouldn't give, right here right now, to have a bit of what they'd shared again. It had been so long for him and it was so 'right' with Blair. He suddenly realised how much he'd been craving a taste of that mouth all day. To know those perfect lips, to taste that tongue - once again. To have someone who knew him so completely make love to him and drive away all his years of frustrations - if only for one night.

Clamping his eyes shut, he gave a heavy sigh trying to curb the rising swell within him. He was unaware that he was now being watched closely.

After a quiet moment, Blair spoke in a low voice. "So, how much have you changed?"

Daniel wet his lips and then looked down to meet the intense gaze. His hand nervously tapped the patio railing again, until Blair silenced it by laying his own hand over the top of it. Their eyes met again and Daniel thought he recognised that look in Blair's eyes.

As he unconsciously laced their fingers together, Daniel asked, "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

Blair's face twitched slightly as he shrugged. "It's complicated," he admitted honestly.

The older man was surprised by that answer, expecting a completely different response. Realising he'd misjudged his ex-lover's actions once again, and feeling foolish because of it, he tugged his hand free and gave a sharp nod as he stepped back slightly.

"I see."

"I live with my partner..." Blair went on, oblivious to Daniel's disappointment. The older man nodded like he was listening but he was secretly cursing himself for expecting more from this weekend than he was, obviously, being offered.

"Or at least, I *did* until a few days ago," Blair added, in a softer voice. Daniel looked up at him, lifting his hand to press his glasses back into place as he leant his hip against the patio railing.

Folding his arms over his chest again, he asked, "Did you break up with.. them?"

Blair shrugged, confusion filled his blue eyes. "To be honest, there never was anything *to* break up," he confessed.

Daniel saw the genuine pain in his ex-lover's eyes and felt the familiar tug at his heart for whenever Blair was hurt or disappointed. After another long silence he asked gently, "So what happened the other day then?"

Catching his breath in a heavy sigh, Blair scrubbed his hand through his long curls then shrugged.

"Jim." He said then looked up to gage Daniel's reaction. "That....that's his name," he said, and Daniel nodded, so he continued, "Jim and I lived together in a loft in Cascade. The other day we were on a case together..."

"A case?"

"Yeah, Jim's a cop.. or he was."

"How long have you been together?" Daniel interjected.

"You see, man, that's just it! We aren't 'actually' together. When I call him my partner, I mean purely as a cop. I mean, we do share a place together, but we have our own rooms." He didn't hide his disappointment at that declaration.

"Anyway, the other day Rafe, he's.. he's a friend of ours, he came around to dinner and he'd had a few too many to drink. He made some off the cuff remark about us being just like a married couple. Jim snapped back at him but Rafe just laughed as he told us that there was this pool on at the bullpit, and he was hoping we'd get together soon as he'd picked it to be sometime this month!" Blair's blue eyes were wide as he retold the story. "Jim's so damn straight, you know? He was furious at Rafe for even suggesting this! Then the guy stupidly goes and laughs about it in Jim's face and I thought Jim was about to kill him for sure!"

"Oh, gods," Daniel sighed softly. Blair nodded.

"I know. Now Jim's huge, I mean he's like 6 foot 3, man, and he stood and towered over Rafe and I thought he was about to pick him up and throw him across the goddamn room!"

"So what happened?"

"Jim grabbed him by the arm and I'm like trying to get everyone to calm down but Jim pushes him from the loft and the next thing I know he's turning on me!"

"He did what??"

"Oh no, man, he didn't hurt me or anything!"

Daniel nodded, glad to hear that.

"It was the look in his eyes though. I'd never seen that look before! He started to ask me if I knew anything about this and I was backing up saying, hey man, no way! but he just kept coming after me! I locked myself in my room that night-" Blair lowered his head then sighed softly. "I've never locked myself in my room before. I was always *safe* with Jim."

"So what happened?"

Blair wiped his hand under his nose then shrugged. "When everything went quiet out there I crept out. I climbed up the stairs to his room and he was just lying in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. That was when I realised he'd zoned on me! I tried talking him back again, like I've done so many times before but that's when it hit me, I was probably talking him in *deeper*. I mean, it was *me* he was running from. So I called Simon, told him what happened and waited for him to arrive. He told me he'd look after Jim, made sure that going away was really what I needed to do and then told me to come back when I was ready. He took Jim to the hospital."

Frowning, Daniel asked, "how is he?"

Shaking his head, Blair rubbed under his nose again. "I really don't know. I called Simon two days ago and he said he was still in there, and there had been no changes."

Jutting his chin back towards the patio door, Daniel suggested that they call the hospital.

"Oh, no man, that would be expensive!"

Shaking his head, Daniel put his arm around Blair's shoulders and tugged him back into the apartment. "I can afford the phone bill, besides," he said, picking up the receiver and holding it out to his long haired friend, "you really need to know this."

Reluctantly, but gratefully, Blair took the receiver and dialled the number from memory. Daniel left him to make the call while he prepared them another cup of coffee, the other having gone cold on them.

.o0o.

Blair heard the soft whoosh of Daniel's jeans as he came back into the room. Holding out the cup to his friend he gave Blair an encouraging smile. After a few quiet words, Blair put the phone down and looked at his tall friend, standing next to the sofa.

"Any news?"

Sipping his drink then putting it down on the table, Blair shook his head sadly. "Still no change."

Daniel removed his glasses, rubbing at his tired eyes. Placing them onto the coffee table he sighed, disappointed for his friend. He understood enough about Sentinels to know what a Zone was and that everyone was powerless in helping this Jim until he came out of it himself or got his Guide to help. And that was impossible.

Blair inhaled a long, deep breath then looked across the room at Daniel.

"Thanks, man! I really mean that! I think I needed to talk about him to someone that could actually understand what the hell I was on about!"

Daniel smiled once more. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Blair stared at him, then stepped across to him, slipping his arms around his waist and pressing his cheek against Daniel's shoulder. He squeezed his taller friend tightly as he said thanks again. Daniel lowered his face, the soft curls brushed against his cheek. He lifted his hand and cradled the back of Blair's head. Pulling back, the men remained in the cuddle, Daniel's fingers caressing the scalp through the curls. Blair blinked then he stretched up onto his tip toes and hesitantly moved closer to Daniel. They both blinked and stared at each other then slowly, they closed together for a kiss.

For the both of them, it was like coming home. It was long, and deep and gentle. Nothing rushed or brutal. They both sighed softly, at the back of their throats, as their tongues jostled gently together. Daniel's long fingers continued to massage through the thick mane while Blair's hands slipped up and over the broad shoulders, gripping him tightly. They broke apart with a few quick kisses then Daniel pressed his forehead against Blair's and looked him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. Blair smiled lazily.

"For what?"

"For the unholy thoughts I'm having about you right now, when you're confessing your love for another man." Daniel's hand patted the hair down slightly, then Blair gave a soft growl of protest as the other man stepped back away from him.

"I kissed you back," the younger anthropologist argued. Daniel smiled and reached down for his coffee cup. Nodding but not convinced obviously, he lifted it to his lips and took a sip. Blair dropped his chin to his chest then looked up, "and I'm the one with the hard on right now!"

Daniel lowered his eyes then looked up into the bright blue orbs once more.

"So you do," he said calmly, placing the cup back onto the coffee table. Blair gave a slight laugh then shook his head.

"Man, I'm sorry!" He turned from Daniel realizing that the other man was not interested in carrying this further. He was way too cool about it and Blair needed to accept that and get over it. Without warning though, Daniel grip his shoulders and press up against him from behind, his whole front pressed against the smaller man's back. Blair's groan escaped before he could stop it as he felt the tight grip and the warmth of the body behind him.

With his lips close to Blair's ear, Daniel whispered his reasons for not taking this any further. "You just need a really good friend right now. I'm not complicating this for you, okay?"

Leaning back against the firm chest, Blair shook his head, his curls tickling Daniel's nose slightly. "I need some way of venting this anger and frustration, that's what I need!" He sighed soulfully.

Daniel slipped his arms across Blair's chest, cuddling him back against him. He didn't want to be the martyr. He wanted to be naked with this man, tumbling across the bed in his room, releasing his pent up frustrations of the past few months. Instead, he swallowed then shook his head.

"No, Blair. You'll hate yourself if you cheat on him."

Dropping his face to his chest once more, Blair made a deep growl at the back of his throat. "Stop being such a god damn gentleman!" He bemoaned. Daniel smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry."

Blair looked back over his shoulder and caught the smile. "No, you're not!" He finally laughed again - a soft, slightly annoyed laugh.

Daniel rubbed his cheek against the silken mane then sighed as he confessed, "my thoughts about you are anything but gentlemanly at the moment."

Blair turned within the hold and looked up at Daniel. "Then do something about it!" He invited through clenched teeth.

Shaking his head, Daniel touched his hand to Blair's cheek, feeling the rough stubble under his palm. "What about Jim?"

Blair blinked. "What about him? He doesn't love me."

"Neither do I, Blair," Daniel said, then added, "not like that."

The younger man nudged his face against the soft warm palm. "You used to."

Running his eyes over Blair's face Daniel drank in his features. Blue eyes to drown in, large and owlish and so full of passion for life. The dark shadow of a beard over his chiselled cheeks and chin, surrounding the most kissable mouth Daniel had ever known. What this guy could do with those lips was.. sheer heaven! An angel face surrounded in a halo of silky dark curls. Daniel felt himself harden at the mere thought of making love to Blair again, of running his hands over his former lover's body, of smelling and tasting him..

"I definitely used to." He dropped both hands onto Blair's shoulders.

Unaware he was even doing it, Blair's hands moved and caressed Daniel's butt as he asked him, "I guess I would be kinda using you, wouldn't I?"

Shrugging, the older man gave a wistful smile.

"As scary as it may sound, I'm kinda getting used to being used - sexually."

Blair face flickered with a frown. "Oh?"

Shaking his head, Daniel let him know he wasn't prepared to discuss it further.

Blair gave a sharp nod. "Believe me, sex isn't what this is all about! The first person I tried to contact was Naomi, but she's off somewhere else now."

"She's still travelling?"

Blair nodded. "She's always travelling! And I had to get away from Cascade.."

"You had no other friends? Past acquaintances? Other lovers?" He secretly kicked himself for that last one - it almost reminded him of something that Jack would come out with.

Blair scratched at his eye with his thumb nail as he dropped his face. He deserved that, he guessed.

"Sure I do," he said, tilting his face up to stare into Daniel's blue eyes. He swallowed as he felt the stirrings within him increase. He knew he was starting to tremble as the warmth of Daniel's hands penetrated the top he was wearing. "Loads of them. All around the world and a lot of them were less trouble to track down than you proved to be!"

So he'd obviously tried hard to find Daniel. This brought another smile to the older anthropologist's face. With a swipe of his thumb along Blair's jaw line, he said in a soft voice, "I'm glad you came to me."

"Maybe it wasn't such a great idea, man. All the way here all I could think about was that summer break we spent together!"

Daniel cleared his throat softly. "Yeah, I've been thinking about that all night too," he said. Blair's eyes widened in a 'well, why don't we?' reaction. Daniel's thumb brushed against Blair's bottom lip as he said in a soft voice, "but the fact remains, I'm not the man you're in love with."

Blair screwed his eyes shut as he sighed heavily. "Man, please!" He opened them again and Daniel fell into the deep pools of blue.

"You know I could never say no to you!" He mumbled softly.

The miserable face shone now with a smile, revealing perfectly straight, small teeth. "I used to count on that actually!"

"God help me-" Daniel sighed softly as he leaned closer to Blair once more.

Their lips met in a gentle kiss, the mouths parted to allow the tongues to seek and to taste a familiar yet changed cavern that they both once knew so well.

Daniel put his hand to Blair's cheek and pulled back once more. "Are you sure you don't feel like you're betraying Jim?"

Blair shook his head as he grew more frustrated. "Oh man, please!"

"So you *did* just come to me to get out your sexual frustrations?" Daniel cocked an eyebrow.

"No! No way!" He watched as Daniel grinned then he swatted his arm hard.

"Ow!" Daniel chuckled as he rubbed his arm. Blair shook his head.

"You could always get to me like that, couldn't you?"

Daniel wet his bottom lip as he nodded and chuckled. "Um, yeah," he said.

Rubbing his hand over the rounded butt of the taller man, Blair sighed as he nibbled along his lover's jaw. "I wont lie to you man, I'm not professing undying love here to you.  Just.. I just," he pulled back to look into Daniel's eyes, "I needed to see you. But now, now I need touch you....taste you.. "

Daniel's breath caught in the back of his throat as Blair kissed and licked his way down his throat. "I think.. you're doing that.. actually."

A throaty chuckle escaped Blair. "I am, aren't I?" He went onto his tip- toes and licked his tongue over Daniel's slightly parted lips.

The older man groaned as he pulled Blair closer. Gnashing mouths together, Daniel squeezed the stocky body against his own, almost forcing the shorter man off the floor. He opened his eyes, saw how close they were to the sofa and carefully laid Blair back onto it. Laying on top of him as he deepened the kiss, he grounded his body against the one trapped beneath him. Blair chuckled at Daniel's urgency.

"Isn't it *me* that's meant to be using you.. sexually?" He teased the impatient man. Daniel knelt up and slipped his own sweater off over his head, smiling when he heard Blair's lustful moan.

"Somehow, I think this time it's *mutual*." The older man said.

Leaning down, he tugged the shirt from Blair's pants then pulled at it and his other shirt until he had removed both of them. Always a little self- conscious about his own appearance, especially as he was always comparing his own to a body like Jim's all the time, Blair was grateful to hear Daniel's gasp as he stared down at his chest.

"Wow, you filled out nicely!" The kneeling man smiled, then ran his hands over the hairs that covered the broad, firm chest below him. Blair gave a soft moan as Daniel massaged him slowly, gripping him tightly in fistfuls, then rubbing the reddened area gently. Lying back over him, Daniel positioned his engorged groin against Blair's own tight pants then rubbed the two bodies together lightly.

"Daniel, please," Blair whispered. Daniel grinned at him wickedly then he started to slowly tease a nipple with his tongue, watching the expression of pleasure fill Blair's face.

"I'd almost forgotten what you look like when you come!" He whispered, his tongue moving over to the other hardened nub now, licking and nibbling and enticing it to rock hardness, while enjoying the tang of the metal ring through it.

"You're about to see it.." Blair muttered through clenched teeth.

"No.. not yet! You take hours to get back up!" The archaeologist deftly opened the jeans and squeezed the top of the uncircumcised head tightly between his thumb and first two fingers. "Blair.. please.. think of dirty washing for me!" He said urgently through clenched teeth.

The anthropologist's face was screwed up as he fought the bubbles of arousal within him, then he finally relaxed and was able to look up at Daniel once more.

"Sorry, man." He smiled. Daniel lifted his hand off the tight red head and touched Blair's cheek once more.

"That's okay. I'm just not ready for that.. yet.." He sighed as his hand trailed up the dark hairs and over the chest once more, squeezing a hard nub through the thatch of hair.

Blair sucked back a deep breath and his face contorted into a pain-filled frown. "Oh.. gods.. dirty washing..?"

Daniel grinned. "Dirty washing!" He trailed soft kisses down the stomach then moved down to pull the jeans off all the way, dropping them to the floor.

"Come with me." He ordered with a husky voice, holding his hands out to Blair. The younger man extracted himself out of the engulfing sofa cushions and took Daniel's hand as they headed to the bedroom.

The bed was made and the room tidied, for once, and Daniel led Blair to the bed where the younger man knelt up on the Batik covered bed as he smiled at Daniel.

"Do you have any stuff?" He asked as he ran his hands around the firm waist before him, slipping down to grip the rounded butt cheeks firmly.

"I stopped and got some today," Daniel admitted candidly. Blair looked at him and gave a soft laugh.

"Oh, man! This is definitely mutual, huh?"

Daniel smiled as he nodded. "Definitely." Then he lowered his eyes to take in the fully naked man before him. "Most definitely!"

"That's good," Blair said in a whisper as he kissed across the smooth chest. Daniel laced his hands through the long mane of hair as he kissed the top of Blair's head. Leaning back, he untwined his hands and reached down to undo the jeans he was wearing.

Blair scooted closer, placing his hands over Daniel's on the jeans.

"Let me..." He whispered as he nudged at the flat stomach with his nose while he slowly unzipped the jeans. Daniel sighed, his stomach sucking in and out with his labored breathing now.

After Daniel stepped out of his jeans Blair sat over the edge of the bed, his feet resting on the floor as he gathered Daniel in front of him.

"Talk about filling out nicely, man, you look incredible!" Blair rubbed his face against the soft, white stomach, his chin grazing the spongy public hair, catching it in his stubble a little.

"I have to be fit for the Air Force," Daniel sighed as he felt Blair's hot tongue lick across his skin slowly.

"So what's the Air Force got that so attractive to you, an archaeologist?" Blair whispered as he started to tug lightly on the pubic hair with his teeth.

"Oh.. gods.. umm.." Daniel sighed as he felt himself jerk hard, hitting Blair under the chin, "err.. really cute colonel's.. for one thing.."

Blair laughed softly at the nudge under his chin and he pulled back and admired the erection before him. Hungry for a taste he ran his lips along the hardened shaft but hesitated before touching his tongue to the tip.

"You clean, man?" He asked, looking up into hazy blue eyes. Daniel nodded.

"Regular tests. How about you?"

Blair nodded also. "Part of the job..." He said, his breath softly blowing over the tip making Daniel twitch in anticipation.

"Ahh...ohh.. good!" Daniel purred as he felt the tongue trace up one of the veins again and this time, swipe over the tip, lapping at the pre-cum that glistened there.

"So you and this colonel?" Blair asked, glad that Daniel had someone that he liked as well, that way he felt a little less like a user if Daniel was actually interested in someone else. Even better if the guy was able to get any sexual frustrations out on him this weekend too. "Male or female?"

"Male.. " Daniel's breathing was becoming desperate, "most definitely.. male!"

.o0o.

Blair swiped his tongue across Daniel's purple tip once more, knowing that if the archaeologist came, he wouldn't take too long to arouse again. Being this close, tasting him, smelling him made Blair hungry to swallow him once more.

"Oh.. wow.."

He sighed as he filled his mouth with Daniel, familiarizing himself with the taste and recalling certain *things* that his lover enjoyed. Like the light scraping of teeth up along the shaft, and the nuzzling of his nose into the soft sac right at the base of the shaft as he squeezed him firmly in his fist. Each memory was rewarded with a loud groan of pleasure from the standing man, and eventually Blair pulled him down onto the bed, rolling him onto his back then he kissed frantically all over Daniel's chest while the older man rocked himself against Blair's side.

"Oh.. gods.. oh.. Daniel.. oh..!" Blair cooed as he suckled on a nipple, while enjoying the feel of Daniel's fingers scrunching up his long hair, tugging his scalp lightly and pressing his fingertips against his head. Blair reached up and fumbled for the lube and condom from the side cabinet, and Daniel's back arched as the fingers made their way inside him gently, first one, then two then three, filling him, making him crave a full erection deep inside him. Blair stared down at the half closed eyes, finding the fact that he was driving this man to the edge of the abyss of bliss more stimulating than any caress could have been. Daniel's eyes opened and stared straight through him.

"Blair.. don't tease!" He hissed passionately and Blair grinned as he slowly rolled on the sheath.

"You were always the impatient one!" Blair laughed and the sound of that laugh rocked through Daniel, engorging him fully. His fingers reached out for Blair's thighs and then they slipped up over the soft, rounded butt as the younger man positioned himself against his opening. Blair allowed Daniel to 'push' him in, using the fingers embedded in his butt cheeks as a guide as to how much Daniel was able to take. Slowly, he pressed through the tight opening, and with just his head buried within the constricting rings, he stopped and smiled at his squirming mate. Daniel's legs wrapped around Blair's body, his feet aiding in the press. He stared up into Blair's eyes, a smile crinkling the corners as he wet his lips slowly.

"Impatient, but so damn hot!" Blair sighed, feeling the fingers urging him, the legs squeezing him to slip in further. The thick shaft strained the ring open further, making Daniel moan deeply. He dropped his feet to the mattress and dug his heels into the cold sheet, lifting his butt up invitingly but tightening the opening. Blair moaned at the pressure against his tip, enjoying the heat surrounding him. He shifted his kneeling thighs slightly under the raised butt, pushing deeper and deeper into the willing body. Finally with one last push, he was embedded up to his base and Daniel groaned loudly, his eyes opening slowly.

Both men smiled then Blair reached down and kissed Daniel's hungry mouth, their tongues mingling in a seductive lick. Pulling back, he allowed his hands to slip down the moist body, feeling the soft smooth skin rippling under his palms as he made his way towards the straining erection, jutting up to meet him.

"Oh, man. You are gorgeous! Look at this body!"

Daniel chuckled and squeezed the thick muscle within him, making Blair cry out loudly.

"Holy.." He looked down at him and saw the grin on the older man's face.

Wrapping his legs around Blair's hips once more, Daniel aided in the slow pulses while his hands ran over the hairy chest, tweaking a rough nub until Blair cried out again. Following the curve of his lover's back, Daniel found his way to the rippling butt, enjoying the feel of the muscles straining then releasing, pressing the hard shaft deep into him.

Both men sighed softly at the same time, eliciting a smile from the other at the coincidence. There was a certain 'sureness' about all this and they both felt it. Daniel watched as Blair half closed his eyes, tilted his head back a fraction and bit on his bottom lip while he gently thrust into him.

"Talk about gorgeous," Daniel muttered, which made Blair open his eyes and smile at him again. Reaching up to touch the stubble covered cheek, Daniel pressed his thumb into the perfect mouth. The younger man sucked slowly on it, wrapping his tongue around the digit then biting lightly with his teeth before sucking once more.

Blair's hands gripped Daniel's waist as he increased his rhythm, punctuated by soft groans and giggles as he and Daniel exchanged smiles. Suddenly his head flew back, his chest expanded as he sucked in one last deep breath before shuddering, his head falling forward and his dark mane falling down to frame his face as he squeezed his eyes shut and shivered until him was fully drained. Then he sucked in a slow, deep breath, lifted his face a fraction and opened his eyes to stare directly down at Daniel, who started to shake his head at the beauty of the man above him.

Another wicked grin saw Blair quickly recovering and pulling himself from Daniel, then the older man threw him onto his back. He rolled a sheath on expertly with one hand while Blair assisted him by squeezing the tip for him, and with his other hand Daniel smeared lube between the already sweaty cleft, preparing his lover for penetration. Blair's heels dug into the soft bedding and his lifted his hips into the air.

"You know how I like it," Blair whispered lustfully. Daniel grinned and buried his face in the sweaty groin, biting and sucking on the soft inner thighs which earned him some laughter and yelps from his lover then he knelt between his thighs, and in a few sharp moves, was buried to the hilt inside Blair, the younger man calling out in triumph as he felt himself become filled by the thick shaft.

Strong, sturdy legs wrapped themselves around Daniel's chest, squeezing him and all too soon Daniel was screaming out Blair's name as he came into the sheath, trembling and shaking as he rode out the powerful orgasm.

Both men, totally satiated, fell side by side onto the bed. Daniel carefully rolled the condom from himself, tying it then dropping it into the bin beside the bed alongside of Blair's.

The younger anthropologist lifted his arms up and tucked his hand under his head, watching as Daniel screwed his nose up. He and Daniel both laughed before he dropped the arm down to his side once again.

"Only you, man.." Blair laughed in his own defence.

Daniel rolled onto his side, his head tucked onto his lover's shoulder while his cheek rested on the soft furry chest. Long fingers trailed through the dark hairs, circling and forming patterns through the silky hairs.

"Only me what, Sandburg?" He gave a deep throaty chuckle as he looked up from his fingers to the beautiful face looking down on him now.

"Only you get me sweating like that!" He reached down and kissed the tip of Daniel's nose. The older man's eyes closed slightly at the gentle touch then he gave a contented moan as he laid his head back onto the chest.

"I loved your smell," he said, swiping his tongue out to tease the flattened nipple, making it bud tightly at the soft touch. "There was a time I would get hard, just catching a whiff of you nearby." His breath blew over the chest, moving the hairs slightly as he spoke. "You still smell the same. Using the same soap I noticed." Mixed amongst the sandalwood soap that tinged Blair's skin was a muskiness that was so obviously *his*, made more predominant after such hectic sex.

Blair's chest vibrated with his deep laugh. "Well, the same brand, not the same bar, man."

Daniel chuckled and looked up at him once more. "I should hope not!"

Both men stared deeply into each other's eyes before Daniel scooted up to make his mouth meet Blair's, closing over the full red lips in another scorching kiss that left them both breathless. As Daniel lifted back up, Blair ran his fingers through the long dark blond hair, tucking it behind the small ear.

"I'm so glad I called you up."

Daniel smiled. "I'm glad you did, too. It was perfect timing. It's been so long for me, I was climbing walls.."

Blair chuckled at this. "You know, Jim told me once he thought I was the sort of dog that would hump a table leg."

Daniel laughed loudly. "Wow, he *does* know you!"

That comment earned him a tweak on the nipple - hard, which made Daniel yelp then laugh again, both sets of blue eyes fixed firmly onto the other. They settled into a quiet moment, Daniel's fingers idly caressing through the chest hairs while Blair's hand absently rubbed his upper arm and back.

"So?" Daniel said after a long pause, "what are you going to do about Jim?"

The younger man sucked back a deep breath. "I don't know. Without Jim I have no reason to work on the force, and when he finally does wake up, he's not going to want to see me anyway! I guess.. I guess I go back to academia."

Daniel heard the distress in his friend's voice and reached down and placed a soft kiss on his chest. Blair shifted his hand to bury it into the long straight hair, his fingers massaging the scalp lightly. The older man trailed small kisses up to the hallow at the base of Blair's throat, then, as the neck beneath him arched back, he smooth up over the stubble-covered skin to the jaw, nibbling and sucking gently then he reached up and covered Blair's mouth once more with his, his tongue seeking its way into the moist warm cavern.

Blair gripped Daniel with an urgency that told him he was battling inner demons.

"Shhh, shhh.." Daniel pulled back, leaning onto Blair's chest and touching the perfect 'bow' lips with the tips of his index and middle finger. "Shh, just .. relax.. You can stay here as long as you need to."

"What about your colonel?" Blair blinked quickly.

Daniel rolled his eyes then scratched at his cheek lightly. "My colonel is so totally hetero that I'll never have a look in. He's my best friend, and I'm happy to leave it at that for the time being."

"See, see man! That's exactly what it was with me and Jim, only Rafe had to go and ruin it!" His voice crept up a little in pitch as his emotions broke through again. Daniel laid his fingers over his lips, silencing him once more.

"Shhh.. it's okay.."

Blair stared into his friends eyes then a bright smile filled his face. "Why is it so easy between us?"

Daniel bit his bottom lip as he considered this a moment then he shrugged. "Probably because .. well.. just because it is."

Blair touched his fingers to the soft, pink cheek. "So, we don't see each other in years, meet up again, have mind blowing sex.. and now what?"

"Now," Daniel groaned a little as he pushed up to a sitting position, noting how tender he was. He reached down for his kimono from the end of his bed. Standing, he slipped it on, then turned back to the naked man in his bed as he tied the silk strap around his waist. "Now.. we eat! I'm famished!"

Blair chuckled as he rolled then slipped off the bed. He looked around, grabbed his shirt up off the floor and pulled it on. It reached half way down his thighs as he padded out to the kitchen behind Daniel.

As Daniel made them an impromptu meal of French toast Blair prepared the coffee machine.

"You know this stuff isn't good for you, man."

Daniel sighed and rubbed at his left eye. "Don't give me that lecture. You always gave me that lecture!" He said with a smile on his lips. Blair reached up and planted a soft kiss onto Daniel's partly opened mouth. Stepping back, he touched his hand to an exposed bit of chest then followed that with a kiss.

"I lecture because I care!"

"Yeah, whatever," Daniel muttered, swatting his lover's rump with the egg-flipper in his hand.

They took the food into the bedroom, where they snuggled together under the quilt while they ate and drank.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Blair gave a languid sigh as he shifted in the bed, getting himself comfortable. He wrapped his arms around the sitting man's waist. Daniel twisted and put the plate down then shifted down under the bedding as well, allowing Blair to rest his head on his chest. Fingers danced over the smooth, hairless chest.

"Never were very hairy, were you?"

"Ya think?" Daniel said, holding his hands up and showing Blair his forearms, the backs of hands and fingers. Blair grinned and licked across the back of Daniel's fingers.

"And your legs," he added, with a huge grin, reaching down and rubbing his hands over the inside of one of Daniel's thighs. The older man rolled his eyes and smiled, kissing Blair's forehead.

"And nothing," Daniel said.

"Huh?" Blair asked, his hand moving to fondle the soft groin. Daniel moaned deeply as he started to stir within the rough hand.

Clenching his eyes lightly, Daniel said through a sigh, "I have nothing on tomorrow."

Blair chuckled and kissed the satiny chest, licking over a soft nipple. "You have nothing on now!"

Daniel's breath hitched. "Ah, so you noticed that?"

Blair chuckled then pushed his way under the quilt. Daniel sighed softly as he felt the tongue trace up his semi-erect shaft then the mouth engulf him. Sinking back into his soft pillow, he lolled his eyes shut as he enjoyed the warm moist caress.

***

The early morning light filtered through the window, striking Blair across the face. He screwed his eyes shut in his sleep and Daniel smiled to himself. Getting up from where he'd been sitting and watching his lover sleeping, Daniel moved over to the window and pulled the blind closed. He sat on the other edge of the bed, reaching down and carefully brushing back some of the long, dark hair from the perfect face. The younger man stirred, rubbing his nose against his pillow before snuggling back to sleep. Watching him sleep, Daniel reminded himself that this was only a one weekend stand and that getting too attached was a bad thing. Besides, on Monday morning he was due to meet up again with the man he really did desire - Jack O'Neill - and he really didn't want to be hung up over someone else at the same time. His heart could only pine for so many people at once, after all!  Sha're and Jack were his absolute limit - and someday, she lost out to his deeper desire to be with the colonel. Sighing softly to himself, he touched his hand lightly to Blair's bare chest, almost willing it to be the stringy curls on Jack's chest, then with a reluctant moan he got up and went into the kitchen to pour himself a coffee.

The telephone jangled and he answered it quickly, watching as Blair stirred in the next room. The stocky man came out of the bedroom, draped in nothing but an opened shirt. Daniel watched as he shuffled into the bathroom then returned his attention to his caller.

"Okay, I'll be there in an hour. Sure, not a problem, General." He sighed as he hung up the receiver. Blair came out and walked up to him, slipping his arms around his waist. Daniel brushed his lips over Blair's tall forehead.

"I'm really sorry, but I've just been called into the office!"

"What?"

"It's just for an hour or so. I'll be back by lunch. We can go out and grab something together then."

Blair didn't hide his disappointment well, but he shrugged and said, "Okay, I guess I can hang out for a while. What time do you think you'll be back?"

"Around 11, if I leave now."

Inhaling a deep breath, Blair reluctantly released his lover, watching him go into the bathroom and shut the door behind himself. He noted the slightly aloof greeting and now heard the lock on the door as Daniel locked himself in. He figured that the man was guarding his heart, not letting himself get too close. He smiled, humorlessly, to himself. Daniel wasn't any different now than he was years ago. Guarding his heart before knowing the *full* extent of a situation. With a quiet "hrmpft", Blair went through to the bedroom and started dressing. He stood looking down at the bed, slowly slipping his t-shirt up his arms, then as he dipped his head to tug the top on over his head, Daniel walked into the bedroom. The two men looked across the bed at each other then both diverted their eyes and finished dressing without saying another word.

As soon as Daniel was dressed, in his blue plaid shirt and beige pants, he picked up his satchel and headed for the front door. Blair walked with him, one arm draped around his waist, as Daniel's arm sat across his shoulders casually.

"Sorry about this. I'm needed to help verify something that was brought .. into .. work this morning by a scouting team." Daniel pressed his glasses back into place on the bridge of his nose then sighed.

Blair nodded. "It's okay. Hey, anywhere good around here to buy a Falafel burger?"

"Falafel? Um, sure. Neddie's. Two doors down on the right."

Blair smiled. Neither man really seemed sure of how to say goodbye. With a haphazard shrug, Blair reached up and kissed Daniel quickly on the cheek.

"Have fun at work, dear." He chuckled. Daniel groaned as he smiled.

"Thanks," he said, his blue eyes flashing as he rolled them slightly. Blair gripped the collar of Daniel's shirt as the taller man started to turn away from him.

"Actually, it's kinda sexy watching you go off to work."

Daniel's eyebrow arched slightly. "Oh?"

Blair's face lit with his grin. "Yeah."

They stared at each other a few long seconds, then Blair hesitantly reached up and drew closer to Daniel. The older man pulled back slightly, but remained with his gaze locked onto the azure eyes. Cupping his hand lightly behind Daniel's head, Blair continued to close in on the taller man.

Resisting no longer, Daniel allowed their mouths to meet briefly before pulling back. He swallowed as he looked down at Blair. Blinking quickly, the younger man sighed and his lips parted invitingly. Daniel reached down and engulfed that ripe mouth with his own, his tongue probing for permission - gaining it with an inviting swipe from Blair's. Daniel dropped his satchel to the hall stand and he wrapped his arms around Blair tightly as the kiss grew deeper and more passionate. Stepping the smaller man back a few steps, Daniel had him pinned to the wall as he lent against him, his groin pressed against Blair's soft stomach. Images of twirling Blair around, divesting him of his clothing and having his way with him filled Daniel's whirling mind as his hands sought their way under the t-shirt and caressed the hairy chest. Suddenly the images were replaced with thoughts of Jack. Of his hands touching Jack's chest, of his tongue caressing Jack's tongue. It wasn't fair to Blair, Daniel told himself as he pulled away quickly.

"Oh, man! That felt good," Blair said in a quiet voice.

Daniel dried his wet lips and nodded. "But dangerous!" He wiped his thumb over his bottom lip then mumbled, "Way too dangerous, if you ask me."

Blair saw the skittish look in Daniel's eyes and knew that the other man was trying to reign in his feelings once more. With a nod, he reluctantly suggested, "Okay, so no more of that deep kissing stuff?"

Daniel reached behind Blair and picked up his bag once more. "Probably for the best.."

Blair sighed as he scratched at the back of his head. "Probably."

Daniel pulled the door open.

"What about sex though, man?" Blair asked honestly, his blue eyes blinking quickly.

Daniel froze as he looked at him then bit his bottom lip as he shrugged. Blair shrugged in return. Without another word, the older man turned and headed towards the elevators at the other end of the hallway. Blair shut the door slowly, watching him disappear into an elevator.

***

End of part 1...