Chains of Gold
Chapter
Fourteen
Jack O’Neill stood at the podium and
looked out over the expectant faces. How
did he get himself into these messes?
One minute he was sitting with a few nice looking, friendly, attentive
young women, and the next thing he knows, he’s standing at a podium addressing
an audience of people that can’t understand him on a subject he knows nothing
about.
“Teal’c, what am I supposed to
say? I can never do this stuff. I never know what to say. I mean I can’t very well say that Carter’s a
good soldier and an excellent officer. I
suppose I can tell them that she’s brilliant and he’s brilliant so together
they should be so brilliant you shouldn’t be able to look at them without being
blinded. They’d get it at the SGC; I don’t
think it would go over good here. And
Marty and the sna, err, Tok’Ra? What in
the entire Universe am I supposed to say about them?”
“Say what you feel in your heart,
O’Neill. Not the one that is telling you
that you think this is crazy, and that it is not real, but the one that is
pushed under the one that you allow to guide you most of the time. The one that knows that the four of them
belong together.”
“Daniel doesn’t have enough sense. Lantash will chew him up and spit him
out. He’ll have him for breakfast. Daniel will be miserable.”
“I do not believe that to be the case,
O’Neill. I believe that Lantash will
care for and protect him much as he does Martouf, to a lesser extent only
because he cannot be in both of them at once.”
“You really think that’s true don’t
you, Teal’c? You really believe that
Lantash will protect Daniel as much as he can and you really, really believe
that Carter can be happy with two, err, three husbands.”
“Indeed.”
“Yeah?
Then what about Daniel? I can’t
see him in a, well, with a, I just can’t see it, okay? Damn it, Teal’c, Daniel is not gay.” Teal’c cocked his eyebrow at O’Neill. “It means, you know.” As Teal’c continued to stare at him, he
leaned forward and whispered into his ear.
“I am well aware of the meaning, and he
is most certainly not, O’Neill. What
would make you think such a thing?”
“Well, he’s gonna be in bed with
another man, isn’t he? Naked?”
“Whether Daniel Jackson is in bed with
another man, naked or clothed, has nothing to do with his sexuality,
O’Neill. He and Martouf will form a
bond, certainly, but it will be a bond through Major Carter and their love of
her, first. Then it shall grow into a
love like that of brothers.”
“Sex between the two of them will not
enter into it in any way, and I am surprised that you have not seen that for
yourself. There will no doubt be an open
and unashamed affection between them.
Because of their intimacy they will not have the reservations others
might about touching one another, but it will not be in any sexual way. No.
That I will never believe.”
“Have you perhaps been so blinded by
your fear of losing him that you have failed to see what is before your
eyes? Daniel Jackson has loved Major
Cater for a long time. Deeply and
passionately. You heard their vows to
one another. They did not have to say
those things. No one would have known
what they vowed. They said them because
they meant them. All of them meant
them.”
“You have never trusted the Tok’Ra
Martouf and Lantash. Yet they have done
nothing to you. Nothing, but threaten
your bond with Major Cater. They, too,
love her deeply and passionately, more passionately than Daniel, for Major
Carter and Daniel have a different bond.
Martouf and Lantash will care for her and cherish her. There will not be a day the sun rises or the
sun sets that she will not know that she is loved and held as the most precious
thing in this or any other world, by these three men. Why would you wish to deny her a love such as
that?”
“I, for one, am happy for them and hope
that this marriage does not mean that they will have to leave the SGC. They will leave if they attempt to break them
apart and put them on different teams or annul the marriage. The Tok’Ra, will recognize it as valid as
long as one or the other of them does not repudiate it.”
Jack O’Neill looked at the man he had
befriended several years ago and thanked the powers that be again that he had
done so. He could put things into
perspective when Jack just couldn’t get a handle on it.
“Teal’c not long ago there was a set of
government policies drawn up in regard to Earth-Off-world relations that ended
in a bunch of presidential orders. One
of them reads that all off world marriages are to be deemed legal and
sanctioned under Presidential Order # 6996 as of March 01/ 2001. They are married Teal’c, in the eyes of our
government. Even the fact that it’s
polygamy is overlooked because it was an off-world marriage following the
customs and beliefs of the culture in which they married and therefore follows
their traditions, not ours. I just don’t
know how many of them know it for sure.
I’m betting Daniel does and Cater doesn’t. She reads her memos, but she doesn’t always
read those things. I’m also betting that
Lantash and Martouf know the Tok’Ra will sanction theirs.”
“Indeed, O’Neill. I very much hope that you are correct. We will have a celebration when we return to
the SGC. Perhaps, someone will bring
cake.”
He shouldn’t let his mind be
swayed. On the other hand, what if Teal’c was
right? What if everything he said was
true? Teal’c was usually right when it
came to this stuff, but he rarely said much.
Which meant that when he did expound, you tended to listen.
So, maybe he should let his mind be swayed.
Teal’c had given him his out.
He’d pretend to let the cake sway him like he usually did. It made him look like an idiot, but better to
be seen as an idiot, than an emotional wimp.
“Really? You think so? Cake?
Weddings usually do have cake, don’t they? I like cake.”
Jack glanced around and saw Jore and
the missing group coming their way. They
didn’t look happy. Well, why would
they? Every time I’ve looked at them,
I’ve probably looked ready to kill them all.
Jovial, that’s what was needed. I can do jovial. I can.
“Would you guys hurry it up? I’m
hungry and the food is waiting on you. I
understand you’re going to translate, but you need to find out what it is he
wants me to say. I have no idea, Daniel,
help me out here.”
Daniel looked at him in surprise. There didn’t appear to be any anger in his
eyes, and he was relaxed. Daniel
wondered if they had plied him with the anesthetic before bringing him up
here. “Sure, Jack, just let me talk to
him, for a minute or two, to find out what they usually say at these
things.”
“No rush, Daniel, I’m fine.” Jack turned and found Martouf. Carter was talking to Teal’c, Daniel was
occupied. Good. This was it.
“Martouf.” Jack found that was as far as he could get
with what he wanted to say.
Martouf looked at him oddly, but
answered him quietly, “Good evening, Colonel.
I hope you have not been too bored today. How are your burns? I meant to inquire earlier, but—things became
somewhat hectic for us, as you know.”
Jack looked at the floor and rubbed the
back of his neck. Crap, he was no good
at this. This was Daniel’s job. He sighed, deciding he could do this. He looked into Martouf’s eyes. “Yeah, about that. Look, I don’t have much of a clue as to what
is going on with you, Lantash, Daniel, and Carter. I want them happy. They are my team and my team is my
family. If either of you hurt them, I
will kill you.” He shook his head. “That wasn’t what I meant to say.”
Lantash took control and smiled, “It is
perhaps the first honest thing you have ever said to us, O’Neill. We love her.
We will care for her. We cannot
guarantee her life, anymore than you can, and you know that. Daniel is not our mate, if that has been a
worry to you. Very few Tok’Ra take same
sex partners. I’m sure that surprises
you, but it is true. A ménage, however,
is more common. I have been in a few
over the years. I believe that the
others shall all pale before this one.”
“We will form a deep and loving bond
with Daniel, but it will be nothing like the one he has with you. Nothing
will shake the bond he has with you; it cannot be superseded or
supplanted. It is unique to you and
Daniel. No one will ever take your place
in his heart. Just as no one will ever
take our place in his heart.”
“The heart is a vast place, and it can
hold many loves and many lovers, from friends to the woman, or man, that you
would give your life for.”
“No matter how many loves we have,
there is always room for one more. I
know you have resented us and felt that you were losing Samantha to us. She will always remain attached to you. Moreover, you hold a special place in her
heart, and we are aware of that. It is a
bond unique to the two of you, as is your bond with Daniel. We will not attempt to change, or corrupt it
in any way; you may rest assured of that.”
“However, if your interest in her was
romantic, I am sorry, but whether you believe it, or not, she was not meant to
be with you. She was meant for Daniel, Martouf,
and I, just as we were meant for her.
The ceremony tonight proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
“Not to me. I have no idea what went on, other than
Teal’c had to hold me in my seat because I was ready to come over the railing
and jerk you guys out of their hands. And, if this is all on the same subject,
then what in the hell happened to the three of you?”
“You have seen many unbelievable
things, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Then please bear with me as I
explain. The cake which you saw is called
the Chains of Gold. The bakers attempt
to bake it for each joining, but for some it will not even form. Daniel and I had not agreed to have the
chains attached to us when the cake was baked earlier today, and yet it formed
perfectly, absolutely perfectly.”
Lantash motioned an attendant over and
showed O’Neill the nipple rings and chain across his chest before
continuing. Unbeknownst to us, Samantha,
we believe following our very foolish pleadings with her to agree to whatever
they asked of her, agreed to allow them to perform a ceremony on us. This is why the challenge was given. Daniel and I could accept the rings and
chains and become joined to my Samantha, or we could refuse and the joining was
off.
“When I fed my Samantha the cake, what
you saw was me being burned by melting gold.
Somehow it dissolved, except for one small part, and became the first
strand on this bracelet. Martouf’s was
the second. Daniel’s was the third. The remaining gold became these rings, when
she fed us the cake.” Lantash pulled the
two chains aside. If you look carefully
you will see where the first two chains left behind a golden imprint on
Martouf’s skin.”
Jack shook his head. “Why didn’t it just stay chains?”
“We are not sure, but we have
speculated that because the Tok’Ra sometimes give bracelets, and the Tau’ri
give rings, that the chains gave to us the symbols that were needed, for our
home-worlds, or cultures, to prove that we had become joined, bonded, married,
whichever word you choose.”
“Marta recited a chant as we each went
through the ceremony. The lines that
are the most interesting were: If this bond is deep and true, Bring for
them a chain from you, If light it was not meant to see, Then cold and silent
you will be. It specified that if our joining was meant to be that the
chains should form new bands to be seen.
If not it should remain cold chains.
As you can see, it melted and formed new chains.”
“It has happened, and there will be no
going back for me. The Tok’Ra will
accept that I am joined to Samantha and that in my eyes she is my mate unless I
“divorce” her.”
“Well, it looks like you’re well and
truly tied then, because our government has started recognizing off-world
marriages, even polygamous ones as long as it was considered legal on the world
where the ceremony was performed. Looks
like Carter’s got herself two, err, three husbands. Should be interesting.”
“She is worried about the team. She does not wish to see it broken up. I assured her that it would not be. Neither I, nor Daniel, are in her military,
and therefore we are not in her chain of command. Furthermore, she and Daniel have been working
together and making life and death decisions for four years. I doubt this will change her attitudes as a
soldier.”
Jack looked back at him for a long
minute before nodding. “I think you’re
right. It will be my recommendation
anyway. You’ve worked together before
and haven’t lost it over each other.
There’s no reason to think anything has changed.”
“Thank you.”
“Say, Lantash, how are you at playing
pool?”
He heard Martouf moan in his head and
quickly flipped through his memories. He
almost told him he knew nothing, but something held him back. He put his hand on Jack’s shoulder, a gesture
that did not go unnoticed by the others, “I must be honest with you, since we
are teammates. I would not be so truthful, if you were a member from an
unsuspecting team, but you are not. I
retain all of Martouf’s memories right down to how it feels to play the
game. I will be every bit as good he is,
and probably better. It irritates him
when I say those things, though, so he will be sputtering when he comes back
because I have covered his ears. I am
sure it is very frustrating that I can maneuver his fine motor nerves better
than he can.” Jack laughed aloud.
Jack clasped him on the shoulder and
realized he was still unclothed to his waist on one side. Lantash nodded to the attendant and they
rewrapped the robes. “So the, uh, first
pair, they, uh, melted, huh? Ouch.”
“Yes, it was somewhat painful, as I
believe you saw for yourself.”
“Why’d they replace them then? For that matter, why did Carter tell them to
do it in the first place?”
“We are not exactly sure. We believe they requested permission to perform
a ceremony and she agreed. She knew
about the rings so somehow they must have told her. She did not know about the chains.”
“But, why do they even do it at
all? I mean, what’s the point?”
“It is ornamental and symbolical. You could not understand the speeches except
perhaps the sex education class. I do
not believe one needed to know the language to understand that.”
“The laws behind the symbols are very
real, but the symbols are no longer used as implements of control, if they ever
were. Almost everyone believes that they
have always been a token given by the men to prove that they are sincere, and
they continue to do it to this day.”
Seeing Jack’s confusion, Lantash
continued, “This is a matriarchy, Colonel.
My Samantha, is our Queen-mate, Martouf and I are mate to her and Daniel
is other-mate. The ceremony was the
official relinquishing, by the three of us, of our “first will”, and
handing it over to my Samantha. In the
society here, the woman’s idea is always tried first, whether it will work, or
not, if she insists. The man’s is used
second. In the ceremony the woman gives
her “second will” to the mate. After that, if there is a third mate then, of
course, it goes to him, unless he has helped with second will. After that they work on the problem
together.”
“As you can see, there was very much
more going on during the ceremony than you could understand. Had we refused to have the piercing it would
have reflected badly on us, and the Tau’ri.
Samantha is the only one that would have been untouched by it.”
“Is there anything else that was going
on that I need to know about? Why are
you all chained together? What’s the
point of that? I mean why is she chained
to you? I thought you said she was the
queen thing.”
“Queen-mate. During the ceremony, you may not remember but
the chain of gold was handed to Martouf and I.
It was another symbolic handing over of our will to her. We first attached the chain to our collar and
from there we attached our collar to her.
She is the one with the will, not Daniel and I. The entire ceremony is to emphasize that over
and over. Daniel can tell you the story
behind how it came to be this way sometime.
It is very short, I assure you.”
Jack grinned. “So that’s it? You’re sure?”
Lantash shook his head. “No, O’Neill, I am not sure at all. It has been a long and stress filled
day. We are all tired and hungry. If I do remember anything further though, I
will inform you at once.”
“Okay, thanks.” Jack turned and walked over to Sam.
“Do I get to kiss the bride, Sam?”
Sam looked at her husbands all of which
shrugged, as if they couldn’t care less, so she looked back at Jack
O’Neill. His eyes were laughing. He was going to kiss her. “Sure, Colonel,
why not?” Then Jack O’Neill’s lips
descended on hers in an expert kiss.
Sensual, perfected, classic, a melt your shoes kiss. When he let her up for air, she smiled
cheerfully. “Wow, Colonel, you should
give lessons. You kiss great. You hold the part next to the nose a little
too long, I almost ran out of air, but other than that it was really
excellent.”
Jack exploded, “Carter! Do have to dismantle everything, see how it
works, and try to make it better?”
Before she could stop herself her eyes
flew to where Martouf stood with a rapidly growing tent pole under his
robe. She licked her lips and then
jerked her eyes back to Jacks. “Well,
no, not “everything”, sir.” She thought she heard a snicker behind her,
but that would be Teal’c and surely Teal’c wouldn’t laugh aloud, would he? She felt a tap on the shoulder.
“I believe that I, too, should claim a
kiss from the bride.” She smiled at
Teal’c. Then she was lost in soft lips
and a gentle caress, as one of the sweetest kisses she’d ever known was shared
with her. When she came up that time she
was smiling, but it was a small intimate smile.
“Thank you, Teal’c, that was
wonderful”
“You are welcome Major…by what name do
you wish to go? Will you retain your
name, or take Daniel Jackson’s?”
She looked over at Daniel, her eyes
full of panic. “We don’t know yet,
Teal’c. We can worry about all of that
stuff later. We have lots of time for
that.” He saw her relax and turned to
Jack.”
“Jack, Jore said, just make a toast, or
whatever you want to say. It can be very
short if you want it to be.”
“Okay, then let’s get this moving, so
we can eat.”
Jack looked out over the sea of faces
and reminded himself that they couldn’t understand him, and Daniel would never
translate what he said verbatim, so it didn’t really matter. “I’ve known these people a long time. I’ve known Daniel Jackson the longest. The first time I met him, he took a staff blast
meant for me and died.”
“The Goa’uld of the mission was extremely
perverted, as they all are, so he brought him back to life, so he could make
him kill the rest of us. Didn’t work
that way, but you know the overdressed megalomaniacs, they’ll do anything for
attention, and he was making a big deal out of it. He never expected Daniel to turn the staff
weapon on them, instead of us. We left
Daniel behind that time, at his request.
A year later, we went back and got him, and I’ve never regretted
it. Not once, no matter how mad he makes
me. Never. ”
“Anyway, Sam Carter is next. I’ve know her a little longer than
Teal’c. Like by a few days. She’s a damn fine soldier and an excellent
officer. She’s brilliant. Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that Daniel is
also brilliant. Between the two of them
they could probably light Time’s Square on New Year’s Eve. Ah, never mind. So both of them are geniuses. We’ll have baby geniuses, running around,
hopefully soon.”
“Besides that she’s a good person, and
I want her to be happy. I think there’s
a good chance that these three guys can do that for her, so I’m all for her
trying to make it work. They’ll cherish
her as she should be cherished and treat her like a lady when she’s not being a
soldier. That’s good because there’s
nothing saying she can’t be a woman, and a damn fine soldier at the same
time. She’s both.”
“Next up, there’s Teal’c our resident
“But, we’ll never really be even
because he’s brought knowledge and intel to us that we could never have gotten
any other way. He’s saved our butts lots
of times, just because he knows the Goa’uld.
He’s a great guy, and we’re glad he’s part of our family. We count on him for lots of stuff when it
comes to knowing things and people, but one of the things we count on him for
is insight. He knows a lot of good
things and he shares them. It wouldn’t
be the same without him.”
“The newest member of our family is
Martouf and Lantash of the Tok’Ra. We’ve
only had them with us for a couple of months and already they are helping us
make more intimate friends.” Jack
glanced over at Martouf and knew at once that Lantash was there and laughing at
the dig Jack had just sent his way.”
“Actually, we have known Martouf and
Lantash for a couple of years. We met
because Major Carter was accidentally joined with a Tok’Ra during an attack on
a planet we were on. Jolinar, the
Tok’Ra, thought that Carter was offering to be her host, when all Carter was
doing was giving a form of emergency aid.
The two things are very similar in actions.”
“Unfortunately, an ashrak found her,
before we discovered she was not Goa’uld.
We had only been out into the universe a short time and had never heard
of the Tok’Ra. To us, they were all the
same. But Jolinar died keeping Carter
alive, and she left enough memories in Carter to lead us to them, so that we
could become allies. Which, as you can
see, we did. Very firm allies.”
“Although, we’ve known them, for a long
while, we’ve only had them on our team a short time. They’ve been able to steer us in the right
direction, when we would have made a different choice, a wrong choice. We’re happy and privileged to have them with
us. And we are especially lucky today
because Lantash is now back with us full time after recovering from a recent
mishap.”
“When my family first brought up the
idea of the four of them joining, bonding, we call it marrying, I was against
it. I thought it would make them less as
soldiers, less as my family members. I
thought it would break our family up. I
was wrong, and I think that was proven today.
They do belong together, and it will make them better soldiers. They will not be less attentive, they will be
more so. They have even more to lose
now. I believe that we will all grow
even closer together now, because the tension that was between us over this
very thing, that was causing the rift is now gone. We are already more comfortable with each
other.”
“Martouf, Lantash, and Daniel will form
a strong, healthy bond that’s based on a mutual liking and respect that will
eventually turn to a love between brothers.
Daniel and Martouf share an interest in history, ruins, and all things
old and dead, so it seems to me they should get along fine, if they don’t drive
Lantash and I crazy first. The love they
share for Samantha Carter will help to form their bond. Sam will love all three of them, and she’ll
be the glue that melds them into, not something held together, but one whole
new sculpture born from the fires that burn within the four of them.”
“I’ll close with some old Irish
blessings:
There are four things you must never
do: lie, steal, cheat, or drink.
But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love.
If you must steal, steal away from bad company.
If you must cheat, cheat death.
And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath
away.
May you
live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
May the
blessings of each day
Be the blessings you need most.
May you have
warm words on a cold evening,
A full moon on a dark night,
And the road downhill all the way to your door.
I wish you
all the best of luck.”
With those
final words, Jonathan “Jack” O’Neill, inclined his head to the audience, who
appeared to love him. He took Daniel in
a hard embrace, before turning and clasping Martouf’s arm and hand, and then
giving Sam a light kiss. He waved once
more and walked back to his seat.
Teal’c
speech was brief and to the point.
Bowing to them he told the people gathered what he felt about the newly
joined couples, “I, too, consider these my adopted family, since I left my
home-world to fight against the Goa’uld.
They took me in when I turned against Apophis and helped me to assimilate
and understand their world, which was so very different than mine. They have helped me through crises with my
family, have, in fact, gone to great lengths to do so.”
“They are
excellent soldiers and through the years we have saved each others lives so
many times that we no longer know who owes who we simply know that everyone of
us owes every other teammate more than we could ever repay.”
“Therefore,
I consider it a great honor to be able to wish them well as they start a new
phase of their lives together; their lives as a joined, mated and bonded group,
which will bloom in love for one another more each day as the years pass. I have felt for a long time that the four of
them should be together. Now I am sure
of it.”
“May you
always have the eye of the gods turned from you that you may have a blessed
day. I wish you all the good fortune and
happiness that your heart’s desire.”
He, too,
bowed, clasped the men’s hands with a hard embrace included, and kissed Major
Carter sweetly one more time. Inclining
his head one last time, he, too, returned to his seat.
Daniel and
Martouf had translated, and the group of people were very pleased with the
speeches. They were very nice. The joined pairs had a nice family. Yes.
This was good.
Now they
would eat. And eat they did. Sam was sure the second course was
chicken. Daniel insisted it was the
same animal they had on
Daniel had
a theory. All food that was of unknown
origin tasted like chicken. It was a
universal law. He truly believed this to
be true. How else could MREs be
explained? They, too, were of unknown
origin, and they, too, tasted like chicken.
Most edible food, of unknown origin, that they encountered on missions
tasted like chicken. Therefore, all food
of unknown origin tasted like chicken.
Martouf,
Lantash, and Sam all laughed at him, but ate it with gusto. It was very good chicken flavored whatever it
was.
The
evening wore on and the twilight deepened, but never made it to dark. Soon the sky would begin to slowly lighten. Soon this would all be over and everyone
would retire for what was left of the night.
Tomorrow could wait for now.
Sleeping would come first, and if people ran late for things, well what
did it matter; they had a very long day in which to accomplish whatever needed
to be accomplished for that day. It
would get done in good time.
Sam sat
between the two men, and neither of them realized how quiet she was
becoming. Sam was tired. No longer hungry her fatigue was weighing on
her, and her wedding night was looming in front of her. The two men, understanding the people, were
constantly being talked to and congratulated.
Sam was smiled and nodded at a lot.
She smiled and nodded back. They
had removed the last of the plates in front of her and the spot was clean. She could just rest her head there, for just
a minute. Only one minute. That was all.
On the other side of her, she didn’t see, or hear, Jack slip into the
chair next to Daniel.
“Daniel.”
“Jack”,
Daniel answered back in their usual manner when one of them had something to
say, but weren’t really sure how to begin.
Since it had started out “Daniel”
this time, instead of “Jack” it meant that Jack was the one with something to
say. Daniel cocked his head and looked
at his friend. This must be something really uncomfortable
because Jack looked really
uncomfortable. He’d better help him get
it started.
“Did you
want to talk to me about something in particular, Jack, or is this strictly a
social call?”
Jack
looked exasperated. “Have you read any
of the latest presidential orders that have come down?” He finally blurted out.
Daniel
glanced behind him and seeing Sam’s head down on the table, he smiled and
motioned for Jack to move down some.
There was room for him to move his chair over so Daniel could move
farther away from Sam. That
accomplished, he said, very quietly, “If you are asking if I am aware that I am
really married to Sam, unless we both repudiate it, then yes, I know that I am
now a married man. Before you ask, no, I
don’t think Sam is aware of it, and yes, I plan on telling her, maybe
tomorrow.”
“You could
get it annulled, if you tell her tonight.”
“No, we
can’t get it annulled, Jack. Not
now.”
Jack
stared uncomprehendingly at him for a minute, before his meaning sank in. “You just got joined for crizesake. When did you have time for that?” Daniel stared at him, his lips sealed. Jack’s eyes widened. “That’s where you guy’s were? Taking a quickie? Where?”
Still
looking at an unresponsive Daniel, he continued, “In the john? You had a quickie in the john? That’s what brides do with the best man,
Daniel. Or the groom does with the
bridesmaid. Or the best-man does with
the bridesmaid. Not the bride and the
groom, err, grooms.” Daniel continued to
stare at him stoically, his arms crossed.
“Jeez,
Carter will be able to say she’s the only bride that had a quickie with three
guys in the john on her wedding day and didn’t cheat on her husband.” At last Daniel cracked. It was obvious why the three were such good
friends. That all three of them had a
similar thought at some point showed how their minds eventually came to a
meeting place. Daniel’s eye sparkled,
but he tried to get his solemn demeanor back
“I don’t
kiss and tell, Jack.”
“That’s
okay, I’ll ask Lantash sometime. Listen,
that wasn’t what I came over here to say, anyway. I came to say that, ah, hell, Daniel.”
Clearing
his throat, he looked down and picked a piece of imaginary lint off his
robe. “I want you to be happy,
Daniel. I didn’t even know for sure that
you were in love with Carter. I mean, I
knew you really liked her a lot, but I kind of thought it was more a mind
thing, you know? Two geniuses enjoying
being able to talk to someone else that understands them. Anyway.
I just wanted you to know that I am happy for you. I realize now that the two of you do belong
together. Things change, but it doesn’t
have to be for the worse. Sometimes it’s
for the better.”
“Thanks,
Jack. That means a lot to me. I’ve loved Sam for a long time, but for a
long time, I thought there might be something between the two of you. Then Martouf and Lantash came along, and I
knew then that anything between you was not that kind of romantic thing. You care about each other, but you use each
other as a shield. You can’t have each
other so you are perfect for each other.
Neither of you could get involved and hurt. You especially.”
“Sam,
well, Sam’s been lying to herself about Martouf, Lantash, and me for a long
time. Today, she faced it and it shocked
her for a while. She had to think, and
then she didn’t know what to do because she knew she could never choose between
us. Which left Martouf, Lantash, and me
with a choice.”
“The
woman we loved, loved us back. Times
three. So we made the only decision we
could. We chose to become one unit. I know you don’t approve of it, Jack.”
“But,
if it meant having Sam, or not having Sam, there was no other choice for me, or
for them. They’ve done it before, and
they say it can work out quite well. I
trust them. They wouldn’t tell me that
if it didn’t. If anything, they would
tell me the opposite hoping I would back out, or she would be forced to choose
and choose them. But they didn’t.”
“You
are right about one thing about Sam and me.
We did connect on some deep level.
It happened the moment we met.”
Daniel shrugged. “Souls, Minds,
something made contact and locked. We
have a bond that goes beyond the love we have.
We believe it will last forever.
We do love each other, but Martouf and Lantash probably love her more
passionately than I do. I have a heart
love for her though, Jack, don’t think I don’t, it just isn’t as intense as
theirs is. Our connection tends to be on
the metal level more than theirs does.”
“In
our situation, that is a good thing. It
allows us all to function without jealousy arising, as it would if we all
thought one of us was loved, or loved, more than the other. We know that Martouf and Lantash love Sam
more and that her passion for them is stronger.
They know the bond she has with me calls as much to our minds as it does
to our hearts, and that there will be times that our minds will win over our
hearts. They don’t understand it, but
they accept it.”
“As for
our souls, well, there I think we probably all meet together on some level, and
that in time all of our souls may even meet somewhere in different ways. But that is for well in the future. Martouf, Lantash, and I seem to be able to
talk about things, so that will be a help.”
“So, you
think you’ll be all right then? I’m just
worried that you’ll get hurt, Daniel, and I don’t want to see that happen. I just don’t.” Jack’s voice was rough, telling Daniel more
than the words ever could.
“I don’t
think I will, Jack, but if I do, hey, at least I gave it a shot. I won’t have to spend one second wondering
how it might have been. I’ll be all
right, either way.” Daniel smiled at
him, and then moaned as he saw Jore over Jack’s shoulder. Behind him were the bakers. They had that cake. Sort of. The one that caused intense pain. This one was bigger than the one they had
sliced. In fact, it looked like this was
the remainder of the one they had during the ceremony. It, too, was perfectly formed. Now what did they have to do?
Jack’s
eyes followed to where Daniel looked and saw them bringing in the cake that had
caused so much pain to his friends.
Turning
back around to speak to Daniel, he took in his wide-eyed look. He looked beyond to Martouf and the frown on
his face. Sam was sitting up and
blinking, something obviously alerting her to danger.
“Daniel,
so help me, if they expect you to get burned by melting gold again, we are out
of here, plant or no plant. Got that?
No way, no how are you three going through anything else. Understood?”
Jack
stood. Daniel stood. Martouf stood. Sam, finally, slowly, stood, and
frowned. They all frowned at the
cake. Jore looked at them and
stopped. Why did his friends seem
unhappy? Well, they would soon see. Everything would be so wonderful after the
last ceremony.
TBC
For those
of you that do not want to read the NC-17 Version of the ending, there is a
much cut version. I took the non-sexual text and wove it all together. There is still some discussion, but no actual
erotica. I condensed Chapters 15 and 16
into one long chapter and it can be accessed here: Chains of
Gold PG14
Chapter Thirteen Home
Chapter
Fifteen