Slave to Your Love

Author: Andrew Levy

E-Mail: andrew_levy3@yahoo.co.uk

Feedback: Always welcome and always enjoyed.

Archive: Area 52, JDFX, Alpha Gate all others please ask first.

Category: Slash

Pairing: Jack/Daniel

Rating: R

Spoilers: None

Summary: Daniel finds peace in slavery...maybe, maybe not.

Disclaimer:  The concepts and characters of Stargate SG-1 are not mine; I do not claim them in any way shape or form (except those rare instances where they play a staring role in one of my dreams at which point they’re mine all mine), furthermore I do not make any money from writing fanfiction.  It’s only for fun so please don’t sue me or I’ll be forced to sick my herd of wonder llamas on you while I escape.

I say no…then I tremble with your touch.  I scream why…then I weaken with your kiss.  Your scent intoxicates me.  Your lips immobilize me.  The thought of you tortures me.  With or without you, I am a slave to your love.  ~Author Unknown

'Jack!  Go!'

'Daniel, I’m not leaving you here!'

Heavy fire was raining down on SG-1 and SG-2.  They were miles away from the gate and some device the natives had attacked them with immobilized Daniels lower extremities. 

Looking up at him, Daniel put a hand on Jacks blood and mud caked cheek.  'You’ll come back for me.  I know you will.  Now go, you have people depending on you to keep them safe.'

'But…'

Daniel couldn’t look into those worry filled eyes any longer.  'Damnit Jack, GO!  You have to leave!'

Guards appeared at the door and Jack hesitated for one excruciating moment before turning to run.  He dodged gunfire for a few hundred feet before he found cover, and the SG teams.  A quick squat-run took him to a large stone block where Carter and a few other of the men were taking cover.

'Where’s Daniel.'  Carter asked.

'We need to lay down some cover fire for those of us without weapons…'

'Sir?  Where’s Daniel?'  Carter was worried.  She knew how much Daniel was to Jack.

'He’s…we’ll come back for him.'  Jack said with jaw set tight, eyes unreadable.  'We’ll come back for him.'

Jack took a quick glance over the block--still replaying the last few moments over and over again in his head but acutely aware of his responsibility to get every one else out.  He glanced at Carter one more time to make sure she was ready.  'Ready?  Now!'

The team members lay down cover fire while the rest of them scattered in the direction of the gate, another mile or so off.  Luckily, the people of this world didn’t have any kind of flying ships or they wouldn’t stand a chance of getting there before the local reinforcements did.  Except for that, their technological advancement was very similar to Earth. 

After all members appeared to be clear Jack, Ferretti and the rest of the team turned and booked it for the gate themselves.  Upon arriving, Carter was standing with an arm extended holding the gate open for them rest of them.  They didn’t even slow down.  The remaining members ran through the gate at full throttle.  Jack slowed only slightly to allow Carter through, making sure he was the last one to leave…or as close to the last one as he could be 

~~~

Daniel squinted--his eyes slowly coming into focus after being closed for so long.  He rubbed at his lids gently, trying to rid them of the ick.  How long had he been out?  He didn’t even remember why he’d lost consciousness let alone when it had been.  The last thing he remembered were those huge guards dragging him away.   Literally, dragging him.  He wasn’t able to move his legs and they didn’t feel like taking the time and effort to pick him up he guessed. 

Daniel sat up, feeling stiff and a little groggy.  Luckily he spotted his glasses nearby on a small block of marble, which served as a nightstand.  Placing them on his face succeeded in banishing the final traces of blurriness. 

Taking in his surroundings in full focus now, it finally registered he was in a bed.  A low boxish sort of arrangement, cream-colored sheets, and a canopy of the same color hid him from the rest of the room and shrouded the space in an off-white glow.   The material was probably some kind of cotton he thought offhandedly. 

Daniel hesitantly tried to move, testing out if he was able to shift his legs.  It was difficult but he managed to bend his knees enough to half sit, half lean on the edge of the bed.  He pulled the curtain back from the edge and peered out into a tasteful cream and gold decorated room.  The floor and walls were a light colored marble.  Tapestries, which seemed to be of a Greek origin, lined the far wall.  ‘Well at least it’s not Goaul’d’ he thought rather ruefully. 

Next to the bed was a wooden cane, probably placed there for him in anticipation of his stiffness when he finally awoke.  Daniel grasped the cool marbled handle and steeled himself for what he knew would be an uncomfortable movement.  He was right.  As he tried to stand, it felt as though he was trying to lift an impossible weight with only half of his usual strength. 

The stiff muscles of his thighs, calves, and lower back complained as he approached a standing position.  He leaned heavily on the cane, determined to stand and make it across the floor to the only source of natural light to the room.

'I’m glad to see you’re awake.'  A small voice commented through the otherwise silent space.

Daniel jerked around, startled, and had just enough time to see a small female child standing in the middle of the room before everything tilted, his head connected with the cold marble floor, and everything went black.

~~~

Colonel O’Neil sat on the crisp white sheets of the infirmary bed.  Its perfect militaristic corners taunting him with their clear-cut angles while a mess of unorganized thoughts whirled around in his head.  Why did I leave him there?  It wasn’t the right thing to do.  I could have carried him.  I know I could have.  It was only a few miles.  I should have tried.  Why did I let him talk me into leaving him there?  Cause he was right.  God, he’s always right.  I couldn’t have carried him the whole way.  And that would have just left him unable to move in the middle of nowhere, or both of us captured.  Damn him, why does he always have to be right?

'Colonel?'  Dr. Fraiser had been standing there for some time, watching the agonizing show of emotions pass through Jack’s face one by one, and each, in turn, being buried deep under that practiced military mask he was known for. 'How are you feeling?' She asked, very clinically, in a way that made Jack know she meant, she was interested only in his physical health, for now.

'Fine.'

'You don’t look fine.  Why don’t you take that shirt off and let me look at some of these injuries?'  She said as she pulled closed the privacy curtain.

Jacks upper body had several bruises.  Some of them already angry black and blue blotches mixed with yellow mustard colored fringe.  Jack stared straight ahead while Janet tended to him, making sure there were no immediate dangers.  She gently dabbed at the bloodied slash across his jaw, trying desperately to get the dirt out without causing any pain, not that Jack would have noticed anyway. 

'What are these bruises from?'

'Rocks, sticks, that sorta thing.'  He replied coldly. 

'Jack,' she whispered quietly so as not to be overheard, 'you’ll get him back.  We always do.'

Jack turned his head away.  Silently, refusing to acknowledge the tears brimming at his bottom lashes.  Silently refusing to admit he’d left his teammate and lover behind, injured and unable to defend himself.  He refused to admit how ridiculous their last conversation was, how he hadn’t gotten to say goodbye, how he’d just turned and without even really looking back had run away.  He refused.

~~~

The briefing room was silent.  SG-1 had been assigned strictly to rescue missions for weeks, and still no signs of Daniel.  Tensions were high and morale was wearing thin.  They all knew the longer it took the higher the probability they would never find him, and that just wasn’t an option as far as Jack was concerned. 

Not long after SG-1 and SG-3 had arrived back, they insisted they return through the gate to retrieve Daniel.  General Hammond agreed, against his better judgment, to let them return after a quick infirmary visit.  He didn’t really think Colonel O’Neil was in any kind of physical shape to be going back out again, but he also knew the man would not be satisfied to sit around and wait while other members of his team rescued someone he had been forced to leave behind.  Jack felt responsible, and Hammond had never known him to back away from his responsibilities, no matter how hard they were.

The sight on the other side of the gate had almost been enough to crush Jack.  He wanted to collapse, but the possibility that Daniel had been taken with the fleeing civilization kept him going. 

There were bodies everywhere.  A normal aftermath, pools of blood circling mortally wounded men, arms and legs at odd angles where they had collapsed chaotically.  Some by themselves, others draped over one another in a morbid kind of embrace.  It never got any easier to see things like that.  And Jack prayed silently that he wouldn’t find Daniel, not here anyway

A glint of light reflected in Jacks eye as he walked by one of the dead bodies.  He knelt down and fiddled with a small device that seemed to be attached to the victims’ skin.

'What is it Sir?'  One of the soldiers asked.

'I’m not sure.  Carter, Teal’c, you got any ideas? ' 

'I have not O’Neill.  But the do seem to be on a great many of the bodies.'

Jack removed it from the body and put the tiny device in a specimen container.  'We’ll have ‘em take a look at it when we get back.'

'Yes Sir.'  Carter replied with a nod.

They searched what was left of the city.  The buildings crumbled around them as they walked through the maze of fallen stone.  General Hammond ordered them back to Earth after a full day of searching the fallen city and the area around it with no clues as to where Daniel or the other people of this world might be.

Jack waited until the last soldier was through and turned to look back at the faint trail of smoke in the distance that marked the location of the abandoned city.  He stared at the terrain, scanning it for any signs of Daniel, waiting for him to appear over the crest of the hill waving his arms and smiling, apologizing for taking so long ‘the people were just so fascinating’ he would say while beaming with new discovered treasures already being analyzed and categorized in his brain…but nothing.  Jack turned on his heel and stepped through, feeling as though he was leaving Daniel behind, again.

~~~

Daniel woke to find himself neatly arranged in bed again.  His head throbbed and his mouth was dry.  He groaned softly as he opened his eyes to realize it wasn’t all a really strange dream as he had hoped.  He really was in a strange bed and strange clothes, and…. he heard a noise…and there was someone outside the bed curtain.

He carefully pulled back the curtain a fraction of an inch to reveal a young child sitting on the floor next to his bed.  Her small legs were pulled up close and her head rested lightly against her knees.  Her eyes were closed but Daniel didn’t think she was asleep, only resting.  As quietly as possible he replaced the curtain and tried to decide what to do next. 

Other than the obvious, all out firefight on them, these people seemed to be hospitable.  He was in a nicely decorated room, in a comfortable bed.  He wasn’t chained up or hurt in any way.  Maybe a little hungry, but Daniel was pretty sure he hadn’t eaten only because he’d been unconscious the whole time and not because they weren’t willing to feed him.  And they apparently didn’t feel his was a threat or a prisoner since they had left him guarded only by a little girl.

He wasn’t sure what SG-1 had done to cause the reaction these people had, but it was definitely a big reaction.  No sooner had they shown their faces in the city than the military type guys were forcing them to leave.  Daniel tried to apologize for nothing in particular other than for causing them trouble, tried to explain they were peaceful explorers and so forth, the normal speech.  But the people would have none of it.  A bit miffed they’d turned to go. 

That was when Daniel felt an incredible pain shoot through his body.  He cried out and felt everything from his chest down go numb, melting like jelly underneath him.  As he lay there on the ground he thought he was dying again, but it didn’t have the same feeling as the other times he had died.  This time he was totally lucid; he didn’t have the fuzzy fading feeling that usually accompanied one of his Lazarus routines.  It was just his body that was useless.  Nothing seemed to want to work.

Jack dragged him to a semi-safe spot and tried to help him but there was nothing he could do.  They were miles away from the gate and would never be able to carry him that far.  Plus, they had no way of knowing if he had a back injury that could be made worse by moving him again.  The only choice was to leave him.

It was one of the hardest things Daniel had ever done.  As he looked into Jacks eyes he saw the agony of trying to make this kind of choice tearing at him.  So Daniel made the choice for him.

Daniel mentally shook himself.  No use thinking about the past, he thought.  Need to keep thinking ahead.  Surely Jack and the remaining SG-1 team would rescue him soon.

While Daniel was still in thought a small face appeared between the hems of the curtain.  The young girl peered at the thinking individual and giggled softly.  Daniel looked over at the source of such an angelic sound and smiled.

'Hello.'  He greeted calmly so as not to startle her.

'Hello.'  She replied while pulling back the curtain and fastening it with ties.  'How are you feeling?'

'Uh, my head hurts.  Probably from when I took that spill when you startled me.'

'I’m sorry about that.  I did not mean to startle you.'

'It’s alright.'

'Are you hungry?'

Daniel felt his stomach rumble at the mention of food.  He felt like he hadn’t eaten in days. 'Yeah, actually, I’m very hungry.  And thirsty too.'

The girl smiled sweetly.  'There is a cup of water there,' she pointed next to the bed.  'And I will go get you something to eat.  Please don’t try to get up, you’re still much too weak.'

Daniel nodded in agreement and took another look around the room.  Definitely not Greek as he had thought earlier, it was more Roman in origin than anything else but there was something distinctly different about it.  Although he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, he knew there was something strange about this place.

Daniel was sipping at the water and still going over in his head all the observations he’d been making when the girl returned with a plate of food.  Handing it to him she asked, 'Do you require assistance?'

'Excuse me?  I don’t understand.'

Another brilliant smile, 'Do you wish to feed yourself or would it please you to be fed?'  She explained.

'Oh, uh, I think I can handle it myself if that’s alright with you.'

'I desire only what you desire.'  She replied as she bowed her head and knelt beside the bed.

Daniel raised an eyebrow.  She was clearly some kind of servant.  But certainly she wasn’t expected to attend to him, a grown man.  She couldn’t be older than 13 or 14.

'What do you do here?'  He ventured, hoping she would warm to him enough to provide any information.

'I am now temporarily assigned to you.  Anything you need I will give you.  Anything you desire I will find it.  I am to attend to you until you have recovered fully.'  She never moved her head the whole time, but her voice was loud enough to be heard. 

'Why don’t you look at me when you speak?'

'Would it please you if I did so?'

'Yes, very much so.'

The girl raised her head slowly, a smile curling the corner of her lips as if she’d just been given the best present in the world.  Her face was beaming and Daniel felt warmth come over him.

'What is your name?'  He asked while placing a few pieces of sweet fruit in his mouth. 

'Achelois.'  She replied.

Daniel grinned, if this was a Roman society this girl had the perfect name ‘she who drives away pain’.  It seemed fitting for a girl who’s smile seemed as if it could perform miracles and brighten even the darkest hour.

'My name is Daniel.'

'Is that what I am to call you or is there another name?'

'What other name would there be for you to call me?'  Daniel wondered exactly what she was hinting at.

'There are many, but most prefer master.'

Oh.  Daniel understood now.  Apparently this culture stood by very strict rules of servant-ism.  Carefully he looked at the girl.  'I don’t know your peoples customs and I wouldn’t want to do something wrong so I have a question.  Would you be in any trouble if I asked you to call me Daniel?  You are not required to call me…master?'  He had trouble letting that word past his lips.

'No, not if that is what you wish.  What ever you want I want too.  What you desire, I desire.'

'Good then that’s what I would prefer…that you call me by my name.'

Daniel had thought her face was bright before, but she was radiant now.  It was amazing the expressive properties of joy she seemed able to communicate to him.  As if by osmosis he felt like he was enveloped by her joy.

'Well, now that we have the introductions over with, I have a lot of questions.  First of all, where am I?'

'You are in our masters’ palace.  His name is Aphidemas.'

'Aphidemas, Aphidemas, I know that one…um, ‘taming all around him’.'

'Yes, you know our language?'

'Well I probably just know a form of it.  Your language has undoubtedly developed on it’s own from a combination of…uh…it’s not important.'  He said grinning sadly as he got a flash of Jack rolling his eyes like he always would when Daniel launched into a long explanation of something he could have easily answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to.  'You said OUR master, do you mean ‘our’ as you and the others with your same job?' 

'Yes, he is our master.'  She pointed to Daniel and then herself.  'But do not worry, he is very kind.  I’m almost certain you will like him.  He will treat you well I am sure.  He treats us all well.'

'Wait, I don’t understand.  Are you saying that he is MY master?'

'Yes.'

'And that would make me?'

'Well, I’m not sure of exactly what he intends for you but…' She lowered her head and blushed.

Daniel took pity on her, realizing if she was a servant then it probably wasn’t expected of her to talk so much.  'Go on, I won’t be upset with you, whatever it is that you want to say go ahead.'

'I’m sure a beautiful man such as yourself is destined to be one of his personal slaves.'  Her voice was full of wonder as she said this.  'It is one of the most honored places at our master's side.  He saves it for the most beautiful, the most intelligent…the best.  But no matter what position you are awarded, you are his now, and he will take very good care of you.  Don’t worry, you will have everything you need and he will love you.'

Daniel’s head began to throb again.  He was property to these people?  Oh God, the room was spinning.  Need to lie down.

Achelois reached out, worry slightly creasing her brow.  'Ma…uh…Daniel?  Are you alright, you look pale.'

'I think I need to lay down.  I’m a bit tired.'

'Very well.  Would you like to wash before bed?'

Now that he thought about it, he DID feel pretty grimy.  'Yes, that would be nice, thank you.'

She smiled.  'Relax and I will bring the necessary items.'  She took the almost empty plate from him and turned to leave the room.

He lay back on the big soft pillows, trying not to think about what they’d just talked about.  She had to be mistaken. 

Before he knew it he’d drifted off into a dreamless sleep.  A moment later he was stirred by a noise close to him.  As he opened his eyes he saw Achelois with a bowl of water and a cloth.  She was humming softly as she wet the cloth and wrung it out.

Daniel was still half asleep but sat up to receive the cloth from her.  He should at least wash his face and hands he thought.  Achelois turned to the bed and pulled back the thin sheet that covered Daniels legs.  She then placed the bowl and cloth gently between his knees.  Daniel tried to keep his eyes open but his head felt heavy.  

Small hands slipped beneath the hem of his shirt.  When had she gotten up on the bed?  They continued up his chest and into the sleeves.

She giggled a little.  'You need to lift your arms.  This won’t work if you don’t.'

'I’m sorry I’m just…ya know you really don’t need to do this.'  He felt a little strange at having such a young girl taking off his clothes.

'Yes, I know, you’re tired.  We’ve been giving you something every night to help you sleep.  It’s essential in your recovery that you get a lot of rest.'  Daniel lifted his arms and the girl removed his shirt the rest of the way over his head.  'Besides,' she smiled,  'I don’t think you’re able to do this by yourself right now.  You can barely sit up.' 

 Sitting up on her knees she picked up the cloth, wrung it out with a practiced ease and moved behind him to wipe his back and shoulders. 

'Did you just say you’re giving me something EVERY night?'

'Yes.'

'How many nights have I been here?'

'Including the night you were brought to us?  Almost fourteen.'

'Fourteen?  And you have been doing all of this for me every night?'

'Yes, although this is the first you’ve been awake enough to eat solid food.'

'Even…' he gestured vaguely at the bowl. 'This?'

'Yes.'  She said as if it was nothing.  'It’s no wonder you are so weak.  We were getting a bit worried because you wouldn’t wake up and eat.'  Her tiny hand, pressed to the middle of his chest, pushed slightly, and he was too out of it to resist much.  He flopped back onto the pillows and was barely aware as she continued washing him.  'Sleep now.  All will be well in the morning.' She whispered and he fell asleep to a soft melodic humming.

~~~

Fuck, Fuck ,FUCK…another mission and another dead end.  How many times are we gonna have to do this?  Every time I go through that gate I think maybe this will be the one.  Maybe this will be the last mission I’ll have to step through wondering if I’ll see him on the other side…praying I’ll see him.  God, I can’t do this anymore…but I can’t stop, not until I find him, not until I find SOMETHING.  Damn it!  I feel so fucking useless.  How many times did Daniel save my life?  How many times did he step in the way to save my ass…and I’ve lost him.  I’ve fucking lost him!  I turned around and ran away from him…left him there to die.

Jack slammed his open palm against the lockers.  The frustration was getting the better of him.  He couldn’t help getting worked up.  He had no one to talk to.  The only person he ever let see this side of him was Daniel and it was obvious he wasn’t here.   After every failed rescue mission it was becoming clearer to Jack, that there might never be a Daniel for him again.  He was slowly resigning himself to self-destruct.

'Sir?'

It was Carter, looking worried.

Jack flexed his hand a few times, working out the soreness already setting in.  'Oh, sorry Carter.  I’ll be done in a minute.'

'Thanks but that’s not what I was talking about.'

'Oh?'  He replied trying to seem casual, like she hadn’t just seen him contemplating beating the crap out of the unsuspecting row of lockers.

'I’ve been worried about you Sir…as a friend.'

Jack pulled the T-shirt over his head and peered at his 2C.  I need to talk to someone eventually.  And if I don’t talk to her I’ll be stuck with a psychiatrist.  Jack shivered almost imperceptibly.  Oh, fer cryin’ out loud, what the hell are you saying?  She’s a friend and part of your team.  Of anyone, she’s the one I would want to talk to about this.  It’s actually pretty overdue.  If I don’t I’m gonna explode.  Daniel and I had wanted a chance to talk to her about us.  I guess it’s now or never so to speak.

'Uh, yeah,' he said with a sigh '…my place?'

'Alright.  Give me 5 minutes?'  Carter smiled and turned to get her things.

'Sure.  And Carter…I’ll tell you now…don’t expect too much.  I don’t…it’s not that I don’t want to…'

She cut him off.  'I understand.  It’s not easy for you to talk.  I’ll bring my dentistry tools.'

Jack grinned at the obvious rib and turned to get the rest of his things from his office.

They met in front of the elevator and decided on the way up to take one car.  Jack offered Sam the guest bedroom since they had to be back to the SGC later on the next day.  They were only going home because they were required.  If it had been up to Jack he would have showered and gone straight back to the gate room, but regulations stated that after so many hours awake you were required to rest for at least 12 hrs.  And neither of them had ever been able to sleep at the base.

Jack pulled up to the house and got his keys out to let them in.  Sam hadn’t been in his house for at least a year and she noticed immediately how different it looked.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on HOW it was different but there was something ‘homey’ about it that wasn’t there before.

'I’ll show you were you can put that.'  He said gesturing to her overnight bag.  She remembered where the guestroom was but figured the simple task might be somewhat comforting for him. 

She and the rest of SG-1 used to come here regularly.  Sometimes to relax, or sometimes they would end up getting royally smashed and stay over.  For some reason, she couldn’t remember why, they had stopped doing that as much.  And now that Daniel was missing, so none of them really felt like partying anyway.

Jack opened the door to the guestroom and let her enter.  'If you need anything just let me know.  There should be towels and stuff in the bathroom.  If not they are in this hall closet.'

'Thank you, Sir.'

'Carter, we’re off duty, drop the Sir.'

'Only if you drop the Carter.'  She smirked.

Jack pursed his lips and grunted softly.  'Deal.'

Downstairs Jack busied himself with getting some food and beer out.  There wasn’t much, but he wasn’t that hungry. 

'Sam, you hungry?'  He called up the stairs to her, 'cause there’s nothin’ here.  If you are I thought we’d order pizza.'

'Sounds good to me.'

Sam descended the stairs into the living room just as Jack rounded the corner into the kitchen for the phone.  Feeling like she was free to roam a little, she looked over some of the items on the mantelpiece.

There were pictures of family, the regular knick-knacks, and…a postcard from Egypt ?  Glancing at the back of the card she saw it was empty with only a scrawled smiley face and signed simply 'D' at the bottom.

In the kitchen she heard Jack ordering the food.  It was funny to her how agitated he got over something as trivial as ordering pizza, and yet, under fire, duress of torture, or what ever other kind of horror was thrown at them on a daily basis he remained calm, the proverbial rock, the unmovable object.  He was always strong, together, and aware.  He watched over his team and took care of them.  But get him on the phone with a pizza delivery service and he totally lost it.

It hurt her to see Jack like this.  He wasn’t thinking straight since Daniel had gone missing.  She knew he hadn’t been eating right and sleep wasn’t something he seemed to be doing much of either.  Most of his time was spent thinking of places those people could have taken Daniel.  He even involved himself with the research teams they had working on it.  He really wasn’t as dumb as he tried to convince everyone he was.  He’d come up with quite a few viable possibilities they hadn’t even thought of.  He also insisted on going on every mission, and he wouldn’t take any downtime unless regulations forced it on him, which is why he was at home right now.

As much as his pain bothered her, it was also somewhat of a treat.  It was nice to see, first hand, he wasn’t really invincible…and did actually have a soft vulnerable underbelly just like everyone else.

She sat down on the couch and picked up a small photo album from the coffee table.  She looked at it closely, not sure if she was snooping a little too far or not.  It was just laying on the table right out in plain view.  While she was contemplating whether to look through it or not, Jack appeared with a beer in each hand.  She reached out to take one from him.

'Thanks.  You don’t mind me looking at this do you?'

Jack looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.  'Well,' he took a swig of the beer.  'There are some things you’re gonna find out sooner or later and I guess tonight is the night.  And this,' he gestured to the album, 'is probably the most painless way for me to do it.'  I just hope you don’t try to kill me afterward.  His mind added.

Sam looked puzzled, but took her cue from his ‘go on’ gestures.  Jack sat down on the couch beside her, close enough to see the pictures so that he could provide commentary when needed.

The first few in the album were of his family…his mother, Sara his ex-wife, and Charlie their late son.  These were all pictures she had seen before and knew the stories so she moved on.

The next four were a few older photographs of friends from the Academy, mostly people she had met or had known him to talk about.  Only one of them stood out, and it was because he was smiling.  And it wasn’t even the smile…she guessed it was the genuine joy in his eyes.  She’d never seen him so happy and the other man mirrored the emotion too.  She didn’t recognize the other man in the picture, but he had a USAF uniform on.  She paused and looked up at Jack.

'That was David.  He was a really good friend of mine in the Academy.'  A smile played at the corners of his lips. 

'Was?'  She inquired dangerously, not knowing if she really wanted to know anymore.

'He died not long after that picture was taken.' He said.  'We’d just graduated and it wasn’t long before they shipped us off to some base with a war on their hands.'

Sam frowned but kept going, not wanting to stir up any more bad memories.

The last few were of people Sam did recognize, and made them both laugh.  Her eyes flipped through the images of a party they’d had at Jacks house a few years back.  They’d all been so drunk, she wondered who had been sober enough to hold the camera straight enough to take the pictures. Probably Teal’c…he doesn’t really get drunk.  Poor Teal’c.

She half-joked.  'I don’t remember this party.'

'I don’t think anyone but Teal’c does.'  He laughed back.

'I miss doing that.  I haven’t been to your house even to visit in almost a year.  What changed? 

Jack blushed a little.  'Ah…yeah.  I miss it too but tell you what.  You know how I am with words sometimes so just turn a couple pages in there…you’re bright, you’ll get the idea.'

'Okay…?'  Sam turned the next few pages that were blank until she found more pictures; a few small photos of Daniel.  One of just him in sweatpants and a bulky sweater, curled up on Jack’s couch, his attention aimed intensely on a laptop and a coffee cup in his hand.  The next was Daniel all dressed up looking thoroughly edible.  He was leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pants pockets, one leg crossed over the other and a smile that was probably the smile that inspired the saying ‘knock em’ dead’. 

Sam smiled at the next page, and Jack groaned and chuckled at the same time.  It was a rather dark snapshot of Jack, all rumpled and still in bed.  He was holding a hand up, body language foreboding, attempting to hide from the camera.  But the smile on his face gave away the playful humor he found in the situation.

'Who took this one?'  

Jack wasn’t looking at her…he couldn’t bring himself to look at the picture he knew was next in the album.

'Just keep going, the next couple are the important ones.'  He said it quietly, still not looking at her.

Sam slowly turned the page and almost cried as realization dawned.  There were several photos of Jack and Daniel, together.  One was outside the house, right before one of the SGC banquets she figured.  They were both in formal wear, Daniel in a suit and Jack in his dress blues.  The next two were self-taken, the kind where you stretch your arm out and point the camera at yourself.

Sam’s eyes flickered over the one with Daniel and Jack’s faces cheek to cheek, smiling wider than she could ever remember either of them smiling.  It even rivaled the one she’d seen earlier of that guy from the Academy.  And the very last picture…was something she would have never imagined.

Sam looked over at Jack.  He was looking at it too.  The last picture he and Daniel had ever taken together, feeling it was too risky to have any more documentation of their relationship.  It was one of his favorites and one of his favorite memories.  They were going to take another one of the side-by-side one’s to make sure it came out but at the last moment Daniel had turned to kiss him on the cheek.  At the feeling of Daniel moving Jack had also turned to look and he got a half lipped kiss.  The resulting picture was quite adorable.  They looked like one of those pictures of the little kids.  Both had their eyes closed, Daniel was stretching out with his lips and Jack coyly accepted it.

Taking a chance Sam reached over and rested her hand on Jack’s knee, a gesture of comfort and friendship in an effort to take away the pain written all over his face.

'I never knew.' She whispered.

'That was the idea.'  He chuckled through clenched teeth.  'I wanted to retire but Daniel wouldn’t have it.'

'That sounds like him.  You’re a good CO and we need you there.'

Jack laughed.  'That’s what he said.  I think he just couldn’t stand the thought of me being home all the time!  I’d have driven him nuts!'

Sam smiled.  She remembered the last time he retired.  He drove them ALL nuts.  And they weren’t living with him!

'So how long have you been together?'

Taking the last gulp of his beer and setting the bottle down, he sighed.  'Almost 2 yrs.  But it was kind of hard for us to tell, so we ended up just agreeing on an arbitrary date.  Neither of us really knew when ‘friends’ had turned into ‘partners’…it just happened.'  He leaned forward and scrubbed his hands through his hair.  'I need him Sam.  I can’t do this anymore…if we don’t find…'  He couldn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to.

'We’ll find him, we always do.'

'That’s the whole point!'  His hands were clasped behind his head as if to restrain himself.  'To always find him means that we always lose him.  God.  I’m such an asshole.  I left him behind.  I left him on that fucking planet do die.  I let him talk me into leaving him there.  Who knows what those people are doing to him…or if he’s even…and he’s paralyzed so he can’t even fight back!'

'Jack, stop beating yourself up!  You did what you had to do.  You don’t know that he’s in danger.  For all we know he could have already worked his ‘linguist voodoo’ and has been crowned king of where ever the hell they took him.'

Jack had to laugh at that.  ‘Linguist Voodoo’ he needed to remember that one.  It really was like that with Daniel sometimes.  No one ever knew how he did it but he always managed to talk himself and the team out of anything.

Sam still had her hand resting on his knee.  It was a kind gesture and he appreciated it.  He also appreciated that she was brave enough to leave it there.  After all he wasn’t known for his touchy feely nature and it showed the trust and feeling of ease they shared.

Straightening up, Jack reached over and let his hand gently rest atop hers.  He then tilted his head back to hang over the back of the couch.  'Do you realize how hard this is for me?'  He said with a tired sigh.

'Talking to someone or dealing with a missing Daniel.'

'Either.'  There was a long pause before he spoke again.  'We usually keep that locked up in the wall safe.  We can’t take any chances.  We even developed the pictures ourselves.  I was stupid not to put it back last night but I just haven’t been myself, haven’t been thinking straight.'

'That’s understandable…may I ask you something?'  She was careful.  She didn’t know what kind of ground this was for them under normal circumstances and now, everything was shaky and threatening to crumble.

'Sure, no more secrets now.'  He grinned.

'Well, you and Daniel…uh…do you…I mean…'

'Must be a scientist thing to stutter when nervous,’ he quipped.  'Spit it out Carter.'

'How do you feel about one another?'

'You mean do I love him?'

'Yeah.  That’s sort of what I mean.'

His hand tightened around hers slightly because he knew how important Daniel was to her and how much she needed to know this thing between her friends was serious.  'Yes I do.  I love him more than anything.  This isn’t just sex, or companionship, or whatever else.  We love each other…and you might not want to know this but it brings home the point…we didn’t even have sex for the first year we were together.  How committed is that?'  He raised his eyebrows, looking directly into her eyes now.

'Whoa.'  She said, amazed and relieved at the same time.

'Yeah, whoa.  I think the same thing every time I think about it.  It’s killing me Sam, it’s killing me to have to live with the possibility that I’ve killed him and I might never even get to say goodbye…let alone ever get him back.'

'Jack!'  She was outraged.  'You didn’t kill him…'

'I left him there to die, alone!  That’s too damn similar for me!'

'…and we will get him back.  I won’t settle for anything less.  He’s like a brother to me,  I love him too.'

They both mentally took a step back to calm down a little.  Squeezing her hand again he turned very serious.  'How are you handling all of this?  I know you two were very close friends.'

Sam sighed.  'I’m not really sure to tell you the truth.  I still can’t get my head to admit he’s missing.  I caught myself going to his office today to meet him for lunch like I always do.  So that’s not going well, I think I’m just still in shock.  As for you and Daniel…I know you couldn’t tell me about it, but I’m a little upset I didn’t notice on my own.  I should have.'

'You weren’t supposed to.  No one was.'

'I know.  And I realize it was nothing personal, leaving me out of the loop like that. And…' she turned to face him, 'I don’t know if it means anything to you, but I’m gonna say it anyway.  I’m ok with you being together.  The only thing I worry about is one or the other of you getting hurt.  It’s a big gamble.  You’re playing with your jobs, and with the team, although I know neither of you would put the team in danger on purpose.'

Jack let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.  'Oh god, you don’t know how good it is to hear you say that!  I really thought you were gonna to beat the crap outta me!'  He grinned and laughed a little nervously.

'Well, there’s still time for that, and I will someday but only if you do something to deserve it.'  The both laughed and it let out a little of the hurt they’d been trying to shed all night.

'No offense but this has been enough show and tell for me.' Jack said.  'Plus, I’m old and it’s getting’ late.'

'Yeah I’m a bit tired too.  Thanks for inviting me to stay.  I haven’t been…'

'Sleeping well?  Yeah, me either.  I think we all need Daniel a lot more than we realize.'

Sam nodded.

They picked up their empty bottles and placed them in the sink.

'I just realized something.'

Jack raised an eyebrow.  'Oh?'

'Our pizza never made it here.'

'Huh, I’ll have to call tomorrow and complain.  I wasn’t all that hungry anyway.'

'Me either.'

Jack escorted Sam up the stairs to the guest room, turning off lights as they went.

'Sam, one more thing.  I promise you won’t be left out of the loop anymore.' 

'Thanks, that means a lot to me.  Goodnight Jack.'

'Goodnight.'

~~~

'Daniel, Daniel.  It is time to rise.  Today is the day you meet your master.'

Daniel groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. 

'No, you can’t sleep any longer.'  Achelois had been trying to wake her master for several minutes.  He was very…difficult in the mornings.  Other wise he was the most pleasant master she’d ever had.  She thoroughly enjoyed serving him.

Daniel mumbled into his pillow.  'Are you always this cheerful in the mornings?'

She looked at him trying to suppress a grin.  'You know very well I am.  Have we not gone through this every morning since you arrived here?'

Daniel rolled over onto his back, bonelessly letting his arms and legs flop out away from him.  Achelois shook her head and began the morning bathing that had become ritual for both of them.  At first Daniel had tried to convince her not to do this for him.  He tried to explain he didn’t condone serving someone with no promise of rewards or anything given in return and further reasoned he had nothing to give her. He suggested they only pretend to live the master servant arrangement.  

She then explained she was getting something out of it.  She quite enjoyed his company and they way he let her talk to him and actually listened to her when she spoke.  It wasn’t that the other masters she’d worked for in the past were cruel; they simply didn’t have time for a child and her incessant rambling about unimportant things. 

She also tried to explain that Aphidemas was under great scrutiny.  The other lords were constantly watching how he ruled and how he treated his servants.  They constantly criticized him on how easy he was with them and that he never punished them.  But the fact was he didn’t need to.  His servants were much more loyal than any in any other kingdom and when a servant left it was usually accompanied by sadness.  If she were to be found shirking her duties completely, even if it was her masters wish, Aphidemas would be looked down upon even more so than he already was.  She didn’t want that for her master, he was the one who had provided for her when she was ill and had taught her everything she knew. 

So that was the way it was.  Daniel tried to remind himself that he was in another culture, this wasn’t wrong here, and he wouldn’t be arrested for allowing this young girl to bathe him, and bring him food, and just generally take care of him.  After a while, a shorter while than he imagined, it became almost second nature.  It still didn’t seem fair to him, but he saw in her eyes she truly did enjoy what she was doing.

Achelois climbed up onto the low bed with the bowl and cloth.  As she went about her work she spoke idly.  She gently wiped away the dirt and noticed each scar on his skin.  It had become one of her favorite things to do, she saw the different lengths and shapes, some smooth others rough.  She wondered what this man had done to deserve so many scars.  Daniel didn’t seem to notice her quiet classifications, he was always much too groggy in the mornings to notice much of anything. 

She liked his company.  He was soothing and comfortable, something she felt with very few people.  The adults always seemed to make her feel very small, but not Daniel.  Maybe it was because he was somewhat childlike himself she mused, but he was not a child he was a grown man with the scars to prove it.

'Today is an important day for you.' She almost sang.  'Today is the day you meet Aphidemas, your master!'

The excitement oozed from her voice and began to make Daniel worry.  'What does that mean exactly?  What should I expect?'

She tilted her head in thought for a moment.  'First I will dress you properly and make sure you are acceptably presentable.  Then we will both go to the master's hall and wait for him to come speak to you.'

Achelois moved back and Daniel automatically stood to allow her to continue her cleansing.  'I was more asking about the small things…rules, proper behavior, that sort of thing.  I know nothing about any of this.'

The small girl nodded.  'When we enter the masters main chambers there will be pillows in front of a curtained off area, we will kneel on them and wait.  It is proper to keep your head down and eyes averted, but don’t worry, you are new so if you forget it will be overlooked.'

The cloth was replaced in the bowl and she moved on to a brush.  She brushed back Daniels dirty blonde hair with purpose.  Daniel was still curious and continued to ask questions.  'What is the point of this meeting?  I’ve been kept in this room for a month, why has he waited so long?'

'Our land has been at war and our master has been away tending to other things.  Also you must remember, you were not well for a very long time Daniel.  But don’t think he was unconcerned.  Every night before I settled I was to report to the messenger about your progress.  He also wanted to wait until you were well, thinking the meeting might distress you further and hinder your recovery.'

'Have you told him the things I’ve told you about my people and our customs?'

Yes, I tell my master everything.  He has the same curiosity about far away places as you do and found what you said very interesting.  Was telling him the wrong thing to do?'

'No, not at all.  I was just wondering how much he knew about me.'

Somewhere in the distance a low bell rang that spurred Achelois into action.  'Come,' she beckoned, 'we must get you dressed, it is almost time.'

Daniel stood and watched in interest as this small girl seemingly went into autopilot.  How many times had she done this sort of thing? First she took a small wooden bowl in her hand and poured a liberal amount of some kind of oil into it.  After replacing the bottle of oil and the bowl to the tray she picked up another container and sprinkled a handful of spices into the bowl.  Then she picked up a crucible stone and began grinding the mixture together.  Daniel continued to watch as she returned the stone to the tray and brought the bowl up to her nose.  A pleased smile emerged momentarily before she turned to speak to him.

'You will need to take off the remainder of your clothes.'

He raised an eyebrow.  'Why?'

'I have to put this on you.'  She held up the bowl.

'Everywhere?'  His voice cracked a little.

'Yes.'  She tried not to giggle, 'You are very modest.'

'Yes I am.'  He said while turning his back to her and removing the rest of his clothing.

'You don’t have to be,' she replied.  'Remember I do this all the time…and besides you have nothing to be embarrassed about.  I was the one who took care of you while you were recovering and unconscious, there is little I haven’t seen yet.'

Daniel sighed.  'It’s just going to take a little time to get used to this.'

She nodded to herself.  'I understand.'

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, feeling very vulnerable while standing in the middle of a room, naked.  He heard a faint noise beside him and had to stifle a laugh when Achelois appeared holding the bowl out to him with one hand, and the other hand covered her eyes.  The huge smirk on her face gave away what she was really thinking.

'Are you making fun of me?'  He asked as she walked back around behind him.

'A little' she giggled.

'Alright I get the hint.  So let's just do this huh?  It’s cold in here.'

'I desire only what you desire Daniel.'

She stepped up on a stool she’d placed at his heels.  He was a good bit taller than her and it was the only way she could reach.  Once perched, she reached around him and scooped up a dollop of the oil to begin spreading it over his shoulders, back and arms

The scent was something familiar but he couldn’t’ quite place it.  He closed his eyes, still not quite awake, and slowly being relaxed even more under the pressure of small hands.  He concentrated on the smell more intensely, but was momentarily distracted again by the smooth feeling of an oil trail running down his back.  He took a deep breath and let it out.  Slowly Achelois worked her way down laving every inch of his skin with…lavender…that’s what it was…  Daniels mind drifted to all the similarities there must be between this world and earth if they have lavender plants.  Or maybe they only had a similar local equivalent…probably more likely.

During his wandering he hadn’t even noticed Achelois switch around in front of him.  She’d finished his entire back area, arms, legs and now she was…come to mention it…where WAS she?

'Oh! Ah!'

Daniel jumped at least a foot off the ground and almost spilled the bowl of oil all over Achelois. 

‘What are you doing?' he screamed in surprise.

Achelois coiled back and knelt down in apology.  'I’m sorry master have I done something wrong?'

Daniel took a deep breath and tried to calm down.  'No. Achelois, get up.  You don’t need to do that, and I’m Daniel remember?  You didn’t do anything wrong, you just startled me.  Ummm from now on though, if we have to do anything like this ever again…can we let me take care of the more personal bits myself?  It would make me a whole lot more comfortable.'

She nodded, still worried and trying to wrap her mind around what she’d done to upset her master.

'SO I have to put this there huh?'

She nodded again.

'Why exactly?'

'Part of this meeting is for your master to look at you.'

'Ah.  Daniel rubbed an eyebrow nervously.  'This is a look but not touch sort of thing right?'

She looked at him quizzically so Daniel continued.  'Is he going touch me like you just did?  If so, I need to be ready for it.  It’s not something I’ll be exactly alright with.'

'It is a possibility.  But I don’t understand why you are so worried.  Your master is a very gentle and caring man.  He would never mistreat you.'

'That’s not the point Achelois.  He could be the nicest most gentle man in the universe and I still wouldn’t happily let anyone I don’t know touch me like that!'

'You’ll see.'  She grinned, still not understanding fully.  'We are not what you think we are.'

'What do you mean by that?'

'You’ll see.'  She smiled again and changed the subject by holding up a set of armbands.  'Put these on.'

Daniel sighed but took the armbands and examined them.  They were simple and decorative--a soft leather band embossed with teal and gold designs.  As he placed them on he kept his arms up and out of the way of the flurry of movement about his waist.

Achelois swiftly wound the soft fabric around him and pulled the end through a built in loop at his left hip.  'Now you must practice.  Try to take it off while I tell them you are almost ready.'

'Take it off?'

She just giggled as she slipped through the door.

Come on Daniel you can do this.  It’s no different than the showers at home.  You’re naked in front of all those people all the time…yeah and are you oiled up, decorated, and considered property?  NO! 

'Oh God, how am I gonna do this?  Think of Jack.  Yeah, Jack…showers, Jack…oh…wait…bad bad bad idea.   Really bad idea.'

Achelois peeked her head in the door.  'Did you manage?'

'Yes.' Daniel struggled a little in his haste to fasten it again.  'Did I put it back on correctly?'

'It’s perfect.  Now, it’s time.  Just watch me.  I’ll let you know what to do.'

Achelois took the lead and for the first time Daniel was lead outside his room.  The decor was exactly like his own had been—very tasteful and clean.  Daniel noticed his bare feet make a slight noise as he tried to pad softly on the cool marble floor. 

They stopped before an enormous decorated door.  Two guards stood watch outside the chamber.  Achelois whispered to one of them and he smiled first at her and then to Daniel before allowing them in.

The room was a large open-air design.  The walled in courtyard lined where the back wall of the room would have been.  The sun reflected slightly against the polished surfaces in the morning sun.&