The Garden Series

 

Part II: THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

 

By Lady Grey

 

 

**3 July**

Four Weeks Later

 

"We should tell them," said Jack quietly.  He and Daniel lay in their bed, his fingers idly stroking Daniel's long, silky hair as his head lay on Jack's chest. Morning sun slanted through the bedroom sheers, setting the room aglow. Breakfast was half eaten on the dining room table, set aside in favor of something better to do with their mouths. 

 

"Why?" asked Daniel languidly, his breath stirring the hair on Jack's chest. "This is none of their business."

 

"Because Carter and Teal'c are our friends," Jack pointed out gently. "They deserve to know."

 

Daniel lifted his head with a sigh, stacked his hands on top of Jack's chest and rested his chin on them. "And what if they take it badly? Then we lose their friendship completely."

 

"We owe them our honesty," insisted Jack. "Not telling them is kind of lying to them. I'm not good with that. They deserve to know the truth, that we're involved now."

 

Eyebrows scrunched down in a frown, Daniel's lower lip poked out. His mouth twitched as he considered what he wanted to say, and Jack enjoyed the show. Every thought that coursed through that genius mind played itself out on Daniel's mobile face. It was one of the truly endearing things about the man that Jack adored.

 

"I don't wanna lose the relationship we have with them," Daniel argued. "I'd rather we just kept on like we are."

 

"It's not fair to them, Daniel. We're both civilians now, and military regs don't apply. And look, you're able to take care of yourself now, but you're still living with me. Granted you do still need a little help now and then, but you could manage fine on your own. They’re not stupid, you know.  Eventually they'll start to wonder why you're staying here with me, and if either of them ever wanders into the guest room and sees that none of your stuff is there, they'll put one and one together and get a couple. I wanna be honest with ‘em and tell ‘em the truth. I’m not saying I wanna broadcast it to the world or anything, because I know you’re not ready for that, but they’re practically family. We owe them our honesty."

 

Daniel sat up, wincing as the movement brought a brief flash of discomfort from his still-healing knee. He was frowning, thinking it over. With his mouth firmly set, he made eye contact with his lover.  "Then I'll let you tell them, ‘cause I can't."

 

"Coward." Jack was half smiling, meaning it as a tease, but Daniel's chin went up, and he got that frosty look, gazing down his nose at Jack.

 

"Whatever," he snapped, and got up to go take a shower.

 

Jack was after him instantly, soothing his ruffled feathers, kissing and cuddling and making him forget all about his unintentional insult. As always, Daniel forgave him, and the matter was dropped for the moment.  They fooled around again in the shower and got ready for their date with Carter and Teal'c without further mention of the subject. 

 

Around noon their former teammates arrived, and the four of them went out into the back yard for a barbecue.  Jack was finally ready to talk to others about his garden, so he unrolled his finished landscape plans and talked about the garden he’d designed, keeping to himself and Daniel the secret message the plants represented, concentrating only on talking about the color patterns, seasonal blooming and balance he had planned into the work.

 

Carter was duly impressed; Teal'c raised an eyebrow in his direction and said nothing.  Jack knew from the gleam in the big guy's eye, though, that he was also pleasantly surprised by Jack's gardening expertise.

 

They cooked steaks, and ate them along with the potato salad Sam had brought, all washed down with a liberal amount of beer.  Teal’c stuck to water.

 

Everyone listened to Sam regale them about her recent success with some mechanical doohickey she’d been working to decipher. From that they drifted into discussing Jack’s recently pierced left ear, a small silver hoop dangling from his lobe. He admitted to doing it on a whim and confessed that it made him feel like a swashbuckler, or as if he should be dressed in leather and riding a motorcycle, which made Carter laugh. He liked the earring and hadn’t regretted doing it for a moment. She reassured him that it was a good look for him, and the longer hair he now sported seemed to fit him perfectly. 

 

Then they started talking shop, discussing only aspects of things that might be spoken about carefully in public, and from that to Daniel's recovery, including his graduation from walker to cane.  He told them that he had been taken off his constant passive motion machine and was now doing his own physical therapy with frequent walks and exercises at the gym to aid in recuperating from the knee replacement he'd had following his off-world injury.

 

As the sun started its downward slide and afternoon headed for evening, they gathered up all the leftovers and utensils and headed inside, piling the dirty dishes into the sink and working like the team they still were to wrap and cover the remaining food and put it properly away. In minutes the dishes were done, and Jack brought out a bottle of chilled champagne and four flutes, handing them out to everyone. 

 

Teal'c eyed his empty glass. "What are we celebrating, O'Neill?" he asked, staring at the flute.

 

"I'm making an announcement," he answered with a smile. "I know you don't usually drink alcohol, big guy, but maybe this time you'll make an exception."

 

"This is a happy occasion?" Teal'c inquired, raising his gaze to his host's.

 

"Never been happier," Jack assured him, pouring the golden liquid into the Jaffa's glass first, before moving on to Carter, then Daniel, then to his own.

 

Sam looked at the bottle as he set it down. "Wow, the good stuff," she observed, reading the label. "This must be something important."

 

Jack glanced at Daniel.  He was staring at his glass, his head down, not looking at anyone, his cheeks flushed bright red with anticipation and some embarrassment, fidgeting with his new cane, tapping it against the floor. 

 

Jack’s gaze took in Teal’c’s and Sam’s expectant faces.  "Well.  You guys remember all the flowers Daniel was getting a few weeks back?"

 

Sam's face brightened. "Oh, yeah! We were on a mission when they stopped coming, and I never thought to ask what happened with all that. Did you find out who was sending them?" She turned to regard Daniel.

 

He nodded without looking up, twirling his glass in his fingertips nervously.  "Um.  Yes, I did."

 

"And?"

 

Jack saw Carter was grinning from ear to ear.  It was obvious Daniel didn’t want to answer her, and Jack knew it was his job anyway, so he cut to the chase.  "Yeah.  It was me," he announced solemnly.

 

"Oh?"  Sam was still grinning, waiting for the punch line, turning her gaze now to him.

 

"It was my way of telling Daniel that I wanted us to be more than just friends," he explained, dead serious. "And once he figured it out, he decided he was okay with that."

 

Silence hung in the air between them.  Sam's smile remained fixed on her face for a few moments, then softened into something sweet and wistful. Her eyes shifted from Jack to Daniel and back again, and she nodded, her look of pleasure never dimming.

 

"I wondered how long it would take you two to figure that out," she admitted quietly, stealing a little closer to reach behind Daniel and rub his back affectionately.

 

Daniel still had his head down, looking at his glass. The apprehension in his expression was fading, but not completely gone yet. Jack couldn’t help the proud upward tilt of his own chin. He felt good about the confession, and hoped Daniel would be all right with it soon, too.

 

She eyed Jack. "You know, I had this huge crush on you for the longest time, but every hint I dropped was politely ignored. Eventually I got the message that you weren't interested -- not that anything would've happened between us, anyway, since you were my CO -- and then I started noticing you and Daniel. There was…well, there was sparkage there.”  She grinned at Jack. 

 

“Sparkage?”  Jack smiled at her, relieved to his core that apparently Carter was going to be okay with his announcement.

 

“Yeah.  You know, chemistry. And the more I watched the two of you, the more I understood it was way more than that. You were like an old married couple, finishing each other’s sentences and always knowing what the other needed." She set her glass down, hugged Daniel briefly and let go, then looked back at Jack.

 

Daniel’s embarrassment was fading, a little peace softening his mouth into an almost smile. His slightly nervous gaze flicked over to Teal’c, and Jack saw that the big guy was looking into his glass, obviously thinking about what he wanted to say, giving nothing away in his expression.

 

“An old married couple, huh? More now than ever,” Jack boasted to Sam with a big grin.

 

Sam chuckled and shook her head, her eyes gleaming with happiness for them. "I'm guessing you retired when you figured out how you felt," she said. "I know you're an honorable man, Jack. Nobody has to tell me that nothing happened while you were still in uniform. I already know that."

 

Jack felt a surge of warmth and pride swell up in him at her remarks. "That's right, Sam. As soon as I figured out it was more than friendship, I stepped down." He turned to Teal'c for his reaction.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Daniel raise his eyes to their other teammate, too. Daniel was wary, waiting for Teal’c’s reaction.

 

He was still staring at his flute, contemplating.  "Among the Jaffa, such relationships between warriors are common," he said softly. "We are often away from our homes for years at a time, and we consider it a source of strength for men to bond with their brothers in arms." He met Jack's unwavering gaze. "I had hoped, at one time, that you would choose me," he admitted honestly, then turned his gaze to Daniel, "but I grew to understand that you and DanielJackson were connected in a way the Jaffa call kem’kalach."

 

He bowed toward Daniel, bending fully from the waist, and then straightened and offered a similar bow to Jack. "I am honored to have served with you both, and honor your love for each other. Kesh ta min’shu, my brothers. I wish you happiness."

 

Daniel heaved a sigh of relief and brought his head up at last. “Thanks, guys. Your acceptance means a lot to both of us.”

 

Teal’c straightened and held out his glass. “Kem’kalach,” he repeated.

 

Jack watched Daniel hold out his glass and clink it with Teal’c’s and Carter's. He put his out there in time to touch flutes with each of the others. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Whatever that means. Sounds good, anyway.”

 

“Kem’kalach,” said Daniel, taking a sip of the champagne. He glanced up at Jack. “It means ‘one spirit.’ “ 

 

“Soulmates,” Sam agreed. She turned to look at Teal’c and caught his free hand in hers as he drained the glass of champagne. She smiled shyly at him.

 

The significance of that look was not lost on Jack. He watched her take a dainty sip of champagne. “So, do my eyes deceive me, or do you two have something to celebrate, too?”

 

Before she could answer, Teal’c lowered his empty glass and swallowed. He frowned at it and made a most unpleasant face. “O’Neill,” he declared, his voice a deep growl. “This is terrible. It is a taste reminiscent of greknoss.”

 

Daniel burst out laughing and had to turn away to get control of himself, covering his mouth with his hand still clutching his cane.

 

“Okay, I don’t know what greknoss is, but I’m sure Jack doesn’t wanna know,” Sam added with a chuckle, patting Daniel on the back.

 

Just starting to catch his breath, Daniel set his cane back on the floor and explained, “It’s a medicinal drink made with fruit juice and the urine of—“

 

“Whoa!” Jack cut in, waving his free hand to cut him off, “That’s TMI. Don’t wanna go there. Nope. No, sir.” He took Teal’c’s empty flute and set it down on the table.  “Water’s in the kitchen, T. Help yourself, and I’ll never ask you to drink booze again, I promise.” He winked at Carter as Teal’c stalked away. “Not even at your wedding.”

 

“Um.” Sam’s eyes went wide. “Hey, don’t get ahead of us.  We’ve just decided we’re going to take it to the next step. It hasn’t gone any farther than that. We still have to talk to the general and find out if Teal’c will have to transfer off the team or not.” She glanced into the kitchen and leaned closer to whisper, “Frankly, I don’t think Teal’c would much like the idea of me going off world without him to watch my six, and I have the feeling Hammond won’t have much to say about it, if the big guy turns that look on him. Even the general’s not immune to the arched eyebrow of doom.” 

 

Jack grinned. “It’s a good thing we learned to see through that early, Sam.” He kissed her cheek. “Congratulations. Let me know when you set the date.”

 

She straightened up, grinning broadly. “Let's not rush things, okay?”

 

“You two were made for each other,” Daniel added, leaning on his cane and kissing her cheek. “I’m surprised it took you guys this long to see it.”

 

“Yeah, well.” She shrugged as Teal’c returned bearing a large tumbler filled with water. She glowed as she looked at him, watching him take a big drink and then set his glass on the coffee table. “Sometimes we miss seeing what’s right in front of us, and it takes something extraordinary to make us really look.”

 

Teal’c sidled up to her, slipped one arm around her waist and bent down to kiss her deeply. Sam’s arms wrapped around his neck and when he let her go, she looked a little dazed. It took her a moment to gather her wits, while Teal’c seemed perfectly composed. In fact, a little smug.    

 

Jack and Daniel just stared, open-mouthed, until they finished.

 

“Wow,” said Daniel in a hushed, awed whisper. “That was hot.”

 

Grinning hugely, Jack teased, “You two should get a room. May I suggest the No-Tell-Motel on—“

 

Daniel moved up beside him and grabbed a handful of ribs right where he knew Jack was ticklish.

 

Jack crumpled and shut off what he’d been about to say, grabbing for Daniel’s hand to keep him from doing it again.  “Okay, okay, I got the message,” he shot back with a laugh, holding Daniel’s hand. “The lip is zipped. No more wisecracks.”

 

“That’ll be the day,” Daniel told him with a grin.

 

“We do have to go,” Sam admitted, slipping her arm around Teal’c’s waist.  “I’ve gotta take Teal’c back to the base, and we need to get a good night’s sleep before tomorrow.  We’re got an early mission, you know.”

 

Teal’c gazed down at her. “We do not have to go back to the base immediately, SamanthaCarter. Are we not going to your home now?”

 

“Cat’s out of the bag,” Jack teased. “You two go have a good time.”

 

“Be safe,” Daniel added. He grinned and gave them a knowing wink. 

 

Jack nudged him in the ribs with his elbow.

 

Sam blushed red to the roots of her hair. “Um, yeah. Right. We… uh. Yeah.”

 

Teal’c lifted his chin. “It is not yet time to take our courtship to sexual fulfillment, DanielJackson. However, be assured it will be soon. We have already waited many years, and I do not wish to deny SamanthaCarter the pleasure of my body for much longer.” He smiled down at her in perfect confidence. 

 

“See you guys!” Sam chirped loudly, dragging Teal’c off by the hand. He gave Jack his water glass as he passed and hurried with her out the door.

 

“Well,” said Jack, eyeing his lover. “That turned out better than either one of us expected.”

 

Daniel’s eyebrows lifted. “Yeah,” he agreed, and cleared his throat, “I never expected Teal’c to hit on you, Jack. And then in the next breath brag about jumping Sam’s bones in the very near future.”

 

Jack’s brows rose, too. “Teal’c was not hitting on me,” he argued lightly. “He was paying me a compliment.”  He paused for a moment.  “I think.”

 

A grin broke out on Daniel’s face and his eyes gleamed wickedly. “Yeah, I can just imagine you with Teal’c. The man is hung like a horse.”

 

For a moment, Jack didn’t move, didn’t even breathe. “Ouch,” he said softly. “Way more than a mouthful.”

 

“Indeed,” agreed Daniel, in a sotto voce imitation of the Jaffa.

 

“Wonder if Carter’s gonna be able to walk tomorrow?”

 

Another pause.

 

“Is thinking about the two of them together turning you on?” Daniel’s eyes were sparkling, pupils expanding with desire.

 

Jack wondered if Daniel were somehow privy to his thoughts, witness to the fantasy playing on the movie screen of his mind. “Yeah. You?”

 

“Race you to the bedroom,” said Daniel huskily.

 

Jack bolted, not bothering to set the glass down until he reached the nightstand. He was stark naked and spread-eagled on the bed by the time Daniel got there, also mostly undressed, a trail of clothing behind him down the hallway.

 

~~**~~

 **6 July**

Three Days Later

 

Jack surveyed his back yard with a critical eye, taking note of every swell of fertile earth and every dappling shadow, each plant carefully placed to make the most of the landscape. In the past month, since returning to work at the base, he had dug a winding trench from a wide, deep hole beside the deck at the rear of the house, skirting across the side yard to the trees near the back of his property.  The trench ended in yet another deep hole, just in front of the tree line.

 

Next would come sheets of thick black plastic, bags of cement, and rocks that would become the lining for the trench.  Then he would need to dig more holes, carefully placed so that they’d make a wild-looking watercourse linking two small waterfalls and their attendant ponds.

 

Jack had spent a week deciding on just the pattern and shapes of the water features, making sure there was still plenty of room in the yard for guests to play some impromptu football. The rest of the space was being made into a garden the likes of which Colorado Springs had never seen.

 

Few people knew of Jack’s love of gardening, because he hadn’t bothered with much of it over the years. With all the traveling he had done throughout most of his life, he hadn’t been able to delve into it much because a garden like the one he had planned required a lot of regular care.  Now that he was retired from field duty and riding a desk, however, he was home every evening and most of every weekend, and he could throw himself fully into his second-greatest passion.

 

Daniel, of course, was the first.

 

With an indulgent grin, Jack turned to look at the deck and saw his lover buried behind a stack of books.  Daniel’s face, shaded against the bright afternoon sun by the cammo boonie he wore, was locked into an intense look of concentration.  His fingers danced over the keys of his laptop, his eyes never leaving the computer screen.

 

Daniel had healed up nicely in the last few weeks, and no longer had to be on pain medication.  His chest wound was marked now only by a faint pink scar. His knee still gave him problems and required a lot of time spent at therapy or doing strengthening exercises, but the cane he now used gave him a lot more mobility.

 

Jack knew his injury created a lot of frustration when he couldn’t carry big stacks of books or move as fast as he wanted, but he was getting used to his limitations, albeit grudgingly.  They were both adjusting to the fact that he had a permanent injury and was Earth-bound, and the biggest part of what kept Daniel's spirits up was the love and companionship he now shared with Jack.

 

Turning to glance down at his hands, Jack smiled.  He was covered in rich black earth from fingertips to elbows. His lower back ached from the digging, but he hadn’t pushed himself too hard and would just be a little sore in the morning. He was tired, but it was a good tired, achieved by honest physical labor that gave him a welcome change from sitting at a desk all day.

 

For a moment, he thought about going up to Daniel, taking his lover’s face in his hands and giving him a big, wet kiss, just so he could leave dirty handprints on those sexy cheeks. He knew Daniel wasn’t afraid of dirt  -- hell, archaeologists lived half their lives in it  -- but it wouldn’t be an easy thing for Daniel to just hop up and go wash his face anymore, so Jack thought better of that idea and went to the garden hose coiled at one end of the deck. He turned on the water and washed his hands and arms to get the biggest part of the grime off.  As he turned off the water and started putting away his tools, Daniel spoke up. 

 

“Hey Jack, you hungry?” he asked without looking away from his laptop.

 

“Always,” he replied. “Too beat to cook. Wanna go out?”

 

“Can’t. Gotta get this translation done for SG-13.”

 

“You can take an hour or two away from it to eat.” Jack came over to his chair and put his still-dripping hands on Daniel’s shoulders. He leaned down and kissed Daniel’s cheek, smiling when Daniel turned to look up at him after a brief roll of the eyes at having Jack’s big wet hands patting him.

 

“And by the time we get home, you’ll want me in bed, and we’ll be fucking the rest of the day away,” he said with a knowing grin. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to get this done by tonight.  Their briefing is first thing in the morning, and I have to tell them what to expect out there.”

 

Jack was a little nonplussed that Daniel had seen right through him and tuned into his plan so easily. But then, that was Jack’s plan every day – get Daniel distracted from his work and into bed as often as possible. Jack simply couldn’t get enough of him.  “So, how long?” he asked.

 

“If I eat while I’m working, maybe midnight.” Daniel was already staring at the computer screen again, his attention shifting rapidly away from their libidos to his second greatest passion.

 

Jack saw the shift happening and didn’t mind playing second fiddle to Daniel's work. Jack believed his lover might very well save all of humanity one day, and it was perfectly okay to take a back seat to a mission of such magnitude. “I’ll order out, then. You wanna move inside where it’s cooler?”

 

“Nah. I like the heat.”

 

Jack knew Daniel was answering only with that tiny, distractible portion of his mind.  The rest of him was focused like a laser on his work.

 

Jack bent down and kissed the top of Daniel’s hat, then strolled into the house alone. It was cool inside, and dim after being outside in the bright sun. He waited for a moment for his eyes to adjust and then made a beeline for the phone. He dialed the number for their favorite pizza joint without having to look it up, placed their order and headed off to shower and change.

 

By the time he was done and dressed, the delivery boy had arrived. Jack paid for the pizza and took it to the kitchen, poured Daniel a big icy lemonade, then took his box and glass outside. Clearing a place beside the laptop and books on the table, Jack set the items down, directed Daniel’s attention to it and stayed long enough to make sure his partner had actually taken a bite before going back inside to enjoy his own food. 

 

The pizza went down fast, and with nothing on television to watch, Jack moved from the recliner to his desk and unrolled the landscape plan for his yard that he had worked on so diligently for the last few months. 

 

Most of what he wanted done was already planted, but he had left several areas along the watercourse untouched until that part of the plan was completed. Another few weeks, and he’d be ready to start ordering the other plants, though they wouldn’t arrive until early fall for planting. He intended to spend the rest of the summer preparing the soil, composting, mulching and fertilizing, pulling weeds and searching the internet for any additional exotics he might need for the garden.

 

Only one spot remained in its native state, because Jack hadn’t decided what to put there yet. He’d talked to Daniel about it, wanting his input for the wooded area at the rear of his property. Far back in the trees, a stone wall had been built long before he’d bought the land, marking the dividing line between Jack’s yard and Bear Creek Canyon Park. It ran precisely along the property line through the middle of the woods, then made a sharp angle and cut toward the neighbors’ side yards, tapering down to rubble just at the treeline. Bushes had been planted where the walls ended in a neat row, fencing off the side yards with natural screens. That area in the back, deep in the trees, was the most private space in Jack’s yard. Sitting with one’s back against the wall, it gave the impression of being completely lost in the woods, since not even the house was visible through the foliage.

 

Jack had plans for that area. He wanted it to be a romantic, secluded spot where he and Daniel could go to make love outdoors, on occasion. It had to be just right, though, and he didn’t have a clue how to arrange it yet. Daniel had promised to think about it, but Jack wasn’t sure he’d even been listening when he told his lover what ambiance he wanted to create for that spot.

 

Spreading his fingers across the paper, Jack closed his eyes and let his imagination take flight. There would be candles, all sitting in little hollowed-out stones or other protected places where they wouldn’t ignite fires if accidentally turned over. The sound of running water would be nearby from the garden’s closest waterfall, and the air would be perfumed with the scent of blooming flowers in the not too distant yard. It would be warm out, and crickets would be chirping as twilight turned into night.

 

And there would be Daniel.

 

Glorious, naked Daniel, lying on his back on the fertile earth, looking up at Jack with love in his eyes. Filled with reverence and passion, Jack would kneel over him, looking down into his beautiful face, seeing radiant adoration glowing back at him from those azure eyes. Jack would rock him slowly, gently, taking great care to be exquisitely tender as he thrust into his lover’s willing body.  God, how he wanted Daniel! How he dreamed of having all of him, but they were still a long way from that kind of intimacy. 

 

Jack sighed and tucked the fantasy quietly away, keeping it for later, wrapping it up fondly in the depths of his heart. 

 

He smiled to himself. Daniel had confessed to him the morning after their first intimate encounter that he wasn’t adept in bed. Jack hadn’t believed him, not really caring what kind of sexual skill Daniel had. The last month or so he hadn’t been able to do much, anyway, limited as he was by his injury. Jack had been careful with him, holding back every time they touched, making sure he did most of the moving himself so Daniel could just lie still and enjoy it. Daniel had reciprocated with hand-jobs that were a nice change from Jack doing it himself, and they had both enjoyed the kissing and mutual fondling tremendously.

 

They had looked forward to Daniel regaining more mobility, and their patience was paying off. Daniel’s knee would always cause him some pain, but he was getting really good with his cane and used it without even thinking about it now, as if it were part of him. When standing at a bookcase, he hung the cane’s crook in his pants pocket and placed most of his weight on his good leg. He could get up and down with little trouble now, and his physical therapy sessions were rebuilding the muscle lost during his recovery.

 

He looked good. He felt good, and Jack knew Janet Fraiser would be releasing him from the therapy sessions very soon. He was almost well… or as well as he was going to get, anyway.

 

That meant Jack could think about taking their blossoming relationship to the next level. He still didn’t know that much about gay lifestyles or sexual practices, but having been married for so many years in his past life, he did know a thing or two about making love. Some of the mechanics were a little different for a couple of guys, but he knew what turned Jack O’Neill on, and was pretty certain some of that might work for Daniel Jackson, too.

 

It was time, then, to start teaching Daniel how to find his own Inner Hedonist. Tonight would obviously not be the night, but having time alone on Jack’s hands would not be wasted.

 

He returned to the living room sofa and took a seat in the cool, dim interior, looking out the big windows at the brightly lit man outside. Jack relaxed against the cushions, engaging in his favorite pastime of Daniel-watching, searching for the right techniques and tools with which to give his lessons. 

 

One should always start with the familiar in order to provide context for the new.

 

Daniel’s right leg was propped in a second chair, keeping it straight. That was the most comfortable position for him, though he could bend it almost 90 degrees now when necessary. His other foot rested on the deck and his lap was piled with a couple of books, his open journal on top. He stared at the screen on his laptop, reading something, his lips moving silently to form the words. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and Jack’s dick reacted instantly.

 

“You are so sexy when you do that, and you don’t even know it,” Jack murmured to the window. It struck him that Daniel didn’t really know how to intentionally be sexy. The man had spent so much of his life in deep contemplation that he was oblivious to his own attractiveness, and didn’t have a clue how to seduce anyone.   

 

It seemed Jack’s hobby of Daniel-watching was paying off.

 

As Jack gazed at him, mesmerized by the depth of his beauty, Daniel reached for his lemonade and took a big drink, setting the glass back down in the same spot without tearing his eyes from the screen. He frowned at it. He squinted at it. Then he picked up a small tablet lying on the table and stared at it instead. His fingers stroked the grainy surface of the stone, tracing the incised carvings as if reading Braille. His lips were moving, forming the words in that alien language, and his eyes closed as he concentrated. He felt each character, reading with his fingertips.

 

God, Jack thought Daniel was amazing.  Jack was crazy about him, about everything he did. 

 

Suddenly, Daniel started, eyes popping wide open, staring at the tablet. Obviously excited by whatever discovery he had just made, his lips moved faster, eyes widening.  He gently poked one of the characters with his index finger, poked it a second time for emphasis, and then carefully set the tablet down. A light bulb had gone off over his head, and the linguist’s world was undoubtedly a little brighter now.

 

Jack hoped that maybe it wouldn’t be midnight when Daniel finished after all.

 

Jack grinned to himself, lacing his fingers together behind his head and leaning back against his hands. He just sat there, delighting in watching the wonder that was Daniel and plotting a world-class seduction for their upcoming weekend off.

 

~~**~~

 

**8 July**

Two Days Later

 

The scent of coffee awakened Daniel on Saturday morning, his 39th birthday. He opened his eyes and noticed that Jack wasn’t in their bed. As he turned over, he saw a cup of hot coffee sitting on the nightstand, along with a note card with his name on it, written in Jack’s hand. With a groan, he sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the mattress.

 

He took a deep breath and reached for the coffee, carefully taking a sip.  The temperature was perfect, just hot enough to drink without burning his tongue.  Jack must have just poured it minutes ago, but Daniel had been dead to the world and hadn’t heard him in the bathroom or anywhere else in the house.  He was probably outside in the garden already, the thought of which made Daniel smile.

 

He’d watched their backyard turn from an ordinary green lawn backed with trees into the most amazingly crafted landscape he’d ever seen.  Due to a new once-a-month allergy medication developed off-world and shared by some of their new alien allies, the pollen no longer bothered him. He’d actually begun to enjoy spending time outside, doing his work in the summer sunshine, glancing up occasionally to watch Jack toiling away on the yard.

 

That Jack was such an avid gardener had surprised Daniel, but he’d seen that the plans Jack had drawn out were precise and thoughtfully crafted, taking in the amount of sun on each area of the yard, zone hardiness of each species of plant, and the most important element of all, the secret messages represented by every flower.

 

Jack’s garden was a love letter to Daniel. He’d read the list of flower names Jack planted and what each flower represented.  After Daniel had translated the initial code and responded in kind, Jack had finally labeled the drawing, and Daniel had studied it, using the list Jack had written down to read the message.  He’d been incredibly surprised by the poetically beautiful sentiment.

 

Jack might not have been able to say the words, but he’d carefully chosen the message, and it was indescribably romantic.  Daniel had asked him where he’d learned about the language of flowers, but he’d been hesitant to try to explain, promising to reveal that secret in time.  And Daniel had promised to give him that, knowing Jack would keep his word.

 

With a sigh of satisfaction, Daniel slipped on his glasses, then picked up the note card and opened it.

 

Daniel,

 

Today we embark on a wonderful journey together, as my birthday gift to you. I hope this is a trip you will want to take with me, and that you enjoy the experience.

 

Breakfast will be on the table by the time you’ve finished your shower.

 

Don’t dress yet, though. Put on just your robe, because a massage therapist will be arriving at 1000 hours to get you started.

 

Whatever happens today, Daniel, don’t think.  Just feel.  That’s what it’s all about today.  How you feel.

 

Happy birthday.

 

Love,

Jack

 

A smile swept across Daniel’s face. He glanced at the clock and saw that there was barely going to be time to get ready before the massage therapist arrived. He took his coffee into the bathroom and drank half the cup while the water was heating. He showered and shaved quickly, toweled off his hair, and wrapped the towel around his waist, donning his robe on top of that. He ran a comb through his hair and downed the rest of the coffee, put on his glasses, then hobbled into the kitchen with his cane.

 

On the table, a large bowl was turned upside down over a plate. Daniel lifted off the bowl and found a lightly toasted English muffin liberally covered in blueberry jam waiting for him. It wasn’t a large breakfast, but he’d have just enough time to eat it all before his appointment.

 

He poured himself another cup of coffee, then sat down to eat, glancing around the quiet house and wondering where Jack was. He called out to him, but there was no answer, no sound in the house other than the noises he made himself. There was barely time to set his dishes into the sink and get his teeth brushed before the doorbell rang.

 

He opened it to an older man with long salt and pepper hair, stylishly pulled back into a ponytail. “Doctor Jackson?” he asked politely, offering a warm smile and a firm handshake. “I’m Randall James. Colonel O’Neill called to set up this appointment for you.” He presented his card.

 

Daniel glanced at it. The card looked professional and so did the man, his worktable folded up and sitting on the porch beside his feet.  He was wearing khaki trousers and a pale blue chambray work shirt, the long sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms. He looked fit and muscular, with very strong hands.

 

“Right this way,” said Daniel, showing him into the foyer. “I have no idea where you should set up. Did Jack give you any instructions on that?”

 

“The colonel requested the living room, for the view out the windows,” James assured him. He chuckled a little. "I just can't get used to calling him 'mister' now. He'll always be the colonel to me."

 

“Yeah. Me, too.” Daniel gestured the man into the living room, smiling at the man’s acknowledgment of Jack's civilian status. Daniel felt the same way, that he would always see Jack as a military man, even without the uniform and dog tags.  

 

Randall moved the coffee table aside, turning it so it was parallel to the hearth rather than the sofa. He set up the massage table in the middle of the living room, glancing appreciatively out at the yard. “I can see why he picked this room.”

 

“Yeah, that’s Jack’s handiwork. It’s beautiful.” Daniel looked out and thought he saw movement, far back in the trees. It could have been Jack, but he wasn’t sure.

 

“If you have some preferred music, you might want to put that on,” the therapist suggested as he began to drape the table with sheets and set out various oils on the coffee table, along with several small towels. “And the room should be warmer.  Would you adjust the temperature, also?”

 

“Warm enough to sweat?”

 

“No, just so you don’t get a chill.  You should be relaxing, not tensing up.”

 

Daniel went to the central air controls and made the adjustment, then headed for the small stereo in the living room to look for appropriate music. He smiled as he spied the CD player standing open, a homemade CD already on the turntable. The silver disc had “Massage Music” written in magic marker, also in Jack’s hand.

 

He closed the lid and turned it on, then went to stand by the table, hands stuffed into the pockets of his navy blue robe, cane hanging in the right pocket beneath his hand. Strains of Beethoven filled the room, one of Daniel’s favorite pieces. 

 

“I’ve never had a massage before,” he mentioned, feeling a little nervous at the prospect of this new experience.

 

The therapist smiled at him. “I’ve been doing this for probably as long as you’ve been alive, sir,” he said quietly. “My clients tell me I’m the best.” He patted the table, now mostly covered with a clean sheet, except for the slotted end. “I’ll step into the foyer and you can take off your robe and lie on the table. Put your face into this little slot here on this end and call me when you’re ready.”

 

“Um.” Daniel held up a finger. “I’m wearing a towel under this. I hope that’s okay?” He reached for the sash on his robe.

 

James nodded. “Yes, sir. Once you’re face down, you’ll need to pull the towel out from beneath you, so it’s just draped over your hips. All right?”

 

"Yes, thank you." Daniel watched the other man retreat to the foyer, keeping his back to the living room. Daniel took off his robe and laid it across the sofa, then carefully climbed up onto the table, lying face down on the sheet. He wiggled around a little to get the towel around his hips out from under him, then finally tucked his nose into the slot cut into the comfortably upholstered table, just for that purpose.  Two soft, fluffy towels lined either side of the opening for comfort.

 

He lifted his head enough to call the man, and stretched his arms out on the table beside himself, palms up.

 

The therapist told him what he was going to do before his first touch, speaking quietly. Warmed oil slid across Daniel’s back, slicking up his skin to reduce friction while James’ hands worked his muscles. Daniel found himself relaxing as the man talked in his soft, almost hypnotic voice. Combined with the wonderful sensations the therapist’s hands evoked in his body, Daniel felt himself drifting, his mind numbed and floating in a sea of pleasure.

 

All the way down Daniel’s back those hands worked, then on one arm, now the other. Daniel felt his muscles were like melted butter, pliable and relaxed. The scent of the warm almond oil filled his nostrils, and he began to wonder if he could still move, or if he were drugged somehow by this experience. He twitched a finger, then a toe, and smiled to himself, thinking how silly that momentary curiosity had been.

 

When the man had finished with his legs and feet, Daniel was almost asleep. He didn’t want to move, not a single muscle, just continue to lie there and breathe. The therapist patted his shoulder to let Daniel know he was finished.

 

“Just lie still, Doctor Jackson,” said James quietly. “Colonel O’Neill has promised to return my table later, so you can stay there just as long as you like. I’ll gather up the rest of my things and let myself out.”

 

“Mmmmm,” said Daniel, barely conscious. “Um. Should I tip you or something? I don’t know the protocol here.”

 

“No, sir. It’s all been taken care of by the colonel.”

 

“It was wonderful, Randall. Thank you.”

 

“You’re quite welcome.”

 

“I wanna hire you for Jack. My gift to him. He should know what this feels like.” Daniel sighed contentedly.

 

“The colonel has been my client for years, doctor,” Randall confided. “Doctor Fraiser recommended me to him about four years back, before he retired. He usually comes to my office for his treatments. This is the first time I've made a house call for him.”

 

That was a surprise. Jack didn’t seem the massage type, but if Janet had recommended it, Daniel could see how he’d follow her advice to the letter. Daniel thought about that, about when that might have happened, and realized after a few minutes that he was alone. The guy must be accustomed to moving quietly, so as not to disturb his clients.

 

After lying still and enjoying the relaxation for a few minutes, Daniel began to gather himself to move, one muscle group at a time. Carefully, he eased onto his left side and pushed himself upright. A rush of dizziness made him wobble a little, and he waited until it passed before getting to his feet. His cane was right there in reach, and after he fastened the towel back around himself, he turned to look out the windows at the beautiful garden.

 

He recited the meanings of some of the plants to himself.  Declaration of love. Devotion. Domestic happiness. Romance.

 

Jack O’Neill was quite the poet, in his own way, and an artist as well. One look out the window or a stroll in the yard would be the same as the recitation of a sonnet and an exquisite painting, all rolled into one. Daniel couldn’t help smiling, understanding the concept, and how well it fit the man with whom he had fallen in love. Jack wasn’t a man who could express his feelings verbally. He couldn’t talk about that sort of thing, because he just wasn’t made that way. Conversation about emotional subjects just made Jack uncomfortable.

 

This was how Jack expressed himself, with his body and his actions. When the idea had struck him to speak in the language of flowers, he had thrown himself body and soul into creating this masterpiece for the man he loved.

 

It had taken a while, but Daniel had gotten the message, and now he could read his floral love letter every day. Part of him dreaded the coming of winter and having all that beauty gone even temporarily, but most of it would be back the following spring, and Jack would most likely write an entirely different message with the new annuals he chose to take the place of the ones that would die off in the coming autumn.

 

Daniel slipped on his robe and headed for the bedroom to dress for the day. When he got there, he saw that their bed had been made. There was another note on the neatly spread covers, waiting for him.

 

Don’t get dressed yet. Just wrap up in a towel and come to the foyer when your nose tells you it’s time.

 

Love,

Jack

 

Daniel sniffed the air. He could smell scent of almond oil on his skin, but nothing else. His stomach growled, reminding him it had been a long time since that small breakfast. Checking the bedside clock, he saw that it was a little past noon, and he was hungry. Jack must be planning on making lunch.

 

With a sigh, Daniel followed the instructions on the note, then lay down on the bed and picked up a novel Jack had been reading from the nightstand. He skimmed through the book, a military mystery by Nelson DeMille, and found it interesting, though predictable. As Daniel skipped ahead to read the ending, his stomach began protesting even more loudly.

 

The scent of garlic wafted to him and he rose, laying the book aside. Grabbing his cane, he adjusted the towel and made his way down the hall, sniffing a mixture of aromas, all edible and mouthwatering. Jack met him in the foyer, still shirtless, barefoot, dressed only in a pair of well-worn, form fitting jeans, his new earring glinting in his left lobe. He held a strip of black cloth in his right hand.

 

With a welcoming smile, Daniel glanced down at it, then up at Jack’s face.  “What’s up, Jack?”

 

“You told me a little while back that you didn’t think you were very good in bed,” Jack murmured, his voice a low, husky, sexy purr, his expression filled with warmth and quiet joy. “I thought you might enjoy learning how to start changing that. I don’t have any complaints, but I want you to feel confident when we’re together. And it could be fun.” 

 

That was a surprise. “Oh. Okay.” A thrill of excitement and anticipation shot straight to Daniel’s groin. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

 

“Love school,” Jack replied evenly. Something hot and sweet glimmered in his eyes and a tiny little smile softened the corners of his sexy mouth. “Your first lessons started this morning.”

 

Whatever happens today, Daniel, don’t think. Just feel.

 

Come to the foyer when your nose tells you it’s time.

 

As Daniel remembered the lines Jack had written in his notes, he understood. “This is about experiencing the senses, reaction without thought,” he guessed.

 

Jack smiled a little more, and nodded.  His eyes were liquid and warm, burning with secret fire.  “Yes, Daniel.  Don’t think about anything.  Let your senses be your guide.”  He glanced down at the cloth in his hand, then back up at Daniel.  “Do you trust me?”

 

Daniel nodded.  “Implicitly.”

 

“I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.  You know that, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Jack swallowed hard, shame fleeting across his face.  He lowered his chin and gave Daniel a slightly guilty look from under his brows.  “I know I’ve hurt you in the past, but I never meant to do that.  Things just-- sometimes they happen.  But not anymore.  I want everything between us to be--”  He shrugged helplessly, eyes downcast again, waiting for a response from Daniel.

 

“I know, Jack.  I forgave you.  The slate is clean between us.”  He wanted to reach out and embrace Jack, to kiss him and comfort him, but something held him back.

 

Lifting his head, Jack squared his shoulders and quietly loosed a pent-up breath.  “Choose a command word, Daniel,” Jack told him gently, stepping closer.  He took Daniel’s cane and leaned it against the wall, carefully lifted Daniel’s glasses off his nose and set them on the little table beside the front door, then raised his hands and started to place the cloth over Daniel’s eyes.

 

“Whoa, wait a minute!”  Daniel hobbled back a step, pushing the blindfold down with one hand.  “I’m not into kink.”

 

“I’m not, either,” Jack promised, looking him in the eye.  “You said you trusted me.  Implicitly.  If you want to enjoy sex more, I’d like for you to do this with me, just this once.  Can you trust me enough to try it?”

 

Daniel hesitated, not sure just how freaked out he should be at the moment.

 

Jack lowered the blindfold, his eyes gentle and loving.  He put one hand on Daniel's cheek, just touching him, demanding nothing.  “Whatever I’m doing, if you want me to stop, just say the word and I will.  You control me with that one word.  I control everything else for the moment.  Do you understand?”

 

Fear tempered with desire shot through Daniel, animating his dick.  He nodded, his mouth gone dry again.  “You’re sure you’re not into bondage, Jack?”

 

“No.  This is about taste and smell, nothing else.  It’s about getting lost in those two senses, so we’ll just be trying to shut out everything else.”

 

“All right, then.”  He closed his eyes and let Jack tie the blindfold snugly around his head.  Daniel could feel Jack’s body heat, he stood so close. The heat moved around to his side and then behind him.  Jack’s hands caught Daniel’s wrists and pulled them back, then loosely tied them with another soft cloth.  Daniel’s mind started racing, a thrill of fear slamming into him, but just for a moment.

 

This was Jack, he reminded himself, and this was about love. About sex. About pleasure.

 

“Jack,” he called urgently, fear getting the best of him.

 

“Right here, Danny.” Jack’s warm breath puffed against the back of Daniel’s neck, followed by a kiss.

 

Daniel stepped forward and twisted around to face Jack, his bad knee protesting at the unsupported movement.  “Don’t get behind me.  I don’t like that.  I don’t want you behind me.”

 

“Don’t be scared,” Jack murmured.  “It’s just me.  I won’t do anything to hurt you, I promise.”  His hands touched Daniel’s shoulders, rubbing slowly up and down his arms.  Jack moved closer, touching his cheek to Daniel’s.  “Can you think of a safe word now?”

 

Mind racing, Daniel felt himself thrust unpleasantly back into the past.  Images coursed through his memory, and he gasped a little, his body shuddering, wanting nothing more than to be released, to see where he was, to be back in control. Panic was starting to rise inside him.  “Untie me, Jack,” he ordered.  “I can’t do this.”

 

Jack’s body was suddenly pressed up against his, naked chest to naked chest.  “Shhhh,” Jack whispered against his ear.  Jack’s arms wrapped around him, his hands closing around Daniel’s back and caressing slowly down his arms to his wrists.  Jack’s face pressed gently into Daniel’s neck, his lips stroking sensuously against Daniel’s throat.  “Don’t be afraid, babe.  It’s just me,” he repeated.  “And this is for both of us.  Don’t think.  Just feel.”

 

The sound of Jack’s voice, the sensation of his warm breath gusting along Daniel’s neck and the familiar comfort of his touch banished those terrible memories, and Daniel was suddenly right there in the foyer with his lover again.  Calm returned, his rapid heartbeat the only evidence of his momentary terror.

 

Daniel took a big breath.  “I’m okay, Jack.  It’s all right now.”

 

“Still want me to take the blindfold off?”

 

“No.  Never mind,” Daniel amended, turning slightly to take his wrists out of Jack’s grasp as he was already starting to untie the knot.

 

“You sure?  I’ll stop anytime you want.”

 

Daniel nodded, only slightly unnerved now by the blindfold and binding.  He did trust Jack implicitly.  Jack wasn’t the cause of his irrational fear.  Jack would never hurt him on purpose.

 

“Okay. The safe word is fides, Jack.”

 

“Trust,” he translated.  “You’re safe with me, Danny.  I promise.”

 

“I know.”  Daniel smiled a little, working hard to recover.  “So seduce me, already.”

 

“That’s not what this is about,” Jack assured him, catching him by one elbow and leading him along. “Come into the living room.  Watch your step.  Ramp right here.”

 

They went down the short ramp over the steps into the sunken living room, Jack guiding him along, half supporting him with an arm around his waist as he limped along.

 

“Here’s the coffee table,” Jack announced.  “There’s a pillow on it. I’m gonna sit you down there.”

 

Daniel turned around, let Jack back him up until his calves touched the edge of the table, and started to lower himself.  His bad knee gave out, and he dropped quickly onto his butt on the pillow with a little groan.

 

Reaching out with his other senses, Daniel smelled the mix of different foods and his stomach rumbled.

 

“Patience,” Jack admonished gently.

 

Daniel could hear the smile in his voice.  “Hungry,” he shot back with a grin, duplicating Jack’s exact tone of voice.  This just might be fun, he decided, dropping the last remaining resistance to Jack’s experiment.

 

“We’ll start with something I don’t think you’ve ever tried before,” Jack told him.

 

“What is it?”

 

“This isn’t about what you know,” said Jack quietly.  “It’s about what you feel, what your senses tell you. Some of these things you’ll like, others you’ll love, some you may hate, but we won’t know for sure till we try.  It’s about the flavors, the smell, the textures.  Experience each one with no preconceived notions, no names or ingredients, no peeks to make you decide before your tongue tells you whether or not it's good.  Okay?”

 

Daniel nodded.

 

“Open your mouth,” Jack commanded gently.

 

Daniel did.  Something warm settled on his tongue.  He couldn’t identify the taste at all.  Whatever it was had the consistency of paste, thick and kind of creamy.  It tasted rich and strong, but pleasant.  He chewed and swallowed.  “More?”

 

Another bite of the same item was dispatched and enjoyed.  “Good. But what was that?”

 

“I’m making a list for you to check later,” said Jack.

 

The sound of a pencil scratching across paper filtered through to Daniel’s ears.  “Okay, good. ‘Cause I liked that.  Put a check by it, so I’ll know when I read the list later.”

 

“Okay.  Next one.  Open.”

 

This item was cold and smooth.  Jack rubbed it along Daniel’s lower lip, teasing him with it.  It was completely flavorless until he bit down on it.  A grape, he decided.  White, not purple.

 

A chocolate-dipped strawberry came next, and Daniel made approving noises as he chewed and swallowed, licked his lips and opened his mouth for more.  Something spicy and crunchy was next, maybe a chip and salsa.  There was kung pao chicken with crunchy peanuts and hot Szechuan peppers, broiled shrimp dipped in butter, toast and jelly, pancake and syrup, roast beef and mashed potatoes.  Daniel never had any idea what was coming next and found himself anticipating temperature and texture in addition to flavor.

 

It was a fun game, and Daniel decided to play a little with Jack as well.  Whenever he felt fingers enter his mouth rather than a spoon or fork, he closed his lips over Jack’s digits and sucked on them, listening for the groan of approval from his lover and smiling when he got it.

 

“Kiss me,” Daniel ordered happily.  “I want to taste you next, Jack.”

 

His lover complied eagerly.  Daniel could smell Jack’s breath before their lips touched.  Jack had been eating something chocolate, and Daniel could taste it on his tongue.  He whimpered as Jack drew away.  “Mmm.  More,” he begged.

 

Heat and pressure filled his lower body.  He was getting hard.  He wanted Jack, his hunger for food more than satisfied.  He could feel his erection rising beneath the towel, rubbing against the rough terrycloth fabric.  It was incredibly erotic.

 

The cold metal of a spoon touched his lower lip.  Daniel turned his head away.  “No more, Jack.  I want you, now.”

 

“Careful, Daniel,” warned Jack softly.  “This is about the senses.  Taste, smell, sound, touch. Not about what you see or what you know.”

 

Daniel thought about that.  The spoon touched his lip again, and he opened and chewed, still thinking.  He wanted to reach out and touch Jack, to pull off the blindfold and look at him, but he couldn’t, which was probably why Jack had tied his hands in the first place.  All Daniel had to tell him anything about Jack were his ears and nose.

 

And his mouth.

 

In the month they had been lovers, Daniel had never tasted Jack’s body, never kissed him anywhere below his shoulders.  Jack, on the other hand, had gone down on Daniel often, and joyously.  Jack had loved his entire body with his mouth, scars and all. The realization of that sent a pang of sorrowful desire through Daniel.

 

He turned away from the next item smoothed across his lips.

 

“Jack,” he whispered.  “Let me taste you.”

 

Warm, strawberry flavored lips captured his.  Daniel enjoyed the kiss and dodged to the side after Jack pulled away, knowing some other edible would be on its way to his mouth.  He shook his head.  “I want to taste you, Jack.  Take your pants off.”

 

For a moment, there was nothing, no sound to indicate any movement.  Daniel could picture Jack just sitting there with a giant hard-on, studying him, wanting to make sure.

 

“What are you waiting for? I’m sure,” Daniel told him.

 

The rustle of clothing told Daniel when Jack stood up.  He heard the jeans unsnap, the zipper travel slowly down its track, and more rustling of fabric.  He heard bare feet take tiny little steps closer, padding softly against the carpet, and then warm hands touched Daniel’s shoulders, sliding down his arms.  He felt Jack bend over his shoulder to untie his wrists, and Daniel brought his hands into his lap as Jack straightened up.

 

“Do you want me to take the blindfold off?”  Daniel asked uncertainly.  “Is that why you untied me?”

 

“No.  You just need a little more control here for this.  I don’t wanna choke you.”

 

That sent a little shiver up Daniel’s spine and made goosebumps on his arms.  “Oh. Yeah. Right.”

 

Those familiar hands touched Daniel’s face, one smoothing through his hair, the other cupping his cheek.  Jack’s thumb ran along Daniel’s lower lip, and he caught it with his teeth, holding it for a moment in his mouth, swirling his tongue around it.  Jack still tasted like strawberries, and Daniel smiled.

 

“Ready?” asked Jack, his voice breathless.

 

Daniel’s hands came up, feeling for Jack’s legs, contacting warm, hairy thighs.  His hands skimmed upward, mapping Jack’s lean hips, the curve of his buttocks, his sides and flat belly.  Carefully, his fingers explored the nest of Jack’s pubic hair, shifting downward to encircle the base of his cock.  Daniel cupped Jack’s balls in his right hand, felt the weight of them, the way his skin tightened and relaxed in waves all over his sac. Daniel knew what that felt like from personal experience, the tingling pleasure that was a natural reaction to being touched in that intimate place.

 

He leaned forward, opening his mouth wide, and feeling the heat of Jack’s shaft pass over his sensitized lips, he closed them around him. Heat and cold filled his mouth, musky and sweet on his tongue.  Daniel’s brows drew together beneath the blindfold, trying to figure out the warring flavors he was tasting. When it struck him, he had to laugh, deep in his throat, unwilling to let go of his lip-grip on Jack’s dick, covered as it was in chocolate sauce.

 

Jack’s hands carded through Daniel’s hair as he sucked harder, drawing the big erection deeper into his mouth, as deep as he could take it.  Daniel’s tongue got busy trying to lick off every drop of chocolate, no mean feat since most of it was on the top and Daniel’s tongue was underneath it.  He got creative, swirling his tongue, turning his head from side to side, concentrating on the taste of this wonderful new Jack-flavored treat.

 

“Jesus,” Jack sighed, his hands stroking Daniel everywhere he could reach.

 

“Mmmmm,” agreed Daniel, sucking harder.

 

“God, Danny,” Jack wheezed, his hands pushing slightly now.  “I’m gonna… gotta come out now.”

 

Daniel wasn’t having any of that.  He had thrown himself wholeheartedly into this new experience, and wanted to see if Jack's come were cappuccino flavored, too.  He grasped Jack’s hips when he tried to pull back, sucking him deeper, greedily demanding more.

 

“Danny, stop,” Jack ground out breathlessly.  “I’m gonna c… So close. God, can’t stop...”

 

Jack’s hands settled lightly on Daniel’s cheeks, his hips flexing now, thrusting gently into Daniel’s mouth.  His breathing changed, shallow pants that Daniel knew meant he was almost there.  He sucked harder, taking Jack deeper still, swallowing him whole, the fingers of his left hand encircling the base of Jack’s cock, his right massaging Jack’s balls. Then Jack’s dick was throbbing against his tongue, filling his mouth and throat with come, balls tightening and pulsing in his hand.

 

It was wonderful.  Daniel had his nose pressed up against Jack’s pubic hair, inhaling the concentrated, intimate scent of Jack O’Neill.  The noises Jack was making turned Daniel on wildly.  Jack’s fingers mindlessly stroked Daniel’s face, petting and loving him.  Daniel kept sucking, swirling his tongue and making Jack grunt as he pulled still more spasms out of his lover.

 

“Wow,” Jack wheezed, finally pulling his softening cock out of Daniel’s mouth.

 

Daniel swallowed his mouthful, deciding he liked the unique taste, and smiled.  He heard Jack sit down heavily on a chair.

 

“As blowjobs go,” Jack mused in a shaky, awestruck whisper, “that was pretty damned amazing for a first-timer.”

 

“Thank you,” said Daniel smugly.  “I like to think I’m a fast learner.”  He chuckled.  “And that chocolate sauce was a stroke of genius, Jack.”

 

“Chocolate sauce?” asked Jack innocently.  “What chocolate sauce?”

 

Daniel wriggled on the table.  “C’mon. It’s my turn now, isn’t it?  Do I take the blindfold off now?”

 

“No. Lean back on your hands. Don’t think. Just feel.”

 

Warm hands caressed Daniel’s shoulders, moving steadily down his body.  He felt Jack untuck the towel from around his waist and lay it aside.

 

“Kiss first?” asked Daniel with a smile. “I know you love the taste of your come on a kiss, Jack.”

 

“You do learn fast,” Jack praised, leaning in close.

 

Daniel could feel the heat of him on his lips before Jack made contact, and the flavor of Jack’s tongue only enhanced the fading tang of semen on his taste buds. The kiss was sweet and hot, and over much too soon. A tap on Daniel’s good knee told him what Jack wanted him to do.

 

“Chocolate sauce?” Daniel suggested with a smile.

 

“Nah, I’m a purist.”

 

Daniel spread his legs and Jack eased between them, pressing their bodies together in a gentle embrace.  Jack kissed Daniel’s neck, then worked his way slowly downward, licking up the little dollops of food and drink and sauces that had dripped off Daniel’s chin or been spilled as he ate. Daniel concentrated on his sense of touch, picturing in his mind Jack’s posture according to the positions of his hands, mouth and body.

 

Don’t think, Jack had told him.  Daniel put all of his mind into his skin, feeling the warm currents of air waft across him as Jack exhaled, the wet trails left behind his tongue cooling as the spit evaporated, his hands restless as they stroked and squeezed Daniel’s back and thighs. Jack’s mouth was hot as it enveloped his left nipple, suckling him, drawing the bud of hardening flesh between gently nibbling teeth.

 

Liquid heat shot straight from Daniel’s nipple to his dick and he gasped, wriggling on the table.  His legs clenched around Jack’s body, holding onto him in the only way he could.  He pushed forward a little, trying to force more of himself into Jack’s mouth.

 

“Oh, God, Jack,” he panted.  “Harder.  Suck me harder.”  He lifted his right hand from the table and clutched a handful of Jack’s long hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer still.  He quivered with need, head rocked back on his shoulders, gasping as his lover complied.

 

One of Jack’s hands drifted lightly up and down his back, the other exploring his crotch, while Jack’s lips and tongue toyed with his nipple.  Knowing fingertips stroked up and down the sides of his dick, feathered through his pubic hair, probed the sensitive crease between his legs.  Jack’s teeth clamped firmly on his nipple, hard now with arousal, and Daniel groaned.  He had always loved it when Jack did this, but now, not being able to look while he did it, the sensations were almost more than Daniel could bear.

 

Jack’s hand moved from his back to his other nipple, pinching it to hardness, twirling and rubbing it until Daniel almost came unglued.  He was shouting his approval, his dick so hard it was ready to explode.  He hooked his left leg around Jack’s waist and pulled him closer, leaving Jack’s hands no room to work his cock.  Daniel thrust against Jack’s hairy chest, whimpering when Jack’s right hand left his balls and swept around his back, holding him tightly against his body while he suckled Daniel’s nipple.

 

Daniel pushed instinctively against the floor with his right leg, but needles of pain made him suck in a breath and drop his butt back onto the pillow.  The pain was instantly forgotten in the haze of pleasure from Jack’s attention to his nipples as his mouth moved to the right.  He sucked increasingly harder as Daniel demanded more, pushing against him, flexing his chest, begging with a trembling voice. He lifted his left hand from the table and swept it around Jack’s back.  Daniel was completely unsupported now, hanging onto Jack for dear life.

 

He wanted to look, wanted it more than he wanted to breathe, even though he had seen it a many times already.  He loved how Jack looked when they made love, relished doing it with the lights on, and Jack knew it.  But this was a tool Jack was using to teach him something, so he left the blindfold in place.  He concentrated harder on his skin, on the sensation of touch only, letting it sweep him away.

 

The towel beneath his butt felt sort of spiky, the raised loops of fabric poking almost painfully into his acutely sensitized skin.  He was starting to sweat, the moisture cooling his skin as it dried, hot where the sheen of perspiration covered him.  He could feel drops of it rolling down from his sideburns to the curve of his jaw, then trickling over his throat.

 

Breathlessly, Jack pulled his mouth away from Daniel’s nipple, his hands caressing, stroking gently over Daniel’s chest, his back, his hips and thighs. Daniel felt rough spots on Jack’s right hand that had to be calluses, and they were cooler than the rest of his hand.  Those hands pushed his legs wider apart, and one caught Daniel’s balls again, squeezing and massaging them.

 

He whimpered, his nipples hot and smarting, missing the pleasure-pain of Jack’s mouth and fingers.  Now Jack’s tongue was warm and rough as it moved down Daniel’s belly, Jack’s breath coming out in hot little gusts against his skin. Daniel could feel the difference when Jack used the sides of his tongue, curling it around the base of his cock, because it was smoother and cooler.

 

“I’m close,” he whispered, cradling Jack’s face in his hands, feeling every plane of cheek and jaw, delicately exploring Jack’s ears and hair with his fingertips. “Oh, Jack,” he murmured.  “This is so fucking good.” 

 

Wet heat enclosed his dick, and Daniel sucked in a deep, quick breath, his head falling back as a wave of pleasure shot up from his cock, radiating all through him, traveling through his skin like the shock of zat fire without the pain.  His ass muscles tensed, pushing him upward into Jack’s mouth.  He relaxed and drew back as Jack moved off him and then tensed again as his lover swallowed him deep into his throat.  Daniel’s whole being, his entire awareness, narrowed down to Jack’s mouth and his fingertips everywhere they touched him.  His skin tingled, his mind numb, burning hot everywhere their two bodies met, and cold everywhere else.

 

“Oh, God,” Daniel whimpered.  “Gotta come. Don’t stop!”  Fire and pressure coiled low in his belly, scorching him. Then with a groan, he let himself go. 

 

A few moments later, the first jolt of ecstasy, when it arrived, hit him like a velvet hammer, pulsing as liquid flame coursed from his balls through his cock and into Jack’s hungry mouth.  Daniel’s hands cradled Jack’s face, lovingly caressed over his neck and shoulders, down his back as Jack bent to suck harder, to draw more, drink deeper.  Daniel struggled to breathe, leaning over Jack’s bowed head.

 

“Mmmmm,” said Jack as his mouth let go.  “I never get tired of how you taste.”  With a last gentle kiss to Daniel’s softening cock, he got up, and Daniel leaned back on his hands again.

 

 “Wow.  You are so good at that,” Daniel panted appreciatively.

 

“I’ve got some pretty special inspiration,” Jack murmured as he untied the blindfold and pulled it off.  After blinking a few times to adjust to the light, Daniel stood up with Jack’s help. 

 

They shared a long hug, standing quietly together, eyes closed, enjoying the afterglow.  “Love you,” Daniel whispered to Jack’s appreciative hum of agreement.

 

When Daniel drew back a bit and looked around the room, he saw cartons, plates and bowls of all kinds of foods all around them, most with just a bite or two missing.  Daniel glanced around nervously and was relieved to see that Jack had pulled the drapes so the neighbors wouldn’t be able to see into the room.

 

“What’s the next lesson, professor?” asked Daniel with a smile.

 

“Go into the spare room and get dressed in the clothes I’ve laid out for you.”  Jack gave him a brief, sweet kiss and disappeared down the hall into the master bedroom.

 

Daniel grabbed his cane and went into the guest room, sat down on the bed and started to dress, taking note of the fact that no underwear had been laid out with his clothes.  He took that to mean that Jack wanted him commando and put on his socks first, then the sleeveless black muscle shirt.  When he picked up his black 501 jeans, he saw there was another card underneath.

 

Daniel couldn’t put his pants on while standing anymore, so he sat down, pulled them on and up to his thighs, then stood and worked them on the rest of the way.  When he went to button them up, he noticed that these fit him more snugly than the jeans he was accustomed to wearing.  He noticed the shirt fit rather tightly, too, and shook his head, wondering what had gotten into his lover.

 

Jack had probably bought the clothes for him, wanting to see him in something tight that showed off his body, rather than the baggy stuff he preferred to wear.  Well, today was all about what Jack wanted, so Daniel decided to just go with it.  He tucked his dick to the right and fastened the too-tight pants.  He wiggled in them experimentally, making sure the material would give as necessary to allow him to move. Then he reached for the note and opened it.

 

Go into the office.  The computer is fired up and waiting.  I want you to compose a short message, riddle, whatever you want to write. 

 

The message can be a poem, a speech, or declaration.  No jokes allowed, please, because this is serious.  Whatever you write, it should come from your heart.

 

Write something for me, Daniel.  Something you want me to know, just for us.

 

When you’re done, print it out, and go to the deck to wait for me.

 

Love,

Jack

 

“What are you up to, Jack?” he wondered aloud, re-reading the note.

 

The previous one had stressed, Don’t think. Feel.  Now it seemed Jack was reversing himself, wanting Daniel to think up something clever to say.  He took the note into the office and sat in the brown leather recliner, studying it, trying to understand what the underlying message was.

 

Jack could do cryptic.  Daniel studied the note, keeping in mind the previous one as well.  Jack wanted Daniel to think about his feelings and craft a private message for Jack, just as he had made that garden outside for Daniel.

 

With that in mind, Daniel got up and sat behind the desk, disabling the screen saver, and opened the word processing program.  He thought about what he wanted to say for a while, and started writing.  He wrote in English, just for a reference, to work on the exact wording.  He edited and shaped it, polished and refined it until he thought it said, as well as words could manage, what he felt for Jack.  Then he printed it, saved it to a file on the hard drive, and headed outside.

 

Out in the living room, the drapes covering the windows had been opened, and all the food and dishes had been cleaned up.  Daniel hadn’t realized how long he’d been working on the letter, but it must have been well over an hour.  He’d barely noticed the passage of time while working on the message.  He shook his head, heading for the patio doors.

 

Waiting for him on the deck table was a small wrapped package.  He sat down to wait for Jack, watching the yard for his lover to appear.  He didn’t hear a sound, but was suddenly aware of Jack’s presence beside him.

 

He turned to look up at Jack, and his eyes widened.  Jack was wearing a towel, wrapped around his waist, and nothing else.

 

“Go ahead and open your present,” Jack suggested.  There was no hint of a smile on his face, but something mysterious was gleaming in the depths of his whiskey brown eyes.

 

Daniel thought it looked like love.  He grinned and reached for the towel.

 

Jack stepped back, dodging Daniel’s hands.  “Hey!  Not that present!  Not yet, anyway!  The package on the table is your gift, Daniel,” he said, nodding toward the gold papered box.  The tiniest smile danced at the corners of Jack’s mouth. “One of ‘em, anyway. You’ll get to unwrap me later.  Promise.”

 

“Oh. Okay.”  Daniel turned and pulled the item toward him.  He carefully pulled the tape closures loose and unfolded the paper from around a small wooden box.  He opened it up and found a set of small glass bottles with black plastic dropper-tip caps, each one filled with a different bright color.  Along with them were a couple of paintbrushes, one tiny and delicate, and the other a bit larger.

 

Frowning, he studied the label.  “Tattoo paints?” he asked, incredulous, totally nonplussed.  “You gave me tattoo paints for my birthday.  What am I supposed to do with them?”

 

“You use them to paint designs on skin, just like tattoos, except they wear off in a few days,” Jack explained.  ”Temporary tattoos.  No needles.  Nothing embarrassingly permanent.”  He hesitated.  “And they’re only a small part of your birthday present.  The best stuff comes later.  Are you ready?”

 

Daniel looked up at him, still confused.  “For what?”

 

Jack smiled then, hesitantly.  “To write me a letter.”  He stepped back toward the patio doors.  “Let’s go to our bedroom.”

 

“Jack, what’s this all about?  I don’t get it.”  Daniel closed the box on the paints and stood up.

 

“Bring the paints,” Jack instructed as he led the way into the house. “I want you to write that message you wrote on me with these paints, only not in English. Maybe you could use hieroglyphs or something.”

 

Daniel did as he was told, closing the door after them and locking it out of habit.  He followed Jack through the living room, watched him lock the front door as he passed it.  They walked together down the hall, into the bedroom they shared.

 

“Where do you want me?” asked Jack as he turned to face Daniel.

 

“Well, that depends,” Daniel shot back with a wry grin.  “You wanna make love again, or am I painting you?”

 

“For the moment, just the painting,” Jack answered, his voice low, soft, and gentle, his expression filled with wistful affection.  “The sex will come later, when we’re both ready for it.”

 

With a sigh, Daniel went to sit down on the bed, leaning his cane against the end of the bed.  He opened the box, read the instructions and told Jack what other supplies he’d need. Jack dutifully gathered the paper towels, newspapers, and a small bowl for cleaning the brushes.  He brought the items into the bedroom and waited while Daniel arranged everything beside him on the bed. 

 

“Stand here,” said Daniel, pointing to a spot right in front of where he was sitting on the bed.

 

Jack moved obediently and looked down at him.

 

Daniel reached up and laid his hand on Jack’s chest.  “Okay, that’s not gonna work.  You’re too tall.  Sit here by me and lean back on your elbows.”

 

Once again, Jack obeyed.  Daniel twisted around until he thought he could reach his lover properly, then started opening the paints. Daniel thought the idea was strange, maybe even ridiculous, but he’d play along.

 

He mixed the paint and stabilizer in the little bowl Jack had brought him, and leaned over to start the first character.  Daniel had decided on a primitive pictograph writing they had discovered on an alien world, only after the first few characters took shape, Daniel succumbed to a lark and started doodling instead.

 

“I don’t recall seeing anything like that before, Daniel,” Jack told him, looking down at his chest. “You sure you’re not making those symbols up?” 

 

Busted.

 

Daniel raised his eyebrows and bluffed for all he was worth. “These characters were in the temple on P7X-337, I promise.  Do you want me to read it to you?”

 

“Not yet,” Jack returned quietly. “I never saw anything like that in that temple, but you’re the linguist.”  He sat still, just watching while Daniel painted him from collarbones to navel. When he finished and sat back to admire his handiwork, Jack studied his face.

 

“Don’t stare at me,” Daniel told him, feeling guilty over the whimsy he’d injected into what Jack meant for him to take seriously.  He hoped he wasn’t blushing.  “How long does this stuff last, anyway?”

 

“Two to seven days, depending on how much care and scrubbing it gets.” Jack sat up and got gracefully to his feet.  He went over to the closet, opened the door and started looking for something to wear.

 

“Jack.”

 

He turned.

 

God, he was beautiful, standing there in that towel.  Daniel’s snugly-fitted pants started to get a lot tighter. Suddenly he wanted to write the real love letter on Jack’s body, but he’d taken up too much space on his chest. That left only his back, and in order to fit the whole piece on that broad, gorgeous canvas, he’d have to use a script that was compact. That left only one option. “Don’t get dressed yet.  C’mere.”  He beckoned to Jack with one finger.

 

Jack obeyed.

 

Daniel scooted backward on the bed and spread his legs, patting the mattress between them.  “Sit here.  I want to paint your back, too.”

 

“Because?”

 

“Because I went a little stupid on your chest and was playing around.  Now I want to honor your request and write the real letter on you, like you asked.”

 

Jack gave him a goofy, knowing grin, turned around and sat down on the bed between Daniel’s legs.

 

He had the letter memorized and picked up the smallest fine-bristled brush from the kit.  Dipping it into the black paint, he started at Jack’s left shoulder, working his way downward in long columns of characters, translating the original English into the language of the Ancients.  He painted with expert precision, making each stroke carefully on the smooth, golden skin.

 

When he finished, Daniel sat staring at his living canvas, rippling with toned muscle.  The pattern almost looked like a strange barcode, with the long, narrow glyphs stacked on top of each other in neat vertical columns.  Only a handful of people in the entire universe could read it, and he was one of them.

 

Daniel’s mouth went dry as he stared at his work. 

”I’m finished,” he said breathlessly.  He stared at Jack’s back, at the beautiful symbols and the sentiments they represented.  He wished he had done this in the first place on Jack’s chest, where his lover could see it.

 

“Thank you,” said Jack, almost reverently.  He rose and kissed Daniel briefly, then returned to the closet to choose his outfit for the day.

 

Daniel cleared his throat and got off the bed, limping along without his cane as he carried the paints and supplies to the bathroom.  He washed out the brushes and bowl he’d used, setting everything aside on the newspapers to dry, then packed up the paints and stabilizer.  He washed his hands and returned to the bedroom to ask Jack what was going on, and found that he had vanished again, leaving another note card on the bed.

 

Pack an overnight bag.  Bring casual and your best suit.  We’re going to Denver for the night to celebrate the rest of your special day.  I’ll be waiting outside by the truck.

 

Love,

Jack

 

A smile crept out as Daniel turned to the closet to start getting out clothes to pack.  In fifteen minutes he was ready, and proceeded toward the front of the house, dragging the wheeled suitcase behind him.  Standing in the foyer, he pulled his things out onto the porch, set the security alarm and stepped outside, making sure the front door was locked, too. 

 

Jack was waiting for him, bent over by the front garden bed, pulling an errant stem of grass out from among the carefully trained junipers.

 

“Nice view,” Daniel remarked, smiling at his partner’s six.  He admired the way Jack’s jeans clung to his ass, to his well-muscled legs all the way down to his ankles. When Jack straightened up, Daniel could envision the script he had written on his broad back, hidden beneath the pale blue polo shirt that made mouthwatering contrast to his tanned arms and face.  “God, you look good enough to eat,” he breathed as Jack turned to face him.

 

“I could say the same about you,” Jack rumbled huskily.  “In fact, I think I will.  C’mere.”  He stepped close, slipped his hand around to lightly cup Daniel’s ass and gave him a quick kiss on the mouth.

 

Daniel glanced around at the neighborhood, looking to see if anyone was watching.  “Jack, don’t,” he whispered.  “Not in public.  Somebody might see.”

 

For a moment Jack just stared at him, a little nonplussed.  “What, that we’re lovers?  I think most folks who know us have pretty well figured that one out already, Daniel.  Nothing to be embarrassed about.”  He stepped back and stuffed his hands in his pockets.  He tilted his head, uncertainty written on his face.  “Is there?  Are you ashamed of us?”

 

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Daniel insisted, edging away and dragging his things up to the truck.  “C’mon, you know better than that.”

 

“Well, what did you mean, then?”  Jack trailed along behind him, his voice plaintive.  “I thought we’d talked about this.  I’m a civilian now.  Nothing to be afraid of.  Nobody’s gonna get in trouble, no jobs are at stake.  And even if they were, I don’t care.”  Jack stood behind him and put a hand on Daniel’s arm, urging him to turn to face him.  “You’re more important to me than any damned job.  Or anything else,” he added in a quiet, intense tone.

 

Daniel turned back to Jack and was saddened to see the hurt in his eyes.  He tried to explain his discomfort with public displays of affection.  “It isn’t you, Jack, or us.  It’s…”  His free hand tumbled through the air as his mind sought the words to explain how he felt.  “It’s me.  I’m not used to any of this yet.  When we’re at home, I feel like it’s okay for my concentration to shift into the comfort zone we share.  When we’re not, when we’re outside or on the base or anywhere but home, my mind is trying to process so much that… It’s like when you’re doing that threat-assessing thing, and I distract you by starting to talk about ancient cultures or something.  Part of you wants to listen, to validate my feelings, but the other part wants me to shut the hell up so you can concentrate.  I don’t know how to explain it any better than that.  It’s just…distracting.  Turns me upside down, and then I have to recover, to remember where the hell I am, and what I’m supposed to be doing.  I’m sorry if I hurt you.  I didn’t mean to.”

 

That had been a terrible explanation, and he knew it, but it was the best he could come up with on short notice.  Shit, he’d really blown it now, completely breaking the mood that Jack had worked so hard to set up. 

 

Jack didn’t seem to be buying it, either.  “Uh-huh,” he said flatly, obviously still hurt.  “I’ll try not to be so distracting, then.”  He walked around to the other side of the truck and got in, strapping on his seat belt and waiting for Daniel to follow suit.

 

Daniel rolled his eyes, regretting his careless words and more convinced than ever now that he'd royally screwed up.  “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. 

 

He opened the back door of the big truck and stowed his suitcase inside, hanging the garment bag over it.  Jack’s suitcase was already back there, along with two large coolers.  Daniel wondered what those were for.  It struck him again about just how much work Jack had done to give him this wonderful day.

 

With silent recriminations ringing inside his head, he took his seat, then reached over to Jack, as close as he could get across the bucket seats. “I’m sorry,” he said again quietly, looking earnestly at his lover. He squeezed Jack’s forearm in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture.  “I’m still adjusting to us, Jack.  You were ready for this a lot sooner than I was, so you’ve had a head start on me.  But please believe me when I tell you that I don’t regret anything about us, not for one moment.  I love you, and I want you to be sure of that.  Please forgive me?” 

 

Those intense brown eyes just stared at him for the longest time, and Daniel suddenly realized that had been the first time he’d actually told Jack he loved him.  He could see Jack’s heart looking back at him, deeply touched and sad all at the same time. 

 

With a brief nod of acknowledgment of his apology, Jack dragged his eyes away.  “S’okay, Daniel,” Jack said in a hoarse whisper.  “Nothing to forgive.”  He started the ignition, and backed the truck out of the driveway. 

 

Daniel kept his eyes fixed on Jack and saw him swallow hard as they headed off down the street.  He knew his lover probably had a lump in his throat the size of Denver and couldn’t say anything else at the moment, so Daniel leaned over and turned on the radio, giving him a little space.  As classical music filled the air, he did his best to relax against his seat, looking out the windows as the Springs zipped by them, the Rocky Mountains towering in the western sky.

 

The truck wove into and out of traffic, which was moderate for a Saturday afternoon.  It’d gotten hot outside, and the air conditioner provided cool contrast to the heat radiating in through the windows.

 

Once they were on I-25 heading north, Daniel was uncomfortable with the silence between them, and in an effort to get Jack to talk, he asked,  “So what are we going to do in Denver?”

 

“Dinner.  Hotel.  Birthday stuff.”

 

“Like?”

 

“Surprises, Daniel,” Jack answered flatly without taking his eyes off the road.  He was obviously still smarting from Daniel’s inadvertent bruising of his feelings, still a little withdrawn, his eyes carefully trained on the road, his voice carefully neutral. Dark mountains reached up into bright, cloudless azure sky outside the windows, making a beautiful backdrop for Jack’s handsome profile.  “And if I tell you, then they won’t be surprises.”

 

Daniel was quiet for a moment, content to watch the scenery go by and give Jack some space. The best part of the view was sitting right behind the steering wheel.  One of the things he most enjoyed about being Jack’s lover was that he got to look at him all he wanted.  Daniel had found that he liked doing that, because Jack O’Neill was a very attractive man.

 

“You’re staring at me,” Jack said without looking away from the road.  He reached out and squeezed Daniel’s hand.

 

“I like staring at you,” Daniel returned with a big grin.  “You’re hot, you know.”

 

Jack smiled slightly and glanced at him, putting both hands back on the steering wheel.  “Yeah?  How hot?”

 

“Like summer on Abydos. Like the kitchens on Netu. Hot, Jack.”  He licked his lips, remembering how Jack had tasted. “And you taste good, too.”

 

Jack stuck a hand out and squeezed his thigh.  “Better watch it,” he said with a chuckle.  “You’ll give me a swelled head.”

 

“I already did,” Daniel returned playfully, reaching over to pat Jack’s crotch.  “Plan to do it again, too.  Birthday fucking is on the list, isn’t it?  Lots and lots of birthday fucking?”

 

“As much as we can squeeze in without the aid of Viagra,” Jack assured him.  “It might be a while before I’ll admit to needing help to keep up with a horny young stud like you.”

 

“I’m not that much younger than you,” Daniel shot back with a frown.  Then he grinned delightedly at his lover.  “Hey, I’m a stud?”

 

“Horny as a teenager, hot as blazes, and sexy as hell,” said Jack with a note of pride.  “How I ever got so lucky I’ll never know.”

 

“Maybe we both got lucky, huh?”  Daniel gazed at him in admiration as Jack turned his attention back to the road, obviously happier now that they’d shared a little banter and light-hearted teasing, if the relaxed look on his face was a proper indicator of his mood.

 

Daniel thought back to the morning and the things Jack had done for him so far.  Looking out the window again, he asked, “So tell me more about love school, Jack.  I think I understand what you’re doing, but how is this supposed to teach me to be better in bed?”  

 

“Not sure yet,” Jack answered casually.  “We’ve been keeping it pretty simple while you were healing, and you haven’t been able to move around much in the sack, so I don’t really know why you’d think you’re not good at sex.  When you’re ready to take a more active role, we’ll see.”

 

“Then why give me lessons?”  Daniel turned to look at Jack and got a quick glance from a now totally unreadable face.  Jack had the walls up, and that was never a good thing.

 

“Just making some assumptions, based on what I know about you.”

 

“Like?”

 

Jack reached over and turned the music down.  He looked a little hesitant, like he was about to deliver bad news.  “You’re a thinker, so all up in your head that sometimes it’s like you forget you even have a body.  Like when you walk, you lead with your head.”

 

“I lead with my head?  What do you mean by that?”  Daniel frowned, thinking hard.

 

“When you’re just strolling with your hands in your pockets, you walk just fine, good balance and posture mostly,” Jack explained.  “But when you’re focused on getting somewhere fast, your head goes forward and you lean into the space behind it.  Your eyes are like lasers and people get the hell out of your way.”

 

Daniel thought about that.  He couldn’t move like that anymore with his disability, but he felt instinctively that Jack was right.  Daniel’s mind always traveled ahead of the rest of him, already where he intended to be, pulling his body along behind him.  “Okay, so I lead with my head when I walk.  What does that have to do with being good in bed?  Or not, as the case may be.”

 

“Be patient. I’m getting there.” He paused. “You work the same way, so focused you lose track of everything except what’s going on in your noggin,” Jack continued quietly, one lightly closed fist rapping gently on his own skull.  “Sometimes you don’t even see people when they come into your office, even though you’re looking right at them, because you’re blind to what’s there.  All you see is what you’re thinking about, some squiggly marks you’re trying to decipher.”

 

“That’s not a bad thing.”  That very trait was what had made him valuable to the SGC, Daniel knew. “I care about my work.  And I still don’t see what that has to do with sex.”

 

“I’m not tryin’ to be preachy or critical here, babe.  Just tryin' to help you open your eyes to a few things, maybe help you figure some stuff out.  Okay?”  Jack reached for a bottle of water he had in the drink holder.  He handed it to Daniel, that cautious look still there in his eyes.  “Open that for me, willya?”

 

He was so obviously trying to be gentle, kind and helpful that Daniel couldn't get defensive about the criticisms.  He twisted off the cap, set it on the dashboard, and handed the open bottle to his lover.

 

“Thanks,” Jack told him and took a swig.  “Want some?”

 

“No, thanks.  So?  Connect the dots for me, here, Jack.”

 

“Think about how you are with people.”

 

“Okay.”  Daniel looked down at his hands in his lap, going over his working relationships with those he saw regularly.  “I usually get along fine with the academic staff—“

 

“Most of them, yes, but there are a few you’ve rubbed the wrong way.”  Jack took another sip of his water and set the open bottle back into the drink holder.

 

“A lot of the military types think I’m pretty worthless in the field, and have from the beginning,” Daniel added quietly, still looking at his hands.  His gaze wandered to his knee.  This wasn’t exactly fun. He frowned and looked up at his partner. “And how’d this get from us talking about my skills as a lover to how I go about my life in my professional capacity, anyway? I’m not getting this, Jack.”

 

“We’re getting there, I promise,” Jack assured him gently, reaching out to stroke Daniel's thigh as he talked.  “A lot of the military folks don’t understand what you do and don’t trust you because of that, just like Edwards the first time he took you out for a spin. But he learned that, given a chance to work things out in that mysterious way you have, you’ll save everybody’s asses if he follows your lead. I think some folks have a hard time with you because they misread you. Your single mindedness makes it look like you’re ignoring them, and your self-confidence makes you seem arrogant.”

 

“I’ve got no room to be arrogant, Jack,” he argued, brows scrunched down in a frown and doing his best not to sound as crabby as he was beginning to feel.  This was starting to hurt a little, though Daniel knew that wasn’t Jack’s intention here.  He was just being honest, trying to make Daniel think about things he obviously wasn’t getting, and he still didn't get the connection between all this and sex. 

 

“Remember the unfinished translation that was up on the chalkboard in the room where you first saw the coverstones, years ago?”

 

Daniel sighed, concentrating.  “No, actually, I don’t.  That must be in one of those memory holes I’m still carrying around.  What happened?”

 

A little smile tugged at the corners of Jack’s mouth.  “I should talk.  I was an even bigger asshole back then.”  He glanced at Daniel and grinned.  “Anyway, some of the geeks on the program had been working on the translation for a couple years.  Then you walked in, grabbed a piece of chalk, and started complaining about the incompetent who’d done the work, and the guy was standing right behind you.  You crossed out all his mistakes and added the corrections, mumbling about that Budge character you hate.  And then you gave the stargate its name.  The translator guy was standing right there, Daniel, and you shot him down without even noticing.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Daniel replied, instantly contrite.  “Is he still with the program?”

 

Jack shook his head.  “Nah. He left shortly afterward for a post at the Pentagon. Don’t sweat it, though.  You wowed him, so he kinda felt like you had a right to be that arrogant. Which you do. You’re way smarter than anybody else at the mountain. Including Carter, astrophysics aside.”

 

“I don’t mean to be insensitive, Jack.”  Daniel gazed over at him, feeling his face grow hot, his sense of frustration climbing.  “I try to pay attention to people’s feelings.”  Jack’s compliment hadn’t been lost on him, but Daniel felt there was something more important at issue.  Jack was right to point out this personality flaw to him, because he needed to change how he related to others on the base.  Only that was hard when he didn’t know how.

 

“When we’re glad-handing some alien race, you do that because you're focusing on those people,” Jack assured him.  “You do it better than anybody.  They can tell you really care, and I think that’s what has won us a lot of the alliances we got out of SG-1.”

 

Daniel just nodded.  “I do care.  But I should care about everyone the same. I should treat the people I work with the same as the aliens we’ve tried to impress.”  He sighed, defeat settling in on him.  “I don’t want to make enemies, especially not here at home.”

 

“You haven’t,” Jack hastened to assure him. “The folks in the mountain respect you too much to hate you. They know you’ve pulled our asses out of the fire a lot of times. They just don’t wanna fall victim to your snark or disrespect.”

 

“So, again, what does all this have to do with learning to be better in bed?” asked Daniel, studying his partner as he drove and promising himself to be more cognizant of others’ feelings during day-to-day relations in the mountain. “Because I’m so not getting it, and I don’t usually have to have anyone draw me a map.”

 

For a moment, Jack was quiet.  “You’ve got to learn to multitask, Daniel, and to pay attention to how what you're doing is affecting others.”

 

Waiting a few minutes for more, Daniel decided he wasn’t going to get any without a prod.  “Which means?”

 

“Gimme a minute.  We can pull over here in another mile or two.”

 

Jack drove the truck into the next rest area, put it in park, unclipped his seatbelt and leaned as close as he could get to Daniel in the bucket seats.  He took his lover in his arms, his left hand lightly exploring the side of Daniel’s face.  Jack’s eyes were liquid and warm, roving over Daniel’s face in an expression filled with love.

 

Daniel melted, completely pliant in Jack’s embrace.  The air conditioner blew a cool breeze over his skin as a rush of orchestral majesty poured softly out of the radio, filling the cab of the truck.  Hypnotized, Daniel stared into Jack’s eyes, unable to move.

 

“When you’re in bed with someone you love,” Jack rumbled softly, “don’t concentrate on what technique you want to use on them.”  Jack’s voice was deep and soft, scudding over Daniel’s skin like clouds over a mountaintop.

 

Daniel moaned, slipping down lower in the seat and into Jack’s embrace, bringing his lover with him stretching him across the gap between the seats.

 

Jack’s fingers moved in tiny little circles against the back of Daniel’s head, walking down his neck to his shoulders.  “Don’t think about the Kama Sutra or Chinese pillow books.  Your lover’s body will tell you everything you need to know.  Taste.  Feel.  Smell.  Listen.  Look.  Then you’ll know what to do. Be in the moment, not lining up the list of things you want to do next.”

 

Daniel was melting into a pile of adoring goo, aching for a kiss.  This new Jack was an amazing man, so sexy and romantic that it blew Daniel’s mind. 

 

Jack's breath was warm against his lips as he spoke softly, his voice low and husky.  "I know things have been difficult between us sometimes, but we've always managed to hold on to each other, no matter what.  I’ll always be there for you, Daniel.  The greatest gift you’ve ever given me is your heart, and I want you to know how much that means to me.”

 

Jack removed Daniel’s glasses and laid them on their owner’s thigh.  He leaned in and stroked his dry lips over Daniel’s, watching his eyes close.  He nuzzled beneath Daniel’s left ear with his nose and dropped another tiny kiss at the corner of left eye.  “Don’t think,” Jack whispered against his eyelashes. “Just feel.”

 

Daniel tilted up his chin with a tiny nod, offering Jack his lips, ready to be kissed into the upholstery.

 

But slowly, Jack drew away, patting Daniel’s cheek with a last, longing look.  He buckled himself back in and put the truck in gear, easing carefully back onto the highway, eyes on the road.

 

Daniel’s pants were way too tight, with the hard-on now swelling against his thigh.  “Look what you did, Jack,” he ordered huskily, pointing to his pants.  “Aren’t you gonna do anything about this?” He scooped up his glasses and slipped them back in place on his nose.

 

Mouth curving up into a devilish smile, Jack just growled softly, and shot him a heated, promising glance followed by, “Later, babe.”

 

Shifting in his seat, Daniel pulled his tight jeans away from his crotch to give himself a little more room. Taking deep breaths, eyes closed, Daniel concentrated on mundane things to get his dick to deflate, but the memory of what Jack had just done to him kept a warm spot simmering low in his belly.  He thought about what Jack had said, trying to match up the ideas with his performance in bed with the women who had passed through his life, realizing that Jack had the problem pegged. Daniel was always thinking during sex, planning his next move, not paying attention to what was happening at the moment, not reading the signs from his lovers that told him what they liked and what they didn't.

 

That was startling, but enlightening as well. It shook him up a little to realize just how well Jack knew him.

 

After a while, he raised his gaze to Jack’s handsome profile again, still thinking about what he had said. This was a whole new Jack O’Neill, one Daniel had never before seen; one who could be serious and sweet, romantic and wise. He was well rested now and happier than Daniel had ever seen him, and without the burden of rank and team leadership, he was quickly shedding that hard-ass, dumb-ass shell he’d worn for so long as Colonel O’Neill.

 

The transformation was almost magical.

 

“It’s all about focus, Daniel,” said Jack after a while, his voice a deep, velvet rumble low in his chest.  “You focus with your mind, and little else.  When you’re on the base, the people you see every day seem to be beneath your notice because your mind is so busy with your work.  Try sparing a little attention for them, ask how they’re doing, take an interest, and the folks who used to turn around and walk the other way when they see you comin’ will stay and look forward to talking to you.  I guarantee it.”

 

“You can’t guarantee people will like me if I stop and talk to them.”

 

“Can, too.”  Jack glanced at him, admiration glowing in his eyes, a rakish grin turning up the corners of his mouth.  “You don’t realize it, Jackson, but you’re a damn dangerous man. Every woman on the base would give up shopping for the rest of their days for a little one-on-one time with you, and that doesn’t include sex. They’d love to just sit and talk and look into your eyes for an hour.  Hell, half the men would, too.”

 

“Oh, please, Jack.  You make it sound like I’m some movie star or something.” Daniel shook his head.  “Most of the people on the base don’t even give me a second glance.”  He rubbed absently at his knee.  “Especially not now that I’m a cripple.”

 

“Most of ‘em never even notice you use a cane,” Jack argued lightly.  “They never see anything past those baby blues.”

 

Daniel did a double-take. “Huh?  So I have blue eyes.  So does Sam.  So do a lot of other people.”  He shrugged.

 

“Ever noticed the size of your pupils, Danny?”  Jack turned and stared at him for a moment.

 

“Well, yeah.  Eye doctors have always commented on it, said they’re twice as big as most people’s, and it makes me light sensitive.  That’s why I keep the lights low in my office and have so damn many headaches.  So?”

 

A little grin quirked up at the corners of Jack’s mouth.  “So… enlarged pupils are a signal of sexual arousal,” Jack told him, a smug little grin tugging at his mouth.  “Even if you’re not turned on, when you shine those megawatt headlights on somebody and do that little licking-your-lips thing you do, whoever’s on the receiving end responds to it automatically.  Men, women, aliens, dogs, androids. No one is immune.  We’re all putty in your hands, and you don’t even realize it.”

 

That observation hit Daniel like a dash of cold water.  He thought back to the run-ins he’d had with some of the military men on the base and wondered if, perhaps, they had been under the mistaken impression that he was coming on to them.  “Oh. That’s… Oh!”

 

“Surprise!” announced Jack warmly, teasing him.   “Thing is, once folks get to know you, they understand you’re not flirting, but they still react to it subconsciously. And if you ever wanted to use it to intentionally seduce someone, like, say, retired old Air Force colonels, you could have anything you wanted.  All you have to do is use some of those keen observational skills on that aforementioned retired old colonel and figure out what turns him on.  Like those high beams aimed in his direction.”

 

Daniel was grinning now.  “Anything else I should know about?”

 

“Learn to be more aware of your body.”  Jack glanced at him, his eyes flicking down to Daniel’s lap, then back up to his face.  “For instance, can you feel your heartbeat without putting your hand to your throat or wrist?  Are you aware of your clothes, where they’re touching your body?  Are you still listening to the music I turned down?  Can you smell the air freshener I put in the truck last month?”

 

Sitting quietly now, Daniel started going over Jack’s list in his head, realizing he’d been totally unaware of any of those things until his partner had mentioned them.  Now, he concentrated one by one on each item, adding the sensation to the others until his head swam.  He started squirming in his seat.  His dick was starting to swell again.

 

“How long till we get to Denver, Jack?” he asked, his voice low and soft with need.

 

“Another half hour, babe,” Jack answered huskily.  “See where your mind goes when you fully engage your senses?  You’re a naturally sexy person, Daniel. And I may be creating a monster here, but that could be a good thing for me.  A really damn good thing.”  Fire blazed in his brown eyes as he shot another quick glance at his lover.

 

Daniel unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over toward Jack.

 

“What are you doing, Daniel?” asked Jack nervously.  “Put that back on.”

 

“Experiencing,” he whispered, leaning in close to Jack’s neck.  Daniel kissed his lover right under the ear, sending a shiver through him.  Daniel’s hand slipped down to Jack’s lap, rubbing the cloth over his soft cock, which started to harden beneath his touch.

 

“Not while I’m driving, Daniel,” Jack said in a soft, warning growl.  “Don’t wanna get us killed.  Save it for the hotel.”

 

“I want you,” Daniel breathed, licking Jack’s earlobe before he pulled it into his mouth and between his teeth.  He nibbled on it, suckled on it, and was rewarded by a breathless gasp and shudder.  Then the truck swerved a little, and Jack pushed Daniel away, swallowing hard.

 

“Dammit, Daniel,” growled Jack.  “I can’t suck you off on the shoulder of the road, as much as I want to do just that.”  He pressed his lips hard together and gave Daniel a desperate glance.  “Just hold on, please?  Don’t lose that, what you’re feeling right now.  Let it simmer.  Give yourself a hand job, if you want, and I’ll watch.”

 

“Fine now,” Daniel squeaked, alarmed by Jack’s momentary loss of control.  He shifted back into his seat and refastened his belt.

 

“You okay?”  Jack leaned over to pat his arm.

 

“Yeah.  I’m okay.”  Daniel took a deep breath and raised his eyes to Jack’s face, still glancing between Daniel and the road.  Concern and desire flashed at him, and reason returned.

 

He had never realized he had the power to make Jack lose control like that, even for a second.  That scared him a little.  Jack was all about control, even when it didn’t appear that way.  Jack could be making some wisecrack that caused everyone else’s brains come to a screeching halt for a second, but he was always aware of what was going on around him, rarely taken by surprise and reacting instantaneously on the rare occasions when his attention did slip.

 

If Jack willingly gave up that control when they were in bed together, what might he be willing to do?

 

Daniel closed his eyes, picturing them in their bed at home, one of the bedside lamps turned on so he could see Jack.  Sometimes, after they’d jacked each other off during his recovery, they had just laid there, catching their breath.  Daniel had enjoyed looking at Jack, his long, lean body sprawled out on the sheets, his handsome face relaxed and at peace. Daniel had been aware since the beginning that Jack was an attractive man, but only since Daniel had gotten Jack’s coded message had he learned to see Jack differently, in a sexual way. 

 

As much as Daniel enjoyed being Jack’s lover, part of him still struggled with some residual shame from knowing Jack in that way, telling himself he shouldn’t feel that way about another man.  The programming of a lifetime was difficult to conquer, and though he had tried to be accepting of others and show no prejudice to anyone, he still basically thought of himself as heterosexual.  He’d been unable as yet to wholly commit to being gay or even bisexual.

 

That was the real reason why he had been reluctant for Jack to display affection for him in public, but he couldn’t admit that to his partner.  Daniel knew how much that would hurt Jack, but he also knew that eventually the truth would come out.  Daniel was working on that, trying to accept the fact that he and Jack were now lovers, but it wasn’t easy. 

 

His mind kept shifting back to the past, to that dark place he tried to avoid, even in his dreams.  Jack didn’t know about that.  No one did.  And Daniel hoped he never would.

 

Daniel’s eyes opened.  His mind had gone from being incredibly turned on to the problems he still had with the new dimension to his relationship with Jack, who wasn’t completely clueless, but still didn’t understand Daniel’s reservations.  They were lovers, as close as two people could be, but Daniel had secrets he didn’t want to share and that kept a wedge between them.  What had started out as something hot and sexy had turned into ashes, a cold lump in the pit of his stomach.

 

He didn’t know how all that would be resolved, but hoped that eventually he would find a way to re-bury it deeply in his subconscious.  Only then could he truly be able to be as open with Jack as he wanted.  Maybe all he needed was more time.

 

Daniel sighed and looked out the window, aware of Jack’s attention on him as he drove.  He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, leaning his head against the door, distracting himself with thoughts of the work he was doing, and wishing he had brought some of it with him.

 

~~**~~

 

They arrived in Denver at mid-afternoon.  First stop was at a Barnes & Noble for a little shopping.  Teasing Daniel with smiles full of fun and eyes glimmering with secrets, Jack left Daniel with instructions to browse and enjoy a coffee and pastry at the in-store Starbucks, while he ran an errand. 

 

Jack went on to the hotel to check in, visit the concierge and unpack.  Taking their suits, socks and dress shoes, along with a pair of boxers for Daniel out to the truck, he hurried back to the bookstore and helped Daniel collect his purchases.

 

Daniel bought a couple hundred dollars worth of books, and when Jack carried them out to the truck, he suggested they change into their dress clothes in the bookstore bathroom.  Daniel was a little unsettled by that, arguing that they should check into the hotel first and change in the privacy of their room.  Jack, however, had other ideas, promising all would be revealed later and teasing Daniel into cooperating. 

 

Jack carried the garment bags in and made an adventure of it, each one standing watch for the other.  The nice folks at the store didn’t say a word about it, most likely due to Daniel’s hefty purchases, but Jack assured him that no one even noticed they had been in the bathroom for so long.

 

“We could’ve had sex in there if we’d wanted, and nobody would’ve cared,” he teased, making Daniel blush all the way back to the parking lot.  They changed footwear and socks in the truck, tossing their casual clothes into the back seat when they were done.

 

All dressed up, they drove to Mizuna Restaurant on 7th Street, where Jack had made their dinner reservations.  Daniel explained that the place was named after a Japanese mustard green.  He was pleased with the ambience, with its honey-colored walls and cozy tables covered with pristine white cloths and china.  Their dishes were artfully prepared, beautiful to the eye as well as delicious, and Daniel loved it, eating most of his meal with his eyes closed, savoring each bite as he chewed.

 

That made Jack smile all through dinner. He just picked at his food, so wrapped up in watching Daniel that he hardly noticed he was hungry.

 

Afterward, they went to the Denver Performing Arts Complex on 13th Street for a concert featuring Josh Groban.  Daniel had never heard of the young man, but he was a favorite of Jack’s, not only because of his incredible voice, but also because his style bordered on the operatic at times. And since Josh sang in several different languages, Jack had been sure Daniel would love that about him and enjoy the concert, even if Groban didn’t sing the kind of music Daniel preferred. 

 

From Josh’s first note, there was a spellbound look on Daniel’s face.  Jack decided he’d made the right choice for their evening’s entertainment, too. Best of all, though, was when Daniel got so lost in the music that he grabbed blindly for Jack’s hand, and didn’t let go for the rest of the evening, hanging on to him even during intermission.

 

Only as their night was winding down did Jack decide it was time to go to the hotel. He drove up to the front entrance of the elegant old Denver landmark, the Brown Palace, and got out at the valet station.

 

“Did you like the concert?”  Jack asked Daniel pleasantly as he handed over the truck keys to the hotel valet, already certain of the answer.

 

Daniel’s beatific smile was blazing.  “I still feel like I’m floating,” he answered happily.  “Music like that was meant to be heard in person, with a live orchestra, not on a record.  My God, that young man has an incredible voice.”  He sighed.

 

“And dinner?”

 

The blue eyes widened. “God, Jack, where did you hear about Mizuna? I thought I was gonna—“ He stopped short, glancing around at other pedestrians walking past them on the summer night, as if he suddenly remembered he was in a public place.

 

“Come?” teased Jack, sidling up beside him, his voice a barely audible rumble.  He wanted to pull Daniel into his arms and kiss the shit out of him right there on the hotel doorstep, but he suspected Daniel wouldn’t like that, so he didn’t even get close enough to touch.  Instead, he hastened his step, going through the door first and sweeping the entry with an assessing glance before turning back to his partner and holding the door open for him.

 

Daniel’s voice dropped to an excited whisper as he hurried in behind him.  “Well, yeah!  That curried bisque with lobster, avocados, and mint blew my mind.  I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything so… so…” His hands started waving searching for the appropriate words to describe the flavors.

 

“Good?”

 

“Yeah!”  Daniel blurted, his eyes gleaming, riveted on Jack.  “My taste buds are still buzzing, and I—“ Daniel’s startled gaze traveled up to the high ceiling in the Brown's enormous atrium lobby, landing and fixing on the cut glass chandelier hanging above them that was almost the size of Jack’s house.  He stopped dead, staring at it.  “Wow.”

 

Jack barely noticed the chandelier, but took intense note of how it looked through Daniel’s eyes, simply by watching his face. 

 

The Brown Palace was a national historic site, Denver’s only five-star, four-diamond hotel.  The building was three sided, set in the middle of downtown.  The atrium foyer was nine stories high, with lush plants spilling over balconies and set into pots on the ground floor.  A stained glass canopy arched over the huge room.  Warm golden marble covered the walls, executed in grand European style. 

 

Taking Daniel by the elbow, Jack steered him toward the front desk.  He spoke quietly with the desk clerk, making sure his special arrangements had been made for their room. The woman smiled and nodded, handing him a small rectangular black box.  Jack thanked her, then turned back to Daniel-watching.

 

His lover had already wandered off, mouth open and eyes wide in wonder, studying the old architecture and stunning detail in the impressive room.  Jack followed him as he walked around and touched things, running his hands over sculpted marble and carved wood flourishes, staring upward at the glittering crystal and stained glass so high above their heads.

 

They wandered just off the main lobby and into the hotel bar, and Jack stood by as Daniel’s eyes fixed on another antique sitting on a dais at the back of the bar.

 

It was a Stodart square grand piano made of rosewood, very much like the one he’d once had in his loft.

 

Jack watched Daniel make a beeline for it, completely unaware of anything else in the grandly appointed room.  He slowed down as he mounted the dais, leaning heavily on his cane to take the step up. Left hand reaching out, he ran his fingers over the smoothly polished wood, walking in a slow circuit completely around the elegant instrument.  This was something Jack hadn’t quite expected when he’d been hunting for the right place to bring Daniel for his birthday night.

 

The wonder on Daniel’s face was an unexpected bonus.  Jack felt the smile of joy stretching his own face as he saw his lover sit down on the bench, put down his cane, and run his hands reverently over the keys.  Jack could almost feel the desire building inside Daniel as he fingered the keys.  He depressed one of them, and Jack felt a shiver of anticipation run through him, swirling around his heart.

 

He had no idea if Daniel could actually play the piano, but having had one in his home made Jack think the probability was high.  Jack slipped into a chair at one of the elegantly appointed tables, waiting to see what Daniel would do next.

 

Daniel’s eyes closed as he leaned slightly over the keys, bowing his head.  Music began to flow from his fingers, and in the space of a few heartbeats, every voice in the room fell silent, every head turned, and no one moved while Daniel played.  The same music that had thrilled Daniel not long ago filled the room, and Jack knew from the look on his face that he was oblivious to the fact that he had an audience.  From memory, he played one of Josh Groban’s songs straight from his heart, only for the love of the music.  When he finished, his lower lip was quivering, and he was trembling.

 

The applause startled him, forcing his eyes open wide as he glanced around the bar.  People were moving to their feet and wandering closer, their smiles of delight and cheers asking for more.  Daniel blushed and stammered polite thanks, rising from the seat with a small bow.  Obviously startled and shaken, he reached for his cane and hurried across the room to Jack. 

 

“They loved you,” Jack said gently as he rose from the table and kept pace with Daniel back to the main lobby.  “Don’t you want to play some more?”

 

“No, I…” Daniel shook his head, hurrying faster toward the elevators across the lobby.  When they were closed into that small, private space, Daniel let out a pent-up breath and ran a hand through his hair.  “I’m sorry, Jack.  I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

 

Shaking his head in wonder, Jack grinned at him.  “Embarrass me? No way! I’m proud of you, and I can’t figure why you were so self-conscious. Hell, I wasn’t even sure you knew how to play one of those things.”

 

“I wouldn’t have bought a twelve-thousand-dollar piano if I couldn’t play it, Jack,” Daniel said, looking over the tops of his glasses in full professorial mode.  Then he blushed again and dropped his gaze.  “I just don’t normally play for an audience.  That was something I always did for stress relief, or when I was lonely.  That music I was playing…” He lifted shy, hesitant eyes to Jack’s, his voice softening.  “At the concert tonight, when we were holding hands, I was thinking about making love to you to that song.  It was… intimate.  I completely forgot where I was while I was playing, Jack.” 

 

“I could tell.”  Jack placed his hands against the elevator wall on either side of Daniel’s head, leaned close and kissed him, just a warm brush of their lips together, drawing a soft, sexy little murmur of approval from Daniel.  “You play beautifully, Daniel. Just like you do everything.” 

 

Daniel ducked his head with a shy grin, the color in his cheeks heightening.

 

Jack wondered if he’d been mistaken in his assumptions about Daniel, if that lecture he’d given in the truck was dead wrong.  Maybe he was really seeing the real Daniel now, shy, repressed and insecure, in need of reassurance and deep, all-encompassing love. Maybe he’d been too judgmental in looking for ways to help Daniel find peace with their relationship.  All he knew for certain was that he had been gifted with the friendship and love of an utterly amazing human being, multi-talented, gorgeous, and isolated from the rest of humanity by his prodigious intelligence and the tragedies of his past.  Maybe all he needed was to know that he had Jack’s total acceptance, and he would get to see the Daniel Jackson that no one else knew existed.  He wanted that more than anything, and wished he had the words to express that sentiment to his lover.

 

“Ready to go in?”  Jack asked him, straightening up and pulling the room key out of the jacket pocket of his suit.

 

The elevator doors opened and they stepped out on their floor, Jack first, checking down the hallway, reading the room numbers on the doors.

 

“This is it,” he told Daniel, stopping beside room 840 halfway down the corridor.  He turned to his partner and drew a familiar piece of folded black cloth from his trouser pocket.

 

Daniel stepped back and held up his hands, palm out.  “No, Jack.  I wanna see the room.”

 

“You will, just not right away.  I gotta check on some things first. C’mon, Daniel.  Be a sport.  Play the game.”

 

With a sigh, Daniel pressed his lips together in mute disapproval.  “Okay, but I don’t want to do it this way.”

 

“It’s not just a whim, I promise,” Jack assured him.  He handed Daniel the black box with orders to just hold it, then took off Daniel’s glasses and slipped them into his jacket pocket.  He stepped around Daniel and tied on the blindfold.  Retrieving the box, he opened the room door, led Daniel inside, and locked it behind them.

 

“Smells like your garden in here,” Daniel observed.

 

Jack gazed around the elegantly appointed Victorian room, checking to see that his instructions had been followed to the letter.  They had.  The two coolers he’d brought with them and dropped off earlier had been filled with flower petals that he’s spent most of the day stripping from every blossom in his garden, carefully stored on ice to keep them fresh. The concierge had disposed of the coolers properly once their purpose had been served, so they wouldn’t mar the view of the gorgeous room.

 

The king sized bed had been turned down, the covers folded back into a neat drape just over the foot of the bed, exposing nearly all of the sheets to view, exactly as Jack had asked.  Most of the flower petals had been scattered over the bed, except for a small reserve that had been set in a crystal punch bowl on the nightstand.

 

Arrangements of still more flowers sat on other furniture, and the effect was spectacular.

 

Jack nodded in approval and turned to look at his lover.

 

Daniel was dressed in a smart black suit with a white Henley dress shirt, decorated at the throat with a pin in the shape of a triangle, studded with small cubic zirconias.  He was beautiful, and for a moment Jack just looked at him, grateful to have this incredible man as his partner.  He glanced at the cane in Daniel’s right hand, helping to support him, and Jack was absolutely certain that he had made the right decision to leave the military for the man he loved.

 

“There’s a chair over here,” Jack told him quietly.  “Would you like me to undress you, or do you want to do it yourself?”

 

“I’ll do it, thanks,” Daniel returned with a hesitant smile, slipping out of his jacket and starting to unbutton his shirt.  “I’ve never been very comfortable with other people taking off my clothes.  Even in the infirmary.”

 

Jack knew that.  He’d heard Daniel’s weak protests enough times and never understood why he found that so necessary.  Jack had just accepted it as one of Daniel’s idiosyncrasies and had never thought about why, but now he wondered as he took the items of clothing as Daniel removed them and put them neatly away. 

 

When Daniel was finished, Jack led him over to the chair, sat him down, and set the box he’d been carrying on the nightstand. He patted Daniel’s shoulder reassuringly.  “Be right back,” he murmured.  Then he went into the bathroom to undress, hanging his black pinstriped suit in the closet.

 

He picked up Daniel’s clothes from the floor and put them away as well.  Daniel sat obediently in the chair in his boxers, the blindfold still over his eyes.

 

Jack moved to the nightstand and picked up a book of matches that the concierge had thoughtfully left, struck one and started lighting the candles that had been placed all around the room. 

 

“Okay, you can stand up now,” Jack called gently.  “And get rid of your boxers, too.” 

 

Jack fetched Daniel a robe, supplied by the hotel, and escorted him into the bathroom to bathe and prepare for bed.  Once the door was shut, he announced, “You can take off the blindfold in here, but I want you to put it on again when we go out. Use water as hot as you can stand it, and take your time in the shower.  I want your skin standing at attention.” 

 

Daniel sighed and took off the blindfold while Jack was talking, finishing up with rolling his eyes at that last instruction.

 

Jack showered first, scrubbing his body ruthlessly under the hot spray while Daniel shaved and brushed his teeth. Jack stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist, not bothering to dry off with it, and sidestepped Daniel as he got carefully into the shower.  Jack took his time shaving, making sure he didn’t cut himself, getting his face smooth and neat while Daniel was in the shower.

 

With a glance down at the writing on his chest, Jack remembered Daniel had painted his back, too, and borrowed the hotel’s hand mirror and the large mirror over the sink to check out the artwork.  He saw the neatness of the characters and knew that was the important message, surprised that Daniel had leaped off into whimsy with the characters on his chest.  He set the hand mirror down and pulled off the towel, studying his body.

 

He closed his eyes and pictured what he wanted, almost certain now he might never get it.  Daniel still had too many barriers in the way and wasn’t willing to take them down, at least not yet.  Jack loved him anyway, grateful for what they did have together, sure it would be enough. If things did change, if Daniel did take down the walls between them, Jack was certain he’d want for nothing else in his lifetime.  There would be no dream out of his reach, if Daniel opened up to him.

 

He thought about the next lesson he wanted to teach, and let his mind take him to the possible places it might go.  His guts clenched, and he could hardly breathe.  What if Daniel wanted that?  Sooner or later, they’d have to face that decision. But maybe it wouldn’t come up tonight.

 

Slowly, heart pounding in his chest so hard his whole body shook, Jack turned to face the big mirror and raised his eyes to his reflection.  He saw himself clenching his teeth, his hands curled into fists at his sides.  He closed his eyes and pictured Daniel’s face as he’d sat at the piano downstairs, playing just for himself and Jack, and was grateful to feel his resistance flow out of him.

 

If that were what Daniel wanted, Jack decided, he would give it to him, gladly and without shame, because he loved Daniel more than life itself.  And Daniel would never know what a sacrifice it was, because Jack would never tell him.

 

That decision made, a strange calm filled him.  He put on the other hotel robe, ran his fingers through his hair, and left the bathroom with a purposeful stride. He closed the door behind himself and carried his shaving kit with him into the bedroom.

 

He dialed room service to ask for the items he’d pre-ordered to be sent up, setting his shaving kit on a small desk near the window.  As soon as he hung up the phone, he got out the necessary cash to tip the waiter, and waited for the knock.  It wasn’t long in coming. 

 

The waiter brought a small stand into the room, which held an ice bucket already filled and chilling a bottle of champagne, a corkscrew dangling from the side of the bucket.  Beneath the stand was a small shelf that held two crystal goblets.  Next to them was a tray that held sugared, frozen grapes and chocolate-dipped strawberries, stacked on top of a pair of white china plates and two elegantly folded linen napkins. 

 

Jack tipped the man, locked up after him, and opened his shaving kit. He removed a bottle of almond-scented massage oil, which he set on the far nightstand, within easy reach of the bed, and went to his jacket pocket to fetch Daniel’s glasses.  As soon as he heard the water shut off in the shower, he waited at the bathroom door for Daniel to emerge.

 

He came out with his left hand first, feeling his way blindly, the cloth tied obediently over his eyes, his robe tied closed around his waist. 

 

“Okay, what’s next?” he asked as warmed, damp air billowed out of the doorway around him.

 

Jack saw that his lover’s face and neck were tinged a bright pink, and water droplets covered Daniel’s skin with a bright sheen.  He led Daniel over to the bed, holding onto his left elbow, and stopped just beside the bed.  “What do you smell, Daniel?” he asked gently.  He reluctantly let go of him.

 

Daniel took a slow, deep breath. “Flowers. Something else… I’m not sure.”

 

“What do you feel in the room around you?”

 

“You.”  Daniel turned toward him and reached out with his palm, coming close to Jack but not touching him. “I can feel your body heat, how close you are.”  He smiled.  His dick started to swell, lifting in slow jerks away from his body.

 

“What else?”

 

Turning his head as if looking around the room, Daniel hesitated.  “Are there candles burning? Is melted wax the other thing I smell?  I think I hear wick sputters.”

 

“Very good, Daniel.”  Jack moved away to the small portable stereo he’d ordered from the concierge.  He took the CD of massage music from the jewel case in his shaving kit and put it on.  Then he turned to face Daniel and shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe.  “Okay. You can take off the blindfold now.”

 

Daniel smiled and lifted his chin a little.  “I’m not sure I want to,” he teased, his voice a deep purr.

 

Jack groaned.  Heat shot straight to his dick and made it dance.  Daniel was going to be a very dangerous man when Jack got done with him, all right.  No one on the planet would be safe from a fully wired, sexually aware man with looks like that.

 

He hesitated, aware of how corny it would sound, but knowing he was safe with Daniel.  “I want to see your face when you get an eyeful of everything.  Please.”

 

Daniel turned to face him and reached up to pull the blindfold off over the top of his head.  His eyes opened as Jack handed him his glasses.  Putting them on, he smiled when he saw the beautiful old Victorian furniture and wallpaper, the flower arrangements and candles.

 

But when he looked at the bed his smile vanished, and he just stared at it with wide, stunned eyes.  “Jack,” he moaned.

 

God, how he wanted to go to him and embrace Daniel just then, throw him down on the bed, crawl down his throat and never let him go.  But Jack just stood there, staring at Daniel as his shocked surprise gave way to a huge grin, and Daniel burst out laughing.

 

“Oh, Jack!”  He shook his head, smiling broadly. “I’ve never seen anything so fucking romantic! I never knew you had it in you, you old fox.”

 

Balling his hands up into fists in the pockets of the robe, Jack forced himself to stay where he was, trying not to be mortified, and wondering if he’d screwed up big time. “You like it? It’s not too girly?”

 

Still grinning, Daniel turned to him and shrugged, his eyes twinkling. “Well, maybe a little, but who cares? You did it for me, and it’s beautiful. Just like you are.” Daniel’s gaze moved back to the bed, and as he stared, the smile disappeared. “It is beautiful, Jack. No one’s ever done anything like this for me. Ever.”

 

He turned solemn eyes back to his lover and waited.

 

“Take off your robe,” Jack murmured, amazed his voice still worked, “and lie down in the flower bed, Daniel.” 

 

Daniel nodded and slipped out of the robe, letting it pool on the floor around his ankles.  He set his glasses down and turned around to sit among the flower petals, leaning his cane against the nightstand.  Carefully, he eased back onto the middle of the bed and reclined, his eyes roving all over the room, drinking it all in.

 

Jack just watched him, content to fill his eyes and heart with that vision of masculine beauty, reclining on their borrowed bed in that grand old hotel.

 

After a moment, he realized Daniel was looking right at him, no longer interested in the room.  He lay on the bed with his bad leg bent at the knee, his foot flat on the sheets, petals curling up around it.  Most of the pinkness was gone from his skin, leaving only a golden glow where the sun had kissed him, the rest of him pale with a bare dusting of freckles.  He was beautiful, aroused, looking like some kind of holy sacrifice on an altar, and Jack couldn’t help reacting.  His cock began to swell, raising its sleepy head inside his robe. 

 

He approached the bed and spent a moment just looking down at Daniel.

 

“Hi,” said the man in repose, with a little wave and a tiny smile.  “You gonna just stand there and stare at me?”

 

“The view is stunning,” said Jack.  “And I’m… a little… scared.”

 

That got a wide grin.  “Of me?  A harmless geek?”  Daniel’s glance dropped to Jack’s crotch, his erection tenting out his robe.  His tongue darted out and moistened his lower lip, and then white teeth flashed into view.  “You don’t look very scared.”

 

“Oh, the fear’s fading pretty fast,” Jack assured him, and he realized that was true. Whatever Daniel needed from him, Jack would give without restraint.  He slipped out of his robe and let it drop to the floor.

 

Jack climbed carefully on the bed and straddled Daniel’s hips, feeling his partner’s hard cock brush against his buttocks.  Jack leaned over to the nightstand on his side of the bed for the punch bowl and set it on the mattress by his right knee.  He reached into it with both hands and scooped up a double handful of flower petals, lifting them up high above Daniel’s chest.

 

Then he let them fall, scattering all over Daniel’s body in a fluttering rain of silken flesh, bright color and exquisite perfume, the sound of an orchestra playing Mozart softly in the background.

 

Daniel laughed.  “God, I’d never have thought you could do something this sweet and sensitive, but damn!  It’s just…” His smile faded.  His breath hitched.  Hunger blossomed in his eyes, and he reached for Jack.  “Please,” he begged.  “I need you so much.”

 

Jack shoved the bowl away from their bodies and bent down to Daniel, clasping his face in his hands. Jack kissed him, sucking on his tongue, devouring his lips, nibbling on his jaw when Daniel came up for air. He felt Daniel’s hands stroking over him, squeezing and exploring, and then Daniel was rolling him over, getting on top, pinning Jack to the bed.

 

“Oh, God,” Daniel wheezed, his mouth fixing to Jack’s neck.

 

Jack closed his eyes, arching up beneath his lover, aching for more.  “Don’t think, Daniel,” he breathed.  “Just feel.  Let your senses be your guide.  Listen to our bodies.”

 

Daniel moved down to his chest, fingers grasping at Jack’s hips.  His movements were clumsy, distracted, so caught up in the rush of need that Jack could tell Daniel had already lost control.  He was thrusting against Jack’s belly, and as good as that felt, Jack knew he needed to make his lover pull back and go a different route.

 

“Daniel, wait,” he called softly.  “Stop.  Look at me.”

 

“What?” he mumbled around a mouthful of nipple.  He raised his head to squint at Jack.

 

“What were you thinking just now?”  Jack prodded.

 

“Thinking?  Fuck!  I wasn’t thinking.  What are you thinking?” Daniel said so rapidly Jack almost didn’t catch it all.

 

“Sit up.  I want you to try something.”

 

“Fuck, Jack, not now!”

 

“Slow down, babe.  Slow it waaaay down, or it’s gonna be over way too fast,” Jack advised, dusting his fingertips over Daniel’s cheek. “Sit up.  Trust me on this.”

 

With a frown of horny impatience, Daniel rolled off him and sat on his left hip, his right leg stretched out across the bed.

 

Jack reached over and took the bowl, setting it back onto the nightstand.  He scooted over until he lay on his belly in the middle of the bed, propped up on his elbows.  He gazed up at his frustrated partner and gave him what he hoped would be a smile of invitation.  “Translate the inscription, Doctor Jackson.”

 

“Huh?”

 

With a glance over his shoulder, Jack reiterated, “There’s an ancient artifact right in front of you.  It’s got all these interesting hieroglyphics on it.  Pretend you have no idea what it says.  Examine it as you would any other artifact and read it.  You don’t have to read it out loud if you don’t want.”

 

Daniel rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.  “Jack, I know what it says.  I wrote it this morning.”

 

“Pretend you don’t.”  Jack arched his back and flexed.  “I’ve watched you decipher old things like that for years now, Daniel, and it’s an exercise in sensuality.  Do you even realize you read some of those things with your fingers?”

 

“Do not.”

 

“Do, too.”

 

“Do not.”

 

“Do.  Seen you do it, Daniel, out on my deck.  Just like you were reading Braille. You read with touch as much as you do with your eyes.  Try that now, with me.”  His voice deepened and a surge of love and admiration uncoiled in his belly, spreading its warmth all through his body.  “Read me, Daniel.  Let me be your artifact.  Treat me with the same care and reverence you do those bits of pottery and old temples.”

 

Jack could tell the instant the light bulb went on above Daniel’s head.  Daniel’s breathing grew deeper and he nodded, his eyes nearly black with desire.  He rolled closer and scooted downward on the bed until his ribs rested half on Jack’s buttock.  Using his left elbow to support him, he slipped his damaged knee between Jack’s calves and placed his right hand on Jack’s left shoulder.

 

“This first passage begins with an oval,” Daniel began.  He traced over the black edge of the symbol with his fingertip.  “As all scholars of this language know, there are no completely round symbols in this alphabet.  All of them are sort of flattened so it can be written compactly.  This character comes closest to a circle and is shorthand for ‘all.’ The next set of characters indicates possession by an individual, and may be translated as ‘my.’ “

 

Jack faced the pillow, resting quietly on his elbows.  “So, all my… what?” he whispered, curiosity and desire twisting inside him in a spiral dance, coiling and uncoiling, tightening, loosening, tightening again.

 

“Hmmm.”  Daniel’s fingers moved over to the middle of Jack’s back, tracing more figures.

 

“Are you skipping ahead?” teased Jack.

 

“Sorry.  I got distracted.  The first part of the text refers to a wasteland, but over here there’s a reference to a garden.”

 

Jack grinned, snickering a little.  “I peeked in the bathroom, by the way.  What did you write on me, Daniel?  War and Peace?”

 

“Shhh, I’m translating here.”  Daniel was grinning at him, caught up now in the fun.  “I used this script precisely because it was so compact, and I could get the whole thing on your back.  If I’d used hieroglyphs, you’d be covered from your neck to your ankles.”  He turned his gaze to Jack’s back again.  “Now, where was I?”  His hand moved down to just above Jack’s right buttock.  “This part is talking about gods.”  His hand smoothed over Jack’s furry ass and squeezed greedily.  “Hmmm.”

 

“There’s some massage oil in that little bottle, if you want it,” Jack suggested, nodding toward the nightstand.  “Might help you feel the characters a little better.  Don’t you have stuff you do to preserve ancient artifacts?” 

 

“Oh, yes.  That’s a splendid idea,” Daniel agreed, a touch of humor in his voice. “Preserving the artifacts. Hand me that oil, wouldja?”

 

Jack obliged, and Daniel moved the squeeze bottle to his left hand, flipped up the top, and squeezed a little into his right palm. He rubbed it liberally over Jack’s ass and thighs, tested a small area over the tattoo ink and, when he saw that it didn’t smear the colors, he started to apply it all over his back.

 

“Smells nice,” observed Jack, enjoying the feel of Daniel’s hands rubbing all over him.  His dick was digging into the mattress, but he kept still, ignoring his own needs for the moment.  This was all about his lover, not him.

 

Daniel closed his eyes and inhaled.  “Yes. It does. Almonds, I think.”

 

“What does the inscription say, Daniel?”  It was hard for Jack to think now.  For a moment, he had been hypnotized by the feel of Daniel’s hand rubbing his body and the scented oil filling his nostrils. The massage CD playing in the background that he had started earlier segued into Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, sweeping him along, the sensation of each note on the piano pinging against his skin like raindrops, snowflakes and tears.

 

He felt Daniel shift, rising up onto his good knee, settling his weight on that leg.  Daniel’s right hand came down on the other side of Jack’s body, and Daniel laid the bottle of oil down on the bed.  His left hand caressed Jack’s shoulder, and with a low voice thrumming with desire, Daniel began to read, his fingers tracing the characters on warm skin. 

 

“All my life, I have lived in a desert, a wasteland with no features but endless sand and sky.  Knowledge lit my universe, shining brightly by day, glowing by a million pinprick stars at night.”

 

His hand moved down Jack’s back, almost to his ass, then swept upward again to start the next line of text. Jack felt Daniel straddling his left thigh, his weight on his good left leg, his right tucked gently between Jack’s legs.  Daniel’s crotch was pressed firmly against the curve of Jack’s ass, and he was magnificently hard.

 

Passion stirred in Jack’s belly.  He swallowed hard, undulating slightly against Daniel’s fingertips stroking languidly over his back.  He could hardly breathe, he was so filled with need.

 

“There were no walls in my barren world to keep people out, but I could not leave that place.  Sometimes I would glimpse others who traveled close, but no one ever managed to make the trek all the way to where I was.  No one but you.”

 

The sound of the love in Daniel’s voice cut through Jack with sweet pain.  He felt Daniel’s hand moving over his skin, tracing the characters as he read aloud.  Only Daniel’s hand was moving, his body fixed in position, plastered up against Jack’s ass. He wanted, oh God, he wanted Daniel, wanted him to—

 

“When you came to me, you stayed by my side, offering me shade in the heat of the day and warmth in the cold night.  You brought cooling water and rich, fertile earth and changed my barren world into a garden of unmatched beauty.”

 

Jack felt the writhing start inside him, in the pit of his belly.  He tried to keep still, but he couldn’t.  His ass flexed, and instantly, Daniel’s voice went up in pitch, breaking a little, hitching a little.  His breathing came faster, and Jack arched up against Daniel’s hand, wanting it, needing it, aching for Daniel to touch him deeper, to own him.

 

His face grew hot with shame, and he put his head down, hoping Daniel couldn’t see.  He lifted himself slightly onto his knees, pressing his ass harder against Daniel’s crotch.  Christ, he wanted Daniel to fuck him.  He didn’t care what the rest of the letter said.

 

“With a sweep of your heart, you changed my desert to Eden, and helped me understand that there is more in the universe than the cold satisfaction of knowledge.”

 

Daniel’s weight shifted, and he sat upright.  He was breathing hard, opening the oil again, squeezing some into his palm.

 

“Jack?” he asked softly, fear and passion in his voice.

 

“Yes,” Jack growled, pushing his ass against Daniel again.

 

They had talked about this.  Daniel hadn’t wanted to do it, not ever, he’d said. Wasn’t interested. Couldn’t go there. But that was a month ago.  A lot had happened since then.  Their relationship and commitment had deepened until Jack now believed they couldn’t breathe without each other. 

 

“Are you sure?”  Daniel asked, his voice trembling.  His hand slipped over Jack’s buttocks and poured the oil into the cleft between them. Then his fingers slipped inside, curious, cautious, hungry.

 

“Do you want me?”  Jack asked, his voice raw pain in his throat. He couldn’t lift his head, couldn’t look at Daniel, couldn’t let him see what a wreck he was.

 

“I… I…”

 

Jack heard a little whimper that tore his heart out.

 

“Yes, Jack.  I want to be inside you.”  Daniel’s voice was a rough, hungry whisper.

 

“Then do it.”

 

Daniel rolled onto his left side, his hand bringing Jack with him.  He pressed forward and kissed the nape of Jack’s neck, his hands caressing Jack’s side and arm as he arranged himself. Jack lifted his upper leg, glad he was facing the window, away from his lover, so Daniel couldn’t see his face.

 

He felt Daniel push himself closer, plastering himself against Jack’s back.

 

Jack raised his ass higher and felt the hot, blunt tip of Daniel’s cock pushing against him.  He relaxed his ass, his belly, his legs, opening himself fully to the man he loved.

 

Jack was so open to him, Daniel’s first thrust allowed him to slide in deep, gasping and squeaking at the shock of the tight, wet heat of Jack’s body.  “Oh, God, I don’t want to hurt you, Jack. I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Jack whispered, shaking his head.  The way his words sounded against the pillows, he wasn’t sure Daniel could hear him, so he scrubbed the tears from his eyes with one hand and lifted his head, turning slightly so Daniel could hear and said it again.  “I want this.  Don’t stop. Don't be sorry for this. Not ever.”

 

With a strangled cry, Daniel reached beneath Jack’s left hip and held on, his right hand tracing over the characters he could no longer see, covered by his body.  He thrust all the way in and planted a kiss on Jack’s nape.

 

“I love you, Jack,” he whispered, withdrawing and thrusting slowly back inside him.  “God, I never knew how much until right now.  Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Jack closed his eyes.  “Yes, Daniel,” he whispered hoarsely.  “I want this with you. I’m yours. All of me.”  The pressure of impending orgasm built in his belly, and he felt himself stiffening, drawing closer to bliss. 

 

For the first time, Daniel was fucking him, filling his ass with his hard cock.  Jack loved Daniel, loved every part of him, and he would never, ever be sorry for this.  Guilt and grief and fear fell away. 

 

He squeezed Daniel’s dick with his ass muscles, lifting his head to better hear the incoherent sounds of pleasure Daniel was making behind him.  Jack felt that strong body at his back, loving him, penetrating him, and a surge of unbelievable joy shocked him to the core.

 

“Yes!” he cried, smiling now, coming up on one elbow, pushing back against that big, beautiful cock, forcing Daniel deeper and harder.  “Fuck me, Daniel!  God, fuck me through the goddamn bed!”

 

“Don’t wanna hurt you,” Daniel said again, panting through his clenched teeth.  “Gently, Jack.”

 

He turned as best he could and tried to look at Daniel.  “Harder,” he said through clenched teeth.  “I want all of you, all you can give me, right now!”

 

“Jack!”  Daniel obeyed, his hips moving faster now, strength still leashed.

 

Jack could feel his fear.  “I won’t break,” he promised.  “I can take it, Danny.  Please.  Fuck me hard!  Please.”

 

God, he sounded like he was begging, but he didn’t care.  Jack put his head down, his hands and toes digging into the bed.  He felt Daniel’s right hand grip his hip, and Jack knew he wouldn’t be able to pound him like he wanted, because he couldn’t, not in that position.

 

The change in angle, however, was exactly the right move.  Daniel slammed deep and hard into Jack’s ass, his cock driving into Jack’s prostate with every thrust, and Jack howled with delight, shouting Daniel’s name, cursing and begging for him not to stop.  Then Daniel reached around to pump Jack’s dick, and he was lost.  He hit high C as he came all over the sheets, stripping his throat raw, and an instant later he felt Daniel’s cock pulsing inside him, filling him, and lighting him up all over again.

 

They collapsed onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs, panting and boneless and sweating. 

 

“Oh, God, that was so fucking good,” Jack breathed, puffing a flower petal away from his face.

 

“Fuck, yeah,” Daniel agreed.  He patted Jack’s arm.  “You okay?”

 

A huge grin flexed every muscle in Jack’s face except his eyes.  He couldn’t get them open or uncrossed. “If I was any better, I’d be in knockin’ on the Pearly Gates,” he declared.

 

Daniel chuckled a little.  “You know, I got a little distracted during that translation. Didn’t get to read it all.”

 

“Hey, I’m ready to go again if you are,” Jack teased brightly, “but if you’re ready to go again, I’m calling the folks at the Guinness Book of World Records.”  He clenched his ass around Daniel’s limp dick, and inadvertently squeezed him out. “Ooops. Didn’t mean to do that.”

 

Daniel snuggled against Jack’s backside, his right arm draped over Jack’s chest, fingers tracking idly through the forest of frosty silver curls.  For long minutes, they enjoyed the closeness they had discovered, listening to each other breathe, totally sated. 

 

“Wanna know what the rest of it said?”  Daniel whispered at some length. 

 

“In a minute.  I’m still basking in the afterglow.”  Jack pried his eyes open and turned over to look at the man on the other pillow. 

Daniel’s face was flushed.  He was sweaty and his hair was sticking to his face.  His lips were shiny and pink and desperately needed to be kissed. And those blue eyes had never been bluer, or more radiant with love.

 

Jack lifted his hand and reverently touched Daniel’s cheek.  “Wish I had a picture of you like that.”

 

“You’ll be seeing it a lot, I’m sure,” said Daniel with a smile.  “That was great, Jack. I never imagined…” His humor vanished and self-consciousness crept in. He lowered his eyes and looked at the flower petals between them instead.

 

“That you’d be with another man like that?”  Jack prodded gently.

 

Daniel nodded.  “It’s not like I never had offers,” he admitted shyly.  “I mean, sometimes I wondered what kind of vibes I was giving off, because men would hit on me when I least expected it.”

 

“You’re a hot looking guy with an open mind,” Jack reminded him.  “Of course people are gonna be attracted to you.”  He turned on his side and slid closer, scraping up a pile of flower petals between them. Jack embraced Daniel and pulled him close, almost nose to nose on the pillow.  “I’m glad I was your first.  But I hope you’ll be turning all the rest of ‘em all down now, because you are so taken!”

 

Daniel smiled at him again, his eyes twinkling.  “Yeah, I sure am.”

 

Jack kissed him, very gently, enjoying the way Daniel’s hand smoothed down his side to his hip, fingers digging in possessively.

 

“Mine,” declared Daniel when Jack released his lips.

 

“Always,” Jack assured him.

 

He rolled over and put his back to Daniel again.  “So what does the rest of the inscription say?”

 

“Hmmm, where was I?”  Daniel’s gently brushed some stray flower petals from Jack’s back and then his fingers traced over the columns of text, and he mumbled an occasional word until his index finger stopped on a glyph and poked it.

 

Instinctively, Jack flinched and chuckled.  

 

“Ticklish?” asked Daniel.  He poked the spot again.

 

Jack concentrated and fought off the urge to laugh.  “Yes, but I can control it.  You can only get me by surprise, so just forget it now, Jackson.”

 

“Darn.”  Daniel sighed and let his fingers do the walking again.  “Ah, yes, here we are.  With a sweep of your heart, you changed my desert into an Eden, and helped me understand that there is more in the universe than the cold satisfaction of knowledge.  There are faith and hope and love, bright things I never truly grasped before.”

 

Daniel’s hand caressed over Jack’s buttock, cupping it in the palm of his hand.  He scooted close, spooning Jack, and reached around him to press his palm against Jack’s chest.  His voice was soft against Jack’s ear as he recited the last line of the letter from memory.  “I have always had trouble believing in gods, but from the beginning… I have always believed in you.”

 

The words clutched at Jack’s heart.  Emotions clogged his throat.  He couldn’t speak, couldn’t tell Daniel how beautiful that was, so he just held Daniel’s hand over his heart and hoped his lover understood.

 

~~**~~

 

It was late when Jack awoke, unaware of exactly when he had dropped off to sleep.  Daniel was still cuddled up to him, his body pressed along Jack’s back.  Jack lay there looking around the room, still lit with burning candles, most of them about to sputter out and die. He needed to put them out, so he slowly, carefully disentangled himself from Daniel’s embrace.

 

When that was done, he turned on one of the bedside lamps and went to stand by the window to look out at the brightly lit city, thinking.

 

His ass was sore, a reminder of what he’d done with Daniel.  He didn’t regret it for a moment, and put one hand back to touch, to remember how it felt to be loved by a man.  He closed his eyes, willing himself back to the pleasure of being penetrated. 

 

Jack jerked his hand away as if he’d been burned as other memories surfaced.  He struggled to push them away, but they taunted him, tore at him, and left him shaking and sweating, his face pushed up against the cool window glass as he struggled to control his breathing through the panic gripping his heart. 

 

A light touch on his shoulder set him off, and he whirled around with only self-preservation in mind, fists cocked, and teeth clenched.

 

Daniel staggered back, eyes wide at Jack’s unexpected ferocity, hands coming up to protect himself. “Jack!” he called.  “I’m sorry!  I didn’t mean to startle you.  I thought you heard me get up.”

 

“Daniel!  God, I almost—“ He reached for his lover and took him into his arms.  “I’m so sorry.  I was… a million miles away.”  He clutched at the back of Daniel’s head, bent down to kiss his neck and held him tightly, Jack's heart pounding against his ribs. 

 

He spied the black box on the nightstand and the bottle of champagne in the bucket and pulled away, trying to cover what had just happened between them.  “Hey, we’ve still got some celebrating to do,” Jack told him, doing his best to smile and change the subject.  He glanced at his watch on the nightstand as he headed over to fetch his robe and shrug into it, then bring Daniel’s to him.  “Your birthday’s not technically over yet, since it isn’t midnight, so what say we get to the rest of the party?”

 

Daniel still looked a little spooked as he slipped into his robe.  “Okay.” 

 

He limped over to the bed, brushed a shower of petals off to the floor and sat down. With a look at Jack, he explained, “They were sticking to my ass.  They tickled.”

 

Jack grinned for real then.  “Yeah, irritating as hell, isn’t it?” He started sweeping the petals off the bed and onto the floor.  “Housekeeping is gonna hate us. We’ll have to leave them a big tip.”

 

“So much for romance, huh?” teased Daniel.  His smile softened as he slipped on his glasses and looked up at Jack.  “It was beautiful.  You’re beautiful, Jack.  Thank you.”

 

“Happy birthday, Daniel.”  Jack retrieved the two flutes from the stand and handed them to his lover.  He pulled the champagne bottle out of the half melted ice and peeled the foil and wire wrap off the top.  After loosening the stopper with a corkscrew, Jack arched an eyebrow at his lover, gave the bottle a couple of good, hard shakes, and worked the cork off with his thumbs. It shot off toward the far corner and foamed over the top of the bottle.  Jack waited until it settled and took one of the glasses Daniel handed him, filling it nearly full. 

 

He filled the other glass, retrieved the tray of fruit, and sat down on the bed beside his lover.  His ass felt warm and good, and as he looked at Daniel, he knew again that he’d done the right thing.  It would be easier in the future, now that the decision had finally been made and the awkwardness of their first time was behind them.  Maybe the ghosts of Jack’s past would fade away, leaving no trace of their ugliness behind.  He had faith that his future would be bright with love and happiness.

 

“To forever,” he said, lifting his glass toward Daniel.

 

“And to love,” said Daniel, meeting his eyes.  “I love you, Jack.” 

 

He wanted to say those beautiful words back to Daniel, but he’s never said them to anyone but his wife and son.  Somehow, they’d come easily in Charlie’s presence, but only when it was the two of them.  He’s declared his feelings only a few times with Sara, but she’s understood they didn’t come easily to him and didn’t press him for declarations.  Jack always wondered if, in the end, that might have been the final nail in the coffin their marriage had become after Charlie’s death.

 

“Me, too,” Jack echoed lamely.  They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. Jack downed his glass after that first approving taste and poured another.  Then he reached for the gift box and set it on the bed between them.

 

“This is your real birthday present,” Jack announced.  “The card’s inside.”

 

With a smile, Daniel untied the black bow and carefully lifted the lid.  A small white card lay on the top, with a rainbow swash of color splashed across it emblazoned with an elegant script that read Feliz Compleanos, Spanish for Happy Birthday.  He watched Daniel’s expression as he opened the card and read the words he’d written over his signature.

 

Your parents gave you roots.  Your brilliant mind gave you the keys to the universe.  Your heart gives you wings.  Fly with me, Daniel.  Let’s see if we can touch the face of God. 

 

Daniel didn’t look up with a smile, as Jack had pictured him doing in his mind when he’d composed the note.  Daniel didn’t say anything, didn’t kiss him to pieces.  Maybe Jack hadn’t said it right, or Daniel didn’t get the reference to the famous poem written by a long-dead flyboy.

 

Then Jack saw Daniel face redden as he blinked and tears rolled down his cheeks.

 

Oh.  He’d gotten it, all right.

 

Jack waited, trying to hold back on the excitement, trying not to hope for too much.

 

Daniel set the card aside and lifted one flap of the pale blue tissue paper inside the box.  Beneath it was another flap, and sitting on the paper was a small, flat river stone, roughly in the shape of a heart. 

 

Jack cleared his throat.  “I found that when I was a boy,” Jack told him, remembering coming upon it again in the trunk with his grandmother’s book.  “Kept it with me because I always thought it was special.  Never knew why until I got older.”

 

Carefully, Daniel lifted it out and held it in his palm, his fingers running over the gritty, uneven surface, stroking across a ridge where some of the stone had chipped off or been worn away.

 

“I think it was kind of a personal totem, you know, like Native Americans used to have.”

 

“They still do,” Daniel told him.  “It’s a quiet part of their culture, but a lot of them still keep some of the old ways. I admire that.”

 

Jack nodded.  He studied the stone heart in Daniel’s hand, and impulsively closed his lover’s fingers over it. “Take care of it for me, Daniel.  It’s yours now.”

 

Daniel raised brimming eyes to Jack’s, understanding of the symbolism gleaming in his azure eyes.  “I will,” he promised fervently. He clutched his fist to his heart and held it there for a moment.

 

Jack’s throat was tight with joy and relief.  “There’s something else in the box. One more thing. The best gift of all. I hope.”

 

With his free hand, Daniel carefully peeled back the last layer of tissue paper and peered down into the box.  Inside it was a small, very old, worn, dirty book.  The cover was made of dark green leather, embossed with an elegant art noveau border.  The title, written in a flourished script, read, The Language of Flowers. 

 

“Oh, look,” Daniel whispered.  He clutched the stone heart against his palm with three fingers, using the remaining finger and thumb to help lift the book out of the box and open it.  He turned to the title page and glanced at the printing information.  “This is Victorian.  And a first edition!  Oh, my God!  It must have cost a fortune!”  He looked up at Jack with worried eyes.  “Jack, you spent so much on the garden, I know you can’t afford this.  The stone is enough. More than enough. And this hotel.  I don’t want to pry, but … can you afford this?  You don’t need to spend anything on me.  I’m happy with just you. You’re all I need.”

 

Tears prickled at the back of Jack’s eyes.  He blinked and gathered himself, love burning in his chest and belly.  He reached out and grasped Daniel’s nape, wrapping his fingers around the back of Daniel’s neck.  He ran his thumb along the tender skin there and smiled.

 

“This book belonged to my Grandma O’Neill, Daniel,” he explained.  “It was the only thing of hers I got to keep when she passed away.”  His smile widened.  “You wanted to know where I learned about all the gardening stuff? I grew up in her shadow, following behind her as she planned and planted.  She made the same kind of garden for her husband, my grandfather.  You should’ve seen it, babe.”

 

Daniel closed the book and handed it toward Jack.  “I can’t take this,” he protested.  “It’s too much, Jack.”

 

Dropping his gaze to the book, Jack accepted it.  “But, see, you have to take it,” he murmured as he opened it again and turned a few pages to the dedication. Then he handed it back, turning it so Daniel could read it.  “See what she wrote here?  I can’t keep it anymore, Daniel.  Granny O’Neill said so, and no one ever disobeyed The Gran.”

 

Daniel looked down and began to read.  Jack didn’t need to, since he’d memorized the words as a boy.

 

When you find the one flower that is like no other, let this be your gift to that blossom, so it may flourish in your garden, the centerpiece in the landscape of your soul.

 

“I found the one, Daniel.”  Jack sighed happily.  “Sara never saw this book.  Never even knew I had it. I sent her flowers, little messages here and there, but she never understood.  She never saw me, not like you do.  That was my fault, because I never showed her the real me.  This is yours now.  I know you’ll take excellent care of it and treasure it as much as I have.  Maybe even more.”

 

Daniel nodded in understanding, his eyes averted, his expression contemplative.  Carefully, he laid the book back into its box and repacked the stone and card exactly as he had found them.  He retied the ribbon and got up, hobbling over to the nightstand.  He left the package there and came back to Jack’s other side, sitting down again and holding out his glass for a refill. 

 

For a moment, Daniel sat with his head down staring at the glass in his hand, twirling it as he pondered the events of their evening.  He drained his glass and set it aside, then turned to look at his lover.

 

Jack couldn’t read his expression.  He’d never seen Daniel like that, eyes wide and bright, face set, lower lip slightly quivering.

 

“Never…” Daniel whispered, glancing up at the ceiling as he searched for what he wanted to say.  Tears welled up in his eyes.  He swallowed, his jaws clenched and his lips pressed firmly together for a moment.

 

The bottom dropped out of Jack’s stomach.  He was suddenly afraid that he’d done something wrong, and what had been beautiful was about to turn into something terrible.

 

“Never has anybody, ever,” Daniel started again, a little louder this time, his voice raw and hoarse with emotion, “given so much of themselves to me.  Jack.”  He gasped a little, hands reaching out for him.  “Oh, God, how I love you.”  He made an attempt at a smile, blinking rapidly and shaking his head in wonder.

 

Relief hit Jack like a blast from a fire hose.  He tackled Daniel, kissing him down into the pillows, pulling at the sash to his robe and going for the skin.  His hands touched Daniel everywhere he could reach, his body squirming over Daniel’s until Jack could manage to tear himself away from that incredible mouth.  He was quivering with joy, and gazed down into his lover’s eyes with a smile.

 

“If I could get it up again right now I would so be boinking you,” Jack murmured happily.

 

Daniel grinned.

 

Jack’s eyes widened as he felt the distinct sensation of Daniel’s cock hardening against his thigh.  “I’m gonna have to get Janet to give me some Viagra, if I’m gonna keep up with you, aren’t I?”

 

Daniel’s eyebrows waggled above his smug smile.  “Youth has its advantages,” he sighed teasingly.  “Sure you can handle me?  Because I have a feeling we’re gonna be doing this a lot. I’m a dedicated student, you know, and I have to practice if I intend to improve.”

 

With a groan, Jack rolled off Daniel and flopped onto his back on the bed.  “You’re not that much younger than me.”

 

“But I’ll bet you’ve had a lot more sex in your lifetime than I have, and I plan on making up for lost time,” Daniel assured him.  He reached over and dusted his fingertips through the top of the forest of Jack’s chest hair playfully. “I’m gonna go have a shower, and when I get back—“

 

“Why don’t we shower together, and see what comes up?”  Jack suggested, grinning back at him.

 

“That line is so old, Jack. Probably older than you. I thought you hated clichés.” 

 

Daniel sat up, grabbed his cane and hobbled toward the bathroom with Jack right behind him. He bent down to turn on the tap in the tub and let the water heat up. 

 

Jack ran his hands over Daniel’s firmly muscled ass and groaned with appreciation.  “Wow,” he said softly, more to himself than to Daniel, “look at what we got here, wouldja.”

 

Daniel stood up quickly and whirled around to face him.  “Jack, don’t!” he warned, stepping to one side.  “I told you, don’t touch me there.”  His voice was sharp and tense.  His face was shuttered closed again, and he wouldn’t look Jack in the eye. 

 

Something inside Jack went very still at the abrupt chill in Daniel’s demeanor.  “Why?  You know I’d never hurt you or do anything you don’t want—“

 

Blue eyes glimmered with warning as they rose to meet his.  “I don’t want you touching my ass,” Daniel reiterated, his voice a low growl filled with warning.  “I don’t want you fucking my ass.  Okay?”

 

Jack swallowed and nodded.  “Okay, Daniel,” he said quietly.  “I just thought that, since you… since you fucked me just now, and we both liked it, that maybe… you might’ve changed your mind.”

 

“I’ll never change my mind on that,” Daniel assured him adamantly, sitting down on the side of the tub to check the water temperature so he wouldn’t have to put his back to Jack.

 

Backing up a step toward the door, Jack felt the need to escape.  “I’ll let you clean up, and I’ll come in when you’re done.  Then I won’t be behind you in the shower.”  He turned and bolted, closing the door behind himself, ignoring Daniel calls for him to come back.

 

With cold certainty, Jack knew there was a reason for Daniel’s behavior in the bathroom and that knowledge shook him to the core.  There was so much in Daniel’s past that Jack didn’t know, that they had never talked about, and Jack hoped that they would eventually get to a point of closeness and trust where Daniel would be able to confide in him.

 

Daniel could talk about stuff.  Daniel could talk people’s ears off.  But it struck Jack that there was one subject that Daniel never broached with anyone.

 

Himself.

 

It was entirely possible that Daniel might never open up enough to share whatever was so terrible about his past with Jack.  But then there were a lot of dark things in Jack’s personal history that he never wanted Daniel to know, either.  He could live with that.  Surely as long as they had each other, that was all that mattered.  Jack had his own demons that he was keeping ruthlessly under wraps, but he hoped that Daniel would grow to trust him enough one day to tell him about his.

 

Then he thought about how hypocritical that was, wanting Daniel to share something Jack couldn’t do himself.  But the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that there was an event in Daniel’s past that had brought about that reaction.  It wasn’t just a lack of curiosity.  It was fear, deep and unforgettable, which Jack knew could only come from one thing.

 

Jack went over to the bed and sat down, pouring himself another glass of champagne, his heart aching.  He didn’t drink from his flute, lifting the cover off the grapes and strawberries instead.  He was chewing on one of them, unable to taste it at all, when Daniel hobbled back out of the bathroom, the sound of the water still running in the shower.

 

“I’m sorry,” he called, genuine regret in his face and voice.  “I just can’t.  I’ve thought about it a lot, and I… I can’t.”

 

“It’s okay,” Jack assured him, looking down at the half-eaten berry in his hand rather than meet his lover’s eyes.  “Want a strawberry?”  He held the tray up to Daniel and forced himself to look at him.

 

Daniel ignored the question and took a deep breath.  “Okay, look.  You can touch my ass, but nothing up the… you know. Nothing in there. All right?”

 

“No, that’s okay.  I won’t touch your ass again.”  Jack kept his voice and expression carefully neutral, hoping Daniel wouldn’t see how wrecked he was just then.  He looked away from  Daniel’s face, still reeling from the shock of the vehement rejection he’d been handed a few minutes before.  It really was okay, because it had to be.  But Jack needed a few seconds to process what Daniel needed.

 

“Jack.”  Daniel took a couple of steps towards him.  “I—“

 

“No, it’s okay, Daniel.”  He stood up and dropped the berry into the ice bucket with the champagne bottle.  “Really.”  He walked over to Daniel, glancing into his eyes as he came closer.  Heedless of the juice on his fingers, he wrapped his arms around him and just held him.  He wanted more than anything just to hide his face, but also to reassure Daniel that all was well between them. He’d resigned himself weeks ago to being nothing more than friends, and then love had dropped right into his lap.  It had restrictions, but he’d be okay with that.  Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined things would ever get this far between them.  Now that they had, he was damned grateful.

 

When he pulled away, he was smiling, feeling better, his happiness growing by the moment.

 

“Come take a shower with me, Jack,” Daniel invited softly, his left hand stroking across Jack’s back, his right clutching his cane.  “Please.”

 

They made love again in the shower, with a quiet intensity, mindful of the shift in their relationship that had come about in the last few hours.  The confusion and hard feelings between them were forgotten for the time being.  Then they came back to bed and enjoyed the fruit and the rest of the champagne.  Eventually they brushed their teeth and settled down for a good night’s sleep.

 

Twice more before morning they made love.  Jack was satisfied that, either Daniel had been misled about his abilities in bed, or Jack’s lessons had the desired effect, because he had no complaints at all.  He knew that both of them were still learning how to make love to another man, and there were some clumsy spots on both their parts as they fumbled their way along, but Jack had every confidence that they would find their way together.

 

Jack had everything he needed and would put forth his best effort to be all Daniel needed.  Their future looked bright, and now, as summer moved slowly toward sweltering weather and merciless heat, Daniel had regained his health.  They could move forward, letting him take a more active role in their love life.  Jack anticipated that with joy.

 

~~**~~

 

**July 9**

The Next Day

 

 

When they returned home on Sunday afternoon, Jack did the unpacking and went to find Daniel, outside in the yard, wandering near the back garden.  He stood beside the focal point, still empty, but the spot clearly marked with stone.  Jack had hired a stonecutter to shape them for him, and the resulting sculpture was beautiful all by itself, but the open center of the bed remained empty.

 

Tall, pale rocks of a yellowish-white hue stood up behind the bed, set into the ground in front of a terraced area.  The rocks were chiseled to fit together so that they were narrow at the base, wide near the tip, with points carved out of the ends so that the stones gave the appearance of rays around a sun that had just disappeared beyond the horizon.  The same pattern was repeated in front of the bed, but those stones lay flat on the ground and pushed the lawn far back from the semicircular bed.

 

“What goes here?” asked Daniel, pointing to the empty central bed with his cane.

 

“Haven’t decided yet,” Jack answered, slipping his arm around Daniel’s waist.  “That one I may need some help with from my linguist friend.” He winked at Daniel and kissed his cheek.

 

Jack was pleased that Daniel didn’t pull away from him, even though they were outside.

 

“What do you want to say here?”  Daniel glanced at the other flowers nearby in adjoining beds.  “This is kind of the middle of the paragraph.”

 

“Depends on where you start,” Jack told him.  “I planned it to be either, ‘Dear Daniel’ or ‘Love, Jack,’ with everything sort of spreading out from there. Haven’t found a plant that says that yet, so I’m open. I’ll keep looking.  It’s gotta be something that takes your breath away, though.”  He looked into Daniel’s eyes.  “Something unique.  Beautiful.”

 

Jack felt the warmth spreading from Daniel’s smile all through him.  He planted his feet as Daniel leaned against him, helping support his lover as Daniel hooked his left hand around Jack’s neck and pulled him into a kiss. Jack’s eyes closed, and they lingered there in the garden, the July sun beating down on them, the hot air and heavy scent of flowers making him a little drowsy.

 

Daniel pulled away and kissed Jack’s closed eyelids.  Jack’s heart thrummed in his chest.  He ached inside, needing Daniel close and breathless.  His trembling hands closed over Daniel’s ribs to help steady them both.

 

“Will you let me choose what to plant there?”  Daniel asked hungrily.

 

Nodding, Jack struggled to open his eyes.  “Any ideas for the secret garden yet?”  His mind automatically went to that patch of woods deep in the back part of the lot, and his fantasy returned of making love to Daniel there.  He swept it quickly away, understanding now that might never come to pass, and why.

 

Daniel shook his head, eyes only for Jack.  “Only thinking about planting one thing here, big guy,” he panted, drawing Jack’s hand down to the erection pressing against his jeans. “You’re not too sore?”

 

“Want you, Daniel,” Jack told him eagerly.  “Want you inside me again.”

 

Daniel nodded, breathing hard as he pulled away, tugging on Jack’s hand.  “Come on, then.  The gardening talk will wait.  We’ve got some wild oats to sow instead.”

 

Jack smiled as he walked along with his lover, keeping pace with him as they ambled along in the summer sunshine, back into their home, to their bed.

 

Yes, it was enough.  He belonged to Daniel completely now, body and soul, and he owned Daniel’s heart. It was more than enough. It was the stuff of dreams.

 

FINIS

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