We haven’t done so well demonstrating to our Jinn allies that we’re a species worth saving,” General Hammond intoned unhappily, glancing over the reports on the briefing table before him. Paper after paper described incidents where the aliens made polite ‘observations’ about human prejudices, violence and bad manners. “Suffice it to say that these people have been exceedingly generous with us over the past year. They welcomed us with open arms when we came through their newly discovered Stargate but once they got a good look at our world and all its problems, they started to question whether or not helping us against the Goa’uld was a good idea.”

“As have we questioned others we have discovered in our travels,” Teal’c agreed. “Like the Kelownans.”

“We’ve worked really hard to garner the Jinn’s approval on a lot of fronts, sir,” Daniel added, “but there’s not a lot we can do about changing human nature.”

Jack looked down at his tablet and the doodles he’d scrawled all over it.

“ ‘Course, it also doesn’t help when one of our strapping young military types decks one of their guys for making a pass at him.”

Hammond sighed. “They were understandably unhappy to discover our stance against homosexuality but our population breakdown is vastly different from theirs,” the general returned thoughtfully. He’d read the reports on Jinn society brought back by SG-3 after first contact and some of their practices made perfect sense for the aliens.

“It is a necessity for the Jinn,” Teal’c reminded them evenly, “if they are to continue as a species.”

“If things were different for the Jinn, their attitudes might be, as well. As it is, they’ve been unhappy with us on so many fronts that continued relations with them are pretty shaky as it is. One more incident might well be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m certainly not advocating doing whatever they want but we should keep an eye toward the ultimate goal with every interaction from now on.”

Major Paul Davis nodded in agreement. “Relations with these aliens hold great promise in our war against the Goa’uld. With their technology and space travel capabilities they could certainly make the difference between the survival of the human race and annihilation. We need to make sure we watch our step with these people.”

“That does not, however, include breaking military regs to get us there,” Hammond added. “They have agreed to abide by our... sexual preferences so a polite refusal is all that’s necessary if one of their men should approach one of ours.”

Jack frowned. “See, that’s something I just don’t understand. They have women, just not many of ‘em. And apparently, they’re all okay with--“ He hesitated, searching for the word, hands scooping the air.

“Polyandry,” Daniel supplied instantly.

“That. Yeah. One wife and a houseful of husbands. So, while it could understandably make things... tough for the womenfolk, why go the other direction?”

Daniel eyed him with an impatient look. “Women make up a mere twenty percent of their population, Jack. With four husbands each, the women would never get any sleep. They don’t exactly have a choice. If they, as a race, expect to find sexual fulfillment they’re going to have to look at other options and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Homosexuality doesn’t carry the same kind of stigma with them as it does for us. It’s a necessary way of life.”

“Theirs is also a matriarchal society,” observed Teal’c, “which may be why they have had such an extended reign of peace. It is unfortunate that the scarcity of females also makes them a precious resource...” he paused, one eyebrow arching, “...which is never left unguarded.”

“Makes life very restricted for Jinn women,” Major Davis added. He smiled, shaking his head. “It’s hard to believe it took an act of their congress to allow one of them to leave the planet.”

“Kamashanti is one of their most skilled administrators, an ideal choice to run their Stargate program,” General Hammond pointed out. “She’s made suggestions for streamlining the way we do things that could save us money, time and labor. I feel fortunate they agreed to let her come. I mean, she’s supposed to be in training here, learning how we run this program so they can get their own off the ground but she’s also been helping us become more efficient. Damn nice about it, too.”

He checked his watch. “Dr. Jackson, you’ll be meeting with Kamashanti in about half an hour to discuss the academics section, correct?”

Daniel glanced at his chronometer. “Yes, sir. We’ve already had several sessions to discuss the importance of Earth history to what we’ve found out there in our own travels. I plan to get into setting up a teaching program for Jinn universities next and how our worlds might disseminate the information we both acquire.”

“Very good. Keep me apprised.” He looked up at Colonel O’Neill. “How’s it going with training their teams?”

The colonel’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh, fine. Considering the concept of war was practically non-existent on their planet and they tend to trust everybody at first sight...” Jack’s moment of sarcasm waned. “Sir, they’re learning the tactics and strategies well enough. They’re picking up on the hand-to-hand okay. They’re smart people. Use a lot more of their brains than we do... Weirdest eyes I’ve ever seen, though. I make the Jinn kids wear sunglasses during training exercises so I don’t have to look at ‘em.”

Everyone at the table grinned and nodded. Though the Jinn looked human enough, like the Enkarans their eyes marked them as wholly alien. The irises were larger than human eyes and changed color with the Jinn’s mood. The effect was beautiful and hypnotic and more than one human being had completely lost their train of thought while watching the alien eyes ripple through a rainbow of color.

“You think they’ll make suitable soldiers, colonel?” Hammond wouldn’t encourage the aliens to start exploring unless he was certain they were ready for the challenge.

“If we can ever teach them to be suspicious from the moment they walk through a Stargate, sure. But that’s gonna be the hard part, sir. They’re innocents.” Jack cleared his throat. “Um, in that respect, anyway. Not so much in…others.”

“Just so long as they don’t feel their time here has been wasted.” Hammond shuffled his papers together and glanced at Major Davis. “Please convey to the Pentagon that we should be ready to send Jinn teams through to previously explored sites as off-world training missions as soon as they complete their exercises here. Colonel O’Neill, your estimated timetable?”

“Thirty days.”

“In thirty days, major,” Hammond finished. He glanced up at Daniel, recalling the team’s most recent brush with death. He missed the Major Carter’s ready smile and bright eyes at the conference table. She had surgery to repair the damage done when she fell three stories from an alien temple after the flooring gave way, but had done well since returning to the base. Dr. Fraiser reported that the major would make a complete recovery, in time. “How is Major Carter today, Dr. Jackson? I haven’t seen her since I checked in this morning.”

With a smile, Daniel said, “She’s getting cranky. Dr. Fraiser is thinking of letting her go home in a few days.”

“Excellent. Good news, son. She had us all worried for a while.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion that SG-1 may well be impossible to kill,” Jack declared. “At least, I hope so.” He waved a hand at the archaeologist beside him. “I mean, Daniel spent an entire year dead and just look at him now. Shuffling papers like the rest of us. No daisies being pushed up anywhere,” he beamed.

Daniel glanced up at him, his expression unreadable. He returned to shuffling his papers.

Hammond smiled and glanced up at the Jaffa. “Teal’c, please give Brata'c and your son our fond regards and enjoy your time off.”

“I shall, General Hammond,” Teal’c intoned, rising and offering a slight bow.

“You leaving in the morning?” asked Jack.

“At oh-seven hundred hours,” the big man confirmed.

“Then I’ll be here to see you off, buddy. My best to Brata’c and Rya’c.”

Teal’c nodded.

General Hammond closed his leather brief and made eye contact down the table.

“Thank you, gentlemen. Dismissed.”

He rose and walked Major Davis out as they discussed other matters informally. He’d be walking the major to a waiting staff car that would take him to the airport, returning him to the Pentagon. After that George would be stopping by to see Major Carter, then leaving early for the day. His granddaughters requested his presence at a ballet recital and since there were no emergencies pending, he wanted to take full advantage of the light schedule.

“...so I think it’s imperative that we scout our universities for human academics who would be suitable for relocation to your homeworld as teachers,” Daniel summed up. “There have been many that the SGC have turned down as being unsuitable for field work but who might be just fine in an academic setting on an alien world. Once they get over the shock of traveling to another planet.”

Kamashanti eyed him, her irises swirling from brown to dark orange and back again.

Daniel recognized that as her mental cogs were turning, she was dissecting the information she’d been given and was storing it away. It was lovely, watching Jinn eyes. He found himself staring at the Jinn, any of them, just to see the colors. This time, he drew his eyes away and started stacking the books he’d been using as illustrations for reference material.

“We will need such a staff, yes,” the Jinn woman agreed, “but we will also need some of your military experts and academic field personnel, to help our teams learn field operations and train new teams. Your society is so closed...” She looked around at his office, several levels underground. “...this great endeavor is undertaken in such secret, that I fear you may not be able to spare the people we might need.”

“That’s possible, yes.” He lowered his voice and leaned toward her. “I think you may also find that there might be those who would volunteer to relocate to your homeworld. People who might find the Jinn way of life more suitable to their inner natures.”

The man standing just behind Kamashanti’s chair smiled, understanding immediately. “What we do not need is an influx of more males to our world, Dr. Jackson,” Chodes’ca returned lightly. “While our society is far more amenable than yours to love between men, women would be a far more desirable addition. Even though our species cannot interbreed, additional females would be a welcome relief to our own female population.” He put his hand on Kamashanti’s shoulder fondly. 

She looked a little uncomfortable, her gaze dropping to the floor.

The Jinn woman was never allowed to go anywhere alone. Even now, there were two of her subordinates in the office with them. While she was definitely in charge of the men she had brought to Earth with her, there were times when their authority as males superseded hers, always in relation to Jinn custom. These two were her bodyguards and never left her side -- not even in the bathroom. Daniel wondered privately if she ever felt suffocated by that. Looking at her expression, he thought she probably did.

“True, but if the immigrants are only interested in other males or are already in committed relationships, you really haven’t lost anything and they will have gained acceptance and freedom not available to them here.”

Daniel had been thinking about that very subject since he became acquainted with the Jinn and their alien ways. He found their society intriguing, superior in many ways to most human societies. Still, the price their women paid cut heavily into the positives. While Jinn women might have tremendous freedom in the bedroom and the boardroom, Daniel knew that Kamashanti dreamed of life with a single mate. They had discussed that subject on several occasions and he always felt tremendous sympathy for her. “Considering the fact that any human women integrating into your society would be bound by Jinn laws, I think you’d have trouble luring any to join you.”

“Why is that?” Chodes’ca asked politely.

Daniel cleared his throat and tried not to look at Kamashanti, who was still gazing at the floor and remaining politely silent. “Because most women who are drawn to such academic subject matter as archaeology and anthropology are not typically sexually adventurous,” he explained. “Granted there might be some open minded women in the field, I’d say the majority are pretty monogamous-minded. Which means they’d be expecting one-on-one relationships. I think they’d bolt when they found out about the group sex requirements.”

Kamashanti’s gaze flicked up to meet Daniel’s, a slow, suggestive smile shadowing the corners of her mouth. Her eyes flashed deep blue, shifting to green and back, the colors of pleasure and desire. The effect was startling and he found himself glad there was a desk between them to hide the reaction in his pants. He was incredibly drawn to her and was all too aware that the feeling was mutual.

Chodes’ca chuckled. “We find the one-on-one arrangement strange,” he admitted. “Though since you have brought the subject up...” He glanced down at the woman seated before him. “My grandmother has expressed an interest in you, Dr. Jackson. She would like the opportunity to experience the pleasure of your intimate company... with you and your closest friends, as our customs decree. At least two must participate in the union to meet our requirements. ”

Heat shot through Daniel’s groin at the thought of sex with this woman. She didn’t look a day over thirty, though he knew she was older than Teal’c and that all the men on the Jinn team were her grandsons. She was attractive enough but he’d been fascinated with her mind in addition to the pretty package. From their first conversation about Earth history as applied to the Stargate program, he’d found himself flirting with her and truly enjoying her company. To find that she was just as attracted to him was a powerful aphrodisiac. He wanted her.

That desire, however, obviously came with a price. In order to have her, he would have to be willing to share her with another man, one of his teammates, in fact.

“Uh, Teal’c will be leaving tomorrow for some time with his family,” Daniel explained. “Since Major Carter’s in the infirmary, General Hammond has been generous with our down time and Teal’c’s earned a vacation. He’ll be gone for about a month, till Sam’s back on her feet.”

Kamashanti looked a little relieved for a moment but then concern drew her fine, pewter-colored brows together. She glanced up at Chodes’ca. “Will this be enough to satisfy our laws, son of my son?”

He eyed her, considering, and then shot a glance over his shoulder at the other Jinn bodyguard, who nodded. “Yes, Kamashanti. Colonel O’Neill and Dr. Jackson will suffice. As long as you are not left alone with either of them.” He aimed a pointed gaze at Daniel. “You will abide by Jinn law, doctor?”

“I’m not sure Jack will go along with this arrangement,” Daniel admitted frankly. Visions of a threesome scrolled lazily through his mind. His face grew hot and he couldn’t look up from the desktop. A threesome with Jack would be...

He gasped, heat and desire like an arrow to his groin.

“In fact, I’m fairly certain he’ll decline.” Those pictures just wouldn’t go away, himself and Jack, naked, in a bed together, with erections. Oh, God. “But I’ll ask.”

Hammond’s words from earlier that morning echoed in his mind. He pushed the sexual visions into a dark corner and raised his eyes to Kamashanti’s. She would be safer to look at than Chodes’ca at the moment. “Just so you know, I’ve done that sort of thing before. I’m not averse to the arrangement at all. I’m--“

There was such hope, such expectance in her face. She wanted him but Daniel was pretty sure she wasn’t too certain about Jack. He hated that she didn’t have a choice in the matter.

“Maybe Jack could just stay in the room with us? Just watch?”

Cho’s alien eyes darkened. “No,” he snapped. “He must participate sexually in the interaction. It is Jinn law.”

Daniel felt his desire wilt suddenly as another shocking thought came to mind. “There won’t have to be any...  observers or bodyguards present, will there?”

“No.” Chodes’ca didn’t look too pleased. “We trust you to be a man of your word, Dr. Jackson. If you agree to comply with Jinn law, we believe you will do so. However, Kamashanti will not lie for you. If she reports that you disregarded our rules afterward, the Jinn will not be forgiving.”

Jack naked; Jack naked and aroused. Daniel’s mouth went suddenly dry. He closed his eyes and felt himself stiffening again.

His eyes popped open. “I understand that, Cho,” Daniel returned, his voice cracking. He reached for his coffee cup and swallowed a mouthful of the cold brew just to lubricate his throat.

“Something is bothering you?” Kamashanti asked. She leaned forward and laid her hand on his as he toyed with the handle on his mug.

He didn’t raise his gaze from the cup; aware that his face must be scarlet if the heat he was experiencing was any indicator. “It’s just that... Once I started thinking about... seeing Jack...” He couldn’t finish the thought. His mind just stopped.

“He is a beautiful man and I have seen how the two of you are... so close.” She smiled. “Of one mind. You speak to each other without speaking. You are attracted to him, yes?”

Daniel sighed, knowing she had already seen the answer to her question. “He doesn’t know, Kamashanti. He can’t know. It’s forbidden here, as I’m sure you understand and Jack wouldn’t be comfortable with me if he knew. We-- I mean, Jack’s not-- He-- I—God, I don’t know.“ He cut himself off, aware how pathetically mindless that idea made him. He was blathering. He put his hands in his lap and bowed his head in shame.

Oh, he wanted Jack, all right. Which would never happen in a million years. Jack didn’t look at guys that way… but then, until Jack O’Neill plowed into his life like a bull in a china shop, Daniel hadn’t either, in spite of what happened between himself and Stephen a lifetime ago.

Kamashanti’s eyes were warm and sympathetic.

“Perhaps the intimate situation may prove beneficial to your relationship,” Cho offered kindly. “You will get to know each other better, as well as Kamashanti.”

“If Jack will go along with it,” Daniel reminded them, finger waving in the air. “Which I doubt he will. But I’ll ask. For you, Kamashanti.”

“Very good, Dr. Jackson,” Cho said approvingly. “We shall await his answer on the matter.”

Kamashanti smiled warmly. “It will be a beautiful encounter, sweet Daniel,” she promised. “You and I will enjoy each other. Your colonel will also have pleasure and perhaps… if we are lucky, he may surprise us both in a way that we both desire.”

Daniel shook his head, not daring to hope. He knew Jack too well for that. He flexed a polite but sad smile. “I hope we can do this, Kamashanti, because I’d really enjoy being close to you and continuing our relationship even after you go home. We’ve become very good friends and I’d like to see where it leads. It’s just… please understand that not all of the Tau’ri will be as accommodating when it comes to sex. There are a lot of us who take it personally and I don’t think Jack does casual relationships unless he’s under the influence of drugs. He’ll probably say no, regardless of how I put it, because it’ll go against his principles. I just don’t want it to cause any hard feelings between our people and I’m afraid it might.”

“Would it help if I explained the matter?” Cho asked gently.

“Let me talk to him first. If he won’t even consider it, then you may need to take it up with him yourself.” Daniel sighed, his insides quivering from the war between desire and fear. He took a deep breath and tried to steer his mind back to the task at hand.

“Now, as to sharing the information we respectively acquire,” Daniel began again, returning the conversation to business. He fell into the subject eagerly, letting his mind play with various scenarios that might allow the Jinn to have what they needed and still allow humans to remain outside Jinn customs. This would be a difficult diplomatic stance for them but if they could come to some sort of compromise, both worlds would benefit greatly.

But in the back of his mind, Daniel could not get rid of the picture of Jack O’Neill naked and ready for love.

Shutting the door behind him, Daniel leaned against it and sighed.

“Daniel?” asked Jack, seated at his desk and diligently working on his stack of neglected paperwork.

“You remember Hammond’s talk this morning about being nice to the Jinn?” the archaeologist asked.

“Yeah, so?”

Daniel took a seat in the guest chair. He leaned forward, shoulders hunched, hands shoved between his knees. His lips pursed. He shifted in the chair, trying desperately to find a way to phrase this very difficult request. An inordinate amount of time passed and Daniel continued to squirm, aware that he was giving off signals that Jack could easily read, though he wouldn’t know exactly what the body language meant.

“Did somebody hit on you? It was that horny Yanni, wasn’t it?”

Apparently, Jack read him rather well. “That’s Yan’nei. And no, Jack. It was Kamashanti but she didn’t exactly hit on me. She made a polite request for my... uh... participation in a cultural exchange.” He frowned and looked at the floor. “Actually, Cho made the request; the formal request. Very formally.”

“So he’s pimping for his granny now, huh?” Jack teased. “She sure doesn’t look like a grandmother.”

“Jinn women live three times as long as the men,” Daniel clarified. He lifted his glasses slightly and pinched the bridge of his nose. “She may be old by our standards but she hasn’t hit middle age yet by Jinn standards. She’s still young to them. Younger than me.”

The grin hadn’t left Jack’s face. “So, you gonna boink the old lady? She is hot. I wouldn’t mind a piece of that, myself.”

Daniel’s chin came up. His glasses dropped into place. He smiled. “Funny you should say that, Jack, because Jinn customs require her to... uh... ‘date’ my closest friends at the same time. Since Teal’c is going off world, that leaves you.”

The only sign Jack had heard was the disappearance of the grin. Jack O’Neill never looked shocked but this was close to it. “You mean...”

“A ménage a trios,” Daniel assured him.

“A threesome?”

“Yes.”

“You and me?”

“No. You and Kamashanti, and me and Kamashanti; all at the same time.”

Seconds of silence ticked off without a single movement. Then the bomb went off. Jack practically jumped out of his chair. “What the fuck?” He hesitated, realizing what he’d just said. “No pun intended, Daniel. Are you sure that’s what she was asking for? No language barrier thing getting in the way?”

“Uh, no. The Jinn speak English fluently, way better than any of us speak their language, so far, anyway. I’m working on that.” He coughed nervously. “At any rate, I told her you probably wouldn’t be interested and I repeat my reminder about General Hammond’s talk this morning. Jack, we can’t turn her down. No matter how embarrassing it might be to either of us, we can’t afford to tell them no to a form of sex we’ve already told them we accept.”

“I don’t do threesomes. No audiences, thanks.”

“I’m not gonna be watching or taking notes, Jack. I’ll do my thing and you’ll do yours.”

“Not with the same woman at the same time. No way.”

“No choice,” Daniel reminded him. “Or do you want to be the one to tell General Hammond we had an opportunity for a diplomatic encounter and blew it?”

“Oh, so this is diplomacy? I didn’t know that’s what they were calling it these days. I thought it was still called fucking.”

Daniel winced at the crude word. “Jack--“

“No, Daniel. How many ways do I have to say it?”

Jackson glowered. His C.O. obviously wasn’t getting the depth of this issue. He sighed. “All right, then. Chodes’ca will be coming to see you shortly, so you can explain it to him. If he can’t change your mind, then you get to announce your decision to the entire Jinn delegation. In front of General Hammond.” He stepped away from the door and reached for the handle.

“Wait.” Jack sighed. “It’s really that important?”

“Yes. It is.” Daniel sighed and returned to his seat across from O’Neill, hoping his longing for Kamashanti showed in his face. “I like her, Jack, and she likes me, too, but she has to take you into the bargain. This is a lot more than a diplomatic encounter for both her and me but it has to be on their terms. I’m not fond of this idea any more than you are.” Jack didn’t need to know the truth behind that lie.

“Dammit,” Jack snarled roughly. He frowned at the paperwork on his desk. “Daniel, you are a shit magnet, you know that? If it hits the fan in Alaska, somehow it’s gonna blow on you wherever the hell you are. Even if you’re on another planet.” He sighed. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do for now.”

Daniel nodded. “Let me know when you’ve made your decision and I’ll make the arrangements. One way or the other.”

The archaeologist wisely withdrew and left his teammate and friend to contemplate this latest fiasco in their lives.

Jack stared at the paper on his desk, not seeing a word of the print on its surface. Daniel had the worst luck in history with relationships and Jack felt sympathetic for the younger man; however, getting dragged into the middle of Daniel’s latest relationship was stretching things. If Daniel wanted this alien woman, he ought to be able to go after her on his own. When in Rome, and all that. The Jinn should learn a few Earth customs while they were visiting, rather than keep so rigidly to their own.

Jack had already quietly fended off a couple of invitations from the Jinn contingent, though he hadn’t told anybody about it and no reports were filed. That was how it should be. They were an attractive and interesting people, sure. He’d worked enough with Kamashanti to know that she was way smarter than him and had felt a smidgen of attraction to her himself but there was no way he was going to get naked with her and Daniel all at the same time.

Daniel seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea himself but based on the Tau’ri track record with these people, he seemed to think he had no choice in the matter. He liked her. She liked him and Daniel was always up for the occasional cultural exchange. 

This one, however, was different.

Jack remembered Lt. Franklin, ages back, when his Black Ops team had been stuck between a rock and a very hard place for weeks, unable to move their position until the Iraqi troops camped all around their hiding place moved out. They rationed supplies and sat on their hands, waiting in near silence, with nothing to do but sleep and keep watch. One by one the soldiers succumbed to ennui, desperate to find some way to maintain their sanity and focus. Jack devised games that could be played in silence or drawn in the dirt but eventually the tension rose to such a degree that it needed to be relieved or he’d lose control. Franklin approached one of the others and in clear view of everyone, since there was no privacy in their cramped quarters, the two men satisfied each other sexually.

Jack had never told anyone about that. No one included it in their reports but each of the men, including Jack himself, had participated in the forbidden interaction. As fortune had it, they moved out before O’Neill had to take anyone on himself, though he’d been intimate with Franklin and never quite got over it. Just remembering was an embarrassment, because he had enjoyed it and never let himself admit that.

Being in an intimate situation with Daniel, even with a woman between them, brought all that far too close to the surface. Closing his eyes, he could picture Daniel naked. He’d seen the man in the base showers, of course, though Daniel usually showered alone when he could, and Jack knew that the archaeologist was strong and well built. Daniel was an attractive man for all his geekiness and Jack recognized that fact.

What bothered him most, however, was the stirring in his groin that accompanied the thought of Daniel naked, on a bed, with or without a woman. Things could happen in the heat of the moment, things that might totally wreck their friendship forever. Jack didn’t want that. He didn’t want to hurt Daniel or make his friend afraid of him. Only Jack couldn’t exorcise the image of Daniel in bed and forbidden fantasies played out in his mind, twisting up his guts and making him sweat and shake.

“Dammit, Daniel,” he breathed. “We can’t do this. I’ll lose it. I know I will, and then you’ll know.”

He rose from his desk and wandered out into the corridor, looking up just as General Hammond stopped in front of him.

The general’s brows drew together in concern. “Colonel, are you all right?”

“Uh…” Jack felt himself wilting inside. “Something’s come up with the Jinn, sir.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing yet,” Jack assured him. The alarm in Hammond’s eyes spoke volumes and Jack felt the weight of the morning’s briefing settling over him like a lead blanket. “I’ll handle it, sir.”

Relief flooded the older man’s face. “You’ll keep me abreast of any developments?”

“Abreast,” Jack repeated, his mind sticking on the image of Kamashanti in the weight room, pumping iron with her grandsons, wearing a form-fitting tank top that showed off her lovely breasts. He could do her, no problem. It had been a long time since he’d gotten laid, so that would be both welcome and enjoyable. But doing her with Daniel… “Uh, yes, sir. I’ll let you know how the… diplomatic encounter goes.”

“Sounds promising,” Hammond agreed with a slight smile and continued on his way down the corridor.

Jack sighed and hung his head wearily. There really was no graceful way out of this that he could see, unless he could get Kamashanti alone and talk her out of this whole deal. Only Jinn women were never left alone and even trying that tactic could get him into serious trouble. He trudged down the corridor to Daniel’s inner sanctum and stepped into the doorway of the semi-darkened office.

“Well?” asked Daniel, looking up from his desk expectantly.

Jack’s eyes swept him up and down. “You sure you can... perform in mixed company?”

Daniel didn’t pause. “I’ll manage.”

“Crap.” The colonel rubbed at the back of his neck. “They’ve got us over a barrel here.”

The archaeologist just shrugged and nodded, looking at the floor. “I’d rather not do it on the base.” Which was precisely where Daniel’s quarters were, as well as Kamashanti’s.

Jack started pacing, staring down at the floor. “Will the Jinn let her leave it? We could go to my house.”

“I’ll ask. When’s good for you?” Daniel couldn’t look him in the eye.

Jack was silent for a long time. “Daniel, they’re not expecting anything more than us with Kama, are they?”

Shaking his head, Daniel assured him, “No. There will be no bodyguards present. Nobody will be watching, so we can do whatever we’re comfortable doing.”

“Which will be her,” Jack clarified. “Tomorrow night. I’ll have to clean the house, buy some condoms, that sort of thing.”

“Condoms shouldn’t be necessary,” Daniel told him. “Unless you just like wearing them. There’s zero pregnancy potential and Janet has checked us all out thoroughly, so no diseases.”

“Friday, then. We’ll pick her up after our shift is over. And Daniel...”

“Hmmm?” Jackson rose, finally making eye contact now that the worst was over. He was blushing.

“This feels like blackmail. I don’t like it.”

“They don’t intend for it to be,” Daniel returned soberly, “and I’m trying to not think about how Kamashanti must feel. She was prepared to take on all three of us, Jack – you, me and Teal’c -- just so she could be with the one she wanted. I suspect that’s the great tragedy for Jinn women.” He sighed. “I’ll make the arrangements with them.”

He rose and left the office, walking with his head down. Jack returned to his desk, staring off into space, his work untouched, images of Daniel in bed romping mercilessly through his mind.

Kamashanti strolled after the colonel as he finished up the tour of his home with a flourish.

“And this is my bedroom.” He gestured into the room and dropped his hand as she wandered inside. “Now what? You hungry?”

“Can we eat later?” she asked, grinning up at him. She liked that he was so tall. He was funny and charming, playful as a child in the right circumstances and she liked that about him. She turned to regard the other man, leaning against the doorframe.

Daniel was quiet and serious for the most part but there was a wry sense of humor buried under all his tragic past. He was gentle, kind and sensitive and cared deeply about the people closest to him. He was also a little lost after his return to human form and she thought an experience like this might do him some good. He intrigued her and was the reason she had made the request in the first place. He reminded her of her first husband, long dead, and Daniel’s gentle nature made him impossible to resist.

“You mean, you want to just get right to it?” Jack asked hesitantly.

“Yes, please.” Kama went to the nightstand and set down the small bag she had brought with her. Glancing up at the two men, she gave them a reassuring smile. “You may begin to disrobe, if you like.”

Jack and Daniel exchanged a glance. Jack stepped into the room and whisked off his T-shirt, dropping it on the floor. Daniel took off his shoes and socks and slipped them under a chair.

Kamashanti opened her bag and removed a small squeeze-bottle, a device about the size and shape of an egg with a flat bottom and holes in the top, and a mesh sphere that sat on a little pyramidal base.

“What are those?” the archaeologist asked, watching her.

“This...” She picked up the sphere, covered it with her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “...is for what you call white noise. It emits a specific set of sounds chosen to stimulate and enhance sexual response.”

“Yeah?” Jack cocked his head, listening. “Sounds like a porno soundtrack.” He grinned. “What about the egg?”

Kamashanti twisted the top portion, releasing scent into the air. “The kanjit contains chemicals that do the same thing.”

“Pheromones,” Daniel suggested. “Will they work on humans?”

“We shall see,” Kamashanti told him happily. She picked up the squeeze bottle. “And this is ootra. It is a lubricant that also stimulates. It gives the body a pleasant warmth and delightful tingle.” She looked at Daniel. “Your Dr. Fraiser has tested it and found it acceptable for human use.”

“Oh. Okay. I wouldn’t want to have an allergic reaction in the middle of...” One hand flailed in the air as he searched for a polite word and then abruptly gave up.

“Speaking of which, Daniel,” Jack shot back, dropping trou. “You’re falling behind.”

“Kamashanti’s not undressed yet,” Jackson retorted. “We’ve got all night, Jack.”

“We have the weekend,” Kamashanti corrected. “I have told my people and your Hammond that we will be busy until Sunday evening. I hope I was prophetic.”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “You told General Hammond what we were gonna be doing?”

She smiled broadly, remembering the general’s shocked expression at her announcement. “Yes. He seemed quite pleased for you both.” She remembered that several people reacted that way to her announcement and was confused. “Your Major Carter has told me that you each had wives at one time. Do you not seek out others, or take comfort in each other?”

The men looked at each other, then back at her.

“Are you asking if we have sex with each other?” Jack queried uncertainly.

“Yes. You care deeply for each other. I have seen this. Why not--“

“It’s that pesky military thing,” Jack cut in. “And we’re not... uh... wired that way. Daniel and I both like women in our beds.”

Kamashanti frowned. “I do not understand this prejudice, gentlemen. Love between men is just as beautiful as love between a man and woman. Sometimes, infinitely more wonderful.”

Daniel lifted a finger in the air. “The military is very strict about that sort of thing. Something about battlefield tensions if you know the guy next to you is looking at your ass and you’re not interested in his. They don’t want sex to be an issue in war.”

“Then why do you allow women in your military? Is not the issue the same?”

“Beats the hell outta me,” Jack answered with a shrug. “If they have one, they ought to allow the other.”

Daniel stared at him. “Jack, that’s the most open-minded thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

Jack stepped out of his pants where they had pooled on the floor and reached for his shorts. “Why, thank you, Daniel. Are you still dressed?”

Reluctantly, Jackson began to unbutton his blue-and-white-checkered shirt.

Kamashanti swept her eyes down Jack’s long, lean body with anticipation and wandered to stand between the men. “You are a lovely man, Colonel.”

“That’s Jack, Kama. If we’re gonna be naked together, you can call me by my first name.” Jack looked down at himself, watching his sleepy erection come to life. Desire was in his eyes. He looked hungry. “I’ll go turn down the bed,” he suggested and started pulling the sheets and blankets back, folding them down to a neat, narrow strip at the foot of the bed.

Kamashanti went to Daniel and helped him with the buttons. She pushed the garment off his shoulders and let it drop, then went for his belt. She was aware of him watching her face, looking at her eyes. “Do not be nervous, sweet Daniel,” she advised, her voice low so that only he could hear her.

He cleared his throat. His tongue darted out to moisten his lips. “Um... I’m not nervous. I’m just not... I mean Jack is...” He swallowed hard and lifted his eyes to take in the other man’s body. Heat intensified until he felt like he was on fire. “This is just kinda... too close for comfort. Do you understand?”

She looked up into those guileless blue eyes and understood perfectly. “You desire him,” she whispered, “but he does not know.”

“He can’t know and I’m afraid he might, once this is all over. I don’t want to screw up our friendship.”

“Do not worry about it, sweet Daniel. I will help you. All is well in this room for the next many days.” She unfastened his belt and trousers and reached up to kiss him.

His mouth was warm and gentle, his tongue gliding against hers with exquisite skill. She pushed at his pants and felt him bend a little, shoving them down far enough to drop. Warm hands smoothed over her shoulders from behind and then she could feel the radiant heat of Jack’s body at her back. His fingers reached up under her hair to untie the halter-top she was wearing and released the second tie around her ribs.

The top fell off.

Daniel pulled away to look down at her bare breasts. “Wow,” he breathed. His eyes grew brighter, glittering with desire.

Jack peered over Kamashanti’s shoulder, reached around her and filled his hands with the soft globes. “Nice rack, Kama. You got some hot body.”

“I am pleased you like the way I look,” she returned with a smile, reaching up behind her to run her fingers through Jack’s silver hair.

Daniel squatted down and slipped his fingers into the elastic waistband on the long skirt she wore, pulling it down her long legs while Jack continued to massage her breasts. Kamashanti leaned back against him, lifting first one foot, then the other for Daniel to remove her sandals. She could feel Jack’s erection pressing against her lower back, hot and silky. His hands felt wonderful and she moaned her approval as Daniel began to kiss her knees.

He moved slowly upward, nuzzling into the nest of curls between her legs, teasing her with a swipe of his tongue just before he stood up.

“Oh, yes,” she sighed. “This will be wonderful.”

Daniel kissed her again, his hand smoothing down her belly, fingers probing between her legs. He groaned into her mouth just as Jack started to play with her nipples, lightly pinching them to hardness. That shot heat straight to her groin, where Daniel had discovered her pleasure-center and a wave of dizziness threatened to make her knees buckle. She panted, trying to maintain control for a little longer but it was hopeless. The men’s fingers worked her harder and she came, whimpering into Daniel’s mouth, pulsing around his fingers.

“Damn,” Jack breathed. “Did she have an orgasm?”

“Oh, yeah,” Daniel panted, forcing himself back from her mouth. He licked his lips, breathing hard now. His eyes were so dilated with passion that they were nearly black.

“Bed,” ordered O’Neill.

“Wait,” Kamashanti called, trying to catch her breath. “There is something you must do first. Part of the ritual.” She pushed Daniel gently back and struggled to maintain her balance enough to walk to the bed and sit down. The men followed her, standing before her and waiting. She looked up at them; at how beautiful they were... and how far apart they stood. “You must face each other.”

They angled their bodies in the proper direction, looking at her rather than each other.

“Look into each other’s eyes.”

Reluctantly, they obeyed.

“Move closer and touch.”

Each man put a hand firmly on the other’s shoulder and left it there. Their expressions were set, rigid. Kamashanti stood. She pushed them closer together. Their erections touched and they vaulted apart.

“If you are both going to be inside me, you will need to be comfortable with touching each other intimately,” she explained patiently. “Come, stand close together. Look at each other. Explore the other’s body, as if you were getting to know mine.”

“I’m not comfortable with that,” Jack told her, making eye contact.

“There is a point to this exercise,” she told him gravely. “It is not done merely because I wish it. You must not recoil from the other’s touch, as you just did, if we are to be intimate together. You will need to accept each other fully, because you will be touching intimately when you are intimate with me.”

“She’s right, Jack,” stated Daniel with certainty. “We’re gonna have our... uh... Johnsons in close proximity. We might as well get okay with being close. This is sort of an ice-breaker.”

Jack nodded but his expression was filled with doubt. “Okay.” His trust of Daniel, however, made up for his hesitant trust in Kamashanti. He reached up to take off Daniel’s glasses and lay them aside and then touched Daniel’s cheek. “You’ve got really soft skin,” he observed wonderingly.

Daniel’s hand went to Jack’s hairy chest. “I always wanted a chest like that,” he admitted. “It’s... so manly.”

“You’ve got great pecs,” Jack assured him, moving his hand to splay over Daniel’s broad, thick pectorals. He looked down between them, at their straining erections, then back up at Daniel’s face. “I’m gonna touch you there, pal. Don’t--“

“I know,” Daniel finished for him. “It’s okay.”

Jack’s fingers wrapped around Daniel’s cock and Jackson groaned, throwing his head back. Jack let go but Kamashanti put his hand back and guided him to move slightly, gliding up and down Daniel’s shaft.

“Jeez, that’s good,” growled Daniel. He reached down blindly for Jack’s cock and fondled it, smoothing his hand down to the soft sac beneath. O’Neill yelped and ground out a curse word.

“God, Daniel, we better stop or we’re gonna come right here,” he advised.

Looking at Kamashanti, he asked, “Okay with you?”

“First, you must embrace each other. Just for a moment, until you can relax when you are so close.”

Jack’s face closed up but he moved in, putting his arms around Daniel’s shoulders. With a sigh, he angled closer until his body lightly pressed up against the other man’s, their erections pinned between them. Daniel relaxed after a moment and laid his head on Jack’s shoulder with implicit trust.

At first, O’Neill stiffened and Kamashanti whispered her instructions again. He looked into her eyes and after a moment, his hands began to stroke up and down Daniel’s back. His eyes closed and soon a look of pleasured acceptance drifted across his features.

There was love in that look, she recognized. These two just needed a little push. She intended to give it to them before she returned home.

She smiled and touched them on the shoulders. “Yes. You are better now.”

They eased apart as she arranged herself in the middle of the bed and Jack lay down beside her. Daniel moved around to the back of the bed and joined them just as Jack leaned over for his first kiss. O’Neill’s fingers traced over her breasts and Daniel scooted down to kiss her there. He licked and kissed the soft mounds, tasting her skin in the wake of Jack’s fingers.  Settling on her left breast, he drew her nipple into his mouth just as Jack’s hand caught her flesh at the base, squeezing it upward toward Daniel’s lips, feeding her to him.

Kamashanti moaned, her hands stroking over them, smoothing into their hair, squeezing ridges of flexed muscle, enjoying the lovely men enjoying her. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the stimulating perfume of the kanjit mixed with the personal scents of the two males, distinctly different from each other. Jack smelled of earth and outdoors, while Daniel carried traces of old books and coffee that never seemed to wash off, each markers of their personalities as well as their individual chemical composition. They smelled good, clean and healthy... and incredibly masculine.

Daniel’s left hand drifted over her belly, down one thigh and up the other. He traced the curves of her hips, dipped a finger briefly into her navel and up to explore the shape of her right breast. She moaned, arching upward into his mouth as Jack’s kiss deepened. She began to writhe beneath them, her body on sensual overload. Then Daniel’s hand swept down between her legs and she gasped.

He found her pleasure-center again, stroking lazily across it, just enough to make her jump. Delicately, he slipped past it, exploring her depths with two fingers, sending shivers of pleasure throughout her body. She felt Jack release her breast and slide his hand down to join Daniel’s, slipping his fingers in beside the other man’s, dancing with him inside her.

O’Neill groaned and raised his head, looking down at Daniel suckling her breast, then at their fingers delving into her slick, warm flesh. “Oh, my God, Daniel,” he whispered wonderingly. “I’ve never seen anything so sexy.”

Daniel rose up to make eye contact with him, and Kamashanti saw the way they looked at each other. Messages were being sent and received but not understood. Passion crackled in the air all around them, but they weren’t ready to follow it to its natural course. That would take a little time and she would enjoy the journey.

She strained past Daniel’s shoulder for the ootra and handed it to Jack. “Put a little in your hand and rub it wherever you like,” she instructed. “On any of us.”

Jack withdrew from her and sat up, squeezing the bottle into his palm. The liquid was a pale pink, and he inhaled the scent with a sigh of pleasure.

“Smells like sex,” he commented. Reaching down to his own member, he coated it liberally and handed the bottle to Daniel.

This was definitely going to take some work, Kamashanti observed privately.

When he was finished with himself, Jack reclined again and nudged Kama’s right leg upward with the back of his hand. She smiled as she raised it, rolling slightly toward Daniel to allow Jack access to her backside. His fingers were gentle as they explored her ass, slicking her entrance with the liquid. She closed her eyes and moaned as he added a second finger and then a third, stretching her and probing her depths.

“Oh, yes,” she cooed. “That feels lovely, Jack.”

She opened her eyes and saw Daniel leaning over her, watching Jack’s fingers thrust into her from behind. He licked his lips, his hand slipping back between her legs, fingers plunging in to match the depth and rhythm of Jack’s thrusts. Jack looked at his younger friend wonderingly.

“I can feel you inside her,” he breathed.

Daniel turned to regard her. “I can’t wait, Kamashanti,” he growled. “I’m ready right now.”

She pushed on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back and nearly off the bed. With a little laugh, she suggested that Daniel lie in the middle of the bed and moved back with Jack to give him space. He reclined on his back and she straddled him, high above his erection. Then she turned to look at Jack, who sat beside them on the bed.

“Guide him inside me, Jack,” she told him.

O’Neill knelt over Daniel’s knees and reached up to grasp his friend’s cock.

Kamashanti lowered herself gradually and Jack held on as she impaled herself on that column of thick, hard flesh. Daniel swore, grunting as he arched up into her. She gasped, settling herself until she had taken all of him into her body.

Then she leaned forward, rolling her hips back and looking over her shoulder at Jack. “Join us,” she whispered seductively.

He moved fast for an older man. “Are you sure you’re ready?” he panted. “I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“A little pain is good sometimes,” she teased. “If it is too much, I will tell you to stop.”

She felt him pressing against her sphincter and relaxed to allow him entry. Looking down into Daniel’s face, she felt him tensing, expecting something but she wasn’t sure what it was. Then she recalled the look on his face as the two men held each other and understood. Daniel didn’t just desire Jack... he was in love with his teammate and was afraid this coupling would bring out that fact. He was terrified that Jack would turn him away if he knew. There were ways around that sort of obstacle and this was just the first step.

Jack’s cock slid into her in an easy glide. The warmth from the ootra helped relax her, desensitizing just enough to dull the discomfort of a too-eager entry but Jack seemed to have done this often enough to understand the pace and force necessary to make it pleasurable. “You are very good, Jack. You must have had much practice with this technique.” She moaned as he started to move.

“It’s my favorite,” Jack answered without thinking. “Asses are always soooo tight...”

Daniel groaned.

“Be still, Jack,” she suggested. “Let me move for both of you.” Instantly he obeyed and she slid upward and then slowly back down on them both.

“Jeez, Daniel,” Jack growled. “I can feel your dick. It’s like we’re fucking each other.” He moaned and gasped, struggling for control.

Daniel moaned and closed his eyes. His hands came up, smoothing over her belly to her breasts, massaging them, toying with them until she felt herself tensing, preparing for another climax. Jack’s hand reached around her, sliding between her and Daniel, feeling with his fingers as Daniel’s erection filled her and withdrew. Jack reached for her clitoris, skilled fingers drawing across it, pressing against it, circling it faster and faster until he pushed her over the edge.

She cried out, head thrown back, body arched against Daniel’s hands, her whole body shuddering with spasms of pleasure. She vaguely heard the men groaning in response and just as she began to recover she felt Jack’s cock thrusting fiercely up into her backside, hard and fast, teeth clenched around his frantic grunts of effort.

“That’s it, Jack,” Daniel panted. “Come on. Fuck her ass. I wanna feel you come.”

O’Neill roared, jamming himself so deeply that he almost lifted her completely off Daniel. Kamashanti felt him throbbing inside her, filling her with his pleasure. She looked down at Daniel, his eyes closed in bliss as he reveled in the sensation of his friend’s orgasm pressing so close to his own straining flesh and then he, too, pitched over the edge into ecstasy, hips jolting her upward off the bed.

“Jack!” he cried, his hands grasping Kamashanti’s hips to hold her onto him.

“Here, Daniel,” Jack panted, leaning heavily against Kamashanti’s back, spent and delirious with pleasure.

Kama smiled, her eyes closed. The men spoke to each other more than to her. Their cries of passion and reassurance were for each other. They were connecting and soon they would see the truth of what they felt for each other.

She felt O’Neill’s hand slide out from between her and Daniel, to slip around between her and the older man. His fingers flexed beneath her bottom, massaging Daniel’s balls. Jackson howled, his body tensing up again as another aftershock passed through him, relaxing into a chuckle as he sprawled bonelessly on the bed.

“Jack, you’re a sadist,” Daniel observed, a big smile spreading across his face.

“What is this word?” Kamashanti asked.

“Someone who enjoys the pain of others,” Daniel explained. “Pain turns them on.”

Kamashanti frowned. “That was painful for you? It seemed all pleasure, from where I sit.”

“Oh, I didn’t hurt him,” Jack assured her, kissing the back of her neck. He nibbled her shoulder. “I just wanted to make sure he got all his ya-yas out.”

“How kind of you,” Daniel teased.

“I believe we all got our ya-yas out,” Kamashanti observed with a grin. “Some of us several times.”

“Yeah, women can do that.” Jack slowly withdrew and reclined beside and partially on Daniel, since the younger man was taking up most of the mattress space on the king-size bed. “‘Course they deserve it, too.”

“Why, thank you,” Kamashanti said with a gracious nod.

Jack looked down at his relaxing cock. “That ootra stuff feels great, Kama. I’d like to keep some around the house. You never know when you might need some.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet it’s a great enhancer for solo sex, too,” Daniel observed, bouncing her playfully on his pelvis with a wicked grin.

She shook her head. “I do not understand why you would seek to fulfill your needs alone when there are others who might gladly offer you the release and comfort you need.”

“Ours is a pretty inhibited society, all right,” Jack agreed. “Yours sounds wide open.”

“You should come and visit us on my homeworld, Jack,” Kamashanti said happily. “Perhaps you might even choose to live there one day.” She looked at Daniel. “Both of you.”

“Too much for us to do here,” Jackson returned. His hand caressed her breasts, fingers strumming over her nipples. He sat up, slipping his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

She sighed when he let her go and reclined again. With reluctance, Kamashanti got off him and left the bed, heading for the bathroom. “I will shower, then you two will shower and then we shall eat.”

“And after that?” Jack asked.

“We will indulge in each other again,” Kama said with a laugh from the bathroom.

Jack smiled at the man on the other pillow. “Shove over. You’re hogging the bed.”

Daniel dutifully rearranged himself to give Jack more room and rolled onto his side to regard the older man. “So, what did you think?”

“This has to be the most mind-blowing sex I’ve ever had. Ever. In my whole life. Even in my dreams, it was never this good.”

“You’re okay with being that close to me? It didn’t bother you?”

“Maybe a little, at first, but I got over the oogies real quick. My mind was kinda... in my dick.” Jack hesitated. “You okay with it?”

Daniel rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. “This wasn’t my first time in a ménage a trios, Jack.”

O’Neill jerked up to a half-reclining position, instantly interested. “No shit? When? With whom?”

Blue eyes slitted open to regard him warily. “In college. With Sarah Gardner and Stephen Rayner. That was why Sarah and I broke up.” His eyes closed, signaling the end of that story.

Jack didn’t understand exactly what Daniel meant but knew he was treading on old wounds by even asking. Still, he had to know. Sarah as Osiris seemed verrrrry confident, so Jack could see her being a domineering kind of woman, one for whom one man just might not be enough. “Because you had a third in your bed?”

“No.” Daniel’s sighed. “Leave it alone, Jack. You don’t want to know all the details.”

“Why? Did you have sex with Stephen, too?”

“Not at first.” Daniel didn’t move. He just lay there, breathing with his eyes closed.

Jack felt something shift inside him. He could actually picture that, the three of them in bed together, banging away, changing positions and partners. Things could happen when passions were aroused and people weren’t thinking clearly. He understood that.

Jack lay down and closed his eyes, picturing another scene. He imagined Daniel and Stephen together, tangled up as they strained to completion, just as Sarah walked into the bedroom, catching them in the act. The vision sent a shaft of heat into his groin, waking the sleeping giant between his legs. The more he tried to resist those thoughts, the hotter they became. Jack wanted to watch Daniel with a man. That would be even hotter than seeing him with Kamashanti.

“What are you thinking?” Daniel asked softly.

“Wondering if you did Stephen, or if he did you.”

When there was no reply, Jack opened his eyes and looked at the man on the other pillow. There was pain in Daniel’s eyes as he stared at Jack. Those memories wounded him and O’Neill was instantly sorry. “Daniel, its just curiosity. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Jackson turned away, looking at the ceiling.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” Jack scooted closer; reaching out to cup Daniel’s face with his palm and turn him so Jack could look into his eyes. “I don’t think any less of you for it, you know.” He hesitated. “In fact, I think it’s... kind of... hot.” He glanced down at himself and saw that he was completely hard again. “Maybe it’s that pheromone stuff or the porno soundtrack machine but I’m definitely turned on by the thought of you with a guy.”

“What if you were the other guy?” Daniel asked pointedly. “Would that still turn you on?”

O’Neill thought about that for a moment, looking into those bluer-than-blue eyes. Daniel’s skin was so soft, so smooth. Jack let his hand drift downward, across those broad, bulging pectorals that he had appreciated before, tracing over the rippling abdominals to the thatch of curly brown hair below. Daniel’s cock was still slick with the ootra and Kama’s juices and as Jack’s fingers slid across it, the shaft began to thicken and lengthen. Daniel grunted and closed his eyes.

“It’s gotta be the stuff Kama brought,” Jack observed, “but I’m thinkin’... yeah. I don’t know. We’ll have to see how it goes.”

The two men soaped up, thoroughly cleaning themselves and exiting the shower with hard-ons waving in the air.

“Think dinner can wait a little longer?” Jack asked with a grin. He glanced at his teammate. “It’s gotta be the enhancers. I haven’t been this horny or this quick to get back in the game since I was a teenager.”

Kamashanti chuckled. “I will leave the toys as my gift to you, Jack, but you and Daniel will have to share them.”

“Yahsureyoubetcha, snookums,” he quipped in full-on Minnesotan. Jack gestured toward the bed. “After you, Daniel.”

The younger man wasted no time. He prowled up from the foot of the bed, greedily suckling her left breast. Jack followed a moment later, descending on the right one to the merry sound of Kamashanti’s laughter. Which faded quickly into moans of pleasure as things escalated quickly.

Jack sat up and retrieved the ootra, pouring some onto his palm. He reached down between Daniel’s legs and trickled the solution onto his erection, grinning as the cool liquid contacted hot flesh and made Daniel grunt. Jack coated the length of Daniel’s shaft, fingers swirling and gliding over that satin skin. O’Neill felt his own cock respond, stiffening and twitching, aching for friction. He was stunned by how much he wanted to hold onto that part of Daniel, amazed at how turned on he got stroking his teammate’s erection.

Kama spread her legs wide and Jack reluctantly moved his hand there, coating her already slick tissues with the warming liquid. He reached behind her, probing her ass as Daniel moved between her legs. He nudged her hips upward and once again, Jack gripped Daniel’s cock and guided it into her body, this time into her beautifully rounded ass. The younger man reclined on top of her, his hips thrusting slowly, languidly, flexing and relaxing with hypnotic power. Jack watched Daniel fucking her, watched them kissing, saw Daniel’s buttocks stiffen and soften with his every movement and he had to have them, to fuck them both. He couldn’t wait.

Jack knelt behind Daniel, straddling his legs, quivering with fear and desire. He placed his hands on Daniel’s ass, stroking over his cheeks, massaging, hoping Daniel wouldn’t object. Reaching for the ootra, he poured a little more over his fingers and coated them thoroughly, then pulled Daniel’s left cheek aside to locate his target. Hesitantly, he slipped his middle finger inside. Daniel grunted but his strokes never slowed. Jack’s heart was pounding with excitement, arousal and terror.

This was Daniel, his closest friend and confidant. Jack was going to fuck him... unless Daniel didn’t want him. He waited for a sign; gently probing with his finger his breathing ragged, heart slamming against his ribs, dick so swelled it hurt.

“Yes, Jack,” whispered Daniel roughly, lifting his head from Kama’s mouth for a moment.

Gently, he stretched Daniel’s sphincter, adding more and more fingers, thrusting deeper, twirling them, his left hand massaging Daniel’s balls and circling the base of his dick as he slid out of Kama’s derriere. It was so arousing Jack thought he’d come just from that but he held back, his balls aching with need. Finally, he withdrew and, using both hands to part Daniel’s cheeks, aimed his hard-on at his prize. Already the opening was pink and swollen, glistening in the soft lamplight and he pushed himself slowly inside, watching his entry until every inch of his cock was buried inside Daniel Jackson, drawing the most delicious moans from the man.

Jack’s eyes closed. It was astonishing, how good it felt, how deep that pleasure went in him. Daniel’s body accepted him instantly, taking all of him deeply, rolling up with each thrust to take more of him. Jack didn’t move, just knelt there behind Daniel and let him impale himself on Jack’s cock each time he withdrew from Kama’s wet heat.

“God, it’s so good,” Jack moaned. “Daniel... Oh, Daniel...” His hands stroked over Daniel’s buttocks, mapping the delicious curve at the small of his back.

“Yes!” Daniel gasped, coming up for air. “Kama, Jack’s fucking me. Oh, God...” His rhythm increased, pounding against her, slamming against Jack.

Jack’s hands caught at Daniel’s hips, pulling him harder onto his cock, pushing him harder into Kama. Teeth closing on his lower lip, Jack grunted his enthusiasm. “Go, Daniel. Fuck me.”

“Yes, my sweet lovers,” she panted. “Love each other. It is right and good. It is beautiful.”

“God, yes,” Jack wheezed. He forced his eyes open and looked down at them, at Daniel’s ass as he penetrated that beautiful woman and jammed himself fiercely onto Jack. It was beautiful and the sight pushed Jack over the edge. He came with a ragged shout, jerking into Daniel’s backside, collapsing onto the lovers. Daniel’s cheeks caught at him, squeezing like a vise around Jack’s pumping cock, intensifying the waves of pleasure beyond what Jack could tolerate. He cried out, a sob of pleasure-pain ripped from his throat and felt his body shuddering with a surge of emotion beyond his control.

Slowly, he realized Daniel had stopped moving.

“Jack, are you all right?”

“Ohhh,” Jack blurted, sniffing back tears. “Waaaay more than all right. That was just... wow.”

“I think we all came at the same time,” Daniel panted softly. “Um... you’re kinda heavy, Jack. Can you get off before we suffocate Kamashanti?”

She giggled breathlessly.

Reluctantly, Jack struggled to get to his knees. He felt himself slip out of Daniel’s ass and watched with possessive pleasure as a trail of thick white semen -- his semen -- dripped slowly down Daniel’s balls. With a sigh, he lay down beside the lovers, still joined together and smiled up at Daniel.

“You got a terrific tight ass, Danny-boy.”

Daniel grinned at him, pure pleasure sparkling in his eyes. Without thinking, he leaned over and brushed his lips against Jack’s, lowering gently into a kiss. For a moment Jack froze, startled to be kissing another man. Then he remembered what he’d just done with that man and relaxed, smiling into the kiss. Daniel’s tongue flicked over his lips, teasing him. He chuckled.

“What?” Daniel demanded happily.

“Fate. Destiny. Cosmic irony. The whole nine yards, Daniel.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.” He moved back over Kamashanti and kissed her again.

Jack touched their faces, fingers tracing over their cheeks, their lips, joining with them as best he could. Kama was right. She was a wise woman but then he supposed that might have something to do with the fact that she was older than she looked. She’d been around a while and learned a few things and in spite of the fact that she was still a hottie, she knew how to open the eyes of the narrow minded around her.

The Jinn had the potential to be great allies to the Tau’ri, if their good relations continued. Kamashanti was due to go home in another few months but until then, Jack hoped she’d be spending what free time she had in this bed with himself and Daniel. They could learn a lot from her and he intended to pay close attention to her wise counsel... and enjoy as many orgasms with her and his teammate as they could squeeze out.

Daniel moved off Kama and onto Jack, stretching out on top of the older man and taking his face in his hands. For a moment, Jack just stared into Daniel’s eyes, those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes that he knew so well. Then Daniel kissed him, pouring all the emotion he’d been holding back into that gentle, sensual contact. Jack’s arms came up around him. His hands cradled the back of Daniel’s head, fingers carding through his hair. He felt Kama’s hands on them, stroking and caressing, her voice soft as she began to hum.

Jack felt light headed, his brain so full of endorphins from his orgasm that it was hard to think. He moved to the pressure of hands pushing or pulling him without thinking, lost in Daniel’s kiss. The man was great with his mouth, his lips stroking, tongue gliding and dancing, drawing soft moans from Jack as he felt himself growing harder again and Daniel’s cock swelling against his belly.

Then they were turning, rolling onto their sides and Kama’s hands were moving across his buttocks. Slick fingers slid into him and he understood what they were doing. He felt himself tense, eyes opening in alarm. Daniel looked at him a second later from beneath his lashes, eyes black with desire and need.

He didn’t want that, didn’t want anyone inside him but denying Daniel that pleasure would be unfair. If Daniel would let Jack do it to him, then he should do it for Daniel, but if he didn’t like it...

He closed his eyes, concentrating on kissing. He remembered how glorious it felt to fuck Daniel and as Kama’s fingers teased and stretched him, Jack decided it wasn’t that bad. Daniel rolled him onto his back again, kneeling between Jack’s legs. Kama’s hands encouraged Jack to lift his legs, placing them on Daniel’s shoulders.

And then Daniel was pressing into him, asking permission with his eyes, so filled with need and desire... and something more. Something bottomless and achingly beautiful, as vast as the star-filled sky.

“Tell him, Daniel,” Kama whispered. “He needs to hear it.”

“I’m in love with you, Jack. I have been for a long time.”

Resistance melted away and Jack felt Daniel slide deeply, fully into him. He gasped, head thrown back against the pillow, body arching at the incredible sensation. He needed this, ached for it. “Daniel,” he whimpered, his voice cracking with emotion. This went far deeper than mere sex. Jack was lost, totally without control.

He wanted this moment to last forever.

“Oh, Danny,” he moaned. He pulled that wonderful mouth back to his as Daniel rocked him, surging fiercely into him over and over, joy building inside him until it overflowed, senseless words of love and passion spilling out his lips. He couldn’t see, couldn’t look into those eyes because it was too much, too beautiful, too good. He grasped at Daniel’s flanks, reaching for him, trying to pull him closer, deeper, all the way up inside his soul. Daniel’s rhythm picked up, pounding into his backside as the pleasure rose, blasting into ecstasy as Daniel’s hand closed around Jack’s cock, jerking him off and spewing semen all over his chest and belly. Jack opened his eyes to watch Daniel come a moment later, that beautiful face pulled with a grimace of completion, smoothing into a look of bewilderment and affection.

Daniel stayed where he was, trying to catch his breath. “God, how I love you,” he murmured, touching Jack’s face with his fingertips. “I was so afraid for you to know, Jack. I should have told you a long time ago but I didn’t believe you could ever look at me like you’re doing right now.”

Utterly defenseless against this brightly shining love, Jack sunned himself in it, soaking up the warmth. Tears formed in Daniel’s eyes, bringing another wave of emotion up from the depths of Jack’s soul. “Don’t cry,” he whispered, caressing Daniel’s cheek and lips. “It’s okay now. It’s okay.”

Kama continued to stroke and caress them, singing her soft, pretty song in her native tongue, watching them together.

Daniel didn’t seem to notice she was even there. All he could see was the man beneath him. “I know that now. I just never dreamed this could ever happen, not for real.”

Jack just smiled and nodded, too caught up for words.

Daniel kissed his nose. “We were...”

“Fucking,” Jack finished with a grin. “Jeez, Daniel, we were fucking.”

Jackson looked suddenly shy and innocent. He pulled away and sat back on his heels on the bed. He shook his head. “No, Jack. We were making love.”

Tenderness swept through Jack’s heart. He sat up gingerly, his ass still tingling and warm from the sex. It felt great. He reached out and took Daniel’s face in his hands and said softly, “Yes, Daniel. We were.”

He kissed his lover, savoring the taste of Daniel’s mouth, exploring it, learning the shape of his tongue and teeth from the inside, because he planned to spend a lot of time there. He felt Kama’s lips on his shoulder and the back of his neck and then she shifted to kiss Daniel’s body, her hands stroking them both.

“So, now that we’ve thoroughly checked each other out,” Jack said lightly, nibbling at Daniel’s lower lip, “what say we have a change of scenery?” He lay back against the bed, grinning rakishly and smacked his lips. “I’ve worked up a pretty good appetite with all this exercise. Anybody else hungry? I mean, for food?”

“Dinner sounds good,” Daniel agreed, bending over and sucking Jack’s tongue back into his mouth for a moment. He smiled broadly as he came up again.

“Yeah. I mean, we could eat each other, but there’s not a lot of nutritional value in that.” Jack waggled his eyebrows and smiled.

Kamashanti giggled delightedly. “Yes, we must keep up our strength. Shall we go downstairs to the kitchen?”

They rose as soon as their legs would hold them.

Jack slipped on his robe and gave Daniel a pair of sweats. They made their wobbly way downstairs while Kamashanti showered again. When she joined them, she was beaming, her eyes a bright golden in the light from the kitchen, wearing Daniel’s shirt, open down the front.

“Hey, Kama,” Jack smiled. “What’s that look for?”

“Because what you shared with each other was love of a kind I have rarely seen. Even among my people such devotion is rare. We have a word for those like you and your Daniel. Shai-ku-shai. It means... sacred lovers. They are revered in our culture, rather as your saints are here.”

Jack looked at Daniel. The younger man’s feelings were right there in his eyes. Jack turned away, looking for his stash of food in the refrigerator. He couldn’t bear the beauty he saw shining out of Daniel. It hurt and as Jack stared mindlessly into the fridge, a lump began to form in his throat. Jack was terrified of what had just happened upstairs. Daniel had seen his heart in his eyes and doubtless would see it again many times before Kama went home, but carrying on an affair with Daniel alone was just impossible. It was too risky and Daniel would have to face up to that fact, eventually. 

Daniel was a reasonable man. He was bright. He was probably way ahead of Jack, even now searching for ways to keep his emotions in bounds. Jack took a breath and finally saw the food cartons he’d stashed just for this occasion. Reaching into the cool, he poked around looking for the wedge of watermelon that he’d bought for Kamashanti to try.

“Should we turn off your toys?” Daniel asked leaning against the dining table with Kama wrapped in his arms.

She laughed. “I did that when you two were in the shower.”

Jack stopped digging in the refrigerator and glanced at Daniel. “So, all that... the last two times...”

“You were very hungry men, indeed,” Kamashanti grinned up at them.

Looking at her bottom peeking out from under Daniel’s shirt, Jack couldn’t help grinning. “Oh, yeah. It’s been way too long for both of us.”

They left the bed only to move to a different room or to eat, bathe or relieve themselves. Sometimes they slept and Jack would awaken with Daniel and Kamashanti rocking quietly beside him. Sometimes Jack would watch Daniel sleeping while she rode him to a softly panting climax but he did not touch Daniel without her somewhere beside them. He didn’t want to think of Daniel as his lover but it was all right as long as there was a woman in the bed with them. She made the difference, made it acceptable for Daniel to make love to him or the other way around. Jack just couldn’t imagine touching Daniel without Kamashanti there to make it right.

The long looks Daniel gave him proclaimed without words how deep the younger man’s feelings went, yet every time they made love Jack felt himself pulling farther and farther away. He was afraid of the intensity of his own feelings, of the passion that threatened to burn him to a cinder when he gave in to his desire for Daniel. He never said the words again during their long weekend but the well of emotion was there in those water-blue eyes every time they turned Jack’s way.

On Sunday night Jack took Kama and Daniel back to the base and returned home alone, exhausted and satisfied beyond imagining. For the rest of the month they spent every free moment together, while Kamashanti learned about the organization of the SGC program as a base for the Jinn to develop their own. They grew closer and closer with deepening intimacy, then on a fateful Monday morning, after a long weekend of delirious sex, Jack arrived bright and early to watch Kama and her Jinn unit go off on their first field exploration, wishing them well and brimming with good humor.

Twenty-four hours later, he saw her return through the gate filthy and bruised, hanging onto Chodes’ca and calling for medical assistance. Jack heard her weary plea to General Hammond for a rescue team and then SG units 1 and 3 were suiting up to go back through the gate with her to rescue two of her team. Her grandsons had fallen through a collapsed floor in a ruined building that the SGC had explored years earlier.

When they returned hours later with the wounded men, Jack watched her ignore her own needs, waving away the medical personnel who came to clean her minor cuts and scrapes as she sat by the bedsides of her people in the infirmary.

One of the young men died of his injuries as she held his hand and sang a sad, sweet song to comfort him on his journey.

After that, she went to the locker room and showered, changed clothes and let the nurses attend her minor wounds.

Jack and Daniel hovered nearby, wanting to offer her their moral support, but she didn’t seem to need them. She gave her remaining teammates all her attention until they were out of danger. Following a brief visit to General Hammond, she began to pack her things to return to her homeworld.

“Rumor says you’re leaving,” Jack said solemnly, standing in the doorway to her quarters. For the first time since her arrival, she was alone. He was aware of that, aware that his visit to her was taboo, but he had to see her; had to tell her goodbye.

“Yes, Jack. I must see to my people. I will send someone else to finish my part of our bargain with the Tau’ri. There are many who are capable of teaching your scientists our technology but few who can see to the beginning of our Stargate program.”

He nodded, understanding completely. “I’ll miss you,” he ventured cautiously, knowing it was true. He felt closer to her than he ever had to his ex-wife, though they’d had only a month together. He didn’t want to let her go, for a lot of reasons.

“Close and lock the door, Jack,” she suggested, her eyes grey with grief.

She stopped packing and began to take off her clothes.

“That’s not why I came here,” he assured her. “I was worried about you.”

“I know. You wish to comfort me.” She sighed and stretched out on the bed. “I wish to be comforted. Please.”

Somehow it felt wrong without Daniel, as if he was betraying a trust of some kind but he recognized the genuine need in her eyes, such a dark, somber grey, and went to her. He made love to her tenderly, sweetly, filling her with his pleasure, giving her climax after climax, until she lay drained and sated beneath him on the bed. When they were finished, she kissed him and helped him to dress before walking him to the door.

Jack returned to his office to ponder what things would be like in her absence. He had a choice to make and it terrified him. She wasn’t even gone yet and already he felt as if he was starting to come apart at the seams. He was headed for rough territory but it wasn’t because Kama would be gone. He cared about her, all right. She was a good friend and she was fun and affectionate. More importantly, however, she was a bridge to something he wanted far more and was not allowed to have. He needed to talk with Daniel, to make sure he understood what had to be done and how hard it would be to accomplish.

Jack headed for Daniel’s barracks room, stopping in the hallway as he saw Kamashanti step inside and close the door. A moment later, Jack heard the bolt lock into place and knew that she had come to say her private goodbyes to her other lover. He strolled away, giving them their space. Some hours later, as he was helping to send her people home through the wormhole, he realized she would admit to Jinn authorities what she had done. She would pay for their goodbye and he had no idea what the penalty might be.

Daniel had said that Jinn women never went to a man alone. When they mated, it was always in social groups. Kamashanti had broken a Jinn taboo by having sex alone with Jack and then going to Daniel separately.

Jack would stand up for her, if necessary; take her punishment instead if that was possible.

He headed straight for General Hammond’s office to make an official request to accompany her home as an honor guard from the Tau’ri.

Jack sat on the sofa in Daniel’s office, thinking hard. Daniel had closed and locked the door, telling Jack without words that this conversation would be personal. Intimate.

“We need to talk,” Daniel said again from his perch on the other end of the couch.

“Be specific, Daniel,” Jack shot back morosely.

“You had sex with Kamashanti,” he accused. “Alone. I could smell you on her.”

“We were saying goodbye,” Jack returned evenly. He finally made eye contact with his teammate, hoping not to glimpse the bright glow of love and need that he had seen so often over the last month. He relaxed a little when it wasn’t there, just uncertainty and sadness gleaming back at him. “And I’ll bet you screwed her good, too.”

Jackson actually blushed. “I was upset and so was she. We… lost control.”

“She needed comfort. So did I. So did you.”

Sighing, Daniel paused thoughtfully. “What happened when you took her home?”

“I wanted to make sure she’d be okay; that they wouldn’t hurt her. She got a slap on the wrist, because she was doin’ it with aliens and too caught up in grief to be thinking clearly.”

Daniel nodded. His face relaxed, grew pensive. Fear and hope crept into his gaze. “So... what about us? Where do we go from here?”

Jack looked at his hands so he wouldn’t have to see his friend’s face. This would be the hard part, if Daniel weren’t the usual two steps ahead, if he hadn’t pulled things into perspective yet. Jack stood up, wandering aimlessly around the office, dark except for the light from the single desk lamp painting them in slashes of washed-out color and deep shadows. “There is no us. What happened with Kama can’t happen without her.”

“Yes, it can. We can be discreet.” Daniel moved closer, confronting the other man.

“It would show. Someone would figure it out. It can’t happen, Daniel. There is no ‘us’ without Kama.” Jack resettled his black ball cap on his head and gazed at the younger man from beneath it.

Daniel reached out to grab him, pull him close. He snatched up a handful of T-shirt and caught the beaded chain of Jack’s dog tags in his fist. He eyed the metal ID dangling from his grasp, then shifted his anguished gaze to his teammate’s face.

Jack cocked his head back, putting a little distance between him and the irresistible force that was Daniel Jackson.

The archaeologist’s voice was thick with pain. “So, what I told you--“