Part B

*Many thanks to Maria - my amazing Beta Reader ! *

Please read the WARNINGS and DISCLAIMERS before reading !!

There was an eerie light that filled the twilight sky. The purplish-pink light leant a sort of unreal quality to the scene, giving an illusory hue to the snow on the rose bushes outside Jack's front door. The two men that stepped past these peculiarly lit plants didn't even notice that, however, as they hurried towards the front porch.

Vapors poured from Daniel's rosy lips as he huffed on his gloved hands to warm them. It was bitterly cold out there! As the young scientist lifted his hand to knock he paused then leaned a little closer to the door to listen. When he saw his partner about to question him, he put his finger to his lips as he looked back at him with a smile. The larger man frowned, cocking his head to listen as well. The two visitors smiled as they heard the sounds of Phil's laughter through the heavy wooden door.

* Jack! Stop it! *

Teal'c tilted his head even further to gaze at Daniel, who just smiled a little more broadly.

The sound of light slapping, hands against hands, was heard over the joyous laughter then suddenly they heard a thud against the other side of the door. It didn't take a genius to understand that this was the sound of Phil being pinned against the other side of the door. Muffled sounds and thumps ensued as Jack wrestled the struggling youth to keep him pinned against the hard surface. Daniel didn't need a picture drawn. He also didn't want to disturb them as he recognized Jack's laughter over the top of Phil's.

"Should we interrupt?" Daniel whispered curiously. Teal'c stepped a little closer to his side as he cocked his head more to hear better.

There was a pearl of laughter and Daniel suddenly straightened up, looking a little flustered as he stared at the door.

"I believe it is too cold to remain out here any longer," Teal'c said, noting the odd reaction.

Daniel held his finger to his lips again, then they were both aware how quiet it had gone inside. Both men came to the same conclusion - the two inside were kissing. Daniel bit his bottom lip then looked at Teal'c as he felt the fingers glide down his cheek.

"Are you alright?"

Blinking quickly, Daniel's lips parted slightly before he nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. A little cold.. but.."

"Allow me to warm you," Teal'c said, stepping even closer to Daniel.

The younger man backed up, then he felt the solid door behind him as he whispered, "Teal'c, we're in public!"

"It is dark.." The words were barely louder than a breath as Teal'c brushed his thick lips over Daniel's tighter mouth.

"No it's not," Daniel protested weakly, feeling the stirrings within his stomach at Teal'c's closeness.

"Almost.." The Jaffa's lips brushed lightly across the softening lips.

The anthropologist gave in to the tender nudges against his mouth. Wrapping his arms around the thick-coated man, he barely managed to get his hands to meet due to the heavy coats they were both wearing to keep out the cold. The warm, large palms of the Jaffa pressed over Daniel's small ear and against the edge of his face. Teal'c could feel the way his lover's bottom jaw moved within the kiss, working the deep sensuous tongue as far into Teal'c's mouth as he could. The whole sensation just added to Teal'c's arousal, already tenting at his well hidden pants. Daniel arched within the touch, his arms rising over his head to cradle Teal'c's head, covered in a woolen hat to keep him warm against the bitter night air.

Soon, they parted, both definitely warmer than before they started.

"That, Um.." Daniel stammered softly as he ran his gloved thumb across his bottom lip, looking at Teal'c over the top rim of his glasses. "That.. worked.."

"Indeed, it did." Teal'c smiled, his small brown eyes squinting as he looked lovingly at Daniel. "However, it does present another problem"

"Which is?" Daniel asked, tilting his face back to look upon Teal'c with innocence.

"I am now hard," the Jaffa reported casually. Both of Daniel's brows raised high, creating wrinkles in the forehead.

"Oh... Well, actually," he said, giving a soft cough before setting his brow into a slight furrow and looking at Teal'c. "I'm a little that way, myself!"

The Jaffa smile broadened as he stepped closer to Daniel once more. "Perhaps we should have taken the time I asked for earlier to relieve each other of our.... hmmm..."

"Lust.. is the - uh,..." Daniel's nose screwed up slightly as he smiled, "word.. you.. you were looking for..."

Teal'c's thumb brushed the full, pink lower lip. "Had we done that, we would not be in this position..."

The anthropologist's lips parted as if he was about to make a comment, but instead he blindly reached out and rapped his fist against the wood as he said, "I'd suggest keeping that coat on.."

The door swung open quickly, Jack standing there, ruffling one hand through his short gray hair. Daniel smiled as he stepped past, but the expression soon waned a little as he saw Philip tucking in his shirt into his pants in the background.

"Ah, you're here!" Jack greeted them with a big smile.

"Yeah, it is that time," Daniel said as he held his arm up to imply his watch.

"Seven-ish.." The two long-time friends said together then smiled at each other.

Daniel shrugged his heavy coat off, passing it to Phil who was waiting to hang it up.

"Philip, you remember Teal'c.." Daniel said, sort of introducing them again.

"Yes, how are you?" The Librarian asked, trying not to look at the gold emblem on Teal'c's forehead as he slipped the hat off.

"I am cold," the Jaffa said, tucking the woolen hat into his coat pocket.

"Well, take your coat off Teal'c. Go and warm yourself by the fire," Jack said, sweeping his arm towards the living room.

"I am still cold," Teal'c repeated, making no effort to take the coat off. Daniel shot his lover a quick glance before dipping his face and rubbing his thumb over his lips. Jack noticed the brief exchange. Phil looked between the three friends then at Jack, before shrugging slightly. The older man also shrugged then turned and headed into the kitchen once more.

Daniel looked at Teal'c, his smile growing broader. The look he got from Teal'c clearly implied that him being there was just compounding the problem. Pointing over his shoulder, Daniel muttered, "I'll go help Jack."

"I'll tend to the fire. Teal'c? Want to come with me?" Philip asked, skipping down the four steps into Jack's living room. With a deep nod, the large, dark man followed the youth, but watched the exiting rump of his lover.

*

In the kitchen the two friends gave each other small smiles as Daniel leaned his hip against the cupboard, watching Jack wash his hands then continue to slice up shallots with the razor sharp knife. The colonel kept tossing little glances at the man beside him who was stealing small chunks of shallots off the cutting board and eating them.

"So, what's with Teal'c's coat?" Jack asked.

He watched the coy smile flit across Daniel's face before the anthropologist looked down, gave a heavy shrug and mumbled, "I don't know. He's just... cold."

The reaction alone told Jack there was more to it, and that belief was compounded when their eyes met and Daniel looked away quickly, his cheeks flushing a little. Jack smiled. He hadn't seen Daniel look so coy in a long time, and he had to confess to himself that it was a very appealing look.  Soon they were joined by Philip and the now coat-less Jaffa.

"Oh," Jack said, pointedly looking from Daniel to Teal'c. "I see you're not cold any more."

The anthropologist looked down quickly, his smile burgeoning once more as he stole a slice of carrot this time from the chopping board. Jack slapped his hand away and the younger man tugged his hand up to his chest as he yelped. "Ouch!"

"I am not," Teal'c said, stepping up to the side of his lover, his body front-on to Daniel's side. Jack had seen them stand this way many times, and he and Daniel often stood that way themselves, but tonight there was definitely a spark between the two of them. He dipped his head a little more, noticing the way the front of Teal'c ever-so-lightly brushed the side of Daniel as the younger man stood with his arms crossed over his body.

"So," Jack said, tilting his head back and breaking the voyeuristic moment. "You've met Philip then...?"

"We met last night," Phil said, smiling at the large, dark man. Jack nodded then looked at his friend.

"And you know whose brother Philip is?"

The three men exchanged looks then Daniel seemed to blush as he looked away again.

"Oh?" Jack asked, clearly noticing the unsaid discomfort.

"Graham was there last night also, remember...?" Philip said.

"He was most insistent that Daniel talk with him," Teal'c added, clearly bristling at the words.

The anthropologist bit the inside of his bottom lip then sighed and said, "But I told him we had nothing further to discuss..."

Jack stared at his forlorn friend a long while then reached out and skimmed his finger tips down the flushed cheek.

"You okay?" He asked, seemingly unaware of the two men watching the gentle exchange. Daniel blinked, his long lashes flitting quickly over the bright blue eyes.

"Yeah," he said, then seemed to smile when Jack touched him again. "It was.. it was awkward.." He added before blinking some more. Jack was suddenly aware of the others when he saw Teal'c's large hand move in to cup the back of Daniel's head. The young man smiled as he turned to the man touching him.

"So, now he knows about you and Teal'c?" Jack asked, trying to sound casual about his 'forgotten' moment before noticing the look between the other three again. "What?"

Daniel sighed then leaned one hand on the bench as he looked up. "He accused me of being under your spell..."

"My spell??"

Daniel pursed his lips as he raised his brow. "Yeah, go figure, huh!" He said in a low mumble.

"That's when *I* got ticked off.." Philip said, breaking the quiet between them.

Jack turned to look over his shoulder at his lover. "You?"

"He knows we're in a relationship, Jack... So I took him for a little walk," he said, exchanging quick looks with Daniel.

"While I remained with Daniel," Teal'c said, sliding his arm around the back of Daniel's shoulders. The smaller man looked at him and smiled, leaning against the touch slightly.

Jack scrubbed his hand down his face as he gave a low growl. "So, things are squared with him now?"

"No," Daniel said with a heavy sigh.

"Oh?"

Wetting his lips quickly the anthropologist told him, "He thinks we're having threesomes..."

Jack gagged on his response, his brows lifting so high his forehead wrinkled and his jaw dropped. "You are kidding me....."

But the look in Daniel's eyes clearly told him he was not.

"Threesomes?" He looked at Philip and the dark, young man merely shrugged. "Where the hell did he get an idea like that!" He said, scraping the sliced food into the pot before stirring, but not before noticing a glance between Daniel and Philip - or so he thought.

Nothing more was said about Graham or the accusations from the night before. Dinner was over with before Jack even realized it. Where had the time gone? What had he been thinking of all that time while the others obviously talked amongst themselves? He must have been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't contribute to the conversation at all. Didn't they even notice that he wasn't listening to them?

He felt a warm hand cover his own and looked up to meet Phil's concerned eyes.

"You okay?" He asked in a low whisper. Jack's hand closed around the long fingers, then he gave him a smile as he squeezed them lightly.

"I'm fine."

His smile grew as he saw Phil lift the joined hands to his lips and kiss his fingers before laying them on the table again. Jack watched his gorgeous lover turn towards the conversation once more and he marveled at how hospitable the young librarian was with his friends - so adaptable, so able to get along with different people.

Phil pushed up to his feet and started to gather up the used dishes.  Jack stood at his side. "I'll do these," he told him, taking a plate from Phil's hand.  With a jerk of his head he indicated to the living room.   "Why don't you take our guests into the living room?"

"Sure? They're your friends..."

Smiling and nodding, Jack said, "I insist. Off you go."

Daniel watched the way Phil's hand touched Jack's upper arm as he stepped out from his chair and started to head towards the living room. Turning to go in as well, Daniel didn't see Jack grab Phil's wrist as he passed by him, yanking him back against his chest. Philip chuckled deeply as he tucked their joined hands behind his back, rubbing Jack's palm over his own rump. Daniel had heard the soft chuckle and, so,   paused on the top step to look back at them. Now he was watching them as they quietly mumbled together, laughing and smiling, before Jack bent his head and kissed up Phil's arched throat. It didn't escape Daniel's attention the way Phil's hand rubbed Jack's against his rump then released it so that he could stretch up onto his toes and grip Jack's short, gray hair fiercely as the officer sucked on his tender throat.

"Are you alright, Daniel?" Teal'c asked from where he sat on the sofa.  Daniel quickly looked at him then back at the kissing couple, suddenly aware that Jack's eyes were open and he was looking at him while he devoured Philip's mouth.  Heat prickled up Daniel's spine as Jack's hand deliberately squeezed the firm, black-clad butt until Phil yelped in his mouth - all the while still watching the flushed faced anthropologist on the top step. 

"I'm.... " Daniel stammered as the other two pulled apart - Jack slowly dragging his eyes from the intense stare so that he could focus on his lover once more.  With a sharp dip of his head Daniel quickly went down the hall way and to the bathroom, needing to get away and catch his breath.  Soon he returned and Jack and Philip were still talking coyly with each other but the older man straightened as Daniel came into the room. 

"Go into the living room, before I eat you right here!" Jack told Philip in a husky whisper, then laughed at the twinkle in the dark brown eyes. "I'll only be a few minutes!"  The younger man smiled then sucked his bottom lip between his teeth as he turned to go.  Jack slapped the tight rump with his hand and Phil laughed before winking at Daniel as he passed him on his way to the living room.  Jack tilted his head slightly at the staring anthropologist.   Without a word, he gathered up the dishes and went into the kitchen.

Daniel followed him and stood with his hip against the cupboard, arms tight across his chest, as he watched Jack stack the dishwasher.

"You do know about Philip, don't you?"

The older man thought he noted a slightly cold air in Daniel's voice and, as he looked up, seeing the way the arms were folded tightly across Daniel's chest, he realized that there was more than a 'touch' of coldness. It was downright icy.

"Huh?"

"Philip. That's why you freaked out so much about me touching your blood the other day..."

Jack straightened up slowly, then glanced quickly at the door before crossing to close it. "Of course I know about him," Jack said curtly, returning to the dishwasher. "He told me before we'd even ki.... Well.. he told   me, let's put it that way!"

The anthropologist tilted his head as he gave Jack another cold glare. "I see. Can I ask you when it began..?"

"You know when. The night I met him in your place," Jack said, leaning back against the cupboard and crossing his arms over his chest, too. There was definitely a chill in the kitchen now.  The younger man bowed his head and brushed his thumb over his bottom lip. Slowly he raised his eyes to look at Jack and the colonel saw a look in them he'd never seen before....

To Be Continued...

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