"Me?" Daniel's voice was a harsh whisper.

Jack sighed then shook his head as he went over and sat on the sofa again. The anthropologist followed him and sat beside him, his thigh deliberately pressed against Jack's. They looked at each other and Daniel offered a small smile.

"Jack, you know me!"

"Do I?" The forlorn man asked sincerely.

Daniel placed his hand on the other man's thigh. "I'm still the same person I always was." He squeezed the leg. "You just learned something about my sex life that you didn't know before, surely that can't change everything we've been through?"

Jack stared at him a long moment. There were so many facets to this incredible man. Just when he thought he had a handle on who Dr Daniel Jackson was, he changed and Jack was left reeling once more - usually in breath-sapping awe and amazement. "How did you get into something ...?" Then he held his hand up, deciding he didn't want to know. Daniel respected that and bowed his head. The brown eyes now scanned the down-turned face carefully. His friend really was a good looking man, but he was with Philip now - why was this churning at his stomach, making him feel insecure..? As if knowing he was being watched, Daniel lifted his face and looked up at him, staring right into his eyes.

Then with a sad, ironic smile, Jack said, "I never thought I'd be turning you down-"

Daniel's brow arched and he said, through clenched teeth, "Then why do it?"

The colonel looked down at the long fingers squeezing him gently. Shaking his head, he scoffed softly as he lifted the warm hand off his leg. "Because I had this crazy notion that we'd be *alone*," he said, placing the hand back onto Daniel's own thigh then tilting his face to look straight into the disappointed blue gaze. "You know, one on one? Mono 'on' mono?"

Shaking his head, the anthropologist said, "But I'm with Teal'c now."

Wetting his bottom lip slowly, Jack nodded. "And I'm with Philip...!"

End of conversation, Jack thought to himself as he started to press himself up to his feet. The sitting man caught his hand and rubbed his cheek against the back of it. He looked up over the top of his glasses, blinking rapidly, and said, "It doesn't mean that we can't still have 'each other' on the occasion.."

The older man frowned at the suggestion and Daniel's mouth twitched, almost bowing into a smile as he stared up at him, before turning his face slightly and pressing a kiss to the back of the hand. Jack's breath stalled in his throat. He didn't need to remind himself that he very nearly loved Philip, but as he watched Daniel's malleable bottom lip glide over his hand, felt the warm breath puff over his skin and move the fine hairs that peppered the skin near his wrist, he felt a definite jolt in his groin that he couldn't ignore any longer. With the depth of feelings he'd always had for Daniel so shallowly buried beneath the surface, Jack felt them rise once more.

"I thought I was over you!"

The confession sucked the air from the colonel's lungs, expelling his pent up feelings of frustration and desires - feelings he had suppressed all week. Feelings that were finally 'allowed' to surface....

Turning his hand to cup the up-turned face, he started to tremble with weakening restraint. His thumb glided over the soft hollow of Daniel's cheek, tracing the faint line around the mouth, until it touched across the plump bottom lip.

With a slightly triumphant smile, Daniel wrapped his arms around Jack's legs, squeezing him tightly. "Why don't we add another string to our 'friendship' bow?"

There was such an amiable smile on Daniel's face now that Jack felt his heart quicken. "Oh.. God.. Danny..."

Hearing the distraught cry the younger man was on his feet immediately and he gently drew Jack against his chest, able to feel the trembles throughout the other man's body. He buried his face against Jack's neck and instantly felt the throb of Jack's groin against his own.

The colonel let Daniel hold him, unable to move at that moment. After months of wanting this, it was finally coming true, so why did he feel so sick in the stomach? He started to shake as Daniel's hand slipped up his back then it cradled his skull as Daniel pulled back to look at him. Jack's eyes instantly drifted down to the small mouth. For some absurd moment, he marveled at how moist Daniel's lips looked. Moist, and inviting. He quickly flickered a look up to the intense blue eyes as he closed in for his first kiss...

Suddenly his attention was caught be Teal'c and Philip, standing on the top step. Jack jumped back, moving so quickly that Daniel almost toppled forward before getting his balance.

Philip held his hands up to his lover as he stepped down the four steps and entered the living room. "It's okay, Jack!" He reassured his worried partner with a gentle smile.

Still shaking, Jack looked at the now gentle face before him. The room began to spin once more as he realized how close he came to being unfaithful - and Philip didn't seem to care! With his body quivering with confusion, desires and frustration, Jack gave a growl as he pushed a hand through his greying hair.

"This? This..??" With a toss of his hand he indicated to Daniel then looked down into the cimmerian eyes of his lover once more, "is.. 'okay'?"

The pink mouth curled into a smile. "Yes." He touched Jack's face, cupping his ear as he brushed his thumb across the tight mouth. "I'd rather be here when it happens, than have you do this behind my back..." There was such honesty in the dark orbs that Jack did feel a strange sense of reassurance. He looked over at Daniel and Teal'c, now both standing side-by-side on the other side of the room. Daniel's head tilted, as if silently asking him to accept the offer.

"This is not a form of cheating?" The colonel looked at the three of them as disbelief tainted his words.

"No." They all replied as one.

"I'd never cheat on Teal'c," Daniel added, slipping a possessive arm around his lover's wide waist.

"Nor I on Daniel. However, this is different!"

"How?" Jack said, still unable to comprehend the difference.

"Well, for one, we're all in agreement," Phil said simply. Jack looked down into his gorgeous, dark eyes. Despite the madness in the kitchen, he still had deep, deep feelings for Philip and knew that, if *he* wasn't pushing for it so much, this was something that wouldn't even be considered. But his lover seemed to want it so much. "So...?"

"Are you going to join us, Jack?" Daniel asked.

The colonel frowned. "Join you?" The decision for the three of them had obviously been made. Jack looked at Philip who shook his head.

"Unless you agree, I won't. I'll never cheat on you, hun," Philip said as he wrapped his arms around Jack's waist. But his eyes were saying more. He *wanted* this. And he wanted Jack to agree.

"You wouldn't join them anyway?"

Shaking his head adamantly, Philip said, "No. It would mean the end of us, and I'm not willing to have that." Reaching up onto his toes, he whispered so that the others couldn't hear, "But Jack, Danny is *so* worth it!"

Jack jerked his head back and looked into the dark eyes again. Did Philip just say that? The reassuring nod indicated that clearly he did. Philip kissed Jack's closed mouth before turning away and heading out of the room to give him time to think about it. Teal'c also left, leaving Jack alone with Daniel.

The younger man moved over to where Jack stood, bringing himself right up against the colonel's body, face to face.

"If you want me Jack," he said, his hand touching Jack's pouch and squeezing the hardening rod inside - it jerked in his hand. "And I can feel that you do.." he went on with a smile, "then join us."

Groaning and giving into the caress of the hand squeezing him, Jack asked, in a hushed whisper, "I'm not sure...." He looked into Daniel's darkened eyes. "How does this work?"

Daniel smiled and dropped his hand from the aroused groin. "Philip and Teal'c don't touch, at least they don't, you know, have that much to do with each other.."

"They don't?"

Daniel shook his head as his eyes, quite seductively, dipped from the brown orbs to Jack's mouth, to his eyes once more. "The only ones that touch are you two, Teal'c and I... and... you and me."

Jack's breath stalled in his throat once more. "Us..." He coughed softly. Daniel slowly wet his lips as he nodded.

"Us. You're with Philip, and with me. And I'm with Teal'c and you."

Jack's eyelids fluttered shut as that thought seeped through him. Opening his eyes again, he said, "I'm not with Teal'c though?"

Shaking his head, Daniel said, "I don't touch Philip and you don't touch Teal'c. Sorry, if you wanted to!" He said, a little possessiveness creeping into his voice and eyes once more.

"No," Jack said honestly. "I.. I don't want that."

The anthropologist's smile broadened. "Good. So, are you interested now?"

"Actually..... I'm still a little confused," the officer admitted candidly.

"Well, I've never been in a foursome myself before.."

"Teal'c and I have discussed it," Philip announced from the top step again, breaking up the intimate moment in the living room. Jack felt a blush burn his cheeks despite everything as he turned his attention from Daniel to the men on the steps.

"We have agreed that it would work best if you and O'Neill concentrated on each other .."

"Leaving the big guy and I to do with you, respectively, as we like." The two 'new friends' on the steps looked at each other and exchange smiles.

Daniel turned to Jack and smiled broadly. "Sounds good to me..."

Jack peered around him to Philip, needing his lover's reassurance once more. The librarian trotted to his side and the colonel hugged him tightly, kissing his temple. The young dark man looked over Jack's shoulder and gave the waiting anthropologist a wink. Daniel smiled and stepped away.

"You're sure about this?" Jack whispered into the shiny black hair. Philip pulled back.

"The whole thought gets me so hot, Jack!"

The colonel brushed his hand over the chiseled features of his gorgeous lover. "Do you touch.. them?"

Philip shook his head. "I'm only interested in you, hun."

"And you don't care that Daniel and I will be...?"

"No. It's all part of it, for me."

Dragging back a lung-full of air, Jack looked at the others then shrugged. Philip practically cheered as he bolted from the room, heading down to the bedroom to prepare it. Daniel kissed Teal'c gently then the Jaffa headed out of the room. Jack stepped up beside Daniel and shook his head.

"What?" The anthropologist asked, a light-hearted laugh in his voice.

"I don't believe I'm doing this..."

"Come on," Daniel said as they made their way out of the living room together, his arm casually flung across his friend's shoulders. "Haven't you ever done something just because it felt good, Jack?"

Jack stopped and spun him around suddenly, kissing him forcefully. At first Daniel objected then he went calm, not stopping the kiss but not returning it either.

Slowly Jack pulled back and watched as Daniel licked his bottom lip quickly.

"Well, that.." Jack nodded. "*That* felt good."

"Ah," Daniel lowered his face then shook his head. "That's actually a no-go, Jack."

"Why?" Jack frowned.

"Unless we're with them anything transpiring between us, of a sexual nature, is deemed an act of infidelity."

Jack groaned as he shut his eyes. At least that ruled out the fear of Daniel sneaking into his office during work hours!

Nodding, the colonel added, "And you're not unfaithful. I get it."

Daniel smiled then put his arm around Jack's shoulders again, leading him to the bedroom. The colonel still wasn't sure that this was such a good idea, but as he entered his room, now lit with only candlelight as Philip liked it to be when they made love, he wasn't sure he was strong enough to put an end to it either.