Part 2

It seemed amazing to Daniel that a sleep could make the world of difference to his frame of mind. He was on his balcony, watching the world below him moving and awakening on the warm Spring morning.  He could smell the wondrous aroma of his freshly brewed coffee and that of a newly cut lawn somewhere in the distance. Dogs barked nearby, joggers pounded pavement on the streets below, children’s cries and laughter wafted on the wind and it all mixed with the Eighties compilation cd playing softly on Daniel’s stereo inside the apartment.

He felt at peace with this world again; realizing what it was he had a hand in saving yesterday - children chasing each other in the park; the old couple sitting on the park bench just being together; even the Drifter was alive because of what they had accomplished yesterday.  Daniel’s attention was caught most by the two young men who walked through the park side-by-side, not too near but close enough, and for a split second he hoped that they were happy. 

He felt at peace with his emotions regarding Reese and Sam and the Replicators. The contented young man sipped his coffee leisurely. The telephone jangled somewhere behind him in the apartment and he let the answer machine get it. 

His heart jumped as he recognized Jack’s voice.  His friend mentioned something about beautiful day, getting together, trail bike riding, mountains, trees... Something along those lines.  Jack had been teaching Daniel to ride a dirt bike and had even purchased a second bike which he kept in his own garage for Daniel to use. 

Daniel listened as the long beep indicated the caller had ended the call. He raised the cup to his lips again and sighed out against the rim before he gulped another mouthful. As he leaned onto his elbows to continue watching the world at his feet he decided that he was at peace with the ‘colonel’ again too, but he didn’t think seeing Jack was a good idea, for fear that his goodwill might make him vulnerable to Jack’s attentions.

*

It wasn’t until lunchtime that Daniel felt remotely hungry. He checked his refrigerator and cupboards but they were bare or next to useless.  He grumbled as he went to his room to shrug out of the sweat pants and step into the shower.  A brisk wash later, he was dressed in jeans and a UCLA sweater that he’d had since his days there.  It was old and well worn, perfect for the careless Spring weather. 

He ran his hand through his short damp hair, setting grooves in the dark blond strands and leaving them standing on end.  He tucked his wallet into his back pocket as he snatched up his car keys from the display shelves that divided the apartment from the front door. With one last check he stepped out. 

*

He walked along the aisle of Safeways, idly checking the ingredients on the packet in his hand.  He looked up, placed the box back and pulled the next brand off the shelf, reading intently. 

“See, this is why I shop on auto,” the gruff voice beside him said. 

Daniel turned to see a man and a woman, looking frustrated and tired, snatching stuff from the shelf recklessly, including the item Daniel had just put back.  He watched them go off and then frowned to himself, wondering if the comment was intended for him or not.  As they rounded the end of the aisle he returned his attention to the box in his hand.  That one was returned and another picked up. 

“Ya know, he has a point,” a familiar voice cooed in Daniel’s ear quietly.  The young man’s head snapped around to see Jack beside him.  With a glance to the shelf before them, Jack said, “You’ve been standing here for a while, reading these things.” 

Daniel blinked and put the box in his hand into the basket he was gripping, more tightly now than he had been before. Jack’s dark eyes shifted onto Daniel again and a gentleness came into them that Daniel hadn’t seen in a while. 

It was Jack in ‘off-duty’ mode.  He was dressed sloppily in a pale blue plaid shirt over a white tee. His denim jeans were pinched at the vanishing waist by a belt – Jack was losing weight again – and they bunched around his ankles, somehow managing to make him look shorter than his six-two frame. Around his neck his sun glasses hung on their beaded rope and the hair hadn’t seen a brush that morning, but maybe a shower. 

For a moment Daniel thought about Jack, wet, in the shower. To distract himself, he picked up a pack of breakfast cereal from the shelf and tried to concentrate on the words, but images of Jack washing his hair kept flooding into his mind. He coughed softly as he furrowed his brow to make a show of his concentration.

“If you’re looking for the ones with the Goa’uld Collectable Cards in them I think it’s the Weeties pack down there..” Jack pointed a finger in a vague direction along the aisle.

The image dissipated before Daniel’s eyes and he clamped his jaw against his smile at Jack’s comment.  “I thought you were going dirt bike riding today.” He put the box on the shelf and ambled off.

“Not as much fun when you’re not there.” Jack shrugged and, Daniel was sure he saw it, pouted. Again Daniel felt the warmth seep through him, making him tingle. He lifted another item off the shelf and studied it intently to control his reaction. It wouldn’t do for Jack to know he was in his good books so soon.

// God! He looked good! //

“So-” Jack blew out a breath then turned to face Daniel, barely glancing at the box before setting his chocolate-brown eyes onto his friend. “Have they given you the secrets to the universe yet?”

“I’m interested in saving myself as much as the world, Jack.” Daniel moved off, aware that his companion would walk with him so he continued to speak without checking over his shoulder.  “The ingredients of a product are important to me. I don’t want to eat Genetically Modified food…”

Jack grinned politely like he didn’t believe that but he said nothing else as he reached out and grabbed a pack off the shelf without looking or stopping.

Daniel budded his lips and chewed the inside of his mouth a moment. “Was that for my benefit?”

“Huh?”

“The ‘I’m Jack O’Neill and I don’t give a damn what goes in my body’ routine just then?”

Jack looked at the item in his basket. “I always get this brand, and they are always on that shelf, in that place-” he said, picking up the box of raisons then putting it in his basket again. He looked at Daniel. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

They lumbered on, Jack just pulling regular items off the shelf while Daniel continued to price and product compare. 

After yet another exasperated sigh from the older man Daniel reminded him, curtly, “We’re not shopping together so I’m actually *not* holding you up, Jack.” He swept his hand to imply Jack should just go on ahead without him.  The older man jutted his chin proudly then trundled off down the aisle, snagging a few items along the way and checking back to be sure Daniel had seen his recklessness.

They caught up again in the fruit and vegetable section. Daniel silently compared the haphazard selection of items obviously tossed into Jack’s basket against his own neatly stacked contents. Even the way Jack picked fruit was contrary to his own method. Jack just looked and felt the fruit, without sniffing it first. Yet, Daniel was mesmerised by the way Jack’s thumb swiped over the skin of the mango in his hand, over and over the lean thumb worked the fuzzy skin, sweeping, caressing….

When Jack caught him out, he frowned. “What?”

Daniel felt like he’d been caught doing something illicit.  He blushed just enough to feel it then he tried to dismiss the lump in his throat, and the one in his pants, by saying, as gruffly as he could manage, “You keep telling me over and over how good we could be together-” He kept his voice low and his eyes darted around to check that no one was near enough to over hear.  Jack waited patiently then Daniel met his eyes once more. “We can’t even shop without disagreement.” He moved off to the next bin of fruit. 

Jack shuffled behind him, remaining slightly behind Daniel as he leaned in to say, in a husky whisper, right into the small ear, “No one said lovers had to agree on everything..”

Daniel closed his eyes a moment - Jack knew what breathing against his ear did for him, damn him! 

“Somethings -” he choked out then quickly regained his composure as he stepped away again, frantically checking that people weren’t watching them. They were still alone in that part of the store. He twisted slightly to the man he had left behind him, and muttered, “They have to agree on somethings, Jack..”

He wanted to sound convincing. Under Jack’s careful scrutiny his mouth became dry.

// God! Why did he have to look so good? //

“Come on over tonight.” Jack continued to caress the fruit, aware of Daniel’s interest by the heavy breathing through slightly parted lips.   “I’m sure we’ll find mutual ground.”

Daniel forced himself to turn around and take long strides away from Jack.  He ended near the bananas and fumbled absently with the fruit.  His face furrowed as he feigned interest, checking on the skins and the density of the fruit by squeezing it in his fist then lifting it to his face to sniff it.  

Jack sauntered past him and whispered, “Tease” without stopping.  Daniel twisted his neck to watch him go towards the bread section then he looked at the fruit in his hand. He quickly dropped the banana and moved off in the opposite direction, towards the dried fruit and nut bins. 

*

Daniel jostled the brown paper bags in his arms as he dragged his keys from his back pocket and pressed the button to unlock his car.  He dropped his groceries into his trunk then moved to his door.  There was a piece of paper flapping under his windscreen wiper so he tugged it free and read the familiar handwriting.

Dinner still on?  Come by around 7

With a slightly frustrated growl, partly amused though, Daniel screwed up the paper in his fist. He’d never agreed to dinner – typical.  He flipped out his cell phone and pressed the first number in his address book – Jack’s cell number.  As soon as Jack picked up he said, “I don’t recall agreeing to dinner.”

‘Come on, Danny..’

The young man climbed into his car and started the engine, holding the phone to his ear by his shoulder.  He tugged on his safety belt and then gripped the phone in his hand again as he backed out of the park. 

“Jack, is there any point to this?  We fight enough at work. God forbid should we actually…. You know..”

‘No.’ Jack’s voice rumbled deeply in the phone. ‘I don’t know.  Describe it to me in five hundred words or less, Daniel, and remember the heavy breathing!’

“Jack!” Daniel gulped in amusement then balanced the phone on his shoulder as he steered his vehicle around a corner.

“So I like the sound of your voice… sue me!”

Daniel coughed to clear his constricted throat.  “Shouldn’t we keep this strictly business?”

There was a derisive snort from the other end of the line. 

Daniel tried again. “Platonic then?”

‘I’ll behave myself.  Keep my hands in my lap.. How about that?’

“When talking to you – those two sentences should not be used together….” He eased on the brake at the lights.

Jack laughed gleefully at the humor.  “When it's you talking to me, ya probably right!”  The sound of a horn was distant and then Jack cursed softly under his breath and that was when Daniel realized that Jack was driving at the same time as well.

The blue eyes squinted as Daniel leaned forward over the steering wheel to watch for the lights to change. 

‘Come over.’

He frowned when he thought he heard desperation in Jack’s voice.  He closed his eyes momentarily – long enough to miss the change and to earn himself a honk from the impatient driver behind him.  He wondered if this was a big mistake, given his goodwill towards the man today, but he didn’t want to say no either.  He liked Jack when he was like this. He loved Jack when he was like this. He loved..   “What time?”

Glee was apparent in Jack’s voice. ‘Seven.’

//Oh yeah, big, BIG mistake // Daniel knew that already!

“Should I bring anything?”

‘You can be dessert… Bring! BRING, I said.’

Daniel laughed and sighed happily. // Yeah, goodwill be damned.//

“I’ll bring bananas!” He flipped his phone off and cut off any response Jack might have given.

<End of Part 2>