Jack sat and watched the sky turn from a gray day to a streaky dull orange then into black as the sun settled on another weekend. Philip was lying within his arms now, tangled with his body on the sofa, as he watched a video on the television that Jack had long given up on. Every now and then, Philip's body shook as he laughed at the antics on the screen, but other than that, he kept to himself. It was enough to be where he was, he didn't need to constantly check that Jack was comfortable, or happy or anything. He knew that if he wasn't, his lover would soon tell him.

But Jack was far from being discontented. His lips were pressed against Philip's warm temple, his fingers lightly tracing the natural arch of the other black brow while he remained in a slightly unfocussed stare at the window, unintentionally watching his own reflection as it laid, motionless, on the sofa.

All day he and Philip had spent time together, the younger man taking the opportunity to sketch Jack as he sat at the dining room table, reading through the paperwork for the Mission tomorrow. They stayed in for an early lunch, just a sandwich each, then Philip continued with the sketch as Jack continued on his work, explaining that his life was pretty full of paperwork and tedious mission reports. Philip smiled and told him that it didn't bother him at all. Wondering if his presence was distracting Jack though, he decided to go into the living room so that Jack was left alone to work and not feel like he was being constantly watched. He came out to disturb him only the once, when he asked for a set of headphones. Jack told him where they were and left him to it.

Philip rummaged through his bag, grabbing up the little booklet of c.d.'s that he never left home without. He put his current favorite c.d. in the stereo, then wore the headphones while he sat before the open fire and proceeded to fill in the details of the picture.

Jack, curious as to what his quiet partner was doing, couldn't resist the temptation to peer into the living room. Philip was sitting, legs splayed and bent up, his head bowed as he worked on the sketch resting on the floor between his thighs. Jack stood and watched his hand a moment, seeing how it almost blurred over the image as he created Jack's eyes, making them deeper and darker as the colonel stood by and watched. It was a weird sensation, to see your face appear on something that - from the distance, and with the dull light of day - looked like a blank surface. But from Philip's perspective, the ground work was done at the table, he was just filling and fluffing the lines, expanding and rounding out the image, and bringing life into the two dimensional picture.

Jack still watched, perched where he was with one knee bent over the corner of the table and his hands in his lap, as Philip lifted the sketch in the air in front of him, then held it as far away as his arms would let him, head tilted as he scrutinized his work. Suddenly, he turned and pressed himself up with one arm, scrambling to his feet then going over to the stereo unit to hit 'repeat' on the c.d. he was listening to. Whatever track it was, Jack thought to himself, he liked it. The younger man stood with his back to Jack as he propped the sketch book up on the shelf and stepped back, again tilting his head every which way to check the image completely. At the same time, he lost himself in the music - his body began swaying gently and his butt wriggled to the unheard tune. Jack watched the utter fluidity of the younger man's body as he gyrated before him - completely unaware that he was being watched and admired. Very admired.

Jack was unable to resist his gorgeous lover and surprised him by going up to him and tapping him on the shoulder. Philip had dropped the headphones onto his shoulders and Jack had snatched him up and kissed him passionately. The surprised young man smiled when he was told it was a reward for his incredibly arousing dancing. He retorted that he wasn't event trying hard, but that next time he would - to see what kind of reward he got *then*. The colonel had laughed then returned to his work, leaving Philip to his sketch and music.

An hour or so later Philip had walked past Jack on his way to the kitchen to grab himself a beer. Jack had asked what he was doing and the young artist smirked and told him he was dancing. Jack laughed and held his hand out for the bottle, taking a swig of the cold amber liquid. Philip sat on the table, his eyes only briefly looking across the paperwork laid out before Jack, before he looked into the dark eyes instead and told him that he was thinking of putting on a video and perhaps they should think of something for dinner.

Jack decided there and then that he'd done enough work, seen enough stats and readouts on the atmosphere of P3x4111 to know that the mission was viable, and that retrieving the Data Capsule was important enough to steal him from this gorgeous man - for one night!

Getting up from his chair, he decided that *tonight* was for Philip and he'd spend it with him. After stowing the reports back into his briefcase, Jack grabbed himself a beer and joined Philip on the sofa.

So now they laid, tangled together on the sofa, enjoying just being alone as the weekend - their first weekend together - drew to a close.

"Philip?"

The young man smiled to himself. Jack rarely called him 'Philip'. It seemed too wrong.

Tilting his face to look up at him he said in a soft voice, "Yes, Jonathon?"

Jack's smile grew large and wide when he heard the velvet whisper. For a moment he lost his question as he looked over the chiseled features in the dim glow of the open fireplace. Then he gathered his thoughts, and said, through his smile, "I was just wondering..."

Philip's brow arched as he waited. Jack's lips parted to say something but a sudden flash of light against the dark, far wall indicated that someone had pulled up the driveway.

"Finally, the pizza's here!" Jack said happily as he arched his back, lifting the man still lying on him into the air, while he reached for his wallet in his back pocket.

Philip gave a cheeky smile. "You know, Jack - I love it when you cook for me!"

"Watch it! Who made the dinner last night!" Jack's smile grew even more, if that was possible.

Philip laughed, then said, "And who burnt it to a crisp?"

"Hey! That wasn't my fault! I told you *that* would take longer than twenty minutes!"

"You said *should*...actually," Philip teased.

"And it did!" The colonel grinned.

The younger man smirked and nodded. "Oh, yeah - it did!"

"I'm a man of my word-" Jack joked.

With a playful snort, Philip leaned on Jack's chest more, his hands gripping his shoulders as held his mouth close to his lover's and whispered; " It wasn't *me* that started that!" He kissed the colonel's lips tenderly then pulled back to look into his eyes. "We were talking about tents.. if I recall!"

"Something like that-" Jack kissed him back again, then sighed against his lips, "I think-" He was starting to close in for another kiss when Philip pushed him down, his forearms pressing onto Jack's chest as he stretched up from between Jack's thighs.

"And *if* I recall, it was YOU who threw me over your shoulder and carried me to your bedroom!" He said, his long index finger skimming the colonel's slightly parted lips.

"You didn't seem to object!" Jack said, with a lop sided grin that turned to a chuckle as Philip reached up and gently bit his bottom lip.

"I was dangling down by your butt-" He whispered lasciviously, " Like I'm going to object to *that*!"

"Nor did you object to the stuff in the bedroom!" Jack said with a soft moan as Philip's parted lips brushed the tip of his nose.

"No, I didn't," the artist smiled then he grew intense as he recalled the passion in the bedroom. He looked over Jack's features intently. "I don't think you could do anything to me that I'd object to," he whispered as he touched his finger to Jack's thin bottom lip.

The doorbell rang.

Ignoring it, the older man grew serious too. "You'll tell me if I do..?"

"You couldn't..." Philip focused on the bottom lip.

"You'll tell me!"

The doorbell rang again.

"Yes!" He looked up to meet the dark eyes. "I'll tell you. Okay? Now get the damn pizza!" He laughed.

Jack reached for and claimed the small mouth as he peeled himself from beneath the body then they both stumbled to their feet, lips still locked together fiercely.

The doorbell rang again - this time more impatiently.

By the steps of the living room they finally parted and Philip laughed as he pushed the sleeve of his top up to his elbow while he watched Jack turn to the front door.

"Oops!" Jack said, then shut the wooden venetian blinds by the front door. He looked back at Philip who just laughed and shook his head, inconspicuously stepping out of view as Jack pulled the door open. If the pizza boy saw anything through the open shades, he didn't let on. They exchanged money for pizza then Jack kicked the door shut, skipping down the steps and putting the box onto his coffee table.

***

After they'd eaten, Jack watched as Philip laid stretched out on the rug on the floor, his arms over his head and his feet crossed. The black top he was wearing was pulled un-tucked from the black pants as he stretched out long on the floor. It revealed the merest hint of skin and Jack crawled across the floor and buried his nose against the soft, warm patch.

Philip smiled and reached his hands down to caress through the short gray hair as he remained looking up at the ceiling, just enjoying the tenderness and companionship that he'd denied for himself all these months - until Jack came along and showed him that it was 'okay'.

The colonel shifted the top up the flat, lean torso - his hand gliding over the warm skin until the hem of the black turtleneck top bunched at Philip's throat. The younger man casually bent his legs up, his feet resting flat against the mat as he enjoyed the sweet lips across his tingling skin. Jack made soft, growly noises as he rimmed the navel then pressed his face against the waist band on the pants, his tongue reaching down inside as far as it would go. He could taste the tops of the underwear Philip was wearing as he strained to reach under the elastic band of the jockeys with his tongue.

"Jack," Philip said with a low, soft laugh as he gripped the head and pulled it out from his pants. Jack's hand slipped between the V-shaped thighs, cupping over the semi-aroused groin as he turned to look down at his lover.

"That's one thing I'm never going to know, isn't it?"

"What's that?"

"What you taste like.." Jack said, his hand gently squeezing the hardening groin.

With a sad smile, Philip reached up and combed his fingers through Jack's hair, tucking them behind his ear as he said, "No, you're not."

With a low grunt, Jack leaned onto his elbow beside him, his hand moving up to rid Philip of his top altogether. Before taking it off though, he asked, "Shall I leave it on. Do you want a cigarette?" He still recalled how satisfying a cigarette after a meal was and noted Philip hadn't made an effort to go outside yet.

Shaking his head, Philip said, "No."

The chocolate brown eyes squinted slightly as Jack tilted his face to match their eye-lines. He tugged the top off, watching as the muscles in Philip's stomach rippled as the younger man curled up off the floor so that his top could be removed.

Dancing his finger tips over the dark skin and hair, Jack quipped, "So what's the story? Have you given up?"

"Yes," Philip said, without hesitation.

The older man tilted his face again to meet Philip's black stare. "I kind of thought so." He hadn't noticed Philip rummaging for a lighter all day or last night.

"It's no big deal.."

"I suppose that depends on why you gave up," Jack said, keeping their eyes locked as he reached down and placed a kiss over one of Philip's nipples.

"Do you want me to say it's because of you?" He asked.

"Is it?" Jack asked, leaning up over him again.

"Part of it, I guess." Philip brushed some gray locks back again then looked into Jack's intense stare. "But mostly it was for me. I wasn't a heavy smoker anyway - just a social one really, or when I sketched. But I shouldn't smoke because of my health and........., well I guess that's mostly it. I shouldn't smoke because of my health."

"So you gave up like that..?" Jack tried to click his fingers together.

Philip chuckled softly. "No, more like *that*." He made a crisp sound as he clicked his fingers together.

"Well, I'm impressed!" Jack said.

"I didn't do it to impress you.." Philip said, tucking his hands under his head.

"No, I was referring to the finger clicking," Jack said, then tried another attempt to click his own. Philip laughed and captured his head, pulling him down to kiss him. As they pulled apart, the artist smiled as he licked his lips.

"I've a little more to stay healthy for now, I guess."

Jack's smile grew. "Cool. Does this mean you'll stop walking in the rain in your underwear as well?"

"I didn't walk in the rain in my underwear!" Philip laughed then added, "well, not around you, anyway!"

Jack shook his head as he laughed. "Damn well near enough!"

Philip saw the seriousness behind the smile and nodded. "Well, you can be sure that I'll wear more suitable clothing in the future..."

"Don't change on my behalf.." Jack stated. Philip shook his head.

"Heaven forbid!" Then he smiled. "But you know, it's okay to take advice from a 'friend' on such matters!" Implying that he'd listen to Jack just as much if the man was his friend as he would if he was his lover. That just because he'd take his advice on something didn't mean he was 'changing' to please him - just accepting good advice.

The colonel yawned and checked his watch.

"Bedtime?" Philip asked. Jack smiled then looked down at him. It was nice to have someone to go to bed with - even in the most purest terms.

"I have to be up at 0h-four-thirty..."

"You mean four thirty in the morning?" Philip teased him then shook his head. "You're so much like Graham.." Jack's brow arched slightly at that comment. "I mean with the military talk.." Philip added, seeing the hesitation.

Jack growled as he pressed up to his feet and straightened up, stretching back and yawning. Philip leapt to his feet effortlessly, then he waited for Jack to kill the fire before holding his hand out, gripping the older man's in his hand before making his way to the bedroom.

The colonel set the alarm then stripped off as he climbed into bed. Philip did the same then cuddled back against Jack as they spooned together. Philip was happy to just cuddle as Jack quickly drifted off to sleep behind him, his arms draped around the smaller man's body.

***

Philip moaned softly in his sleep, his mouth curled into a smile as he whispered, "Jack.." in a breathy voice.

His whole body started twitching as he felt himself rise from his sleep- like how a diver in deep water sees the gradual glow of light as he nears the water's surface from below. Floating closer and closer to the light, he felt his body twitch and stir then suddenly - he surfaced, gasping loudly as he curled up, now pulled awake from a deep slumber, his whole body curled around tightly and his knees to his chest. He groaned loudly.

"Shhh...." Jack whispered, a slight chuckle on his voice as he heard Philip gasp and saw him roll onto his back once more, slipping back into sleep easily. Jack's hand moved once more and Philip twitched awake again, his dark eyes taking a moment to focus in the early morning light.

Suddenly aware of his surrounding, Philip called out, "Jack...!" but Jack just cooed quietly.

"Shhhh, it's okay baby!"

The hand moved again and Philip shuddered, then his brain finally caught up with the rest of his body and woke up properly. He was now aware *what* had woken him as he teetered on the very edge of the abyss while Jack laid behind him, his hand pumping him - making him so solid he thought he would burst.

"Jack .. I'm not.. I'm...." Philip was well aware he was unsheathed as he felt Jack's warm hand glide up and down his thick shaft. Still on his side, he tried to look behind him at his lover, but his brain wouldn't function enough for even that simple task.

"It's okay.." Jack cooed softly into his ear, then moved to nibble on his shoulder - adding to the sensations filling the younger man.

Ragged breaths now escaped Philip as he started to plummet over the edge of the abyss - his mind still not fully comprehending the early morning onslaught but his body appreciating it immensely.

Jack stroked him fervently as the younger man gripped his pillow and smothered his cry into its soft folds as his body shook - the pearly white liquid shot out, free to travel through the air and fall onto the bed sheet from the twitching head, then he shuddered as Jack milked him ever so thoroughly. Sobbing tearlessly, Philip tossed the pillow aside as he laid flat on his back, his chest and stomach heaving to drag in air as he succumbed to the cascades of sensations filling him from head to toe.

Jack's head was there, smothering kisses all over Philip's heaving chest, his tongue laving at hard nipples as Philip tried to calm his ragged breathing. All the time, a corner of his mind was aware that Jack's hand covered his soft shaft, acting as a barrier as the head moved across his body, licking and sucking until he had his fill of the soft, salty flesh.

Slowly the dark eyes peeled open and he looked up at the grinning man beside him.

"Good morning!" Jack said, then he chuckled at the roll of the dark eyes as Philip groaned. The colonel reached down, burying his face into the curve of Philip's neck as he sucked on the warm skin gently.

"What a way to wake up!" The satiated man sighed contentedly.

"Thought you wouldn't mind!"

"Were you wearing a glove?" He asked. Jack nodded.

"And just as well. Man, when you.... you explode everywhere! You even managed to get some on the glove." He said, jutting his chin towards the waste paper basket by the bed.

Stretching up, Philip tugged the pillow under his head as he moved to lie on his stomach. "Yeah, like I had any control over that!"

Jack looked at him, watching the dark eyes creep shut again. "Hey, wake up!" he said.

"No! I'm going to go back to sleep, to see if you wake me up again!" He laughed, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"If you go back to sleep again, when you wake up I'll be long gone! No ride home for you! So..." he slapped one of the perfectly rounded globes lightly, but still left a faint red mark on the tan skin, "Get up!"

"Jack, it's quarter to five in the damn morning! I'll walk home!" Philip grumbled into the pillow.

"Walk home? It's clear across town!"

"So? I'll walk home!" he mumbled.

"Come on, I'll make you a cup of tea!" The colonel said, slipping out of the bed. Philip growled then sighed as he started to drift off to sleep once more.

***

Jack was freshly showered and dressed for work, and still no sign of Philip around the house. He resigned himself to the fact that the younger man wasn't going to need that ride home. Jack stood in the doorway of his bedroom, then went across and squatted beside the sleeping man.

"Hey," he said, shaking him awake gently. Philip slowly woke up.

"Time?

"Oh-Five- Twenty-five."

There was an inaudible grumble from the sleeping man as he shifted in the bed. Jack smiled, savoring the sweetness of the moment.

"I'm going babe," he said, never doubting that he could trust Philip in his house unsupervised. Still, he did lock the door to his study, because it housed valuable documents in there. Philip rolled onto his back, then sat up.

"Going?" He sounded so sad as he reached out and touched Jack's face.

"Yeah. I'll call you when I get back in tomorrow.." He said, hoping that everything went smoothly in the next 24 - 32 hours so he could get back to Philip quicker.

"I'll be at work until 6," Philip said, looking for a pen and paper to write his work number down. Jack got some from the side table then watched as he wrote the address of the Colorado Springs Library - like Jack would never have been there before. The colonel smiled at that then put the address aside as he crawled onto the bed with Philip.

"If it's after that, call me at home. 555 67..."

"6790. I know."

Philip frowned. "How?"

"I got your message." Jack smiled then kissed him - long and deep - making it last. Getting up once more he looked at the younger man in his bed then shrugged.

"I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully..."

Philip sat up and hugged his knees to his chest, nodding as he watched Jack go to the door. "Jack," he called to him.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you and Danny work things out.."

Jack lowered his face then looked up. "Yeah, so do I."

Philip scrambled out of the bed and walked to the front door with Jack.

"Oh, seeing me off at the car, I see!' Jack teased.

Philip looked down at his nakedness then nodded. "Thought I'd drive you in actually, dressed like this."

"Cool." Jack laughed then picked up his briefcase. "Bye!" He leaned over and kissed Philip tenderly. They pulled back slowly.

"Bye, Jack." Philip said, closing the door behind him and watching him drive away through the venetian blinds.

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