After a restless sleep, Jack finally decided he would go and see if Philip was alright. After parking his car he hitched his collar against the bitter wind blowing down First Street on that cold Saturday morning in Colorado Springs and headed along the curb.

Spring was promised to be just around the corner, but judging by the heavy rain clouds above him, the colonel wasn't about to hold his breath and wait. Besides, after a week of making love with Philip by the fireside he knew that there were certain advantages of being in a cold climate. None that he could rationalize right now though as he hunched his shoulders and dug his hands into his pockets a little deeper before he stepped out of the pay phone and headed along the road a short distance.

He was hoping to reach Philip at work but the number didn't answer, and he wasn't able to call his home as he knew Graham would be home on a Sunday morning.

Stepping over a puddle on the ground, the colonel turned and headed up the ramp towards the gray building, his mind whirring with thoughts and arguments that he was staging between him and Philip. So lost in his thoughts was he that he almost missed the cry of his name.

"Jack!" There was a quiet surprise in the soft call, making the colonel freeze on the spot. He turned slowly to see Daniel heading up the steps behind him.

"Hello!" He gave his friend a smile then shifted anxiously between his feet.

Daniel stood face to face with the older man now, his eyes looking over Jack's tired features before fixing onto his brown eyes.

"What a co-incidence! I was coming around to see you later. How have you been?" He asked, a little more to the question than there might have been a week or two ago, Jack thought.

"I've, ah.. Good." The older man gave a sharp nod, his breath pouring from his mouth in a vapor trail. The archaeologist nodded then turned his face up at the sky as drizzle started to fall on them, slowly saturating them.

"Let's get inside," Daniel said, jogging up the remaining steps and going through the self-opening glass doors of the majestic building. Jack looked up at the signage over the door, dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. He followed his friend inside.

Daniel was already shaking out his coat and passing it and a now empty bag to the 'cloak room' person by the time Jack caught up to him. The anthropologist tucked the tag into his jeans pocket before turning back to Jack as he scooped up an armful of books from the desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice a hushed whisper. Jack stepped up and pushed the next set of doors open for his friend, holding them so that Daniel could pass through with his heavy burden. Inside the foyer, Jack shrugged then looked around.

"What are you doing here?" He tried to sound casual. Daniel frowned then indicated to the arm full he held.

"Just a hint!" He teased.

Jack took a moment before nodding and saying, "Of course!"

Daniel crossed the black and white tiled floor to the little RETURN chute on the far wall. With the colonel's help he disposed of the many books and then turned to his friend.

"So I practically live in this place, but what brings you to the Library?" he asked, adjusting his glasses then giving Jack a quick smile as he tucked his arms across his blue sweater. The colonel opened his mouth as he looked around the old building, the high ceilings and the ornate statues that lined the foyer.

Dropping his eyes, but not his face, to look at Daniel once more, he said, "Needed somewhere to get out of the rain." The shrug that followed was pretty casual too.

Daniel nodded, he had no reason not to believe his friend, then he scanned Jack's face again before wetting his lips slowly.

"How have you been this week?" He asked in a low, deep voice. He wanted to mention that Jack didn't look that great, but thought better of it. If there was a problem, Jack would talk to him about it.

Jack sensed there was a little more to the question and indicated with his head for them to move away from the Return chute, as others would soon be wanting to use it - and this was not a conversation he wanted in public.

Daniel bowed his head and crossed his arms over his chest as he followed Jack over to the small section of shelves nearby and the two of them ducked into the first row, peering out at the rest of the library from over the tops of the books on the shelves.

The younger man waited for the response to his earlier question and he didn't have long to wait. Tucking his hands into his pants pockets, Jack shrugged as he said, "Good. I've been really .. good. How about you? You're looking a little tired, if you don't mind me saying so?"

Ah, Daniel thought, the great O'Neill tact yet again! A sly, almost shy smile filled his face as he wet his lips slowly. "Well, I was up late at a party last night - and - I didn't get much sleep actually..."

Jack nodded then frowned with curiosity as he listened to Daniel continue, "But I've had a very interesting week, to be honest."

"Oh?" Jack's brow arched high. With a little laugh Daniel looked down as he rocked on his heels then he squinted before looking back up at his friend. Jack felt his heart race a little at that smile, but told himself that they were 'just friends!' once more.

"It's been *very* interesting actually," he said, unable to control the grin across his face. The other man's brow arched even higher and Daniel understood the question.

"I'm seeing someone again, Jack."

//Again?//

"Wow, you don't mess around, do you?" The colonel said, without remonstration.

"Well, actually," Daniel said in a quiet voice as he leaned closer towards Jack, "he's been in the wings for a little while now. I just didn't know.. how he felt. Then last night.." He ended the sentence with a huge grin and a shrug.

"Ah," the older man nodded. "Do I know this person?" he asked, trying to sound like an interested friend and not as someone who had a slightly more vested interest in Daniel's happiness. The archaeologist's blue eyes sparkled, lit by the window behind Jack's shoulders, then he gave a half-shrug before nodding.

"You've.. met him."

//Oh// Jack nodded also.

"So all this happened.. what? Last night?"

Adjusting his new glasses, Daniel looked down as he said, "Well, no! We took things slowly, Jack! We had dinner a few nights last week and then.. well.."

Jack's mouth opened slightly as he nodded. "So, last night you.."

The blush reached Daniel's ears. "Ah, yeah." He scratched at the back of his head as he said, "We've been friends a while now. He sent me a basket last weekend and then we decided to just see where things took us.."

Jack nodded. "And judging by those red eyes and that grin, they took you to .. bed."

Daniel wet his lips and lowered his face, aware his grin was getting bigger. Jack laughed at his coy friend.

"Yeah, something like that!" the archaeologist nodded, then looked up at his friend, needing to see Jack's reaction.

The colonel could see by the look in Daniel's eyes that whoever it was had already come to mean a great deal to him - he'd even say that it was close to the same look he saw in the Space Monkey's eyes the time he went to retrieve him from Abydos and Daniel had looked at his beloved wife, Sha're. If it wasn't that exact same look, Jack figured it was pretty damn close to it. A strange sensation washed through him, but he told himself to control it. Daniel was *happy*.

"So.."

Daniel pursed his lips together then mimicked, "So.."

Jack laughed and looked down at his feet, then up again to see the huge smile on Daniel's face.

"Do I get to meet the man that put that stupid grin on your face?" He teased.

Daniel laughed loudly then cringed as he shot a quick glance over Jack's shoulder, looking between the bookshelves and out across to the library's Reading Area where some people looking around for whoever made the loud noise.

"Maybe, one day!" he whispered, in a teasing tone of his own.

"Hiding him from your best friend? Now, really Daniel!" Jack's voice was also a deep, low whisper.

With a little shrug and another rock on the balls of his feet, Daniel said, "Ill show you mine if you'll show me yours!" He gave a suggestive grin afterwards.

Jack couldn't resist as he lifted his hand and scratched his cheek. "Now Daniel. We've had this conversation before. We're 'friends' remember.. Ouch!" He grimaced as Daniel thumped him in the arm - hard!

"I've seen *that*," he said casually as he looked through the shelves at the rest of the library again then back at Jack, to see the 'oh, really!' look in the colonel's eyes. Daniel's smile grew even bigger. "When do I meet your partner?"

"You want to meet him?" Jack asked, growing serious quickly. Daniel stopped peering through the shelves and straightened up to look at him, as he tucked his hands into his back pockets once more.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I?" He asked earnestly.

"Because.." Jack said, tilting his head a little.

A hint of a smile flickered over Daniel's lips. "Are you happy, Jack?"

The colonel's eyes softened immeasurably as he thought of Philip. "Yes."

Daniel's eyes seem to almost water as he grinned. "Then I'm happy."

"Are you?" Jack asked, knowing Daniel would know what me meant.

"Yes. For the first time in a very long time... I'm *really* happy Jack. He's.." He sucked back a deep breath as a smile erupted on his face again, "he's restored my faith in myself.."

With an arched brow Jack looked down, shrugging and shifting his foot over the worn carpet at their feet. Daniel looked over the gray head before him then tilted his face back slightly as Jack looked up once more.

"Then I'm happy for you, too," he said.

"Then, maybe we should get together, the four of us?" Daniel suggested in a low voice as he cautiously watched Jack's reactions. The other man tilted his face to look up at him then rolled his shoulders back as he nodded. There was sharing his relationship with Philip with the rest of the world, which he wasn't prepared to do just yet, and then there was sharing it with Daniel...

"Good plan. When?"

Daniel swallowed, a little unprepared for the agreement, then he shrugged. "Tonight?"

"My place or yours?" Jack asked then smiled when he saw Daniel smirk. With a nudge of his shoulder he said, "you know what I mean, Danny!"

The younger man nodded then indicated towards Jack; "Yours. I've always loved your place."

The colonel was a little surprised by the frank confession. "You have?"

Daniel nodded. "Sure. It's so.. you."

Jack's tongue toyed with his bottom lip a moment before he huffed, "huh."

Daniel frowned, unsure what he'd just said to earn that response. Shrugging it off he said, "And we can have that Chili you cook so well!"

"I do?" Jack frowned. Daniel nodded.

"Sure you do. Don't you recall that last time..?" he erupted into laughter and Jack, with memory firmly playing in his mind, soon joined him.

"Actually, maybe not," the colonel said and Daniel nodded.

"I think we'll be sleeping alone tonight if we did that!"

"Yeah," Jack said, his smile easing slightly as he looked at his friend.

"What time?" Daniel asked, scratching his thumbnail over his bottom lip.

"Seven-ish.."

"Ish.." Daniel added at the same time Jack had. They smiled again. It was their 'usual' time to meet for dinner.

Jack stared at his friend for a long moment, then said, "So, I'm going to meet him then?"

Daniel squinted one eye as he looked at him. "Promise not to scare him off?"

Holding his hands up in placation, the colonel muttered, "Daniel, I won't even snarl at him!"

The younger man smiled. "Actually I don't really think your snarl will bother him. He's not military, so .." He gave a shrug.

//Not military? Thank God it wasn't Graham then!// Jack had been concerned with that 'again' comment earlier.

"Besides," Daniel added, shooting a quick look around them then at Jack, the lowered his voice to a whisper, "he's got more balls than Graham had!"

"Oh?" Jack's forehead wrinkled. "Figuratively or Literally?"

Daniel snorted then looked around again, as it was quite a loud huff. "Not a conversation I ever imagined *us* having, Jack.." He said through slightly gritted teeth, his blue eyes looking over the wire frames of his glasses.

Jack cocked his head to the side a little. "No, you're right about that," he said. Their eyes locked again and Daniel had the distinct feeling Jack was implying a little more than his words were saying. The younger man shifted his footing, looking down at his feet as he adjusted his glasses.

"I guess it's safe to say that you and I are a little closer than most best friends though," Jack said, resisting the urge to reach out and lift Daniel's face up again. He didn't need to, his words did it for him. The blue eyes looked at him, blinking rapidly.

"I.. guess," He said, giving his friend a sharp nod. They locked stares again then a movement behind Jack's shoulder caught Daniel's attention. Suddenly his face lit with a beaming smile, causing Jack to frown slightly. He turned to look over his shoulder and peered through the bookshelves but he saw nothing or no one he recognized in the faces in the library. Turning back again he looked straight into Daniel's bright eyes.

"Would you like to meet him now?" The anthropologist asked with a tilt of his head. Jack quickly tried to pick out who it might be from the limited view through the book shelf behind him.

"Is he here?" His head ducked and moved, but he saw no one he recognized, granted that the view was restricted to the front doors, the door leading to Staff Only areas and the archway into the Adult Section of the Library.

Daniel smiled then nodded. "I asked him to meet me here. Wait here, I can see him!" He took off around the shelves and Jack tried to see where he'd gone but lost him in the maze of shelves.

While he waited, part of Jack wondered if he was really ready for this meeting. While he was more than happy with Philip, and was sure the spat last night wasn't going to be a big issue between them, he was also pleased he and Daniel had agreed to remain friends. Yet there was a little part of him that was always going to feel as if Daniel rightfully was 'his'. Judging by some of the looks the younger man was giving him back during the conversation, he distinctly felt that Daniel might feel a little the same way.

He looked around, wondering where in this huge place Philip might work. It would have been nice to have seen him but he'd try to call him later and invite him to dinner.

Suddenly he heard the sound of feet scuffling in the next aisle and his heart immediately leapt to his throat. Growling silently at himself, he tried to swallow the lump away. His good friend, blue eyes flashing with 'something' - he didn't know what - came back into view.

"Ready?" Daniel grinned.

Rolling his eyes, Jack sighed, hoping the butterflies in his stomach would settle sometime soon.

Reaching his arm around the end of the shelving until Daniel gripped a sleeve as he announced, "Okay, Well, I'd like you to meet someone.." then he added hastily, "Though I think you've met before..!"

He tugged his lover into the aisle with them and Jack's jaw dropped open. He stared into familiar dark eyes before he scanned the face. He knew that arched brow, that dark skin, those lips....

"I'd like you to meet..

"Teal'c!" Jack stammered. Daniel laughed as he and his lover exchanged conspiratorial smiles. The dark hand reached out towards Jack in a gesture to shake his hand.

The older man stared between his two friends then he lifted his hands up slightly, fisting them before stepping up and gripping the wide face in his hands.

"Oh, my god!" He laughed loudly then cringed when Daniel 'shushed' him. "Oh shush yourself!" He laughed over his shoulder then patted Teal'c's cheek.

"You are not upset, O'Neill?"

Jack's eyes grew wide. "Upset? Why would I be upset?" He looked into the cimmerian eyes before shaking his head and laughing again, this time reaching around to cup Daniel's face with one hand too.

"You.. little.." he laughed then gripped Daniel's jaw in his hand as he gave his friend a huge approving grin then patted his jaw lightly. "I'm really pleased for you, Danny!"

The blue eyes definitely looked watery now as Daniel looked between his best friend and his lover. "Thanks, Jack."

The two men remained in a locked stare and both seem to realize that the other was always going to be there for them. Who knew what the future would bring, but right now, they were content with their relationships with their partners and between themselves. What was to come - what *might* happen in the future.. was anyone's guess.

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