Introductions 13

by

Angelise


+++++++


The sound of glass shattering followed by angry yelling roused Jethro from his nap on the couch. Shifting to his side, he rubbed his cheek against the muscular thigh doubling as his pillow. “Sounds like there’s trouble in paradise,” he commented to his lover.

They were one day home from the hospital, and Teal'c and Tony were in the kitchen having what Jack had dubbed the ‘truth talk.” From the sound of things, it wasn’t going well.

Jethro nudged his human pillow. “Jack? You awake?”

The grumbly snort that followed was answer enough. “Jack, wake up.” An accurately placed jab to a certain someone’s abdomen not only emphasized his request, but had the desired effect.

“Huh? What? Is the game on? Who’s winning?”

Tilting his head to the side, Jethro indicated the kitchen. “Are you deaf? World War III is going on in there.”

“As long as they leave the beer alone, I’m good,” O'Neill mumbled.

The abrupt cessation of yelling followed by the vicious slamming of the patio door silenced whatever comment Jethro was about to make. Wondering who had fled the scene, he looked toward the kitchen. A very familiar growl of frustration solved the mystery.

“Oh yeah,” O'Neill drowsily muttered. “There is definitely trouble in paradise.”

Jethro swiped at the hand blindly patting his face. “Sometimes your brilliance amazes me.”

Returning to his previous position, that of lying on his back with his head resting in Jack’s lap, Jethro welcomed the five-finger bandit that automatically reclaimed its position between his legs.

Jack had a thing about crotches, and no matter where they were -- in the bed, on the couch, in the car -- his lover’s hand inevitably found its way to his groin. His man also did the same with Tony unless Teal'c was in the vicinity. For some reason the Jaffa warrior took major offense to the unconventional quirk and had, on several occasions, threatened bodily harm if Jack didn’t keep his ‘appendages’ to himself. Tony, on the other hand, craved the physical attention, and nine times out of ten, managed to sweet-talk his mate into permitting the harmless caress. Of course, Jack, being the semi-smart person he was, knew better than to test his friend’s limited patience and more often than not, removed his hand in a most expeditious manner.

Jethro intertwined his fingers with those hugging the Gibbs family jewels. “You think we should go see what’s wrong?”

To be honest, there was no way he was moving from the couch. After two weeks of living day and night at the hospital, they had finally settled down for their routine ‘Pretend to watch the Sunday game’ nap and as much as he wanted to know how the ‘truth talk’ was going, he was not going to give up his comfy spot.

Jack scooted further down on the couch and extended his legs toward the coffee table. He cleared a spot for his feet between the empty coffee mugs and pizza carton that had constituted breakfast. “I think we should mind our own business,” he managed to say between yawns. “Besides, it’s much more fun watching them go at each other. Not to mention the make-up sex that follows.”

Jethro deliberately bumped his head against the piece of anatomy stirring to life beneath his skull. “I swear, Jack, you have a one track mind.”

The door leading from the outside patio flew open and smacked the adjacent wall hard enough to dislodge one of the framed photos hanging on its surface. Tony ignored the mess he’d created, and with both hands clenched in fists, stomped over to the couch and glared at Jethro.

“Did you know?” he demanded. “Did you fucking know the truth and not tell me?”

A violent coughing spell halted any further questions.

Both Jack and Jethro sprang into action. Jethro guided Tony to the couch and held him close, bracing the younger man’s sore ribcage during the worst of the attack. Jack headed to the kitchen for the required medicine and glass of water. He was nearly knocked down by Teal'c who was rushing toward the den with his mate’s nebulizer unit in hand. Within minutes a dose of the vilest-tasting medicine ever produced had been reluctantly swallowed. Tony verbalized his opinion of the liquid med with a loud ‘Yuck!’ but not a single soul headed his protest. Slapping uncooperative hands aside, Teal'c moved into position and expertly commenced giving Tony his nebulizer treatment. Unfortunately the fine mist that rose from the face mask did nothing to lessen the accusing glare aimed at all three of them.

Jethro relinquished his spot on the couch as soon as he was sure Tony was breathing freely. “Sounded like you damn near coughed up a lung that time, DiNozzo,” he commented.

Even though visibly madder than hell, once finished with his treatment, Tony instinctively sought shelter in Teal'c’s arms. The unconscious action spoke louder than words to Jethro about Tony’s state of heart. Thus thinking he was out of the woods, he reached for the empty glass of water. His retreat to the kitchen was prevented by a hand latching onto his arm.

“Did you know?” Tony asked again, his voice sounding tired and strained. “Did you know the truth about them,” he indicated Jack and Teal'c. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me I was fucking a snake-infested alien from another galaxy?”

Jethro knew his mouth was hanging open in shock, and a quick glance to the side confirmed he was not alone in his reaction.

“Tony, if you’d let me---”

The nearly voiceless words, ‘You bastard,’ were thrown at him, and Jethro had the decency to cringe with guilt.

Stumbling to his feet, Tony braced a hand on Teal'c’s shoulders until his legs were steady enough to hold his weight. He then unsuccessfully tried to remove the bracelet he wore on his left wrist. After three attempts, he held his arm out to Jack. “Get this off of me,” he heatedly snapped. “The spirit in which it was given no longer holds true, and I refuse to wear the damn thing another minute.”

Jethro felt his breath catch in his throat. Teal'c had given Tony the cuff bracelet in a private commitment service at the hospital. A close friend of Jack’s had performed the ceremony, with the two of them acting as witnesses. Teal'c’s declaration of love and commitment had proven to be the catalyst in Tony’s recovery.

Jack appeared as stunned as Teal'c was and twice fumbled the bracelet’s latch. He finally got it off but before he could ask what to do with the thing, Tony grabbed it up and threw it at Teal'c. The beautifully engraved cuff was barely caught in time.

“You might want to look up the word ‘honesty’ next time you pledge yourself to someone,” Tony brusquely instructed his silent lover.

Not waiting for an answer, he turned on wobbly legs and, grabbing at the various pieces of furniture in his path, walked back outside.

“He didn’t mean it, Teal'c.”

Swallowing the pain that threatened to choke him, Jethro turned and looked at his lover. Jack was comforting Teal'c or at least trying his best to do so. Despite his efforts, the bewildered look of disbelief remained firmly fixed on the large man’s face. It was one Jethro had never seen before and honestly, didn’t wish to see again.

Tightening the arm he had thrown around his friend’s shoulders, O'Neill leaned forward and pinned Teal'c with his gaze. “It’s his brain that’s talking, not his heart. He loves you, Teal'c. I know that. You know that.”

Jethro reached over and tapped Jack on the shoulder. His lover spared a glance for him and nodded. Message sent and received. Jack would offer his shoulder to Teal'c while he, himself, would offer his to Tony.

Finding the patio vacant, Jethro walked slowly toward the large storage shed located at the rear of the property. The spacious building was home to his boat, his tools and one anxious, trembling Anthony DiNozzo.

Eyes glittering with condemnation accosted him the moment he stepped through the door.

“You knew, you bastard,” Tony stated. “Knew the truth and didn’t tell me.”

Sighing, Jethro shook his head. Trust, not to mention abandonment, were major issues with Tony, and their silence on the matter, albeit unintentional, had shaken the foundation of the relationship they had built amongst the four of them.

Time to mend fences.

“Damn it, DiNozzo, it’s not like I deliberately withheld the truth. Time was running out, fast. You were near death, and that fucking bitch wouldn’t---” Jethro took a deep breath and forcibly lowered his voice and his racing heart. Tony had already suffered one stress-induced spell of respiratory distress. No use pushing him into another one.

Leaning a hip against the nearest workbench, Jethro ran a hand through his hair while desperately trying to find the words that would assure his younger companion. “Look, you’ve got to understand. I was nearly out of my mind with worry about you. You were dying, and when I couldn’t reach Jack, things went from bad to worse. Hell, it got to the point where I finally had to call in a major IOU. You were totally out of it by the time that person put me in touch with someone who could locate Jack.”

Jethro reached out a hand to Tony, needing, once more, to confirm his friend and lover was indeed alive and well. His hand never made contact, and it hurt more than he was willing to admit.

Closing his eyes, Jethro sighed again. God, he hated explaining himself.

Glancing at Tony, he continued, “To be honest, once you were released from isolation, there just never seemed to be a good time to tell you what I’d learned.”

Jethro forced a grin he didn’t feel, whatsoever. “If you remember, you were in ICU for nearly a week. Kinda hard to hold a private conversation when everyone and their mother is popping in on you every ten minutes or so. And let’s not forget you being on the ventilator. That didn’t help the situation either, if you know what I mean.”

Tony obviously didn’t. He moved even further away.

Undaunted, Jethro followed. “By the time you were off the vent, Teal'c was proposing, and then there was the ceremony. Why he couldn’t wait until you got home, I’ll never know. Anyway, before I knew it, you were being discharged, and Jack was fluffing pillows for you at the new house.”

Jethro took a chance and grasped Tony by the arm. “It just got so damn busy,” he admitted.

Busy wasn’t the word for it. He’d been in the midst of closing on the house he’d bought for the four of them when everything went to hell. Between work, getting their stuff moved, watching over Tony at the hospital, reassuring Jack their boy would live, not to mention standing witness at the commitment ceremony Teal'c insisted upon -- well, things became a bit complicated and sharing the truth had gotten lost in the shuffle.

“That’s no excuse.”

Jethro was forced to take a step back when Tony turned and invaded his personal space.

“You knew and didn’t tell me,” he hoarsely accused.

Jethro grunted when a fist impacted with his chest.

“I may not be your soulmate, like Jack is,” Tony informed him, “but I am your lover and as such, should’ve been told.”

Jethro deflected the fourth blow. Gently, he lifted Tony’s fist to his mouth and kissed each clenched-white knuckle. He repeated the caress until the knuckles returned to their natural color.

Repeating the words Jack had spoken to him on more than one occasion since their recent fight, Jethro stated evenly, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I should have told you the truth.”

“Damn straight, you bastard. Don’t do it again.”

His slap to the back of Tony’s head went astray when his companion turned on his heel and resumed his visual inspection of the unfinished boat. Jethro, instead of following, maintained his distance. Tony wasn’t finished with him by any means, and the more breathing space between them, the better.

“Okay, now that you’ve finished tearing me a new one, let’s talk about Teal'c. That was damn insensitive of you, throwing his gift back at him.” Jethro took a closer look. He noted Tony’s attention wasn’t focused on the boat but rather on his left wrist, his ‘bare’ left wrist. “Want to tell me what brought on that bit of childish behavior?”

Silently he watched Tony wrestle with his thoughts. Watched and watched and watched. His patience, which was already stretched thin, was to the point of unraveling when an exhausted moan announced Tony’s surrender.

“Why? Why me?”

Jethro suddenly found his arms filled with a body that felt unbelievably frail.

“Tony? Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Coaxing his shaky lover to a nearby bench, Jethro tucked Tony against his side and tangled his fingers in the disorder of hair tucked beneath his chin. “I know you, DiNozzo. Teal'c being from another planet isn’t the problem. You’re a sci-fi junkie. The thought of having your very own alien is thrilling you beyond belief.”

He felt rather than heard the half-hearted chuckle. “I also know you love Teal'c more than anyone else in the world. So what’s wrong?”

Jethro murmured a protest when Tony disengaged himself and walked back toward the boat. “Hang on. Where are you---”

“You’re right, as usual,” his companion interjected, “but . . . .”

Tony glanced over his shoulder, and once again Jethro felt his heart catch in his throat. Tony’s eyes were filled with tears, and within those tears was the glimmer of despair.

“He has a family, Jethro, a wife and a son. What if . . . .” Turning back toward the boat, Tony gripped a wooden slat and banged his forehead against it. “You fool, you stupid, dumbass fool. It’s gonna be just like it was before. One minute you’ve got everything you ever wanted, then, wham! It’s all taken away.”

Tony slammed his head against the slat a second and third time. “Damn, you’d think by now I would’ve learned my lesson.”

His patience now non-existent, Jethro stepped forward, and this time made contact with the back of Tony’s head.

“DiNozzo! Quit babbling and tell me what the hell you’re talking about.”

Jethro pulled Tony away from the boat and examined his forehead for any damage. “Good thing you have such a thick skull, ‘cause it’s obviously going to take more than just a few hits to make you see sense.” Carding his fingers through hair that seriously needed a trim, he stated with conviction, “Teal'c loves you, pure and simple.”

“I know he loves me,” Tony begrudgingly admitted, “But what if . . .” Straightening, he brushed a hand over his eyes and frowned when it came back wet with tears. “Don’t you get it? Teal'c’s married. Has a wife, a son. In another galaxy. What if one day he decides it’s time to return home? Or better yet, he finally realizes I’m not worth the hassle. What if one day he decides he’s tired of my sorry ass and goes back to them?”

“I didn’t know Teal'c had a family.” Jethro hugged Tony close and grimaced when he felt the fine tremors shaking DiNozzo’s thin frame. “You do realize you’re borrowing trouble before it happens. Teal'c made a commitment to you. Why would you think---”

“If you had remained in the kitchen you would know that my wife is dead, and my son, Rya’c, is training to be a warrior in the fight against the Goa’uld.”

Teal'c stood directly behind Tony, his dark features drawn with worry. “You are my mate, Anthony DiNozzo, my family. I care for you deeply, and if I travel offworld, return home, I hope you will accompany me.”

The large man gripped Tony by his shoulders. “My soul is committed to you. I will not abandon you. On that I have given you my word. If Stargate Command permits it, I will reside with you here in this dwelling Gibbs has procured.”

“Teal'c?” Tony took possession of the hand clutching his shoulders and turned around. His voice broke when he saw the symbol of their commitment held out to him. The fact that the large hand holding the bracelet shook slightly was not lost on him. “Are you . . . are you sure? You’re not saying all this shit just so you can fuck me?”

Straightening to his full height, Tony stiffened his spine and forcibly removed himself from Teal'c’s side. “I’ve been down this road before,” he explained. “Given my heart to someone I loved, committed myself to a relationship I thought would last forever, only to discover I was just an easy lay, an ass to be fucked until a better one came along. I will not . . . I refuse to put myself through that again.”

Jethro rubbed his chest in sympathy when Teal'c received the same treatment he had earlier.

“You lied to me,” Tony accused with each thump of his fist. “You and your cohorts lied to me.”

“I concede,” Teal'c admitted with a nod of his head. “O'Neill and I did withhold vital information regarding our identities. It was not intentional, my mate. We were under orders.”

“Are you saying this Stargate whatever is more important than me?”

Tony got right up in Teal'c’s face, and Jethro couldn’t help but smile at the sight of their boy taking on the immovable giant.

“How fucking long were you going to keep me in the dark? Forever?” Tony shared a glance with Jethro. “Thank God for that guy Jethro connected with. At least he had the balls to tell us the truth.”

Jethro looked over at Teal'c and instinctively moved closer to Tony. The man looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

“If you would cease talking and permit me to explain, I will---”

Jethro closed his eyes. Hell was about to break loose, and he wasn’t in the mood to witness Teal'c’s demise.

“Stop it! Stop all this damn nonsense right now.”

Jethro cracked one eye open. Jack had bravely placed himself between the two disputing lovers and was somehow managing to keep Tony from launching himself at Teal'c.

“You,” he instructed Teal'c, “stand back. Give the boy some room.”

“You,” he turned to Tony, “sit down before you fall down. We didn’t go through hell getting you better just so you could have a relapse.”

Surprisingly both men complied.

“Okay now.” O'Neill rubbed his face with both hands before glaring at Tony. “Yes, we lied. Lied through our teeth repeatedly. But like Teal'c said, it wasn’t intentional.”

O’Neill stepped closer to Tony and gently massaged his shoulder. “You have to understand, Teal'c and I are members of a top secret government project. We are under standing orders, orders that prevent us from sharing information with anyone not connected with the project.”

O’Neill held up a hand when Tony opened his mouth. “In all fairness to Teal'c, he did insist on telling you the truth about himself weeks ago. I asked him to put a lid on it until we could talk to our C.O. You getting sick threw a wrench into our plans and well . . .” O’Neill spread his hands open, “here we are.”

Tony looked over at Teal'c. “Is that the truth? You were gonna tell me everything despite being under orders not to?”

Teal'c nodded. “You are my mate. I could no longer dishonor your love with falsehoods.”

Jethro moved to Jack’s side and laid a comforting hand on his back. He was about to share something with Tony that would no doubt hurt the man he had committed his heart to. “I know what you’re feeling, Tony. When I discovered the deception, I was mad. Hell, I was madder than mad. Felt betrayed in a way I found hard to explain or even forgive.”

Jack’s sharp intake of breath halted his explanation, and Jethro took time to soothe him with a brief kiss to the cheek.

“It hurts,” he continued, “still hurts, but I understand. I understand why they had to do what they did. The enormity of the Stargate Project is frankly inconceivable, and I can see why the government has it under such a tight lid of security. Foreign governments would kill to get their hands on such a thing.”

Jethro squatted in front of Tony and tapped the jaw muscle that was in a constant state of movement. “I know this sounds ridiculous, but forget about the Stargate Project for a moment. There’s something more important you need to consider.”

Sliding his thumb over Tony’s chin, he tilted the man’s head down and looked him square in the eye. “Have you given one thought to the risk Teal'c has taken in telling you about himself? As much as we love him, the truth is he’s an alien, and in all honestly, he should be confined to base. The fact that he is allowed out in the general population speaks highly of the trust our government has in him.”

“And yet that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still an alien. His continued presence is a tenuous thing at best.” Jethro glanced at Teal'c for confirmation before continuing. “To put it plainly, he’s here because the President permits it. Have you considered what would happen to him if the ‘powers that be’ discovered he’s revealed himself and thus, the existence of the Stargate Project, to a civilian?”

“They’d ship his butt back through the Gate so fast your head would spin,” O’Neill interjected.

Jethro turned and glared at his life-partner. “Who’s telling this story? Me or you?”

O’Neill hunched his shoulders in apology. “Sorry.”

“Not without me they won’t. No way, no how.”

Jethro stared at the spot that Tony had occupied just five seconds ago. It was now vacant. Rising to his feet, he located the missing member of their foursome standing next to Teal'c.

“You go, I go. No arguments.” Tony shook his finger at Teal'c. “You see this?” he asked, taking the silver cuff from his man’s unresisting fingers and waving it in front of his face. “This means we’re a team, you and I. If you leave, I leave.” He slapped the cuff back on his wrist then crossed his arms over his chest. “And don’t for one minute think you’re gonna be the hero of this duo. I will not play Robin to your Batman, Big Guy. You better get it through that thick skull of yours that I am perfectly capable of taking care of my . . . oh shit.”

Tony stumbled to the floor when knees weakened by his extended illness gave way. Jethro rushed forward but was pushed aside.

“He is my mate,” Teal'c decreed with a growl. “I will see to his needs,”

Jethro threw his hands up in the air and wisely backed off.

“As heartwarming as all this shit is,” O’Neill interrupted the reconciling couple, “there’s still the issue of meeting with Hammond in the morning. You,” he pointed at Tony, “better be fully prepared to back up your promises with action. And you,” he pinned Teal'c with an empathetic gaze, “better be ready for a fight. Hammond’s not going to like this whatsoever, and you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.”

“I see no reason why I should concern myself with the alignment of yellow-feathered fowl, O'Neill,” Teal'c replied. The barest of smiles curved his full lips. It reminded Jethro of the cat who bagged the unsuspecting canary.

“Huh?” O’Neill snapped his mouth shut. “Your future with Tony is about to be determined one way or the other. Why aren’t you worried?”

Teal'c looked at Jack as if he were a dull-witted child. “I was not the one who, as you put it, spilled the beans. Colonel Maybourne is responsible. It will be his gluteus maximus occupying the hot seat.”

“Ass. Just say ass,” O’Neill instructed with a roll of his eyes.

“He’s right,” Jethro noted. “Technically, your pal Maybourne is the one at fault. As far as your C.O. knows, neither you nor Teal'c said a word to us.”

The gleam of fiendishness suddenly brightened Jack’s eyes, and he rubbed his hands together. “You’re right. Maybourne takes the fall instead of us. Oh yeah, this could work, this could so work.”

“What about the reason for contacting this Maybourne fellow?” Tony asked after turning around to face them. Tilting his head back, he nipped Teal'c’s throat and groaned when it was reciprocated with a caress below the equator. “Hold that thought, Handsome.”

Tony looked first at Jethro, then at Jack. “Well? Are we ready to out ourselves to your boss? Do we tell him the reason why Jethro was on the hunt for you guys?” With a lopsided grin, he shook his head. “Man, we could so make a movie out of that. ‘The Agony of Love Gone Missing.’ How’s that for a title?”

“Do not quit your day job, my mate,” Teal'c quipped. The elbow aimed for his abdomen was caught and gently tucked away.

Restraining the smile that broke free, Jethro faced Jack. “Seriously, Tony’s made a good point. Do we divulge our relationship to your C.O.?”

O’Neill dismissed their concerns with a wave of his hand. “Hammond’s not dumb. He figured me out way back when. Now Teal'c, well, we’ll just blame his choice of partners on him being an alien.”

O'Neill ignored his friend’s grunt of annoyance. “Besides, the old man will eat this shit up. He’s a softie at heart, and once he hears about Tony lying near death’s door and that his one and only request was to see his lovers one final time . . . no doubt he’ll be searching for a hankie.”

“Whaddaya say, Teal'c?” O’Neill addressed his teammate. “Ready to throw Maybourne to the lions?”

“I’d say he’s ready to throw Tony over his shoulder and fuck him senseless.”

Jethro indicated the two men going at each other like starving fools. Clothes were being ripped off in between kisses that threatened to melt both polar ice-caps.

“Looks like paradise is a happy place once more,” O’Neill surmised. Teasingly, he fondled Jethro’s ass. “Come on, babe. Time to let the kiddies play amongst themselves.”

Jethro resisted the pull on his arm. He remained steadfast until Teal'c had lifted Tony off his feet and disappeared out the door. Once the two were gone, he turned and gathered Jack into his arms.

“I know I hurt you earlier with what I said, and I’m sorry,” he admitted.

The grin on Jack’s face was replaced with a disheartened frown. “I’ve apologized a million times. I’m sorry for deceiving you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me. What else do you want me to say?”

Jethro gripped the sides of Jack’s head and solidly kissed him. “I’ll be honest, there are moments when I want to beat the crap out of you for leaving me without a contact number. And if you care to know, I still have nightmares about Tony dying with only me at his bedside.”

Kisses meant to reassure and apologize were offered to him repeatedly. Jethro accepted and returned them all.

“I love you, Jack O'Neill,” he openly confessed while touching their foreheads together. “You are my mate, and like Tony with Teal'c, where you go, I go.”

Jack closed his eyes and took a deep, chest-shuddering breath. When his lover’s sable orbs were once again trained on him, Jethro saw in their depths the feelings Jack had no words for. A full minute passed as they stared at each other. Finally a cocky lift of the eyebrow followed by a grin that warned of future depravity lightened the emotionally-laden mood that had settled down upon them.

Clearing his throat, O'Neill gruffly stated. “Well, if you’re going where I’m going then you’re way overdressed.”

Jethro laughed. “Overdressed, am I?”

Eager hands started working on the belt to his slacks. “Oh yeah,” O’Neill agreed. “Clothes are definitely redundant.”

“What about our nap?” Jethro reminded his lover. “The game?”

His rapidly hardening shaft was released from his briefs, and Jethro couldn’t help but moan with pleasure when it was stroked with restrained enthusiasm.

“Does this monster look sleepy to you?” O'Neill questioned with a noisy lick of his lips. “As far as I can tell, this big boy looks primed and ready for action.” Shifting his hand further back, he convinced Jethro, with a tug on his balls, to widen his stance. “And these fellas are demanding equal attention, too. What about it, Jarhead? Ready for a little one on one action with the Mighty O'Neill?”

“Lead the way, Fly Boy.”

They had barely gone a few steps when Jethro slapped Jack on the back of the head. “You can let go of my dick, you asshole. I can follow without you tugging on my leash.”

“Ah, but what a mighty fine leash it is, my mate.”

Jethro punched Jack in the arm before zipping up his pants. “Fucking aside,” he said once they were on their way back to the house, “I’ve decided that today is as good as any for explaining the house rules, especially now that it appears the four of us might be living together on a full-time basis.”

“Rules? You got rules?”

Jethro slid an arm around Jack’s waist. “Number One. Touch the coffeemaker, and you die. It’s programmed to my specifications. Mess with those settings, and your life is forfeit.”

O’Neill faked a put upon sigh. “And number two?”

“Play with those tools in the shed without my permission or supervision, and you’ll discover exactly how far up your ass my fist can go.”

The glint of alarm darkened his lover’s expressive eyes, and Jethro grinned when Jack glanced back toward the storage shed while rubbing his behind.

“Just how many rules are there?” O’Neill hesitantly inquired.

“Twelve, and I expect you and Teal’c to memorize them. Tony has.”

“He would, Ass-kisser.”

Laughing, Jethro pulled Jack toward the back door. “How ‘bout we get comfy. Knowing your disregard for rules and regulations, this could take awhile.”


End of chapter 13


Author’s notes: Major thanks to Elaine. If she beta’d this chapter once, she beta’d it a hundred times. Thanks for your patience and thoughtful advice. You’re the bestest!


Disclaimer: This work is not intended as an infringement upon the rights of those that own these characters and is meant solely for non-profit entertainment purposes only.