Author's website: http://carodee.popullus.net
Stargate SG-1 is the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. The Sentinel is owned by Pet Fly.
This is the fourth story in the Top Dog series. It was written for the Moonridge 2004 edition of My Mongoose Ezine where the themes were camping and outdoor activities, wild animals and spirit guides. Many thanks to all the gals at Senbeta who were kind enough to go over this off-list and suggest improvements. I made some last minute changes so all errors are my fault.

This story is a sequel to: Dog Star

It was a beautiful morning, early enough that dawn was still just a hint in the changing light. Jim inhaled the fresh country air with delight. "C'mon, grandpa. Hurry it up. The fish aren't going to slow down for you."

"Asshole," O'Neill muttered under his breath, making Jim smile affectionately. The older man was moving cautiously but silently behind him. He had to admit that O'Neill still had his military skills. It was unusual for a man his age still to be going out into the field -- but that was part of the classified stuff that he couldn't ask about. Fair enough. It wasn't like he was itching to tell O'Neill about the Sentinel stuff either.

"This way," he whispered to O'Neill, taking them through the trees and steering his companion around a large clump of rocks that might bruise unwary shins in the dark. O'Neill followed unhesitatingly. Then, through a gap in the trees, Jim saw the small river.

The light had changed enough during their hike that O'Neill could see and he set down the gear and began checking it. Jim hastily began to prep his borrowed fishing pole. Although he preferred flyfishing to O'Neill's fixed pole method, he'd decided to go along with O'Neill's way for this trip. But no way was he letting O'Neill bring home the fish to their currently sleeping lovers. "Twenty-five says I catch the biggest one," he challenged.

O'Neill lifted his head and stared at Jim, eyes narrowed. "Make it fifty. I'm feeling lucky today."

Jim smirked. "That was last night and I could use an extra fifty. Deal."

They both nodded and turned to the serious business of competitive fishing. Aside from the occasional muttered insult, the two men sat silently and companionably, enjoying the beauty of their surroundings.

After about half an hour, Jim heard Blair and Daniel starting to stir. He grinned, remembering last night and the pleasant, sated ache of his ass. They'd earned their rest.

"Hey, Daniel. Looks like the guys made coffee and left some for us. I'm just going to start up the fire and reheat it, okay?"

"Mmm...hmm..."

Wait for it.

"Um... coffee?"

Jim grinned. The promise of caffeine worked better than an alarm clock for Daniel Jackson. He happily listened to the sound of Blair puttering around the campsite, and whispering sentinel-quiet greetings to Jim. Then with a great deal of yawning and smacking of lips, Daniel seemed to make it into an upright position and able to ingest the coffee.

"Where are the guys? They head out already?"

"Yeah, the fishing gear is gone. So I'm guessing they'll be busy all morning. That'll leave us free to do some hiking like we talked about last night."

"You don't like to fish?"

"Fishing is fun, but I think they need some bonding time together."

There was silence for a bit and then Daniel spoke slowly. Something in his voice alerted Jim and he listened more carefully.

"Blair, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Does it ever bother you?"

"What?"

"You know. Jack and Jim."

"You mean because they're in love?"

Jim choked and turned to stare at O'Neill, obliviously staring out over the water. In love?

"You see it too. Doesn't it bother you?"

"Does it bother you?"

"No. Well, yeah. Maybe. Sometimes I wonder if I'll wake up some morning and the two of them will have run off together."

Jim's blood ran cold. If Daniel was jealous and worried, then that was the kiss of death for this friendship. He'd just found O'Neill again after all these years. He didn't want to give him up again. But he knew how much Daniel meant to O'Neill and... was Blair worried too?

"I know Jim loves me and he's not leaving. You have to know that Jack loves you, right?"

Daniel could feel Blair's concerned stare as he buried his nose in the coffee mug. "Yes, but..."

"Look, they had their chance a long time ago and they blew it. They're crazy about each other but they're just not compatible. They'd kill each other. This getting together every once in a while is perfect for them. And it's not bad for us, either."

Blair sat down next to him, leaning against his shoulder and stealing a quick kiss, before pointing out, "We wouldn't know each other if those two hadn't met. We sure as hell wouldn't be lovers if they weren't. There's a real upside to this, you know."

"Thanks." Daniel took another long sip of coffee. "So it really doesn't bother you?"

"Daniel, we aren't second choice here. Those guys are wonderful, but hard to take sometimes -- and they're darned lucky we took them. We are compatible with them and they know it. Besides, we're partners, Jim and I, in more than the love and cop thing. We have our secrets just like you and Jack. That's something that binds us together as much or more than love."

Daniel gave Blair a considering look but remained silent. Jack and Daniel had speculated once about Jim and Blair's 'secret', but had decided not to pry. Their friends had accepted the fact their work was classified without any protest, and never asked again. It was, in fact, one of the reasons Jack had assessed the two, with particular attention to Blair, and their liaison as no genuine security risk to the Stargate at all.

The Stargate. Daniel supposed Blair was right. SG-1 tied them together in a way that outsiders couldn't touch. Still, sometimes he wondered whether Jack would be his lover even if -- or maybe, when -- the Stargate was no longer part of their lives. He was pretty sure Jim and Blair were forever. He wasn't so sure about him and Jack and that awareness was like a sharp pebble in his shoe. Funny how it hadn't bothered him so much before he'd met Blair and his Jim.

Blair reached over and slapped Daniel on the knee. "Come on, finish up your coffee. We'll hike up to that little lake we saw yesterday and try some skinny-dipping." Blair wagged his eyebrows and leered suggestively. "I've got some scenic wonders to show you."

Daniel choked on his coffee and snickered. "Oh, is that what you're calling it?" He quickly swallowed the last dregs and handed the cup over. "Done. Let's go."

"Yes!" Jack hissed triumphantly, as the line jerked. After a very nice little tug of war, he pulled his prize out the water, flipped it to shore and went over to put the fish out of its misery. Probably not a winner, but still a nice size. He glanced over at Ellison to see his reaction and was startled to see that he was staring off into the distance and paying no attention to Jack at all. He dropped the fish in the basket and went to sit back down next to Ellison.

"Hey," he said quietly.

Ellison jumped. "Shit!"

Jack took in the worried lines on Ellison's face and frowned. Something wasn't right. "Okay, what's up?"

Ellison glanced away in a particularly shifty manner. Oh yeah, Jack's radar was going off big-time. "Cough it up, soldier."

Ellison met Jack's eyes for a second and then looked over his shoulder. Reluctantly, he said, "I heard Blair and Daniel talking. About us." He looked slightly alarmed and added, "This morning."

Well, damn. Could be anything, then. Jack resolutely ignored the fact that fifteen minutes ago Ellison was fine and the boys were still asleep when they left camp this morning. This had to be really bad if he wasn't handling his cover better than this. "So?"

"Blair thinks we're in love."

Oh. Now that he really wasn't expecting. "That a problem?"

Ellison's eyes widened. "You think we are?"

Jack made a face and scratched his head. "Well, we're in something, all right. Guess love covers it as well as anything."

Ellison blinked a couple times and turned away looking thoughtful.

"You didn't answer my question," said Jack.

"Daniel's not too happy about it."

'Nice deflection there.' Jack's heart jumped into his throat. "How 'not happy' is he?"

"He's afraid you might leave him."

Aw, Danny. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"Blair?"

"He's okay with it, I think. He's talked to Daniel." Ellison looked at Jack with a wry twist to his mouth. "Blair can talk anybody into anything. Whether it lasts when we're gone... I don't know."

"Daniel... I'm pretty sure he's the one." Jack was sure -- he was sure he was sure -- so why the hell did he feel uncomfortable telling Ellison that?

"I know," Ellison said gently. "Look, do you want to end this?"

They stared at each other silently. Ellison's eyes were shadowed but he had his game face on. He might not like it, but he would follow Jack's decision on this.

Jack grabbed the back of Ellison's neck to pull him into a gentle kiss. Ellison's hands were full so all he could do was submit to the kiss. It was sweet with an aftertaste of fear and longing.

Ellison broke the kiss off and leaned his forehead against Jack's. "I don't want to lose you again," he admitted.

Jack's hand tightened on Ellison's neck. "Me neither."

"You have to talk to Daniel."

"Yeah. See what exactly the problem is. Maybe... focus on him a bit more. Reassure him that I'm with him. We've been spending our vacations with you guys. Maybe next time I'll take him somewhere -- just the two of us."

"Sounds like a plan." Ellison gave a stoic smile. "I'll... we'll miss you."

"Hey!" Jack pulled back to look him sternly in the eye. "This is not over. I don't want to lose you either, Jim."

Ellison's eyes crinkled at the edges and he nodded. Then, while Jack was looking deeply into his eyes, Ellison just went blank as a statue. He stood there a couple of seconds, then swore harshly, shoved his fishing pole into Jack's hands, scrambled up and went tearing off into the woods.

"What the fuck? Ellison! Wait for me!" Jack wrapped the pole once around a tree and ran after him. He'd replace the snarled line later. If Ellison was taking off like that, somebody was in danger. Please, please, don't let it be Daniel. Or Blair, he added guiltily, trying to keep Ellison in sight, but having to rely on following the sound of his crashing through the trees.

Bionics. That had to be it. Vague memories of watching The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid flitted through his mind. It didn't quite fit with Ellison's being a civilian but, hey, maybe he was undercover. Jack's half-hearted speculations failed to distract him from his fear as he pushed his aging body to keep up with the younger man.

"Well, this is just wonderful," Daniel said sarcastically.

Blair clung to the tree trunk. Personally, he was glad to be up here, even if the bark was rough on the more tender bits. The alternative was an intimate acquaintance with Mama Bear and she was most definitely not happy with them. Even though the female of the species was smaller, she still looked huge and dangerous, as she clawed at the tree and roared up at them. Although he had to admit that the roly poly cub they'd inadvertently stumbled over was pretty cute, he really would have preferred not to be naked at the moment. Not to mention what Daniel had been about to do to him when they were so rudely interrupted.

"Jim!" he yodeled. "Oh, Jii-iim!"

Daniel stared down at him in disbelief. "You really think he can hear you from here?"

Blair shrugged. "Can't hurt. Otherwise, we're stuck here until she forgets about us." He added under his breath, "We're okay, Jim. Just ran into a bear and she's treed us. Don't come rushing in and just think you can take her on, okay? We're both fine. Not a scratch on either of us."

"Great!" Daniel rolled his eyes. "Jack is going to take one look at us stuck up here and laugh himself silly. I'll be hearing about 'storing my nuts for winter' for years! Oh God, he's gonna tell people at work."

"Really?" Huh. Yeah, that sounded like Jack all right. The only thing that kept him from being a total asshole sometimes was being such a likable jerk. Boy, did that sound familiar. "Maybe a little preemptive action is in order?"

Daniel gave him a sharp look and then slowly smiled. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'd recommend a simple strategy based on a million years of male evolution."

"And that means... what?"

Blair looked shocked -- simply shocked -- at Daniel's ignorance. "You have to know this one, Daniel. It's so basic, so simple, that it never fails."

A raised eyebrow and an expectant silence was Daniel's response.

"Oh man. Nookie first; everything else second. Then if we exhaust them, they won't remember to laugh at us afterwards."

"Oh, that!" Daniel waved so cavalierly that Blair reflexively tightened his own grip, visions of Daniel slipping and him having to face an outraged Jack racing through his mind. "Of course, I know that one. Works on Jack all the time."

Blair lifted his head at the sound of someone -- several someones -- crashing through the forest. "Here they come. Our heroes."

"Just great," Daniel snarled and kicked the tree, cursing when a stab of pain shot through his bare foot.

Blair threw him a concerned glance. Normally, Daniel seemed to enjoy Jack's sniping and gave back as good as he got. Maybe he needed to work off some of that energy. Blair knew just the thing.

Jim stopped just short of the clearing and stared in disbelief, as he waited for O'Neill to catch up. Thirty seconds later, the grim-faced man arrived. "Damnit, Ellison. You don't take off without a word and scare me half to death like that. What's wrong?"

"Bear. Got them treed." Jim thought he was going to bust something trying not to laugh. Blair's little warning had not prepared him for the actual sight of them.

O'Neill was staring at him suspiciously. "They okay?"

"Yeah. But the bear's pretty pissed and they could be up there for hours." A snort broke out before Jim could stop it. "Brace yourself, O'Neill. Apparently, the boys stumbled onto the bear while they were horsing around and..."

A wave of relief spread over him as he realized Ellison wouldn't be laughing if anyone was hurt. Then, O'Neill's eyes widened and a grin spread over his face. "You mean...?"

"Yup, they're 'bear'-assed naked," Jim managed to say, almost straight-faced.

"Yes! Now this I gotta see!" O'Neill chortled and moved forward to peer through the brush up at the boys in the tree with the growling bear pacing below. "Oh yeah, this is good. Why didn't someone tell me it was my birthday today?"

Blair spotted them and waved cheerfully. Daniel, on the other hand, had a sour look on his face. Jim gleefully waved back and cupped his hands around his mouth to shout, "Hang in there, Chief. We'll get you guys down."

The bear whirled around at the sound of Jim's voice and charged forward a half-dozen feet into the clearing. She reared up to challenge the intruders. Looking into the angry eyes and sharp, yellow teeth, Jim pulled O'Neill back behind the trees. He knew bears were near-sighted. Hopefully, if she couldn't see them...

"Okay," Blair yelled back. "We'll just wait here."

The bear roared, her attention pulled back to her original targets. Jim winced as she began shredding the tree again in her effort to get at Blair and Daniel. Those claws were deadly.

"Okaaay, so how are we doing this then?" O'Neill asked. "I've got a gun back at camp."

"I'm carrying, but I really don't want to hurt her just because Sandburg was annoying."

"I hear ya," O'Neill snickered. He pursed his lips for a moment, thinking. "You know... back home when I was a kid, I remember Dad scaring a bear off with loud noises."

Jim looked dubious, but it was better than his idea, which was to throw a rock and run like hell. "What kind of noises?"

"Banging pots and pans together."

"The cooking gear's back at the camp."

"Only one of us needs to go." O'Neill pointed out and offered, "I'll stay and watch that they're okay."

Jim gave him a dirty look but nodded. "It'll take me about fifteen minutes to get there and back. Here." He bent down and pulled his backup out of the ankle holster. "Try not to shoot yourself in the foot."

"Har-de-har," said O'Neill as he took the gun. "I got the boys covered. Run along now, Army, and get our noisemakers."

Jim saw O'Neill's casual confidence with the gun and the determined look under the joking manner and felt a lot more reassured about Blair's safety. He turned and began trotting back to the campsite.

"Hey, Daniel!"

"Just ignore him," Daniel ground out through gritted teeth.

"Daniel! Tell that squirrel eyeing your nuts that those belong to me!"

Blair snickered.

"Don't worry about any splinters! I've got your tweezers right here, baby!"

"I'm gonna kill him!" snarled Daniel.

"No, you're not."

"Oh yes," Daniel insisted emphatically. "Dead, dead, dead. He thinks Egyptology is boring? I'm gonna show him how interesting the rites of mummification are. His brains are small enough, I'm pretty sure I can pull them out through his nose."

"First, ugh. Thank you for that image. Second, his brains are plenty big or you wouldn't have given him the time of day. Third, I'm bored and he's at least somewhat entertaining. Fourth, where the hell is Jim? I want down from here. I think I've got a permanent dent in my butt from this branch."

Daniel grimaced in agreement. Ignoring the comments from Jack, he stared in the direction of camp. "Oh, I think he's back."

"All right! Let's get this show on the road, guys." In Blair's opinion, as interesting as this experience had been, it was getting old.

Jack and Jim were huddling in the trees, arms waving and arguing in low voices. Finally, Jack threw up his arms in defeat and grabbed something from Jim.

Then the two men entered the clearing, yelling and banging pots and pans together. Unfortunately, the camping cookware was made of light-weight aluminum and, instead of making a loud, clanging noise, it was more of a tinny clack-clack-clack. Both Blair and Daniel's jaws dropped and the pacing, growling bear stopped to stare at the approaching men.

"What the fuck?" breathed Blair.

"Tell me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing," begged Daniel.

Even the bear was looking slightly embarrassed, swaying a little and snorting in confusion.

Sensing victory, Jim and Jack increased the volume of their yells and kept moving forward. Unfortunately, at that moment, the bear cub chose to yowl for mama from the other side of the clearing and the mother bear reacted instantly, rearing to full height and roaring a challenge. The men froze for a second, backed up a few steps and then prudently turned and ran.

Up in the tree, Daniel and Blair were laughing. "Oh God, did you see the looks on their faces?"

"Great idea!" snarled Jim. They'd retreated far enough into the woods that the bear lost interest, turning back towards her cub.

"Oh yeah, like I told you to use aluminum pots. These wouldn't scare a kitten."

"It was what we had!"

"Well, maybe it's time to use the gun."

Jim looked uncomfortable and O'Neill relented. "We can fire over its head, okay. It's just a loud noise that might actually work!"

"Yeah, okay."

Just then Jim felt something brush against him. Looking down, he saw the black panther twining around his legs. With a startled gasp, he jumped backwards.

O'Neill stared at him. "What?"

"Uh, nothing." Apparently, O'Neill couldn't see the big, black cat right in front of him, Jim was relieved to realize. He stared at the cat. Why was it here?

The panther sat down and yawned lazily. There was no sense of danger lurking about, no mystical threat on the horizon. The cat looked relaxed and amused.

"You think it's so funny, why don't you do something about it?" Jim said, staring at the cat.

"Huh? Hello, have gun, will shoot, Ellison," O'Neill pointed out.

Jim watched as the panther stood, stretched and then stalked past him back towards the clearing, the jaunty twitch of its tail practically shouting, 'Just watch me, buddy.' Feeling slightly idiotic, Jim followed, with O'Neill trailing behind him.

The panther turned around once just before he left the trees, and Jim could have sworn the panther winked at him. "Just great. A joky spirit guide. Why me, Incacha?" Jim muttered, then said more loudly, "I think we should wait a couple minutes."

"For what?" grumbled O'Neill.

"Just wait."

The panther walked up to the bear and, to Jim's surprise, since he'd been expecting the panther to challenge the bear, began rubbing itself under the bear's chin like a kitten, the sound of happy purring drifting through the clearing. Jim sneaked a quick glance at O'Neill who just looked bored. Then he looked up into the tree. Daniel was staring south over the trees but Blair was squinting down into the clearing. Jim knew the instant Blair saw the panther when his jaw dropped and his head turned to stare at Jim. Jim nodded confirmation and then returned to watching as the big, bad spirit guide rolled playfully onto its back showing its belly to the bemused bear.

The mother bear lowered her powerful head to sniff at the non-corporeal entity purring and batting at her snout with one gentle paw. With a shake of her head and a loud snort of confusion, the bear backed up, gathered up her cub, and ambled peacefully away.

The panther stood, stretched leisurely, flicked one contemptuously amused ear at Jim, and disappeared. That was it? thought Jim. Show up to scare off a bear and disappear? He looked up at Blair's excited 'I have a theory' face and sighed. Oh well, at least he had a reprieve until they were alone.

"Well," said O'Neill. "That was anticlimactic."

"Oh, shut up."

"Some heroes we are."

"What part of 'shut up!' are you not getting?"

"I don't know about Blair, but Daniel's gonna get some mileage out of this one."

"Maybe you shouldn't have made fun of him."

O'Neill looked genuinely surprised. "I couldn't pass up a golden opportunity like that. I have a reputation to maintain. Daniel knows I'm just kidding."

Jim was trying wholeheartedly to ignore the amused whispering going on as Blair and Daniel climbed down out of the tree.

"Oh well, there's always the tried-and-true method of shutting Daniel up."

"What's that?"

"Fuck 'im stupid."

"I like the way you think, O'Neill. It's a plan."

O'Neill whistled as Blair and Daniel came up to them and Jim grinned apologetically at Blair.

"Looking good, fellas," leered O'Neill. "No wonder the bear was trying to get at you."

Daniel glared at O'Neill and opened his mouth. Blair hurriedly cut him off. "Yeah. Well, thanks for coming to our rescue."

"Yes," smirked Daniel. "You really made an impression on that bear. She almost died laughing."

"Well, at least I didn't hide up in a tree like some people," countered Jack sweetly.

Okay, not good. Jim looked to Blair, who stared back at him and then rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, man, enough of this shit. I just spent way too much time stuck in a tree, instead of having a good time. That's gonna change right now. So..." Blair waggled his eyebrows. "If you can catch me, big guy, you can have your wicked way with me." With a shove that almost tipped a startled Jim over, Blair took off running, calling to Daniel.

Caught by surprise, Daniel blinked and then threw Jack a taunting smile. "Oh, yeah. Bet you can't catch me, Jack." And he was off and running after Blair.

Jim and O'Neill stared at each other.

"Okaaay," said O'Neill slowly. "Looks like they had the same plan."

"You complaining, old man?" Jim grinned and started loping off in the same direction. He heard O'Neill mutter, "Just my knees," and then the other man was running beside him.

Blair leaped down the trail, laughing as he skidded around a curve and narrowly avoided banging into a tree. Daniel was right behind him, and he turned to share a gleeful grin. "This way!"

Daniel grinned back and followed as Blair ducked through the trees, heading towards the stream he knew was just around the corner. They splashed through it and jumped up onto the other bank.

Blair halted for a moment looking back. He could hear Jim and Jack yelling and crashing through the woods behind them. Maybe Jim had turned his senses down because they'd managed to elude him for almost ten minutes, but he wouldn't bet on it. He knew better than to think he could outrun a sentinel but then, that wasn't really the point, was it? Soon Jim was going to catch up and then....

His blood pounded in anticipation. With a laugh, he caught Daniel by the neck and pulled him into a quick kiss. "They're getting closer."

Daniel's eyes were shining with excitement. His earlier bad mood seemed forgotten as he kissed Blair back and then pulled him along. "Come on, Blair. Don't give up now."

Running behind Daniel had a lot of recommend it, Blair thought as he admired the muscles flexing along Daniel's back and thighs. Once again, he noticed that there were more scars than seemed reasonable for a mild-mannered scholar. Apparently whatever classified project Daniel was on required more than just lab work. Blair stumbled and barely kept his balance. Never mind the mystery, he told himself sternly. There are more important things to do right now. Heh. Like Jim and Jack.

They burst out of the trees into a sunlit meadow. "Here!" said Daniel, in satisfaction. He turned, grabbed an unresisting Blair, and pulled him down into the long grass to kiss him eagerly. Blair responded enthusiastically and was sufficiently distracted to almost be surprised when Jim and Jack exploded into the clearing and came to a sudden stop.

Daniel lifted his head from kissing Blair just long enough to give them a sultry look and then rolled on top of Blair.

Go Daniel, Blair thought happily as he rocked upwards against Daniel's slow thrusts. If Daniel was in the mood to tease their guys with a show, he could definitely get with the program.

And Jim was liking it, if the bulge in his pants was any indication. He and Jack walked up slowly and stood there looking down at them. Blair met their hot gazes and smiled lazily, running his hands down to cup Daniel's ass and watched their eyes follow. Oh yeah, come and get it, guys.

Blair ended the kiss and winked up at him. "You know, Daniel, I think those lazy bums of ours are just going to stand there and watch."

"Now, Blair, you have to understand that they're getting old," Daniel pointed out sadly and spoiled the effect by snickering.

"Old?!" squawked Jack, who obviously knew a straight line when he heard one. "I'll show you old." He started stripping off his clothes and tossing them aside, not coincidentally each toss draping an item over Jim. After the shirt and belt hit him, Jim was prepared and easily caught the boots and pants that followed. Watching Jack hop on one foot as he pulled off one sock, then the other, Jim laughed so hard to he was falling behind in his own disrobing. Blair and Daniel were chortling into each other's mouth as they kept trying to kiss and finally gave up to leer at Jack.

Jack kneeled in front of him and gave him a crooked, rueful smile. Daniel really wasn't ready to let go of his earlier pissy mood, but that hangdog look of Jack's got him every time. Jack saw it and smiled, leaning forward to kiss him gently. Daniel rolled off Blair and stretched up into the kiss, accepting the silent apology.

Then Jim was there, pushing in between, demanding his own kiss. "Hey, don't forget me."

Daniel hesitated a moment and then smiled. Jim kissed him gently, the tip of his tongue lightly caressing, asking for permission. Daniel's lips parted and Jim deepened the kiss, taking his time and exploring Daniel's mouth. They'd kissed before during sex -- hard, passionate kisses. Something felt different this time. Confused, he pulled back and looked at Jim.

Daniel prided himself on reading people quickly and accurately. The rest of the team would still be clutching their weapons suspiciously while Daniel was stepping forward with the "We come in peace" spiel.

Daniel had liked Jim Ellison from the beginning and considered him a really decent human being. And then there was Blair. Amazing Blair. Daniel couldn't remember the last time he'd had someone to talk to with the depth and breadth of Blair's intellect. He'd been so wrapped up in the joy of communicating with a like mind, that he'd only gradually noticed that the continual, annoying sniping between Jack and Jim covered an intensity of feeling that left Daniel feeling jealous and insecure. Not that he doubted for one moment Jack really loved him. Just... when they were around Jim, there was a desperate, needy part of him that demanded to know that Jack loved him more.

But that was his problem, wasn't it? Right? Not Jack's and definitely not Jim's.

Daniel looked deep into Jim's eyes and saw for the first time that Jim was his friend, too. There was a bone-deep honor in the man and a gentleness towards Daniel that caught his breath. Instinctively, he knew that he had nothing to fear here. A quick glance over at Blair revealed a similar welcoming affection. These two were together in every sense of the word and nothing could separate them, not even Jack. Something inside his heart loosened and he gave Jim a sweet, tentative smile.

Jim smiled back, tracing the contours of his face with tender affection. Then that quiet moment was over as Blair leaned in with his cheerfully leering face and groped Daniel. Jim ran clever, skillful hands down the length of his torso, tweaking his nipples, scratching lightly down his ribs, and then Jim was kissing and licking a trail along the same path as his hands.

"Oh," said Daniel, and watched stunned as Jim settled in the grass between his legs and engulfed Daniel's cock. A smooth, wet tongue circled the tip of his cock and then the rhythmic suction began in earnest. He gasped -- Oh my God! -- so that was why Jack was always moaning so loud when Jim played with him. Suddenly, the adrenaline from the chase was back and his cock was so hard and he wanted... "Jack!"

Jack slid right in behind him, sweaty heat along the length of his back, arms slipping around Daniel and pulling him in tight. Daniel leaned into the embrace, head back against Jack's shoulder and stared sightlessly up into the sky, mind totally occupied with the intense pleasure from his cock.

He could feel Jack's hard-on pressing against his ass over and over, Jack's voice breathing in his ears, "Feels good, doesn't it, Danny? You feel good."

"Jack," moaned Daniel. He looked around vaguely, noticing that everybody was focused on him. Feeling like he should be doing something, he reached out to grab Blair's cock, but Blair just smiled and shook his head.

"Let yourself go, Daniel. This is for you."

Oh yes, he could do that. He could. He heard Blair say something else and then Jim answered, "In my pants pocket," which made no sense at all, but who cared so long as Jim's mouth was back on him and it felt so damned good.

Blair disappeared and then he was back. A moment later, Blair was easing Daniel's knees up and Jack slipped a hand under each knee holding him open, while Blair reached down below Jim's bobbing head. Slick fingers were pushing inside him and as they pressed against his prostate, Daniel bit his fist to keep from screaming.

Jack pulled his hand away. "Uh-uh, Danny. We want to hear you. No one else is around and we want to hear how good it is for you."

Given permission, Daniel began to sob with pleasure, head thrashing from side to side as his body tried to move into the pleasure and was held still. The combination of helplessness and the physical ecstasy from Jim and Blair's loving attention was almost too much. It was rising, getting better... "Oh please, oh please, oh please..."

Just as he could feel orgasm approaching, both men stilled and Daniel protested, struggling in Jack's arms. Jim rose to a kneeling position to kiss him, murmuring soothing words, while Jack and Blair brought his legs down and eased him down, rolling him on his side. Daniel trembled, staring the wild grass surrounding his head. What kind of wildflower was that? He couldn't remember the name. There was a lady bug crawling on it. He was aware of the others moving around him, stroking him gently.

Then Jack was there behind him and, thank God, pushing inside Daniel. Daniel let go a moan of longing and pushed backwards. Oh yes, oh God, Jack. Jack gripped him firmly and then began pumping in and out slowly. Jim started sucking him again and moving to the same rhythm. Daniel went crazy, gasping with pleasure, hips bucking wildly as he moved between Jack and Jim.

He was vaguely aware of Blair preparing and entering Jim, who groaned and began sucking Daniel hard and fast. Oh God, he was so close. Jack panted in his ear, "Oh yeah! God, Daniel, you feel so good. So beautiful. Love you!" Then Jack was pounding into Daniel.

Daniel's hand flew back to caress Jack's head. "Love you too, Jack. Ah, so good. Feels so good. Jack, Jaaaaack!"

As Daniel's orgasm crashed over him, body clenching and surging, Jack lost it too, coming with a roar. "Oh God, Danny. Oh God."

Jim continued sucking Daniel's cock gently for a few moments before pulling away. Through his blissed-out haze, Daniel heard him moan, "Oh yeah, Chief. Just like that. Fuck me harder."

With an effort, Daniel opened his eyes and looked down. Jim lay there, just inches from his softening cock, teeth bared in a grimace of physical pleasure. Blair was moving behind him, looking at Jim with this terrible tenderness that made Daniel's heart clench. Blair saw him watching and smiled lovingly at Daniel, then turned his total attention back on Jim.

Daniel continued watching. They were beautiful together and he was happy for them -- really, he was -- but he also a little envious. Blair had told him once that they'd had a rough time at one point and almost hadn't made it. He'd gotten the impression that a woman had come between them, but he didn't know the details. But they survived and they were so committed to each other. Daniel bit his lip. There was something in Jack that was holding back. His hands tightened their grip on Jack's arms around his waist. Jack hummed happily and hugged him closer.

In that moment, Daniel knew he was going to fight for Jack. Whatever the reason Jack was unsure, whether it was Jim or just Jack's ghosts, Daniel would wait it out. Because Jack was worth it.

Arms full of dazed, happy archaeologist, Jack's eyes were glued to the sight in front of him. Blair was fucking Ellison like a well-oiled machine and Jack's own ass was twitching with envy. Funny how it occurred to him now that he'd never bottomed for Blair. Clearly he was missing out here. Jack nuzzled Daniel's hair and thought maybe he ought to suggest it tonight. Maybe Daniel would feel more comfortable if he wasn't so focused on Ellison. Not that that was going to be any hardship he realized as Ellison began begging hoarsely and Blair grinned and sped up, one hand reaching to fist Ellison's cock.

Then Ellison screamed. Jack's cock throbbed in sympathy as he watched the orgasm surge through his body like a tidal wave, Ellison caught up in it, limbs spasming, mouth open in a low wail. Damn, he was beautiful when he came.

A couple more thrusts and Blair followed. They collapsed bonelessly and lay there for a few moments. Ellison looked totally out of it and Blair's hands gently ran over him as he murmured too softly for Jack to hear. Suddenly, Ellison blinked like he was waking up and a huge grin spread over his face.

"Damn! That was a good one!" Looking up, he laughed happily and shimmied up Daniel's body and kissed him with well-laid enthusiasm.

Blair laughed and moved up as well, one hand reaching across the kissing couple to stroke Jack's face. Jack winked at him and Blair winked back, then gazed at Daniel with a certain pleased satisfaction. Jack felt a real burst of affection for the short guy. He'd always liked Blair but hadn't really connected. Obviously, that needed to be remedied. On impulse, he lifted up onto one elbow and leaned over to kiss Blair. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome, Jack," Blair said. "Believe me, it was my pleasure."

"No, I mean..."

Blair interrupted, "I know what you mean. Just take care of him, okay? We care about both of you."

Message received. Jack nodded, feeling completely on the same wavelength. There was Jack/Daniel and Jim/Blair and there could be Jack/Daniel/Jim/Blair but Jack/Jim was unbalanced and a threat. He'd figured that out himself today but he was glad Blair knew it too. Cool. Between the two of them, they'd make sure this thing worked out for everybody.

Blair was looking at him like he could read his mind and he liked what he saw. Jack cleared his throat. "So... what are you doing tonight?"

Blair's grin got even wider. "Don't you mean who?"

Jack's ass twitched happily. Smart ass.

"And then H says, 'Take it, Rafe. Please, take it! Or I'm gonna kill it.' Rafe shakes his head and backs off. Then the owner shows up, eighty if she's a day, and completely ignoring the scratches all over H's face and hands, shrieks, "Get your hands off my pussy, you brute!"

A burst of laughter followed. Blair looked around the campfire at his lovers with satisfaction. The firelight flickered over happy faces. Even Daniel finally seemed to have dropped the subtle tension he'd held over the last few days. That was good. A chance to talk about it, a burst of adrenaline, one hellacious orgasm and some Jack cuddling seemed to have fixed things for now. Blair made a note to pull Jack aside later and make sure he knew he could call on Blair for advice at any time. The appearance of Jim's spirit guide had been a complete shocker, but he was pretty sure it indicated approval from the spiritual realm. Jack and Daniel were good people and, if Jim's happy possessive looks were any indication, they definitely belonged to the Sentinel and Guide and were getting their asses protected whether or not they appreciated it.

Jack caught Blair's eye and smiled, mouthing 'thank you' before turning to plant a big smacker on Daniel's forehead. Okay, maybe they did appreciate it.

"Jesus, Jack! I already had a bath today, thank you," Daniel groaned and wiped his forehead against Jack's shoulder.

"Well, if someone would hurry up with the marshmallow, I wouldn't be tempted to snack on archeologist."

"Later," Daniel smirked.

"I'm partial to anthropologist myself," Jim said. Blair turned to look into Jim's relaxed, lecherous face, eyes crinkling in that way that made something clench deep inside his chest. 'Oh yeah, love you too, Jim,' Blair thought as he accepted the toasted marshmallow Jim held out to him.

"Hey, anybody know any good ghost stories?"

Blair turned sideways and leaned into Jim, one hand holding the marshmallow and the other going up to stroke the big, warm arms pulling him close in an embrace. He savored Jim's warmth and the feel of his breath against Blair's cheek, as they listened to Daniel begin the old classic about the dismemberment of the Egyptian god, Osiris, by his brother, Anubis, and how his wife, Isis, wandered the earth searching for body parts to put him back together again. Not as good as an urban hook story for sure, but Daniel told it with an I-was-there gruesome enjoyment and authentic detail that gave freshness to the old myth. Even Jack started to look uncomfortable as the story progressed.

All in all, it had been a great day. And in a while, they'd all be going to bed and then it was going to be a great night.

"Oh hey, before I forget, Ellison, you owe me fifty bucks."

"What? I do not!"

"Do so. I caught the only fish this morning, ergo, it was the largest. So pay up, Mister."

"The bet was canceled because of the emergency or I would have won. Chief, back me up here."

"Nobody said anything about canceling. You owe me," insisted Jack.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

As the amiable bickering continued with Daniel jumping in to support Jack, Blair sighed happily. God, he loved camping.

End Dog Pack by Caro Dee: carodee@popullus.net
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