Bluestoke - Part 1 by Widget

--Excerpt from the expedition journal of Jonathon P. O'Neill, Esq., explorer extraordinaire

//I'd come to the deepest, darkest part of Africa in search of excitement, adventure and hidden treasure. I'd always craved the thrill of exploration, the challenge of it, and this journey promised to be the most dangerous and exciting one of them all. Little did I know how true that would be...//

This portion of the Dark Continent was filled with mystery. Few from outside its shores had ever traveled here and of those daring souls, virtually none had ever returned. The last attempt had been made by the doomed Jackson expedition, nearly thirty years prior. The Jacksons, Melbourne and Claire, were anthropologists who'd come to study the apes who, they believed, were the true ancestors of man. Strange notion, that, but I'd always thought that scientists were a bit daft anyway. Whether or not they'd ever found proof of their theories was unknown. The Jacksons, along with their young son and the rest of their small party had vanished without a trace, swallowed up by the jungle itself. Since then, none had attempted to return, well, none except for me, of course.

It was easy to understand why so few had ever ventured here and why even fewer made it back to tell the tale. The terrain was quite treacherous, filled with sinkholes and quicksand, ready to snare the unwary traveler and poisonous plants that could trip and cut and even kill. And then there were the other dangers: snakes, insects and other things far worse lurking in the shadowed places, hidden from the light and the eyes of man.

As we moved cautiously through the dense undergrowth, I cast a look at Teal'c, the local we had hired to guide us towards our destination. Teal'c was the only one brave enough-or foolish enough-to accompany us on this dangerous trek. I watched him as he swung his machete with the skill of a master swordsman, slicing a path through the fronds and clinging vines that impeded our progress. Teal'c had warned us of other dangers beyond the terrain and the animal life. He told us that there was something else out here in the jungle, something mysterious and no doubt terribly, terribly dangerous. We had found signs of its passing, but no one was quite able to decipher what they meant: the strange signs drawn in the dirt, the odd sound that sounded like a sneeze echoing through the trees, the trail of candy wrappers littering the jungle floor. It all added up to an enigma, one I was finding increasingly tantalizing.

I looked back at the other members of my party, making their way along the vine ridden path. Directly behind me was the expedition cartographer, Sam Carter. A hell of a woman: sharp as a tack, resourceful, ingenious and a dab hand with a knife or a pistol. Sure she had her failings: she had a tendency to ramble when she got excited and she couldn't boil water without causing rampant food poisoning, but so long as she was kept far away from the cooking fire, we were alright.

Behind her was the next member of my party, Janet Frasier, a doctor and amateur botanist who had an extraordinary understanding of the medicinal and, well recreational potential of a startling number of plants and herbs. She might be a bit enthusiastic when it came to the application of needles-acupuncture was a specialty of hers-but she was a handy woman to have around in a crisis, whether she was needed to wield a scalpel or a rifle. Besides, she had a wicked sense of humor and I needed someone to share a laugh with.

I looked back at the last member of my party and let out a sigh of resignation. Paul Davis didn't really have any special skills to bring to the expedition; in fact, as far as I could tell he had no special skills whatsoever. The reason he was on this little trip? Simple. His daddy was bankrolling the whole shebang (Hey! These expeditions are damned expensive! Do you think I'm dipping into MY retirement? Nope, I don't think so). Daddy Davis was quite generous, but the generosity came with one string attached: we had to bring his darling son along with us. His father's stated purpose was to try and "make a man out of him." Personally, I think he was hoping we might manage to lose him along the way, say off the edge of a very high cliff or into some bottomless mineshaft. I rolled my eyes as Davis stumbled again. Well, one could always hope.

Teal'c had stopped, raising one hand to signal the rest of us to do the same. He stood there, as still as a statue, listening intently to something beyond human hearing. We all stood frozen, straining out ears, but could hear no sound beyond those to which we had become accustomed: the buzzing of insects, the occasional sway of a palm from the all too rare breeze that never seemed to cut through the oppressive heat and humidity.

"Teal'c?" I whispered, my voice so low I doubt Carter even heard it.

He turned to look at me and shook his head. "It is gone now."

"What is?" I asked, curious more than uneasy.

He shook his head. "I do not know, O'Neill. There was something out there, moving through the trees, but it is gone now."

I scanned the jungle with my eyes, but knew I would see nothing beyond the dense tropical greenery and the occasional brightly colored, exotic flower. "So? We move on?"

"Indeed," he agreed with great solemnity. "But we should do so with caution."

"Well, you'll get no argument from me," I assured him.

Teal'c turned and began to move forward once more, hacking his way through the offensive bush. I signaled the rest of the party to follow. As always, Paul lagged behind, fiddling with the straps of his pack, oblivious to everything around him.

We traveled for several hours in the blistering heat, taking only the shortest of breaks to rest and eat. Finally as the sun was just beginning to set, Teal'c led us to a small clearing.

"We shall camp here for the night," he pronounced.

"Um, Teal'c? Who exactly is the leader of this expedition?" I asked, keeping my voice as casual as possible.

"You are, O'Neill," he acknowledged with a small dip of his head, before continuing in that same imperious tone. "I believe you will want to dig the latrine over there just beyond those bushes. SamCarter, JanetFrasier and PaulDavis may begin to set up camp while I begin the preparations for our evening meal."

"Wait a minute! How come I get stuck with digging the latrine?"

"Would you prefer that SamCarter make the preparations for the evening meal?"

I shuddered in horror at the thought, as my mind flew to the one and only time I'd allowed Carter to cook on an expedition. I'm still convinced that organs came out of my body that should never, ever leave the safety of my interior. "Um, no."

Teal'c handed me the shovel, bowing his head once again in reverence, or to hide his smirk, though I'm never too sure with him. I decided to go with the former and grabbed the shovel none too gently and made my way over to the designated spot, muttering under my breath about pushy, know-it-all guides who didn't know squat about chain of command.

We slept that night in the clearing beneath the stars, serenaded by the sounds of insects and other strange little nocturnal creatures. After dark, the temperature dropped and genuine breeze began to tease the fronds and the leaves surrounding us, offering a cool respite from the damp, awful heat of the day.

I slept well that night, but I had strange dreams of soft, sweet breath against my nape and warmth pressed against my back. When I awoke, however, I was alone in my sleeping bag and all of my comrades were sound asleep on the other side of the fire. I sat there in the darkness, gazing out at the surrounding trees and I couldn't quite shake the lingering sensation that something-or someone-was watching us from the shadows. This thought should have alarmed me, caused me to raise up a cry of warning and grab my rifle, but I stayed my hand. I had the oddest sensation that it, whatever IT was, meant us no harm. I knew with an inexplicable certainty that it was curious, not threatening. With that thought foremost in my mind, I laid back in my sleeping bag, pulling it up to my chin. I let myself drift off into deep, blissful slumber, knowing that the warmth and the soft, sweet breath would greet me there once more.

I awoke feeling oddly rested in spite, or perhaps because, of my strange dreams. I peeled off my sleeping bag and moved to the other side of the now cold pile of ashes that had been our campfire to where Carter was currently standing. As I moved closer I noted that she looked...puzzled. No, more than that, disconcerted. There was a deep furrow in her forehead and she had something scrunched in her right fist.

"Carter?" I asked, trying to draw her attention.

"Sir!" she said, clearly surprised, though not enough to drop the formal address which all of the party-with the exception of Teal'c--adopted in my presence. What can I say? They're in awe of me.

"Something the matter, Carter?"

"Oh, sir! Someone, or something, snuck into camp last night and ate all our chocolate!"

There was a tremulousness to her voice, a waver denoting shock, outrage and no doubt fear at the prospect of an entire expedition deprived of chocolate. I'd survive; I'm more of a toffee man myself, but I knew it would be hard on Carter. That was when I noticed what she held in that death grip in her hand: chocolate bar wrappers, 5th Avenue bars to be precise.

The mystery deepened.

We packed up our camp and headed deeper into the jungle. This time, however, we did so with the absolute certainty that the stories were true. There was something-or someone-in the jungle. Watching, waiting, stealing our chocolate. We were all of us on edge, wary, cautious, practically jumping at every small sound, every rustle in the underbrush. Yet, I was oddly unworried. Whatever it was that was out there didn't mean us any harm. I'm not quite sure when I turned into such a Pollyanna, but there you have it. Just call me Mr. Optimism.

As we traveled, I saw signs that we were not alone. The thief who had crept into our camp at night and stolen our stash of chocolate had been this way. Every once in a while I would catch sight of a brightly colored wrapper peeking up from the brown and green of the jungle floor. Obviously Carter saw them too because every once in awhile I would hear her whimper at the loss.

Nor were the wrappers the only sign. Every now and again we saw things etched in the ground, strange glyphs and symbols I couldn't identify, nor could any other member of my party. My mind went back to the tales that Teal'c had told us of the strange being that seemed to be haunting the jungle and I knew with absolute certainty, that they were more than myths. They were very, very real.

Once again, as the sun began to set, we found ourselves in another small clearing and once again set about the procedures for setting up camp. This time I let Davis dig the latrine. Huh. I should have thought of that when we first started off on this little jaunt. Who knows? Maybe he'd finally found his true calling? Today at digging latrines, tomorrow shoveling shit. Politics, here he comes!

This time when we settled down for the night, there was a palpable tension that seemed to linger even after everyone fell asleep. It didn't matter to me, of course. I dreamed of warmth and soft, sweet breath against my neck.

The following morning was a repeat of the one that preceded it. I awoke to the sight of Janet Frasier standing there wearing a deep frown.

"What's up, Doc?" I asked.

"Someone-or something-stole our coffee, the filters and our battery operated coffee grinder."

I heard a wail go up behind her. It was Davis. He was quite attached to his grinder.

OK, this was getting stranger and stranger. First chocolate, now coffee. Whoever or whatever was behind these thefts had a hell of a sweet tooth and was probably bouncing off the palm trees from a combination of extreme sugar and caffeine intake.

Once again, we fell into the same routine as the previous days, packing up and moving deeper and deeper into the heart of the jungle. The sense of a presence watching was now constant. I could feet the hairs on the back of my neck prickling in warning, a kind of personal proximity alarm. I could see the members of my party scanning the trees, trying to catch sight of the mysterious being that had been stalking us for the past two days, but to no avail. We continued onward to the sounds of Teal'c's machete, buzzing insects and Paul's softly muttered curses bringing up the rear.

And then there was a sound, not loud, but quite distinctive nonetheless. It was a sound I'd heard before but as if from a great distance. But now, now it was close, very close. It sounded like...

A sneeze.

It wasn't loud, but it echoed oddly through the dense foliage. I remembered Teal'c's tale of the strange sounds in the jungle and I glanced sharply at our guide.

"You hear that?" I asked.

"Indeed I did, O'Neill. We should proceed with caution."

I grunted my affirmation and we continued onwards.

We followed a narrow river where it cut a path through the jungle floor. After several long hours of trudging through the oppressive heat, it was clear we were all feeling a bit wilted, so I called a halt in a shady spot near the water. Everyone sank gratefully to the ground, drinking and splashing wonderfully cool water from the river.

I felt oddly restive despite the humidity weighing us down. I told Teal'c that I wanted to walk a bit and he nodded in acknowledgement. I followed the river, moving more on instinct than from any real purpose. After about ten minutes I heard a faint rumbling sound, which changed into a roar as I drew closer to the source. Pushing offensive palm fronds and leaves out of my path as I went, I suddenly pushed forth into a clearing and discovered the sound of the noise. The river we were following led to a pool and at the far side there was a waterfall, the liquid crashing and tumbling over the rocks into the water below. It was a breathtaking sight, the water shimmering and casting rainbows into the mist surrounding it. The pool was clear and inviting, the banks lush with reeds and water lilies that floated lazily at the water's edge. Rich green vegetation as far as the eye could see, dappled with colorful, flagrant blooms.

Beautiful.

It was only then that I realized I wasn't alone there. There was someone else, someone who was half hidden by the veil of falling water. I moved closer to get a better look. It was a man, of that there could be no doubt. A tall, slender man. A tall slender, naked man. Well, what did I expect? The guy was taking a shower for crying out loud! Of course he was naked.

I probably should have walked away right then and there but I couldn't. Instead, I moved closer, trying to get a better look at this stranger bathing in a waterfall in the middle of the jungle. He shifted and turned under the water, facing away from me. I could see bronzed skin, lots of bronzed skin, warm and kissed by the sun. His hair was long, hanging down between his shoulder blades, tawny despite being darkened by the water. His back was broad and muscled, his waist and hips slim and tapered. His ass...his ass was amazing: pert, tight, perfectly rounded, curving smoothly into well formed thighs and long legs. I could feel my mouth go dry and my heart pound in my chest at the sight, and I suddenly felt a little dizzy and giddy.

And then he turned and looked at me. His eyes widened in surprise, but strangely enough not in fear, despite the fact that I was a complete stranger who had just stumbled upon his cozy little bath. And then his expression changed, becoming almost feral but curious and fascinated as well. He began to move towards me, his movements quick and predatory. A part of my mind was telling me that just standing here was not one of my brighter ideas, but I just couldn't help myself

When he stood perhaps two feet away he dropped down on to his haunches, his forearms, resting lightly across his thighs as he tilted his head up to gaze at me, his gaze both curious and frankly assessing. I sucked in a breath then at the sight of him. God, but he was beautiful and so very young, an impression that was heightened by the guileless expression on his face. I watched as beads of moisture trickled down his temple and along his cheekbones, the droplets that stood poised upon his upper lip, before his tongue snaked out and licked them away then slid down to trace the lush curve of the lower lip.

Although his skin was browned by the sun, it was clear that he was fair by nature, in contrast to Teal'c and his people whose skin was rich and dark. His hair, which was a damp mass across his shoulders, looked blond in the sunshine, and his eyes were very blue.

The strange young man just continued to sit there on his haunches, watching, studying assessing. I suddenly realized that I hadn't said anything, but that was hardly surprising given how parched my throat was. Of course, he hadn't said a word either, so I guessed we could call it even.

I cleared my throat and then wet my own lips, keenly aware of the eyes tracking my every move. "Hello."

He pulled back in surprise and tilted his head to one side in a curiously jerky movement. His gaze, however, remained riveted on me with that same intense expression. His eyes burned into me, asking, begging to connect with him somehow, though I didn't have the foggiest idea about how to do so.

I crouched down on my haunches as well, bringing us face to face, perhaps two feet apart and I wracked my brain trying to think how to communicate with him. How should I know? I'm an explorer, not a linguist for crying out loud! But I knew I had to try. An idea suddenly sprung to mind.

Holding his gaze, I gently pressed one hand to my chest and said "Jack."

He studied me closely, jerking his head to the side once more, his expression puzzled. I repeated the word and the gesture. He frowned, his face a study in intense concentration. I repeated the word and the gesture a third time.

Just when I thought I wasn't getting through to him, I saw him lift one hand to his chest and press it against him as he uttered a single word: "Jack."

Close, but no cigar. I shook my head, eliciting another puzzled expression from him. Once again, I placed my hand against my chest and said "Me, Jack." Then, moving slowly and carefully, so as not to startle him, I placed my hand against his chest. I sucked in a breath, trying to block out the sensation of how soft and smooth and warm his skin felt and how my fingertips seemed to tingle at the contact. "You," I said, my fingers resting there for a long breathless moment.

The young man's eyes widened, then narrowed, then widened again as understanding took hold. And then he smiled, a broad, beaming smile and my heart just fluttered wildly. He pressed his hand against his bare chest and echoed my phrasing. "Me Dan-el, you Jack."

There was a slight inflection to his voice, as if he were asking a question. I smiled again, and nodded in reassurance, and he repeated it, the words and the gestures, this time with complete confidence. I reiterated it, in reverse of course, drawing out the strange sounding name.

'Dan-el, Dan'el, Dan'el, Daniel. DANIEL!'

I looked at him, really looked at this beautiful, fey young man who I'd encountered wandering about naked in the middle of the jungle, so totally out of place and completely at home all at once. And I was remembering what I'd read about the doomed Jackson expedition. They'd had a son who had accompanied them on the trip, against the advice of cooler and wiser heads. He'd been a young boy then, perhaps seven or eight. And his name had been....Daniel.

Could it be him? Well, the age might be about right, though he certainly looked to be younger than the thirty-five years Daniel Jackson would have been, had he survived the tragedy that had claimed the lives of the other members of the expedition.

In the midst of this momentous revelation, reality decided to sneak in and smack me upside the head. My stomach rumbled. With a start, I realized I hadn't eaten since the night before. Carter had insisted that she take her turn preparing breakfast and given that I'd always had a fairly well developed sense of preservation, I'd firmly, but politely declined to partake. As did everyone else. Jeez! You'd think the woman would have a clue by now.

The sound of my stomach rumbling also captured the attention of my strange companion. He looked at me and smiled, a broad, knowing grin and then he was off, moving with a quickness that took me by surprise. And there he was, climbing up a tree, moving with the ease and speed of a monkey as he scaled the trunk of the tree. I watched mesmerized, not only by the startling agility but by the play of muscles beneath the tanned skin and that ass...dear God, that ass.

Something dropped to the jungle floor and I recognized it at once: bananas, a bunch of them. Daniel quickly scampered down the tree trunk and dropped to his feet beside his prize. Grabbing them, he cam over to where I was still squatting and he sat down, as well, adopting the same position as before, just as close as before. Pulling a banana free, he offered it to me, nodding his head in encouragement.

I took it from him, my fingertips burning once more as they brushed against his hand and then pulled back the peel to expose the fruit encased within. I took a bite, then another, enjoying the taste of the sweet, soft flesh. When I finished, he handed me another, so eager and wanting to please. I ate this one as well, startled by how ravenous I was. After I consumed my third banana, I realized the he hadn't partaken himself. Instead he had sat there on his haunches, watching intently as I ate the proffered fruit. It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps this was part of some obscure ritual, but how the hell was I supposed to know? I'm an explorer, not an anthropologist, for crying out loud! Thinking that maybe I had to give some sign to get him to eat, I pulled a banana free and offered it to him.

The smile he gave me then was...well the only word that comes to mind is filthy. Very, very filthy. He took the banana from my grasp, his fingers lingering along the back of my hand and then looking deep into my eyes, he slowly unpeeled the banana. He kept his gaze riveted on me as he raised the fruit to his lips, the smile twitching and his expression becoming almost coy, as the fruit slipped into his mouth. He did not bite down, however. No, instead he let the fruit slide into his mouth, slowly, inch by inch, before pulling it out and sliding it back in. He repeated the action, again and again, each time taking the fruit a little deeper into his mouth. And the entire time he watched me with darkened eyes, his gaze challenging and inviting all at once.

I had thought my mouth as dry before, but I was wrong. Now it felt like the Sahara. Conversely, my palms were sweating like a beer left out on the kitchen table. I wiped them along my cotton encased thighs as I remained sitting there helpless and mesmerized watching as my companion thoroughly and quite provocatively deep throated his banana. There could be no mistaking what he was doing now or what he was proposing. Some part of my brain was cursing me for a moron, wondering how the hell I'd gotten myself into this predicament, while the increasingly loud majority was idly wondering if that bed of moss near the river was really as soft as it looked.

"Dan'el," I began, the word croaking out between parched lips, one hand reaching towards him.

Before I could say another word or make contact, there was a sudden cacophony of sound behind me. It sounded like a herd of elephants stampeding through the jungle, but then I heard the other sounds, voices, and I knew that it was just the other members of my expedition. Huh. Maybe they needed to lose a bit of weight.

"Sir!"

"O'Neill!"

I turned my head in time to see them come crashing through the undergrowth into the clearing. Teal'c was in the lead, a machete in one hand, a rifle in the other, followed closely by Carter and Frasier. Davis, I couldn't help but notice, had fallen flat on his face, having stumbled over some creeping vine in his haste to follow.

I realized I must have been gone for far longer than I realized. As soon as they caught sight of me, I could see the relief wash over them. That relief, however, was quickly replaced by concern, surprise and maybe even a little fear as they all came to the realization that I wasn't alone. Teal'c dropped his machete to the ground and brought his rifle to bear.

"O'Neill!"

I jumped up immediately, placing myself between my party and my new companion.

"It's alright Teal'c. He'd a friend." Yeesh! Did I say that? I was turning into quite the diplomat wasn't I?

I remained quite still until Teal'c nodded his head in understanding and lowered his rifle, though I noted he didn't shoulder it and his gaze never left the other man. Once the situation had cooled a bit and the immediate threat of bloodshed was removed. I turned my head to look at Dan'el. He remained where he was, crouched on the ground, gazing up at me. I was more than a little relieved that he had discarded his banana cum sex aid. Somehow I didn't relish the prospect of having to explain to the other members of my party that my new friend was expressing his feelings by giving me a smoking hot sex show. I resolutely ignored the small, taunting voice that argued that I was relieved because I didn't want anyone else to see the show, or worse, receive an invitation to take the act from theory into the realm of practice.

I smiled down at him encouragingly, and he smiled up at me in return, a sweet, guileless smile, so full of innocent trust it made my heart turn over in my chest, and almost made me forget the rather lewd, and totally un-innocent display he'd been putting on for my benefit just moments before. Almost.

"It's alright," I told him in what I hoped was a soothing, comforting voice. "They're friends. They won't hurt you."

I had no idea whether or not he understood a word I said, but the tone of my voice must have put him at ease. He remained in place and shifted his gaze towards the others. I stepped aside then, to allow both parties to get a clear look at one another. While Dan'el tilted his head to one side and inspected them with the same, cool assessing look and the slight frown, the members of my team were anything but equivocal in their response.

They stood there gaping dumbfounded for a moment, then Carter blurted out, "Holy Hannah!"

She looked stunned, her eyes wide and bright, and Frasier looked equally surprised. Davis looked more than a little dazed. Awed was perhaps a more apt description and I was quite sure that there was a line of drool dribbling down his chin. I gave him my sternest look, the one that threatened bodily harm and he went bright red and ducked his head in embarrassment. Well whaddya know? Davis has a sense of self-preservation, too!

"This is Dan'el," I said, gesturing back towards the man crouching behind me. "Dan'el," I continued, gesturing to the figures before me, "these are my...er, friends. Teal'c, Sam Carter, Janet Frasier and...um, Paul Davis."

Carter stepped forward towards us and Dan'el's expression became wary. She stopped, biting her lip, unsure what to do.

"It's alright," I said, my assurances mostly for the obviously skittish Dan'el, but equally appropriate for the members of my party. "No one is going to hurt you. We're friends."

I stepped away from him towards Carter, watching him out of the corner of my eye. He studied us intently, but made no move to depart. I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention. "Why don't we set up camp here. We're not going to get ant further today and I think this is a pretty nice spot to cool our heels for a bit. Doc?" I asked, motioning her over. She moved with her usual alacrity, professional all the way to the tips of her fingernails. "Why don't you have a look at our new friend here. Give him the once over?"

She nodded, dropping her pack and pulling out her medical kit. We both walked over to the wary young man. I crouched down in front of him once more. "Dan'el? This is Frasier. She's a doctor. She's gonna check you out, OK? She won't hurt you, I promise." I motioned her closer and stood to move out of her way. Dan'el's hand shot out and grabbed my sleeve. I looked down to see a pair of wary blue eyes gazing up at me.

I nodded and crouched back down at his side. "It's OK, Dan'el. I'm not going anywhere," I explained, patting him on the shoulder. I could see the understanding and the consent in those eyes. He might not know how to speak English, but he was clearly bright and caught on quick. I watched as Frasier went about her exam.

The exam was brief and carried out largely in silence. When she finished, she packed up her kit and moved away. I waited until she was a goodly distance away before patting Dan'el on the shoulder once more and standing. I walked over to where she waited, watching the other man out of the corner of my eye the entire time. He stayed where he was, watching us, his head cocked to one side.

"Well?"

She shrugged. "He's human, male around thirty to thirty-five years old and in perfect health as far as I can tell."

OK, I'd pretty much figured that out for myself. "Carter," I said keeping my voice low. She trotted over to where Frasier and I stood, watching our new friend as he watched us in return.

"Yes, sir?"

"You remember the research you did before this trip about the Jackson expedition?"

"Yes, sir. Melbourne and Claire Jackson were anthropologists who came to Africa twenty-seven years ago to study apes in their natural habitat. They disappeared without a trace."

"Right. I seem to recall that in addition to a few other members, the expedition party also included their son."

"That's right, sir. They had an eight year old son named...Daniel!"

"Exactly."

"Sir, are you suggesting that this," Frasier said, gesturing in the direction of the man crouching near the water's edge, "is Daniel Jackson?"

"Well, it would make sense. The age is about right. And look at him, he's obviously not native to these parts."

We all looked over at the young man who was now scratching himself and blinking myopically at us. I also noticed that Davis was still standing rooted to the same spot and was staring dumbly at Dan'el. "Davis!" I yelled, shocking the man out of his reverie. "If you're done ogling the guy, why don't you do something useful like help Teal'c set up camp!"

Davis blinked at me and then stuttered in response, "Y-y-yes, sir!" Tearing his eyes from the riveting spectacle of the lean, muscled, and utterly naked Dan'el, Davis scurried over to Teal'c and away from me as fast as his legs could carry him. It was good to know that I still had it.

"Look," I said to the two women. "I don't know if this really is Daniel Jackson or not, but I gotta say it's a hell of a coincidence that he called himself 'Dan'el.' I mean, he had to have gotten that name from somewhere, right?"

"That does makes sense," Frasier conceded. "Has he said anything else?"

I shook my head. "Nope. We only got as far as 'Me, Dan'el. You, Jack,' when you guys broke up the party." I decided to leave out the small detail of Dan'el feeding me bananas and then performing fellatio on one for an encore. As far as I was concerned, it was nobody's business but ours..er, his, if he got his kicks by performing indecent acts with fruit.

"Sir," Carter began, pulling her eyes away from the apparently irresistible sight of the other man with some difficulty. Well, he was quite the feast for the eyes. We'd probably have to find him some clothes. Otherwise, I had the suspicion that the members of my expedition would just spend all their time standing around staring at the guy non-stop.

"Carter?"

She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Sorry, sir."

"You were saying?"

"Oh, right!" she exclaimed as she regained her train of thought. "I was just thinking that he seems to trust you, for some reason..."

I tried not to take offense at that.

"...so perhaps you should try talking with him. If he is Daniel Jackson, maybe he already knows English. All you'd have to do is try and jog his memory and remind him how to speak it. He is, after all, the only one who can answer the question of whether he's Daniel Jackson and not..."

"Dan'el of the Jungle?" I answered wryly.

"Yes, sir," she replied with a faint, indulgent smile.

"Sam's right, sir," Frasier chimed in. "You seem to be able to get through to him. Try talking to him, see if you can find out anything."

"Talk?" I asked, trying, but failing to keep the hint of suspicion out of my voice.

"Yes, sir. Just talk."

Huh. Jonathon P. O'Neill, linguist extraordinaire. It has a nice ring to it, dontcha, think? Not.

"Sure. Why the hell not?"

***

While the remainder of my party went about the business of setting up the camp, I went about the business of chatting up our mystery man. By the time the sun had set, I'd made fair progress. Although he started off slowly and his pronunciation was a bit rusty, he picked up words with startling speed. I'd like to think it was a result of my own innate skill, but I'm thinking all the credit belongs to him. There was a linguist extraordinaire here, alright, but it clearly wasn't me.

After several hours of instructing Dan'el in the less than finer points of the English language, I was exhausted, starving and well, not to put too fine a point on it, horny as all get out. Dan'el clearly wasn't ready to abandon his life path as a proud nudist, turning his nose up at the clothes we'd offered him, so I got to remain up close and personal with six feet of lean, long and incredibly hot naked guy. I could handle the sight of him...OK, I could mostly maintain control of my treacherous hormones at the sight of him, but that was only part of it. The longer we sat together in our impromptu language lessons, the closer he moved to me until he was butted right up against my side, his bare arm and thigh pressed against my own. Worse still was the scent of him, an odd combination of sweat, musk, clear water and something I couldn't fully identify but which was vaguely herbal. Clearly the scent thing went both ways since he kept leaning in to sniff me as well, short breaths followed by sweet, little smiles that kept sending blood cells right to my groin. Oh yeah, this was trouble.

I finally called a break, needing to escape from my companion before I asked for a repeat performance of the banana act, only this time without the fruit. Thankfully the rest of the team was giving us a wide berth, clearly understanding that Dan'el was skittish and uncomfortable in company. I caught the occasional questioning glance from my fellows and I caught Davis gazing at Dan'el with what could only be described as unrequited lust on more than one occasion, but thankfully no one saw fit to come closer, leaving the two of us alone to our own...devices.

I moved over to the campfire to retrieve some dinner for myself and my little monkey as I was now taking to think of the other man with some fondness. Davis was sitting close to the fire preparing the meal; thankfully the others had managed to convince Carter to put the spatula down and move away slowly before somebody got hurt, namely anyone forced to eat her cooking. Davis was stirring the pot absently and I didn't need to be a mind reader to figure out where his gaze was riveted. Damn, but the man seemed to have an unhealthy fixation with Dan'el. Just because he was beautiful and naked and so incredibly hot that he could probably ignite half the jungle with his very presence, there was no reason to ogle the guy incessantly. Davis tore his eyes from the other man as I hunkered down by the fire, startled out of his reverie by my presence.

"Sir!" he yelped. "Is it true?"

"What?" I asked, as a spooned some of the stew into a bowl.

"That he's Daniel Jackson?"

I shrugged, ladling out some more stew. "It looks that way."

"That's incredible!" Davis enthused. Yeah, well, I suppose it was. I wasn't really paying much attention to Davis, more preoccupied with getting some food for myself and my apt pupil. I glanced over to where he was sitting. Even in the dimming light, I could see he was looking at me, his eyes burning into me, searing through my clothes, prickling my skin.

"His grandfather will be thrilled!" Paul prattled on, his own gaze once again returning to Dan'el.

That cut through my lust soaked haze. "Grandfather?"

"Of course," Davis said, his tone quite reasonable, annoyingly so. "His grandfather, Nicholas Ballard, the Earl of Bluestoke."

Earl? Bluestoke? "Whaddya talking about Davis?"

"Why Daniel Jackson's grandfather, of course, sir. His mother was née Lady Claire Ballard, the only child of the Earl of Bluestoke. He didn't approve of her marriage to a penniless American anthropologist, however. But the Earl is quite old now and Daniel Jackson, his grandson, is the heir to his title and considerable wealth."

"Whoa, whoa! Are you saying that that," I said, gesturing towards the naked man currently scratching himself and sniffing his armpits, "is a titled gentleman?"

"Yes, sir," Davis beamed. "Isn't it incredible?"

Well, that was one word for it.

"Look," I said, adopting what I hoped was a level tone, though I suspect I still had my scary guy face on if Davis' expression was anything to go by. "We don't have any proof that this is, in fact, Daniel Jackson. And even if it is, do you honestly see him as a titled gentleman on an estate? He'd be swinging from the chandeliers naked for Christ's sake!" I shivered involuntarily at the rather disturbing and erotic image I'd just evoked. Even without looking, I knew Davis was doing the same. "Before we go and introduce him to the House of Lords, let's see how he feels about it, alright?"

Davis nodded, rendered mute by my words.

I picked up the two bowls of stew and returned to my companion who was still happily scratching himself. What was it with this guy? Did he have fleas or something? I squatted down and offered him a bowl which he took with some suspicion. He lifted the bowl and sniffed the contents. Apparently he approved of the smell because he immediately began to chow down, sans spoon. I cleared my throat. He looked up and I offered him a spoon, showing him how to use it. He looked at it with some puzzlement, that by now familiar expression of bemusement creasing his forehead. Finally he worked out the logistics and began to shovel out the contents with surprising skill.

Huh. Just call me Emily Post.

After our brief meal, we returned to the language lessons. We'd moved a little closer to the fire, both for warmth and to have a bit of light to see one another by. Fortunately, everyone else decided to keep themselves as busy as possible and not stare at us...him, non-stop. I say luckily because, Dan'el and I were getting to know each other quite intimately, and I do mean intimately. Once we renewed our lessons, he returned to his place pressed up against my side. Not that I was complaining or anything. Far from it. He felt nice, even through the thin barrier of my clothing and smelled wonderful. But as the lesson progressed, he became increasingly restless and his hands began to become, well inquisitive would cover it, I think. I was startled the first time I felt his hand on my thigh. His touch was light and deft, his fingertips barely brushing my pant's leg, but it felt as if he were burning right through the fabric and branding my skin. But in a good way. A great way, even. I knew I should probably remove his hand. This wasn't exactly the kind of behavior one engaged in in polite society and all, and if this guy really was a nobleman, well, this could be especially dicey. The problem was, it felt good. Really, really good. Besides, I told myself, Dan'el was shy and clearly uncomfortable around strangers. If a little touching put him at ease, well, it would be cruel of me to force him to stop. Right?

So I let his fingers do the walking, while the rest of him did the talking. I was finding it harder and harder to keep up the conversation while his fingers danced along me inner thigh and moved inexorably towards my groin. I might have been having trouble keeping the conversation up, but other parts of me were most emphatically "up."

This could get very, very awkward.

I looked over and was startled to see that the remainder of my party was asleep, or at the very least was feigning slumber. I shot a quick glance at my watch. Shit! When had it gotten that late? How time flies when you're soaked in lust and indulging in lots of wicked, impure and deliciously erotic thoughts, I suppose.

I looked at my little monkey once more. Even in the firelight, I could see his eyes were darkened with lust, not that it came as much of a surprise. He had been feeling me up for the better part of the night. We stood poised on a knife's edge, an unspoken question between us.

"Dan'el?" I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded, despite the fact that my blood that was pounding in my ears like the surf at Big Sur. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"Yes." Short and sweet. He leapt to his feet with the alacrity of the young, fit, and I suspected, double jointed. I stood as well, feeling the twinge in my knees from spending hours crouched down besides him. Well what did I expect? I hardly qualified as young, fit and double jointed these days. But at least I still had my stamina. And my enthusiasm. And a cock that had suddenly decided it need to get out a lot more often. Or better, yet, in, if I could manage it.

Dan'el stood there watching me, a feral gleam in his eyes, then he led the way away from our camp. Under other circumstances, it would have worried me, this walking off into the jungle in strange uncharted territory with no light, no weapon and no backup. But oddly enough, I trusted Dan'el. Obviously, he knew how to stay safe and sound in this environment. He was healthy and thriving and so full of life it was scary. Maybe, just maybe, he really was better off here than back in the "civilized" world.

"Dan'el?"

He turned back to look at me, his eyes hungry and oddly soft in the dark.

"Do you want to go home?"

The smile he gave me then took my breath away. "Home!" he said nodding emphatically. "Yes, Jack! Home!"

Well, that was an answer.

Before I could make further comment, I felt myself being lifted and placed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"What the...? Dan'el?"

"Home," he repeated in that same enthused voice. And with that he grabbed a vine and began to pull himself, both of us, upwards. I called it right when I dubbed him monkey. He scrabbled hand over hand moving towards the tree top, swift and sure. Once he reached a thick heavy branch, he released the vine he was holding and grabbed another before jumping off the branch into thin air.

"Sonuvabitch!" I could hear my cry echo through the jungle as we swung through the air

It was a disconcerting sensation, sailing through the air like this, several feet above the jungle floor, with nothing holding me up but Daniel's shoulder and the strength of his arms. Suddenly we came to rest on another branch, but the respite was brief as he once more traded vines and we set off again, sailing through the night like a pair of owls.

Finally after several vines we reached our destination. It was an enormous tree, its branches massive and gnarled. And nestled within was a shelter, little more than a platform and four plain walls, but clearly the product of human craftsmanship. Dan'el steered me towards the doorway, veiled by a ragged, faded piece of cloth.

I ducked inside, taking a moment to let my eyes adjust to the dimmer light. The interior was Spartan. There was a nest of blankets that served, I presumed, as a bed. In one corner there was a pile of odds and ends. A pot, an empty kerosene lamp, some books, a tattered map, a ragged teddy bear with only one eye and bits of stuffing popping out from its seams and, big surprise, our missing batter operated coffee grinder. I saw a glint of metal on the pile of objects. I moved closer and bent down to see what it was and found a picture frame. I lifted it and held it gently in my hands, looking at the picture within: a man, a woman and a small boy smiled out at me and I knew without a doubt who they were.

I felt him move up behind me, felt his soft, sweet breath on my nape and his warmth at my back. I turned to look at him, and saw the sadness in his eyes.

"Dan'el? You?" I queried, my voice soft and low as I traced the figure of the small boy in the picture.

"Yes," he replied, his own voice solemn.

I put the picture frame down and turned to face him, taking him into my arms in a tight embrace. He snuggled into my arms with a sign, nuzzling along my neck, sniffing the scent of my skin and then burrowing closer. Nice.

I pulled back slightly to cradle his face in my hands, holding it, gazing into his eyes before I leaned in to kiss him. The last thing I saw was his eyes going very wide in surprise. Well, I guess this was unexpected, at least for him. I bet the fruit never kissed back, did it Dan'el?

Inexperienced though he might be in the art of kissing, Dan'el proved to be as quick a study at giving tongue as he was at speaking it. What he lacked in finesse, he more than made up for in unabashed enthusiasm, giving me back as good as I gave,

He felt wonderful in my arms: hard and strong, warm and smooth. I allowed myself the freedom of touch, letting my hands roam down the muscled back, gliding along the supple, sweat dewed curves, up the bumps of his vertebrae, then down to the taut swell of his buttocks. I cupped his ass in both hands, pulling him in tight, groin to groin. Dan'el growled at me. Growled! I shivered at the sound, a thrill of anticipation and sweet lust racing through my body at the sound.

It was then I realized he was tugging at my clothes, a deep frown etched into his handsome features. He pulled and tugged and prodded, but made very little headway. Obviously someone who spent his time going around buck-naked wouldn't have a lot of experience with buttons and zippers and hooks.

"Here, let me," I murmured to him as I gently removed his hands from my shirt. I was keenly aware of his eyes burning into me as I began to undress. I looked up and saw him watching, his expression one of rapt fascination underlain with hunger, deep and dark and intense. Another tremor sped along my nerve endings in response to that look of utter, and uncompromising desire.

My fingers felt uncharacteristically clumsy as I released the fasteners of my shirt, pulling the fabric loose and letting it drop to the floor, a puddle of cotton.. I then turned my attention to my trousers, tugging at the suddenly unyielding belt buckle, cursing under my breath at recalcitrant articles of clothing. C'mon, c'mon. Yes! Free at last. I quickly popped the button of my trousers then pulled on the tab of the zipper, tugging down the open trousers and my shorts with one emphatic pull, freeing my now rather sizeable and aching erection. I sighed in relief, feeling the cool night air upon my impatient cock.

I looked at Dan'el who was watching me now with undisguised lust, his eyes raking my body, the predatory gleam returning to his eyes as that filthy, filthy smile spread slowly across his face. Obviously, Dan'el liked what he was seeing very much. Well, rightbackatcha, monkey-boy.

Before I had a chance to say a word, he stepped towards me, placing his hands upon my shoulders. They did not remain in place for long, however, moving and shifting along my arms, my chest, my sides. The touch was quick and light but still it left trails of fire down my skin, searing me, burning me, branding me. His hands moved lower, caressing my belly, my flanks, my ass. I gasped at the sensation and then I heard it, another growl emanating from the pretty mouth of the other man before he dropped to his knees and took me in his mouth.

You would have thought that I would have seen it coming after that little fruit fellatio act he'd performed earlier, but still I was caught completely unaware when my little monkey decided to have some fun with my banana. I gasped at the shock of it, his mouth wet and hot around my cock as he took me in, deeper and deeper into that amazingly talented mouth. I was dimly aware of his hands on my hips, bracing me, holding me still, well, as still as possible under the circumstances. I was vaguely cognizant of the sounds emanating from my own mouth, a litany of gasps and groans and whimpers and moans as he pleasured me with the consummate skill of a streetwalker in Bangkok. Sweet Jesus! Where the hell did he learn to do that and what kind of fruit had this boy been eating for the past twenty-seven years? With the few brain cells that had not yet packed their bags and traveled south, I reminded myself to ask Frasier about the possible existence of "recreational" plants in these here parts, because, Lord knows this boy had been getting up to something long before I showed up on the scene.

He was humming his pleasure now as sucked my cock expertly, ratcheting up my own pleasure another notch, which I hadn't even imagined possible. He alternated long, slow pulls, shorter, teasing strokes, pushing me, pulling me, dragging me ever closer to the edge. And then I was falling, coming in his mouth with a cry of release so raw and potent I was surprised it didn't it didn't shake the walls of the shelter. "Dan'el!"

When I finally came back to myself, I was slumped against a wall of the shelter and Dan'el was leaning against me, his arms wrapped around my hips, steadying me, while he nuzzled against my belly, his breath warmth and soothing against my superheated, sweaty skin. I reached down and touched his head, lightly carding my fingers through the long unruly mane of sunbright hair. He gazed up at me then, his expression one of wonder tinged with smug satisfaction. A hell of a combination there. A hell of a guy.

I stroked his hair for a few moments longer, reveling in the closeness as my body continued to quiver with the last faint aftershocks of pleasure. Dan'el continued to nuzzle against my belly, licking the sweat from my damp skin with delicate swipes of his tongue, almost like a cat lapping cream from a bowl. Huh. Maybe my monkey was part cat?

"Hey," I said at last, my voice hoarse and raw, no doubt from all that screaming and moaning. He gazed up at me once more in adulation. I suddenly felt like a God attended by his most devoted priest. I gotta admit I liked the sensation. I let my hand come to rest on his face, cupping his cheek. He moved into the touch instinctively, practically purring. Well maybe he's a cat-monkey after all. I reached out with my other hand, curving it around his bicep and pulling him up to stand. I pulled him in closer and kissed him slow and deep, delighting in the sudden start of surprise that immediately gave way to surrender. I felt his body melt against mine. I also felt his cock, hard and hot, jammed up against my hip. Well, something had to be done about that, and I had a pretty good idea what "that" should be.

I pulled away from him, breaking off the kiss, eliciting another growl, this time of protest, from my companion. Oh yeah, this was gonna be fun. I looked at him then, offering him my filthiest smile before slowly backing up and making my way to the nest of blankets. I lowered myself on to them, and sprawled myself there is invitation.

Dan'el remained rooted to the same spot. His head, cocked to the side, his expression clearly puzzled, despite the obvious nature of my offer. He wasn't getting it.

Oh fer crying out loud!

Understanding suddenly dawned. OK, more like smacked me upside the head, but you get the idea. I held his gaze a moment longer and then slowly and purposefully rolled over onto my belly before propping myself up on hands and knees.

I could sense his movement even without looking back. In a heartbeat, he was kneeling behind me, his hands running along my back and flanks, in soothing strokes. He gently, but firmly spread my legs further apart and I shivered in anticipation of both pleasure and pain. This was gonna hurt, I knew, but it would be well worth it.

I yelped in surprise as I felt something cool and slick probe my entrance. I hadn't been expecting lube, though it was a pleasant discovery. I sighed in relief and tried not to think about what he was using as lube. One slickened finger pressed inside me, moving teasing, circling. It was quickly joined by a second, and then a third, the fingers pressing deeper and deeper, opening me up. I yelped once again, this time in both shock and delight, as his fingers stroked something deep within me, sparking bolts of fierce pleasure. I shivered at the sensation. He pressed his fingers deep within me once again, sending more shocks through me, again, and again, and again. Obviously he knew what he was doing, and I so didn't want to know how he'd learned it.

When he removed his fingers, I felt a sudden, unexpected sense of loss, but there was no need. Moments later, I felt something else pushing against the entrance to my body, I relaxed as much as possible, but he slowly slid home, both of us gasping at the sense of fullness. He began to move within me, slow and languid at first, but soon with greater speed and force. My body heaved and bucked beneath him, moving back against him of its own volition. There was no thought at all to this coupling, only animal instinct, raw and powerful and more heady than wine, as we moved towards completion. I felt Dan'el's arms wrap around me and he draped his body across my back, pulling us closer together. He nuzzled into my neck, his breath like fire against my sensitive skin. There were sounds now, animal sounds, grunts and moans and panting breaths, coming from both of us. Close, so close...

And then it happened. Dan'el came within me, howling his pleasure to the moon. And though he never touched my cock, I was following him, screaming, yowling in raw delight. He fell to the ground in a heap, Dan'el still draped across my back, his cock still deep within my ass. I just lay there, waiting for my heart to stop pounding and my breath to stop rasping in my chest. I could feel Dan'el doing the same. Finally he pulled free of my body and rolled over, flopping down on his back. I rolled over myself to face him. His expression spoke of satiation and contentment. I reached over and touched his sweaty face and his smile grew wide, no doubt echoing my own. I pulled him closer and he snuggled against me without hesitation, burrowing his head against my chest , snuffling and licking once more, while I stroked one hand up and down the length of his back on a slow soothing rhythm. I felt his actions slow and then cease, his breathing evening out, indicating that he had at last fallen into slumber, a small, contented smile curving over his lips.

I smiled to myself. 'I don't care if you are Daniel Jackson, or the Earl of Bluestoke or whatever, Dan'el. You'll always be my little monkey,' I thought, 'My, Dan'el, Lord of the Monkeys.' And with that thought, I followed my companion into blissful slumber.

* * *

I awoke by slow degrees, still pleasantly drifting on the gentle waves of slumber and satiation. I could feel softness beneath my body and a faint chill upon my naked skin. There were soft, indiscernible noises emanating from a distance, vaguely organic, animal or insect, but too diffuse and too low to achieve resolution. I cracked one eye open and saw a faint grayish light filtering into the room where I was resting, suggesting early dawn. I closed my eye once more and snuggled down into the softness cushioning my back and breathed deeply, letting my mind regain the focus that had been obliterated by deep, satisfying sleep. Something was missing, I knew that with utter certainty. Something important, but my mind was still too muzzy and my body far too relaxed to recall.

I shifted slightly unto my side, remembering the sensation of warmth against my back and soft, sweet breath against my nape. And suddenly with a flash of clarity, it all came back.

Dan'el!

I bolted upright, the last vestiges of slumber cast aside. I glanced about, taking in my surroundings. I was still in Dan'el's tree house, sitting in the nest of blankets he used as a bed. The pile of odds and ends still sat in the corner. The frayed, threadbare scrap of fabric still hung in the doorway. Only one thing was missing, Dan'el himself.

I had no idea where he had gotten to. Of course, I also had no idea where I had gotten myself to either for that matter. Dan'el had just tossed me over his shoulder and then whisked me off to his little den of inequity to have his wicked way with me. Several times.

I smiled fondly at the memory. Daniel had put paid to the promise offered by the banana sex show he had given shortly after our meeting by the waterfall and then he had made love to my very willing body. The sex had been intense, raw and passionate, yet surprisingly tender as well. And afterwards, Dan'el had sprawled across me, boneless and sated with all the happy, guileless trust of a child. I was surprised and well, kind of touched, that he felt so secure in my presence that he simply drifted into slumber without the slightest hesitation. And I admit it felt good, having his warm body plastered against mine, his breath whispering softly across my skin, stirring the hair on my chest. It was like the dreams that I'd been having ever since we'd entered this part of the jungle and I realized that maybe they weren't dreams at all, but sense memories of real visitations in the night. Why and how Dan'el had singled me out, remained a mystery to me, and perhaps even to Dan'el himself, but it didn't matter. All I knew was that Dan'el was attracted to me, that he trusted and desired me. The rest would work itself out in time.

I shifted my body and felt a faint twinge of discomfort in my ass, a souvenir of recent activities. I couldn't help but smile again despite the soreness, remembering the events that had engendered the ache in the first place. I'd finally fallen asleep with Dan'el's warm, naked and thoroughly delectable body draped comfortably over mine only to be awakened at some point by the feel of soft kisses and delicate flickers of tongue trailing across my chest. It felt wonderful, lying there, relaxed and drowsy while Dan'el lazily explored my body. It felt better than wonderful in fact; it felt incredible, amazing, downright revelatory. Dan'el was practically purring is satisfaction, making soft humming sounds in the back of his throat as roved and tasted and teased my nipples, my belly , my navel. I spread my legs instinctively as he moved lower, kissing and caressing the smooth skin on the inside of my thighs with long, wet swipes of that talented tongue. Then he took me in his mouth once more, making me gasp and writhe with startled pleasure. I was wide awake by now and offering lots of encouragement. Very loud, very enthusiastic encouragement. Obviously, Dan'el responded well to my one man cheering section because he quickened the pace and proceeded to blow the top off my head and maybe off the tree house as well, because I was certainly seeing stars by this point in the proceedings.

But the fun had only just begun. I rolled over onto my belly, offering up my ass for round two, which Dan'el accepted with equal enthusiasm. Relaxed after the amazing blowjob and still open from the first time around, Dan'el was able to slide home as smoothly and sweetly as you please. This time the sex was slow and languorous as he set up a lazy rhythm and rocked his hips against mine. It was...nice, unexpectedly so and we moved together with the kind of ease that usually comes from long familiarity, Dan'el dropping gentle kisses along my nape and shoulders and arms the entire time until we reached completion.

We snuggled together, limbs tangled, sweat cooling on our bodies and I have to admit, I enjoyed this every bit as much as the sex. Dan'el was a cuddler and he seemed to revel in the closeness if that small, sweet smile on his sleepy face was any indication. Truth be told, I probably looked just as dopey. Alright, already, I admit it. I like to cuddle too. But so help me God, I'll kill anybody who ever breathes a word about it!

Somehow, I wasn't really surprised when I was awakened a bit later by my voracious little monkey for round three. The boy has a libido on him that would make a mink green with envy. Of course, given that he was the only human being in the vicinity-and no, I didn't even want to contemplate possible activities with the indigenous plant and/or animal life-I figured he had gone a long, long time without. And of course being an altruistic type myself...okay, okay, a horny bastard who loves smoking hot sex...I was more than happy to accommodate. I gotta admit I was kinda surprised. I mean six orgasms in what, eight hours? That would have been impressive when I was twenty; at forty-six it was a cause for celebration. Hmmm...I wonder what is in those bananas anyway? Maybe I should have Doc Frasier take some samples and check them out. Who knows? Maybe we've come up with the best aphrodisiac since raw oysters. Then again, maybe it was nothing more than my hot little monkey. Hell, I'm pretty sure he could jump start an erection on a corpse. Lord knows he was having one hell of an effect on the other members of expedition.

I frowned at that thought. With dawn coming, surely, the other members of my party would notice my absence and begin to worry. But more disconcerting was the continued absence of Dan'el. Where was he? Was he alright? Had he been hurt in some way? Before the litany of potential disasters could continue, I heard a noise outside the tree house. I crouched in readiness, prepared for any possible threat. Well as prepared as I could be when I was 1) naked, 2) unarmed, and 3) lacking in the faintest clue as to my current location. I needn't have worried. Moments later, the fabric was twitched aside and Dan'el reappeared carrying a bunch of bananas. Daniel smiled broadly at me, crouching down and offering me a banana. Déjà-vu. I groaned inwardly remembering all too clearly what the gesture had presaged before. I wasn't sure I could manage to get it up again so soon, though given the fact that Dan'el seemed to be nothing short of a jolt of electricity to my wayward groin, that probably wouldn't pose a problem for long.

This time, however, it appeared that food, not sex, was on Dan'el's mind. After handing me a banana, Dan'el tore one off for himself and proceeded to eat it rather than deep throat it. I gave a sigh of relief as I consumed my own piece of fruit. Once I'd eaten our fill, I leaned back to take a good look at my companion who was still devouring bananas as if there was no tomorrow. Feeling my eyes upon him he looked up and offered sweet a smile, the effect of which was in no way marred by the bit of banana pulp dribbling down his chin. In fact, the view got even better when his tongue snaked out of his mouth to capture the errant bit of fruit and to lick his lips. Huh. What was that I was saying about not being able to get it up again so soon?

Dan'el's smile turned impish and then he leaned forward to give me a banana flavored kiss. Forget about strawberries dipped in champagne; from this moment forward bananas would forever be the number one erotic fruit in my book. I cupped his cheek with one hand and returned the kiss, wet and wild and full of passion. For someone who apparently hadn't even known how to kiss twenty-four hours before, he'd certainly picked up the skill with impressive speed. But as they say, practice makes perfect and I was more than happy to offer up any assistance that I could in perfecting his technique.

When finally we broke off the kiss, I looked at Dan'el's expectant face and sighed. We had to talk, which, by the way I really hate doing, but we needed to make some decisions. I beckoned to the young man and patted the blanket next to me. He scrambled over and seated himself at my side with what I was beginning to recognize as his typical alacrity, his sweet smile still in place. I offered one of my own in return then took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Dan'el, you remember last night when I asked if you wanted to go home, right?" Receiving his nod of confirmation, I continued. "Well, I wasn't referring to this...um, house. I was referring to your real home, the place where you were born and raised."

Dan'el looked puzzled at that, but he didn't interrupt. I reached over to the pile of mementos in the corner of the hut and pulled out the picture frame. I looked at the picture once again, at the happy, smiling faces of a man and his wife and their young son. So innocent, so vivacious, so unprepared for the tragedy that awaited them.

"Dan'el," I began again, keeping my voice low and even. "What happened to them? Your parents?"

The other man lowered his head, his blond hair falling forward to hide his features. When he looked at me once more, it was with a deep sadness in his eyes. "Gone," was all he said.

He looked so forlorn, so heartbreakingly young in that moment that my heart lurched in my chest. I draped an arm about his shoulders and pulled him close, allowing him to nestle against me and rest his head on my shoulder.

"They're dead?" I asked, still keeping my voice low and even. I felt him nod against my shoulder. "How?"

His forehead crinkled in concentration at that question as he struggled to find the words to explain. "Ground....shake...rocks...gone."

I turned the words over in my mind, trying to make sense of them. "An earthquake? A rockslide?" He studied me, grappling with my unfamiliar words before nodding in response.

Must have been a hell of an earthquake. "Dan'el do you remember coming here, to this place? Do you remember why your parents came here?"

He frowned again, biting his lower lip as he struggled to excavate painful childhood memories. "Study...monkeys." Suddenly Dan'el smiled almost shyly. "Me like monkeys," he confided.

I smile encouragingly in return. "I'm sure you do."

"Monkeys nice...care for Dan'el. Give food," he explained earnestly.

Well, that made sense. It would have been damned hard for an eight-year old orphan to survive all this time in the wilderness without some help. Huh. So maybe the Jacksons were right all along about apes being related to men. Who knew?

"Dan'el," I said, capturing his attention fully once more.

"Yes, Jack?"

I sighed. How was I supposed to explain this? Taking another deep breath, I dove in headfirst. "Dan'el," I said again as I pointed to the framed picture he was now holding in his hands once more. "I believe these people, your parents, were two...scientists named Melbourne and Claire Jackson. They came here nearly thirty years ago to study...um, monkeys, but they never returned home. They traveled with their son, named Daniel, who also disappeared." I paused for a moment before continuing. "Dan'el, I believe you are their son, Daniel Jackson."

Dan'el frowned at my pronouncement, either confused by the words themselves or the deeper implications of what they meant.

I gave him a few moments to let it sink in before continuing. "Anyway, if that is the case, and I think it is, you have a grandfather who probably wants to meet you. And you, well, you have a whole world out there you can explore. If you want to, of course," I added hastily.

He was seriously frowning now, his brow deeply furrowed as he chewed on his lower lip. Well, that was hardly surprising. I had, after all, just offered him a life-altering proposition. It was only normal that he'd mull it over before making any decision. He was staring at the picture in his hands, one finger absently tracing the faces of the two adults framed within. He lifted sad blue eyes to gaze into my own.

"Grand...father?" he queried.

I nodded. "Yes. He's the father of your mother," I explained as I pointed to the woman in the picture, my finger brushing against his."

He shook his head. "Me...not...remember."

"Well, it was a long time ago," I offered. Hell, if his grandfather had been that angry about his mother's marriage to Jackson, its possible that he never even met his own grandson. Of course, that was all water under the bridge. Things change, especially your perspective on life, after the death of a child, something I knew more about than I would ever say.

"Jack?" he asked softly, jolting me out of my reverie.

"Yes, Dan'el?"

"Me go...with you?"

I nodded. "Yes, Dan'el. You'd come with me. If you want," I reiterated. This was his decision. No way in hell was I going to turn his life upside down unless he agreed to it.

He nodded in response, mimicking my gesture and then he stood. Without even thinking, I followed suit. I watched bemused as he grabbed one of the blankets and then placed some of his treasures inside: the books, the map, his scruffy teddy bear, the coffee grinder, and lastly the photograph. He then folded and twisted and manipulated the fabric, transforming it into a neat rucksack which he then slung over one shoulder. He looked back at me and smiled.

"Go now," he said, his words part offer, part command. I had taken three steps in response to that irresistible summons before I realized I had a tiny problem: I was still buck naked. Obviously nature-boy was having more of an influence on me than I realized.

"Um, I'll just..." I said, waving in the direction of my clothes. I dressed quickly, Dan'el's sudden impatience communicating itself to me. Clearly he was a decisive guy; once a decision was reached, he was ready to move. I had just finished tying my boots when a loud, but not unwelcome noise reached my ears.

"O'Neill!"

"Sir!"

Ah. Here comes the cavalry.

I pushed the fabric away from the doorway and stepped outside, leaning my body over the makeshift railing. Whoa! I hadn't realized we were that far up. Good thing I don't suffer from heights. Peering down, I could make out figures moving below, their bodies obscured by the lush foliage in between.

"Teal'c! Carter!" I hollered down.

They looked up and even from this distance I could read the relief on their faces.

"Sir!" Carter called up. "Thank God you're alright. We were worried!"

"Indeed," Teal'c echoed, the single word reverberating through the trees.

"Yeah, uh, sorry 'bout that, but Dan'el here wanted to show me his digs and grab a few things."

"Sir?" That was Frasier.

"We just picked up a sixth for our expedition," I explained. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Yes, sir."

OK, now the big question. How the hell did we actually get down. I turned to the man standing so distractingly close behind me. "Dan'el? Down?"

The other man smiled at me, then, reaching out for a vine with one and me with another, he pulled me in close to his body and swung out from the thick tree branch with absolute calm. I hung on for dear life as he smoothly and effortlessly swung as down to the jungle floor.

I hadn't even realized I had closed my eyes until my feet hit the ground and they snapped open once more. I was greeted by the sight of the members of my party sporting various expressions of surprise (Carter), wry amusement (Frasier and Teal'c) and dazed lust (Davis). I cast a quick glimpse at my companion who was looking decidedly smug at the moment. I decided to let it pass. For now.

"Come," Dan'el intoned, and for one heart stopping second I thought he meant for me to...well...y'know, come. Hell, I'd pretty much been doing that nonstop for the past eight hours or so and looking at Dan'el standing there looking so incredible, his lean young body tantalizingly close, well, I'm actually kinda surprised I didn't. Then it sunk into my lust soaked brain that he wanted us to follow him somewhere. The other members of my party were looking at me expectantly, awaiting my orders. I shrugged.

"Well kids, I'd say Dan'el knows these parts better than anyone, Teal'c included. Why don't we see what he wants to show us?" I explained reasonably, hoping that my voice held at least a semblance of calm. I was also trying damned hard to ignore the wicked gleam in Frasier's eye and that distinctly knowing look on Teal'c's face.

"Of course, sir," Carter answered smartly before the others chimed in their affirmative.

"Dan'el, lead away" I said, sweeping my arm in front of him, gesturing for him to take point, which he proceeded to do. We fell into step behind him and renewed our trek.

We hiked through the jungle for hours, moving ever further into its uncharted depths. I'll admit, I kinda lost track of time. I'd made the rather foolish mistake of taking position directly behind Dan'el, which meant that I spent the entire trip watching that perfect, sun bronzed ass swaying hypnotically back and forth with the rhythm of his lanky stride. I spent the entire hike in a gentle state of arousal, just this side of uncomfortable. I was sorely tempted to cede my place, and move the...um, little explorer a bit further away from temptation. But every time the thought popped into my mind, it was ruthlessly squashed by the image of the dazed Davis who had been eyeing Dan'el with barely disguised lust. Davis was no longer tripping over errant vines and tree roots and had now graduated to tripping over his own tongue. Needless to say, there was no way in hell I was letting him with a ten foot radius of my little monkey. And as for the other members of my party, well, they'd all shown a bit too much admiration for my peace of mind. So nope, that was that. I had to stay in the bottom position...I mean second position, until we reached our mysterious destination.

Dan'el moved through the jungle like a limpet through water, walking effortlessly through the dense foliage, the rest of us trudging along behind him. The uneven ground appeared to have no effect on him, despite the fact that he was barefoot. He unerringly dodged every sinkhole and quagmire, and he remained thoroughly unbothered by the bloodsucking insects that bedeviled myself and the rest of my party, especially Teal'c for some unfathomable reason. I was impressed. More than that, I was besotted. Every once in awhile he glance back to make sure we were following. Each time that he did, he would give me one of those beatific smiles that made my heart flutter and my brain cells slide southward. This was bad. And so very, very wonderful.

We took a brief respite from the fierce, sweltering heat of midday near a waterfall that inevitably called to mind my first meeting with Dan'el. The wicked smile he offered me made it clear that he was thinking the same thing, and I suddenly had an intense craving for a banana. Yeesh. How Pavlovian is that? He sat near me, our thighs almost, but not quite, touching, as we ate a quick meal before setting off once more. My eyes kept shifting to look at him, when, of course they weren't otherwise occupied giving Davis my most lethal glare. No words were spoken, but the companionable silence spoke eloquently of comfort and even affection.

Feeling only slightly refreshed, we continued on our way. I asked Dan'el a couple of times where we were headed but he simply answered "place." When interrogated on its relative distance and the length of time required to get there he would reply "near," or "soon," depending upon the specific query. Huh. Obviously my little monkey liked to be cryptic. Now, under normal circumstances, I'm not exactly what you would call a patient man. Or a trusting one. But this was pretty much as far from normal as you could get, now wasn't it? I mean, here I was trekking through the jungle with the supposed heir apparent of the Earl of Bluestoke who had spent the last twenty plus years living in the jungle being raised by monkeys. And if that weren't enough, I'd then proceeded to spend a night of non-stop sweaty passion with the aforementioned heir apparent of the Earl of Bluestoke. And yet, as weird as all of that was, I felt perfectly at ease at following Dan'el ever deeper into this mysterious land. Despite all logic, I knew there was a rightness to this and that there was no point trying to analyze it. Sometimes you just needed to go with the flow and this was definitely one of them.

As I continued to follow Dan'el, trying desperately to keep eyes front rather than a little farther south of the equator, I noticed that the jungle seemed a bit more sparse up ahead, suggesting we were nearing a clearing. My suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when I found myself standing at the edge of a clearing, or at least what had been a clearing, once upon a time. In the midst of the trees were the ruins of what had probably been a spectacular edifice centuries ago before the entire structure collapsed in on itself, leaving behind stone pillars and massive mounds of rock Whether the temple or whatever it was had been destroyed by natural or human forces, was impossible to tell, but clearly it had happened a long time ago; the jungle had encroached once more upon the manmade structure, claiming it as its own. Creeping vines wound their way up the columns and lush greenery poked through the cracks in the masonry, obscuring the tawny colored stone.

The five of us stood there in hushed awe at the incredible site, while Dan'el moved closer to the ruins. It was Carter who finally broke the silence.

"Holy Hannah!"

Yep, couldn't have put it better myself.

"Sir! This is....amazing. This structure must be hundreds of years old! I wonder who built it? I wonder how it came to be in this state of disrepair? Was it some natural disaster, an earthquake, maybe? And what about the people who built it? Are they..."

Carter was now in full blown ramble mode, walking around the ruins, dithering on about the kind of stone used, whether it was local or hauled from some kind of quarry farther away. Yadda. I pretty much tuned her out about then, knowing from past experience that she could keep a ramble running for a long, long, looong time once she worked up a good head of steam. It wasn't that I wasn't interested. I was. I'm an explorer, after all and I find such things pretty cool, but right now my mind--and other sundry bits of my anatomy--was focused elsewhere. I tracked Dan'el with my eyes as he scampered over the fallen masonry, as swift and sure as the monkeys who had raised him. I couldn't help but feel a certain proprietary delight as I watched him move, admiring the play of muscles as he climbed and the soft gold of his hair tumbled down his back as he made his way towards the center of the ruins.

I was pulled from my intense scrutiny (and some rather pleasurable thoughts involving Dan'el, a soft bed of moss, bananas and some sturdy vines) by the sound of my cartographer's voice.

"Sir!"

I jerked in surprise at the nearness of her voice. I had no idea she was standing right next to me once more. Then again, as far as my wayward libido was concerned she and the rest of my party weren't even a blip on the radar. I responded with the authority and strong presence of mind with which my party was by now well acquainted.

"Huh?"

Carter was beaming at me, her blue eyes wide with delight. If she even noticed by distraction, she made no mention of it. "I was just wondering, sir, if you had any ideas regarding what kind of building this is, or, well, was?"

How should I know? I'm an explorer, not an archeologist, for crying out loud. Of course, I didn't say that. Instead I shrugged my shoulders and suggested, "Dunno, probably a temple of some kind."

Her face was still glowing with excitement. "That's amazing, sir! If that is the case, it not only confirms the presence of some kind of human presence, but also a society advanced enough to have some kind of organized religion." She sighed.

"This is so far out of my area of expertise. I wish we had an anthropologist or an archeologist, or even a linguist along on this expedition. We'll probably have to mount a second expedition, but now that we have solid proof that something is here, I'm sure we'll have no trouble getting all the funding we need to return here."

I grunted an affirmative. I had kinda started to tune her out again, my eyes and my attention, and yes, my groin, drawn irresistibly back towards Dan'el who was now standing in front of one of the few remaining walls, tracing his long fingers across its surface.

I turned back towards her with some regret, but she was no longer by my side. Instead she was routing through her pack, pulling out her camera, her notebook and various other tools she would need to map the site. I moved over in the direction where the other members of my party were standing expressions of awe plain upon their faces.

"Frasier, why don't you give Carter a hand with mapping and documenting the site." She nodded and headed over to where Carter was currently having multiple academic orgasms. I turned towards our guide.

"Teal'c, why don't you do a quick tour around the site, make sure everything looks secure? I doubt there's anything in the vicinity other than bugs, birds and maybe some monkeys, but we should be sure." He nodded with his usual gravity before moving off. I looked at the remaining member of the expedition.

"Davis," I said in my usual dulcet tones. No response. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that his tongue was currently hanging about his knees as he watched Dan'el covetously. You can covet all ya want Davis, but don't even think about taking one step closer. That monkey-and his banana-is already taken.

"DAVIS!" I barked. Yep, that got his attention. It also made him jump about six inches off the ground in shock, but that's not my problem, now is it?

"Sir?" he squeaked, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, or arousal, or perhaps a combination of the two.

"Start setting up the camp over there," I said, pointing to an area of the clearing that was not entirely overrun with creepers. "And start with the latrine."

He sighed, cast one last longing glance in the direction of Dan'el and acknowledged my orders with a mumbled "yes sir," before moving off in the direction I indicated, which just so happened to be as far as he could get from Dan'el's current position without actually moving back into the jungle. Pure coincidence that.

Orders given and expedition members fully occupied, I made my way over to where Dan'el was now squatting, utterly absorbed in his study of the writings etched in the wall. As I moved closer I could see his clever fingers were moving lightly across the surface, the tip of one finger sliding inside the carved grooves of the strange glyphs, his lips moving soundlessly. Every once in awhile he would scrawl a symbol in the dirt with a stick he held in his right hand. I stood behind him silently for a few minutes not wanting to distract him from whatever it was he was doing. His face nearly glowed with enthusiasm as he caressed the smooth stone and traced the strange symbols with the same mixture of tenderness and adulation he'd displayed when he touched my body the night before.

He was utterly engrossed in his study, so much so that he wasn't even aware of my presence for the first time since we met. I felt a sudden pang of jealousy as I realized I had just encountered his first love. It's always a bitch meeting the ex- but I couldn't exactly hold a grudge against a bunch of chicken scratchings, now could I? Still I envied that mysterious language and the care and attention and....reverence that Dan'el was lavishing upon it. I wanted Dan'el to focus that kind of attention on ME. He had done so last night, but was I something serious, or a mere dalliance, something to occupy his time between delirious sessions of linguistic communion? I didn't know. I only hoped that I could compete.

"Dan'el?" I queried softly.

He turned immediately and offered me a smile. I smiled a bit dopily in response and my worries simply evaporated. Whatever Dan'el felt when in the presence of these strange symbols, it was nothing compared to what he felt about me. I could feel the heat of his gaze burning through me, searing me, branding me and with a sudden and thoroughly unexpected bit of insight I realized...he loved me. Even more stunning was the realization that followed, namely, that I loved him as well. It made no sense, it defied all logic, but there it was. I moved closer to him, careful to avoid stepping on the glyphs he has scrawled in the dirt and sat down on my haunches next to him. I placed one hand lightly on his shoulder, feeling his sun warmed skin beneath my palm, the heat of it communicating itself through my arm and right down to my groin.

Down boy! Try and focus here!

"Dan'el, can you read this?" I asked, gesturing towards the wall covered with the unfamiliar writing.

He frowned at the question, biting his lower lip which I'd come to realize was his an ingrained habit. He shrugged in response. I wondered absently where he'd picked up that particular gesture then realized with a start that he'd probably gotten it from watching me. Clever monkey, my Dan'el.

"Words...strange....beautiful," he explained haltingly. "Beautiful...like Jack," he added shyly, offering me a winsome smile and a sweet, flirtatious glance up through his eyelashes.

Aw jeez, making me blush here. I raised my hand to caress his cheek and shook my head. "No. Beautiful like Dan'el."

He ducked his head at the compliment, his cheeks coloring with pleasure.

"So," I began finally, trying to cut through the besotted haze enveloping us. Christ! Could we be any more sappy? "Do you have any idea what this all means?"

He raised one hand to the wall, his fingers tracing a symbol. "Sun," he said with absolute certainty. I looked at it more closely. Huh. Now that he mentioned it, it did kind of look like a sun.

I looked at the symbol next to it. "What about this one? I asked, touching it lightly with my fingertip.

"God."

"And this one?"

"Destroy...destroyer." He answered, carefully sounding out the still unfamiliar word.

I had no idea if he was making this all up or if he even knew what the hell he was talking about. I mean, this was a guy who until yesterday hadn't even spoken English in nearly thirty years, to the best of my knowledge. And yet, I couldn't help but remember how quickly he'd picked it up. His speech patterns were still a bit awkward and halting, but that, I think, had more to do with his shyness and a certain reticence than a lack of understanding. Clearly, this man was smart and by all accounts so were his parents, despite their rather ill considered decision to bring their eight years old son along on a dangerous and ultimately tragic expedition. And Dan'el obviously knew this site. He'd directed us here unerringly and he'd had years, hell decades, to explore it without much in the way of distraction. A mind as clever and probing as his would no doubt have been drawn to the puzzle of the ruins and may, in fact, have already discovered the key without fully realizing it.

"Carter!" I yelled. A couple of minutes later my cartographer was once again by my side, her face still flushed with excitement.

"Yes, sir?"

"I think Dan'el here can read this writing."

"Really?" she asked looking at Dan'el, her voice reflecting her surprise and more than a touch of admiration. The other man merely shrugged.

"Looks like. Anyway, do you have some more notebooks and pens and stuff?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay. Get us some supplies and then you and Frasier continue mapping the site. Dan'el and I'll work on this translation."

"Will do, sir," she replied and then scampered off like a bunny. She returned a few minutes later her arms filled with notebooks, pens and a canteen, bless her considerate, practical heart. She left and we dove back in to our work.

We worked diligently for the remainder of the afternoon, Dan'el reading and translating the symbols and me jotting them both down. Dan'el's intense focus was evident once more. He seemed completely oblivious to his physical needs and I had to coax and even bully him to take short breaks to rest and to drink. I finally hit upon the easiest route to co-operation. I simply told him that I needed a break, and he would stop whatever he was doing. And okay, so maybe that was a slightly underhanded tactic, but it was true, well, most of the times I used it, and technically it wasn't really an abuse of his trust if I was doing it for his own good, now was it?

We finally had to stop when the light faded and twilight was upon us. Dan'el, of course, wasn't one to let a little thing like the complete absence of light slow him down. He was seated right up against the wall, his nose practically touching the surface as he squinted myopically at the writing there. Sheesh, he was gonna ruin his eyesight if he kept doing that. I have to admit, I bet he'd look as cute as a bug's ear with glasses, though I have no idea where that impression came from.

"Dan'el," I began using my most patient voice. "We need to stop now."

"Just a little more," he responded absently as he scribbled a symbol down in his own notebook. I was more than a little impressed at how quickly he'd taken to writing. You'd have thought he'd had a pen in his hand his entire life they way he wielded it with such confidence.

"Dan'el," I rejoined, "its almost pitch dark now."

"Hmmm," came his thoughtful response.

Okay, time for the big guns. "Dan'el, I'm tired and I'm hungry. We both need to eat something and then later we can...go to sleep."

His head popped up immediately at that. He closed his notebook, fairly jumped to his feet and smiled at me. "Yes, Jack. Eat, then sleep!"

I smiled back. Was it any wonder that I was crazy about this boy?

Dinner was a fairly boisterous affair. Carter and Frasier were chattering with excitement over the ruins they were mapping, and even Davis was impressed by the obvious signs of an ancient and erstwhile civilization. I was especially pleased that Dan'el was now taking an active part in the conversation, his earlier shyness forgotten in the face of scholarly enthusiasm. He was nodding vigorously as Carter explained her theory about the building's purpose before elaborating and clarifying based upon his translations.

It was clear that my original assumption of it being a temple was the right one. According to Dan'el's translation, the temple had been built in honor of the Sun God who was both powerful and capricious. The writing also suggested that he was benevolent at times, selecting the most devoted-and beautiful-of his followers to elevate to godhood and serve beneath him. There was still no explanation as to what happened to cause the temple's destruction. I was inclined to suspect an earthquake. After all, if what happened to the Jackson expedition was an indication, this terrain in these parts was unstable. Besides, I couldn't think of any power on earth that could so completely demolish such an impressive structure, short of a bomb and where would someone in the middle of nowhere get a bomb, and why would they want to destroy a temple with it in the first place?

The last of the meal consumed, the conversation began to die down, words increasingly replaced by yawns. It had been a pretty exhausting day after all, between the long hike through the jungle and the amazing discovery of the ruins. Everyone began to settle down for sleep until Carter suddenly realized that Dan'el didn't have a sleeping bag. I put her mind to rest, telling her that I'd work something out. She nodded, accepting my words with a touching faith. I turned my head just in time to catch the knowing smiles exchanged by Teal'c and Frasier. I, however, took the high road and let the looks pass without comment. Davis, for his part, looked a bit, well, wistful. I gave him a glare that would have stopped a rhino in his tracks and he slunk down into his sleeping bag without even a hint of protest.

Once everyone was snuggled down to sleep-and yes I did notice that they all seemed to be facing away from where Dan'el and I were seated-I stood and extended a hand to my companion. "Walk?" I asked softly.

He took my hand and stood, his fingers lacing with mine and giving them a squeeze in affirmation. He led me away from the campsite to a spot that conveniently happened to be hidden from view by the ruins. He tumbled my down unto the bed of soft moss there, his own body following suit. Limbs tangled in the darkness and mouths merged. Sighs and quiet moans were exchanged as we moved together in the shadows of the ruins seeking pleasure and comfort in one another.

Finally we separated, chests heaving from exertion and oxygen deprivation. Dan'el pushed me back until I was lying prone on the bed of moss, leaning over me, his hair falling like a tawny veil across my chest. Even in the darkness, I could see the desire glittering in his eyes and I felt my body shiver with delicious anticipation as he responded instinctively to my unspoken wish from hours before. Suddenly, I was the object of Dan'el's focused concentration and I felt both awed and flattered by his fascination. Those slender fingers began to move across my skin, following the tendons in my arms, the shape of my muscles, the slight protrusion of bone at my elbows, my sternum, my ribs. His touch was light and infinitely tender, inquisitive and soothing in equal degrees. His fingers moved around and across and over my skin, tracing faint patterns, tracking scars from old hurts. I suddenly had a sensation that he was trying to read me by touch, much in the way he had translated the ancient symbols etched in the ruins, as if I was a mystery to be solved, the riddle of the ages, his own personal key to life, the universe and everything. I couldn't stand it any longer. I reached up and pulled him down for a fervent kiss, sucking on his tongue, tasting the lingering spices from the meal we had shared. There was hunger now, fierce and intense, but it was not food we craved, but one another.

I rolled us over until I was covering his body with my own. I felt his arms reach up and snake around my neck even as his legs parted and wrapped around mine, pulling us ever closer. We traded lush, wet kisses as our bodies rocked together and I introduced Dan'el to the wonders of friction. Our rhythm was languorous at first, slow and teasing but soon, too soon, the pace increased as our need overtook us, pushing us, pulling us towards completion. I could feel us nearing the edge and I took his mouth with mine, swallowing his cry of pleasure and offering up one of my own in exchange.

We collapsed together, gasping for breath, warm and wonderfully sated. As I'd done the night before. I pulled Dan'el into my arms so he could rest his head upon my chest, lulling him to peaceful sleep with the sound of my heart and the gentle rhythm of my hand stroking up and down against the smooth, sweat-dewed skin of his back. My last thought as I followed him into slumber was that life just didn't get any better than this.

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