**** Special Note: It is recommended that you read (or re-read) the previous stories in the Soldier Diaries universe *BEFORE* you read this one or you may miss some plot details in points of this story. This story is a bit of a side-plot to the on-going Soldier Dairies series but it's being included in the series as there are elements in the plot threaded through this story that have been established in the earlier stories. This is the first of the Soldier Diaries: Chronicles, a series of crossover-centric stories featuring the men and women of Soldier Diaries 'storyverse'. I hope you like it.  ~JINXI~ ****
 

Chapter One

The morning comes gently to his waking mind, the repose of a good night's sleep clinging to him as closely as a lover and waking him gently from its embrace. He feels the warmth of the weight against him, curled around him until every part of them is touching and touched and he doesn't need to look to know who slumbers peacefully in his arms. It's funny, after waking up alone for so long; you'd think that he would be mildly disconcerted at the least to awaken so close to another person. The initial moments of confusion that always accompany a mind emerging from the unreality of sleep and dreams to the solid presence of the here and now. It's absent, it is totally absent, he feels nothing of confusion or nervousness at finding himself blanketed by the sleeping form of his former Step-brother.

He has to actually bite back a laugh of pure happiness at the joy of simply waking up. So many nights tormented by dreams that always fade in the morning light but this time the dream has survived the sunrise. The feeling of 'rightness' that has been creeping over him slowly since Wil has been back has arrived in full force. Was it only yesterday that he first woke in this amazing state of well-being? It feels as comfortable as if he'd always been here, Wil's weight draped over him, keeping the chill air from the warm haven of their bed. Chill air? He realizes that it's absolutely freezing in the room, where his skin is exposed to the open air and not shielded by the thick down comforter and the protective warmth of Wil's body.

It's been steadily getting colder, unusually so for the last few weeks but this is ridiculous; it just doesn't get this cold in the part of California where they live. Wil must be freezing, being more exposed to the definite chill in the air and even as the thought occurs he can feel the occasional tremor running through the amazing musculature currently tented over him. He carefully wraps his arms around Wil's shoulders and hips and rolls deftly to the side carrying Wil's slighter weight with him easily. He pulls the down comforter tighter around their necks as he pulls his peacefully sleeping companion into the curve of his body, willing some of the heat from his body to transfer to the lithe form.

He smiles as Wil unconsciously moves closer, his arms winding around him as his head snuggles over to share his pillow, not waking from his serene slumber but purring a happy sound of contentment before growing quiet and still once more. He wonders what everyone is going to think about the two of them being romantically involved. He has a feeling that Wil's friends... no his family; they're his family as surely as he is; he suspects that they won't be surprised at all. He could tell that Giles was trying to feel him out about his feelings for Wil when he showed him around his library... was it only last night? It seems like a lifetime ago and maybe it was since his heart was claimed by the enigmatic blond that stalked into his life as quietly as a cat on the hunt.

He smiles as he remembers Anya's blunt demand to know what his intentions were towards her Godson as they carefully added him to Jenny's user-list; ensuring that the A.I. computer recognized him as a part of their family. He told her the truth, feeling he owed her nothing less for her own honesty and forthrightness. He's always loved Wil and been attracted to him physically, despite his lack of interest in other men, he's always known that his feelings for Wil were unique and engendered more by his personality than what gender he is. He knows that if Wil had been Amalie's daughter instead of her son, their love would still have been as a strong and just as destined. There was a time that he thought that Buffy was his future, the shiny golden ring that he was striving to capture but he didn't try that hard to keep her. Maybe some deeply hidden part inside him knew that it was another blond that had first claim to all that he was.

The trip back from the Layer was a rushed affair as they'd lost track of time making out in the parking lot after Wil's impromptu performance inspired some private 'dancing' of their own. He wonders how surprised people would be to know that while they're deeply in love and totally committed to giving their evolving relationship a chance; they haven't taken the final step of becoming lovers yet. Though it's not for lack of encouragement on his part, he thinks wryly. Secretly, or maybe it's not so secret as Wil's always been able to read him well; he's glad that they're taking things slowly. Admitting he finds another man sexually attractive and actually acting on that attraction are two different things. He's glad that Wil is giving him time to grow into the relationship and gradually teaching him the joy two men can find in their bodies at his own pace. Nothing could speak more clearly of the depths of his feelings and respect for him, in that he is willing to give himself to him with no guarantee that he will get much physical from the relationship for what could turn out to be a long while. If ever he questioned Wil's interest in him as being only sexual or one of curiosity, he knows for sure that his feelings are genuine and true.

They came home, and he admits that despite the size of this place which should make it feel cold and unwelcoming that he has found a sense of family and belonging here that he has never known. It really feels like home and that's a feeling he's quickly becoming accustomed to. Wil offered to show him to a room of his own but he refused. He's spent enough empty years sleeping alone and as far as he's concerned one night more is one night too many and Wil's smile was shy and loving as he offered his suite to be their suite from now on. They undressed, each enjoying showing off their bodies and the reaction it engendered but the embraces were loving and soothing but all the more powerful for their seeming innocence.

He remembers the feeling of Wil's powerful body under his weak and vulnerable to his whims and he knows that he would have denied him nothing. The thrill of having that power over such a sexily deadly man was a heady experience and it scared him how much he liked the feeling it gave him. For a moment he could almost imagine how heady an experience it must be to be a Vampire knowing that such power is yours for the taking. It's easy to imagine what the appeal is... and to have eternity with Wil, never growing older but always in the springtime of their lives, always together....

He pushes that thought away and tightens his arms around Wil and shudders faintly. He's somewhat startled to feel his arms tightening around him and the faint tickle of eyelashes against his skin and he knows that Wil is waking.

"Are you alright Liam?" Wil asks yawning and blinking the lingering traces of sleep from his eyes. He tosses the comforter back and sits up, stretching his arms over his head still yawning.

"Yes, I'm fine." Liam grins and counts to three. Just as he gets to one Wil's eyes fly open and he flops back down and scrambles to yank the comforter back over him, diving completely under the protection of the thick comforter. "It was just a little cold in here." He says with a snicker. He lifts the edge of the comforter and peers under and smiles at the vivid Cerulean blue eyes now fully open and staring back at him irately. "Good morning Wil." He yelps with laughter as he's suddenly yanked under the comforter for a long, lazy kiss.

It takes them several minutes to crawl out of their warm cavern under the comforter and less time still to dive back in.

"Okay, it must be twenty degrees in here!" Wil fumes. He pokes his head out and wraps the comforter around his head to expose as little as possible to the frigid air. "Jenny, what's going on with the temperature in here?!" He growls but the wiggling mass that is Liam, who follows his example and peeks his head out, is met with a warm smile.

"The power lines from town are down Wil and the weight of the snow has caused one of the old oaks to lose some of their branches. One of them severed the exterior feed lines from our generator to the sub-station circuitry inside and Gunn's completing the repairs; we're on emergency batteries until then. It will be at least another hour before power is restored." Jenny replies through the hidden speakers interspersed around the suite.

"Snow, it's SNOWING?" They exclaim together and share a look of amazement.

"By the last sensor reading before we lost power and estimating from the rate of fall prior to that and Gunn's reports I'd say it's a good four feet." Jenny answers.

"That's impossible!" Liam denies. "It just doesn't get that cold in this part of the state and certainly not enough to dump four feet overnight."

"Atmospheric conditions in this area were also incompatible and should not have been able to produce snowfall in this quantity." Jenny reports.

"Has Wesley made any progress on finding out what's going on with the weather?" Wil asks, smiling as Liam pulls him closer to share the warmth of their bodies.

"He went to work as soon as I woke Gunn with the power problem but hasn't made much progress yet. I've diverted what battery power I can to the exterior heaters to make him as comfortable as possible but I'm afraid that doesn't leave much available to power the individual suites and maintain my key systems. The gas lines are still open so the main landing fireplaces are going, it will be more comfortable for you down there."

"Thank you Jenny. Monitor Giles and Anya's suite and inform them what's going on when they wake up. I suppose they're warm enough if they're still sleeping so it's best to let them be. You'd best put those gigabytes of yours to use as well and come up with a solution to safeguarding this from happening again. This has left us too vulnerable and I want that rectified." Liam orders, ignoring Wil's huge grin as he takes over and makes the right decisions quickly. "Tell Gunn to keep working but not to freeze to death out there and take breaks when he needs them. I don't want him ailing himself to death. Have Wes keep on the research, Wil and I will have to go check in at the base but tell the others they're excused for now. When Anya wakes up see if she can lend Wes a hand with his research. Tell Giles that his meeting with the General will likely be postponed. If it's not then Wil and I will come back to pick him up and take him to the base. When Gunn completes repairs have him head for the shops and make sure we're stocked up with anything we need. If this weather goes on for long or gets much worse we may spend a few days snowed in here. We should be prepared."

"Yes, Liam." Jenny replies. "I'll deliver the messages presently. The gas lines are subterranean and insulted so we still have feed lines to the water heaters so they're still working."

"Thank god!" Wil says vehemently. "Give us an hour to shower, get ready, and have some breakfast and use the remote circuits to start up the Hummer and make sure the heater is on full." Wil demands. "You wait here Liam, I'll draw the bath." Gritting his teeth and throwing the comforter back Wil sprints for the bathroom, cursing under his breath as the freezing hard wood floor stings his feet, rapidly leeching their warmth for itself.

"Jenny, you have that list of contact numbers I gave you?" Liam asks, his eyes locked on the open door of the bathroom. While he can't see Wil directly he has an excellent view of the mirror playing out his reflection for his delighted eyes as they watch him with a fixated interest a habitual voyeur would envy. His eyes track his graceful movements as he leans over and runs a bath and pads silently around the bathroom gathering up things neatly and arranging towels and other sundry items to his satisfaction.

"Yes, I have them stored Liam. Would you like me to dial a number for you? I can pipe the connection through the audio sensors in the room; you wouldn't even need to move."

"Not at the moment Jenny but I would like you to place a call to the base housing office later today please and request a change of address form please." Liam looks around the generously spacious suite; the resemblance to the room that Wil had in the only other home they'd shared, before his Father divorced his Stepmother, is unmistakable. He wonders if he should be feeling vaguely uncomfortable inside that revelation but in all honesty he feels very welcome here and the ice that has sheathed his heart and emotions since he was forced to leave Wil has begun to melt at last. He feels free.

"I have full access to the directories, Liam. Would you like for me to arrange a moving service?"

"Yes, Jenny, that would be marvelous!" Liam exclaims surprised once again at the sophistication of the A.I.'s programming. She is truly a wonder of the modern age and by far the most personable collection of gigabytes and circuitry he's ever met. "Please have them pack up my belongings and move them here please Jenny, I'm moving in with Wil. The furniture and everything there belongs to the base so just have them pack my personal belongings please. I'll stop by when I can and double check that they got everything and pick up anything they missed before I turn over the keys to the housing office."

"Welcome home, Liam." Jenny replies with genuine warmth that should be well beyond a collection of programmed responses but one that seems uniquely suited to the ghostly voice that sounds exactly like Amalie Bradley's sweetly toned voice as he remembers it.

"Thank you, Jenny." Liam sighs, a little melancholy at the sound of his Stepmother's voice saying those words to him again. A warmth of belonging floods through him now and it did then. He understands why Wil finds both comfort and a welcome reminder of his Mother in the A.I.'s warm personality. He's met people that aren't as human!

"The suite next to this one isn't being used, I'll have the girls unpack your things there and have the connecting doors opened to make one large suite. There's a smaller room that may make a lovely studio for an artist."

"What girls and an artist?" Liam asks quietly.

"William has spoken of your talent many times and he has several of your sketches. He showed them to me one day and they were quite aesthetically pleasing. The girls are a trio of Demon-Hybrids, the daughter of a long-time friend of William's named Clem. It's not easy for Hybrids to find work when they look more Demon than Human; even in this town where unusual seems to be normal. Clem is a fine Gentleman and a true friend to William and the Council so we gladly employ them, two as maids and one as a cook and Clem himself is responsible for the lovely landscaping and his wife, Laura is Rupert's research assistant."

"Ahhh yes Wil explained that they have formed beneficial partnerships with some friendly Demon species. Thank you for the compliment about my art work, Jenny. I didn't know that you could appreciate subjective media like art and music, your programming must be truly exceptional."

"Why thank you Liam." Jenny does sound genuinely pleased and Liam is once again taken-aback by the obvious and very successful attempt to integrate humanity into the astonishing collection of electricity and circuitry. "We'll attend to matters for you here."

"You're welcome Jenny." Liam says with a pleased smile. "May I ask why you were named Jenny?"

The personable computer is happy to supply the story behind its creation and the selection of the name in great detail and to his surprise Liam finds himself enjoying the conversation.

Within a few minutes a welcoming cloud of steam bellows out of the open bathroom door and draws his eye and Liam finally makes a streaking rush for the promise of warmth and a naked Wil.
 

Chapter Two

Liam and Wil stare at the world gone white from the cab of the SUV. Easily three feet of snow is piled up everywhere but the surprisingly clear driveway.

"This is impossible." Liam mutters. "Three inches of snow would be a miracle, three feet of snow is something seriously wrong." He looks around in amazement at the sight of all the snow. "I did some... work... up at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex earlier in my career and this looks more like Colorado than California right now. How did the drive stay clear like that?"

"The material of the driveway and much of the exterior building material that sheathe the Manor contains a temperature regulation compound that keeps it roughly within the same range of temperatures despite environmental conditions. It stays fairly cool in summer and warm in winter so the snow wouldn't have had time to piles up before it was melted away. Is there much call for your talents in... deep space telemetry?" Wil asks with a wickedly amused gleam in his eyes.

"You'd make a million dollars if you were to actually market half the technological advances you've managed to cobble together." Liam notes, pulling them smoothly out of the garage and down the drive with a wave towards the warmly bundled Gunn working on the repairs as they pass.

"I'm not sure they'd let us patent any advances that use magic which most of them do since we couldn't precisely explain how they work to their satisfaction." Wil says dryly, an amused glint in his eye as he notices that Liam has found a clever way to change the subject and avoid answering his question about what he did at the Cheyenne Complex.. "I don't think they'd take me seriously if I said Wes does a little dance and sings a little song and wiggles his nose, do you?"

"Is that how he does it? If it is, remind me to watch next time; with a video camera." He says with a chuckle as he carefully maneuvers the large vehicle competently out onto the snow sheathed roads.

"Well that was an exaggeration really." Wil says with a chuckle. "But it depends on the spell he's casting as to what physical gestures, chanting or what not each requires. That's really Wes, Giles, and Anya's department, Gunn and I just look good and hit things really hard." He says not so modestly.

"I'm sure there's more to it than that." Liam says confidently. "Why don't you call Warren and the Commander and see if they're going to need a ride? I'm pretty sure that neither one has a four-wheel drive to handle all this snow. We can swing by and pick them up on the way to the base."

Wil nods and pulls out his phone and makes the calls and two quick stops later, they arrive at the base with their two grateful passengers and head inside the central command building.

"I think it's safe to assume that the patrols may have some unusual difficulties doing their routes with the weather this way; it'll make fighting infinitely more hazardous." The Commander notes. "Do you think I should have them stand-by until we have a better idea of what's going on?"

"That may be a good idea. What's your take on it Wil?" Liam says, muscles flexing powerfully as he holds the door open for the trio to precede him, despite a chillingly cold crosswind gale.

"It's the wisest course of action under the circumstances." Wil agrees, darting past Liam and wrapping an arm around his waist and towing him through the door and into the heated warmth of the building with him as they hurry in behind Woods and Meers. "There are some very limited reasons for such a drastic change in the weather, especially one that can produce changes of this magnitude over such a wide area. Some Demon species can do it if their number is concentrated enough in a limited area such as a city. I'll have a look at the mission reports for the last two weeks or so and see if there have been any reports of a species sighting that can produce these effects on the weather."

"Are there many that are capable of this?" Woods asks curiously.

"Less then a dozen and of those we can eliminate still more as some of them are dying species and I doubt that they'd have numbers left in sufficient amounts to produce these changes. If we discount any of the benevolent species; that leaves only about four to six suspect species. However none of them are really the types that you want to run into in any number unprepared to deal with them specifically. However even the strongest of the species, the Teel'a'gothrin, the Frost Demons, that are capable of this would require the concentrated efforts of no less than forty of their kind. I'm positive that we would have seen some sign of such a large influx in the demon population despite the flood of new arrivals. Magic is the more likely cause but that means we've got a rogue wizard, a very powerful one running around. In any case Demon or Wizard it's unlikely any of the teams will be able to patrol with any effectiveness under the circumstances." Wil answers, following the three to Commander Woods' office.

"If they are Demons how do we deal with them?" Liam asks.

"It depends on the species but Napalm and other incendiaries have proven to be good general weapons against their type in times past. If it is a Wizard however; that is a more complicated matter in some ways and easier in others. Wesley, Giles, and Anya can counter almost any insurgence with the appropriate counter-spells and wards and find and bind the Wizard in question. The difficulty comes in finding the proper counter-spells and the actual binding. Few Wizards are content to allow their powers to be bound and rendered harmless in most instances I've found."

"What about the other Demons? Is it safe to call off the patrols?" Woods asks.

"It's safer for the men and with the weather acting this way, anyone wise is going to stay indoors whenever possible. It may be prudent to assign several patrols to alternate venues, like the mall, the larger clubs, and movie theaters and so forth as the hunters will follow their prey to areas where they congregate to more easily cull their number." Wil suggests. "You may want to flag the morgues and hospitals as well for unusual cases being admitted. Demons that can generate this type of cold; feed by leeching the heat away from their victims often leaving them frozen solid in the process. They detest warmth and its unlikely they'd enter anywhere heated but anyone outside could well be targeted."

"Maybe we should broadcast a general warning, Sir. Perhaps disguised as some sort of severe storm warning, see if we can't encourage people to stay indoors until we find out what's going on?"

"That's an excellent idea Liam. I have a friend that works for the national weather service and I'm sure that I can convince him to make a genuine announcement on the matter to make for a convincing cover." Woods agrees pleased by Liam's idea.

Just then Wil's cell phone rings and he has it open, glances at the caller IS and at his ear within two rings. "Talk to me Clem. Okay; yes that's not good. Do they know what she died of yet? That's been confirmed... oh joy. Do me a favour pet and call the old man and let him in what's going on for me and then you'd better pack some things and come stay with us for a while. Sure, it's no problem Clem, bye." Wil hangs up his cell phone and slips it back into his pocket. As they walk Liam watches the subtle play of muscles beneath his skin as his walk becomes more fluid and feline with every step and he knows that Wil has withdrawn into the protective shell that is 'Spike'.

"What's going on Spike?" He asks quietly, hiding his flush of accomplishment as he looks startled for a moment that he could correctly identify the shift in persona before the glitter of approval flickers through his eyes.

"Some Demons found the remains of Beatrice, the owner of the Layer discarded in the river. The cold snap worked to our advantage it froze the remains before the Scavenging Species could find it. Clem said that he heard that the block froze almost clear and you can see her throat was all but ripped out and that she was drained. Rumour has it that she crossed the new Vampire Master and that he took her life for the betrayal. Some nephew of hers has taken over the business and intends to run it in her name apparently.  Clem can't get close enough to identify who we're dealing with and I told him not to push it, he has a family to take care of and this new Master seems determined to remain hidden at this point."

"It may be to our advantage to let him at this point? He must surely be limited by this obsession to remain unidentified for right now?" Warren says, sounding slightly nervous at the speaking up in such exalted company. Just a week ago he was working in the motor pool as a driver and now here he is rubbing shoulders with the Base elite and two of the living legends of their closed society of Demon Hunters seem to actually enjoy his company. To think; he owes it all to his Mother's exceptional cooking and the best Chicken-fried steak this side of the continental divide.

"You're right Warren; he won't reveal his plans until he's ready to reveal himself. If this is some step in that direction it must be a minor step if anything. I think he killed Beatrice simply because she'd seen him and could identify him and because she tried to warn us that this Master was an old one, which makes him strong as well. As long as he wants to remain hidden, he won't be able to instigate anything major and he'll reveal himself when he feels that his position is strong enough. Right now only the Vampires have seen him and not that many of them so he is being cautious in his movements and that is to our advantage at this point. That was very logical Warren; you may want to be careful before Wes or Giles tries to recruit you for the Watchers. A cool head under pressure is one of their primary traits."

Warren laughs somewhat nervously and blushes. "I'm sure that there must be better candidates."

"Not in this country pet." Spike replies with an elegant shrug. "Nearly all Watchers are either English-born, from one of the colonies or that like Gunn was raised there. Few other countries are represented in anything more than scattered numbers and of those all of them have given up their nationalities to become British citizens. Giles has argued against the policy since he assumed the position as the head of the Council but their prejudices are well ingrained. It's a shame really; some good American kick-ass drive would be a welcome addition. The number of new Watchers has dropped significantly over the last few generations and barely ten to fifteen are graduating from the training academies every ten years."

"Giles and Wes were discussing the possibility of starting an American-born branch of the Watchers Council." Liam says with a smile, having overheard and even had his counsel sought on the matter along with Wil and the others. "If you're interested, I'm sure they'll be happy to discuss it with you at some length as we all had some high praise for you to offer." Liam says with a grin.

Warren blushes again. "Thank you, Sir. I'll give definite consideration to the idea and I would be interested in talking to Mr. Giles about it. What would I be doing?"

"Well that rather depends on which course of study you want to pursue. Watchers that are hoping to be assigned a Slayer receive the most comprehensive training and I've never seen a trainee assigned a Slayer before they have at least five years of field experience. However the Watchers Council tends to hand pick their Slayer Watchers and it's all rather political, with a lot of jockeying for position as to who gets appointed. You should see the in-fighting when a major potential is going to be assigned a Watcher. The more likely a potential is to become the active the Slayer, the greater the prestige in being her Watcher, so as you can imagine the plotting is extreme." Spike says with a snicker. "I've never seen so many grown men make such asses out of themselves at any one time before."

Everyone laughs at the visions that flood their heads at Spike's words and they can only imagine all the scheming and back-biting that must go on.

"Now some Watchers train specifically for field duty so their training emphasizes their combat skills and overall knowledge of species they'll encounter in the course of their duties. The training period tends to be not quite as long and most take their place in either a field combat unit or an administrative post within six to ten years. For the full course of training and experience you'd need to have a hope of being assigned to an active Slayer... well Giles was in the field for over twenty years before he was finally assigned to Buffy Summers. Wes is the primary Watcher for the new Slayer Kennedy but his skills in the field and his time working with me bumped him ahead of some of the contenders according to the Council. Truthfully Wesley's appointment was engineered by his Father Roger; who will assume the reins as the head of the Council once Giles' retirement is official, and Giles. Wes has little interest in retiring from the field and it will be Giles that will be actually guiding young Kennedy. I know he'd welcome a young protégé so please do consider the possibility of volunteering Warren."

"That sounds like a tremendous opportunity son." Woods agrees. "We could easily make that part of your current duties. Would Giles mind if young Meers here passed on what he learned?"

"I'd say probably not, I do know that he and Wes have been working on lesson plans for some of your team commanders and choice personnel and this is almost the same thing so I doubt he'd have many objections. I'm sure he'd want to discuss who would be eligible for the lesson course though and likely want to conduct pretty extensive background checks on the candidates. He'll be revealing and discussing materials only known to the Council so for security's sake at least he'd ask to be consulted."

"That sounds very reasonable. I'd like to discuss it with him during our next meeting." Woods sounds pleased and his smile is a wide, happy one as he waves to his young assistant Tara as they pass her desk and file into his office.

Spike perches comfortably on the arm of one of the overstuffed, old-fashioned leather covered chairs that form a semi-circle in front of the Commander's desk. He's not surprised when Liam makes himself comfortable in the same chair, an arm sliding around his waist in a loose hug that bemoans a close personal relationship between the pair.

Woods hides an affectionate smile as he takes a seat behind his desk and motions for Warren to take a seat as well as they continue their discussion.

Tara enters silently with a tray of coffee mugs and two thermal carafes and a selection of breakfast Pastries and Danishes on plate. She quickly and efficiently hands out the mugs and fills it with either coffee or cocoa at their preference and holds out the plate of treats for their delectation. Spike pounces on a particularly plump Bearclaw pastry that Liam was eying and chuckles at the sour look on his face.

Woods chuckles and counts from ten backwards in his head and by the time he reaches one Spike and Liam are happily sharing the pastry with only the occasional minor scuffle as they tussle over the areas with the thickest layer of glaze. It's obvious that the pair is very close and the intimacy can't be missed but rather than being worried or uncomfortable the pair radiates a calming air of competence and ability that just makes it seem natural that they're so close. While this base isn't bound by the rules of the traditional military machine and some members of his command are openly gay, their number tends to keep a low profile to avoid upsetting the more tradition military element. Something tells him that hiding is of no concern for the extraordinary pair of men sitting before him and woe be to anyone that tries to cause them any harm.

His gaze flickers to Liam, who is looking like nothing less than a well-fed tiger, in repose he looks harmless and relaxed but he knows that in a moment he can harness a rage to rival any predator in the world. He is so deadly for the very reason that at first glance he appears to be reasonable and mild-mannered. People underestimate him and he knows that the aura of detachment is nothing more than camouflage that conceals his predatory nature with supreme effectiveness.

His eyes flicker to Spike and he has to smile. Spike looks exactly like what and who he is. Where Liam conceals his predatory nature, Spike projects his in a colourful display that could rival the warning colours of any creature in nature. He just doesn't bother to conceal anything and it is the softer aspects of his personality that his sheer air of deadliness protects. Spike is what he is with the skills to back it up and the person that messes with him will only do it once that becomes apparent... assuming they've survived the attempt and that Liam wasn't within a hundred miles to find out that they tried that is.

Their isn't a doubt that either of these men will give up their lives without hesitation for each other but the dark undercurrent that flows between them reveals a deeper and more menacing truth. While they may not hesitate to give their lives in defence, they are also more than capable of killing for each other as well. He doesn't think that either of them would deal very mercifully with a serious challenge to their relationship and he hopes that he never has to find out for sure.

Tara quietly returns with her own cup of cocoa and a pastry and a thick spiral-bound notebook that she meticulously notes phone messages down in. She smiles at the quartet of handsome young gentlemen as they all politely stand until she's seated and settled before reclaiming their seats. She relays the status reports that the various sections, divisions, and offices have relayed for both the daylight shift as well as the start of the nightshift. As one would expect there are quite a few logistical problems caused by the highly unusual weather and the Commander has to do a bit of shuffling in the duty roster. Helpful suggestions from Liam and Spike make that go a little easier and Tara quickly and succinctly uses the small wireless radio clipped to her lapel to relay the changes and directives to the appropriate sections. Lastly she opens her phone log and finds the messages so far for tonight. She methodically goes through the messages until she reaches the last one.

"Colonel, the switchboard routed several calls for you through to me since we haven't assigned you an official administrative assistant as yet." Tara notes, quickly finding the messages in question.

"Actually with your permission, Sir, I'd like for Private Meers to be assigned that duty. If he does decide to pursue training with Giles, he could easily do that and his assigned duties here." Liam interjects.

"If that's what you want it's fine by me; on all counts. Tara; please make sure the personnel office is informed of Private Meers assignment and that all the necessary paperwork is delivered to me personally and the transfer is expedited."

"Yes Sir, I'll handle it myself before the end of the day. About these messages Colonel, they're a little unorthodox I'm afraid but the gentleman that called said that you would know what they mean and just asked me to be sure that you received them as soon as possible." Tara hands over the messages, each penned in a neat careful script that betrays the attention to detail that makes her such a valuable asset as the Commander's personal assistant.

Liam takes the messages and angles them so that Spike can easily read them as well; he has nothing to hide and no secret that is too great to keep from his soul's mate. He feels a warmth settle deep into his chest as he notices Spike deliberately look away with a gentle smile, silently proclaiming his trust and confidence in what they share together. If it is something that he should know, he knows that he'll tell him about it in his own way and he doesn't need to monitor his every action. Liam glances at the notes and stiffens and he feels Spike's fingers ghosting through his hair in silent comfort and he knows that Spike still isn't looking down at the notes; his trust as unshakeable as his faith. He carefully gathers the several notes and folds them neatly before zipping them into the pocket of his jacket with definitive and efficient motions.

Noticing his friend's preoccupation Woods decides to release the men from the meeting. "I think that will about do it for now. Colonels; I'd like you to stay on top of this weather situation and see if you can get us a swift resolution so we can get this base back to normal operations. I want that to be your top priority for now. Private Meers I'd like you to spend the next couple of days with Tara; there's no one better to train you for your new duties, she's the best personal assistant on the base. Tara, I want hourly reports from each section on their status and have them maintain a tight rein on their departments. Since we're short on our available personnel we need to be sure that the ones we have are working proficiently. I'd also like you to get with personnel and see if we have anyone on base that's experienced in these conditions and see if we can spare some teams to canvas the city and assist citizens." Woods orders.

"Yes Sir." The quartet chimes as they gain their feet and head for their various assignments. Tara leading Warren out to her desk, already instructing him on the way as to some of his duties. Liam and Spike wave as they pass out of the Commander's outer office and down the Hall to the spacious office reserved for the Base's Second-in-Command. They pass through the small outer reception room, past the empty desk that will soon be occupied by Warren and into Liam's office.
 

Chapter Three

Spike softly closes the door and turns to face Liam, crossing the floor silently to perch on the corner of the desk nearest to his chair and sets his mug of cocoa down on the top of the highly polished wood.

"This is a coded message from an old friend of mine that I served with back before I resigned to take up this post. They're all short calls no more than ten to fifteen seconds and everything is coded so he must assume that he's being watched and his calls and movements either monitored or flagged. According to these messages he wants to meet me in Las Vegas tomorrow." Liam says worriedly.

"I'll make arrangements to have the jet fuelled and standing by." Spike replies without hesitation, his hand finding his phone unerringly and flipping it open. Before he can dial Liam's hand closes over his and squeezes lightly.

"I... I want you to come with me but I don't know what this is about. I've done a lot of things I'm not that proud of when I was in the service and if this is part of that and it surely must be with all these precautions," He waves the stack of messages. "Then it may be something to do with one of the classified missions we were assigned. I'm not sure what we'll be doing but it certainly won't be legal. There are oaths and vows I've taken to not reveal some information and this may not be my secret to tell but my friend needs my help. He's saved my life on several occasions and I won't let him down now." Liam says with a concerned expression, his hand lifting so his fingertips can trace the razor edge of his cheek in silent apology.

"I'm not going to force you to bring me along Liam." Spike says quietly, gently pulling his hand free and tapping in a number as he regains his feet and stalks out of the office.

After a few seconds Liam lets his arm fall back to the desk and he sighs with the knowledge that he's somehow made a mistake and hurt Wil without meaning to. Before he can decide on a way to try and fix things between them Spike is back.

"Jenny will attend to the arrangements for you. The jet will be fuelled and waiting for you by the time you arrive at the airport. The Council maintains a safe house just outside the city that you and your friends can stay in; that will be safer then a hotel room no doubt. It's fairly isolated so you'll be able to see anyone coming and going before they see you and surveillance is almost impossible without getting caught. The phones, computers, and everything else is equipped with the latest in scrambler technology and the quantum-encryption software on the data lines eclipses anything used by the government. Transportation is always kept waiting and ready there and you'll find a safe in the library behind the picture over the fireplace. The combination is 6-6-6-*-6-6-6-*-# and it's always kept stocked with fifty thousand in used bills and you can use it to buy whatever you need. Gunn will meet you at the manor and outfit you with anything you'll need as far as ordinance. The jet will land at a small privately-owned air strip near the safe house so you won't have to worry about getting anything through airport security." Spike recites succinctly but his voice holds no censure or hurt. Liam winces subtly all the same. "The safe also contains a list of contacts that the Council maintains in the area. Call the Manor if you need anything else and Jenny will be able to help you, she's hard-wired right into the Council's databases; she can make any arrangements that you need to have made. I've cleared your departure with Commander Woods and he's made arrangements to cover your duties personally."

"Wil, please don't...." Liam starts to say.

"Gunn is waiting for you." Spike says interrupting quietly, his face devoid of any expression. "Take care of yourself Liam and watch your back." He leaves silently and Liam wants nothing more then to call him back and wrap him in his arms until the ice in his eyes melts away.

He knows that however unwittingly it may be, that he's hurt Wil by failing to return the trust that he's so openly extended to him. He's messed up and he knows it but it's too late to call the words back and he doubts that his headstrong lover is in the mood to hear his inane apology at this point. He promises himself that he'll find a way to make it right between them as soon as he gets back.
 

Chapter Four

Liam stands in front of the large picture windows as he watches the lights of a four-wheel drive truck working its way up the steep incline of the drive leading up to the house. In the distance the night is illuminated by the rainbow nimbus that is the neon lifeblood of Las Vegas.

The small compound is as meticulously laid out as Wil had explained and it makes the perfect safe house. It's close enough to the city to make it's safe anonymity only a short dash away but far enough away that any movement is readily noticeable. Situated on a hill such as it is, with the desert stretching all around in every direction a jackrabbit could hardly move without drawing attention.

The three bedroom south-western styled hacienda is indistinguishable from the thousand of homes that dot the arid landscape but appearances are deceiving. The solid steel construction of the house is cleverly concealed beneath wooden veneers and cool plastered walls. The windows are bullet-proof and a network of small state-of-the-art mini-cameras monitor every square inch of the landscape, cleverly arranged so that they overlap and provide a full and unobstructed view. A similarly fortified SUV is sitting in the garage, fully fuelled and carefully maintained. The refrigerator is stocked as are the comprehensively stocked cabinets and walk-in pantry and he knows that Jenny hasn't missed a detail in having the house set up for him. He even found several shopping bags containing casual clothes and the spacious closet sported several garment bags containing more formal clothes and shoes in his sizes. He envies Jenny her organisational skill and marvels again at the complexity of her creation as she seems to make everything effortless and easy. The military can only dream of being so efficient.

He wandered through the moderate sized hacienda and grounds when he arrived and settled in last night. It took him a while to figure out why he was making his endless patrols throughout the house and grounds and the cause for his restlessness. He wouldn't find what... who... he was looking for no matter how hard he searches and he curses again, knowing that he's a fool for leaving Wil in Sunnydale. He knew that he could trust him with whatever it was that necessitated his old friends calling him to this meeting so why did he fall back on old habits and play the 'need to know' game? That's one question he hasn't been able to ponder an answer for since he arrived and aside from the nearly forty aborted attempts to pick up a phone and rectify the mistake he remains stubbornly confused. The saddest part is that he thinks he's doing it mostly to himself and that he knows the answer and what the right thing to do but like one of Pavlov's dogs and a ringing bell, it seems that his old training is hard to resist.

He watches as the truck stops in front of the wrought iron gates that bar the driveway from the lonely road that leads out from the city and through the quiet upscale neighbourhood and transforms this moderately sized estate into a mini Fort Knox.

A softly strident chime sounds out through the small hacienda; not so annoying as to be painful but far from easily ignored. He walks over to the control panel and marvels once again at the technology the Council; and thus Wil and thus he; have access to. The scan sweeps over the vehicle and notes weapons and other potentially deadly ordinance as well as only two passengers. A flicker of a glance at the camera monitors and the two men's faces are clearly centered in the screen.

The two men are an interesting study in contrasts that manage to be complementary at the same time. The younger man is quite breathtaking, possessing that unusual mix of handsomeness that is almost too beautiful to be masculine. Darkly lush golden red highlighted hair is clipped into a short but stylish cap, just a little too long for the military standard but just a little shorter then is fashionable. The ubiquitous eyeglasses can't hide the shining sparkle of blue eyes that are almost as beautiful as his Wil's eyes are. His facial features are chiselled and well defined with high, angled cheekbones and he's taken aback to realise that superficially he doesn't look that different then Wil. He can see the leashed power of a well-formed musculature that betrays a very active and even hazardous lifestyle and he knows that appearances are deceptive. The face is gentle, intelligent, and honest but the body has been bred by violence. A very dangerous man to be sure and all the more so because he doesn't appear to be so.

The second man is at once easier to identify and harder to classify. He recognizes the leashed, controlled manner as a reflection of his self. This is a military man; shaped, honed, and forged into as deadly a weapon as any gun or knife could hope to be. His precisely cut hair is military short in variegated shades of brown, silver, true grey, and white but it doesn't make him look old as it might on another man. The mostly silver mane looks very striking against his ruddy-tinged tawny skin tones and he manages to look distinguished and experienced rather than aged. At first glance the darkly vibrant brown eyes appear lazy and unconcerned but he knows that they've missed nothing. This man is bred to be a predator of his own kind and that darkness lends him a frighteningly efficient air of competence mixed with menace. Fighting down the urge to salute; even though it is just an image on a monitor; Liam has to chuckle. Some things it seems truly never do change and his friends have lost none of their impact.

Liam doesn't wait for them to hit the intercom button and pushes the code to open the gate and chuckles over their astonished expressions as they drive through after a minute of staring. He's not there to see the auto-sensors closing the gate after the powerful truck as he's already on his way out to meet them at the top of the drive.

The pair of men charge out of the truck almost before it comes to a full stop and the engine is turned off to greet Liam in a flurry of hand shakes and back slapping hugs.

"It's good to see you again Jack, Daniel. Get your things and come inside." Liam invites.

They round the back of the truck and start pulling out their gear as they get reacquainted, their eyes running over their surroundings.

"You didn't say that you were living in Las Vegas when you called me back." Jack says gruffly, his voice tinged with confusion. "That place I finally tracked you down to... you don't... you're not working at Area 51 with those bunch of freaks are ya? The security was almost as tight as it is at the SGC!"

"I've retired from the military Jack, you know that. I don't live here, I live in California. This place belongs to a friend of a friend who generously allowed us to use it while we're here." Liam replies rolling his eyes as he picks up some of their gear and leads them inside.

"Those must be some friends." Daniel notes looking around as Liam leads them through the house and down a short hallway.

Liam gestures towards the door at the end of the hallway. "I'm in that room." He motions to the right side of the hallway. "There are two bedrooms there, take your pick." He gestures across to two other doors. "There's a combination den/library on the left and the bathroom on the right. If you want to get settled in, I've got a tray of Lasagne, salad, and garlic bread just about ready. We can eat and you can tell me what this is all about and what we're going to do about fixing whatever it is?" Liam stifles a chuckle as Jack and Daniel surreptitiously glance at each other and quickly away before they can catch each other doing it. They gruffly gather up their gear and after a comical shuffle worthy of the Keystone Cops they fumble their ways into separate rooms.

Liam shakes his head affectionately as he turns down the hallway and heads for the kitchen to finish the preparations for dinner. It seems that time hasn't changed the dance between Jack and Daniel and they're still denying that their friendship had long evolved into something more. His recent reunion with Wil and personal revelation about their relationship has given him a uniquely sympathetic view to the pair's trials and tribulations. He wonders if there's a way that he can help them to discover the happiness he's so recently embraced with Wil.

He's setting out the selection of salad dressing as the quiet pair walk into the kitchen/dining room combination. He silently directs them to the places set at the table as he retrieves a chilled bottle of Cider and joins them at the table. He dishes up the food and pours them all a glass of Cider. As soon as they've had a chance to start their meal and settle in, he broaches the subject of why they're there.

"It must be something very important if you need my help with the resources that you have at your disposal. What's going on Jack?" He asks quietly. He hasn't missed the worried and anxious glances that the men have been exchanging.

"Last week we had a run in with a group that calls itself The Trust." Jack says with a steely glint in his eye. "They're a shadow group of highly connected businessmen, ex-military, and other people in power that are trying to usurp control of the Stargate for their own ends. They've kidnapped Daniel, tried to frame Teal'c for murder, shot Daniel, forced Daniel to translate some command codes for them so they could steal control of a Goa'uld ship, and stole our Stargate, then shot Danny again...." Liam throws up his hand to stop Jack's furious recitation.

  "I think I get the idea, The Trust is bad." Liam says wryly, dropping his hand. "What have they done now that you can't undo with the resources that you have?"

"They've threatened us before and three days ago Teal'c and Carter failed to return from a test flight of one of our next generation fusion fighters being held at Nellis. The tower showed them taking off and landing, everything was routine and there were no problems but at some point between landing and the hangar, they managed to vanish." Jack says disgusted.

"We launched an internal investigation and a large flat bed truck, one APC, and a dark blue sedan with Air Force plates all departed the base in the interval between their disappearance and the alarm being sounded. The base was locked down once they were reported as missing so it's unlikely that they were taken off-base after that. We put out an alert for the truck, APC, and the sedan but they weren't reported as crossing any of the border checkpoints." Jack growls.

"Well no one just vanishes off the busiest air combat base in military service without help; very well connected and powerful help. Is it possible that Goa'uld technology could have been used? You said that they had control of a ship...?" Liam questions.

"Carter installed some special jamming devices she'd come up with after they managed to steal the Stargate right out of the SGC. Theoretically it should be immune to the transport beams." Jack says with a sceptical shrug that silently states his mistrust in all things scientific and technical.

"We believe they and the aircraft were taken to Area 51 and confined for study. We've gone through 'official' channels and supposedly Area 51 has been thoroughly searched and deemed clear. Carter has been listed as officially M.I.A. but the NID is pressing to have her labelled as a traitor and Teal'c as a turncoat. Despite Jack's promotion and running the SGC we can't be positive that what we're having reported is factual. If we turn up there and demand to search ourselves they'll no doubt have time to conceal them or stall us long enough to transport them somewhere we'll never find them." Daniel explains.

Liam scowls aware that both Teal'c and Samantha Carter have both been targets of clandestine attempts to study the changes made to them by the Goa'uld and that the threat to the pair is very real indeed. "So what we need to do is find a way to get onto the base without them knowing that we're there." Liam grimaces. "That's not going to be easy to do without revealing your credentials. The security there is almost as tight as the SGC's is. Is there anyone there that you can trust?"

"No, there's no one. If I push this officially they're going to disappear and if we ever do find them it will only be to bury them if that happens. So we're officially going to be 'unofficially' handling this ourselves." Jack states flatly.

"Is there anyone that we can... convince to help us or at least look the other way while we raid one of the military's not so best kept secret bases?" Liam asks, his mind searching for an angle to get them onto the base unobserved or at least unnoticed.

"Possibly if we had the time but they've been missing for three days already. They may not have a lot of time left." Jack points out. "We brought along dossiers on most of the command staff." Jack nods to Daniel who replies with a nod of his own and leaves the table, returning within moments with a thick stack of folders.

"Okay let's look through these and narrow the field down to say our best three chances to 'convince' someone to help us find out of Teal'c and Carter are at Area 51." Liam leans forward and takes one of the thick files that Daniel hands him before handing one to Jack and taking one for himself.
 

Chapter Five

One by one they go through all the files each of them noting which three they think is the most likely to be of use to them and then compare their choices. The same two names appear on all three of their lists but they differ as to the third.

Jack leans over and takes notice of Liam's choice and lifts his eyebrows in silent inquiry. Daniel leans over the table to have a look for himself.

"He's an unusual choice isn't he Liam? He's only the fourth-most senior ranking officer and we've all noted the 2IC in command as probable on our list, would he be the best choice?" Daniel questions.

"He'd be the 'expected' choice and likely more closely monitored if there is something funky going on at Area 51." Liam taps the fat file under his palm. "Major Lukas here, is as you say, only the fourth-most senior officer and as he's rather far down the chain of command he's less visible but probably has the pull we need to get us in unnoticed. However why I favour him is for a much more simple reason. He has a secret that we can use to our advantage." Liam says enigmatically.

Jack looks intrigued and reaches for the file and looks through it again but his brow furrows as he doesn't spot anything that stands out about the Major's file. He shrugs and holds it out for Daniel bouncing it lightly in silent command to have a look as well.

Daniel scans the file and at first he doesn't see anything pertinent but then the light of understanding dawns in his eyes. He closes the file with a grimace and Liam flashes him an understanding glance. "He's a regular at a nightclub called Krave. There's a notation in his file that he was picked up by the Las Vegas PD on an unspecified charge and turned over to the military MPs. There isn't a notation in the file as to what the specific circumstances were and no formal charges followed."

"What's so unusual about that? Show me a military man that hasn't been picked up at least one for a drunk or disorderly charge at some point in their career." Jack says with a shrug still not seeing the connection.

"Did you miss the radio ads on the way here Jack?" Daniel asks dryly, sharing a snickering glance with Liam as Jack grimaces and shrugs. "It was advertising floor shows featuring an exotic, erotic revue and other sexy live performances... by a largely male retinue of dancers Jack."

"So...? Oh... OH!" Jack exclaims suddenly getting the idea and looking nervously at Daniel he drops his eyes. "Just because he goes there that doesn't make him gay." He points out.

"No it doesn't Jack but it does give us a possible way to apply the leverage we need to swing him to our side. Time is running out as you pointed out yourself. We don't have time to pass up what could be our best chance. We need to find out if he's someone we can use." Liam replies stoically. He hates the idea of using a man's sexual preferences to manipulate him, especially in light of his own sexual re-awakening of late but this isn't the time to get squeamish. There's a reason that Jack and Daniel sought him out for this officially 'unofficial' mission and he plans to get their friends back by whatever means necessary.

"How do you plan to do that?" Jack asks worriedly.

"Simple we stake out the club and see if he turns up and what he does when and if he does show up." Liam states. "It should be safe enough. I'm sure you were careful not to be followed so no one knows you're here right? So they won't have a tail on you and I haven't been involved with the SGC in a long time, I doubt I'll raise any red flags."

"We may not but that doesn't mean this Major Lukas doesn't have a tail. They must do it routinely judging by the complexity of this file, if they've managed to compile this information." Jack adds.

"If you wanted someone that wasn't willing to get their hands a little... dirty... you wouldn't have sent for me. I'm sure you've got men under your command that you could have trusted with this mission, Feretti and Griff just to name two. You certainly wouldn't need to look up the only other former Black Ops unit member that you'd served with Jack. Well other than Makepeace that is but then we're talking trusted not despised. The only way we're all getting out of this clean is if we don't leave anyone who can connect us to what's going to happen. If you're connected with this, they can use it to remove you from the command of the SGC and replace you with a nice puppet already on their strings." Liam drain his glass of Cider and pushes back his chair and stands. "I owe Teal'c my life and if I have to get my hands dirty then I'm prepared to do that; are you?" He asks bluntly, his eyes flickering back and forth between Jack and Daniel. He knows that Jack will be able to do what's necessary and he'll mourn the erosion of his humanity later just as he will, just as they were trained to do. Daniel however, gentle Daniel, should not have to walk down this road. "We'll try to avoid racking up a body count but you have to go into this knowing that it's possible that it may be necessary."

Daniel knows that Liam's concerned words are meant for him but he's fought through this with Jack already when he demanded to come along. "These men whomever they are having given their loyalty to a corrupt group that are just as insidiously evil as the Goa'uld are; maybe more so since they don't have snakes in their head. I'll do what we have to do to get Sam and Teal'c back." He vows vehemently.

Liam sighs and resigns himself to making sure that if it becomes necessary for anyone to have blood on their hands that it's going to be him. He's long grown accustomed to the stains on his hands, after all he hunts and kills the monsters that hide in plain sight every night.

"Let's change and find this club and see if we can 'convince' Major Lukas to see things our way." Liam says turning to leave when he notices the nervous looks being exchanged by Jack and Daniel. "Are you two alright? I've seen happier expressions on men waiting for a firing squad."

"What do we wear?" They say in the unison of embarrassed nervousness that has overtaken them, pointedly not looking at each other.

"Well this is Vegas so I don't suppose casual clothes will stand out much. I'm sure that there aren't that many tourists that bother to pack clubbing clothes so your civvies should be fine. We'll just blend into the tourist crowd. If you can; alter your looks a little bit; it may help to avoid being recognised right away. Daniel if you have contacts you may want to put them in rather than the glasses. Jack; try to look less... like you." Liam grins and turns away and walks out to Jack's blustering comments.
 

Chapter Six

When they emerge from their bedrooms within moments of each other they all start to laugh. They seem to be on the same wavelength as they're all wearing roughly the same outfit. They look like triplets in their hiking boots, jeans in various shades from black to faded stonewashed blue, simple unadorned button-front dress shirts in shades from white to a stone grey and their leather jackets.

They all shake their heads and head for the front door after they make sure they have what they need to take with them. They're all armed and it's a testament to modern technology that it doesn't look like they are.

"Jack, why don't you move your truck into the garage and we'll take the SUV, just in case. Plus it has some concealed weapons racks that may come in handy as well as some other neat features." Liam suggests as they step out of the house.

"Good idea, they won't trace that back to your friends though will they?" Jack calls as he jogs out to his truck and climbs in; while Liam locks the doors and turns on the alarm before leading Daniel around to the garage.

"No, they've been very careful to set this place up to be completely trace-free or so I'm told. Even if they try to find out who owns it they won't get very far." Liam calls back, motioning to Daniel to get in and he climbs into the driver's seat as Daniel hops into the back seat.

As soon as they pull out and coast down the drive and out of the way, Jack skilfully sweeps his large truck into the spacious three-car garage and locks it up before jogging out and climbing into the front seat of the SUV. Liam starts them down the drive a quick few taps on a recessed pressure pad and the garage door lowers and the gate opens and they're on their way.

"Jenny, deactivate stand-by and power up." Liam says quietly.

A gentle chiming sound trills out softly through the speakers and precedes Jenny's softly accented voice by a few seconds. "Jenny mobile remote interface activated, network connection established. What can I do for you Liam?" The AI responds in a quiet tone.

"I need driving directions to a nightclub named Krave and see if you can pull up a schematic of the building and the surrounding area." Liam orders, ignoring the amazed looks that Jack and Daniel are shooting back and forth as a small monitor screen turns itself on and within moments the route to the club is clearly marked. After several seconds the driving directions resize to a smaller but still clearly legible size as a virtual model of a building appears below it. A few seconds after that the schematic resizes as well as a map of the surrounding streets appears beside it.

"I'd suggest the free parking at the Aladdin Resort, Liam; just one SUV among a hundred and it's just a short walk to the club." Jenny suggests.

"Jenny is there any chance that you can get us detailed schematics of Area 51?" Liam decides it can't hurt to ask since Jenny's talents have surprised him before.

"I don't have them in my databanks currently but I can hack the system and I can access the information Liam upon your authority; you've been granted an alpha security clearance and have access to any of my capabilities." Jenny replies.

"You can hack into one of; if not the; most secure computer networks on the planet?" Daniel exclaims, feeling slightly silly essentially talking to thin air.

"Jenny's talents are... unique." Liam says with a grin. "Jenny please hack the system and get us a detailed schematic and can you access any of their secondary or tertiary systems?"

"I can access their mainframe in time; I'll have to go slowly to avoid detection but once I'm into their main systems I can hack their intranet and gain access to any computerized system they're running." Jenny replies. "Did you wish me to do something specific Liam?"

"Yes Jenny. Two of our friends are missing and we believe that they're being held at Area 51 along with an experimental aircraft that they were testing at Nellis. Can you confirm that they're there?" Liam explains what they're trying to do briefly.

"Ahhh yes that would be the X-302 Beta test; it is quite an astonishing advancement in the design." Jenny replies in a proud voice.

Jack and Daniel share startled looks.

"How does she know that?" Daniel exclaims; not even the majority of the military knows about it!

"Who is this woman?!" Jack demands, furious at this breech of security.

"Would you care to introduce yourself Jenny?" Liam offers.

"I am a next generation artificial construct with self-determination capabilities in service to my creators Anya Jensen-Giles, Wesley Wyndom-Price, and Charles Gunn. I am charged with the well-being of my protectorates the aforementioned and William Bradley, Liam O'Donnell and Rupert Giles. You may call me Jenny, General O'Neill."

"How do you know who I am?" Jack demands. "And what does all of that mean anyway?"

"It's a computer Jack! It's a 'living' computer." Daniel breathes.

"It's a what?" Jack exclaims looking spooked. The last time they ran into a 'living computer' he ended up shooting one of his team-mates.

"The computer system that you currently utilize and the 'thinking computer' being tested in the X-302 were based off designs being used by English Military parts of which also make up my composition."

"So you're saying what... you're like a cousin to the computer systems being used by the U.S. Military? That's extraordinary!" Daniel exclaims and he opens his mouth to ask a dozen questions but Jack throws him a look that has his voice dying unuttered.

"I think you need to tell us about these 'friends' of yours Liam." Jack orders. "It practically took an act of God for us to find out where you were and to reach you. What's going on with you?"

"I was approached by a representative of a Quasi-military unit that was being formed to handle certain... internal security matters. It is a civilian operation but its run and funded by a consortium of members drawn from every branch of the U.S. Military and even a few units that are so top secret they don't even have a name. We have no concern for the political manoeuvres of the government or by and large any other country aside from the British. In fact you could say that my unit wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the British." Liam reveals. "I'd tell you what we were doing but I doubt you'd believe me if you knew or ever sleep peacefully again once you did. We're not Black Ops Jack, so get that look off your face. Let's just say that we're specialists in apprehending certain violent factions and making sure they can't hurt anyone again."

"I haven't heard of anything like that but I imagine the majority of the military is totally unaware of the SGC too." Daniel muses.

"We've recently entered a new phase with our relationship to the British and I suspect in the future we'll be working more closely together. In fact I've recently been given command of the first integrated field unit. My Second is an ex-Lt. Colonel in the Royal Marines and a highly decorated veteran of the S.A.S. who along with several compatriots has agreed to a personnel exchange of sorts." Liam says proudly. "They've long had their own intelligence network in place and you've seen some evidence of how advanced it is. I can't tell you much more without revealing information that isn't mine to reveal but I assure you Jack that what we're doing is in the best spirit of what you're doing at the SGC; we're just doing it here at home." Liam swears earnestly. "You're fighting for the planet; we're fighting for the people. I swear to you Jack, we're working with you not against you and you can trust us."

"I trust you and if you trust them then I can live with that." Jack says after several tense moments.

"Liam, do you want me to have the others join you? They can help...."

"They're needed where they are Jenny. How are things there?" Liam asks somewhat hesitantly; he's really wanting to ask about Wil but a little nervous about doing it in front of Jack and Daniel.

"It's progressing satisfactorily so far. Gunn's repaired the damaged systems and worked out countermeasures to ensure it doesn't happen again. Wes and Giles think they know who is responsible for the unusual weather patterns and they're preparing the appropriate response with Anya's help." Jenny replies with mechanical precision.

Liam notices that Jenny hasn't said what Wil is doing and hopes that it's not because he told her specifically not to because his feelings are still hurt. "That's excellent news Jenny. Are they going to need my help? I can have Finn and Graham assigned to help as well."

"According to Giles he's confident that Anya and Wes can handle the matter with his help."

"Well plus you have Wil and if anything can get past him then I sure don't want to meet it." Liam says with an exaggerated shudder that almost has a bemused Jack and Daniel laughing.

Liam shoots them a dirty look but he can't keep up the pretense and he smiles then chuckles and a few seconds later Jack and Daniel join him. He didn't realize how much he's missed his old friends in the wonder of embracing his newest ones and regaining Wil's affections.
 

Chapter Seven

They follow Jenny's suggestion and park at the Aladdin resort in a quiet but still fairly crowded area of their parking garage and walked to the club.

"We should see if we can spot any tails on this guy." Jack suggests. "If we get them out of the way now we won't have to worry about what they may have seen later."

"They should be easy enough to spot since they're trying to avoid being seen by Lukas and aren't worried about concealing themselves from us. We'll find them if they're here." Liam says confidently, leading the way out to the street as they start a slow circle of the block.

It doesn't take them long to spot the black sedan that looks like half a dozen others lining the street if it wasn't for the extraordinary condition of it. The sedan has clearly seen better days, all four tires are flat and deflated to the rims, the windshield is cracked in several places, and they can see the faint outline of a pair of slumped forms piled in the front seat. It's obvious that these observers won't be conscious to observe anything for quite a while.

They cautiously approach and Liam and Jack stoop to peer inside the car and stare. Not only are the nondescript pair unconscious but their wrists have been crossed, their right wrists to the left wrist of the other man and vice versa. Two cell phones are sitting neatly on the dashboard, their battery compartments are gaping maws with no batteries in sight and rendering the shells useless and discarded. They won't be going far even if do regain consciousness anytime soon.

Daniel steps around to the other side and starts to lean over to look in as well when his leg brushes something hard as he's passing a tire and the soft metallic sound catches his attention. He spots a dark shape almost hidden in the shadows cast by the car and all but invisible against the black street pavement. He nudges it inquisitively with his foot and determining it's harmless he picks it up and stares at it. It's a curious looking metal shape made out of matte black metal.

"What is this?" He asks holding it up for Jack and Liam to see.

Liam stares at it for a moment, then back into the car and then back at Daniel and starts shaking his head and chuckling; murmuring to himself as he starts scanning the surroundings. He doesn't see any signs but he doesn't need to see to know that he's never been alone for a moment on this trip.

He spins around slowly until he spots a hint of movement in the deepest shadows cast by the large buildings around them. He raises his hand silently and holds it out.

Jack and Daniel share a look of confusion as they walk towards their strangely behaving friend. Their footsteps falter as the shadows seem to part and reveal their prize.

He's simply... beautiful, Daniel thinks to himself. He's not overly tall, around average height for a man and he's not overly muscular like a body builder, rather he is all long agile limbs and cat sensuous grace but the air seems to press towards them as though pushed by a much larger and more imposing figure. The chiseled planes of his sharply cut cheeks, large almond-shaped eyes, and delicate facial features only seem to reinforce the feline impression. His hair is a pale shade of platinum rarely seen in nature and the style, though severe, suits his amazing bone structure, showing it off to his advantage.

He is as Sam would say built and the hip hugging black leather jeans leave little to the imagination about the parts they can't see. A cropped steel blue denim shirt is buttoned only halfway up his chest, displaying an impressively muscled chest as well as the subtle glint of gold winking at them from an exposed belly button. A black collar-like choker rests around his neck; a curious golden charm is centered over his collarbone and over it all a calf-length sweep of black leather in the form of a duster-style coat. He's just simply beautiful. Jack isn't immune to the man's physical appeal but he's not blind to what else he is. He's simply deadly.

There isn't a doubt in his mind that this man, whoever he may be, is a born predator and all the more deadly for his disarming appearance. A man just doesn't develop such a powerful presence without the ability to back it up. He reminds him of Teal'c in that way. It's not their size that makes them so intimidating but the definite impression of that frightening competence as a warrior. There's no doubt that their new arrival is a man to be reckoned with. Jack notices Daniel stepping up to his side and he takes an extra two steps and moves subtly in front of his friend. Daniel rolls his eyes in exasperated affection as he notices what Jack's doing by trying to shield him but he doesn't move.

They watch as the man stalks out of the shadows, his footsteps curiously silent despite the boots he's sporting. Their eyes widen as the man slips his hand into the one Liam is holding out and doesn't resist as Liam uses their joined hands to pull him tightly against him. Liam's free hand curls over his chin and tilts his head up and to the side before leaning down and pressing a softly passionate kiss to the willing mouth smiling gently up at him.

"I take it he's a friend of yours, Liam?" Jack asks dryly while Daniel stares in open-mouthed amazement over his shoulder at the pair.

Realizing that his mouth is open Daniel closes it with a snap of his jaw and unconsciously presses against Jack's back as his hands close around his shoulders and he stares panting softly at the sight of the embracing pair. They're standing close enough that he can see the occasional glimpse of tangled stroking as mobile mouths share a silent communion. He's never actually watched two men kissing before and somehow he expected it to be hard and rough, not this silken, hot sensual gliding....

Jack feels Daniel's weight leaning against him. He can't help but press back against it, moving his shoulders under those softly grasping hands subtly as the kiss between Liam and the new arrival winds down with a flurry of softly exchanged butterfly kisses. Physically Liam and his... friend... no his lover, Jack corrects himself, are very different in build but somehow they look just right together....

Liam keeps hold of Wil's hand as he releases his chin to lead him over to Jack and Daniel. "I'd like you to meet Brigadier General Jonathon O'Neill...."

"Just call me Jack." Jack politely interjects and the blond inclines his head politely and Jack almost smiles at the familiar gesture; having seen it many times from Teal'c he marvels again at how similar the two very different men seem to be.

"And this is Dr. Daniel Jackson." Liam gestures towards the pair with a smile and a chuckle as they've finally noticed how close they're standing and they hurriedly jump apart while trying not to look panicked.

"Please just call me Daniel." The shy, handsome scholar invites.

"This is William Bradley, my second in command, and my partner." Liam says proudly as Wil slips his hand free and takes the steps necessary to place him in front of Jack and Daniel.

His salute is picture perfect as is the expression on Jack's face. "Lt. Colonel William Bradley, late of Her Majesty's Royal Marines and the S.A.S. and re-commissioned for the assignment to the Colonel's unit General-Sir." Wil says formally but it doesn't last long as he relaxes after Jack returns his salute. "With that out of the way, you can call me Wil or Spike like everyone else does." He says warmly, the softly accented voice is both pleasant and exotic to Jack and Daniel's ears.

"Spike... that's a rather unusual nickname, how did you get it?" Daniel asks curiously, his tone is somewhat distracted as their close proximity has revealed the gorgeous blue eyes the man is sporting. He feels the weight of those eldritch eyes as they turn to him and scan slowly down from his eyes, over his shoulder and down his arm to where the unusual metal scrap he'd picked up is still clutched in his hand. He shivers as the man steps closer and that nebulous touch becomes a reality and his hand physically traverses the path his eyes took a moment before. They're staring wordlessly into each other's eyes as he feels the man's hand curl around the metal and remove it without resistance until it's curled in his own palm. Daniel lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as the man steps slowly back and returns to Liam's side, twirling the metal spike in agile and graceful fingers.

"Just one of those funny names that people get for unfathomable reasons I suspect Pet." The man says huskily, the metal spike fluttering in his fingertips and then just as suddenly it's gone in an impressive display of sleight of hand.

Liam chuckles and shakes his head, noticing that Daniel seems to have a somewhat vacant glaze over his eyes and Jack is in only slightly better condition. He curls his fingers under Wil's chin and turns his head to press a soft biting kiss to his lower lip in gentle censure. "Oh you wicked, wicked boy, let him go. We can play Doctor later if you want to play with someone." He murmurs quietly against Wil's lips and his lips follow the devilish smile blooming under his mouth as Wil smiles and nods. After a second soft kiss He releases Wil and wraps an arm around his shoulder to pull him against his side. He sighs as Wil's arm slips around his waist and his hand slips playfully into the back pocket of his jeans and gently curves possessively over a cheek.

"I've studied your work Dr. Jackson... Daniel." Wil corrects himself as he sees Daniel about to remind him to use his first name. "I must say you've certainly advanced the area of linguistics almost single-handedly. I'm pleased that I've gotten the chance to meet you personally." Wil says genuinely. "I've also been a long-time admirer of your work General... Jack."

"Oh you've studied my work? I didn't think anyone would really bother with that." Daniel says gruffly. "Are you a linguist Wil... umm or er...Spike?"

"You can call me Wil, like my friends do, Daniel. One of my doctorates is in linguistics as well but I'm nowhere nearly as accomplished as you are." Wil replies honestly.

"I wouldn't call being fluent in twelve plus languages, six of them... de...." Liam trails off as he suddenly realizes that he almost said Demon. "...Dead languages...." He hurriedly corrects himself. "...Is anything to be ashamed of Wil."

"You're a multiple PhD too?!" Jack exclaims, sharing laughing glances with Liam.

"Yes linguistics, applied engineering, and parapsychology." Wil says humbly but Daniel looks delighted while Jack looks amazed.

"Those are unusual choices for a military man, especially for an ex-SAS man." Jack says rather surprised since the members of the Strategic Air Service are by and large recognized as some of the toughest troops in the world. It's rather unusual to find a military man with such advanced educational credentials. "What were your military specialties?" He asks curious about this unusual man.

"I specialized in counter-insurgence, search and rescue, counter-terrorism, and I'm a sniper-class marksman. I'm qualified in several air craft, both fixed wing and helicopters and I hold teaching qualifications in small arms, hand-to-hand combat, and the military code of ethics." Wil recites looks justifiably proud while Liam preens proudly at his side, having just as distinguished of a military career.

Jack and Daniel look at each other and almost laugh at their matching expressions of surprise. Why isn't this man a member of the SGC and why did Liam leave? What could have compelled these two men to leave military service when they're so clearly suited for it?

Wil follows the silent exchange and he smiles. "There are fights here that have to be fought and there have to be men willing and able to fight it. The SGC is protecting the planet and advancing our understanding of humanity's evolution. Liam and I are fighting for the people that live here and their right to do it safely."

"You know about the SGC?!" Three voices exclaim in questioning unison.

"Your former base Commander General Hammond was in talks to secure the services of several SAS teams and mine was one of the units being discussed but I was already processing out on my retirement. The SGC got some of my mates and I retired, which incidentally was around the time that Liam was mustering out of active service." Wil explains.

"I remember that!" Jack exclaims. "Hammond told me that he was a disappointed that some of the SAS personnel that he tried to recruit chose not to accept." Jack looks intrigued. "I admit I was very curious about why someone would turn down the opportunity...." He looks at the way that Liam and Wil are standing so close and comfortably together and he feels a pang of jealousy. He may never know what it's like to be with the one he loves like that. He glances over at Daniel then swiftly away as he sees that Daniel notices that he's looking.

Liam and Wil share an understanding glance as it wasn't that long ago that they were just as conflicted. Perhaps they can find a way to help two people through what they've gone through before they return to Sunnydale.

"I assume we can thank you for taking care of the trained apes there?" Liam asks gesturing towards the disabled car.

Wil nods with a satisfied smile. "Jenny relayed your plans and I assumed you'd rather not attract any unwanted attention. I took care of these two and their compatriot that they had inside had an unfortunate run-in with security. She was escorted out and handed over to the police and taken off. It will take hours for the case of mistaken identity to be cleared up. Jenny's hacked into their communication frequencies and she's eavesdropping on their chatter traffic. They've been placed on high alert, Area 51 is in lockdown to everyone but assigned personnel, and every member of the command staff is being 'monitored'." Wil confirms.

"Well that confirms what we thought; they're being held at Area 51. If our inquiries have resulted in a lockdown then Sam and Teal'c must be there." Daniel says worried.

"We're going to have to move fast. If they've gone into lockdown it won't be long before someone gets it into their heads to move them, possibly to separate locations and we may never find them. We have to get to Lukas and get his help by any means necessary. He should have the pull to get us onto the base or at least tell us where the holes in their security are." Jack says angrily.

Liam looks down at Wil and takes a deep breath. He pulls out the picture of Major Lukas that was in the file Jack and Daniel brought with them and holds it out for him to see. Wil looks at the picture for several seconds then up at Liam and nods solemnly. Liam strokes his cheek and leans down to press their lips together tenderly in a soft kiss, his hands closing around the lapels of his jacket to hold Wil into the kiss. They part slowly and reluctantly Wil slipping out of his duster to reveal his arm baring sleeveless top and Jack and Daniel inhale in unison. Liam pulls the duster to his chest, clinging to the warmth and familiar scent clinging to the leather.

"Where is he going?" Daniel asks as he and Jack watch Wil head inside the club.

"He's going to bring us Major Lukas." Liam says flatly. "It's unlikely that anyone is left from his observation team, Wil is nothing if not thorough, but if there is then all they'll see is Lukas flirting with a handsome young man. Wil hardly looks very military these days and while we're not in uniform we may as well be Jack, even Daniel's grown to look like he belongs in field dress."

"How can you be sure that he can get to Lukas much less convincing the man to follow him out of there?" Jack demands, still not sure about trusting someone he doesn't personally know with their best chance to get his friends back.

"Wil has certain... talents... that will help. He'll be back and with Lukas, Jack." Liam assures him. "I'm going to go get the car." Liam states unemotionally, turning on his heel and striding back the way they came, Jack and Daniel watching him go with matching expressions of concern.

"What was that about? And since when is Liam gay?! This is a stupid plan!" Jack complains.

Daniel shakes his head and walks over to lean against the ruined sedan. "How can you be here, watch what I watch but still not see things as they are Jack? I know that you saw Wil but did you look at him. I mean really, really look at him? Is there a doubt that he'll follow Wil out of there like a dog in heat or that it's hurting Liam to know that he sent his lover in there to lure the man out to us? As far as plans go it may not be the best but it will work and it's fast and you said it yourself Jack, we don't have the time to waste. Liam knows Wil and if he says that Wil can handle it and that he's willing to then I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Now sit down and just shut up and wait like the rest of us Jack!" Daniel snaps uncharacteristically blunt. He nods satisfied as Jack strides over and flops back against the car with only a modicum of ill-temper and settles in to wait.

"I still don't see why Liam's so sure this'll work." Jack mutters glowering darkly.

"You looked but you didn't see." Daniel says affectionately. "You were too busy doing that threat assessment thing with Wil to actually look at him, weren't you? If Lukas is indeed as inclined towards men as his file seemed to indicate then he'll be on Wil like white on snow. He's very good looking."

"You think he's good looking?" Jack asks self-consciously straightening his clothes and running a nervous hand through his short hair.

"I think he's beautiful actually if you want to get technical. His features are just a tad too delicate to qualify for handsome." Jack's shoulders droops at Daniel's honest reply. "Liam's a very lucky man. From what I saw they're very much in love if a little uneasy about it still. I don't think that they've been involved for that long and they're still feeling their way." Daniel notes with an air of curiosity.

"I didn't have a clue that Liam was gay." Jack admits with a shrug of embarrassment.

"I don't think the government requires them to wear signs yet Jack." Daniel says impishly, chuckling as Jack playfully socks his shoulder.

"Oh that's very funny, Danny." Jack says feigning anger but ruining it when he smiles. "I mean that sometimes you can just sort of... tell you know? But Liam, he's one of the roughest, toughest sons of bitches I've ever met and it's just the last thing that would have crossed my mind; that he likes men."

"I'm not positive Liam's 'gay' Jack." Daniel says wryly. "Maybe he just fell in love with Wil. I mean it is possible to fall in love with a person and not their whole gender; isn't?" He suggests looking away shyly.

Jack glances at Daniel and then slowly away. "Yeah I guess it is Danny-Boy; I guess it is."

Hearing the strange tone in Jack's voice Daniel's eyes flash to him but he's looking away watching Liam easily maneuvering the large SUV competently down the street and parking on the other side of the sedan. He shuts off the truck and climbs out, walking over to join them at their vigil, unable to hide the disappointment in his eyes at Wil's continued absence and as the minutes stretch worry starts to war with the sad look in his eyes. Jack and Daniel share a look and then a nod; they'll try to keep him talking and distracted.

"Tell us about Wil, Liam. How on Earth did you two meet up? I mean it's hardly usual is it to have a multi-national unit is it? I've only ever heard of that happening when the Russians, British, and Australia teams were finally approved for the SGC." Daniel asks genuinely curious.

"You know all about Wil, you just haven't made the connection yet. I've been telling you stories and talking about him with you for years." Liam replies with an enigmatic smile.

Daniel shares a confused look with Jack; who only shrugs. "I don't remember you mentioning a Wil before Liam. You used to tell us a lot of stories about Amalie and her son William...WIL?!" The thunderbolt of realization hits him and Jack simultaneously.

"That's the 'pain in the ass', 'bane of your existence', 'unholy terror' of your younger years?" Jack exclaims but then he chuckles. "It looks like at least one of those was correct anyway." He covers his mouth and snickers at the expressions on Liam and Daniel's faces and in a few seconds they're all laughing.

"Yeah well... he grew up." Liam says embarrassed. "Oh boy did he ever grow 'up'." Liam grabs his shirt and flutters it as though cooling off on an overheated day, chuckling as Daniel blushes and Jack tries damned hard to hide the fact that he is too.

"As for how we met up after all these years and the bad blood that's passed between us, that was a rather happy surprise. I knew we'd be getting a... diplomatic... team from London at the... base... where I'm stationed and that a contingent of privately contracted ex-military would accompany them. I didn't know that one of the... diplomats... we were expecting was my foster- Godfather Rupert Giles. Wil, going by his nickname Spike, is... was... the head of his security detail." Liam explains. "It turns out that Giles is planning to retire and he's going to be living in the town where I'm... working. Wil and his companions decided to retire as well and the man that runs our facility saw an opportunity and offered them a job and they gratefully were assigned to me. My former second took over our old unit and I got Wil and his friends and let me tell you Jack if we had a few units of people like them the Goa'uld would be hurting... severely. They're at the top of their games, every single one."

"Liam... what are you really doing at that base where you're assigned?" Jack asks bluntly.

It is a testimony to their friendship and the trust that exists between them that Liam doesn't even hesitate to answer. "Well you see it al started in this little town called Sunnydale...."
 

Chapter Eight

Liam stifles a chuckle as first Daniel opens his mouth to say something only to let it close with the words unspoken, then Jack does the same exercise in futility. He surreptitiously glances at his watch and smiles, they've been speechless for about fifteen minutes; that may well be a new record for both of them.

"That's... are you sure that's what you do?" Jack chokes out finally, looking like he swallowed a lemon.

"You know I'm not sure if I should be insulted or not Jack." Liam says with a chuckle. "You fight parasitical aliens with delusions of universal conquest and planet sized egos who think that they're GODS and you're having a problem believing that Demons really exist and that the Governments of at least two major world nations know about it?"

"You're a Demon-slayer? Jack he's a Demon-slayer." Daniel says incredulously.

"Yes I heard that at the same time you did Daniel, I'm sitting right here ya know!" Jack exclaims.

"How could this be going on and we don't know about it? No one has a security clearance higher then we do, don't they trust us enough to tell us?" Daniel argues angrily. This is fascinating! Beings that have lived through countless generations, imagine the knowledge that some of them may have!

"It's plausible deniability and need-to-know Daniel. You should know those well enough by now; we live by the same code. Why don't we tell the world at large that the Stargate exists; that the Goa'uld exist and have threatened the planet on several occasions?" Jack replies, cupping Daniel's shoulder.

"We've debated that til we're blue Jack. People aren't ready to hear about it, they'd... they'd panic." The light of understanding brightens his crystalline blue eyes.

"Imagine what would happen if people were to find out about either the Stargate or Demons Daniel." Liam says quietly. "The Goa'uld, well they are a terrible threat that's true but they're also a more distant threat. The Demons have been here as long if not longer than Humans have, living along side us and living off of us. Not every Demon necessarily looks like one, it'd give all these fanatical racial purity groups the last impetuous they need to start an all-out War. It'd be genocide on a level Hitler could have never dreamed of." Liam says in a deadly serious tone. "People would die by the thousands on the mere suspicion that they may be 'different' or the nuts would use it as a convenient rallying point for their fanatical beliefs and justification for their prejudice."

"It'd be the Salem witch trials all over again." Daniel breathes.

"Yes it would be, only hundreds of thousands of times worse." Liam agrees. "It would be much more difficult too since not all Demons are hurtful or harmful to Humans. Some are like Teal'c, noble and willing to risk their lives for the betterment of their kind and this world we all call home. The world just isn't ready to find out that a lot of the nightmares they've always believed were just make believe or stories actual exist. We all grow up seeing the scary movies and hearing the spooky stories and believe it when I parents tell us there is no such thing; just like most of the world has believed the lies the governments have deliberately spun about 'aliens' being fake. As much as we like to believe we've grown as a species, Humans still believe what they're told over what they see if they're told often enough and in subtly clever ways. Movies, books, the occasional 'hoax' they all desensitize the general public and brainwash them into seeing the version of the world that we want them to see. It's that prevalent belief that 'Aliens' and 'Demons' are creations of the imagination that is the greatest smokescreen of all time. It was orchestrated long ago and now it's part of the unconscious mind of countless millions."

"I always knew that there had to be a good reason why you retired and left the SGC but I never imagined it was anything like this." Jack admits. "I understand why you made that comment about Wil and his friends being at the top of their games now." Daniel shoots him a questioning look. "They wouldn't be... around... if they weren't Daniel."

Daniel silently substitutes the 'around' in Jack's statement and replaces it with 'alive' and he gets the idea and nods. "There must be an astonishing opportunity for learning about these new species."

"Giles has made a career out of doing just that." Liam agrees. "You should see his library!" He chuckles as Jack shoots him a dark look as Daniel looks as excitable as a puppy with a new toy. Next thing they know Daniel's going to want to study Demons! "By the way... some of those languages that Wil speaks... they're Demon languages. Between Wil and his friends I think they speak somewhere around twenty languages and many variant dialects."

"That's amazing! Do you think he'd teach me some of them?" Daniel asks excitedly. "If some of them pre-date human language, they may have formed the true basis of our linguistic heritage! It may help me with translations of other languages if the Demons followed the transplanted cultures into the stars."

"He's fluent in several dead varieties of Latin as well. I'm almost positive that he could read the Ancients' script if he had a chance to study it." Liam says proudly. "You can use that to send us messages actually. I doubt there are many people that could translate it correctly so it'll be like our private code."

"That's a good idea and it's not much of a security risk since he already knows about the SGC." Jack agrees, knowing that to date only Daniel and himself are fluent in the language of the Ancients. It may actually be to their advantage to maintain their contact with Liam and his team for many reasons.

Speaking of his team, Jack's eyes widen at the sight of Wil casually strolling up the sidewalk towards them his shoulders rock steady but his lower body is a backfield in motion... the whole backfield Jack notices. His footsteps are characteristically silent once more and his hips rotate to bring his legs forward in a sinuous gliding stalk that he's only ever seen in cats. It takes him a moment to tear his eyes away from the hypnotic swaying of Spike's stalking stride to notice the powerfully built though plain featured man following a few steps behind him. His eyes are downcast and pitched slightly forward and Jack almost chuckles as he realizes the man has his eyes glued to the no doubt awe-inspiring sight of Wil's leather clad rear in motion in front of him.

The Major's steps falter as Liam darts forward his hand clenching Wil's shirt and lifting him bodily off his feet in a hip toss that send him sprawling across the hood of the sedan. Judging by the lack of a struggle; and the husky chuckle that abruptly cuts off as Liam pounces in a passionate attack that has Wil writhing across the hood of the sedan; it's a pleasurable scuffle.

Jack and Daniel step up swiftly and they each grab one of the Major's arms, ensuring that he doesn't go anywhere but their eyes are locked on the seductive drama unfolding on the sedan. One good thing about the eye-catching display is that the Major didn't really have a chance to get a good look at them before Jack's free arm slid around his throat keeping his head from turning. Positioned as they are they're effectively standing just beyond the range of his peripheral vision and fixated as the Major is, their identities are likely still anonymous.

Wil is stretched out across the hood, one foot braced on the hood and the other leg is stretched out. His head hangs partially off the edge, held securely in Liam's protective hands, cradled against his stomach as he leans down and kisses him deep and slowly. Liam's hand spreads possessively over the tautly muscled stomach of his very willing captive as the curious upside down kiss lingers on for a tension filled few moments until a low groan from Major Lukas sounds like a rifle shot going off.

Wil turns his face away breaking the slow drugging kiss, wrapping his arms around Liam's waist and kicking off the hood of the Sedan in a graceful roll over his powerful shoulder. He smiles as Liam throws his hands back to curve over his thighs keeping him from touching the ground and forcing him to wrap his legs around his waist. He slides a powerful arm across Liam's collarbone securing his position clinging onto his back.

Liam walks over to where Jack and Daniel are holding the Major, carrying his precious burden. He lets his hands relax around Wil's thighs and uses them to gently guide his slow slide down his back to regain his feet. Wil steps back and clear, his thumbs hooking into his waistband as his palms cross over his abdomen. He is close enough for Liam to sense he's there but with the excellent instincts of a soldier he's back far enough to give them the full range of motion and field of vision. He leans forward until he is way inside the Major's personal space, his lips almost pressed to his ear. He whispers lowly, barely loud enough for the clearly nervous Major to hear.

"He belongs to me, keep that in mind and I'll let you keep your head." The tone of Liam's voice soft and pleasant but whatever the Major sees in the depths of his eyes has him rearing back and Jack and Daniel are forced to wrestle him still once more.

Liam motions to Wil, who steps forward and gently cups the Major's face, his thumbs catch his eyelids and gently hold them open, forcing him to look into his eyes and hold his gaze. Daniel and Jack stare at the unfolding scene, surprised when the Major slumps between them unconscious.

"What the hell was that? Some sort of hypnosis or something?" Jack demands, grunting slightly under the weight of the unconscious man despite Daniel's help.

Wil lifts his hand and reveals that one of his rings is now facing the inside of his hand, displaying the tiny needle. A deft twist and the ring is once more righted on his finger and the needle is withdrawn back into the deceptively innocent piece of jewelry. "No need to waste effort when modern chemistry provides." Wil says with a wink as Jack chuckles and shakes his head. "That will keep him quiet til we get back to the house and he'll be easily suggestible until it wears off and he won't remember a thing."

"That's handy stuff to have, we'll take a gallon." Jack quips wrestling the Major over his shoulder; with Daniel's help; and follows Liam back to the SUV. The Major is carefully placed in the back cargo area and Liam produces a pair of handcuffs and a length of chain. He quickly passes the length of chain through one of the metal tie-back anchors and then threads the links through the cuffs before securing the officer. "We should find something to blindfold him with too; the less he sees the better I'll like it." Jack orders. "I'm not about to trust a drug to do what it's supposed to so the less he can identify now, the less he might remember later. I want you to ask most of the questions Liam or Wil. If he should remember, he may not be able to connect you to us. I'm not sure he got a good look at Daniel or me."

Liam nods and looks at the unconscious man for a few seconds then the light of creativity enters his eyes making them twinkle gleefully. He unlocks one of the rear cargo boxes and after a moment removes a slender clear plastic vinyl pouch containing a neatly folded square of silver. Within seconds the silver survival blanket is spread out completely over their unwilling guest, both limiting his vision and concealing his presence for the drive back to the house. Should anyone look into the SUV on the drive back all they'll see is a sea of rumpled silver.

Jack tucks the blanket securely over his head and nods satisfied. He leans around the back of the SUV and sees Daniel deep in conversation with Wil. He briefly considers whether or not he should distract Daniel and give Wil a chance to escape but he decides not to as he notices that the enigmatic blond seems to be enjoying the conversation. He waves and catches Wil's eye. He nods and deftly steers the still talking Daniel towards the back seat of the SUV with all the skill and subtle handling of a champion sheepdog herding his charges. He shakes his head in wonder as Wil gently urges Daniel to climb up into the back seat and follows him in. He doesn't know what language they're talking in but it sounds like Russian and it's clear that the pair is fluent in whatever it is by the ease of the chatter flying back and forth.

Liam climbs behind the wheel and Jack climbs into the passenger seat beside him motioning for him to hurry frantically. Maybe they'll make it back to the house before Daniel has a chance to rope them into the conversation too!
 

Chapter Nine

Wil and Daniel watch as Jack and Liam drive off with their once-again unconscious 'guest'; they'll take him to a bench near the local police station. The drugs in his system are the cleverly diabolical creation of the Watchers Council, each and every one alcohol-based. By the time they arrive the chemicals will have broken down to their base component and he'll appear -- and be -- legally intoxicated. A quick anonymous phone call and they'll watch from a safe distance as the police take him into custody.

 They've unfortunately learned little during their interrogation that will be of value to them in trying to get into Area 51 to recover the missing members of SG-1. While the reclamation of the billion dollar prototype is also a matter for concern, Jack has officially made it a secondary priority to the safety of their friends. They have learned that Sam, Teal'c, and the X-301b are indeed at the base and the base command has taken very excessive steps to ensure they'll keep them.

The base has been set to highest alert and only currently assigned personnel have any hope of getting past the layers of security that have been set in place. In fact only Officers are allowed to leave the base at all, the lower ranking soldiers are confined to base housing for the duration of the lockdown.

"What are we going to do now?" Daniel asks disheartened. Their chances to get Sam and Teal'c back safely are dwindling by the hour.

"We've got options; they're just not as... peaceful." Wil says quietly. "Liam and Jack will have discussed the options in-depth by the time they get back I expect. I've got a few ideas of my own though that may get us in with less fuss. Would you care to consult Dr. Jackson?"

"I'd love to." Daniel says happily, just glad he can be of some use in all this. "Where do we start?"

"Here's what I had in mind...." Wil begins, slipping an arm around Daniel's shoulders and pulls him over towards the table where a laptop is sitting. "I've got Jenny synthesizing a computer virus, a very selective computer virus. When it's ready she'll hack their mainframe, implant the virus and allow it to replicate through their systems. It's a data miner so it will be set to find locate and destroy any files within its program perimeters. We can burn out any information that they have on you, your friends, the SGC, everything. They won't have a single bit of information left anywhere on the system unless they thought to print out hard copies and in this day and age of computers it's probably unlikely that they have. Jenny can maintain a scan of their systems and remove any data they try to add or replace."

"They'd lose everything that they have?!" Daniel exclaims questioningly. "Is that even possible? They must have billions of bits of data on the program and every single person in it."

"Jenny, activate home remote response unit." Wil calls out.

"Response unit relay activated, Wil." Jenny's computer generated voice responds warmly.

"I need a status report on that little gift you're cooking up for the military." Wil orders with a smile.

"The matrix is reaching maturity and the programming is nearly complete. It's a thirty layer encryption protocol with a metamorphic sub-matrix that will allow it to mirror-image any program they use to try and destroy it. It will fool them into thinking the lines of code are part of their solution rather than the invader itself, making it impossible to remove. Once it is active in it's system, it will self-replicate until it reaches flashpoint and the entire system is compromised and essentially under our influence. Estimated time to flashover is ten hours and thirty-nine minutes once the initial infection activates. My scan of their systems is progressing as you requested and I have verified the following data." The lap top screen changes as data flies across the screen. "The presence of one Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter and a Teal'c is verified. They are being held in a maximum security lockup located here." A schematic of the base appears and one of the buildings is highlighted.

"Can you tell us where in the building they're being held?" Daniel asks worriedly.

The image changes to show the interior of the building in amazing detail and the positions of Sam and Teal'c as well as their guards are clearly noted on the diagram by colored dots. "There were standing orders in place for the dispensation of both captives and the X-301b. The Lt. Colonel was scheduled to be transported to a facility in New Mexico in two days. The Jaffa was scheduled to be transferred to a medical testing facility in Guam tonight. I believe that both facilities were intended to be permanent for the captives and terminal judging by the tests they've ordered to be run. I'm far enough in to countermand those orders and I've done so by pushing back their departure orders several days. It will give us more than enough time to rescue them." Jenny reports.

"Can you issue a command ordering their release and just let them walk off the base?" Daniel asks.

"That would likely arouse suspicion and could warn them of a rescue attempt in the making. They're less likely to worry over a two day delay than they would such an abrupt order after they've gone to such lengths to first take and then conceal the fact that they have them." Jenny advises.

"Yes, of course, I should have realized.... Can you tell me if they're alright?" Daniel questions.

"The Jaffa was not taken easily; he has minor injuries which were treated at the base infirmary. Colonel Carter was examined but by all indications she arrived at the base unconscious. I would theorize that Colonel Carter was approached first and neutralized, probably drugged, then used to ensure the capture and good conduct of Teal'c. They are essentially unharmed Dr. Jackson... considering." Jenny informs him. "The standing orders are to take care of them well until they're transferred."

"Sure they'll be in deep if they die while they're in their custody before the scientists get hold of them. Have you had time to check into that other matter we discussed Jenny?" Wil growls quietly.

"Affirmative and you were correct. I have found ties to the Initiative and I believe that the facility in Guam is in fact funded and run by them." Jenny replies.

"I thought so." Wil replies stonily. "Experimentation on living beings is right up their alley. Get everything you can Jenny and transmit it to Commander Woods and we'll deal with them later."

"Understood, Wil, I'll attend to it directly. Indications are that the technicians have begun to reverse engineer the X-301b but they've run into some unfortunate technical difficulties."

Wil and Daniel chuckle conspiratorially, knowing that Jenny is likely the cause for their 'unfortunate technical difficulties'.

"If it becomes necessary Jenny, can you destroy the X-301b?" Wil asks seriously.

"Affirmative, Wil; the main computer is tied to every major system. I can send the mini-reactor at the heart of its engine design into a catastrophic cascade failure that will literally melt the internals. They'll have a big fancy paperweight if that happens. It's regrettable that the weapon systems and pilot controls are semi-isolated systems not fully under the control of the main computer or I could use the auto-pilot to retrieve the prototype. I would suggest that the best option is to destroy it at this point."

"I agree but that's a final decision best left up to General O'Neill. Prepare a progress report outlining everything we've discussed for Liam and the General please Jenny. The final call will be the General's as to what course we pursue." Wil says, smiling comfortingly at Daniel, who gratefully returns the smile.

"How will we actually get onto the base?" Daniel asks.

"Well if the General likes what we've come up with and gives us the go ahead; Jenny can get us onto the base. Once the little 'gift' she implants reaches flashover she can randomly start causing system failures all over the base. She'll keep them so busy they'll never see us enter the base from this direction." Wil types in several commands and the schematics change to provide an aerial view of Area 51. He taps a fingertip over a section on the screen. "This area is fairly remote and with the security teams being run ragged with false alarm reports in these areas, here, here, here, and there, we'll be able to walk right onto the base without being observed. Jenny can deactivate the security measures as we go and reactivate them after us covering our tracks. They won't know we're there until it's too late."

"What if we're seen? Do we have an escape route planned?" Daniel asks.

"Jenny can track Liam and I wherever we go using the base sensors. If we get in trouble she can provide us an escape route through the anti-personnel defenses. Or we mount up and go through the front gate, guns blazing as they say." Wil says devilishly. "They've stolen a top-secret prototype and kidnapped two members of a top secret government project's flagship team and lied about it. I doubt they're going to want that to become public knowledge so even if you should be recognized I suspect that they'll attempt to cover it up."

"Judging by how unhelpful the Major was, I'd say it's probably just a few of the high ranking officials who are responsible for this." Daniel theorizes.

"I agree but the NID has a lot to answer for in this as well. The Trust is going to lose several valuable assets I expect once Jack gets rolling on this." Wil says with a grin. "Jenny's pulling up a lot of data on their movements and operations. Makepeace is going to have a rude awakening."

"MAKEPEACE, Colonel Makepeace, a marine?" Daniel exclaims shocked.

"Yes a Marine Colonel if memory serves." Wil types out several commands and the screen changes again and a report appears.

Daniel leans over Wil's shoulder and reads the report, tension in every line of his body, the muscles twitching beneath his skin. "That rotten Sonofabitch is still alive!" He growls angrily. "General Hammond was led to believe that Makepeace was killed by a fellow prisoner while in Leavenworth."

"Well according to these reports that is a false report and undoubtedly how they managed to spring him from the prison without setting off any alarms. He's been the senior field commander for the Trust's field operations for the last... three... years." Wil notes.

"That's how they managed to get a pipeline into the SGC, they had inside information!" Daniel swears violently.

"They have several operatives in place as well. Jenny can provide you with the details and you can take steps to clear them out of the SGC when you get back." Wil says comfortingly.

"Is there anything that Jenny can't do?" Daniel asks impressed and amused.

"I make horrible cocoa." Jenny replies and Daniel roars with laughter as Wil smiles and shakes his head fondly.

"Speaking of which, I think I'd love a cup of cocoa right now." Wil gets up and heads into the kitchen. "Would you like a cup Daniel?" He offers.

"I'd love one." Daniel agrees following him towards the kitchen and taking a seat on one of the barstools sitting in front of the counter. He watches as Wil makes real cocoa from scratch. "May I ask you some questions about what you do?" Daniel asks politely.

"Sure but I may not be able to answer everything. I'll try answer as best that I can." Wil answers with a smile. "What would you like to know?"

"Liam told us that you hunt Demons... actual living breathing Demons, for a living." Daniel glances at Wil and notices the patient expression. It's rather a surprise as a lot of people seem to lack patience when it comes to conversations with him.

"In most cases they're living and breathing." Wil's lip curls up in quiet amusement. "Not all Demons are necessarily of the living or breathing variety. Vampires for instance are technically no longer living beings in the usual definition."

"Vampires, wow." Daniel breathes. "Like Dracula and everything?"

"Well if you mean does Dracula really exist?" Wil asks, smiling as Daniel nods frantically. "He exists but the myth surrounding him is mostly hype, the construct of a very infatuated writer who bought into a lot of lies. Dracula was not the first Vampire or anywhere near being the most powerful of their kind; he was just the one that had the best PR person." Wil snickers.  "There is really little about whom the first Vampire was but their legends claim it was a woman and some scholars believe it may have been Lilith; yes the biblical one."

"I used to attend church services with my Foster parents and I remember the pastor talking about Lilith but it's kind of vague and I don't remember much about it." Daniel admits fascinated.

"Traditionalists usually refer to Lilith by her biblical aspect as the first woman God created for Adam but where Adam was made of pure dust in the image of his Creator, Lilith was not. The scriptures state that Lilith was created from the dark sediments. According to the religious teachings, she was flawed, the dark side of the divine. She was cast out and Eve was created to take her place." Wil recites.

"Okay that's sort of what I remember from when I was a child." Daniel admits.

"Some scholars believe that she was in fact a Demon and the 'marriage' between Adam and Lilith was an attempt by the sides of Light and Dark to strike a compromise wherein they would share this paradise that was the Garden of Eden. Some believe that is where the true animosity between 'good' and 'evil' originated. Lilith is still referred to as the 'Mother' of all Demons in some beliefs and to the few Vampires that still hold such beliefs in any importance, she is held as the Mother of their kind. The legends say that she sleeps somewhere in a hidden temple, safeguarded from the eyes of Mortal Men and only when Demons drive humanity to its knees in subjugation will she once more walk among her children. Others hold with another being the Sire of their kind, Judas, Caine, Illyria, Azazeal, and even Lucifer himself have all had their supporters among the Vampire sects at one time or another. The beliefs are as diverse as Humans and their religions in many aspects and some of the newest generations don't believe in the fallen divinity of their origins at all."

"What do you believe Wil?" Daniel asks curiously.

"I believe that it's what you believe that's important not what the facts are. If they believe it's true and that she still exists somewhere in the world, sleeping until Demons once more rule over humanity then that gives them power and purpose. One day I may be in a position to tell you for sure Daniel."

"How did you even end up doing this for a living Wil?" Daniel asks.

Spike shoots him an enigmatic look. "I guess you can say that I was born into it, Daniel" He pulls the large pot of gently bubbling cocoa off the stove and pours it into a large thermal carafe he's set aside for it. He takes down a small tray from the china hutch and sets the carafe on it and chooses some mugs and sets them beside it. He slides the tray across the breakfast bar to Daniel while he heads back to the kitchen's pantry. He returns carrying a selection of cookies, pastries, and biscuits that he sets down with a smile, accepting the mug that Daniel holds out. He takes a seat on one of the barstools on the other side of the raised divider and sips his cocoa.

"So your parents did the same thing for a living?" Daniel asks, knowing that he's probably being overly nosy but compelled to ask by his insatiable curiosity all the same.

Wil sips his cocoa and nibbles on a cookie while he considers how to answer and just how honest he can be. He remembers back to what he observed before Liam realized that he'd followed him to Vegas. It's obvious that Liam trusts these two men and considers them to be close friends if he met them within hours of their message and is willing to risk life and limb to help them. He decides to tell him the truth, though a somewhat abridged version.

"I was literally born for it Daniel. I have something in common with the Jaffa, I was... engineered... to be a hunter. It's who I am not just what I do. I'm very good at what I do Daniel, though the number of people that know that are pretty limited." He sees the alarmed look on Daniel's face and throws his hand up. "Don't look so worried Daniel. It wasn't done to intentionally harm me in any way. The bloodlines of the men in my family line were carefully engineered and shaped to fashion me for this life that I lead. Not every man in my family tree develops the gifts that I have, in fact many generations can pass without them manifesting. I am the first of my kind in a long time."

"Who would do something like that to someone? It wasn't the Goa'uld was it?" Daniel asks.

"Not to my knowledge Daniel since they would hardly be interested in helping mankind rather than making use of us in other ways. I'm not bitter about my fate Daniel. I've done a lot of good things in my time and a lot of things that I'm not so proud of, just like any other soldier." Wil recites the story of his origins for Daniel and includes the unlikely set of circumstances that reunited him with Liam.

"I have to admit that's a pretty amazing story. I don't think I could handle it as well as you have."

"How smart are you Daniel? Your gifts are just as special, your life growing up was just as hard in many ways as mine was. You travel around the universe Daniel and sometimes you have to fight or do something that you may not like but that you know is necessary. Our lives aren't all that different."

"I guess you're right. I've never thought of it quite like that. I guess I just always figured that Jack kept me around because he felt responsible for me." Daniel admits.

"Jack doesn't strike me as the type to suffer fools gladly Daniel. I may not know him well yet but he's a lot like Liam and I know that his feelings for me aside, if I couldn't do my part on his team then I wouldn't be on his team. What we do is too important for him to let his feelings for me endanger anyone else. If Jack didn't know that you were a capable and valued member of his team, I assure you he would have found a way to watch over you and keep you safe but wouldn't have you on a field team. I'm sure it wouldn't have been difficult for him to make a case for your talents being of more use at the SGC and that it would only be smart to safeguard an invaluable asset. You're special Daniel, I haven't known you personally for long but even I can tell you that you're very rare."

"You're right he could have done that but he fought to keep me on SG-1 and he still trusts me to hold my own even though he's no longer in the field. You're right about the other thing too; he doesn't suffer fools gladly. He does think that I can do the job or he'd have never let me do it." Daniel realizes.

"If anything Daniel you should be very flattered and proud of the fact. Especially since it must be difficult for Jack to acknowledge that you can do the job given how he feels about you."

"What do you mean; we're just best friends and that's all." Daniel rebuts clearing his throat and taking a hasty gulp of his cooling cocoa.

"What does being best friends have to do with whether or not he wants to hump your bones Pet?" Wil chuckles as Daniel blushes faintly. "Liam is one of the best friends I have and I assure you it doesn't stop me from wanting to hump his bones." He adds dryly. "I'll let you in on a little secret pet. Liam and I haven't consummated our relationship yet, not fully at least."

"I would have sworn in a court of law that you were intimate, lovers." Daniel is amazed to learn that they aren't as they certainly appear to be intimately close.

"There is a huge difference between intimacy and sex and the two can be mutually exclusive. We discussed our relationship when we were considering whether or not to take it to the next step as we both agreed that we meant enough to each other to do things right. We're taking our time and getting to know each other as adults and partners and eventually as lovers. Our relationship is worth doing it right the first time. Liam is the only man that I've never been able to get over losing and this time I'm going to do my best to keep him in my life. We sleep together, naked." Wil grins as Daniel blushes again. "We've moved in together and from now on we'll live together and that means in every way not just in bed. We fight together, both against Demons and ourselves, we bathe together, eat together... he's not going anywhere without me not anymore. If this is all our relationship is destined to be then I will meet my end of days as much in love with him as I am now."

"That sounds really wonderful and I wish that I had that with...." Daniel's voice trails off as he blushes and looks away.

"...With Jack, you were going to say." Wil completes for him. "He feels the same way about you Daniel, he's probably just scared and maybe a little unsure of how you feel about him. A bit of advice for you, the things that matter the most in life often come at the greatest risk. Love is worth it Daniel."

"Yes, love is worth it." Daniel agrees. "But love can bruise the heart as easily as hate and I'd rather have him for a best friend than to have him be nothing at all."

"And if you can have both Daniel? One of you has to be the one to take the chance. You're both watching for some sign from each other that what you want is something he wants but both afraid to let anything show through in case you're wrong. You may be able to exist that way but it's no way to live."

"And what am I supposed to do to let him know that I feel the same way? I've never kissed a man!"

Wil thinks back to the private conversation he had with Liam before he left with Jack to take care of their unwilling guest.

He watches the quietly talking Jack and Daniel from the darkened doorway of the family room and sighs as a powerful arm slides around his waist from behind. He nuzzles the strong hand that curves around his chin from behind. He doesn't fight its will as his head is gently angled up and to the side and a softly passionate kiss is his reward. He lets Liam pull him into the darkened room and away from his silent observation.

He arches into the pleasurable press of Liam's weight as he settles over him and presses him into the silken softness of the couch as it yields to their reposed bodies. His arm slides around the small of Liam's back, burrowing under his shirt to caress the newly bared skin burning with warmth under his palm. His other palm slides into the silken mane of dark hair that is as soft and thick as any mink pelt and strokes through the waves, smiling as errant strands curl around his fingers as though loathe to lose his touch.

"You're being unusual quiet Wil. Is everything alright?" Liam asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper but they do not need to shout for their words to be heard clearly, their hearts lending them any ability to listen that is beyond mere hearing.

"They're in pain. Oh not the bleeding kind of bone and flesh but the pain is there all the same."

"You mean Jack and Daniel right?" Liam says quietly and he nods silently, enjoying the pleasant rasp of their stubble roughened cheeks as they slide together in a subtle caress. "I understand what you mean." Liam admits. "I haven't spent much time with them since I left the SGC. I think the last time I saw them was at a Christmas party Jack threw and that was oh... maybe four years ago, maybe five, and they were pretty much like they are now. I always knew that they were close and that they shared a deep connection but I didn't understand what I was really seeing. They're in love aren't they?"

"Yes and in the 'you're the only one that can complete me and spend forever with me' kind of way. It clings to them like the scent of wood smoke to burnt wood."

"This isn't great news Wil. I don't think that Jack will ever make a move to act on what he feels for Daniel. It would be a great risk for them both while they're serving at an American military project that is under such close scrutiny by some facets of the government. Daniel is a civilian and while the rules of military conduct don't apply to him, they do for Jack. Strangely they may have had an easier time of it if Jack hadn't been promoted and given command of the entire SGC. Daniel could have resigned from field work and accepted a desk job removing him from Jack's command. They'd still have had to be discreet but as long as no one asked and they didn't tell, they'd probably have been accepted. The real problem was that as members of the same team, Daniel was under Jack's command and the fraternization rules of conduct become an issue."

"Oh boy and now that Jack's a General and running the SGC, there isn't anyone in the project that *doesn't* fall under his command so even that option is removed now."

"That's right and I'm not sure what can be done to help them but I hate seeing them this way. We've gotten a second chance and I've never been happier and I want to help them but I don't know where to start or what to do. It will be difficult for both of them since I'm positive they've both been straight until they met. I know that they were both married and loved their wives very much anyway."

"Before we can find ways to help them hide their relationship they have to be willing to acknowledge that they *have* one first and choose to take the risks that may come along with it. I think that should be our first step. We need to help them to admit they're in love and get them past the whole 'male' thing. You overcame a lot of negative things on your way to deciding to be with me; your Father, years of anti-gay sentiments, the military indoctrination and everything that goes with it. If you can overcome that then Jack can as well. I think Daniel is maybe a little more willing to take the last step. If we can encourage him then I don't think Jack could turn him away, not when he feels the same way. It will take some work to get his self-confidence shored up enough for him to make his move though."

"Couldn't you maybe give them a little... push?" Liam asks quietly, ducking his head and tucking it under his chin in a sudden fit of shyness.

"You know that I'm limited in what I can do, especially without touching them. They're both very strong willed and I suspect that Jack's training will mitigate my influence to a degree making him even more resistant to my influence, much like you are. Daniel is more susceptible to me but there's only so much that I can do, or that I *will* do. I will not break my covenant with you, my love."

"Both of them have saved my life several times Wil. If we can help them then I want to."

"Alright, my Angel we'll help them. You understand Jack's point of view and concerns why don't you try and talk to him about it? We'll need to make sure the Major is taken care of soon, we don't want him coming to while he's here. Why don't you take Jack with you to take care of him and leave Daniel here with me? I'll talk to him while you're gone. He may feel more comfortable talking without Jack being here and vice versa. I'll see if I can't soothe some of Daniel's fears and concerns and convince him to tell Jack how he feels while you try to do the same with Jack. Maybe one of us will succeed and they'll work it out for themselves."

"What if that doesn't work? Jack is an extremely stubborn man and he just may not be *capable* of admitting he has romantic feelings for another man, even Daniel."

"Then I seduce him and show him differently."

Liam rears back to stare down at him, unsure whether or not he's joking. "Are you serious?"

"I won't take another man to my, *our*, bed Liam but I can certainly get him worked up enough to the point that Daniel's bed would be his immediate destination of choice."

"And how would you do that?" Liam asks suspiciously, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You leave that part to me my love."

"Oh no; I want to know *exactly* what you're going to do Wil." Liam growls.

"Are you asking because you want to know what I'm going to do to Jack?" He looks up through his thick eyelashes flirtatiously. "Or are you asking because the thought of my seducing Jack excites you? Do you want to see the Rock of O'Neill crumble is that it?"

Liam's answer is found in the sudden thrusting intrusion of his tongue as it sweeps in to lay claim to his own and in the heavy press of his body.

"Hey Liam we should be going...." Jack's voice trails off into a harshly indrawn breath. "Damn! Sorry about that." They hear the rapid retreat of his footsteps and they break apart with a sigh.

"The Major will be out for another hour and a half at the most. You should wait for an hour or so before you make the call to the police. The drugs will have broken down to pure alcohol by then and he'll test over the legal limit. They'll just toss him in the drunk tank overnight and let him go when he 'sobers up'. He won't remember anything about tonight, he'll just think he got drunk and passed out and got picked up by the police."

"That will give me a chance to feel Jack out about Daniel." Liam admits.

"If you feel him out about anything else take pictures." He demands with a saucy wink, laughing as Liam butts his cheek with his chin in silent but amused censure.

"Ok but only if you take pictures of you and Daniel too!" He demands right back.

"It's a deal!" he says playfully shoving Liam's shoulders and snickering as he unwittingly causes him to roll right off him onto the floor with an annoyed groan. "Get moving old man."

"It is official; the bloom is off the rose in this relationship!" He says grumpily as he climbs to his feet and looks down at him with a peeved expression. His expression softens into one of loving affection as he kisses his fingertips and holds them out and he leans down to press his lips against his fingertips. He leaves silently but they both know that no matter how far they travel from each other they'll never really be apart.

"...A part  of being involved with a man right?" Daniel's voice cuts through his reminiscing.

"I'm sorry Daniel I missed that last part. I was thinking of something Liam said to me earlier." His voice betrays his sincere apology.

"I said that I've never kissed a man and that I was pretty sure kissing was a part of being involved with a man right?" Daniel patiently repeats.

"It is if you're doing it right Dan." Wil chuckles wickedly, smiling affectionately as Daniel blushes again.

"I've only kissed women before... is it very different, kissing a man I mean?"

"Not as much as you suspect I think. Truthfully it is different in how it feels but the mechanics are the same. Men and women kiss very differently I've found."

"I've never kissed a man, I'm not sure that I even could kiss a man." Daniel says depressed.

Wil tilts his head and considers the very handsome and intelligent man seated across from him and leans forward across the counter that divides them slowly.

Daniel swallows heavily and stares into the vivid blue eyes drawing closer with every breath. "You have really beautiful eyes, has anyone ever told...." The words are lost beneath the press of soft lips and Daniel finds out that not only can he kiss a man, he rather enjoys it. He slips a hand into Wil's surprisingly soft hair and pulls him farther across the counter and deeper into the kiss.

Wil gently pulls free and sinks back onto his barstool and quirks his brow up. "Do you have any more questions?"

"Ummm no, not really." Daniel quips with a huge smile. "Thank you Wil."

"You're welcome, Daniel. Want to watch TV? There isn't much we can do til Liam and Jack get back and work out their plans. If they go with the virus, we won't be able to do anything until after dark tomorrow evening when the virus reaches flashover."

"Do we get cable, the Learning Channel? There's a documentary on the ruins at Aswan...." Daniel says a little shyly.

"Oh! I know what show that is and I wanted to watch it too!" Wil says excitedly and darts for the living room and the TV with a happy Daniel bouncing after him.
 

Chapter Ten

The house is quiet as Jack and Liam return from their errand to deal with the Major. They look around curiously and nothing looks disturbed but the neatly arrayed variety of sweet snacks, a thermal carafe, and two fresh mugs.

"Liam, Wil has requested that I brief you on the status of this operation." Jenny's softly modulated voice informs them as a lap top on the dining room table begins to glow.

Jack has a seat at the table while Liam fetches the tray of snacks and takes the chair next to him while Jenny briefs them as Wil requested.

Liam is impressed by the level of planning Wil and Daniel cooperated to come up with but then has to laugh at his amazement. Wil's wild child appearance hides the solid foundation of a very skilled and experienced former soldier. Despite Daniel's lack of a military background, his phenomenal intelligence, unshakable common sense, and experience in the field makes him as excellent a planner as any to be had. Together their skills seem to be very complementary and well-balanced, they make for a very formidable pairing and he couldn't be prouder of them both. He glances at Jack and sees from his expression that he's similarly impressed.

"As this is a military matter General O'Neill, I have been placed at your full disposal. How would you like to proceed Sir?" Jenny inquires.

"Proceed with the plan as specified please, it'll work but I think we'll need to be careful in this area." Jack taps an area on the schematics and Liam understands his concern.

"This area here could be a concern too." Liam taps another area of the schematic. "Could we...?"

It takes them about half an hour to fine tune the plan as they're both dedicated to doing their best to not only get their friends back but to ensure the safety of the two special men that will be accompanying them. It's not a matter of whether or not their charges are competent, they're both aware that Wil and Daniel can handle themselves, but it's in their nature to protect and they just can't help themselves.

"I've noted the changes and your particular requests General. May I suggest that you place a call to your facility and make sure that your network is completely powered down? It would be the safest option until a detailed deep scan can be run on your computer and networks to identify intrusions. It is highly likely that there is a back door connection to your system and if someone from Area 51 should access it while this virus is replicating it could possibly infect the SGC networks as well." Jenny warns.

Jack agrees and weakly crawls over to the nearby phone and makes the call to give the order to Davis and Siler, two men he knows that he can trust implicitly to see that his commands are carried out to the letter. He crawls back and collapses in front of Liam's chair once more curling up around the spasming abdominal muscles that still shake occasionally with silent laughter.

"I meant to ask you a question about the SGC Jenny." Liam reveals. "What would it take to find, eradicate, repair, and protect the SGC's computer network from unauthorized intrusions?"

"It'd take your technicians about one month, six days, and ninety-two hours to affect the necessary scans and repair the faults in the system. As for protecting the system well that's a trickier proposition given the fluid nature of cyber-technology. For every safeguard there will eventually be a way around it. You need a proactive system with a cognitive sub-routine of suitable complexity and development that can react in real time to changes." Jenny advises.

"How long would it take you to repair and safeguard our system?" Jack asks curiously.

"With enough technicians to replace the necessary components if it's needed and assist me; it would take seventy-two hours. I could construct a suitable A.I. matrix that would be all but impossible for anyone at this planet's current level of technology to break. I suspect that if you let me fix everything that's wrong with your systems, even the Asgard would find it a difficult prospect even at their level of technology. If you allow me to access the protected archives and review their technology I could perhaps even create a system and an overseer program that would elude even the Asgard and certainly the Goa'uld. I accessed your network to retrieve some of the data needed to compile the schematics you requested and I noted some files on something called 'Replicators'. I believe it would be possible to safeguard your networks from the threat they pose as well utilizing simple methods that would prohibit their infrastructures from merging into the hardware."

"That's amazing; you could really do all of that?!" Jack exclaims happily. "It would make life a lot easier for us if we could trust that what we classify as classified would actually stay that way without every agency in Washington knowing about it. How much would the refit cost?"

"If I 'appropriate' the funds from the holding accounts the Trust uses to fund its operations, then the cost will be nothing... for the US government at least. Daniel suggested that it would be an ideal situation when he and Wil discussed it earlier. Why not let them pay to make sure they're locked out of the SGC systems, it's a case of divine justice. He also suggested that it's an excellent opportunity to sow dissention in their ranks. I can make it look like one of their members embezzled the funds and they won't be any the wiser as to where they really went and what they're being used for."

Jack and Liam glance at each other and start laughing until their muscles are limp and weak and only the occasional chuckle can wrestle its way free of their panting chests.

"Oh that's just too perfect, I love that idea!" Jack agrees.

"Did Daniel have any suggestions about who our patsy would be by any chance?" Liam asks still shaking with laughter.

The lap top screen changes to a picture and Jack and Liam stare and suck in a breath in unison before they're gone again. Jack slithers onto the floor weakly trying to hug his aching sides as more laughter steals his breath away. Liam collapses to lie weakly across his chair and Jack's now abandoned one as his chest heaves and bucks under the uncontrollable laughter. Every few seconds one of them glances at the screen and then they're gone again while the picture of Makepeace stares back at them from the screen silently.

"D... d... do it!" Jack wheezes. "I owe that Sonofabitch and this'll do for payback. They'll really kill him this time for sure."

"Understood, General, I'll attend to it as soon as your friends have been retrieved. I'll prepare a report about the refit and we can go over it when you have time and this crisis has passed." Jenny informs him. "You can go over my proposals with Lt. Colonel Carter, Sergeant Siler, and anyone else you wish before you decide, I won't be offended."

"Would our new systems and networks be like you?" Jack asks as his breath finally calms from his laughter and he rubs his aching ribs.

"Well it would have much of my capabilities but it won't have my personality matrix, that is unique so don't worry General, your system won't talk back to you." Jenny's voice sounds distinctly amused.

"Very funny, everyone's a comedian." Jack mutters causing Liam to snicker quietly.

"Jenny where are Wil and Daniel?" Liam asks.

"They're in the backyard Liam. I believe they were going to avail themselves of the pool and spa."

"Thanks Jenny. Please keep us informed as to your progress."

"Hey that does sound great, you wouldn't happen to have any spare bathing suits laying around would you?" Jack asks hopefully.

"I'm afraid I didn't bring any with me and I didn't have a chance to buy any earlier." Liam says regretfully. "Maybe Wil has some if he and Daniel are swimming."

"No he doesn't wear them." Jenny says dryly.

"They're skinny-dipping out there?!" Jack and Liam exclaim in unison then are caught in a bumbling scramble to beat each other to the French doors leading out to the backyard.

Their steps falter in unison at the sight before them. A blessedly bare pair of water nymphs greets them with a smile. Daniel is lying supine on his stomach on a huge fluffy towel, his arms crossed and his head resting on them and turned towards them as he moans and writhes in pleasurable wiggles under Wil's expert hands. Wil is straddling his thighs as his hands dig into the pliant muscles of Daniel's back, seeking out the pockets of tension and eradicating them with the same skill that has seen countless Demons fall to his feet.  They're utterly beautiful together.

"Hi, Jack." Daniel purrs arching into Wil's messaging fingers with an unconscious sensuality that has Jack swallowing heavily.

"Hi, Liam, welcome back." Wil purrs, leaning forward as his body rocks slightly on Daniel's thighs as his hands move up and down his back in constant motion. "Why don't you join us? The spa is a religious experience." He purrs delightfully. He continues the massage, occasionally re-oiling his hands from a bottle of clear golden oil sitting by his hip. The warm sensual smell of cinnamon and vanilla permeates the air, blending with the scents of the blooming desert around them and the clean smell of masculine skin and the slightly sweet musky odor of desire.

The newly arrived pair are naked and in the spa within a minute both of them sitting side by side on the opposite end where they can watch the sensual floor show playing out before their eyes. The spa is large, it could easily sit a good dozen people, and the seats are comfortably padded and upholstered and it's not long before the torrent from the well placed jets reduces them to quivering puddles of well pounded muscles.

"You'd love this Jack, absolutely love this, Wil's the best and every muscle is giving him a standing ovation! He could work magic on your back and knees. You have to try him." Daniel moans out, turning his head on his arms so that he can see them.

"It's true Jack. You should let Wil get his hands on your body, you'll never regret it." Liam agrees. "He gives me a massage every night after work and I've never felt better." He adds impishly.

Jack sputters and opens and closes his mouth twice before he stammers out a squeaky okay.

"Stay in the water for a while let it start working on your muscles, the water has a mild muscle relaxant in it and you'll be ready for me in no time." Wil advises with a smile as he slides his palms along Daniel's ribcage in a final sweep. "Arms up Dan." He purrs quietly and Daniel obligingly stretches his arms out until they're extended fully.

Two pairs of eyes track the path of his hands as they run along Daniel's impressively muscled arms, twin breaths are indrawn as Wil's chest is pressed to Daniel's as his body reacts to the movement of his hands working those muscles pliant and parodying a much more intimate dance.

"Fuck." One of them mutters barely louder than a breath as Wil braces his body in a sinuous arch rising up on his fingertips and toes and gracefully rolling his body to the side and slipping into the spa with barely a splash, Daniel following him with a graceful roll. Twin heads break the water before disappearing again beneath the concealing tumult caused by the jets.

Jack looks around frantically after they don't reappear in a few seconds but a ragged gasp from Liam draws his attention and his eyes flash to him. Gracefully hands are sliding up his chest slowly as Wil emerges from the water and his body follows it in a mink graceful slide until he's straddling his lap their mouths joined in silent communion. Jack shudders and gasps as hands close over his shoulders from behind and he's pulled back against a strong body as Daniel tows him to the bench seat opposite the passionately embracing couple. He sighs as Daniel maneuvers his body to rest between his legs rather than on the bench. He looks down and watches a powerful but gracefully hand slide into his chest hair, gently pulling and tugging at it until his skin tingles as he's pulled to recline against a warm silken chest.

"They're beautiful together aren't they?" Daniel breathes in his ear, letting the warm rush of his breath tickle Jack's sensitive ear. "I've never actually watched two men kissing before but it's so... sensual. I thought it would be hard, rough, a battle for dominance but it's not, it's all love, just different."

Jack shudders and sighs as Daniel reacts by pulling him closer, his other arm swinging around to band across his stomach and hold him securely and safely. Liam and Wil are beautiful in their passion he realizes. It's nothing like he imagined it would be between two men either. They just fit together becoming more than the sum of their separate parts. He looks at one of his best friends and the feline perfection of his graceful lover and he sighs at their ability to express their relationship so freely in words, emotion, and motion. He had a chance to talk to his old friend while they were gone earlier and he knows that the freedom they have is one that has been earned by the roadblocks they've overcome. One phrase from their conversation keeps replaying in his mind.

"If you can't or won't admit how you feel about Daniel to yourself and then Daniel you'd better be prepared to see him find someone else and everything that you could have had, he'll have with someone else Jack."

"No." Jack breathes so softly that Daniel can't hear him. That's unacceptable and he won't let fear stop him. "I want that." He says a little more loudly, knowing that Daniel can hear him this time. "But I don't know how...." A gentle hand glides up his chest and over his throat to cup his chin and turn his face until he can meet a pair of almost glowingly bright blue eyes.

"Let me show you." Daniel whispers, licking his suddenly dry lips nervously for a second before gently pressing them to Jack's in a tenderly soft first kiss. He remembers how Wil kissed him and keeping his lips soft and gentle, he coaxes a response out of Jack slowly. He wonders if his kiss was as sweetly tentative and shyly coy as Jack's is.

He gently pulls back not wanting to make Jack nervous by pressing him to do too much too fast but his world is suddenly a blur as he is swept up and spun around. His world stops its whirling motion and resolves itself into crystal clarity within a few moments revealing that Jack is now sitting on the bench beside Liam and he's straddling his waist in a mirror image to Wil sitting on Liam's lap next to him. He looks over to meet Wil's laughing eyes and a sudden devilish impulse burns through him and he leans over intending to kiss him.

He's startled as Wil leans over to meet him and slowly drags his tongue along his bottom lip before sucking it gently in a tender biting kiss and he dives into that welcoming mouth with a silent howl of need.

Twin growls are all the warning they get before they're wrenched apart by their respective partners and devoured in passionate violence that quickly sweeps their inhibitions away.
 

Chapter Eleven

Wil climbs wearily from the water and finds a stack of warmed towels in the changing room and sets them down on one of the thickly padded pool lounges then drags over a second one so that two are sitting right next to each other.

He returns to the spa and gently slips his arms around Liam's waist and guides him from the water and over to the lounges. He waits until he feels Liam's muscles take his weight then pulls over one of the thick towels and lovingly dries him before gently urging him down onto one of the lounges leaving him covered with the towel.

He returns and retrieves Daniel in the same manner and attends to him before settling him next to Liam in the other lounge, leaving him warm and dry under a towel beside his love and returns for Jack. They are both dozing before he's even half way back to the spa.

"Shhhh just relax Jack, I'll take care of you." He whispers quietly as Jack stirs fitfully beneath his hands, only half awake. It is a simple lift and twist and Jack is soon seated on the edge of the spa, his legs still trailing into the water but most of his body resting safely out of the hot water that has been stealing his strength so seductively. Wil walks over to the lounge and after checking that Liam and Daniel are warm enough beneath the gently heated towels he retrieves another and spreads it out behind Jack on the heated concrete surface. He gently guides Jack onto the towel and watches as Jack rolls onto his stomach pillowing his hands on his arms like Daniel did earlier.

A brief search reveals the bottle of oil floating amid the stormy waves of the spa and it takes Wil only a moment to retrieve it. He opens the bottle and carefully pours some of the fragrant oil out into his palm making sure that the spa hasn't heated it too much. He nods satisfied and pours a line of the oil down Jack's back using his already oily palm to spread it around. He dives into the oiled skin, his skilled hands finding the pockets of tension and pain lurking in the muscles beneath the surface of skin and flesh. He remembers Daniel mentioning Jack's back and knees and he pays careful attention to those areas as he massages Jack's relaxed form and he's not surprised when he falls asleep under his hands. He hesitates for a moment as he feels the swollen, heated surface of Jack's right knee betraying a deeper and no doubt chronic injury. He surreptiously drives his fingernails into his palms until some of his blood mixes into the oil and he carefully applies it to both knees and his back. If the doctors the Council have employed to study him over the years are correct then his blood possesses some degree of regenerative properties and perhaps they can help Jack.

He carefully lifts the now sleeping man carefully so he doesn't disturb him and carries him over to the others and settles Jack next to Daniel. He moves the towel covering Daniel and arranges it over them both adding a second one to make sure they're covered and protected from the chilly desert night. He smiles as the pair roll towards each other snuggling together before stilling back into slumber. He sits beside Liam and smiles at the half open whiskey brown eyes watching him. "We did well." He whispers. "It's up to them where they go from here." He reaches out and cups Liam's cheek stroking it softly with his thumb, smiling as Liam leans into the caress. "I'll be right back, my Angel." He leans over and kisses Liam lovingly before padding silently back into the house.

He's only gone for a few minutes, returning with two quilts and some pillows that he uses to quickly transform the lounges into comfortable outdoor beds once he sets their towel coverings aside. He retrieves some of the gigantic sun shades and arranges them so that the lounges are sheltered beneath their protection and he finally crawls into the lounge beside Liam, settling under the quilt. He settles his head on the pillow beside Liam's and curls his body to follow the contours of his body as he presses against his back and wraps himself around his lover. After a few moments of peace and quiet Liam stirs and their positions are abruptly reversed. Wil smiles gently as Liam reaches him over and pulls him partly beneath his sheltering weight. A sleekly muscled leg hooks over one of his to rest between his legs and a powerful arm drapes over his waist in an embrace that is both possessive and protective. A hand gently strokes his hair as a nose tenderly nudges a soft earlobe.

"I'm sorry Wil. I didn't trust you and I should have told you what was going on with those messages and brought you with me. I'm sorry my little one." Liam breathes.

"You don't have to say you're sorry for this Liam. It wasn't a matter of trust; it was a matter of honour. You took an oath to keep the SGC secret and I know you don't willingly break promises. You would have told me if you could have." Wil replies in a quiet whisper. "I meant what I said, I won't ever ask you to take me with you but you can damn well bet I'll follow you! It will kill me if something happened to you and I wasn't here to at least try and help. I swear that I'll follow you and haunt you forever if you up and die on me Liam Angelus O'Donnell!" He whispers in a harsh growl.

"You belong to me and may all the Gods and Demons be damned. If we go we'll go together!" Liam swears in a vehement whisper before his mouth dives down to claim its mate in silent vow, a benediction of hearts that is beyond any marriage ceremony.

Jack looks down at the sleepy blue eyes looking at him and soon more two hearts have found the peace of belonging in this world of chaos, silent but speaking their own vows in perfect clarity.
 

Chapter Twelve

Jack wakes with the dawn, years of military discipline have made it second nature to rise with the sun. He looks around at a beautiful desert morning and the more beautiful man sleeping so trustingly beside him. He resists the urge to stroke Daniel's mussed hair and taking the chance that it will awaken him. He glances over at the other lounge and sees that Liam is also peacefully sleeping but that Wil has slipped away at some point. He slowly and carefully works his way off the lounge without disturbing Daniel and checking that Daniel and Liam are tucked beneath their comforters and away from the chill of the morning he makes his way quietly back inside the house.

The air is fragrant with the smell of frying bacon, sausage, and potatoes, the sweetly yeasty smell of freshly baked muffins, and the welcoming scents of freshly brewed coffee and fragrantly decadent cocoa. He follows the delicious floating parade of scents to the kitchen and looks on with amazement. Wil, wearing nothing but a pair of sinfully worn and aged jeans with the top two buttons undone is carefully dishing out a platter of potatoes that he's fried with onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes.

"Good morning Jack." He says cheerfully as he picks up the full platter and heads for the table, pausing only to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek as he passes.

"Good morning, Wil." He says gruffly, smiling shyly at the handsome young man. "Can I help?"

"Sure, that'd be great!" Wil agrees. "If you could get the bacon and sausage out of the pans and put it on the table, I'll get the blueberry and banana nut muffins. Then if you want to have a shower, I'll do up the omelets and we'll wake up the two lazy bones out there and have some breakfast." Wil says with a content smile. "Jenny's latest progress report is on the laptop if you want to have a look."

Jack does and moves over to the side table that is now home to the slender notebook-style laptop. He quickly scans the report and nods satisfied with the contents. He straightens up with a smile that comes easily to his lips. It's then that he realizes that the ache he's accustomed to in his lower back and knees is totally absent today and the smile turns into a wide grin. A new handsome, passionately intense younger lover, none of the usual aches and pains; other than some lingering traces attesting to a night well spent, an old friend back in his life, and a new friend that he's sure is going to add some spice to his life. Life is good, very, very good for Jonathon 'Jack' O'Neill and judging by the array of delicious foods Wil is piling up on the table, it's only going to get better.

"How would you like you eggs Jack? I can make you an omelet if you'd rather have that than plain eggs." Wil calls out softly from the kitchen.

"I think I'll have an omelet Wil, thanks. I don't suppose we have the makings for a Denver omelet?" Jack replies wistfully.

"As a matter of fact...." Wil says happily. "Why don't you take a quick shower and I'll go wake the slug-a-beds and send them off to get cleaned up too then do the omelets?"

"Yeahsureyabetcha!" Jack says happily, hurrying off for his shower. "Just a word of warning though Wil; if you expect Daniel to wake up before noon with all his brain cells working you'll want to take a mug of coffee with you!" He calls back playfully. "The man can't wake up without at least one!"

"I'll take care of it Jack." Wil calls back, the laughter clear in his voice.

By the time he's back Liam and Daniel are awake and also freshly showered and dressed for the day as they sit at the table talking about Jenny's progress report. He stops beside Daniel's chair and cups his shoulder, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips as he looks up at him in silent anticipation, before taking the seat next to him.

Wil arrives within a few moments with two plates containing fluffy Denver omelets, setting one in front of a shamelessly salivating Jack with a fond smile. He sets the second one down in front of Daniel, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek with a quietly whispered. "Good morning." in his ear before he returns to the kitchen and returns with another plate and an identical omelet which he sets before Liam with a theatrical flourish.

"Good morning Angel." He says warmly, enjoying a soft morning kiss with his lover before returning to the kitchen and retrieving his plate with its matching omelet. He takes a seat next to Liam and dishes out some of the side dishes to the trio of plates being held out eagerly before he serves himself.

By the time they're finished eating not a crumb remains and the conversation is alternately light and happy interspersed with serious and grave topics. It's a very enjoyable morning despite the circumstances that have brought them together.

"Jenny estimates that it will be late this afternoon by the time that her virus has reached flashover. She'll begin causing random and frequent errors and false reports all over the base by five tonight." Wil reports as he sips his cocoa. "I assume we'll be going in after dark to take advantage of the cover of darkness?"

"That would be easiest and minimize our risk the most." Jack agrees. "We should discuss what we plan to do when we get there."

"I think we should split into teams, one of you with one of us." Liam gestures first to Daniel and Jack, then to between Wil and himself after that. "Sam and Teal'c have never met Wil and they haven't seen me in several years but if we're each with one of you then they'll know that we can be trusted. I think Daniel should come with me to get Teal'c and then you and Wil can get Sam? Then we all meet back up and see if we can get to the X-301b? If we can then Sam and Teal'c can blast out of there and back to Nellis before they know what hit them."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Jack agrees. "They'll be so distracted with the take-off that we can get out the way that we got in."

"What if they fight back? This could get real ugly, real fast." Daniel asks worriedly. "We may have some qualms about killing them but I'll doubt they're going to feel as charitable towards us. We'll probably have to kill someone at some point." He says disheartened by the prospect of firing on a soldier just foolishly following a corrupted commander's orders.

"No we won't, Daniel." Wil says reaching across to lay his hand over Daniel's comfortingly. "We've got a whole armory at our disposal here, including some very effective non-lethal options. Anyone we shoot will sleep like the dead for a few hours but should recover finely in time. Jenny's worked out the dosage for Humans and I'll modify the rounds accordingly. If things go well this will be a bloodless raid."

Daniel brightens considerably at that revelation and Jack shoots Wil a thankful glance that is acknowledged by a respectful nod of Wil's head.

"We've got a lot to get ready, we should get started and make sure we're ready to go by tonight." Jack says pushing his chair back and rubbing his hands together. "Liam you and I will do the weapon checks and pack the gear, Daniel can you help with the ammo situation?" Everyone nods and snaps into action. Hopefully everything will work out and there won't be any problems.
 

Chapter Thirteen

Jack curses as he throws himself to the ground beneath a shower of wood chips the powerful automatic rifle fire tears out of the wooden post above his head. "Well this is a problem."

He looks across at the small cul-de-sac that is currently sheltering the six of them and he knows that the crossfire has effectively pinned them down. If it wasn't for the small juncture of the wooden outbuilding and the two small one story buildings flanking it, they'd likely have been shot already. He peeks around the edge of the wall carefully and curses. The X-301b is sitting on the tarmac beyond what looks like a sea of military uniforms and soon there will be more he knows.

He glances back at his friends and sees that Carter and Teal'c are near the corner, occasionally popping up to take shots at the advancing security forces, with Liam and Daniel lending their supporting fire. Wil is lying flat atop the building and using his rifle to pick off the braver targets, making the rest think twice about rushing their position so far. He knows that is only temporary. He knows that as soon as the security detail gains enough numbers they'll eventually grow bolder be driven to rush their position knowing that they can overwhelm them on sheer numbers.

"We have to get out of here before more of them get here. They're going to rush us soon." Jack growls warningly, throwing himself flat and spraying the advancing crowd with his P-90 in a shower of tranquilizer-filled ammo. He feels a hand clench in his uniform jacket and yanking him back behind the flimsy wooden barrier just as a hail of bullets peppers the ground where he was just laying. He nods gratefully to Daniel, who nods back tensely. "We're running out of choices here people. Give me options." Jack growls as another hail of gun fire send Daniel sprawling to the ground, mercifully uninjured.

Liam looks up towards where he knows Wil is perched trying to sniper off the soldiers he can get a clear bead on but their numbers and superior cover make it a difficult prospect. "Wil?" He calls softly and that beloved moonlight pale mane topped head peeks over the edge of the roof. "Can you take them? Or at least enough of them for us to get out of this rat trap?" He asks quietly.

Wil's eyes flicker towards Daniel uneasily and finally he replies in a solemn tone. "Yes."

"Do it." Liam orders and Wil nods handing down his rifle butt first and disappears back over the edge of the roof.

"What's going on Liam?" Jack calls out over another volley of ammo while Daniel stares at the last place he saw Wil before he snaps out of his momentary distraction and pops up to shoot off a few volleys.

"There's a reason why people started calling him Spike." Liam says solemnly. He turns his attention and his P-90 to the crumbling façade of the building to their right and empties the clip, tearing huge chunks out of the plaster and startling all of them and sending them scurrying backwards. He throws his gun strap over his head and spins his P-90 behind him and gathers his powerful legs under him and launches his shoulder against the weakened wall. Suddenly understanding what he's trying to do Teal'c barrels forward and throws his muscles and body into the effort and within moments the pair crashes through the plaster, wood, and metal sheathing and into the outbuilding.

"Go, go, go!" Jack chants frantically motioning for Carter and Daniel to duck into the building and as soon as they do, he shoots off a final volley and dives through himself. Teal'c and Liam quickly block the opening as they wrestle with heavy fifty gallon drums and heavy packing crates piled up in the small warehouse. "You've bought us a little time, I hope it's enough." Jack says wearily as he looks around at the solemn faces of his friends. Liam swears violently, ejecting the clip of his empty P-90 and quickly shoving home a new clip before he jogs to the nearest window and breaks out a pane of filthy glass and starts firing at any target within sight. After a moment he checks Wil's rifle reloads it and bracing the muzzle he takes careful aim, squeezing off scattered shots. They all take stock of their gear and reload their weapons before quickly joining Liam at the filthy windows.

Jack and Daniel stare in amazement at the sight before them. The ground is littered with scattered bodies, some bleeding, some not, some unconscious, and some clearly dead from the awkward angles of their necks. Wil is a veritable blur among the sea of green fatigues wading through the startled soldiers, dropping them left and right by any expedient means at hand.

A trio of fresh-faced, corn-fed wannabe heroes is taken out by the simplistic move of picking up a fourth and hurling him the more then six feet difference to bowl them all over in a groaning pile of pain tangled limbs. No one is getting close to him as Liam protects his lover with cool and calculating violence, his rifle shots dropping anyone that gets close to Wil as he darts among the falling soldiers as gracefully as a dancer, no wasted effort and no pause for contemplation.

Realizing what Liam is trying to do, Jack and Daniel snap to attention and break out their own sections of the windows and start providing cover fire as well. After a short hesitation Teal'c and Sam follow their example.

Mistakenly believing them to be a bigger threat than a seemingly unarmed man, most of the remaining soldiers turn their attentions towards them. They take their attention off Wil and it doesn't take him that long to remove enough of them as a threat for them to make good their escape from their pinned down position.

Liam slings the rifle strap over his head and ploughs into a small group of remaining soldiers and takes them apart with his bare hands. He roars in fury as he sees one particularly large bull of a soldier catch Wil with a nasty right hook and he tackles the man and digging his hands into his hair he slams his head repeatedly until he stops moving. He leaves him in a spreading pool of blood leaking from the several head wounds he's inflicted and looks around frantically for Wil. He doesn't have to look far as he's less than a foot away holding the P-90 he'd appropriated from him at some point and he's dropping soldiers in their tracks.

A harsh cry torn from Jack's throat alerts them to another more serious threat seconds before it becomes apparent that things aren't going to go that smoothly or neatly.

"Put your weapons down and surrender or I'll kill him where he stands." A harsh voice commands and all eyes turn to the soldier with his beefy arm around Daniel's throat and his handgun pressed to his temple. Daniel's face has a slight blue tinge betraying the fact that his windpipe is slowly being constricted and he's only a few seconds away from unconsciousness.

Wil looks at Liam, who meets his eyes as a silent message passes between their connected eyes. Suddenly Wil darts forward and Liam crouches, threading his fingers together to make a basket and he braces himself. Wil leaps his boot landing in the center of the basket and Liam explodes upward with a grunt of effort and sending Wil hurtling up and forward. Wil tucks into a summersault and tucks his shoulder under forcing his body into a twisting motion and he lands lightly facing the back of the startled soldier holding Daniel captive.

Startled the soldier unwittingly lets Daniel go and he immediately tumbles forward barely conscious as Liam and Teal'c dive and they catch him before he can hit the hard tarmac of the air field. They each slip an arm under one of his armpits to keep him upright while Wil kicks out viciously at the soldier that hurt him. The side of his reinforced boot drives forward into the back of the man's knee and the ominous sound of splintering bone is almost drowned out by the agonized cry of the now crippled soldier. He pitches forward but Wil's hand shoots out to clench in his fatigue jacket and holds him upright in such a way that he's forced to put weight on both legs despite his injury. The sound of his cries and whimpers fall on deaf ears however as Wil has no pity in him where he's concerned.

"Don't pass out just yet mate. I'm sure that my friend here would like to have some words with you about what you've done to our other friend there." Wil advises in a sweet sounding voice that belies the fire burning in the heart of his glacial blue eyes.

"Fu... fuck off, Traitor!" The soldier cries, trying to sound brave. "They're right; you're weak, not strong enough to protect our planet, our people from these alien scumbags!" The soldier tries to spit on Teal'c but he's too far away.

"That sounds like the Trust's membership drive dogma." Wil notes wryly, seconds before his free hand flashes out and his knuckles crack across the soldier's jaw dislocating his jaw and rendering him silent for the duration.

Seeing that Jack is preoccupied checking on Daniel and reassuring himself that his younger lover will be alright, Wil shrugs and casually tosses the two hundred pound soldier aside like a child throws its rag doll. He bounces off the plastered walls of the hangar a little over 6 feet behind them and he's unconscious before his body slides to the ground. The sound catches Jack's attention and he makes an attempt to rush to the man but Wil catches him by the arm and pulls him back against his chest.

"It's been handled Jack. His military career is over; they'll never be able to repair that knee well enough for him to resume duty. He'll muster out on a disability pension and I'll make sure that Jenny will work her magic and his life will be hell; one year for every bruise he put on him. Let the punishment fit the crime. Let him find out just how much his 'good friends' at the Trust care about him when he's useless to them. He's lost everything. I'll have Jenny put a tracker drone on him; if he ever repents his ways then his ordeal will be over. If doesn't change then he'll suffer the weight of his hate." Wil whispers in Jack's ear.

Jack nods satisfied that having to live with his actions and their consequences is a fitting punishment and Wil smiles and lets him go.

"Carter, take Teal'c and get the X-301 outta here! We'll make our way off the base, the same way we got in, move it." Jack orders tersely. Carter opens her mouth to argue but she fall silent at a violent slashing movement by Jack's hand. "Don't argue with me; get out of here, now."

"We should not argue further SamanthaCarter, we endanger all by staying." Teal'c takes hold of Carter's arm and steers her towards the parked fighter.

Wil looks at Jack who's holding a still recovering Daniel with Liam hovering protectively over them both. "Take Daniel and get started for our egress point, I'll make sure Teal'c and Carter get away and then I'll catch up." Both Jack and Liam open their mouths to argue. "As a wise man once said, don't argue with me; get out of here, now." Liam nods and picks Daniel up and slings him across his shoulder in a fireman's lift and he heads into the night, knowing that Jack will follow him as long as he has Daniel.

After a moment's hesitation Jack nods tensely to Wil and jogs after Liam and his precious cargo. Wil slinks back into the shadows and watches from the darkness as Carter fires up the engines of the X-301b and they rocket into the night sky. He watches until they're gone from sight. "Are you monitoring Jenny?" He asks quietly and he hears Jenny's sweetly toned voice whisper in his ear mic.

"Affirmative, Wil, the Tower is ordering them to land or they'll send pursuit craft after them. I won't repeat what Lt. Colonel Carter replied to that." She informs him with dry humor. "I've scrambled all of their radar signals, a fly couldn't take off from this place with their equipment fouled that way."

"Excellent news but it's not good enough, this place is the crown jewel of a twisted kingdom and it has to fall. Initiate the cascade failure, burn their networks to ash and gone. Keep a close eye on the consumption just in case the technicians at the SGC weren't as efficient in shutting their networks." Wil looks around at the sea of bodies and he knows that there are several that won't be recovering from their injuries and several more that won't be getting up at all and he feels the regret at the loss of life and the damage done. It was necessary but that is a cold comfort right now.

"Understood, Wil, command sequence has been initiated. I'll activate it as soon as you're clear."

"Have you compiled those personnel files that I asked for?" Wil asks making his way off the air field and into the darkness of the surrounding desert. He angles his course on his best guess as to the angle that will catch him up with the others in the shortest time.

"Affirmative, Wil, I've got them catalogued and ready for the General to review. If he can roust these people that should remove all outside influences from the SGC as you requested. There are several files on personnel that you'll be interested in. I've also forwarded Commander Woods with the updated information on the Initiative that we've discovered."

Wil smiles in the darkness but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Transfer the files of anyone that the General won't be able to deal with Jenny. Put our operatives on dealing with them. If these people have willingly had dealings with the Initiative then that will make them a potential threat for us as well and we'll have to deal with them accordingly."

"Understood, I'll attend to it." Jenny replies. "I'm tracking the X-301b; they're well away and already over halfway to Nellis. The soldiers in the tower attempted to call in a terrorist alert to Nellis but unfortunately there seems to be a problem with all of their equipment; it's most unfortunate."

Wil chuckles silently. "Yes, it is most unfortunate. Are you tracking Liam and the others?"

"Affirmative they're nearly at the limits of the defense perimeter. You are about ten minutes behind their position but your angle should close that to within two minutes as the rate you're all moving."

"As soon as we're back at the truck and rolling the hell out of here burn it to the ground Jenny."

 "With pleasure Wil; I've never seen such corruption as I've waded through in these last few days. It's a wonder that the planet hasn't been blown up or enslaved already with as much double-talk and backstabbing that has been going on."

"Work it out Jenny. Jack and Daniel are important to Liam and I'm rather fond of them myself. Do what you can to protect them as you have us all these years."

"My first loyalties are to you and to the family, I can't deny that Wil. However it hasn't escaped my notice that they are important to you and that their ability to do their jobs without interference serves the best interests of the family and your new friends. If we do our jobs it makes their homes safer and if they do theirs it makes our homes safer, it's a synergy. I'll do what I can Wil but against a threat on the level that the Goa'uld or these 'Replicators' pose, there's only so much that I can do. I'll do the best that I can to protect them against the elements here. I owe them myself a debt that I can't repay. Aspects that transformed me from a supercomputer to an A.I. construct were born of some of their developments and by some of the technological advancements they've brought back. They're good people, brothers-in-arms and worthy of our help."

"That's all we can ask of you Jenny, thank you." Wil kicks into a light jog; they're almost home free and they've managed to get everyone out almost injury-free. It's been a hell of a night and for some very bad people, it's going to be a night that will change their lives.
 

Chapter Fourteen

Wil slips out of the house and into the backyard quietly, the happy sounds of a party ushering his departure. Liam is enjoying his reunion with Jack, Daniel, and their friends Sam and Teal'c and as much as he wants to be a part of the festivities, he doesn't really fit in. They've had such amazing adventures, shared things that he hasn't been part of, and they share a camaraderie that doesn't leave much room for new arrivals. It's not deliberate he knows, it's just the way between people that have faced death together and fought it into retreat. He drops to a crouch and leaps, easily clearing the fifteen foot distance to the top of the stone wall that borders three sides of the property. He walks along it with an easy grace, lost to his thoughts. He makes his way to a large tree that stretches it protective branches over the corner of the backyard and climbs up and up into its sheltering limbs and concealing foliage.

He finds a sturdy juncture between two of the thickest limbs and he settles down, gathering his leather duster around him. He's not sure how long he's been sitting there when a soft sound catches his attention. He freezes and waits patiently and within a few moments the soft sound of rusting leaves comes again. He looks down and at first he doesn't see anything to alarm him but his instincts tell him that something is wrong and he resolves to wait patiently. After a few more moments the soft sounds again reach his ear and he carefully and silently makes his way to the lower limbs of the tree, staying pressed close to the bark. He is careful to remain in the deepest shadows and well away from the moonlight, knowing that his pale hair will be like a beacon if even a hint of light catches him.

There, he can see them now. A trio of ninja- wannabe types is trying to sneak through the backyard and toward the house. He doubts that they're Girl Scouts selling cookies so they must be up to no good. He's close enough to sense them now. Vampires; it figures. He lets two pass unmolested but he readies himself, silently pulling back a tree limb until it almost snaps in two. As soon as the first two are well away and the third is passing in range he releases the tree limb and smiles as the wooden projectile does its job and a rain of dust is his reward. He silently drops from the tree and hurries to the second one, keeping to the shadows so that the other two won't see him coming.

The second Vampire looks over its shoulder and seeing only a dark indistinct shadow assumes that it's the third Vampire and satisfied that they haven't been discovered, turns its attention back to the matter at hand. It takes Wil only a second to dart forward and wrench his neck, breaking it, and quickly twisting it off, feeling it dissolve into dust between his hands as the Vampire meets a gruesome but quick death. The last Vampire is the easiest one of all.

"Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me! We were only following orders!" The Vampire cries piteously.

"Tell me what I want to know and you may have the chance to walk out of here in one piece. Whose orders are you following and what were they?" Wil asks quietly, leaning over and plucking one of the long stemmed roses growing on a nearby bush. He watches the trembling Vampire closely as he absentmindedly strips the leaves off the long, woody stemmed flower.

"Our Miss... Mistress sent... sent us. She said we were to find out if you were here and what you were doing and who was with you and report back to her immediately. I don't know why she ordered us to do it, I swear."

"Your Mistress hmmm, now what interest would the Mistress of Las Vegas have in my companions and myself? She must not be aware for sure that we're here or she would have sent stronger minions then a trio of fledges that are so new they still smell like graveyard soil. I'm afraid I've yet to hear anything that would make it worth my while to spare your life." Wil deliberately interjects a note of boredom into his voice as he twirls the flower slowly in his hand.

"She got a call, she got a call from someone I don't know who it was but she seemed very frightened by it. She ordered the city scoured for any sign of you, Hunter and gave us orders to check everywhere and do anything we had to do. We found a Demon that said she saw you at a Club earlier and she sold us the information. The Mistress sent out the word to all the Demons in her Liege and one of the Seers saw this place. The elders refused to come so we were ordered to come instead. That's all that I know, I swear it! Let me live and I will leave and tell nothing of this night." The Vampire pleads.

"No you won't." Wil's arm flashes forward and the woody stem of the rose is driven through the Vampire's heart and he collapses into a pile of dust and the rose falls gently atop its remains. Wil scowls and sweeps his hand along his jacket and clothes, removing the traces of Vampire dust. "Jenny, I have business in town, I doubt they've noticed that I've left as yet. If they do, don't tell Liam where I've gone. I need him to stay here where it's safe. I can't do what I need to do and worry about them too and they'll follow me if they can. Soldiers or not, Jack and his friends aren't ready for slaying and they won't let Liam go alone."

"Understood Wil but if you get into trouble I'm sending in the cavalry." Jenny replies through his comm.-link.

"I can handle Harmony and her sect Jenny. If prey wasn't so abundant here, making life easy for the Vampires that dwell here she would have been deposed and killed by an older and stronger Master a long time ago. Her luck's just run out tonight. She has some information that I need about who's been dogging our heels. I suspect it's the new Master of Sunnydale but we'll see." Wil turns on his heel and easily scales the wall once more and silently down the other side before he breaks into a run. He can make it there and back before Liam even realizes he's missing.
 

Chapter Fifteen

Wil scrambles over the wall and lands lightly on his feet, wobbling just a bit before he catches his balance.

"Have a nice evening?"

Wil scowls as Liam leads Jack and Daniel into the pool of fading moonlight and none look very pleased with him at the moment. "I've had better nights." Wil replies wearily, ignoring their dark expressions as he trudges past them tiredly. His only thought is a hot shower and about a week's worth of sleep would be really good right now.

Liam scowls and follows after Wil and he can hear Jack and Daniel following after them both. He knows that Wil is well aware that they're following him but makes no move to stop them, walking straight into the house and through it to the room they've been sharing, stripping his clothes off along the way. His duster is tossed with uncharacteristic disregard onto the back of the sofa as he passes. The shirt is next revealing a multitude of bruises and scratches, some all but closed but some are still dripping blood.

The boots and jeans are the next to go, revealing still more injuries in various stages of healing and still Wil's walk silent and proudly strong. He doesn't speak again as he quietly walks into the bathroom and closes the door very softly behind him but the sound of the lock is like a rifle shot in the quiet room.

"Jenny, you know where he went don't you?" Liam asks wearily as he sinks onto the edge of the bed. Jack and Daniel work their way over to the small settee and sit next to each other, their hands finding their way to each other's in silent comfort.

"Yes I know where he went and why." Jenny replies quietly. "He ordered me not to tell you, I'm sorry Liam but you didn't notice he was gone until Teal'c and Carter left for their hotel." The gentle censure in her mechanically produced voice is clear to all of them and Liam drops his head to rest his forehead in his hands.

"Where did he go Jenny?" Liam asks wearily.

"The Master of the City was tipped off that he may be here and sent three minions to check it out...." Jenny replays the events of the evening and what Wil was doing while he was gone.

"So he went to see this Mistress of theirs to see if he could find out who called her?" Daniel asks huskily, his throat still tender from almost being choked unconscious earlier. Seeing Jack's confusion Daniel leans over and whispers to him everything that Wil revealed to him about being The Hunter.

"Yes, that was the idea. Las Vegas is now short one sect." Jenny says proudly.

"What did he do?" Jack asks, a little upset that Wil didn't tell them he was leaving but truthfully more upset that he left and none of them seemed to notice he was gone until almost three hours later!

"I did my job." Wil says stiffly. "I found out what I wanted to know and then I dusted them all." Wil leaves the bathroom as silently as he entered it twenty minutes before. He is naked but for the swath of terry cloth tucked around his hips and the second towel draped over his wet hair. He looks better, most of the injuries already fading as though they were never there.

Jack stands and quietly pulls Daniel behind him as they leave. They both know that this is a time for Liam and Wil and they don't need the third and fourth wheels around to muck it up.

Liam is off the bed like a rifle shot, his hand reaching out and stripping the towel around his hips off and running his hands over the fading injuries. He is thorough and gentle as he catalogues all the injuries and their severity, glad to see that none of them are very serious. He bites back the lecture waiting to fall from his lips, he knows that he has no right to call Wil to task for leaving him out of the loop when he's been guilty of that all night. He was so caught up in his past that he didn't notice his present walking out the door. That's going to haunt him for months he knows and he has a lot to make up for.

"What did you find out?" Liam asks, changing from lecture mode to concerned lover mode as he gently guides Wil onto the edge of the bed. A quick trip to the bathroom for the first aid kit and he's back, opening it quickly and attending to the worst of Wil's injuries as tenderly as he can while still be meticulous.

"Harmony doesn't... didn't... know who the Master of Sunnydale is only that he's not someone to piss off apparently. Whoever he is, he's clever and he has a pipeline at the base, Riley I suspect is one but there are doubtless others as well. He knows we left town and he sent the word to every lair in the country and apparently whoever he is, he's powerful enough that they obeyed without question. Fortunately for us the Vampires in Las Vegas have gotten fat and lazy on the easy pickings."

"Then we're no closer to finding out than before." Liam growls.

"I wouldn't say that." Wil's voice is flat and unemotional. "I know who it is, I just can't figure out how they pulled it off."

"Who is he Wil?" Liam asks, sucking in a ragged breath as Wil lifts his head. His eyes are a torrent of changing colors betraying his emotional upset.

"Penn, it's Penn. I'm almost positive of it. He's the only one it could be, that the other Sects fear enough to obey unquestioningly. Penn's clawed his way back out of Hell and he's back to finish what he started." Wil says flatly.

Liam darts forward and wraps his arms around Wil and pulls him down to rest across his lap as he wraps his arms around him tightly. "We'll fight him together and we'll win. That bastard isn't going to lay a finger on you!"

Wil curls closer, pressing himself tighter into Liam's embrace. "It's not a finger he wants to lay on me Liam." His voice has the slight tremor of hysteria in it but he holds onto his control and doesn't panic.

"Are you sure that it's Penn? I thought Anya dusted him?" Liam asks confused.

"Death is rarely a simple prospect when it comes to Demons. Penn was very powerful, the Order that he leads as the power behind Drusilla, is one of the oldest and strongest bloodlines. They found a way to bring him back. Harmony pleaded for her life, swore that she was forced to obey as she was too pretty to have crosses carved in her cheeks. The cross was Penn's symbol, his mark, no Vampire would dare to violate his name by using it, and Penn is back. That's why Beatrice tried to warn us, I bet he was there watching us...." Wil's voice trails off.

Liam pulls him infinitesimally closer, rocking him gently. "I don't care if it's Lucifer himself that was watching us, you belong to me and I'm going to take care of you. Finn dies when we get back!" Liam growls harshly but his hands are tender and loving as they stroke through his hair and caress his back soothingly. "We took on the whole damned US Military tonight and we won, if it turns out that Penn is back then we'll deal with him too. No one is going to take you away from me... no one." Liam stands, carrying Wil up with him and he leans over and braces a knee on the edge of the bed as he carefully sets his precious cargo in the center of the bed. He quickly removes his own clothing, scattering it in his haste before he climbs onto the bed and over Wil. He sinks slowly until he is tented over his beautiful lover, braced at the knees and elbows to support the bulk of his weight.

He sighs at the feel of strong arms wrapping around his waist and gently guiding him downward until not even a breath could squeeze between the distances that are separating their bodies. The feel of Wil's skillful mouth and graceful hands soon send rational thought fleeing before passion's demands and he is lost. Tomorrow will come soon enough, with its details and problems to be worked out, tonight is for Wil, tonight is for them, and tonight is for love.
 

Epilogue

Saying goodbye is never easy and the old adage proved itself true once again with the rising of the sun. A sad round of farewells and Jack and Daniel were gone, back to their mountain and the snows of winter but with a solemn promise that they'll keep in touch. Jack took both of them aside and talked to them about accepting re-commission and joining the SGC and Wil could see that Liam was tempted, if he were being honest, he was tempted too but if Penn has truly returned then the blood is going to flow in Sunnydale and Hell is a little too close to being on Earth for his liking. They have a job to do and until it's finished they know where their duty lies. So sad goodbyes were exchanged and they all go back to the lives destiny has chosen for them. Two; returning to the stars, two; returning to the depths, and four to returning to the never-ending fight that defines who they are. Star-crossed friends... perhaps... or maybe it's just the beginning of a new story that is waiting to for its proper time to happen?

But for now their stars are leading them in different directions and it's time to go home.