Getting Caught

[dr_daniel_jackson]

Daniel had left Colorado feeling both content and torn. He missed Methos and he knew the older man would laugh at him for being so sentimental. He carried the glock everywhere he went, keeping it well hidden on himself. Even in the museum he kept it in a shoulder holster for fear that his teammates or someone worse might come looking for him.

He'd been in New York for almost two weeks when he started packing up to get ready to leave for Egypt. He'd already sent several boxes ahead and they'd be at his home there by the time he arrived. He packed up the last of Methos' journals in a duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder as he headed out of the museum and headed for the hotel where he'd been staying. He wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to his surroundings and therefore didn't realize he was being followed. He entered the Plaza hotel and made for the elevator which took him to the tenth floor. Stepping out of the elevator, he headed three doors down to his suite and swiped the card to unlock the door. Inside, he set the bag to one side, closed the door behind him and headed further into the room. He had just turned towards the mini-bar when pain exploded in his head and he was out cold.


When he woke, it was dark in the room except for a couple of low lights that weren't clsoe to him. He tried to move and realized he was bound to the bed. What the hell...

"Hello?"

"You know, it's taken me a while to figure out where the hell you disappeared to," came a familiar voice. "I don't like having to track you down, Daniel. You know I'm not a patient man."

"Screw you, Jack," Daniel growled out angrily. "I don't work for you or your government anymore. Now let me go and get the hell out of here before I forget we every had a friendship and I just kill you myself."

"Why Daniel... I think you're angry. Look, just... tell me what I want to know and all of this can stop. You have my word..."

Daniel shook his head. He didn't believe that for a moment. He should have just gone straight to the airport. For a brief moment, he wondered where Methos might be... or what he might do if he found Daniel like this...

Comments

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel stretched before gently probing the head wound, wincing slightly.

"Hope they have tylenol or something. My head's throbbing..." He stepped out of the car and glanced around. "You staying here or coming inside with me?"

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"I'll come in. I should buy a few things as well."

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"Okay." Daniel checked his wallet for the one credit card he had that wasn't going to link back to him and was glad to find it still there. It was linked to an offshore account he kept for emergencies just like this.

"Where do you want to meet up?" he asked as he started walking towards the store.

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"Front of the store is fine." he said, as they walked through the sliding doors. Methos grabbed a cart and first went to the food section, then grabbed a few cheap pairs of clothing to suit warmer weather, and other toiletries and things they might need.

Then he brought them on the credit card of one Ben Adamson and was waiting outside for Daniel to finish his shopping.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel picked out a few pairs of jeans and shorts, a swimsuit just in case, as well as other essentials, charging them to the untraceable card he carried before walking to meet up with Methos in front of the store.

"I probably over bought, but, I not a very decisive person when it comes to shopping."

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"That's fine. More is better than not enough." he said, leading them to the car, and then opening the trunk.

"Perhaps I watch a bit too much CSI, but maybe you should dump your original clothes in case he put a tracker in them somewhere?"

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"Not a bad idea," Daniel said grabbing a pair of jeans and shirt and moving around to the front seat of the car. He slipped inside and, five minutes later, emerged in new clothes, the old one in his arms.

"Got a lighter?" he asked, setting the clothes down on the ground and off to one side, away from the car or any other vehicles in the lot.

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

He rifled in the bag of things he'd just purchased, "Here," he tossed the lighter to him.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"Excellent." Daniel used the lighter to set fire to the small bundle of clothes, stepping back and handing the lighter back to Methos.

"That takes care of that then," he said with a slight smile. "Are we ready to head out then?"

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"Yes." he hopped back into the driver-seat and started the car.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel climbed into the passenger's seat, closing the door and fixing his seat belt.

"How far away is the dock for this boat of yours? And, I didn't think to ask this earlier, what are we doing for food while we sail the ocean blue?"

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"I know how to fish. But I bought a few things." he gestured to the trunk, "Enough to last us, even if we get massively detoured."

"The dock is about thirty minutes from here."

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel knew how to fish, too, thanks to the many weekends he and the team had been forced to spend at Jack's cabin...

"I didn't learn how to fish until I met Jack," he said quietly. "After we had a full team, Jack insisted on us going to his cabin in Minnesota every six weeks." He trailed off, a hurt look on his face before he shook it off.

"Anyway... there was no fish catching. He never stocked the lake. Only, he never told any of us that until seven years after the fact..."

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"Why would he do that? Fish when there were none?" he pulled out of the parking lot.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"He said it was to learn patience," Daniel answered with a somewhat bitter smile. "So that we would learn patience, not him. According to him, he had enough patience but the rest of us, especially myself, needed to learn how to have more patience. When he finally told us the truth, we started finding ways to get out of having to..."

He trailed off and looked away.

"Course, being his lover didn't actually afford me the ability to say I wouldn't go. He had patience, all right, but not as much as he'd have you believe."

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"That's not about having patience. It's an exercise in futility. It would be about patience if there were fish there and they just weren't biting. The whole point of patience is that it has some possibility of success..." Methos scoffed.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"Very true," Daniel answered, looking out the passenger side window. "Turned out, for me anyways, it was a lesson in just how far he could go to keep control over us... or over me as it was. He controlled everything...it wasn't as bad on base because of the whole fraternization rules and such, but off base during down time..." Daniel trailed off and shook his head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to start down that particular road." He sniffed, wiping at his eyes before clearing his throat to speak again. "So, once we're on board this boat, where are we headed?"

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"In my writings... did you ever read about Cassandra?" he was reminded of his relationship to the female Immortal and the level of control he'd wielded over her.

"Not Egypt." Methos said, "Morocco, or somewhere you've never been. Somewhere they wouldn't think to look."

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel thought of that first remark and tilted his head slightly.

"Cassandra... I think I read a little about her... during your time with Kronos and the Horsemen. What about her? And Morocco sounds interesting. Haven't been there..."

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

"She was another Immortal... I kept her prisoner while I rode with the Horsemen. She was my own personal slave. I... did as I pleased with her... exerted a level of control over her far greater than making her fish in a lifeless pond and any of the things Jack ever did to you including the torture." Methos said, with some regret. There was nothing he could do about it now. But it made him think he was Jack weren't so different. Which was upsetting. Surely Daniel could do better.

"Morocco it is." If Daniel wanted him around, that was.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel shifted in his seat and looked at Methos carefully. "Pull over for a minute," he asked softly.

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

Methos pulled over on the side of the road, his face steeled from showing any emotion.

"You can take the yacht by yourself... if you wanted, I would understand."

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

Daniel unhooked his seat belt and moved to straddle the elder, framing Methos' face in his hands before he leaned in and kissed him almost bruisingly hard.

"You are an idiot," Daniel whispered against his lips, "if you think I am going without you. Your past is just that, Methos. It's past. Who am I to judge anything you did before I was ever even thought of? All I care about is the here and now... and right here, right now, I trust you to keep me safe from the people I thought were supposed to care for me. You were... gods, Methos, you had all this power and you thought that what you were doing was... probably what you had to do in order to survive. So you had a personal slave? So what? You've also been a slave. I've read enough to believe that any evil you did in your past has more than be paid for, in blood, several times over."

[really-oldguy.livejournal.com]

Methos searched Daniel's eyes in awe, he kissed him back arms wrapping around him.

"You are willing to forgive a lot simply because I'm nice to you, aren't you?" There was a touch of amusement in his tone.

[dr-dmjacksonsg1.livejournal.com]

"I am willing to forgive because I wasn't there, I don't know what it was like, and because I've done things in my own past that aren't exactly legal or nice to hear about." He leaned in and kissed Methos again softly. "I won't judge you, Methos, and I can forgive almost anything. Stick around me long enough and you'll learn that."