Good Company

by Bethany

URL: http://area52hkh.net/asb/bethany8/goodcomp.php
Summary: Magnum lives next door to Dr Daniel Jackson, his old friend, Jack's, gay partner
Info: Sort Of a Magnum and NCIS SG1 crossover

Magnum still spent a lot of time in Hawaii, but he didn't live there these days...

He lived now in an apartment on the American-Canadian Border, in an area recommended to him by his Military pal, Jack O'Neill... From one weather extreme to the other!

Jack had asked Magnum to befriend his neighbour, a close friend of Jack's...

Magnum suspected that the two were more than friends, but, of course, Jack still being a man of the Military, nothing could be said, at the very least... As he was considering the unfairness of that, there was a knock at the door.

"Daniel..." Thomas spoke, as he opened the door.

"Hi." Daniel tried to smile.

"What's the matter?" Thomas asked, concerned, and stepping back from the door to let Daniel, a Doctor in Archaeology and Anthropology, in...

"Just had a call from Jack..." Daniel began.

"Is he okay?" Magnum worried.

"I think so..." Daniel's voice cracked a little.

"He'll come home from the Mission soon enough..." Magnum tried to reassure Daniel.

Daniel pulled his cream-pullover clad arms around himself, rubbing his own arms.

"Come and sit down..." Magnum indicated the sofa.

Daniel did so...

"A drink of any kind..?" He offered Daniel.

"You and Jack drink the same beer..." Daniel noted.

Magnum picked up the beer next to his armchair. "Jack introduced me to the stuff!" He smiled at the memory. The two men had met on a joint Mission, along with another friend, Leroy 'Jethro' Gibbs... "Make yourself comfortable. You look tired..?"

"Not been sleeping all that well..." Daniel answered. "Don't know why... Lots of work, paper work mostly... Jack says that's enough to send anyone to sleep!"

"You miss him probably..." Magnum braved.

Daniel looked up and smiled. "Now that you're not in the Navy, I suppose you think a lot about the friends who are still serving?"

"Yeah – But I'm lucky. My pals, Rick and T.C, are retired, too, and still in Hawaii..." Thomas thought of them as he talked with Daniel.

"Jack said that, perhaps, he could talk me into joining him on a holiday to see you, next time you're out there a while, and when Jack's back from a tour..." Daniel mentioned.

"I can't recommend Hawaii enough..!!" Magnum grinned.

"I hope we get to go there then..!" Daniel smiled tiredly but genuinely. His gaze drifted off into the distance a while...

Magnum noted a sense of tears when Daniel came back to the here and now... "Jack asked me to make sure you're okay..." He admitted to Daniel.

"I am, mostly... At least, I don't have to be doing whatever it is he's doing out there at the moment..." Daniel noted.

"It's okay... We know it's difficult for those at home." Magnum truthfully stated.

Daniel sighed. "Yeah, I do miss him, and more... I'm used to bad things happening to people I care for..."

"You been alone a lot of your life, haven't you?" Magnum knew Daniel didn't really have any family. His parents had died in an accident at work when he was eight years old, and he was alone most of his adult life, too... Thomas could identify with that...

Daniel nodded.

"Jack's one of the toughest guys in the forces, Daniel..." Magnum tried to assure him.

"Thanks..." Daniel looked to Thomas. He then looked away...

Magnum walked over to the sofa, and saw Daniel's tears... He sat beside Daniel, and put an arm around Daniel's shoulders. "It won't be long before the Mission ends..." He said gently.

Daniel tried not to cry all over Magnum's white shirt. "Damn!" He announced. "I always cry!"

"Not always a bad thing..!" Thomas smiled. "It can do a person some good!"

"I miss him..." Daniel confided.

Magnum continued to hold Daniel.

"I want him home, safe..." Daniel furthered.

"He'll be with you soon..." Magnum prayed to God he was right.

"With me..." Daniel repeated. "With me..."

"I'm sure you mean a lot to Jack..." Thomas murmured.

"Yeah, even if he can't admit it..." Daniel mentioned. "I know I'll never mean to him what Sara did... I'm just another fa'..." Daniel paused. "You know what, with a crush..."

"Jack doesn't string you a long, does he??" Thomas had to ask.

"No. He... He... No. He doesn't. Not at all... But he's used to, y'know... The way things are... And I've seen the women who'd love a piece of him, a specific piece..." Daniel confessed.

"He flirts..." Thomas stated a fact. "So do I..."

"Be glad you've not got another gay guy in love with you, too, then..!" Daniel tried to joke.

"It's been a long while..." Thomas admitted.

Daniel looked, again, at Thomas. "You and Jack..?"

"Not Jack..." Thomas replied. "He's my friend..."

"I'm more to Jack than a friend, I think..!" Daniel sniffed.

"I know you are... So does he..." Magnum was sure he knew his friend well enough to say that. "He knows you miss him, and he knows he misses you, and that you matter to him... He asked me to look after you, remember?" Magnum asked.

"Yeah..." Daniel nodded. "I guess I need you to... Pathetic, huh!?"

"No... No, you're not." Magnum stated honestly.

"God, I need him right now..!" Daniel admitted.

"I don't think we should go that far..." Magnum spoke up.

"No. I love him anyway... Sometimes, I wonder if he still goes with women once in a while or if he wants to... But..." Daniel mused.

"Jack is the loyal sort, that I do know..." Magnum said. "If he's with you, and he is, no one will mean more to him than you...."

"I know, no one means more to me than him either, but there is no one else for me anyway...You do look good in those blue jeans though..." Daniel smiled. "And you are a lot like him..."

"He did have a moustache once!" Magnum laughed.

"I've seen the photo evidence!" Daniel recalled, with a grin. "He doesn't look bad in blue jeans either..!" Daniel paused. "He probably realised I'd like you... He's not setting me up with you, is he? For whatever reason??" Daniel worried at the two most prevalent he could think of.

"He loves you!" Magnum answered gently.

"I know..." Daniel agreed. "I love him too..."

"Good!" Magnum smiled, and slowly got up from his sofa. "Now, how about we dial a takeaway meal, and watch some TV together..?"

"Thanks for keeping me company..." Daniel was genuine.

"That's what I'm here for..!" Magnum smiled. He was genuine, too.

The End

Author's Note: I make no money, and mean to step on no one's toes at all,by writing my stories... Feedback welcome as long as it is always polite.