“I suppose it’s too late to talk you out of this ceremony?” he asked.
“Yes, it is,” Jack said good-naturedly. “Did you read anything at all I sent you? Daniel went to a lot of trouble to dig up information on these kinds of marriages.” He didn’t understand much of it, but as long as Daniel understood it, he was happy.
“Jack, I’m well aware of the history of polygyny and polyandry unions,” Michael told him. “Contrary to popular opinion, priests need to learn comparative religions, which includes anthropology. They are just not part of my faith.”
“It isn’t like he’s making this stuff up,” Jack said. “They’re still going on.”
“Yes, in places like Tibet, Nepal, and Southern India,” Michael told him. “And they have nothing to do with the men sleeping together.”
“Ahhh,” Jack nodded sagely. “That’s the problem. Well, Michael, he’s sleeping with me, not you, so stop taking it personally; I happen to enjoy what he does to my body. Crowns, Michael.”
Michael’s mouth closed and he went back to his food.
After dinner, Sam noticed that Daniel was missing. The last time he was seen, he had been with Teal’c, walking outside the main door of the hotel. When confronted, Teal’c absolutely insisted on separating Daniel from them for the night. All they could get out of the big guy was “traditions must be upheld.” For some reason, the Jaffa were on a traditions kick lately. Jack’s eyes narrowed when he spotted SG-1 snickering.
“What did you tell Teal’c?” he demanded, cornering Reynolds.
“Nothing!” Reynolds swore, his hands held up in defense. “He wanted to know about Tau’ri marriage traditions, that’s all.”
“That isn’t all,” Jack informed him. “What exactly did you say?”
“Just that the groom usually didn’t see the bride before the wedding.”
“Teal’c!” Jack turned on his heels to hunt down his Daniel. Sam grabbed a zat and followed him. They didn’t find Daniel, but he called in on the comm and informed them he was on Heaven’s Bow. Inanna was playing the game and refusing to send him back down. They didn’t see him again until just before the ceremony the next day.
“A little anticipation is good for you,” Inanna told Jack when she saw him in the morning after breakfast. She reached out and straightened his coat. “This style looks good on you,” she said. “The dark fabric brings out your coloring. You should wear dark colors more often. You are quite handsome.”
Jack did have to admit that he was a little surprised at how well the outfit suited him when he looked in a mirror. The coat seemed to broaden his shoulders, and the dark color and the same high collar that Daniel had on his suit, seemed to make his iron gray hair glow.
“Thank you,” he reluctantly responded.
Enki brought Ereshkigal in to them, her right hand resting lightly on his left forearm. The blind woman touched the men and gave a satisfied nod.
“What do you sense when you do that?” Jack asked curiously.
Ereshkigal gave a quiet smile. “Put your hand on Enki’s chest,” she told him. Jack sighed and put his hand flat against the old man’s chest. “Close your eyes. Relax. No expectations. Listen to the universe breathing. Reach out with your awareness, just let it float as though you were floating on a calm ocean. Tell me what you feel. Just put words to it, don’t try and reason it out, and don’t pre-judge your words. Speak them.”
Jack knew how to listen to the darkness, it was one of the kel’no’reem exercises.
“Gravity,” he said. “No –not, quite, I don’t know the words. Strength. Here and now. A rush of breeze. Beauty. Destruction. Construction. A cliff. No –the hand pushing someone off the cliff. A dark cavern with no end. Danger.” Startled, Jack opened his eyes and looked at the man. Enki smiled at him, no sign of danger in him. The old man was also capable of creating sentience in an animal, and life from a lifeless planet. Jack didn’t like where the thoughts were leading; his instincts still said to trust the human-looking alien.
“Change is a scary thing,” Enki told him. “Sometimes people need to confront their fears in order to be cleansed of them. Sometimes people need to be pushed into that confrontation so that the phoenix can burst into flames and be reborn into a thing of glorious beauty.”
“What if some people find the change to be too scary to confront?” Jack asked.
“Then they will stagnate and die,” came the blunt answer. “I can hold out a hand, but I can’t force anyone to take it, no matter how loud, long, and hard they scream about it.”
Sam came into the men’s room when she was done dressing. Enki passed out paternal kisses. Sam seemed taller in the long, dark red dress that hugged her trim waist before falling easily to the floor. Stacy was in an identical dress, her brown hair tied back with a red ribbon, her father’s face easy to see on hers. Daniel kissed her cheek and told her how pretty she was.
“Not white?” Jack asked when he saw his girls.
“Kianna said that their wedding colors are dark because we start in darkness and we end in darkness. Finding the light is the journey in between,” Sam said.
The private courtyard of the hotel was lightly decorated with flower petals strewn across the lawn. A water fountain sat in the middle of the yard, tinkling softly in the mild air. SG teams were in their finest as they stood honor guard along the sides of the space. The three waited with Ninurta in front of the fountain as guests came out and took their seats. They almost didn’t recognize Ninurta; he had left the black leather behind and was in a white robe. His black hair was combed out, blue tints gleaming in the sunlight as it lay flowing over his shoulders. He had even trimmed his beard.
“Welcome,” Ninurta said after everyone had been seated. “Almost all of you are from Earth, Tau’ri, therefore familiar with your own customs. This ceremony will be unfamiliar to you, and not just because of the participants.” There were a few chuckles. “This is a hand-fasting, not a traditional wedding as you know it. The two, technically, mean the same thing, but have undergone semantic changes over the centuries. This ceremony is to bind Daniel to Jack and Sam, who are married to each other. I am Inanna’s priest; my function is to oversee this ceremony, to bless it, and to be the official spiritual witness. I facilitate gatherings and I council those who wish it. You are their social and familial witnesses; it is your duty to witness their contract to each other. It will continue to be your duty, during their life together, to bring them to task should they become negligent of their contract with each other. This contract has two parts: the first part is dry legalities. Who brings what to the union, and the duration of the union. The second part is their personal statements to each other. That part was not necessary, but they wished to include it.”
Paul stepped forward at Ninurta’s nod and read the contract to the witnesses. It was for a year, at which time they may or may not renew the contract to five years. Should they wish to dissolve the contract, the party wishing to depart will take with him or her that which he or she brought to the union. Each will keep their money and contribute equally to a household fund. If anything untoward happens to one of them, the others will inherit equally. If Sam has a baby, the child will have her name and both men will be fathers to the child. Should anything happen to Daniel, Jack will assume responsibility for Stacy as her legal guardian with Sam secondary, should anything happen to Jack. All will contribute equally to the education of any children. All will have an equal voice in any household decisions.
Jack, Sam, and Daniel all signed it and Paul held it up for everyone to see. Sam then stepped up next to Ninurta. The men weren’t expecting it and looked at her.
“Jack was scared to death when he first told me how he felt about Daniel,” she began, smiling softly at Jack. “He hadn’t planned on telling me, but he called out Daniel’s name a couple times when we made love; that kinda gave it away. Maybe he was expecting me to kick him out. I didn’t. Obviously.” There were chuckles. “I’m not sure what surprised me more;
the fact that my straight husband had feelings for another man or that Daniel was actually receptive to those feelings. I love them both, though, and I have for many years, so neither revelation threatened me.
“We talk a lot in our house, a lot about feelings. This type of relationship was new for all of us and we felt it was important to keep dialogue as open as we could so that there were as few misunderstandings and hurt feelings as possible. During one of those discussions, and several since, Daniel introduced us to the concept of consorts. He told us he considers himself to be Jack’s consort first, mine second. He feels that Jack is my consort first. It took us a while to understand that concept. I do understand it, as much as I think I ever will, and I respect and accept his position. This ceremony is less about me and Daniel, and more about Jack and Daniel. After discussing this with Ninurta and Inanna, I have made a few changes to this ceremony, so carefully planned by our good friend, Paul, whom I am sure is hyperventilating at this very moment. Breathe, Paul. Daniel has said more than once that he considers me to be the queen of our little family, so that’s what he’s getting.”
Sam straightened, squaring her shoulders. “Jack.” She looked at him. “You have requested that Daniel be made your consort through this ceremony. As I love you and as I love him, I am agreeing to this request and everyone here is a witness to that agreement. Daniel is your consort. The vows we took in our ceremony and the contract that we wrote together for this ceremony are equally binding. At Daniel’s insistence, your relationship with me takes priority. At my insistence, your relationship with Daniel is to be equally as meaningful. So here is what I want: Nate tattled on you, Jack.” He was blank as he glanced over at Nate. Nate stood and grinned as he reached down behind the fountain and came up with a guitar. Jack paled. Sam took Jack by the chin and turned him back to face her.
“Do this for me,” she said softly, staring into his eyes and gently stroking his cheek. “Do it for Daniel.”
After a moment, Jack took Sam’s place in front as she and Ninurta stepped aside. He was silent and then cleared his throat.
“I uh… Sam didn’t tell us she was changing anything, so everything I wanted to say has blanked out. It was probably a good thing that I was sitting when I found out Daniel was bisexual,” he began. “I won’t say how I found out. I was also sitting when, after I confessed my feelings for him and waited for him to run screaming into the hills, he told me he wouldn’t mind kissing me. It was a good thing I was sitting when he did kiss me, or I would have fallen. Only two people have ever made my lips tingle from being kissed, and they’re both standing here. Only two people have ever been witness to my Truth, and they’re still standing here. Since my wife…. my queen…. has requested a command performance, I will apologize to the rest of you beforehand. I haven’t done this in about forty years, and Nate has only recently goaded me into even trying and I now know why. I will exact revenge when we get home, Jonathan.” The young man grinned, unrepentant.
He paused and then looked at Daniel. “As most people know, I have been a true bastard to you over the past years. Because of you, I have been pushed, pulled, turned upside down and inside out, shot, had the crap beaten out of me, and I’ve been killed several times. I have never been more alive in my life. You are my inspiration, my savior, my consort.”
He nodded at Nate who began to play a soft cord.
Like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Like a worm on a hook,
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee.
If I, if I have been unkind,
I hope that you can just let it go by.
If I, if I have been untrue
I hope you know it was never to you.
Like a baby, stillborn,
Like a beast with his horn
I have torn everyone who reached out for me.
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee.
I saw a beggar leaning on his wooden crutch,
He said to me, you must not ask for so much.
And a pretty woman leaning in her darkened door,
She cried to me, hey, why not ask for more?
Oh like a bird on the wire,
Like a drunk in a midnight choir I have tried in my way to be free.
Jack’s head was bowed as the final cord fell silent in the air. He swiped a hand across his face and fell to his knees. With a trembling hand, he took Daniel’s right hand and slid a ring onto the third finger. He fell forward, his face against Daniel’s thigh. Daniel waited, one hand caressing Jack’s hair. When he stood, Sam took him in hand as the men changed places.
“Every once in a while, he does something that surprises me,” Daniel told their families after a moment. They chuckled. “Shocked the hell out of me when I found out he was ‘interested,’ shocked me even more when I discovered exactly how good a kisser he is. The first time he told me he loved me, I actually cried I was so surprised to hear it. He’s the one who proposed, by the way, three times before I settled down to actually discuss it. And he isn’t the only one who has had Truths witnessed. When I needed to be held, he didn’t hesitate to open his arms. I think I have to credit his parents for that; they raised a son who isn’t afraid to express himself. You have stood at my side when I was in the right, and you have stood at my side and yelled at me when I was wrong. You always seem to know what to say and when to say it. You have been my world, Jack; I have never loved anyone as much as I love you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two rings. He showed them to everyone. “These, and the one Jack put on my finger, are extremely old. Shara gave them to Jack and Sam after telling him and Sam that I had been playing with them. Everyone knows I’m a freak for ancient things. Take my interest in Jack, for example.” Everyone laughed.
“We won’t need these, Ninurta, thank you.” He handed them to the warrior. He reached into his pocket again. A gold band dangled from the tip of a finger. He took Jack’s right hand. “Jack, this was my father’s wedding ring. Please wear this for me; the two men I have loved most in life deserve to be together.” He slid the ring onto Jack’s finger. Jack clenched his hand into a fist, holding tight to the unexpected band. He hadn’t known Daniel had his parents’ rings. Daniel held Jack’s face between his hands. “I love you,” he whispered, staring into the dark eyes. He kissed Jack. Jack slid his arms around Daniel’s waist and held him close. After a moment, Daniel stepped back. He pulled Jack to his side.
“Sam.” Daniel paused and smiled. “Samantha. I know you think this is about me and Jack, and to an extent you’re right, but don’t ever feel that you are second place with me. Or with him. I stand in awe of you, Samantha Carter. I worship the ground you walk on. You think I’m joking when I call you my queen? I’m yours to command; command me. My God, Sam, your heart is so big, you were willing to open your home, your marriage bed, and share your husband with me. Your capacity to love is truly incredible. My memories of my parents fade more and more as I get older, but I think they would have loved you. This is my mother’s wedding ring.” He reached into his pocket a third time and pulled out another gold band. Sam’s hand was trembling as she held it out to him. Her face was wet as Daniel slid the ring on. “You stood by my side as, time and again, I watched them die,” he whispered. “Continue to stand at my side as I live.” He kissed her, took her breath away, and she buried her face in his shoulder. Jack stood behind Sam and wrapped his arms around them both, burying his face in her hair for a moment before taking another kiss from Daniel over Sam’s shoulder.
“I know that some of you are simply indulging us,” Jack said to their families. Daniel and Sam stepped to either side of Jack and each slid an arm around his waist. “We do appreciate your indulgence. Others have accepted us with open arms and we appreciate that, too. However yo
u feel, know that we love each other and this is the way we have chosen to express it. We may catch some fire for it when we get home, I don’t know. As far as our superiors are concerned, nothing has changed and they’ve put up with us, so far.
“Our thought for taking this party to a different planet stems from a precedent which Daniel set when he married Sha’re on the planet Abydos. Actually, her father ‘gave’ her to him, and they were considered married by the laws of her tribe. When Sha’re died, our government gave Daniel the status of widower. By that precedent, we can argue for the legality of this union. If it comes down to that. We don’t care about taxes and we have excellent benefits all on our own. We don’t need the government’s approval. If, and this is a big IF, someone decides to make a stink about us, there will be a fight. Sam and I could be court-marshaled for this. We don’t give a crap. I’m not going to force any of you to get involved in that fight. If you are willing to be involved, if that time comes, we would like you to sign our contract as witnesses. There is a page provided for signatures. Please don’t sign it if you are not willing to testify in court. All of you are here today because you are our family and we love you. We will not think less of you, feel less for you, if you don’t wish to sign; you don’t need to justify your decision to us.
Daniel held his hand out. “Come here, sweetie.” Stacy jumped up and rushed to him, taking his hand. He positioned her in front of them.
“This is our family,” Daniel told everyone. “This is what matters most to us. There have been days when I have wanted nothing more than to kick Jack’s ass across the galaxy, but I would cross the boundary of death itself to be at his side. He told me I did, several times; I wish I remembered it. If we can over-come death to be with each other, there is nothing on that beautiful planet we call home that will keep us apart.”
Ninurta came to the front once more to look over the crowd. He smiled faintly.
“When it concerns the will of two or more people, no law should stand in the way of love,” he said. “With all the pain and death on not only your world, but in the galaxy, who claims the right to keep them apart? Jack, Sam, and Daniel have shown a true, powerful love and devotion to each other, and I declare them united and their union blessed.”
The Anunnaki Unification, Book 2: A Staraget SG-1 Fan Fiction Story Page 5