Sam put down her steaming mug of coffee and caught a flash of light off of the little gold band that encircled her ring finger and smiled. Thirteen years after they first met, she and Jack had gone down to City Hall yesterday and married in front of the JP and two anonymous witnesses. Vala would have a heart attack when she discovered that they had wed and not asked her to be in attendance, but they'd decided to keep this close to their chests for now and have a little party for their closest friends when the weather warmed up a bit.
Jack's proposal after so many years had been a surprise and there just didn't seem to be any reason to delay. There was no need for pomp and circumstance. He had proposed on her 43rd birthday and, to be honest, she had long ago given up on the idea of the fancy white dress, and he had already been down that road. Frankly, his wanting to make it official had shocked her. She was thrilled, just totally surprised. She had never asked for a ring- after everything they had been through together, it hardly seemed necessary. Not that it hadn't ever crossed her mind, but after so many years, she was happy simply to have him.
For more than four years, they had been a foregone conclusion. Once they were out of the same chain of command, they had fallen into a life sometimes together and often apart. It had been the natural progression. They had been in love for years, even if they wouldn't acknowledge it, and once the regulations were no longer a hindrance, it just happened. They had never lived together full-time until recently, with both of them on active duty, and her still running around the universe chasing bad guys. Most of the time, she would come to DC for a few days, or later, a few weeks at a time, but occasionally he would show up in Colorado Springs or Area 51 unexpectedly. She was pretty sure they had christened every room in both of their houses more than once during that time.
For the last year her permanent residence had been his home in DC. It just didn't make any sense for her to keep her old house anymore. When she was on Earth, the last place she wanted to be was away from him. She picked up her mug and walked back down the hall to the bedroom. A glance at the wall clock told her that it was already 0530 and she'd have to wake him soon, but for the moment, she simply stood leaning against the door jam and watched him sleep. The dim light from the hall struggled past the door and splashed on her side of the bed, leaving the far side relatively dark. The back of his head was illuminated, but the light stopped short of his face, and she smiled at the shock of messy silver hair. He needed a haircut.
She could stand there and watch him all day, she knew. He was turned away from her with one arm thrown over the side of the bed, the blanket draped over his hip. He no longer had the lean, hard body of his days in the field, his body and face grown a little rounder with the more sedentary job of a DC general, but she didn't care. To her, he was as sexy today as the day they had met. Maybe sexier. And despite appearances, he could still keep up with her on their daily runs when she was in town. Today though, she let him sleep. They had both had a pretty intense workout just a few hours ago.
Last night had been a revelation of sorts. Their lovemaking always had an edge to it. They were never together in one place long enough to make it routine which, she supposed, was one of the blessings of a relationship where one party was often away. But more, they never knew if this would be the last time, and some of that desperation always colored their physical relationship. When they were on the same planet, they slept tangled together, their need for contact with the other immense even in unconsciousness.
When they had returned home after the short ceremony, Jack joked that if he were still young, and she were not quite so tall, he would 'totally' sweep her off her feet and carry her over the threshold. She had laughed and put her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss, telling him that perhaps she should carry him over the threshold. They had enjoyed the moment, kissing like teenagers on the stoop, and when they'd broken apart, he had asked Mrs. O'Neill if she would be so kind as to join him for dinner. She had raised her eyebrow in a manner shockingly similar to Teal'c and he insisted that he was kidding. He'd called her Carter and gave her a kiss on the lips while reaching for his keys, but seemed to forget what he was doing when he broke the contact. His eyes had darkened and he called her Sam before returning to kissing her senseless.
Once they finally made it inside, he surprised her with a catered meal from Smith and Wollensky. He'd always joked that one of his favorite things about her was her ability to match him bite for bite in a great steak meal. She thought it might have been the most delicious meal of her life. Not only had she enjoyed the food, but she savored every moment of the conversation. The brush of their hands as they reached for the wine, the little touches of finger to hand and toe to toe that indicated something new was happening. At some point she had had to excuse herself briefly to the bathroom. There was only so much wine a girl could drink before nature called, and the spell of the meal was quietly broken. As she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror, she started to feel like a few thousand Goa'uld larvae were swimming in her gut. She bowed her head and took a few deep breaths trying to process whether it was the wine or simple nerves. Nerves? With Jack? She'd never understood the times her father had told her that when you say 'I do,' everything changes. Now she did, oh did she ever, she shook her head to clear it before taking a breath and heading back to the kitchen. They began to clean up the kitchen in silence, partly because neither of them knew what to say next and partly because they were slightly tipsy after finishing a bottle of glorious Cabernet. Neither of them was much of a wine drinker, but the occasion seemed to call for it, and it went damned well with that amazing steak. Little by little the silence eased and the cleanup became peppered with more than a little banter, a lot of kissing, but only one broken dish.
When the last dish was dried and in the rack, Jack pulled her into a deep kiss, dishtowel still in hand. Things got a little out of control, and when her hands reached his bare ass under his unfastened trousers she came abruptly back to reality, noting to him that they were still in the kitchen and, given the bottle of wine they had just consumed, she didn't quite trust him to hold her up against the counter. Perhaps they should take this to the bedroom?
One of the things Sam had discovered when they first became lovers was that dating an older man had its rewards, she smiled remembering. They had certainly taken full advantage last night. He had brought her to the edge and back, not to mention over said edge, more times than she could count before completing their lovemaking. It was the most selfless he had ever been in bed, and she had to admit she still felt pretty boneless. Whenever she had tried to turn it around, he would pin her to the bed and redouble his efforts. After two attempts, she had given up and simply given in. They hadn't spoken much the entire time. A 'here' or 'more' or 'like this' was the extent of their conversation for hours, and after, words had seemed unnecessary. She had just been completely worshiped and adored, and that spoke volumes to her. She had loved him with a dizzying ferocity for years, and though she knew he loved her too, just how much and how deeply took her breath away. The intensity of their physical connection, based on the logistics of their relationship, had blunted her perception of his feelings for her somewhat over the years.
Her heart lifted. Long months apart could be endured knowing what she had waiting for her when she came home. But, for now, she had time. She walked over to his side of the bed and sat down, leaning over to brush a soft kiss against his cheek. "Jack," she murmured in his ear.
"Mmm. What?" He mumbled, smiling in his sleep.
"Time to wake up."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a kiss that nearly caused her to spill her coffee before she found purchase and placed it on the floor, wrapping her own arms around him, giving in to the kiss. "Good morning," he smiled, opening his eyes.
"Good morning," she smiled back. Life was good.