Title: Finding Time
Author: nymaeria
Word Count: 909
Rating: PG for innuendo
Original/Fandom: Stargate SG1
Pairings (if any) Sam/Jack
Warnings: None
Summary: Sam and Jack struggle to make the time for the regular date night.
A/N: Written for writerverse challenge on livejournal, prompts "automated romance" and "just past eight"

Sam plunked down on the couch, eager to sink into the latest copy of the Astrophysical Journal that had just arrived that afternoon. Technically, she and Jack had a date starting in about five minutes, but she rated the odds of him being on time somewhere around those of a replicator deciding to knock off work early for a cocktail. There was no way he'd make it here by eight. Even the enticing texts she'd been sending to Jack the past few date nights hadn't seemed to make any difference in his arrival time.

Ah well. She settled in on the couch, pulling the blanket around her, and flipped open to the article on supermassive black hole mergers. She'd only read a few paragraphs when she heard a key in the front door lock. She looked up in time to see Jack edging into the foyer, his coat dripping rain on the front hall mat. She glanced at the clock in surprise. It was just past eight; he was actually on time. Or at least pretty close.

Sam smiled at her still dripping husband. "You're home!"

Jack removed his wet coat and hat. "Don't sound so surprised!" Jack smiled, running his fingers through his hat-tousled hair. "I have you to thank, after all."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Or at least, I have someone to thank for sending me some very interesting text messages." Jack walked over to the couch, nudging Sam to scoot over and dropping down close beside her.

Sam smiled and arranged the blanket to cover them both. "There's a chance that might have been me."

"Oh, a chance, eh?"

"Yeah, possibly." Sam grinned. "I'm glad it worked."

"Oh yeah." Jack wrapped his arms around Sam, pulling her closer. "I know the last few weeks I still wasn't able to get away, but I still really enjoyed getting those texts, especially since I know how hard it is for you to drag yourself out of the lab. Besides," Jack grinned, "after what you suggested in those texts, I was definitely ready to get the hell outtta there and get home early. So," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "whaddaya say to staying in tonight?" Jack leaned in and began placing a small line of kisses along his wife's jawline.

Sam shivered at his touch. "You know, I think that could be arranged." She reached up and pulled his face to hers for a long, gentle kiss.

The kiss was slowly building in intensity when Jack's phone suddenly buzzed. He pulled back with a sigh, resting his forehead on hers. "I should check that." Sam's eyes suddenly went wide in realization as Jack fumbled with his pocket for his phone. "Jack, can't it wait?" she pleaded. "I really don't think you need to look at that right now." She pulled his hand from his pocket. "I mean, you just got here. It can't be that urgent."

Jack looked at Sam strangely. "What's up with you, Sam? You know I have to check."

Sam relented. "You're right." She leaned back into the couch cushions with a resigned sigh as Jack pulled out his phone.

NEW TEXT MESSAGE: "Hey Sexy. Why don't you come on home, and we can try that new position we discovered last time at the cabin."

Jack looked up at Sam, confused. Sam just sat there, cringing.

"Sam, I don't get it. How could you have sent this text? You've been right here the whole time. And I can personally verify, Carter, that your hands weren't on your phone!"

"I'm sorry, ok!" Sam burst out, "you just got so busy, and you kept forgetting…"

Jack just continued to look at her, waiting for an actual explanation.

Sam sighed. "Ok, fine, I admit. There's a small chance I might have written a script to automatically send you texts."

Jack's eyes went wide. "You wrote a script? To send me texts? But they were all different. They were all so …creative. And unique." He sounded disappointed.

"Well," Sam shrank back into the cushions as she explained. "I wrote up a bunch of different texts and used a random number generator to pull one out at random, with some additional code to make sure they didn't repeat too often."

Jack gaped at her.

Sam sat there waiting for him to react, and then said nervously, "Jack? I'm sorry. It's just… you're right, I get so busy and so wrapped up sometimes, I didn't want to forget. I thought it would be easiest for both of us if I automated it. If it makes you feel any better, I had it send me texts too, to help me remember to stop working. Granted, those were less colorful, but…"

Jack stopped her by pulling her onto his chest. Sam landed with an "oomph" and Jack promptly began kissing her, even more fervently than before.

After a few moments, Sam pulled back enough to get some air. "Wait, you aren't mad at me?"

Jack looked at her fondly. "Carter. I married a nerd. So what? She happens to be a super hot nerd. Plus," he waggled his eyebrows again, "you made an awful lot of promises in those texts, and now I'm gonna take you up on every single one."

Sam blushed a deep red. "Every single one?"

"Yep, every single one."

Jack pulled Sam in for another kiss, pulling the blanket tighter around them. Yeah, they wouldn't be going out tonight after all.