Jack O'Neill awoke suddenly…his mind telling him something was amiss. He lay still, analyzing, gauging his surroundings; his soldier's senses evaluating current conditions for potential danger. His eyes caught movement outside the window, but above the café curtains, all he saw was the street light and leaves turning gently in the breeze outside his Georgetown townhouse.
Maybe it was just the leaves, he thought. A branch probably brushed the window. And then he heard it again—a small creak—definitely coming from inside the house. He turned back the covers and started to get out of bed. Just then, his bedroom door opened, and he saw the intruder's silhouette. And relaxed. "Carter!" he called softly. "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." He stood and walked over to where she had stepped out of her shoes, and helped her with her jacket.
She chuckled as she turned and snaked her arms around his waist. "So much for quietly slipping into bed with you. I should have known you'd wake up, no matter how quiet I was."
"Not that I'm not glad to see you," he grinned, returning the embrace, "but what brings you to D.C. now? I wasn't expecting you til Friday."
"Bill Lee had a meeting to discuss Arthur's Mantle with a group of Pentagon researchers," she replied. "Then, he got sick. He had his appendix out this afternoon…"
"Ow! How is he?"
"I called when I got on the ground at Langley. He's fine."
"So you're taking his place at the meeting. Why didn't you call?" He caressed her back, pulling her closer and nuzzling her hair. She always felt so good against him.
"I thought I'd surprise you," she murmured, as her lips sought out his long, delectable neck. "And since I was coming tomorrow night anyway, I was almost packed. So, I was able to catch a ride on a jet leaving Peterson early this evening…"
"…Putting you in D.C. just in time to tuck your husband into bed," he finished for her. His lips found hers, and as they kissed, his hands were unbuttoning her blouse, and she was unzipping the skirt of her dress blues.
"Is that what they're calling it now?" she giggled, as he pushed the blouse off her shoulders, down her arms and to the floor. Standing there in her slip, the lace playing against her skin, he thought to himself how sexy she looked.
"I could use a shower, Jack. Why don't you relax for a few minutes while I freshen up?"
"Want some company?" he growled, pulling her body flush with his. She smiled as she felt his response to her arrival.
"I'll only be a couple of minutes, Jack. Then, I'm all yours," she whispered, her hand playing across the muscles on his chest.
"I like the sound of that." His voice was barely audible as he grinned and reluctantly let her go. He stretched his arms out, shaking off the sleepiness as a feeling of contentment washed over him. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it onto a side chair. His boxers followed. He was definitely overdressed for a surprise, late-night visit from his beautiful wife. A smile unconsciously spread across his face as he walked back to the bed and slipped between the sheets. He punched his pillows up behind him, turning one up against the headboard so he could recline comfortably.
While he waited for Sam, he thought about the last two years, and how they had changed his outlook on life. Gone was the sense of loss he had carried with him for so long. Now, he felt like part of something very exclusive and very special. Well, that's what marriage is, he thought to himself. He also felt blessed to have the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world as his partner in life. Oh, he still worried when she went off-world without him, but regardless of where she was physically, she was always in his heart. And that filled him with something…warm and strong and good.
He sighed, realizing what a hopeless romantic he had become. He had even stopped wondering what she wanted with him. That mystery had baffled him for ages. But when he accepted the job in Washington, and they began pursuing a romantic relationship, their lives had become more inextricably entwined than he ever thought possible. They had married within a matter of months, and sometime after that, he had finally stopped questioning his good fortune. Now, he simply accepted the fact that she loved him as much as he loved her.
The sound of the bathroom door opening interrupted his thoughts, and he turned toward the sound. And gasped. Naked Sam…lit by the shaft of light dancing in above the curtains. She was so gorgeous, and the sight of her this way always filled him with wonder and desire.
She read his face, and, as a smile crossed hers in response, she swayed gracefully toward him. Lifting the sheet, she slipped into the big bed as he held out an arm to her. "C'mere," he said, his voice husky. Their arms went around each other as their lips met in a kiss that blotted out the physical separation they had endured over the last few weeks.
Lips to lips, skin to skin, soul to soul, they picked up where they had left off, each relishing in the intimacy of the connection between them. And in the darkness of the night, they again found the peace they sought.