It's My Party…

Disclaimer: Only my stuff is mine.

A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated my other stories! I really do plan on doing it soon!

The only reason I'm writing this is 'cause it's my birthday! WooHoo! I'm finally 16! LOL. So, I figured that I have to share my birthday happiness with SG-1.

Well…I wrote this on my birthday…which was two days ago. December 1. I forgot to post it, though…so here it is!

Set around late season 2. For the purposes of this fic, Sam is turning 27. I know it's a bit young…but, cut me some slack. It's fanfiction.

This is total fluff by the way and I know it would never happen.

Tiny spoiler for 'Solitudes.'

ENJOY!!!

Sam winced as the incessant buzz near her ear rose to a deafening crescendo.

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered glaring dismally at her alarm clock through half-closed eyes. Dropping her hand unceremoniously on the 'OFF' button, she groaned. "Gone are the days of the 'snooze' button…" she muttered ruefully, resisting the urge to wrap the comforter around herself and bury her face back into her pillow and go back to sleep.

Today…more than any other day…she wished she could go back to sleep. Just hide under her covers until midnight tonight. Then it would all be over. This one damn day.

Her birthday.

Twenty-seven years old.

Today.

Ah, hell.

The one shining light in this whole…thing…was that no one knew it was her birthday. Well, besides the General. But he had known her since she was little…and Sam knew he wouldn't tell anyone.

Samantha Carter had never been one for birthdays. The dislike for anything party-related may or may not have something to do with the disastrous party her father had tried to throw for her tenth birthday.

Let's just say that Sam hadn't been the most popular girl in school. And that no one…not a single person…had shown up for her party. Sam had locked away her feelings and smiled at her father, despite the deep, gnawing pain that had started in her gut.

Sam hadn't had another party since.

Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she cringed at the cold floor. She really needed to start wearing socks to bed. Pushing herself up, she stretched and made her way to the bathroom. Sam had a nagging feeling that Daniel would know about her birthday.

The man was very up on stuff like that.

Which, normally, Sam found his caring and sensitivity very endearing. But not today. Today, she would do her damndest to avoid her team and bury herself in work.

She would forget that her father was off somewhere playing "space hero" and her brother still wasn't totally comfortable speaking to her. She wasn't expecting a birthday card from him either…he hadn't given her one in ten years.

Why start now?

Sam finished brushing her teeth and put on the bare minimum of makeup. She knew she was lucky that she had naturally even skin and defined eyes. The military was no place for makeup, after all.

Sam paused, frowning. This was her second birthday on SG-1. If the guys were gonna find out…wouldn't they have done so a year ago? 'Where were we on my last birthday?' Sam mused to herself as she pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. She would change when she got to base.

Sam clearly remembered being offworld for her birthday…oh, damn.

She and the Colonel had almost frozen to death. She hadn't realized until after she got home that she had missed her birthday. Sam guessed that everyone had been too wrapped up in relief that she and O'Neill were alive that no one had bothered to check the days.

The Colonel.

Sam's heart twanged painfully. She desperately tried to ignore what the feeling blossoming inside her was…though she knew it was hopeless. She had fallen and she had fallen hard. Sam knew that she had never felt like this before…about anyone.

Oh, this was bad.

Bad, bad, bad, bad.

Sam hadn't read the reg book in awhile, but she was pretty sure falling in love with your CO was a big no-no.

Sam groaned as she collapsed into her car. This was the first time she had allowed herself to admit that what she was feeling was love. But, this love was different than what she had ever imagined love to be like. It hurt to love him. It ached inside her, sometimes so badly that she felt like she was dying.

And she wanted to.

She loved him with all her heart, but she couldn't have him.

Worse than that, he didn't feel the same about her.

He would never feel the same way about her.

To him, she was just some young, over-eager, annoying scientist. He didn't see her at all.

Pulling into her parking space and nodding to the airman at the door as she passed, Sam descended into the mountain. Nodding to several people as she passed them, she finally found herself alone in her lab. Closing the door, Sam leaned against it and sighed.

SG-1 were her family, whether the Colonel saw it that way or not. She loved all of them. Just…different kinds of love. Brotherly love for Daniel and Teal'c and…well, she didn't want to think about the other kind of love right now.

She almost found herself wishing Daniel would show up and wish her a 'Happy Birthday!' and a nice, brotherly hug. Yeah…that was what she needed.

Sam shook her head hurriedly; no, she wouldn't give in. It was just another day. A nice, normal day.

…………………………………………….

Hours later found Sam bent studiously over her latest 'doohickey,' doing her best to ignore the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Something really, really awful.

Someone banged loudly on her door.

And there that 'something' was.

"Carter?" A very familiar voice called. A head poked around her door and Sam had to quelch her immediate reaction of a bright smile.

She settled for a slightly less blinding grin. "Hi, sir." Okay…so maybe not so bad…

"Hey." He grinned back, not moving from his half-in, half-out position.

Sam's brow furrowed, suspicious smile still on her lips. "Colonel? Something wrong?"

"No, no…nothing's wrong." He continued to grin at her and Sam felt herself blush under his gaze. His eyes were darker than usual, but dancing with amusement and…and happiness?

No. It couldn't be.

"Uh, sir…" Sam trailed, raising her eyebrows and indicating his odd stance and suspicious manner.

"Say, Carter…" Jack's smile widened. "Does today feel…different…to you?" he raised an eyebrow and watched as she paled.

Sam's mind was racing. This couldn't just be a coincidence. No…wait, could it? Maybe he was just bored. Bored and looking to bug her.

He couldn't know that today was her birthday.

Sam decided to play it cool. No use showing your hand when you're not sure if the other person knows your cards. "No, sir. Why?"

Jack smirked. "You sure? I don't know…you look...wiser, more mature…older?" he cocked his head.

"Are you saying I look old?" Sam pointedly ignored the way his searing eyes were traveling over her face.

"No." he chuckled. Seeming to grow tired of the games he stepped all the way into the room and shut the door behind him. "Carter, I know what today is."

"The twenty-fourth?" Sam tried.

"No." Jack paused. "Well, yes." Sam smiled triumphantly, hoping she had caught him off track, but he waggled his finger and smirked. "Ah, ah, Carter. Today's…your birthday."

Sam winced and became suddenly interested in her boots. "Um…no?"

"Lying to your commanding officer is a risky business there, Carter." He took a few slow steps towards her.

Sam suddenly became aware of how small her lab was.

How very, very small.

She noticed that he was actually very tall. Sam was a tall woman at almost 5'9…but, Jack still towered over her. He must be 6'3 or 6'4. Very tall. And muscular; with a broad chest and large hands.

Sam snapped herself out of her 'Jack' induced state and finally met his gaze.

"Happy Birthday, Sam." He smiled genuinely at her and his fingers twitched as though he wanted to reach out, but stopped himself.

His use of her first name jarred her. Her startled gaze met his and she saw something in his shift. It almost looked like he…no. No…that was impossible, right? He couldn't love her, could he?

"Thank you, sir." Sam smiled briefly at him before glancing away, a tight feeling constricting her chest.

"Sir…" His voice was low, but his tone was bitter.

Sam's eyes snapped to his. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Jack's eyes darkened slightly, but a second later, the heated look in his eye vanished and he bounced on the balls of his feet. "So, Sam," he stressed her name teasingly. "I took it upon myself to, ah, set up a little surprise. Hope ya don't mind."

"A surprise, sir?" Sam's eyes widened slightly and she couldn't help the note of dread that crept into her voice.

Jack smirked again. "I figured you weren't the type for loud birthdays."

"Ah, no, sir." Sam smiled slightly.

"Right." Jack tapped his long fingers on her workbench. "Well, actually, I have two surprises. I know you're gonna like the second one…it involves cake." Jack smiled proudly. "My idea." Sam laughed and waited for him to continue. "But…the first…you may not."

Sam's eyebrows drew together. "Sir?" Sam questioned when he hesitated.

Jack gave a short bark of nervous laughter. "It's funny really…"

"Oh?" She seriously doubted that.

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. 'Get a grip, soldier.' he admonished himself. Steeling himself, he met her eyes. "I did something, Carter, that could make or break our friendship."

Sam's eyebrows shot towards the ceiling, but she remained silent.

Jack opened his mouth, but shut it quickly and handed her a piece of paper. Sam took it cautiously and began to read. She became more and more confused as she got further down the page.

"I…I don't understand. I report directly to General Hammond now? Why? What does this change?"

"It doesn't change anything." Jack assured her hurriedly. "Unless you want it to."

Sam's heart sped up and her blood roared in her ears. She knew what she wanted this to mean, but there was no way the Colonel meant the same thing.

"Colonel…" Sam trailed, unable to talk around the lump that had mysteriously formed in her throat. It was going to hurt so much when he told her his perfectly logically reason to why he did this. It was definitely not going to be the reason she wanted it to be.

"Sam…just…hear me out, okay? It's going to sound absolutely crazy, but you just have to…to let me get it out." He raised his eyebrows, silently asking for her confirmation.

"Of course, sir."

"Stop that." Jack said flatly, taking a step closer to her.

"What, sir?" Sam fought the urge to close the distance between them and bury her face in his chest.

"That! Stop calling me 'sir.'" Jack shoved his hands deep inside his pockets to keep himself from reaching out to her. "It's Jack, okay?"

"Okay…Jack." The name formed on her lips awkwardly, but Sam didn't miss the way his eyes darkened slightly and the way he swallowed hard. She unconsciously did the same.

"Right." Jack took a deep breath and fixed on a point over her right shoulder. "Okay…I talked to the General awhile ago…about a slight problem I have."

"Problem, s—Jack?" She quickly corrected herself.

"With you." Jack said, without any tact whatsoever.

Sam's face darkened and she quickly schooled her face into a blank mask. That had hurt.

A lot.

Jack saw the way she withdrew from him completely and took a hurried step forward, holding his hands out in a placating manner. "No, wait…that didn't come out right at all."

"It's fine, sir. If I'm doing something wrong, you have every right as my CO to inform me of it." Sam said in a clipped, expressionless tone.

"Dammit, Carter! I'm not your CO!" Jack didn't mean to shout, but his nerves were completely shot. "Now, sit, and listen." Jack pointed to her recently vacated chair.

Sam stared hard at him for a minute. "I would like to remain standing, thanks." Yeah…way to sound like Teal'c.

"Fine." Jack shook his head in slight exasperation. "Then just listen, okay?" Sam nodded stiffly. "Like I…shouted…before…I'm no longer your CO. I don't know what that means for you…but it means that I get to do something I couldn't do before."

"What's that?" Sam cocked her head. She was curious despite her rushing adrenaline.

Jack's mind went blank. He had absolutely no idea what to say. But…he knew what he'd like to do.

So he did it.

Jack took one more step, effectively closing the distance between himself and his former 2IC. Half expecting her to step back, he was surprised when she remained frozen where she was. Her head was tilted back so that her eyes could bore into his.

"Happy Birthday, Carter." Jack murmured before gently threading his fingers into her hair and covering her mouth with his.

Oh, well…he was never really one for words anyway.

Jack seriously expected Sam to bite his tongue or shove him away and report sexual abuse.

No…instead…Sam leaned readily into him, bracing her hands on his chest and willingly kissed him back. Jack growled and wrapped one arm around her waist, crushing her against him. He felt Sam smile into his mouth as his chest vibrated with the sound.

When the need for air forced them to break away, Jack leaned his forehead against hers, struggling to steady his breathing.

Sam was doing the same.

"Wow…" she breathed, fisting her hands in his shirt.

"Yeah." Jack couldn't help the satisfied note in his voice.

Sam grinned. "Stop smirking."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack dropped his face into the crook of her neck and placed a gentle kiss on her collarbone. His smirk widened when she shivered against him. "So…how do you like your birthday present?"

"The best I've ever gotten." Sam knew there was a lot they needed to talk about. For instance…what would happen now? They obviously had the General's and, most likely, the President's approval. And they definitely had hers.

"Good."

"In fact," Sam grinned and buried her face in his chest, breathing deeply. "I think I may have to celebrate my birthday more often."

"Oh?"

"Yep." Sam bit her lip and sighed contentedly.

Jack pulled back slightly so that he could see her face. "You're sure? About this?"

"Definitely." Sam replied, smiling brightly. "You?"

Jack just grinned. Sam laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"You should." Jack growled against her skin and she laughed again, pressing even closer to him. Jack desperately tried to stop his next words, but his mouth wasn't listening to him. "I love you."

Sam froze, hardly daring to believe what she just heard. "What?"

"What?" Jack replied without thinking. Playing dumb was his specialty.

Holy crap. Had he really just said that?

Sam pulled back, but kept her arms around him, forcing him to meet her eyes. "Do you mean that?"

I…um…might? Maybe? Yes." Jack sighed in defeat. Usually he could lie without even blinking…

But not this time.

Sam smiled before she could stop herself. "Well, that's a relief."

Jack's eyes widened and nervous amusement twitched his lips. "How so?"

"Because I won't feel like a total idiot when I say…Jack O'Neill…I love you too." Sam grinned and gave a small yelp of surprise when Jack yanked her back against him and took hold of her lips once more.

Wow.

That man could kiss! Sam felt like her knees would give out if he weren't holding her up and her brain didn't seem to be capable of any thought other than, 'Oh my God!'

Jack pulled away reluctantly. "Now, for your second surprise…"

"Oh?" Sam played with the collar of his BDU's.

"Can't tell you just yet. You'll just have to trust me." Jack said smilingly as he led her out of the room, offering her his arm.

Sam hooked her arm through his and looked at him seriously. "With my life." 'More importantly, my heart.' She finished in her head. Way too cheesy to say out loud.

Especially while sober.

'Oh, yeah…definitely my best birthday yet.'

Sam smiled as Jack bowed his head and placed a soft kiss on her forehead when they stopped in front of the commissary's closed doors. "And now…presenting…"

Jack threw open the doors and Sam grinned widely as she was greeted by tumultuous cheers.

And cake, of course.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please R&R!