LOVE MAKES YOU DO THE WACKY

Disclaimer : The title for this story is a quote from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Neither Stargate nor BtVS belong to me (totally unfair, but such is life).

Notes : This is my first Stargate fic and as I'm fairly new to the program (although I loved the film) I may have some details wrong.  If I have got any details or characterisations wrong, I apologise in advance.

Please don't make me beg for reviews.

"Daniel!" Colonel Jack O'Neill whispered, as he poked his friend in the back.

"What?"

"You were snoring."

"I do not snore!" Daniel Jackson replied, indignantly.

"You do so snore.  You've kept me awake all night."

"Well it hasn't bothered Teal'c."

Jack snorted.  "Nothing bothers Teal'c."

Daniel reluctantly sat up in his sleeping bag and faced his commanding officer.  "You're just cranky because you're stuck in here with us instead of where you really want to be."

Jack looked at him suspiciously.  "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh come on, Jack.  Don't be dense.  I know where you would much rather be sleeping, more to the point I know who you would rather be sleeping with."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

By now Teal'c was awake as well.  "Colonel, I believe that Daniel means Captain Carter."

Jack turned to face Teal'c who was also now sitting up.  "Who yanked your chain?" Jack snapped.

Teal'c was confused.  "I do not understand."

Daniel smiled.  "It's alright.  The colonel wants to know who asked for your opinion."

"Nobody asked for my opinion, Colonel."  Teal'c was still confused.  "I was simply attempting to clarify Daniel's statement."

Jack threw his hands in the air in exasperation.  "I give up," he said as he stormed out of the tent.  Daniels smiled as he heard him muttering to himself about busy body Egyptologists and know-it-all aliens.

When Jack got outside the tent he stood there for a few minutes just enjoying the night.  During his time with the SGC he had seen a lot of starry skies, but none matched the beauty of Earth's.

He heard a sound behind him and turned around, startled.  He was surprised to find Captain Samantha Carter, his second in command, still sitting beside the campfire.  She looked like she hadn't moved since they had said goodnight a few hours earlier.

She didn't seem to have noticed him, so he just stood there, struck by how beautiful she looked in the light of the fire.  Ah Sam, he thought.  What am I going to do about you?

He must have made a noise because she suddenly jumped up and span around to face him.

"Relax Carter," he said amused by her reaction.  "It's only me."

She was standing there, waiting for her heart rate to slow down before she said anything.  It wasn't easy keeping it under control at the best of times when Jack was around, but now that he had frightened her it was beating twice as hard.

She still hadn't said anything and Jack was getting worried.  "You okay?" he asked.

Sam's voice still didn't seem to be working so she just nodded and sat back down.  She felt rather than heard Jack walk up behind her and then take a seat next to her.

They just sat there without saying anything, staring into the flames for a few minutes.  Neither of them wanted to be the first one to speak and break the silence.  Eventually Sam couldn't take the silence anymore.

"So Colonel," she said.  "What are you still doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing Carte.  And how many times do I have to tell you, call me Jack when we're not working."

He sure sounds grumpy tonight, she thought with a smile.  I wonder what Daniel did to annoy him this time.

"If I can call you Jack, why can't you call me Sam?" she asked.

He was confused.  "I do call you Sam."

She shook her head.  "No, you don't.  It's always Captain or Carter."

"Oh, I never realised I do that."  He shrugged.  "Its just habit I guess."

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes.  It was Jack's turn to speak first this time.

"Okay, I'll make a deal with you.  I'll call you Sam off duty if you'll call me Jack.  Deal?"

She took his outstretched hand and shook it.  "Deal.  So Jack, back to my original question.  Why are you still awake?"

"Daniel was snoring."

She giggled.  "Daniel does not snore."

Jack snorted.  "Well he was snoring tonight.  What are you still doing awake anyway?"

Sam shrugged.  "Don't know.  Not really tired I guess.  Too many thoughts whirling around in this poor old brain of mine."

Jack sighed.  "I know what that's like.  I sometimes think my brain's going to explode from all the things going on inside it."  He looked over at Sam and saw she was staring at the sky with a faraway look in her eyes.  "What are you thinking about right now?"

"Hmm?  Oh nothing much.  Just about how nice it is to spend time with you guys without worrying about who's trying to kill us or take over our brains or something.  What are you thinking about/"?

He hesitated before saying anything.  If I tell her what I'm really thinking, she'd probably have me up on sexual harassment charges!  "I was thinking the same as you really."

"Oh."

They were sitting there, just enjoying each other's company when Sam suddenly shivered.

"What's the matter?" Jack asked.

Sam was rubbing her arms.  "I got cold all of a sudden."

"Maybe you should go back to your tent and get warm."

She shook her head.  She was enjoying this alone time with Jack too much to want to give it up.  "No, I'll be fine."

Jack took off his jacket and gave it to her.  She looked at him surprised.  "Here," he said.  "Put this on.  Can't have my second in command coming down with the flu, now can we?"

Sam took it from him and wrapped it around herself.  She couldn't help taking a deep breath.  Mmm, that's pure Jack.  The coat smelled just like him, but if anyone had asked her to describe it she wouldn't have been able to.

Neither of them noticed that they had moved closer on the log they were using as a bench.

They sat there for a while, talking quietly but not really saying much and all the time moving closer together.  Sam was surprised when Jack started shivering, she had forgotten that he now had no coat and early morning in the mountains could get very cold.

"Oh God, Jack" she said.  "I'm sorry.  I forgot I had your coat.  Do you want it back?"

"No, I'm fine.  Besides, if I take it back then you'll get cold."

She looked at him, smiling shyly.  "W-we could share it."

Jack thought about it for about a nanosecond.  "Okay," he said as she took the coat off and handed it to him.

He slipped it on and she snuggled up against his side as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm as well.

After a few minutes Sam looked up at him and smiled.  Jack couldn't take it anymore; he did something he had wanted to do since the first day they met.  He leaned down and kissed her, gently at first giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.  When she only tried to get closer he deepened the kiss.  When they finally broke apart they were both gasping for breath.

Jack looked down at Sam and realised she was crying.  "Hey," he said gently.  "Why the tears?"

She didn't say anything at first, then she got up and walked around to the other side of the campfire.  She stood there looking into the woods.

"We shouldn't have done that Jack."

Jack was confused.  "Why not/"

"Because you're my commanding officer."

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. "Not out here I'm not.  Out here I'm just Jack O'Neill, holding the woman I love in my arms."

She sun around to face him.  "You love me?" she asked.

Jack was surprised she even had to ask.  "Of course I love you.  Do you think I would risk both our careers if I didn't love you?"

She didn't say anything, just stood there looking t him.

"Sam?" he said a few minutes later when she still hadn't spoken.  "Say something!"

She gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen and in that moment he knew that no matter what happened when they got back to base everything would be okay.  "I love you, Jack O'Neill."  She was crying again, but they were tears of joy this time.

He couldn't help himself; he had to kiss her again.  This time the kiss was softer, gentler and full of the love they had shared for so long but never expressed until now.

After a while, they walked back to the campfire, still with their arms wrapped around each other.  Suddenly Jack tripped over something hidden in the grass and landed in a pile of leaves.

Sam had to laugh; he looked so funny sitting there covered in leaves.

"Sam!" Jack warned.  She backed off a step when she saw the look in his eyes.  Uh oh, maybe laughing wasn't such a good idea.  He reached for her and she tried to dodge out of his way but she wasn't quite quick enough.  She yelped as he pulled her down into the leaves with him.

"Let's see how you like being dumped in a pile of leaves," he said with mischief in his voice.  Sam smiled.  As she had landed n top of him, she didn't mind a bit.  She stopped smiling though when Jack shoved a huge handful of leaves down the back of her sweater.

"Jack!" she yelled and scrambled away from him.  He just stood there grinning at her.  "You are so going to pay for that," she threatened.

"Oh yeah!  What you gonna do?" 

Sam smiled; he acted so much like a little boy sometimes.  "I'm going to do this," she said, just as she threw a load of leaves in his face and ran away.  He spat out the leaves that had got in his mouth and glared at her.  She poked her tongue out at him and the next thing she knew they were chasing each other all over the campsite, throwing leaves around.

Daniel was woken up by the sound of Sam laughing and stuck his head out of the tent to see what as going on.  He smiled when he saw Sam trying to shove a load of leaves down jack's back.  Not an easy thing to do considering the fact that he was a good six inches taller than her.  She solved the problem by tripping him up and then pouncing on him once he was on the floor.

By now Teal'c was awake as well and had joined Daniel at the entrance to the tent.  He was thoroughly confused but decided not to comment on what was going on outside.

Sam was still trying to get the leaves down Jack's neck so he did the only thing he could think of to stop her.  He kissed her until she completely forgot about the leaves.

Daniel saw were the kiss was heading and decided to give them their privacy, but he was still grinning.

"Come on, Teal'c," he said.  "Let's go back to bed and leave them to it."

Teal'c was still confused about the leaf fight.

"Daniel," he said.  "What were Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter doing?"

"Having a leaf fight."

"For what purpose?"

"Because it's fun?"

"I do not understand.  What is fun about throwing leaves?" Teal'c was still confused.

Daniel sighed.  This was going to take some explaining and he though about how to say it.  How could he put into words the years of thoughts and suppressed feelings that had just led to the scene outside?  In the end he decided not to even try.

"Sometimes Teal'c, love makes you do the wacky."

Teal'c was even more confused.

Daniel smiled as he went back to his sleeping bag.  "I'll explain that to you in the morning.  Right now I'm going to go to sleep and I suggest you do the same."

Teal'c still did not understand but he accepted that Daniel would explain everything to him the next day and went back to sleep himself.

Daniel smiled as he drifted off to sleep, still hearing the occasional giggle from Sam.  Thos two are going to have some tough decisions to make when we get back, but I think everything is going to work out just fine.

Outside, Jack and Sam were far too busy to worry about what the future would bring.  They were living in the here and now and they were finally together.