Title: Coming Home

Disclaimer: Stargate and the characters don't belong to me.
Jack O'Neill stepped wearily out of his truck and walked across his slightly wild lawn to his front door. It registered in his mind that he should tend to the grass before the summer sun fried it beyond recognition, but that idea was filed away for a later day-possible after some much needed sleep. He barely noticed the heat of the Colorado sun or that his front door, locked when he had left almost a week before, was unlocked. It stepped into the cool dark of the entryway, leaned against the now closed door, and shucked off his shoes. One shoe ended up next to a pair of smaller, feminine shoes that were lined-up neatly beside the door and the other flew down the hall; he would have to search for it later. After a moments rest against the cool door, Jack wandered to his kitchen and pulled a beer from his refrigerator. As he opened it and took a long drink, he finally looked around his home and noticed how neat it looked. Not that it was messy before, but it did not have the look of a week's abandonment. He smiled wryly realizing that even though his girlfriend was just as or more tired than he was, she had still sorted as she walked. It was as if she trailed life, order, and beauty behind her as she walked.

The thought of the beautiful woman he loved and who, inexplicably, loved him back gave Jack a boost of energy that carried him out of the kitchen and toward the back deck. Years of working with and then being with this woman had made him so accustomed to her habits that he didn't have to think of where she would be before he started in the correct direction. A week on a wintery planet trapped within layers of military issue clothing and weighed down by packs, equipment, and weaponry could only be cancelled out by hours spent soaking up the sun. He found her there, on the back deck draped languidly over a deck chair.

Sunblock, water, and phone beside her, Samantha Carter wore a tank top, cotton shorts, and sunglasses. Jack stood for a moment inside the house and looked at her lovingly through the glass of the door. In his mind, everything about this woman was perfect. He loved her golden hair, no matter what length or style she happened to be favouring-the short, spiked cut made her blue eyes look bigger and Jack had spent a great deal of time considering the merits of her delicate ears. Her lips were curved in a slight smile and Jack was pretty sure that she knew he was there. Were her eyes open or closed behind the glasses? No matter. Jack continued his admiring of his lovers body, from the narrow waist to the slim hips, down the long legs and to her light pink tinged toenails. He wondered for a moment where she had gotten the delicate ankle bracelet she wore on her right leg, he was pretty sure he'd never seen her wear it before.

The weariness of the week finally won out over admiration and Jack opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. When Sam did not stir, he knew he had been right in suspecting she knew he was there. She was not sleeping; he had watched her enough while she slept to know the difference. As he walked to her side, she slid over in the chair, allowing him room to climb in beside her. He lowered himself tiredly and left his beer beside the chair as he cuddled close to her form. There was not much room, but somehow, when the were together, their bodies formed together as if they were to halves of one person coming together-that was what they were, in a purely romantic sense.

Sam smiled and said, "What took you so long?" It wasn't really a question and Jack merely grunted; she knew that General Hammond required him to give lengthy reports and that his check-up with Dr. Frasier always took awhile because he insisted on going last, was a reluctant patient, and invariably had some minor injury that he hadn't let on to anyone about. Bruised rips, minor cuts, or displace joints, Jack never let on to any injury unless it could kill him.sometimes not even then. She also knew that he had probably left some unfinished business just to get home. Sam breathed in his smelled and reveled in the warmth and firmness of his body.

After a few moments of relaxation, Jack broke the silence by saying, "That was quite possibly the most boring mission we have ever been on. P-whatsits was so.peaceful. Not that I don't mind peaceful, it's loads better than non-peaceful. But there weren't any celebrations, scandals or anything else."

Sam laughed softly and said, "Daniel and Jonas enjoyed themselves."

"That's part of it exactly Sammie," Jack moaned, "Anytime they have fun, I'm bored senseless. And with both of them now, I'm all ganged up on by intellectuals." Jack gave a forced shudder at this last word and hugged Sam closer, acknowledging that he didn't mind this particular intellectual.

"You're not regretting keeping Jonas on the team when Daniel came back are you?" This was said mock-seriously, but Sam had been a little worried about how Jack would feel about the decision to keep Jonas on the team.

"Of course not," responded Jack quickly, recognizing what Sam was thinking, "Jonas wormed his way into the team and I can't imagine how it would function without him. His abilities are exactly like Daniel's so it's not like they're doubling one another and things get done a lot faster now. I wouldn't have it any other way." (A/N: I like Jonas just as much as Daniel and I don't see why they shouldn't keep'em both. Oh well.)

Sam smiled in relief and cuddled closer to Jack. He thought about things a lot more than people thought, a lot more than he wanted people to think. The Asgaard knew that and it was no wonder they preferred him to other humans, she did. She looked at his face out of the corner of her eye. Sam had never loved anyone more. The silver in his hair did not, somehow, make him look old, just.different from before. The lines in his tan face were no different from the first day she'd met him, and she doubted they had anything to do with age. Jack was a contradiction to age. His body was as fit and firm as any 20 year old newbie and the things he could do to her...WHOOO!

He rumbled deep in his chest, "What'cha looking at?"

"Nothing. You don't mind that I came over here without saying anything to you do you?"

Jack opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at her. He had honestly not even thought of that. It just seemed right for her to be there. He realized that it would seem wrong for her to not, that was what had bothered him for years when he came home to an empty house: there was no Sam in it. Bolstered by this new realization, Jack kissed Sam deeply, losing his train of thought briefly in the sheer love of the kiss. After a moment that lasted a lifetime, as all of their kisses did, Jack pulled away and said,

"Of course I don't mind. I'm thinking that I'd mind if you weren't here."

He leaned his forehead against hers and breathed in the "Sam" smell.

"How would you like to just move in here, that way I could never miss you the way I do now? I'd sleep a lot better if you were here every night rather than lying bed thinking about you when you're not here."

Sam felt a mixture of shock and joy run through her body. She was light- headed and overjoyed at the same time and thought she would burst. She threw her arms around Jack's neck and kissed him until she was dizzy.

"We'll do it later," she said, "Right now, we need to get some sleep and it's been a week since we were last together and that I intend to take awhile. That rule about no sex while off world isn't the easiest one. We'll get the guys to help us move my stuff tomorrow.late tomorrow."

Some time later she said, "I meant sleep first.."