She was walking back from the bar when the ringleader caught her eye. It wasn't her fault. What was she supposed to do, turn around and ignore him? Because that would have gone down well.

The woman glared at her and bowed her head in towards the rest of the group, no doubt to pick Sam to shreds. Whatever. She was here on a night out with most everyone from the SGC. She really didn't want or need to concern herself with what these other women were saying. And if one of the other team leaders stopped her for a chat she was hardly going to walk past him just so as to avoid these women talking about her. It actually made her feel a little smug. It's not that she felt that way about any of the men in the SGC (well…with one rather commanding exception) but she got a strange satisfaction out of knowing the women were jealous.

They were clearly scouting, their eyes likes hawks scanning the crowds for anyone of interest. She couldn't really blame them. Apart from the fact that a lot of them were either taken or married, there were a lot of good looking men in the SGC. Not just the soldiers either, there were some seriously attractive 'up and comers' in the various science departments. Because she was both a scientist and a soldier, she just happened to know more of them personally than the average SGC employee. So it wasn't really her fault she kept getting stopped on the way back to the table. Not that those women cared, as far as she could tell they just wanted to be in her shoes. Who wouldn't? It was clear that this was a very close knit group. The camaraderie was at an all time high given the stress of the last few months so everyone was in great spirits. It the first big night out in a very long time. Almost everyone was here. Despite that, they didn't seem to realise that she was actually a part of it which is clearly why they were glaring at her. They thought she was one of them. An outsider to this group. If the men were talking to her then they were in with a chance and she was competition. If only they knew what they would have to give to get into this extended family. Sex and fancy hair dos would not cut it.

She finally made it back to the table and waited for the guys to arrive. She never liked being in massive crowds if she could help it so she got a table a little away from the rest of the group. That's probably why 'The Panthers', as she mentally named them, didn't realised she knew everyone here. Sitting down, she positioned herself so that she could partially see the group and hear them with ease. Daniel and Teal'c should be nearly here. She would be interested to see what the women thought of the two of them.

Teal'c's very impressive stature and overall presence would no doubt get their tongues wagging again. His quiet demeanour would have them wondering if they could be the one to loosen him up. His physique would have them calling for a doctor and his inevitable 'hat remaining on his head even though he's inside and it's very hot out' quirkiness would spark their curiosity.

As for Daniel, his slightly less intimidating yet still worthy presence and boyish charm would definitely be of interest. He had grown into himself throughout his years at the SGC. Through all the pain and heartache he had really found himself and was now fully comfortable with who he was. Having always seen him like a brother, all of his accomplishments made Sam immensely proud. It was always funny to her how he never seemed to notice the effect he had on women, especially on Earth. He seemed to really switch off his head whenever he actually decided to take a break from working and was totally oblivious to the advances of the opposite sex, numerous as they were.

And as for what they would think of the General, ha! That would be very enjoyable indeed. He was stuck at the SGC in a rather large meeting with 'the brass' so he would be late. She wondered if he would come in his dress blues, that would really get them going. On a normal day, Major General Jack O'Neill was a sight to behold but in his blues, oh she doubted they would survive. His mere presence would have most of the younger officers on high alert. The scientists too. After all, his not being in Colorado anymore made his legendary status all the more…legendary. A lot of the new officers had heard about him but had rarely, if ever, worked with him so they had only heard the tales the other officers recounted. Which were obviously exaggerated each time they were told, although, she thought ironically, not by much. They were impressive enough on their own merit so they didn't need much fluffing up. Even without the tales of old though, the man was a walking sin and there was no doubt in her mind that he would attract the most attention. He certainly got enough of it whenever she was with him.

She didn't have to wait long, as the first of her companions walked through the door. The whispering started almost immediately. From where she was sitting, the large group of ladies couldn't see her smile as they, rather loudly, checked the Teal'c out from head to toe.

"Who is he?"

"Those muscles are Devine"

"You could eat your dinner off them"

"Do you think he'd let me help him work his legs out?"

Sam laughed to herself as the comments got significantly more X-rated. She had to hand it to The Panthers, they were coming up with an entirely new workout routine for Teal'c in a very short space of time. He'd be working up a sweat in seconds if they got their hands on him. He had stopped to talk to Reynolds so the women had taken a few moments to just watch him after the initial excitement had died down. As he moved towards the bar, Daniel came into view from behind him. The chatter picked up again almost immediately.

"Oh hello"

"He is SO cute"

"Do you think they're friends?"

"Are they part of the military crew as well?"

"He doesn't look very military"

"Seriously, what is it going to take for you to get it into your head that this is not a military group"

"One guy was arguing about the potential benefits of some plant for human development with another. What would a horticulturist, or botanist, or whatever they're called, have to do with an underground military base in Colorado?!"

'You would be surprised…' mused Sam silently with a small smile as she listened to their argument heating up.

"But I definitely heard one of them same something about a Colonel Carter, whoever he is and they were talking about his most recent mission being a success…"

'She, whoever she is…wait a minute, who was talking about me?' Sam's interest peaked, 'Hmmm, who would have been speaking about me? Well, anyone really, they were probably just talking about the mission report. That was a close one, man we were beyond lucky there were no casualties this past week! I mean we…'

"OH. MY. GOD."

The dramatic tone shook Sam out of her reflections. She was ashamed to admit it but her initial reaction when she found the object of the woman's exclamation was the exact same thought. Oh. My. God.

There he was, standing in the doorway, taking in his surroundings with lightning precision. He hadn't actually moved but she could tell he was giving the whole place a once over. Old habits die hard. He looked like heaven and hell all at once. The poster boy (man?) for Air Force cool. Somewhere between the meeting and the bar he had lost the jacket and tie but he still had his shirt on with his sleeves rolled up. His top two buttons were undone and he was wearing aviators. Topping the whole look off was his irreverent grey hair that never behaved which stood out perfectly against his tanned skin. She loved that hair. He was the epitome of cool. He was clearly very self-assured, oozing confidence. A distinguished man who still had a playful side to him. Dangerous yet godly at the same time. Surprisingly (and thankfully), Washington had done nothing to his physique, he still looked like he could run a marathon and then some. She could picture his toned and tanned body under that uniform and it did things to her body that she couldn't quite comprehend.

Ugh, this was ridiculous. He was her commanding officer for years, he shouldn't still be able to do this to her! Especially because he hadn't actually done anything yet. He was still standing in the doorway, with his arm resting on a nearby partition just, chilling, it would seem.

She could sense the energy change in the room though almost as soon as he walked in. Everyone stood up a little straighter, even those who weren't from the SGC seemed to notice the difference. The women beside her were whispering furiously.

"Oh he is definitely military"

'He is my saviour"

'There's no ring on his finger"

"I want him now"

"I've never been so in love"

"He is mine!"

'Ooh, the ringleader has staked her claim. This should be interesting' Now it was Sam's turn to feel jealous. They couldn't have him. They weren't worthy of having him. They could never truly understand all of the intricacies that make up Jack O'Neill. How could they? She didn't even understand them all and she knew him better than almost anyone. Or at least she used to. Since he had been in Washington, they had rarely had the time to catch up in person. Although he read all of the mission files, she really didn't know what he had been up to since he left.

'Well no time like the present' she thought ruefully, determined to not let the minx one table over get her claws into him. If anyone was going to have Jack O'Neill tonight it was her. She had earned her turn and she was not going to wait anymore. She had dreamt about this for far too long and it was time to take action. She downed her drink and walked in his direction. They hadn't actually spoken properly at all since he got here a few days ago. He had been swamped with meetings with various heads of states, allies from around the galaxy and various SG team leaders. She too had been snowed under with a massive workload resulting from spending so much time in the field recently. As a result, they had barely had a chance to say two words to each other. All that was about to change though, come hell or high water.

She had to let him know what she was thinking, what she wanted, without making it too obvious to everyone else. How could she let him know that she was ready to move to the next step? He moved so he was standing beside Daniel and Teal'c with his back to her as she approached. If she hadn't been so concerned with what her next move was going to be, she would have laughed at the scene in front of her. Most of the junior staff members were just staring. There was a large group of female staff, both military and civilian, off to one side clearly loving the view. Surely he most know what his presence is doing to people? Suddenly, she was so close she could smell him, mmm did he smell good. It wasn't a particular scent that she could describe, but it was him. She knew it instantly. If she were to be stripped of all senses but smell in the morning, she would know instantly it was him. He was laughing lightly at something that was said. Oh, what a sound.

He turned as she stepped beside him and looked down at her. Those eyes that she was so in love with looked happy to see her, the sort of instant reaction that he used to try to shield from her. She knew then and there she wanted him forever and she was ready. He finished a sip of his beer and she looked at him coyly.

"Hi Jack"

His eyes darkened immediately and his features went from shocked to schooled almost instantly. He looked at her with an intensity that she hadn't seen in a very long time. She gave him a small smile and him a knowing look.

He swallowed his beer and stared at her for a long moment, before the warmth crept back into his eyes and a small lopsided smirk appeared on his face.

"Hello Sam, long time no see."