Title: Love is like a lake

Pairing: Jack/Sam

Spoilers: Set season eight but no apparent spoilers

Disclaimer: Not mine yadda yadda

Author's note: Sorry if the continuity is wrong, I have no idea how long it would take for someone to fly from Minnesota to Colorado or how long it would take to drive. So imagine that the time frames are right and all will be well. Turns into a song fic. Feedback needed, apply within. Thanks to SA for being my beta!

Two smooth, perfectly formed products of nature. On their own quiet and still, but combine the two and all is chaos.

A stone dropped, falling silently until the 'plop' of contact with the still water of the lake. The ripples, starting at the point of contact, small at first growing larger until they wash the shores of the lake.

Love was like a still lake, it was there silent and still inside you until one day the stone of attraction walks into your life and starts the chain reaction building up until it reaches the surface and is impossible to control anymore.

He dropped another stone into the lake, watching the sunlight reflect off the ripples as they stretched out over the expanse of water and onto the sandy beaches. The water washing against the wooden dock he was laying on was soothing, yet majorly annoying-with every pun intended!

Ever since she had walked through that briefing room door, she had kicked off that chain reaction, that ripple effect in his heart that made him ache to think that he was not with her.

The sun glittered off the water; sparkling like her eyes did every time she discovered something new. The sun shone, golden in the sky like her hair.

Jack grunted and made his way back up to the cabin. He started locking the doors and windows, packing his clothes into the hire truck. Looking out over the lake, he knew he would never return until he could find peace there and he would never find peace until nature stopped looking like Sam. He slammed the door after him and drove away.

The sun set as he got to the airport casting shadows, while the sky was a blaze of colour. Still it reminded him of Sam, the blues, pinks, yellows, and oranges.

He thought about their lives, the bittersweet sensation of seeing and working with the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, of loving and being with her at the same time as never being able to 'be with' her. So close yet so out of reach. Life was one big oxymoron.

He waited for what seemed like hours for his flight to be called, then hours on the plane. When finally the plane landed and he had got his luggage, he hailed a taxi and went to his house.

He didn't know what he was going to say, he didn't know how he would work everything out, all he knew was that he had to tell her and he hoped she felt the same.

Tipping the taxi driver too much, he ran up to his house and threw the suitcases inside and ran back out to his truck. He started the ignition and pulled away from his house.

Fifteen minutes later he was ringing Sam's doorbell. He rang it again, there was no answer but there was a light on in one of the back rooms. He cursed himself when he realised it was still dark, he checked his watch; 06:12am. He heard movement from inside and the hall light came on. The door was unlocked and opened revealing a dishevelled and sleepy Lieutenant Colonel.

"Sir? What's wrong, I thought you were at your cabin. If there was an emergency at the base they could have called..." Jack's hand was over her mouth and he pushed her back into the hall and shut the door behind them.

"I have something to say." She nodded and he took his hand away. "It's very important, we should sit."

They walked into the front room and sat down. After a long pause where Jack was obviously mentally preparing himself and gathering his thoughts, Sam broke the silence.

"Sir..."

"Please Sam, let me do this okay" He pleaded. "Just listen to what I have to say."

He stood and walked over to her CD collection, skimming over the spines he spotted what he was looking for. Sam watched on confused at her CO's behaviour.

He set up the song he wanted and the as jazzy music started, Sam immediately knew how this conversation was going to end.

"Sir"

"No, listen to me." He said over the song. "We've run away from this in the past, we've kept it in the room for however many years and I can't deal with that anymore! I know I wasn't there most of the times that you really needed a shoulder to cry on and it tears me apart."


"I went away
Just when you needed me so
You won't regret
I'll come back begging you"

"I love you Sam, I can't stop thinking about you." His eyes had let down the normal barrier they put up; they were open books to all the emotions running through his head.

"Open up your eyes
Then you'll realize
Here I said was my
Everlasting love"

"I need you Sam. I've driven like a maniac over here to tell you that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Need you by my side
Come and be my bride
You'll never be denied
Everlasting love"

Sam was speechless; here was the one man in the universe that she loved beyond all belief on his knees in front of her with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Oh Jack" She smiled, tears running down her checks. She brought her thumbs up to wipe away his while cupping his face.

"From the very start
Open up your heart
Feel the love you've got
Everlasting love"

"I love you too." She leaned in closer, their foreheads resting on each other's. "I've waited so long for this moment, no alien viruses, no alternate realities."

"No time loops." Jack added. He brushed his lips against hers.

"This love will last forever
This love will last forever"

"You have some explaining to do." She smiled into his chocolaty brown eyes. "But not now."

"No." He said taking her lips in his. "Maybe later."

He pushed her back onto the couch, lips parted and tongues exploring. His hand went up to brush her hair from her face and he pulled back. "God, you're beautiful."

"I love you Jack O'Neill."

"Like the sun it shines
Endlessly it shines
You always will be mine
Eternal love"