Cam leans in to kiss Amy, the part of him that is still sixteen is cheering mentally, but the adult part of him isn't really enjoying the kiss. It's not that Amy is a bad kisser, far from it, but she's not Sam. With her own imperfect timing, Vala honks the car horn loudly and breaks the moment.
"You know, Colorado Springs, it's er, not that far away. So, maybe, some day soon you might think about taking a little trip? "
"Maybe," she replies with a smile.
Cam hurries to the car, lest Vala start honking again, waves to his parents as he passes and climbs in.
"She's a nice girl, I like her."
"Nice," is Vala's response between mouthfuls; she's already started on the pie his mom gave them. "She's a cure for insomnia," and feeds him a piece of it from her fork.
"Well we can't all make the brilliant decisions you make." Cam turns the engine on, asking, "How many times have you been married anyway?"
"Legally?" Vala asks as they pull away, his parents and Amy waving them goodbye.
"Hmm, well, it's hard to keep track… Let's see, the first one was part of a band of travelling entertainers. He was a good cook, too. Couldn't make pie though."
"You know, forget it. Forget I asked." Cam speeds up and tries to drown out Vala's voice while she continues to list her husbands.
**
Three hours later, they stop to stretch their legs and get gas. When they get back in the car, Vala suddenly asks, "What would Sam think of you kissing Amy?"
"What, why?" Cam splutters, feeling his face heat up.
"Oh come on Cam, I've seen the way you look at each other," Vala states bluntly, and doesn't give him time to respond before continuing. "I know what with your Air Force rules and things," she waves her had as though brushing them away, "a relationship with someone outside the Air Force might seem like a good idea…"
Cam interrupts, "I don't want a relationship with Amy. It's more of a 'what if' situation in my head, but you're right about Sam." He goes suddenly page. "I've just hurt her, I've basically just cheated on her."
"Yes, that's true. Wait, you've what?"
"I can't believe I'm about to tell you this, Sam will probably kill me, mind you she's gonna be pretty mad at any rate."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Sam and I have been, kinda seeing each other for a while now."
"What do you mean, kind of?" Vala asks shrewdly.
"You know what it's like, being part of SG-1, it's hard to have a life outside."
"Well no, I don't actually, that was the whole point of me coming with you."
"My point is, we don't get time to date, we've gone almost head first straight into whatever it is that we're doing."
"What is it that you're doing?"
Cam stares at the road, trying to formulate an explanation that doesn't sound crude. "Having a lot of great sex, but I think I'm falling in love with her."
"Then kissing Amy was a very bad move."
"Ya think?" Cam asks, sarcastically and rhetorically.
At this point Vala drops the subject, much to Cam's relief.
**
Cam takes Vala back to SGC and checks Sam's quarters and lab before deciding that she must be at home. He runs over ideas of ways he can explain as he drives quickly to her house, nervous about how she'll react.
She's waiting in her doorway when he arrives.
"Hi, how was the drive back?" Sam asks as she closes the door behind them.
"Not too bad but I did something stupid." Cam shifts on his feet in a nervous manner and tries not to notice how beautiful Sam looks.
Sam raises her eyebrows at him, "You didn't leave Vala on the side of the road somewhere?"
"No," Cam pauses, steeling himself; "I kissed Amy Vanderburg this morning, the blonde woman who'd been behind me in the gymnasium. When I was in high school, I had a huge crush on her but never asked her out. I discovered last night, that she also had a crush on me back then too and today, I, well, I, erm, kissed her because I wanted to see what it was like. I'm sorry, I didn't think about us, about damaging our relationship."
Sam is quiet and Cam fidgets nervously.
"If it's any compensation at all, though I seriously doubt it, she's just not you."
Sam remains quiet, forehead crinkled in thought. Cam starts to feel desperate, wondering what she's thinking.
"Sam, please, please say something," his voice is rough.
"I'm not angry at you, not really. I'm disappointed but I do understand," Sam answers, and runs a hand through her hair in an anxious manner.
"Forgive me?"
Sam nods and Cam smiles in relief.
"This would probably be a good time to mention, I have no intention of dating or sleeping with anyone else," he adds.
"Neither do I," Sam replies and takes a few steps forward, invading his personal space, and presses a gentle kiss to his lips.
He runs a hand across the back of her head and down her back until his hands came to rest on her waist.
As they hug Cam says, in a sheepish manner, "I also told Vala about us."
Sam pulls back and shoots him a look that is half glare and half confusion.
"Sorry. I know we're not exactly going around advertising this. But she wormed it out of me. You know what Vala is like, plus she saw Amy and I," Cam explains.
Sam smiles, "that's Vala for you," she wraps her arms around his neck and they kiss again.
Cam enjoys the kiss and is relieved that he is forgiven. Part of him wonders what she means about understanding, but instead focuses on the feeling of her soft skin and sensual lips.
"Stay," she murmurs.
That was all she ever had to ask.