Ch 1

Janet was dead.

That was the first coherent thought she had. Everything else was a haze. Where was she? Why did her head hurt so much? She didn't know.

Slowly, her mind started to clear. She opened her eyes to the bright morning light that peaked through the hotel curtains. She started to remember.

Janet's funeral had been three days ago. And she remembered walking around the SGC in a daze the day after that. Finally, Daniel suggested a team trip to Vegas.

Vegas. Really? But he'd been convincing. They needed something to get their minds off of the tragedy. And there it was again. Janet...dead. Her best friend. Her confidant. Her doctor.

Heck, Daniel even convinced Colonel O'Neill to come. That was surprising.

But here she was, lying in a bed, in a hotel room, in Las Vegas.

She was trying to remember last night.

Alcohol, lots of alcohol. Well, that explained the headache. What else?

She heard gentle breathing behind her. She could feel his warmth. At first she didn't want to move. But her mind cleared some more.

What!? Someone was in her bed. Who?

She inhaled. She didn't have to turn around. She knew that scent anywhere. Ja- Colonel O'Neill!

Oh, God! What had she done.

NO! NO! She couldn't have. Not with the Colonel.

She pulled back the sheet and looked at her naked body.

Oh, God! She had. She had sex with her CO.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8

Jack started to stir. It had been a wonderful dream.

He must still be experiencing it some. He loved it when he dreamed about Sam. He would never admit it, but it happened often enough that it didn't surprise him. He reached out and kissed her naked shoulder.

Sam spun around! A look of shear terror on her face.

That got his attention. Definitely not a dream. She's terrified. Oh, God. What have we done?

"Sam, calm down. It's okay." He tried to sooth her. He reached out and gently touched her arm.

"Okay, okay?! How can THIS be okay? You're my CO and we …."

"Yes, we did." Jack, always calm and in control.

"We were drunk, Carter."

"That doesn't mean it's okay, Sir."

He moved his hands down her arms and grabbed her hands.

"Sam, is it the sex that scares you, or the fact that we broke regs?" He needed to know. He would never intentionally hurt her or scare her.

She started to calm just a little. His soothing voice always eased her mind. She thought about his question.

"The regs, Sir. I'm okay that we had sex, but I don't want to be court-martialed."

He smiled. This he could work with.

"Well, Carter. I don't want that either. No one will know, if we don't tell them. We were drunk. Let's just move on."

She visibly started to relax. Good, he thought. He hated when she freaked out. Thankfully it's a rare thing for Carter to lose it.

Carter took a deep breath. Right, don't tell anyone. Simple, she thought.

She slowly pulled her hands away and as she did, she noticed something smooth on her hand. She looks down.

Jack saw the look of terror return to her face. He followed her gaze.

Oh, shit! What did we do last night?

On her third finger, on her left hand, she wore a simple gold band. Nothing too expensive or fancy. It looked like something they could have purchased at one of those generic box stores that sell everything.

And then his mind flooded with images.

A small chapel. Elvis. Daniel and Teal'c! Oh, God, he was going to kill them. How could they have let them do this.