Title: Of Cake and Relationships
Author: Psalm 136
Rating: K+
Summary: With every bite, Jack thought of her, and knew he would forever associate her with cake.
Author's Note: This is just a quick little drabble I thought of, and I thought it was cute. Please, review, and check out my other story, a SG-1/SGA crossover called The Key to Atlantis.
One day, as he entered his office, preparing for a day of paper-pushing and general work, Jack O'Neill had never expected to live to see the day when he would find an innocuous box sitting on his desk, concealing the most delicious cake he had ever tasted. Of course, he didn't know it had cake inside, so for a moment, he stared it down, wondering if it had been checked, assumed it had been, and then opened it.
Jack O'Neill could have died happy.
As he was consuming a delightful piece of his moist, vanilla cake, he glanced down at the card that had been taped to the inside of the box, protected by an envelope.
Call me. We need to talk.
Jack didn't have to wonder who had sent the cake. He dialed a familiar number, one his fingers had dialed many times, and held the phone to his ear.
"Jack?" Came a tentative, hopeful voice.
"It's me." His own voice was soft, as he'd been caught unawares as how her mere voice could undo him so quickly. "Is it… time?" There had been some sort of unspoken understanding between them, all these years. They were not so selfish that they would break Air Force regulations for such a petty thing as a relationship. They understood that this whole thing, going through the Stargate and working for the betterment of the universe, was more important than them as individuals and it was definitely more important than what they wanted.
It hadn't kept him from wanting to be with her, but he had neatly folded his feelings away, for a time when there were no regulations to divide them and for a time when both of them were ready. Jack… well, he didn't know if it was time, but he would do anything for her, if she wanted him to.
"I think so." She admitted. "Take me fishing, Jack."
Jack sighed and looked down at the cake. He knew she baked; he'd heard only good things about her macaroons from Mitchell. She'd baked this for him. It was such a simple little thing, something people had done for years and years, but it was so heartbreakingly simple that his chest blossomed with warmth.
"Okay." He agreed. "I don't want to mess this up, Sam. One step at a time."
"One step at a time." She repeated, a smile coloring her words.
Jack took another bite of the cake. He loved cake, but this one was different. With every bite, he thought of her, and knew he would forever associate her with cake. Whenever he enjoyed his favorite food, he would be entertained by his favorite thoughts for the rest of his life.
Oddly enough, that didn't bother him.
XXX
As he'd said, Jack planned on taking this whole thing one step at a time. There would be no rushing into each other's arms and falling into bed immediately. There would be no immediate proposals and weddings. There would definitely be no babies.
Hell, things wouldn't be easy for them. It was hard enough to understand the fact he was allowed to hold her hand, let alone kiss her. It would be hard to learn how to talk in plain words, not in clandestine subtext, as they'd perfected over the years.
But they'd learn, and they'd adjust, and it would all come together. Why?
Because it just would.