Title: Just a little trip to the zoo

Pairing: Sam/Jack

Disclamer: I don't own the characters or any other part of the Stargate universe

Authors Note: This story is going to be my vision of what season 7 and 8 could have been. Think of no Pete and other S/J changes.

A big thanks to CeeKay for being my beta and a big thanks to The Green Dragon for critiquing my first two fan-fics so well and helping me out.

Chapter one

Jack half-walked, half-jogged down to Daniel's lab. It was Friday afternoon, and he was looking forward to their team outing the following day. They were going to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, a fact that took Daniel and Jack to a lot to convince Sam of. She'd refused to believe them until they'd called he zoo's reception desk.

"Hi, Daniel. What do you say we meet at the zoo around 9.30? Sam offered to come to the base to get Teal'C, and I'll pick you up. Pack some lunch – I don't feel like waiting in line and–"

"Oh, yeah… that…"

Jack took from Daniel's words and the 'oops' expression on his face that everything was not going as planned.

"What?"

"Well, SG-9 asked me to advise them during their negotiations with the Trinite people. I promised to help them, it will take at least all weekend. Sorry."

Jack couldn't help but be disappointed; it would have been a fun day out for the four of them. The four people he was closest too, the ones he thought of as family.

Jack quickly covered his disappointment with a grin. "Never mind, we'll all go somewhere else. Bowling, maybe – I always wanted to see how Teal'C would do... Good luck with the negotiations."

"Thanks. Hope you guys have fun without me – don't forget to bring me back a souvenir."

"Sure thing."

Jack was sat in the commisary drinking some coffee and attacking a huge piece of carrot cake, when Sam waltzed up to where he was sitting and acknowledged Jack, and what he was eating, with a smirk.

"Enjoying the cake, sir?"

"Yasureyoubetcha!" Jack said with a grin, bringing a big chunk of the cake to his lips.

"Sir, it looks like our trip might be just the three of us."

"I already know about Daniel, I just spoke to him."

"No, I meant Teal'C."

"What, him too? What's his excuse?"

"Teal'C got a message from Ry'ac ­– he broke a leg, and Teal'C thought that it was as good a time as any to spend some time with him," Sam explained as she took a seat in the chair opposite O'Neill. "So I guess it's just the two of us now, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Jack said, taking a sip of his coffee.

After a minute or so of uncomfortable silence, Sam spoke up. "Well, we don't have to go this weekend, we could just cancel it altogether. We can do it when Daniel and Teal'C are around."

"We could, but what else are we going to do this weekend? We could just go tomorrow, and then go again with the guys, I'm sure there's plenty to see. Come on, Carter, it'll be fun."

Carter was silent for a few moments, thinking, it would be fun, yes, but it would also be me and you alone… but we are both adults… ok. "All right then, sir."

"Great, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning around quarter to 9."

Sam held up yet another top in front of her mirror, weighing the pros and cons of it to be put with the jeans she had picked out earlier. She had picked the jeans for praticality, but she also wanted to show that she was still a woman.

She always wore BDU's for missions and she wanted a chance to look girly, to look pretty. Making O'Neill melt would just be a very pleasant bonus.

Sam threw down the top onto the end of the bed on the pile of tops, in fact all of her tops, which she had cleared out her wardrobe. She started to work through the pile of garments for a second time.

Sam had finally chosen what she was going to wear: an aqua coloured camisole and a cardigan in a contrasting blue to keep her warm. It was just as well that she had gotten dressed at that precise moment, because the instant she finished, the doorbell rang. She had no doubt in her mind who was at the door as she opened it. "Hi, sir."

"Hi, Carter. You look nice."

"You too, sir."

"You ready to go?"

"Yes, sir," Sam said as she grabbed her keys from the small table stood by the side of the door, and they both headed out.