Chapter One
Captain Samantha Carter needed a plan. She had to find a way to explain to her aunt the sudden appearance of naqahdah in her blood. Because she would have to explain. One does not hide things from Helen Magnus. She knew WHOM she needed; it was just with the HOW of convincing him she was having a problem. She had an idea, one that stemmed from his recent invitation to take her fishing. She pulled her motorcycle up his driveway, and was a little surprised to see him sitting on his porch. He regarded her guardedly as she pulled her helmet off.
"Carter?" he questioned, taking in her attire, and trying NOT to focus on her form fitting leathers. "Did you need something?"
"Yes sir" she said, still trying to find the right words. "Sir, I need to ask a favor…" her eyes darted briefly to his face, and then settled on the gas tank of her bike.
"What did you need?" Colonel Jack O'Neill was not used to this nervousness from her. It was unsettling, so he stood and walked towards the young blond woman sitting in his driveway. Sam took a deep breath, and exhaled a complete sentence.
""
Jack blinked as his mind translated her rapid-fire statement. She was back to studying her gas tank with the intensity she usually applied to her doohickeys. He touched her shoulder, making her jump slightly,
"Should I get my helmet, Carter?" she nodded, a mega-watt smile leaping to her features. "Ok, I will be right back out. Is there anything else I need?"
"Ummm, three days there three days back. So you need clothes and stuff. The hotels are already taken care of. And we will be there for like 2 days." she tossed him her backpack, "my aunt has a washer and dryer, so you don't need that many clothes. Put them all in there, we have to leave soon." he smirked at her and went into the house. Sam Carter wasn't the only one who had biker leathers. Jack threw four days worth of clothes into the backpack and changed into his own leathers, pulling his riding boots and helmet out of the closet.
Once he was dressed, he put the pack on his shoulders and went back out to the driveway, locking the door behind him. Sam really had to work at keeping her face impassive as Jack strode down the steps of his porch. She settled for slamming her helmet back onto her head, using the face guard to hide her reaction. He looks hot! Her brain screamed as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a radio and earpiece. Her face obscured by the helmet, she took the opportunity to let her eyes roam his body as she handed him the radio. He handed her his helmet so he could put on the radio. Once it was on and activated to two-way, he tucked it into the inside pocket and put his helmet on.
Sam moved forward so that he could climb on behind her.
"So, carter, how are we doing this?" he asked as she started the bike and turned it around in his yard.
"Well, sir, in about six hours we should be at the first hotel, we will eat, sleep and leave at zero-six, six hours after that we switch drivers, six hour after that, second hotel. And so on and so on."
"Gotcha, Carter, try not to kill me," Sam smiled as she sped towards the highway,
"Yes sir" she called. One stop for food, and six hours later, Jack found himself staring at a very expensive hotel. Sam had run in to check in, so he was left to wonder, who on earth is paying for this? He resolved to ask Sam once they got to the room, or rooms as it may be. Sam came bounding over to the bike,
"All set sir?" she asked, not really expecting a reply. After he got off the bike, she reached down and disconnected one of the wires on the engine. When Jack gave her a weird look, she shrugged; "ignition" then began walking towards the hotel, with her rather confused CO following close behind.
Sam led the way to the elevator, without saying a single word to Jack. Once inside the elevator, she turned to speak to him.
"Sir, my aunt has an odd sense of humor. I told her that I would have to bring someone with me this time, so she booked one room with one bed. And she said that we both will be in my old room once we get to her house." the elevator arrived at their floor, and Sam led the way to the room, still talking. "We share closer quarters on missions, so I don't mind sharing the bed. Ultimately, Sir, it's up to you."
Jack thought about that for a minute, shook his head and said, "I don't mind, Carter, if you don't." Sam opened the door and Jack dropped the backpack onto the bed.
The door had barely closed behind them when there was a knock followed by "ROOM SERVICE". Sam rolled her eyes and opened the door, letting the waiter in. after he had delivered the food, and was on the way out the door, she tipped him.
"Carter, who ordered food?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrow in a poor imitation of -Teal'c. Sam sighed and picked up the card next to the food.
She read it aloud
"Samantha and friend. I took the liberty of ordering you dinner, since I know that Samantha probably didn't eat much today. I feel the need to inform you, in case Samantha has not, my home is a military free zone. There are no ranks, no honorifics, and no last names. Enjoy your food, my treat. Helen Magnus."
Sam cleared her throat, "does that answer your question, Sir?"
"Yeah, Carter, and it creates new ones. Who is Helen Magnus? Why did she say no military? Where are we going? What are we doing?"
Sam smiled at him as she prepared to answer each and every question as best she could.
"Helen is my maternal aunt, and my doctor. She said no military because of the nature of her work, and because the honorifics annoy her. We are going to Old City. As for what we are doing, I can now inform you of the necessary disclosure orders. They originate from General Hammond. Basically, sir, we have to tell Helen about the marker and the naqahdah. I don't have a choice. She would have found it anyway. I brought you because, I wanted too for one, and because you are the least threatening to her work. Sir, the NID can't find out about her, or me. That's all I can tell you right now. It isn't safe to say more."
"OK, SAM, maybe we should try the whole no military thing now. To get used to it." Jack reached around her to grab an entrée, coming very close to her in the process. After having spent six hours pressed against her back, he was highly sensitized to her. As he came closer, Sam had to force her breathing back to normal, clearing her throat to cover it. She grabbed her own food and scurried over to the bed. They both had the same thought- this is going to be a long night. After she finished eating, Sam grabbed her nightclothes from the backpack and disappeared into the bathroom.
While she was in there, Jack stripped off his leathers, his jeans, and his long sleeved t-shirt. Leaving his boots, socks, boxers and undershirt. He was just sitting on the bed to take off his boots and socks when Sam emerged from the bathroom.
They caught sight of each other and momentarily froze. Jack took in Sam's spaghetti strap tank top, and low-rise, short, shorts, and his brain ceased working properly. Sam was having a similar problem. She forced herself to walk towards the bed and shove her clothes into the bag, leaving the bike leathers draped over one of the chairs in the room.
Jack fled into the bathroom to try to calm down, as Sam set about cleaning the room, shoving Jacks clothes into the bag and practically throwing his leathers next to hers. Then she sat on the bed, her head in her hands.
She heard the door open, and knew without looking that Jack was back in the room. He was just standing there, looking at her. She lifted her head and met his eyes. They were dark brown, darker than normal. She stood up without a word and stepped towards him. He stepped towards her at the same moment and wrapped his arms around her.
Suddenly the pain of the past few weeks broke in her. She started sobbing.
It wasn't just one thing; it was Jolinar taking her hostage in her own body, pretending to be her, threatening Cassie.
It was Jolinar dying to save Sam, then Cassie's forgiveness so easily given.
It was even further back, it was realizing that they had left Daniel to die on Klo'rel's ship; it was missing this trip earlier because she had been floating in space.
It was because of having to be the strong Captain/Doctor Carter but never getting to be just Samantha.
Jack, for his part, simply held her. His own tears falling silently. They both needed this.
Eventually her arms went around his waist, holding him tightly against her. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply.
She pulled back a little to look at him, her tears stopping slowly. He met her gaze head on, his face only inches from hers.
"Thanks, Jack" she whispered.
"No problem" he whispered back. She buried her head against him, as he rested his cheek on her hair. The phone broke the moment. Sam left Jacks arms, checked her watch, and answered the phone,
"Hello, Helen." she said into the receiver as Jack came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Samantha! I take it you made it safely to your first stop. No problems?" Helen Magnus, distinguished medical doctor, more than a century old, was completely enjoying tormenting her young niece.
Her daughter, ward, and great niece were quietly doing whatever it is 14 year olds do, and Helen decided it was time to call Sam. Though from the sound of it not only had Sam been expecting the call, she had been crying.
"No, Helen, we didn't have any problems" Sam replied. She had known Helen would call she does it every trip. She was early this time, so Sam was a little worried.
"Is everything alright there?"
"Everything is fine, Samantha. What about you, have you been crying?"
"I'm fine. I just had a moment where everything caught up with me. All better now."
"You work too hard"
"Hello pot, I'm kettle"
"Very funny Samantha. Get some sleep."
"Goodnight Helen"
"Good night"
Sam hung up the phone and turned around to face Jack.
"We should probably go to bed. We have a long drive tomorrow," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her closer.
"I am not ready to sleep," he stated, pouting like a petulant child.
Sam tilted her head up, "no?" she said flirtatiously, "what are you ready for then?" then she ducked out of his arms and moved to the wall.
She wasn't quite prepared for the speed with which he moved. He effectively pinned her against the wall, kissing her hard on the lips. After about one nanosecond, Sam moaned and opened her mouth to his seeking tongue.
As their tongues dueled, Jack pushed forward, grinding his pelvis against her, letting her feel exactly how turned on he was. In response, Sam pulled him closer. He moved his lips down to her neck, nipping, licking, and kissing along her carotid artery, causing her to groan.
"You know," he remarked, not stopping, "there is a way around the regulations." She lifted her head to give him better access,
"Really?" she gasped, her hands playing across his stomach and back. He moved even closer.
"Yeah. Wanna hear?" his hands were playing with her breasts.
"Yes," she groaned, "otherwise you are gonna have to stop, and I don't want that."
He did stop, and looking in her eyes, he said, "The regulation is that fraternization is prohibited where it would disrupt good working order, cause a breakdown in the military structure, or adversely affect moral within the unit as a whole. The only thing is, if we do this, I call Hammond, you stay on SG1, but you report to him. Not to me. I would have no say in your promotions. Those decisions would be Hammonds, after a review of all four of the mission reports. In the field, you would still have to follow my orders. Can you handle that?"
Sam pondered that for oh…all of a second. "Of coarse I can. Can you handle giving me orders? Can you handle ordering me into dangerous situations? Can you trust me to take care of myself?"
Jack looked her directly in the eye, "yes."
"Good, now we really should be in be-oomph" Sam's sentence abruptly trailed off as Jack picked her up and tossed her on the bed.
"You know," Jack said, with a wry smile, "I would prefer playing to sleeping, any day. But maybe we should wait until we aren't in a hotel. I just want it to be…more."
Sam smiled at him, "ok, so sleep now?" Jack returned the grin, and then settled into the bed next to her. Sam took the opportunity to use him as a pillow, falling asleep almost instantly after snuggling into his chest.
