Jack shook his head as he felt a gentle nudge in his side. Crap. He hadn't fallen asleep at Sam's thing had he? He risked a glance over in her direction. Only a disapproving mild glare. Not bad, he thought as he kissed her head and relaxed once more. A pinch on his thigh kept him alert however. He could do this. This was for Sam. He could stay awake for her. He could only hope she'd woke him up before he'd done something embarrassing like snore.
He shook his head to clear it once more. Oh it sounded like it was done. People were standing up and clapping. He removed his arm from behind Sam's head allowing her to stand and applaud along with the audience. He winced as he stood and his knee popped.
Laying a hand on the small of Sam's back he guided her from the room and steered her towards the exit. "This flyboy's hungry," he said, earning a small giggle from her. "It's time for dinner."
They hopped into his truck and held hands the whole drive to the restaurant. The station was set to classical, something they'd both discovered they liked early on in their relationship. Sam hummed along to the familiar tune, and Jack smiled at her. It was amazing to see this side of Samantha Carter. He had seen the tough soldier front she put up so often that sometimes he forgot that deep down she was a soft and sweet girl. My girl, he thought smugly to himself. Realizing she would notice his amused expression any second, he schooled his face and cleared his throat. "So there's this girl…" he trailed off, waiting to see her reaction. She turned to face him with an eyebrow raised to envy Teal'c. He suppressed a gulp. "And she's really hot and smart and I hear she loves this guy. But he's a beat up old General. I really don't see what she sees in him." Glancing over again he saw that Sam's face had broken into a small smile. "I was wondering how I should tell her how much she means to me."
Sam sighed, a happy smile on her face, "Well I'm sure she knows just how much you care about her. What do you want me to tell her?"
"I love her and want her to know that she makes me the happiest man in the entire galaxy. Knowing I come home to see her every day makes dealing with those stubborn old farts a hell of a lot easier."
"I think she knows that, Jack. And she feels the same way. When she's off at her command it's the thought of going home to his open arms that make the impossible possible." She squeezed his hand, "I love you, Jack. Always."
He brushed his thumb over her knuckles before raising them to his mouth and brushing a gentle kiss across the skin, "I love you too, Sam. Always."
They rode in comfortable silence for a while before pulling into the parking lot. It was her favorite Chinese place. They had the best sesame chicken in all of Minnesota according to her. She leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek, "You know you didn't have to do this, right Jack?"
"Ah but I want to. Only the best for my lady," he replied, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
They entered and were escorted to the table he had reserved for them. After pulling out the chair for Sam and seating himself, he motioned to the waiter standing nearby. He disappeared into the back. Grasping her hand atop the table, he whispered, "The candle light makes it look like you have all the stars of the galaxy in your eyes tonight."
She giggled and ducked her head, a delicate blush forming on her cheeks. "Jack-"
She was interrupted by the waiter returning with a box wrapped with a bow. "For Colonel Carter," he said, extending the package towards her.
With a glance to Jack and seeing his grin, she accepted the package and murmured a thank you to the waiter. Jack nodded, and the waiter left. Placing the gift on the table, Sam looked up at Jack expectantly. He gestured at the package. She hesitantly reached for the card on top. "To my favorite Colonel XO" it read. She opened her mouth to say something but Jack stopped her.
"Ah! No more words until you open it."
Smiling she undid the bow and tore off the paper. Inside was a box the size of her palm. Opening the lid, she gasped, seeing the seal of the President. "Jack-"
"Ah! Just open it." He couldn't keep the grin off his face.
Unfolding the note and skimming it quickly, she smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. "Really?"
"Yup. I pulled a few strings and may have brought up the many times we've saved this planet. This was the least they could do to repay us. The President was all for us."
The tears were really threatening to spill over now. Even with him in DC and her in Nevada, making their relationship official hadn't really been an option. They didn't want people to think she'd been sleeping her way to the top. But now with this letter, they had approval to go ahead and make it official. The President had wanted them to for crying out loud!
"Sam, there's something else," Jack said quietly, gesturing to the box.
She picked it up and looked inside once more. Nestled amongst blue velvet was a pair of diamond earrings. "Oh Jack they're beautiful!" She admired their sparkle in the candlelight.
"I had them set in trinium. They have to be tough if they're suitable for my Samantha Carter."
She smiled and after he gestured again to the box, she pulled back the velvet to reveal a diamond pendant, matching the setting on the earrings. "Jack you shouldn't have… this is-"
He stood and walked over to her chair. Leaning down to take the pendant from its box, he whispered in her ear, "I love you, Sam. You're tough, beautiful, and smart. Nothing I ever do could show how much you mean to me." He kissed her head before standing up straight to fasten the pendant around her neck. As he moved away, her hands on his own stopped him. One reached up to his cheek and pulled him down for a crushing kiss.
"Thank you, Jack. For everything," she whispered when she finally pulled away.
"And that's why I want to do this," he said, getting down onto one knee.
Sam's hand flew to her mouth as she realized what he was about to do. Tears started to fall as he pulled a black box from his jacket pocket. She made no move to wipe them away.
"Samantha Carter, you're the most brilliant woman I know. Working with you for the past nine years has taught me that and so much more. I see the universe in a new light. Over the years we became close friends and, while we had our bumps in the road, we were always there for each other. Sam, you make me the happiest man alive. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. You're beautiful, smart, and could kick my butt any time you want, and I love you for it. Samantha Carter, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" he asked, opening the box.
Inside was a diamond matching the earrings and pendant. The band was trinium with a delicate swirl design along it. Engraved on the inside was the word "Always." It wasn't flashy or gaudy, and captured the essence of Sam in the right way.
Smiling through her tears, Sam said, "Yes of course Jack."
He took her hand and slipped the ring on. It fit perfectly. He bent his head to kiss the ring before leaning in and hugging her. Kissing her neck, he said, "I love you." Leaning his head back to look into her eyes, his heart skipped when he took in the sheer look of happiness and love coming from her eyes through the tears. Wiping her cheek free of tears, he leaned in and placed a feather light kiss on her lips.
"Always, Jack," she whispered. "Always."
Taking her hand in his once more he sat back from her across the table. Her smile was contagious. "You picked the perfect ring Jack. I knew you would," she sighed, watching it sparkle in the light.
"It had to be perfect when it was to be given to the perfect woman," he chuckled, watching her fascination with it. It was the same look she gave alien tech when trying to figure out how it did what it did.
They ordered their food and talked quietly while waiting for it to arrive. It was their first meal as official couple and as engaged couple.
"So did you know about the letter long before finding the ring?" Sam teased.
"Well I've had the letter for about a month now but it was all about getting the guys to make the ring and finding the perfect time to propose to you. When we both got vacation time off I knew it was the right time. I'm really happy, Sam."
"So am I," she smiled. "So fishing tonight?"
Jack tried not to choke on his wine he'd just taken a sip of. He'd have to watch this one from now on. "Only if you behave," he winked back. That little blush she did is adorable, he decided. I need to make her do that more often.
Their meal arrived and proceeded uneventfully. They flirted unabashedly and maintained physical contact the whole time. They were head over heels in love. All the other patrons could see that. When it came time for dessert, Jack ordered a piece of dark chocolate cake. When it arrived with a strawberry on top, he quickly took the opportunity to hold it up to Sam's lips for her to eat it. As he watched her lips descend around the red fruit he couldn't help but feel like this woman would be the death of him. And that moan she made when eating her first bite of cake wasn't helping things either. They fed each other cake and laughed, just happy to be in one another's company.
When they finished, Jack helped her into her coat before leading her out to his truck. Before he shut the door on her side, she pulled him into a searing kiss that left him wanting and hoping for more. Running a hand through his hair, Sam sighed, "I didn't realize how much I wanted this until it finally happened."
He stopped her hand for a moment to kiss the palm. "I never knew how truly happy I could be."
He pulled her in for a final kiss before going around and starting the engine. Partway through the drive she unfastened her seatbelt and curled into his side. He didn't mind one bit, putting on arm around her to pull her even closer to him. "Together," he whispered into her hair, gently kissing it.
