Three
Sam wondered where she would sleep. They had arrived too late the night before to iron out the details of their week-long stay, so she had slept in the small sunroom to the back of the cabin. She assumed Jack took his usual bed and the remnants of Teal'c and Daniel sleeping in the living room were obvious in the morning. All four of them had crashed hard after the 14-hour drive, so no one complained of their sleeping situation. She knew that would probably change.
The telescope she was configuring was old. But still in half-decent shape. She gathers the material at the hem of her sweater and cleans the lens as best she can before bending down to check the viewfinder.
"Any good views?" a smart voice asks behind her and she jumps, nearly knocking the telescope over. She grabs it, straightening to see Jack behind her. He holds two clay mugs, and a rather self-satisfied smile on his lips. She self-consciously turns to him, well-aware of where his gaze was held as it flickers up to her face.
"Jack," she says breathlessly. "I was just-"
"It's okay, Carter." He waves one of the mugs at her. "That's what it's there for." He steps forward. "Here, brought you a drink."
"Oh." She blinks down at the mug. It smells like lemon. And whiskey. She looks up at him curiously and his eyes twinkle as he lifts his eyebrows.
"Hot toddy."
"Really?" Sam frowns at him. "I never pegged you a hot toddy kind of guy…"
"Too high-brow for me, Carter?" he asks with a bit of feigned hurt. He moves past her to peer down into the telescope. She had focused it on Jupiter, one of the brightest spots in the sky tonight, with the moon in its waning phase.
"Well, that's a bit boring," he remarks as she lets herself glance at his denimed ass. It was only fair, seeing as though he did the same to her just a few seconds ago. He glances over his shoulder at her and she quickly drops her gaze, clearing her throat. "You just gonna stand there? Pull up a chair and we'll look at something more exciting than Jupiter."
Sam rolls her eyes at his tone, but pulls the small wicker bench from under the overhang, positioning it behind the telescope. Jack sits down heavily on one side and she claims the other. He swings the telescope to the left slightly, looking for a sight of interest.
"Any requests?" he asks.
"How about P4X-247?" she teases.
He looks over at her. "You gonna stay up until 4 a.m. when it comes into view?" he asks dryly.
"You choose something," Sam laughs. "You're the amateur stargazer." She lightly pokes him in the ribs with the tease and he shooes her offending hand away, still intent on the telescope.
"Ah! Let's see what the ol' Greek is up to tonight." He tilts the scope slightly up and reaches to readjust the mirrors.
"Orion?" Sam asks. "Ooh! Focus it on the nebula."
"That's what I'm doing, Carter," he replies with a bit of impatience.
"Yes, Sir," Sam mutters under her breath. Jack is too busy concentrating to notice or complain. She can hear Daniel inside, clearly half in the bag or more, gesturing wildly as he paces in front of the television, where Teal'c is trying to watch the Fellowship of the Ring. He had watched the Star Wars trilogy until the tape broke, so then moved on to Lord of the Rings, his new favourite films.
Beside her, Jack is cursing the old telescope dials and she smiles as she settles back into the cushion protecting her from the wicker. The sky is clear and the air is calm. "God, it's beautiful out here," Sam sighs, taking a sip from the mug in her hands. She coughs on the alcohol and Jack peers back at her.
"Too hot?" he asks.
"Bit strong," Sam winces, exhaling the alcohol on her breath. She places the mug down on the deck, saving it for when she needs that bravery.
"Yes, well, when you're my age, your tolerance will be practically zilch." Jack leans back beside her, gesturing to the telescope. "Go ahead. Take a peek."
Sam grins, too excited for someone who's flown past the nebula, not just viewed it from 1300 light years away on a dinky 1980s telescope. She leans over Jack's lap to peer down the viewfinder. It is an awkward angle and she has to scoot forward on the bench to see properly. She hesitates briefly before resting one hand on his furthest knee, the other steadying the telescope. The nebula is perfectly framed, crystal clear with an accuracy that even she probably couldn't achieve.
"Wow." She looks back at Jack, who raises his mug to her. "I didn't know you could get such a good shot on this old piece of junk…" she fades off at his raised eyebrows. "Sorry."
"I must admit, I did some… tinkering," he admits after a painful second. He smiles as she relaxes back onto the couch, removing her hand from his knee. It isn't really a couch, more so a loveseat, meant for two. Sam can feel the irony eating at her. They sit in silence, both pretending to watch the sky. She nervously picks at her nails and Jack drinks from his mug a bit too quickly.
Sam can't figure it out. He's giving her every excuse, every opportunity to make a move. He's ordered her to drop the honorific, requested that she call him by his first name, flirted with her at dinner, brought her to a remote location that was suspiciously romantic - although he'd brought Daniel and Teal'c along too. Maybe he was just being nice and she was drastically overthinking it.
She chances a glance at him. He's gazing out past the lake, past the tree line to where the sky slowly revolves around them. His hair is a bit mussed, as if he had run a hand through it and he's squinting a bit, a tell-tale sign that he's thinking heavily about something he doesn't quite understand.
Now or never. Now or ever.
Hadn't she chanted this mantra already once tonight? She bites the inside of her cheek nervously, deciding that now's the right time to need that bravery. She takes a large gulp of the hot toddy, burning her tongue in the process. She inhales slowly, wondering if she's really about to do this. Throw her career away. Everything she worked for.
The sight of her dying father haunts her. You can still have everything you want. Oh, God, this is what he meant, wasn't it? Of course it was. Half of the galaxy and all of the alternate universes had seen the soap opera that was the front half of SG-1. Her father was no fool. Then why was she? There will be a time when she can no longer work, when her body gives out and she will be unable to go through the Stargate everyday, or fire a weapon, or hike up a mountainside. And then she will be truly, completely, alone.
She places her now empty mug between her knees, and with surely what must be several shots of Jameson now affecting her common sense, she turns to her CO. "Jack." That name sounds so good on her lips and she revels in it as he turns his head to her.
"Hm?" He seems distracted, supporting his head with a hand, his gaze a bit unfocused. She goes for it, almost as if in slow motion, as if her torso were moving through mud instead of pure air. Her hand lands on his neck before he realizes what she's doing and his pupils dialate as her mouth touches his. Her eyes slide closed as her lips slip open. He doesn't hesitate, his hands running under her armpits as he wraps his arms around her back, tugging her closer. The mug rolls out from between her knees and falls onto the wooden deck. His tongue is slick and warm and tastes of the lemon and honey in the drink.
This kiss is different than their last one. Not quite so innocent, perhaps. One of her arms is hooked around his neck as her other fisted in his loose t-shirt. His own hands are hiking up the back of her cardigan, palms pressing heavily against her bare spine, greedily feeling her skin and muscle.
This. This is why she turned down all of his previous invitations to his cabin. To go 'fishing'. She knew it would end in this, and maybe a younger her would've been able to turn down a Colonel, but there's no way an older her can turn down a General. Not after everything they've sacrificed.
Jack's fingers are slipping under her bra clasp, teasing her spine, and she gasps against his mouth as he pulls her forward again. She has to bring her knee up to keep her balance and ends up half in his lap. It would only take a slight shift of her weight to pull herself up, to press herself against him, into him. Her tongue hurts from the effort and she exhales shakily as he drops his mouth to let her catch her breath, burying himself in her neck instead.
"Jack," she breathes, so quietly she isn't sure he can hear her. Her fingers clench in the back of his silver hair, feeling for the heavy chain that secures his dog tags beneath his shirt. He is pushing the clasp of her bra up so the metal hooks release, and she feels her breasts grow heavy as the material holding them down is slackened. She happens to glance up, seeing Daniel standing a few feet away inside the house. He can't see them, the room brightly lit and their bench in the dark, but it startles her. "Sir! Stop. We have to stop."
"Sam." The sound of her name on his breath is better than the kiss that preceded it. Her belly flutters dangerously and she feels flushed, her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her breasts ache and she is too aware that she's pressed them up against his chest. But Daniel is still standing there, gazing out past them at some point and it is sobering. She pulls back, shifting away, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks at the embarrassment when she has to reach around to refasten her bra. The General looks positively putout at the loss of contact. He reaches out one hand to touch her face, but settles on her neck instead. "I'm being transferred." His eyes glitter in the darkness, unblinking.
She openly gapes at him, unsure if she's heard him right. "W-what?"
"They're promoting me to Major General. I'm getting transferred to Washington."
Sam can feel her world crashing down around her ears. Jack. Gone. 2500 miles away. She wouldn't see him every day. Hear him argue with Daniel, order Walter to shut up, or talk to a Goa'uld system lord with way more sarcasm than any rational person would deem appropriate. They had come so far only to be sent back to square one. There had to be some cosmic tragedy happening around her life.
"Congratulations," she spits out bitterly, pushing his hand away. She jerks her shirt down with anger as she pushes herself off the wicker couch. Jack looks shocked, holding out a hand in protest as she hurries back to the safety of the cabin. She can't care that she's being irrational, selfish even. There's just Jack. 2500 miles away. Her ears are rushing loudly with panic.
"What, are you pissed off-?" he starts, dark eyes incredulous.
"Don't even start with me, Sir," she snaps.
"Aw, c'mon, Carter-"
Sam ignores him, slamming the sliding door across. Daniel blinks at her in surprise. "Sam!" Then falters at her expression. "Is… everything alright?" She is dimly aware of the tears starting at her eyes as she pushes past him. Teal'c has risen from his seat with concern while orcs attack hobbits on the screen behind him.
