Three weeks later

The knock on the door, caught Samantha Carter by surprise. "Coming!" She called as she walked over to the door.

She peeked through the peephole only to pull away in surprise after she saw the gray-haired man in khakis and a t-shirt. "General O'Neill?" She asked herself in surprise.

She opened the door. "Hi, sir." She greeted with a smile. "This is a surprise."

"I had the weekend off, and thought I'd come to visit you and Cassie." He said with a shrug.

"She'll be glad to see you." Sam said with a grin as she motioned for him to enter.

"Yeah, I stopped by to see her, but she wasn't at her apartment. They said she'd moved out. I figured she'd moved in with you."

Sam nodded. "My new place is a ranch-style, and so it was easier for her to get around while she's healing."

"Makes sense." He said, nodding.

"Besides, she needs the extra support..." She said as she closed the door.

"I believe it." He said as he looked around the house. "Nice place."

"Thanks." She said with a grin. "Do you want a tour?"

"Why not?" He said with a shrug.

"Cassie's at the movies with some friends." She explained, realizing that he was probably wondering where the college student was. "So for the next few hours, it's just going to be you and me."

"Ooh...fun..." He teased.

She chuckled as she walked down the hallway. "This is Cassie's room." She said, pointing to a door. "Across the hall is the bathroom."

He poked his head into the bathroom. "Nice."

"Thank you." She said as she moved a little further down the hallway. She opened a door. "This is the guest room."

He looked at the small, yet comfortable, guest room. With a Queen-size bed, a dark mahogany armoire, and a small vanity, it was somewhat cozy and inviting.

"You've got great taste." Jack said, seriously.

"The room's yours if you want it." She offered.

"Nah. I'll get a place in town."

"On a Friday night in Vegas?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "You'll pay an arm and a leg, and you know it."

"Carter..."

"I offered the use of my guest room to any of the team who needed it." She said, soberly. "That didn't exclude you."

"Fine." He said with a wry smile. "You're not going to accept 'no', are you?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. I'm not."

"Then I'm staying with you and Cassie." He said with a grin.

She managed a smile. Something about this felt really good, and something about this felt really wrong.

"So...this next room is..."

"The study." She said, shaking the thoughts from her mind.

"Ah."

"And across from it is my bedroom. In case you need something."

"Nice place." He said again as he walked back to the living room.

"Thanks." She said with a grin.

He appeared in the kitchen, waiting for her. "So, what do you do in this town on a Friday night for fun?"

"Fun?" She asked with a nervous smile.

"Yeah. You do know what that is, don't you?"

"As I recall, sir, you and I have different definitions of the word 'fun'..."

"Carter..."

"I had plans to open a bottle of wine, read some reports, maybe watch a movie, and then...go to bed..."

"Ah...the nightlife in Vegas..." He said, shaking his head.

"I guess I'm just not used to being home on Friday nights." She said with a shrug. "Or, for that matter, living in an area where I can...go out...I mean, the nightlife in Colorado Springs isn't exactly something to brag about."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so..."

"Besides...what did you expect?" She asked, curiously. "Dinner and dancing?"

"Sounds good to me." He said with a grin.

She was prepared to chuckle before she looked at him in surprise. "Seriously? You want to go to dinner and dancing?"

"Why not?" He asked, somewhat amused. "There's nothing wrong with a couple of friends or colleagues going to a bar, letting their hair down, and having some fun."

"Fun..." She said, studying him closely.

"Yes, Carter. Fun."

She bit her lip before she looked at what he was wearing. "I don't think that will exactly be the best outfit for what you want to do, sir."

"Okay, firstly, if we're going clubbing, you can't call me 'sir'."

She tensed slightly.

"Look...I'm here for the weekend as a friend to you and Cassie." He said, seriously. "No uniforms."

"Okay, Jack." She inhaling as she prepared herself to go out with him.

"And secondly, I have a bag. You'd be surprised what I could be ready to do." He said, walking to the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

She felt a shiver run down her spine as she watched him leave. This night would be one to remember.