Jack walked slowly down the corridor towards Sam's lab, box in hand. His nameplate stuck up above the rim of the box along with a couple of picture frames holding his certificates. As of now, General Hammond's office now belonged to Landry. He slowed his pace to a crawl as he approached the door and stood watching Sam as she tinkered with a doohickey, oblivious to his silent observation. His brain was still having trouble believing that they were actually going on a date that evening. Not a friend date but a bona fide romantic date with candles and fine linen and flowers.

% % % %

Sam needed something to take her mind off of her impending plans for the evening. She grabbed a spanner with her slightly shaking hand and frowned in mild disgust at the offending trembling appendage. Damn it, she was 35, not 15! Give her a P-90 and she was good to go, put her on a date and she felt like crawling out of her skin. Something about the artificiality of etiquette and pretty dresses, make up and heels put her far outside her comfort zone. Maybe she shouldn't bother with a dress and impractical shoes. She chuckled to herself as she pictured Jack's face if she opened the door to him wearing nothing but underwear and her combat boots. She wasn't entirely sure he'd mind to be honest!

"Something funny, Carter?" A familiar voice asked from across her lab. Sam jumped slightly and looked up to find the object of her musings smirking at her and holding a box. From the contents, she guessed he'd finished clearing his office and was about to head home. Feeling the heat rising in her cheeks, she shook her head.

"Nothing interesting Sir," she replied, avoiding his eyes. Huh. The slight reddening of her cheeks piqued Jack's interest - so not nothing then, just something she had trouble confessing to him. Ah, well, he'd maybe find out later. Right now he had more pressing matters to attend to. He placed the box down on her lab bench.

"Ah! It's ... 17:03, I'm officially transferred. Which means I'm no longer 'Sir'." He motioned for her to follow his lead but she just tilted her head and gave him a questioning glance. "You do remember I have a name, right? Begins with 'J'?" His mouth turned up slightly at the edges at his last comment. "Because tonight's gonna be interesting if you don't."

Sam responded with an indulgent smile and raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, Jack, we still on for nineteen-hundred? My place?" She asked. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling in the dimmed light of her lab.

"Yasureyabetcha!" He reached for the box again. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be leaving?"

She stood up, keys in hand and reached for her leather jacket.

"I was just leaving. I need to stop by the store on my way home."

Jack tilted his head.

"You sure you don't want to go out someplace? My offer still stands if you'd rather not cook?"

Sam's eyes darted to the corridor behind Jack and, assured it was empty, she briefly glanced at her desk and then back up to his eyes, holding his gaze.

"I'm pretty certain," she said quietly, stepping around the bench and stopping just inches from him. "I don't think many restaurants would be comfortable with what I had in mind."

The box in Jack's hand momentarily slipped from his grasp and it was only Sam's lightening reflexes that stopped it from crashing to the floor and spilling its contents. Jack leaned towards her then forced himself to take a step backwards.

"Oooh-kay!" He exclaimed, sucking in a deep breath. "I need to go. I have a date with a gorgeous blonde to get ready for."

"See you in a few hours." Sam said softly, also taking a step back.

He turned back as he reached the door and grinned at her before leaving. Sam spun on her heels and her answering smile could've powered the Gate.

% % % %

At precisely nineteen hundred, Sam's doorbell rang. She set aside her oven mitts and turned off the oven. Opening the door she found Jack O'Neill on her doorstep, a bag containing clinking beer bottles in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. He opened his mouth to say hi but no sound came out.

Sam was wearing a knee-length black pencil dress with a low v neckline and a pair of dangling gold earrings. Her smoky eyeliner accentuated her sparkling blue eyes and they lit up as she gave him a dazzling smile.

Turning to the side and motioning for him to come in, she took the flowers and beer from him and inhaled the scent of the flowers before placing them on her side table.

"These are beautiful, thank you." She said softly, taking a step towards him.

Jack's hand lightly caressed her shoulder.

"You are stunning," he whispered, leaning in to brush his lips against her cheek in greeting. As he pulled back, Sam leant forward and pressed her lips to his. He tasted like mint and coffee and something undefinable yet purely Jack. He responded tentatively at first until her hand reached up to his neck to pull him closer and she ran her tongue along his lips. His arm snaked around her back as he held her firmly against him as he deepened the kiss. His hand reached up to caress her cheek and he slowly brushed his lips and tongue against hers, happy that she seemed as content to enjoy this easy exploration of until-recently forbidden territory as he was.

Several minutes later, Sam reluctantly pulled back and Jack beamed brightly at her.

"Well, that was a hell of a greeting," he said between breaths, his chest still slightly heaving.

"It's odd," Sam said, causing Jack's smile to fade, "I feel like I should be feeling like we just broke every reg in the book right now."

Jack rubbed his thumb across her shoulder.

"And how do you feel?" He countered and held his breath for an answer.

Sam smiled naughtily

"Like... I want to skip dinner," she answered honestly. Jack raised an eyebrow

"What did you make?"

"Nothing that won't keep," she responded breathily before pulling his lips towards her once more.

"If you're sure?" He asked softly. Sam nodded and ran a hand up his chest in response. Jack smirked. "Well, in that case..." he added as he spun them one-eighty and gently sandwiched her between the front door and his body, his face hovering millimeters above hers. He leaned in slightly tilting his head and then pulled back just as she leaned in. He was teasing her and she knew he knew she'd realised what he was doing by his lazy smile. Sam ran her hands up his chest and neck and into his hair, gently massaging his scalp. He closed his eyes as his scalp tingled under her fingers. Opening his eyes after a few moments, he leaned into her left ear and dropped his voice to a husky whisper.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to be seducing you, Samantha?"

Sam shuddered at her whispered name in his ear and grinned.

"Nice try, Jack, but two can play at that game," she stated firmly, sliding a heel around his ankle and slowly tracing an invisible line up the back of his calf until she reached the back of his knee and applied a small amount of pressure. It didn't take much for his knee to buckle as he stumbled forward into her so that they were pressed together from shoulder to hip with his left leg sandwiched between hers. She lifted her thigh to wrap it around his hip, pulling him into her and pulled his lips to hers for another searing kiss. She felt rather than saw his response to her pressing her hips into his as he swallowed a groan. Christ, if he'd known this was what was waiting for him, he'd have had his resignation letter on Hammond's desk year ago. Pulling away from her lips, he pressed gentle kisses along her exposed neck from collarbone to jaw before reaching up to remove her earring and tossing it aside as he took her earlobe between his teeth and ran his tongue along its curved edge. Sam shuddered in response and breathily opened her mouth to speak.

"Bedroom. Now.," she demanded quietly, "Before I decide to really screw up your knees and have you up against my front door!"

Jack responded with a smug grin and a mock salute.

"Yes Ma'am!"