Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate or any of the characters you recognize. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment. There is no monetary gain and no copyright infringement intended.

AN: This is the last chapter. Thank you Gategirl7! And thank you to everyone reading and all those letting me know what you think. I really enjoyed all the comments. You all are a lot of fun! If anyone's interested, I've gotten quite a bit of a new SG1 fic done and will be posting that soon – Its more serious than this one and RST.

Previously:

Jack let his forehead fall against Sam's as he continued to stroke her insides. He lightened the pressure, drawing out her climax for her as long as possible. As she began to come back to herself, he withdrew his fingers reluctantly but held his hand against her, covering her center as she calmed. He knew the soft pressure of his palm against her heat was sending little aftershocks through her body, but he wasn't ready to give up the connection. His breath was coming as fast as hers as he fought for control. Placing a kiss on top of her head he gathered her against him as they both quieted.

Chapter 10

Sam's heart began to slow as she came down from the most powerful orgasm she'd ever experienced. She felt her skin grow warm at the thought of what she'd just done and with whom. His hand was still resting against her sex, comforting. He'd stroked her through her orgasm, drawing it out for her. She'd never had a man take care of her so well as she peaked and then returned to earth. She shouldn't have been so surprised at his care. He was good at taking care of anyone in his charge, translate that to an intimate relationship and his take charge, alpha personality asserted itself even more.

For just a split second Sam let herself wonder what it would be like to have this man be in love with her and consider her his. She wasn't sure where that thought came from. God, what a mess. This man was forbidden to her, but his touch set her on fire. Oh God, she'd asked him to finish what he'd started in the dream. He'd woken up and gone to pull back and she hadn't let him.

"Sir," his head shot up with such an intense look, she shuddered and corrected herself immediately, "Jack," she tried again and was relieved to see that he relaxed somewhat. She could see that he was fighting for control. "What about you?" She couldn't believe she'd asked him that, but before she could lose her nerve she reached toward the button on his pants.

Sam yelped. She wasn't ready for how quickly Jack moved. Her wrists were in his iron grip and he was pulling her away from him before she'd made it to his buttons. She was confused. He was obviously rock hard and fighting for control. They'd already crossed a line and it didn't seem fair not to reciprocate, besides the fact that she doubted she'd get another chance and she was honest enough to admit she wanted to touch him. She wanted to bring him pleasure like he'd just brought her.

Sam couldn't help the hurt and uncertainty that clawed at her. He'd started touching her in a dream. Had finishing her been just an obligation and now he was disgusted by her? She pulled away from him, but he didn't release his hold on her. Did he think she'd try again and he didn't want her to?

"I'm sorry," she started, not sure what to say. "I just thought, I mean, if you don't want me to touch you, I won't try again." That statement brought him up short. He released one hand and laced his fingers in the other hand, surprising her by pressing her open palm against his swollen length. She could feel him hot and hard through the material of his pants. She shuddered with renewed need.

"Does this feel like I don't want you to touch me Carter?" he asked gruffly. "But I'm close to losing control and all I can think about is being buried in you. Having you pulsing around me like you did my fingers while I drive into you until I can't tell where I stop and you start."

He shut his eyes and thrust against her hand one more time before pulling her away from him with a groan. He was probably one of the strongest willed men she'd ever seen. It floored her to see him fighting so hard to maintain control. Her heart leapt and she felt her body quicken as she contemplated his words. What would be so bad about taking that one more step? They'd already crossed the line and violated the regs. "We've already broken regulations," she began.

"You don't get it Sam." He was staring at her hand. "This isn't just about the damn regulations." She was surprised at the emotion in his voice. He hesitated before raising his eyes to her. She'd never seen him so intense. "If I touch you…" He hesitated, running a hand through his hair, obviously searching for words. "If I lose control, one of us is off SG1 and not because of the damn regulations, but because I won't be able to let you go."

Sam had no idea what to say to that. "Jack," she began, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"No, you don't have to say anything, I got you all hot and bothered and you needed relief. I won't hold you to anything here, but I can't go any further and not want to make it permanent and official between us." Sam froze. Was Colonel Jack O'Neill saying what she thought he was? She was floored, touched, and intensely sad all at once, for the things they couldn't pursue between them.

"It wasn't just relief for me either Jack," she told him, watching for his reaction. How could such an amazing man think that any woman wouldn't want the whole package from him? "I don't want to give you up, but I can't give up SG1 either. We're both needed here." He was watching her but his features were closed. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"General Hammond to SG1. Please respond." The voice from the radio hanging on the wall startled both of them. They jumped apart like guilty teenagers, before Jack pulled the blanket securely around her and reached for his handset.

"O'Neill here General," he responded. "Carter and I are fine. How are Daniel and Teal'c?" They both held their breath waiting to hear if their friends were ok. When Hammond confirmed Jack's suspicion that the gate had shut down before either man stepped into the event horizon, they were both relieved. Jack smiled at her before keying the radio. "It's good to hear your voice sir, but I'm a little surprised. We watched the gate slide down the hill side under a mountain of dirt."

"We've been trying every two hours since the gate shut off and you went missing. We finally got it to connect but the MALP lost signal when we sent it through." The General's told them. "We are guessing that the gate is laying flat and the MALP is sliding back through when it materializes." That sounded probable to Sam, she nodded her agreement. Maybe with all the rain it was very possible if the gate had landed near the top of the debris, that had been uncovered somehow.

"We sent a UAV through, but there is no visibility in this storm." That made Sam's insides grow cold, she exchanged a glance with her CO. He had the same look. "We're working on sending you through something to help you dial out once the storm is over." General Hammond asked more questions about their location and condition, but Sam only half listened. They were going to be rescued as soon as the rain stopped. As Jack ended his conversation with the General and they set up the next check in, she grew sad.

"A few days at most and we'll be home," Jack commented, breaking the silence between them. He had thrown another log on the fire from their semi-dry stash in the corner of the lean-to, before settling back down beside her.

She noticed that he'd checked their clothes, but even as close to the fire as they dared hang them, it hadn't been long enough for any of the fabric to dry. She'd used the time he'd been checking the clothes to slip his shirt back over her head, but it was still cold. Sam wasn't sure how he'd take it when she opened the blanket and looked up at him.

"You ok with this Sam?" he asked.

"You mean sharing the blanket or what just happened?"

"Either, both," he answered her.

"The blanket I'm fine about," she told him honestly. He settled in beside her, but this time he had his back against the side of their enclosure built around the tree. She sat beside him in silence, not sure what to think.

"I could resign my commission or ask for a transfer to area 51," she didn't exactly mean that to come out that way, but she couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said. He wanted to make it permanent between them. She wanted a life with him too. "Unless that was just you trying to make me feel better," she added, unable to believe that he really felt as strongly for her as she did for him and needing to give him a way out.

"I think you know me better than that Carter," he stated dryly. "When have I ever worried about someone else's feelings?" His deadpan delivery made her smile.

"Point taken," she agreed. He hadn't answered her question. She wasn't going to push.

"I can't let you sacrifice your career for me Sam." When she tried to interrupt he pushed on. "Besides, you're too valuable out here. SG1 works. We do things we shouldn't be able to do. I've been over and over this in my head. I've thought about retiring."

"No, we need you Sir," she argued. "You are too valuable to retire."

"And you're too valuable to lose," he pointed out. "Which doesn't leave us with any viable options besides working together like we're doing right now and killing the snakehead bastards as quickly as possible." She was coming to the same conclusions herself and it sucked. She felt her heart constrict. She felt like she'd gained this man beside her and lost him all in the same day.

"What if I don't want to lose my chance with you?" she asked him, turning to study his face. He looked surprised at her statement. "You said yourself that we need to finish this war as quickly as possible. What if I was willing to wait until that happened?" It wasn't a perfect solution, but he was worth the wait. She just didn't know if he'd see her the same way, but she had to try.

Jack turned to her slowly. For a moment he didn't move. She really wished she could read him better. He studied her before taking her face in his hands and holding her so that she couldn't look away. His thumbs caressed her skin. "Do you mean that Sam?" he asked, still watching her intently. "Are you that sure you'd want to saddle yourself with an old warhorse like I might be when this is over? I'm no spring chicken you know." For such an amazing man, he really had little in the way of confidence in his own appeal she decided.

"Are you avoiding the question?" She wasn't going to debate his worth with him. "Can we go back to Major and Colonel until this war is over and then see what happens?" Her stomach flipped waiting for his answer. She'd never put herself so much on the line emotionally. It wasn't something she did easily, but this might be her only chance.

Jack studied her for another moment and then smiled that smile she didn't see often, but each time she did, her knees grew weak and her heart felt like it was coming through her chest. "Samantha Carter," his voice was husky with emotion. "Would you do me the honor of serving with me until the slimy snakeheads are defeated, at which time I would be honored if you would allow me to take you out and try to get you drunk enough to marry this old goat. Somewhere in Vegas would be a good start. You wouldn't have time to change your mind before you sobered up."

Holy Hannah, had he asked her to marry him? "Wouldn't you want to date a bit before you ask me that?" She was stunned. They'd gone from will you wait to date me, to a wedding proposal.

"I figure this is the dating part, just without the sex," he pointed out, sliding his hand from her face down her arms and adjusting the blanket more securely around them. "Judging by what just happened, the sex is going to be amazing and we already sleep together off world all the time so I know you're not a snorer. We probably know more about each other's bad habits then most couples married for years. So by the time we defeat the last snake I figure we'll be making up for lost time." He had a point. She chuckled. O'Neill logic, it had a way of cutting to the heart of the problem.

Heart pounding so hard in her chest she wondered if he could hear it, Sam reached for him and pulled his face to hers. When their lips were almost touching she ran the pad of her thumb across his lips. His slight intake of breath made her smile. "Sam?"

"I will." She smiled at his expression. "You have a date Jack. On the day we defeat the system lords we celebrate by a quick wedding in Vegas followed by a very long honeymoon."

"I like the way you think Samantha," he told her. "I'm not sure how I got so lucky, but you've made me a very happy man." His sincerity brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them back. Jack brushed a strand of hair off of her face. "One more thing before we go back to being Major and Colonel," he stated as he pulled her against him and molded his lips to hers. She happily opened to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss. She knew that one kiss was going to have to last them for quite a while, but the wait would be worth it.