Chapter 10

He had awoken roughly two hours before the dawn feeling somewhat uneasy that he had not stood watch. He got up paced around the underground room and checked the massive stone door. Right now there could be an entire brigade of Jaffa awaiting him. He opened it a sliver and only the muffled sounds of the nights and the glitter of the stars of the heavens greeted him. Closing the door he stretched out the kinks in his back and neck before sliding back into the sleeping bag and slipping into a deep sleep.

In the morning when O'Neill finally rose for the day he decided they needed to get back to the gate. The first thing he had to do before rising was to disentangle himself from Carter. The further Sam had gotten from O'Neill during the night the colder it was and Sam had a cozy night indeed. Pealing her arms and legs off of his were not the worst job he had ever had and he would have loved to take his time and enjoyed the task but there were more pressing problems –a long hike back to the gate and Jaffa. If things had worked out as they should the mission would have been over, the refugees relocated, Carter would have new toys to play with and he would have had the luxury of playing with Carter. When did thing ever go as they should.

It seemed strange last night to see Carter so rattled by the place, considering his previous experiences with Ancient technology, he should have been the one hesitant to go anywhere near it. But no, he felt comfortable here. The strange tingling at the very edge of perception was comforting and the cellar room should be unnerving with the doors that sealed shut. The longer he was here the more he just knew somehow that they would respond to him. The room itself should have been either bone chillingly cold considering the stone that formed it or dank with the warm pool within it but neither were true. Jack felt secure here and that in itself was unusual.

Surprisingly the thick, tough material of their uniforms was dry, even the seams and pockets, so Jack was dressed and was munching on a power bar before Sam opened her eyes.

O'Neill had jostled Sam slightly as he rose triggering a dream in the sleeping woman.

***They lay sleeping in each others arms, warm and comfortable and sated. Sam woke and trying not to move or even think to hard lest she wake him. She wanted to relive last night; she wanted to imprint every moment never to forget a single touch or feeling. She was sure every inch of her body had been kissed or caressed or both. But her arm under him was starting to feel numb and she had the overwhelming urge to wiggle her fingers. She figured his arm encircling her back and shoulders must feel the same. She looked at the burn on his shoulder, barely a trace was left. Her eyes drifted to his face where deep brown eyes met hers. She saw so many things in them, tenderness and a hint of a question. To assure him as well as herself she kissed him and felt his lips smile.

"I wasn't sure for a minute there if you were planning to grab your clothes and go running out the door."

"You forget, the door won't open for me."

He just smirked and kissed her again. "So you're staying?"

Bantering back she replied "Do I have a choice?"

"Always"

"In that case…" With that she slid over on top to straddle him.***

When she woke suddenly with memory of the dream fresh in her mind she flushed as Jack asked her if she had slept well. Sam could not help but think of her fathers words to her. "I…you've denied yourself the experience because you think it must inevitably end in pain and loneliness. It's time to let go of the things that prevent you from finding happiness. You deserve to love someone and be loved in return." She had heard them in a hallucination and also from her father's lips before he died. She recounted these words in her mind, these words she finally understood, for now she was even dreaming of fulfillment.