Hey people, sorry it took me so long! I'm swamped with work and things, and along with it, my muse decided to give a step back to allow a mild depression to enter. Now, I kicked it back and grabbed the muse again… sooo, providing everything goes back to normal I'll be posting sooner the next one.
Enjoy!
M.
Warm fuzzy feelings.
The next morning, Jack knocked Sam's door at 7 am. She opened with a bright smile and looking way better than the previous day.
"Morning, you look better. How are you feeling?" He asked
"Hey, I'm feeling way better. So, breakfast?" She said, pocketing her key before taking his arm. When the ship anchored in the next destination, they were ready to jump into the first ship out. Their first stop was at a Lavomat.
"Well, I can't say I was thinking of this when I read the roadmap." Jack smiled as they both filled washing machines with their clothes. She chuckled
"Believe it or not, I kind of like to do this."
"Laundry?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. She nodded while grinning brightly, "you are weird."
"Yup. Well, there's not much to do when you are stuck here. But normally, I would pick a book and just sit and read." She explained.
"Tourists?" An old lady asked from the back of the shop. They nodded. "You should go and check the city. I'll take care of your clothes, no extra charge."
"Don't worry, ma'am. We can wait."
"Go to Marche Forville; you won't take long to get there. Check it out and then come back to place your clothes in the dryer."
"You can trust in Madame Dupuis. She won't allow anyone to get even close to your machines." A customer said. "I once forgot my laundry for a whole night, and the next day it was all there."
"I might be many things, but a robber that I'm not. Go! Return in forty-five minutes to dry." They exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Thanks, ma'am. We will be back, which way to the ..."
"Marche Forville," Sam added.
After Madame Dupuis explained to them how to get to it, they went to the market. They strolled around and even bought some fruits and chocolate before walking back to the laundry and placing their things in the dryer.
"French? Any of you?" Madame Dupuis asked them. "My English is decent, but I can't tell you my history of it, it's not that good."
"I understand quite a bit," Sam nodded, and the woman started to tell them her history.
"I came here when I was sixteen," Sam translated to Jack, "I was in love, escaped home and came following him, Alexander. But he needed to work and took the only job he could find, and that was as a helper in a ship. When he returned, he was married and had a kid. And she was devastated and ran away through Le Suquet…. She was running, and she noticed between her tears," Sam frowned and blushed.
"What did she say?" Jack asked as Sam had stopped her translation.
"She was running and noticed that her way was blocked and there was no way to stop herself from knocking either a man, a woman and her children or a vendor." Jack's eyes widened. "But then, she was stopped by a hard body and the safety of a male embrace."
"Sounds familiar…" He whispered.
"Shh…" she punched him.
"What?"
"He proposed to her a few days later, and they will be getting to their 50 years wedding anniversary at the end of the month."
"Whoa."
"Incredible, isn't it?" Madame Dupuis said, "one moment you think you found it, love. And then it breaks your heart. Then boom! You get knocked out of your socks in the warmest of the embraces and you are gone. You marry, you have children, and your children have children…"
"Oh no! Is she telling you how she met my father?" A man entered the room from behind.
"Shh, I thought I raised you well, Aldric. To respect your elders," she squinted at him but with a loving smile on her face.
"Since you already listened to her history and obviously are tourists, let me repay for your troubles by keeping your laundry bags safe for the day. I will give you a ticket, and you can use it to get them later."
"Cool, thanks. It was no trouble by the way."
"So, how did you two meet?" Madame Dupuis asked and squinted at them.
"Ah, we bumped into each other sort to speak."
"Bumping… that's good." The old lady grinned knowingly since they both blushed. "Go, now. Or you are going to waste all your day." They Dupuis watched them go.
"What was that about, mom?" Aldric asked her.
"It was obvious, Aldric. They have… how was that your daughter put it? Oh, yes… warm fuzzy feelings for each other."
"And there's no better place than Cannes to make them last."
"See, I knew I taught you right."
Outside and by recommendation of the small tourism office they found, they took a tour to the surrounding isles before returning to walk around the old city and hurrying to get their bags. They didn't found Madame Dupuis or Aldric but a teenager girl who gave them their bags. Then, they walked to the port and got back to the ship.
"So, dinner?" Jack asked her, and she nodded before opening her door. She moved forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
"Pick me in half an hour? I could use a shower."
"Sure, shall we try the restaurant by the pool?" Sam nodded, as he leaned forward to kiss her again. She bit her lower lip when he let her go. "See you soon."
They had walked the whole day hand in hand like two lovebirds taking the sights, and found themselves enjoying some public displays of affection even if they both were mostly against them. They couldn't help themselves, the attraction was too much, and the views only seemed to push them to kiss or embrace while drinking the image of the French Riviera Summer.
Something had changed that day even more than the other days, something brought them even closer, and that night, she opened her door, and they walked in for a more private goodbye. When they finally managed to separate from each other's lips and were about to say their goodnights something clicked inside of Sam's head as she bit her swollen lower lip.
"Jack?"
"Hmm…"
"Will you stay for the night?" He took a step back, and she blushed. "You know, to sleep sleep. I just… you know what, it doesn't matter."
"Wait, slow down. If you want me to get on your bed to sleep, we can do that. "
"Yes?" she blushed.
"Yup, I promise I won't do much more than sleep… maybe snore and cuddling you in my sleep…." He grimaced.
"That's okay."
"Snoring or cuddling?" He frowned.
"Well, I'll go with cuddling. But if you snore, and I'm already asleep then there won't be much of an issue."
"Okay. But nothing more than that, you hear me, Miss Carter."
"I hear you. I don't want to screw up whatever this is because we hurried to have sex."
"It's good to know that I'm not the only one afraid of screwing it up." They chuckled. "I'll go up to get my sleeping clothes and clothing for tomorrow; I don't want to be the cause of us getting late to the ship to Palamos."
"Uh, take the key, I'll start my night routine."
"Aha, you don't want me to know your beauty secrets!"
"A Lady has to have some mystery to keep her man interested."
"Am I yours?'
"My what?"
"Your man?" he said
"Only if you'll have me."
"Then you are my lady, and I'm your man." He leaned towards her
"I think that's a song," she chuckled against his lips. Before they moved forward once more.
Using a lot of self-control, they separated, and Jack walked to his room while she moved in hers getting ready for the night. When Jack got to the room, Sam was already on the bed.
"Either your routine is too short, or you are the flash." He joked.
"Maybe you are just too slow," she added with a mischievous smile looking straight at his eyes.
"Oh, don't you want to know." He answered wriggling his eyebrows.
"I actually do, Jack." She answered him feeling a little bit bolder by the way his eyes roamed the bed. He whimpered.
"You are going to be the death of me, Samantha Carter." He added throatily before entering the bathroom. Sam frowned for the time he took she was pretty sure he had completed whatever he did on the nights and then she heard it. The shower was running, and her mind went wild.
"Holy Hannah, control your thought, Carter. Thank goodness taking a step further today is not going to happen."
She felt a bit hot and was thinking she was going to be unable to sleep, but by the time Jack had turned off the shower she was already out for the night. Jack smiled softly at the image before making himself comfortable on her bed. He too was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to sleep, but as soon as his head felt the pillow, his eyes got heavier and heavier until he too was profoundly asleep.
