Author's Note: Over a hundred reviews - that's amazing. Thanks very much!
Can you believe it's only been 24 hours since Sam decided to find out what's been bothering Jack? Well, they're allowed to move fast; they've waited long enough.
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Sam clung to him, face pressed into the side of his neck, her tears rolling down her cheeks and onto his t-shirt.
Jack's arms were around her and he was stroking her back, with a small smile on his face. She had thrown herself into his arms without a word, immediately after he had told her he loved her. He knew that these were happy tears, and he felt completely at peace - like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He was surprised and proud to discover that he didn't even need to hear the words back from her. He had told her the truth, and she was crying happily about it. That was more than enough. You're turning into an OK guy, O'Neill, he thought. Who'd have guessed?
Her sobs were subsiding now, and she sniffed as she released his shirt and swiped tears from her eyelashes. Her thoughts were a blur, but she knew without a doubt that nothing had ever felt more right than being here with him like this. Something had clicked into place; an inevitable thing, waiting to happen for years. In every parallel reality they'd seen, the two of them were together, and they loved each other - and now, at last, that was true in this reality too.
I haven't even said anything, she thought, suddenly pulling back just a little to worriedly check his expression. She saw something she'd never seen before: a look of utter calmness, and the deepest, unshielded affection. She saw the truth of his words written in his eyes, shown freely for the first time.
You're not even waiting for me to say it back, she realised with wonder. You know I needed this, and it's enough for you. More tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, and she reached up to place her palms on his cheeks.
"I love you so much, Jack," she said, her voice wavering. "I've been in love with you for so long!"
Jack could have sworn his heart skipped a least a couple of beats. He stared at her, his smile still in place, momentarily unable to even process what he was feeling. He saw her eyes widening, and she gently moved one hand to touch her fingers against his cheekbone, her fingertips coming away damp.
Oh god, she thought. All these years and all you've been through, and the first time I see you cry is when I tell you I love you.
Jack could hear the thought as clearly as if it was his own, and he very slightly tilted his head as if to say Hey, what did you expect?
Sam smiled brilliantly at him. She continued to stroke his face gently, erasing the track of the one or two lone tears that had run down. "God, I love you," she whispered, and at last he grinned widely.
"You might've mentioned that" he teased, bringing one hand up to cup her face, and running his thumb across her skin.
"You want me to stop?" she replied coyly, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "I'm pretty good at not saying it even when I want to."
Jack's face became serious for a moment. "I'm gonna tell you I love you every damn day, Sam. And I kinda like hearing you say it too. Just... thank god we got here."
He paused for a moment, frowning exaggeratedly. "Well, maybe not thank god. Lots of those guys around. Most of em aren't on my Christmas card list. But you get what I mean."
She nodded twice, smiling warmly at him. "I do," she said.
"Save that one for later," he quipped, enjoying seeing her sharp intake of breath and momentary wide-eyed look. "I'll let you know when."