And now, a continuation...
Sam woke up with Jack's arm still around her waist and face buried in her hair. She stretched and sat up, gently lying his arm down on the bed. Sam walked out to the kitchen where she found everyone eating doughnuts and waffles. Sam rubbed her eyes as she found an empty chair.
"You alright, Sam?" Mitchell asked.
"I'm fine, Cameron. Just tired. I was awakened four times last night by the kids," Sam said back to him. She slowly got up and walked over to the fridge where she found some orange juice. She closed the door and walked back to her seat. "Morning, everyone."
"Morning, Sam," everyone said almost simultaneously. Sam looked at what they had for food and grabbed about three doughnuts and four waffles. Jack came out about twenty minutes later. Jack did the same thing Sam did, minus the short conversation with Mitchell, and they replied the same. Jack took one look around and noticed that Sam was sitting in his spot at the table. Sam looked up at him when she felt his hands on her shoulders. Jack kissed her softly on the lips when he saw her looking at him and rubbed her shoulders for a little bit. He stole one of her doughnuts and gave her an innocent smile.
"Morning, Love," Jack said as soon as he swallowed the doughnut. Jack sat down next to her and, for every two doughnuts she ate, he stole one. He turned to face the others, "Good morning, Campers. What do you guys want to do today?"
"I don't know. Let's all go somewhere," Janet said. Jack looked at his watch.
"Well, it's 0930 right now. Where are we going?" Jack asked.
"I don't care," Daniel said. "But we're going to leave tomorrow. SG-1 still has another week of downtime, but I'm sure you two would want to spend some of it together, alone."
Jack glared at Daniel when he figured out what he was hinting at.
"Hey! Don't shoot the messenger! Janet brought it up first," Daniel said.
"Oh, nice. Cover your ass and blame your wife, why don't you, Daniel?" Jack said.
"Actually, I did bring it up, Jack," Janet said. "Now that it's settled, why don't you two just shut up and let us eat."
"Fine," they both said. Jack turned back to Sam and started a conversation. Janet and Landry were talking, along with Mitchell, Hammond, and Daniel. Little did everyone know, Jack and Sam were playing footsie under the table. Sam had moved her foot up and was gently stroking Jack's manhood.
"I swear to God, Samantha. If you don't stop…" Everyone looked at Jack just as he spoke when, all of a sudden, he doubled over after Sam accidentally kicked him in the balls after she stretched and her foot moved forward. She instantly realized what she did and ran over to him.
"Oh God, Jack. Are you alright?" she asked. Jack shook his head, rolling off his seat and onto the floor. Sam had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She was unsuccessful. Jack glared at her and looked up at the ceiling. "Want me to make it feel better?"
He glared at her again and tried to sit up. He fell back unsuccessfully. Sam helped him back up and sat down again. She continued her game of footsie with him. This time, it was Jack's foot between her legs. Sam had to bite her lip to keep from screaming and moaning. She raised an eyebrow at him and Jack just smiled. He stopped and removed his foot. He was still rubbing her legs with his feet. Sam pretended to bend down and straighten her sock and noticed a bulge in Jack's pants.
Sam leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Did you get too much coffee this morning or are you just happy to see me?"
"Oh, you know I'm always happy to see you, Love," Jack whispered back. "If I recall, I didn't have coffee this morning."
Sam laughed as she leaned back. Everyone looked at her with a quizzical look on their faces.
"Sam?" Janet asked.
"Yes, Janet?"
"What'd you do?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked. Janet turned back to Daniel with that. Sam laughed again and faced Jack. She mouthed an "I love you" to him and faced the others. "So…what are we doing?"
"Let's go bowling," Jack said. They all agreed on that. Jack looked at Sam and then down at himself. "Sam and I have to get dressed before we all go."
Sam and Jack got up from the table, set their plates in the sink, and headed back to their room. Sam took the shirt of Jack's off and grabbed a bra out of one of her drawers. Jack was dressed a lot faster than Sam and stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she dressed. Sam stopped dressing for a second and looked at him in the mirror. They stayed like that for about five minutes and then they separated. Sam pulled on a black tank top & a pair of shorts and held Jack's hand as they walked back out to join the crowd.
"Let's go." They walked out to the garage and decided on cars. Jack, Sam, Landry, and Hammond would take Jack's truck and the rest would take Daniel and Janet's car. Jack opened his and Sam's door and the doors behind them to let Landry and Hammond in. As soon as they were settled, he closed one of the back doors and helped Sam in. As soon as she was in and had her seat belt buckled, Jack closed the door and walked over to his side. He closed the other back door as he jumped in. Jack turned the ignition and drove out of the driveway as soon as Daniel backed out. He held Sam's hand as he drove off, following them toward the nearest bowling alley.
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Jack pulled into the parking lot at the bowling alley. Daniel pulled up right next to him. They all got out and walked up into the bowling alley. Jack continued to hold Sam's hand as they all walked inside and paid for the number of games they wanted to play. They each picked out the size of bowling ball that would suit them best and headed over to their lanes. Jack was in Lane7; Sam, Lane 8; Hammond, Lane 9; Janet, Lane 10; Daniel, Lane 11; Landry, Lane 6; Mitchell, Lane 5. Teal'c was sitting down in a chair because he didn't understand the point of the game. Jack was throwing the ball with the back of his hand pointing toward the pins which was why he ended out winning with the most strikes. Mitchell came in second, Sam came in third, Daniel in fourth, Janet in fifth, Hammond in sixth, and Landry in seventh. Jack finished celebrating and they started their next game. The results were pretty much the same except Mitchell and Sam switched places. They finished all of their games with very few changes in the results. Jack was just about to check his watch when Sam grabbed his arm and beat him to it.
"It's already noon. Wow! Let's eat," Sam said. "Where are we going?"
"I don't care. How about Longhorn?" Jack suggested. They all agreed and walked out to their cars. Jack let Landry and Hammond in, and then, helped Sam in. He closed the doors and jumped in himself. He started the truck and followed Daniel toward Longhorn Steakhouse
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Jack pulled into the parking lot at Longhorn and found a spot near the door. He got out and moved the seat forward as Sam got out and did the same. Jack closed the door and locked the truck after Landry and Hammond got out. He looked around for Daniel and saw the group walking toward them. He held Sam's hand as they walked in.
"Reservation for O'Neill," Jack said. The group was led by a waitress back toward a group of tables and they all found a place to sit. They ordered their drinks and started to look at the menu. Jack folded his menu and waited on the others. "I'm ready."
Eventually, everyone had decided on what they wanted. The waitress came back with their drinks and they ordered. The waitress took their menus and left them alone.
"What are we doing after this?" Janet asked.
"I don't know. I was thinking of heading home and going swimming. What about you guys?" Sam said. They all agreed on that and waited for the food to come. After about ten minutes, the food arrived and they started eating, talking in random conversations. Jack was the first one finished. He laid an arm over Sam's shoulders and started a side conversation with Sam. Sam smiled at him and massaged his hand gently. Sam leaned up closer to him and whispered into his ear, "Love you, Jack."
"I love you, too, Sam," Jack whispered back. He kissed her softly on the side of her neck and looked at the others. He rubbed Sam's arm with his hand. "Oh, shit."
"What?" Sam asked
"The kids."
"Oh, shit."
Eventually, everyone finished and they stood up. Jack left the waitress a decent sized tip on the table. They walked out after Jack paid and headed toward the vehicles. Jack opened all four doors and let Hammond and Landry in before helping Sam. He jumped in and started the truck. He waited for Daniel to start his car and pulled out of his spot, heading toward home.
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Sam jumped out of the truck and ran inside before Jack even put it in park. She ran back to the room with the kids and opened the door, nearly breaking it off the hinges. She found that Grace was still asleep and Aaron was crawling around in circles in his crib. Jack slowly got out and followed her in. Daniel pulled up and parked behind Jack. Eventually, everyone walked inside. Sam walked back out, carrying Aaron. She sat down on the sofa, Aaron was under her shirt. Jack put his arm back over her shoulders and kissed her cheek. About fifteen minutes late, Aaron fell asleep. Jack walked back with her and watched her put Aaron back in his crib. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She checked on Grace, she was still asleep. They headed back out to the kitchen. Sam stumbled as they walked back out.
"You alright, Sam?" Jack asked as he caught her. Sam nodded and found a seat. Jack stood behind her again and rubbed her shoulders. "Are we swimming or no?"
"Yeah, we all need to change," Janet said. She and Daniel left back to their room, Hammond to his, Jack and Sam stayed with Teal'c. Sam rested her head on Jack's chest as they looked out the window at the lake. After a couple of minutes, they came back and they all headed out toward the lake. Jack looked at his watch and moved his hand back, rubbing Sam's arm. Jack and Sam laid down on the dock while everyone else jumped into the water.
"Race you to the water, Honey?" Sam asked.
"Sorry, Love. You know how my knee gets in cold water." Sam stuck her tongue out at him and ran toward the water. Jack watched her as she jumped at the end, did two front flips, spinning once, and diving into the water. Sam raised an eyebrow at him when she noticed a bulge in his pants after she came up. "What, I'm a guy."
"Yeah, but you're my guy," Sam said as she swam over to the dock. She climbed up the ladder and leaned up against him as the rest swam around. Jack rubbed her back as he looked up at the sky. This time, it was Sam who asked him if he was okay.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about Charlie." Sam gave him her infamous trillion-watt smile that she only gives to him and sat on his lap. Jack smiled back at her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He kissed her softly on her head and said, "Of the many things I need in life, you are the only thing I need right now."
Jack jumped up and ran inside. He opened the fridge, grabbing several beers. He ran back outside and passed a beer around to everyone but the kids. "I propose a toast. To the gate, which brought us all together."
"To the gate." They all to a drink to the thing that gave their lives meaning.
"Jack!" Sam and Jack looked up when they heard the voice. Jack shook his head in disbelief.
"Frank?" Jack looked at the new person again. "Well, I'll be damned. How are you!"
Jack and Sam were about to stand up when the new arrival waved them back down again. Jack extended his hand to the newcomer.
"Sam, this is Colonel Frank O'Conner, former Black Ops. Frank, this is my wife, Brigadier General Samantha O'Neill, used to be Carter," Jack said.
"Carter, I know some Carters. Jacob Carter, if I remember correctly."
"Yeah, he's my father," Sam said.
"How is old Jake? I haven't seen him since he was promoted to Major General," Frank said.
"He's gone now."
"Oh, sorry to hear that." Sam just nodded.
"Wanna beer, Frank?" Jack asked. Frank nodded and turned to see who else was there. "So, what have you been up to?"
"Me? I'm retired now. One kid's in college, the other's in the Academy."
"Well, maybe I can put in a good word for him, get him a job at the base. I can be pretty influential. Hell, you should have heard what I said to the Joint Chiefs about her hair. Yeah, did you hear about my promotion about half a year ago?"
"No, what rank are you now?" Frank asked.
"G.A.F."
"No shit?"
"No shit. Went from full-bird to one-star to two-star to five-star in about three years. Sam went from major to LTC to full-bird to one-star in the same time. She is also a MOH recipient."
"Wow! Congrats."
"Yeah," Sam said. "But what I had to do to earn it was a bitch."
All of a sudden, Jack stood up and ran into the house. He came back out with something in his hand that no one could see. He pulled Sam up and into a hug. When he let her go, he got down on one knee.
"Sam, these last five years have been the best of my life. Thank you. Sam, will you marry me,…again?" Jack asked. He opened his hand and showed her an open black box holding a gold ring with five diamonds set in it. Sam just nodded, trying to hold back the tears. Jack slipped the ring onto her finger, right above her wedding ring. He stood up as everyone applauded. He kissed her softly and whispered into her ear, "Happy Anniversary, Sam. I love you."
"I love you, too," she whispered back. Jack held her tightly in his arms. Sam rested her head on his chest. "So, was this one of your errands yesterday?"
"Actually, it was my only one." Jack smiled. He checked his watch. "Damn. It's five-thirty. No wonder I'm hungry."
He and Sam kissed one more time and headed over to the grill. Jack threw the hamburger on the grill and laid an arm over the back of her waist, rubbing her back softly. Sam wiped her eyes and redid her ponytail. She looked around and saw Janet heading towards her.
"Congratulations, Sam," Janet said. Sam hugged her best friend and thanked her. Teal'c walked over to Jack.
"On Chu'lak, it is customary to sing a song of praise on such an occasion," Teal'c said. Jack raised his eyebrows at the big Jaffa. There was a short pause before Teal'c continued. "Fortunately, we are not on Chu'lak. Congratulations, O'Neill."
Jack laughed and thanked Teal'c. Soon, the food was ready and they all found a spot to eat. Jack, Sam, Daniel, Janet, and Frank sat down on the dock and started eating. Hammond, Mitchell, Teal'c, and Landry found chairs, sitting down behind the rest. Sam and Jack finished first and leaned up against each other. Jack checked his watch and remembered that it was Sam's birthday, too.
"Happy Birthday, too," Jack said to her.
"Oh shit, it's your birthday, too?" Janet asked. Sam nodded. "I didn't get you anything."
"It's okay. I've got everything I want right here," Sam said as she leaned up against Jack. Jack kissed her softly on the side of her neck and rubbed her back. Janet smiled at the scene before her.
"Alright you two love birds, let's get your picture together," Janet said.
"Fine, but after this, I want a group picture," Jack said. Jack helped Sam up and they walked over to about twenty feet in front of Janet. Jack stood behind Sam and wrapped his arms around her waist. They faced Janet and, just before she took the picture, Sam laughed after Jack whispered something into her ear. Janet looked the picture on small LCD screen on the back of her camera and smiled. She walked over to them and showed them the picture. Jack smiled, too. He ran inside and grabbed a tripod of his from the attic.
"Alright, everybody! Group picture!" Jack yelled. They all slowly trudged over to a spot in front of the cabin as Janet set the timer on the camera. They all found a spot behind and around Sam & Jack. Janet ran as fast as she could over to Daniel's side. Jack rubbed his eyes after the picture and followed Sam over to the camera to look at it. Jack started counting heads to determine the number of pictures to print. "Seven copies."
All of a sudden, they heard thunder off in the distance. Jack looked at the sky and saw a huge storm about fifty miles away. He swore and ran inside to check the radar.
"At 7 PM MST, Doppler radar indicated a severe thunderstorm fifty miles west of St. Paul, Minnesota, heading west at a thirty miles per hour. This storm is capable of producing quarter sized hail, heavy rains, and damaging winds in excess of sixty miles per hour."
"Alright, everybody, we have a storm coming! Inside!" Jack yelled. Everyone slowly trudged inside. Sam stood behind Jack, her arms around his waist and her head resting on his back. Jack turned around and pulled her up tight against him. He kissed her softly, sucking on her lower lip as he pulled away. "Love you."
"I love you, too." Jack smiled when he heard the three favorite words he liked to hear roll off of her tongue. Sam looked around at the others. Janet and Daniel were holding hands as they sat on the floor, Hammond was sitting in a chair next to the sofa talking to Frank, and Landry & Mitchell were talking about random things. Sam turned back to Jack and rested her head on his chest. Jack rubbed her back as he watched the coming storm.
"You never did tell me why you shoved me against the truck and kissed me after Janet kicked me out of the infirmary," Jack said. Janet snorted when she heard the words "kicked out." It was several minutes before Sam responded.
"I did it because….because I was afraid that you were actually gone and I was imagining that you were still there. I needed a reassurance," Sam replied with tears in her eyes.
"Sam…" Jack pulled her up against him. She cried onto his chest as Jack rocked her back and forth. After she had been crying for about ten minutes, it took Jack another five to notice that she had fallen asleep. He put one arm under her knees and the other under her neck. He carried her inside, past all of the stares, and inside their room. He set her down on the bed and lifted the covers. Jack pulled the sheet up and over her shoulders. He kissed her on the cheek and walked out of the room, turning around at the last second. "Good night, Sam. Sweet dreams. I love you."
Jack smiled when he heard her mumble "I love you, too."
Jack closed the door behind him, putting up one of the "Do not disturb" signs they had made for those "special nights." He walked back out to the crowd and sat down, rubbing his eyes.
"Are you alright, Jack?" asked Frank.
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"Sam. We were at a meeting at the Pentagon about a month ago with the President, George, & the Joint Chiefs and a group of rouge NID botched it. We killed them all but I was shot through the shoulder and in the lung," Jack said. "Apparently, I was dying. After I was discharged, Sam helped me out and when we got to my truck, Sam shoved me against the truck and kissed me. She wouldn't tell me why after I asked her. So now, she finally told me why."
Frank just nodded. Jack looked at his watch and headed over to the fridge. He grabbed a six-pack and brought it back out.
"Want one, Frank?"
"Sure." Jack tossed him a can and chugged his. He crushed his can in his hand and tossed it in the trash. He grabbed another before he put the rest in the back in the fridge. Jack decided to nurse the next one. He finally finished it and crushed it, too. He tossed the can over his shoulder without looking and it landed in the trash. Jack looked at his watch and swore.
"It's already nine thirty," Jack said. Jack stood up and left the room. "Good night, Campers."
"Night, Jack," they all said simultaneously. Jack headed back and checked on the kids. They were out like broken light bulbs. He brushed some hair out of Grace's eyes and left the room. He entered his & Sam's room and lay down beside her.
"The kids are asleep, Love." He kissed her softly and laid over her waist before falling asleep.
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Jack woke up at about one in the morning when Sam started turning and moaning in her sleep. He heard her saying "No, Jack! Don't leave me!"
"Sam, wake up please. Wake up," Jack begged. Sam slowly woke up and rubbed her eyes. "It's alright, Sam. It's okay. I'm here."
"Jack…" Sam cried into his chest. Jack rocked her back and forth as she continued to cry. Sam eventually stopped crying and kissed him softly on his chest.
"You wanna talk about it?" Sam nodded into his chest. She waited for about five minutes, alternating between catching her breath and kissing his abdomen.
"I was sitting in my lab, doing my paperwork, when you came in. The look you gave me was one of pain and sorrow. You said that it was over and you didn't want me to have to choose between you or Pete. After you said that, you gave me a long kiss and said that was your kiss goodbye."
"Oh God, Sam. I will never, ever leave you. I swear that on my life. I love you too damn much to do that. When I am not with you, I will always be right here," Jack said, placing his hand on her chest, over her heart. He rubbed her back softy and kissed her cheek. They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the storm, which was going on at full blast outside. "Let's go back to sleep. I'll be here."
Sam nodded and brushed her lips softly against his before falling back asleep. "I love you, Jack."
"I will always be there for you. I love you, too," Jack said before joining her in sleep.