Holy Hannah! I just realised- over 100 reviews! You guys are the bomb-diggidy-fresh! Thank you so much! I know I always say this, but your feedback truly is the greatest compliment I can receive, and I love to hear what you think, be it good, bad or otherwise. Thanks so much!

A big thank you to ziparumpazoo who allowed me to use a similar idea to that inThe Slow Revelation of Self. It is a story I highly recommend, and love to bits.

And now, the chapter you've all been waiting for! It's super long, like two chapters in one, just to make up for the lack of updates. Don't' say I never give you treats! =D

"I can't believe you're making me do this"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who mentioned it to Laira in the first place"

"Yeah, but you were the one who suggested I be the example"

"Oh, seriously, how hard can it be? You tell them the rules and you suffer one dare… that's it!"

"And if they ask me to do something really embarrassing?"

"Isn't that the point? If you're so worried, take the Truth option"

"And have to answer any number of personal or embarrassing questions? Nuh-uh"

"For cryin' out loud, it's not that big a deal"

"Well, if you're so fine with it then you go first"

"Oh no, there is no way I'm going first… you wanted to teach them the game, you get to be their guinea pig"

"Who died and made you boss?"

"I'm the doctor, remember?"

"Wrong kind"

"Doesn't matter"

"And this is medical, how?"

"If you're good, you might get some medicine tonight"

"Oh… now… since when did you use sexual bribery and blackmail, Carter? I thought you were the nice one!"

"Who said anything about sexual? For all you know I could be referring to a cup of tea or a foot massage…"

"Oh, yeah, right, sure you were"

They reached the hall and Sam couldn't help but smile at the look on Jack's face and duck her head to stop from laughing. The banter on the way had been light and fun, and under all his whining, she knew he really wanted to play the game. Jack looked at her with a fake grimace, which seemed to turn into a grin, before opening the door and going inside, leaving her to shake her head. Sometimes they got stuck in all the sexual tension surrounding them. And sometimes she felt so comfortable around him it's as though they'd been together this way for years.

"Jack! Sam! So glad you're here. I was worried you might forego our deal tonight" said Laira cheerfully as they walked in.

"Oh, no… we wouldn't do that. Jack's been dying to show you the game", said Sam. Jack stopped himself from rolling his eyes. The villagers didn't notice the undercurrent of mocking in her tone, but he did.

"Really? I'm glad"

"Oh yes. Dying to show you" replied Jack. His sarcasm was foreign to the Edoran people, who didn't notice the glare he sent towards Sam or the grin that she hid in return.

An hour later the townspeople had all finished the evening meal and, with the exception of some of the mothers and fathers who took young children home to bed, everyone gathered at Sam and Jack's table. The adolescents were the most eager to learn, for obvious reasons, but Sam laughed at the interest many of the adults had taken in the game. Rarely did adults on Earth allow themselves to relax so openly, and she would be the first to admit such an assessment applied to her most of all. The basic concept of the game had been explained over the course of the meal, and now they were all waiting to partake in an actual game.

"Okay, so… now you all know how it works… who wants to go first?" asked Jack innocently.

"I thought you were going first?" replied Sam, feigning surprise and confusion. She smiled when he sent a subtle glare her way, but didn't disappoint.

"Okay then… go ahead Sam… ask me"

"Me?"

Jack smirked. "Oh yes. Since you are the other foremost expert on this game, I think it only appropriate that you ask the question. After all, we need a good, solid demonstration"

Sam gave him a look of disbelief. Trust Jack O'Neill to conform to the rules only on his own terms.

"Ah… well… okay… um… Truth or Dare?

"Ah… Truth"

Uh-oh. Now she was stuck. He wasn't going to make this easy on her. Payback Jack O'Neill style is always a bitch.

"Um… well…"

"Come on Sam… now you have to ask me a personal question. Something you really want to know"

Under the smart-arse attitude Sam could see he was genuinely interested in what her question would be. Sam lifted her chin at the challenge. She was Sam Carter and she would beat him at his own game.

"Alright. Have you ever hit on a married woman at a bar?"

Jack grinned at the question and let it be obvious that he was impressed by her gumption.

"Actually… I have"

"Really?"

Jack smirked, but before Sam could question him further he turned to the throng of people around them. "Okay, Karl, you ask next. Whomever you ask gets to go after you, and so on and so forth" he trailed, waving a hand.

He turned back to Sam who, despite the break in conversation, still had remnants of shock written on her face. Deciding to put her out of her misery he leant into her space to whisper in her ear, quietly, so nobody around could hear them.

"It was my ex-wife's sister"

He pulled back to gage her reaction, and was relieved to see the pieces were coming together in her head all by themselves. He shrugged. "Didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would"

Despite herself she couldn't help but laugh. Didn't turn out bad indeed. He ended up marrying the woman's sister.

Ignoring the game around them, Jack kept his focus on Sam, relieved to see she didn't dwell too deeply on his revelation. They each had stories to tell, and maybe, just maybe, he'd learn to open up to her about his past. Her too, if he was lucky.

"I met my first real boyfriend at a bar. His friend tried to hit on me, but was so drunk he almost fell over himself. Matt came over to apologise… and we ended up dating for just over a year"

"Ah good times…"

"Yep, gotta love the eighties" she replied with ironical laughter, taking a swig of her drink.

"Oi"

Jack scrubbed a hand over his face.

"What?"

"Now I feel old"

Sam huffed in amusement. "Why?"

"Seriously… the eighties? You got your first real boyfriend in the eighties?"

"My first serious one, yeah. Why?"

"Why? Carter, you were just learning how to handle your alcohol all by yourself while I was walking down the aisle and having babies"

Despite the serious subject matter, Sam couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous tone he had adopted and the fake look of disgust on his face. He gave her a look- one she knew was given in jest- and took a long, comical swig of his drink.

"Now I feel like a dirty old man"

Sam giggled again and leant even closer, putting her mouth next to his ear.

"You weren't that old last night"

Jack nearly choked on his drink. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever, ever heard Samantha Carter use that tone. If she weren't sitting there grinning smugly at him herself he never would have believed it was her- even an alternate her. Samantha Carter didn't say things like that. She wasn't suggestive or overly sexual. She was one of the guys- she worked hard to prove herself just as competent and tough as one of the guys. She didn't sit there taunting him with sexual jokes and innuendo. Nuh-uh, no way. This had to be wrong.

She obviously read his thought, judging by the smirk she had on her face while watching his reaction.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Sam?" asked Jack, his eyes genuinely wide with shock.

She just giggled in response, dropping the lusty façade, and leant into his side, hiding her face in his shoulder.

Now that was more like it.

Jack laughed at her antics and couldn't help but find her endearing once again. She tried so hard to be a tough military soldier- and he had long ago accepted her as such- but there was still a girl buried under that shell. A girl that was making herself known; who liked to sleep in on Sundays and flirt with her lover and tease him about his choice in party games. Oh yes, he had found the girly side of Sam Carter, and he was not letting it go.

"Seriously… the whole… age thing… that doesn't bother you? I wasn't kidding about the eighties"

She smiled at him, almost as though she was humouring a question from a small child. "I think it's a little late to be asking that, don't you?"

"Not if it's important"

"Then I guess it must not be that important" she said with confidence, squashing any doubt that she was telling the truth.

Before Jack could question her further a voice called out to Sam.

"Yo?" she said, spinning her head and looking back at the villagers. Jack smirked at her use of his word. Kurin, the young man who idolised her and had been on the scout, was looking at her expectantly. "Sorry, what?"

"I asked you a question"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't hear. Could you ask me again?"

"Truth or Dare?"

"Oh… oh! Uh, right… um… Dare"

Truthfully, she chose Dare thinking there was only so much the young man would ask her to do. He actually seemed to like her and wouldn't cause her too much embarrassment.

"Okay. I dare you to kiss Jack the way you did last night"

Okay, that was not what they were expecting.

"Excuse me?"

"Come on… we all saw you"

Kurin was grinning wildly, and Jack had a feeling Karl had something to do with the dare, judging by the look on his face. Looking at Jack for permission, and seeing his miniscule smirk, Sam turned back to Kurin and found him grinning openly, the rest of the village watching with anticipation. Sam turned back to Jack and swallowed nervously, watching him juggle both shock and self-satisfaction. She cocked her head and he raised his eyebrows. She leant in and, just as their lips met, she felt him grin.

The whole village cheered, despite the fact the kiss was relatively chaste. They parted and Sam ducked her head again, trying to hide behind Jack.

"Your turn" he whispered to her.

"Huh?"

"Now you get to ask a question"

"Oh… right"

She cleared her throat and turned to Jack.

"Me again?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"I don't know what to ask the others", she whispered in his ear.

Jack grinned. He knew there was another reason. He didn't say anything.

"Truth or Dare?" she asked him, louder this time so the others could hear.

"I'm gonna go with Truth"

Sam grinned.

"Okay. If you were trapped on a deserted island, what five things would you want with you?"

By the time she had finished her questioned everyone was smiling or laughing, recognising the irony in her question. Jack laughed at her too, making her smile at herself.

"Hmmm… if I could go back to the SGC and prepare for this little trip in advance, what would I pack?"

"Yeah"

"Okay… I'd bring a razor"

Sam giggled. She had seen his first attempts to shave with his knife. He was lucky to be alive.

"I'd bring a working Stargate"

"Oh-no, come on, that doesn't count"

"Okay, okay. Um, I'd bring my entertainment system with Simpson's DVD's"

Sam rolled her eyes. Of course he would. He could only read 1984 so many times.

"I'd bring a dog. Aussie Shepherd/ Border Collie cross" he added, giving Sam a smile that she returned. He remembered.

"Ah… I'd bring my good fishing pole. Nothing beats my fishing pole…"

"Really?"

"Yeah, sticks only go so far"

"Okay, and, last thing?"

"What one other thing would I have with me?"

Jack looked at all the faces, half of them listening, half of them talking among themselves. He leant over to Sam, cupping his mouth next to her ear. He didn't want to lose his reputation in the town.

"You" he whispered softly so no one else heard. He kissed her cheek subtly as he pulled away. Sam sucked in a breath and felt a blush creep up, but didn't say anything or give anything away about what he said.

"What did you say Jack?" asked Karl from across the table.

"Ah, no, sorry my friend. If I told you I would have to kill you"

Karl smirked at them, but didn't push it further.

"Your turn to ask" said Sam, trying desperately to hide the effect one word had on her.

"Okay… truth or Dare?"

"You can't ask me. I just asked you"

"Well, you can just pick someone later… come on, Truth or Dare?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Truth"

Jack rolled his eyes. She wasn't going to open herself up to his mercy.

"Okay… as a decorated Air Force Officer…" He puffed up his chest with fake pomp. He dropped the act and grinned wickedly. "You ever join the mile high club?"

The people of the town didn't know what the hell he was talking about, but judging from Sam's reaction it must have been a very embarrassing club. Her eyes went wide and she visibly swallowed a lump in her throat. Jack took a self-satisfied swig of his drink.

"Actually… I have"

Everyone watched as alcohol came squirting out of Jack's nose. He had asked the question just to be a smart ass. He didn't actually expect her to answer. And if he did, that certainly wasn't the answer he was imagining.

"Are you serious?" he asked while mopping his shirt.

Sam nodded sheepishly. "Not while on duty… but yeah"

"Are you… you mean… you've… shit!"

Sam giggled self-consciously at him while he continued to look at her with wide eyes.

"Okay, Karl, you ask someone else" she said, directing people's attention back to the game before they could ask about the mile high club.

As the conversation pick up around them Jack could only stare at Sam, marvelling again at just how much he didn't know about her.

He could tell you how she took her coffee. He knew what colour jello she liked and from what range she preferred to fire a P-90. He even knew how many steps she took while doing a five-mile run. But he didn't know if she preferred waffles or pancakes; he didn't know if she left the cap off her toothpaste; he didn't know the names of her high school crush; and he didn't know if she dumped her belonging near the front door at night or took the time to take them to her room. He could see her dumping them at the door. For all her organisation at work, Jack imagined that her house, any time she wasn't expecting company, would be the opposite.

There were a great many things he didn't know about her. There were a great many things she didn't know about him.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to care. It was part of what made this relationship so… them.

He had fallen in love with her without really knowing anything about her.

Maybe it was dangerous, and a little irresponsible, but he just couldn't care less. What he saw on the battlefield and what he saw at home were two different sides to her. He knew Carter. He was starting to know Sam. He was miles away from truly understanding Samantha. That was a lot of ground to cover, and for the first time in years he was ready to take on the responsibility of unravelling the story of another person.

What amazed him more was that she was willing to give him the time to do it. And in return she was willing to take the time to figure him out. Figure out what side of the bed he preferred (the one next to the window), how he liked his bacon (slightly crispy around the edges) and what number he always ordered from Eddie Wong's delivery (32- Beef and black bean sauce on rice).

It was a scary arrangement. But perhaps that was part of the draw- the idea that they would spend a lifetime getting to know one another. Surprising each other. Learning each other. It was like choosing to take a walk down a path in a dark wood, with no idea where you would end up or what you would find on the way.

Snapped out of his thoughts by Sam's furrowed brows he smiled, reassuring her that he was back in the moment. Her worry eased a little, but she gestured to the door with her head. The rest of the village was content to play their game and he could see she was getting a little bored and tired. And maybe a little worried about him. He couldn't tell.

He nodded to her, and with a quick nod to Karl, they went for the door together, her hands laced in his, leading him through the crowd.

They both knew he could have found his own way.

Just because he could, Jack threw his arm over her shoulder, leaving the other hand to carry a candle.

Despite their easy interaction and slow, lazy gait, she knew something was bothering him. After a moment he broke the silence.

"I've decided something"

"Hmmm"

"As cliché as this sounds… and I'll slap myself later… but… I want to know everything"

Sam stopped walking and looked at him, confused by the request. "What are you talking about?"

"I wanna know everything. Did you break your arm as a kid; have you ever made out at a drive in; are you one of those annoying people that leaves the cap off the toothpaste. Everything"

Sam furrowed her brow, and he knew he needed to explain. He gestured that they keep walking.

"I was thinking before… I was thinking that… I really don't know you"

Sam stopped, and for a moment he was worried she was going to burst into tears, or run away, or maybe yell at him for a nice change. She didn't. She was giving him time to explain before she chose her preferred course of action.

"I mean, I know you. But… I don't"

"I don't understand"

And for the first time in years, she really didn't.

"I know Carter. I know whatever you've shown me at work- and maybe a little of what you've shown me here. And… hey, I'm the same. We only know what we've seen at work. Granted, that's a lot more than most colleagues see, but…"

He sighed, and scrubbed a hand over his face, and prayed that she didn't think this was him putting the breaks on. This was him slamming both feet on the accelerator.

"I wanna know all those little quirks that make you you. We don't have the luxury of dating normally, if you could call this dating"

The way her eyes relaxed and she stepped under his arm told him he was forgiven for any wrongdoing. She understood. They kept walking to the house.

"Well… what do you wanna know?"

Jack couldn't help but smile at her tone.

"Do you leave the cap off?"

Sam laughed. "No. I most certainly do not leave the cap off. Why, do you?"

"And annoy myself? No"

"Okay. That's settled. Next question"

"What side of the bed do you prefer?"

"The… right"

"Where's that in relation to your window?"

"It's the side away from the window"

"Good. The window side is mine"

She giggled. "Boxers or briefs?"

"Depends on the day. Briefs for work. Boxers for weekends"

"Fair enough" she said, and tried desperately not to analyse what it meant- that she knew what underwear he preferred.

"What it your favourite flavour ice-cream?"

"You know that one"

"I don't"

"Yes you do. Think hard"

Jack thought about it, recalling the few times they had all gone out together with Cassie to get ice-cream at the park.

"Vanilla choc chip"

"Well done"

"I can't believe I know that"

"You'd be surprised at what we know about each other" she said, and the seriousness of her tone made him pause at the door of their house. She turned back.

"You don't necessarily have to be told something to know it. I'd like to think we know each other well enough to figure out the things that matter. All that other stuff- all that trivial stuff- that's just the icing on top"

"You think?" asked Jack, concerned that they might be missing out on some crucial information.

"Yeah. And hey, if we knew everything straight away, we'd have nothing left to discover"

"Somehow I doubt you would run out of things to discover. I just might not be able to understand what it was, that's all"

Sam continued inside and sat on the couch, watching as Jack took the candle to the fireplace and got it lit. He sat back down on the couch, a little more relieved, but no less serious.

"I still think there are things you should know before this goes further"

"Jack…"

"No. Sam. Please"

She sat back and watched him compose himself, trying to find the most honest way to tell her what he wanted her to know. He stared into the fire while she watched him.

"I have nightmares" he finally said, quietly, as though afraid that saying it too loud would make it worse. Sam sighed sadly and looked at her hands.

"I know. I hear you, sometimes"

"Really?"

She nodded. At least that was one secret exposed and dealt with, though he wasn't so happy about her already knowing that one.

"I don't like crayfish"

"I'll live"

"I can be an ass"

She didn't comment, but he figured that was a pretty obvious one. He just didn't want her to ignore it, given how noticeable it was.

"I hog the covers", said Sam suddenly.

If he wanted to play this game, she would play. She didn't think it was necessary, but she'd play it. Jack looked at her with surprise, obviously too caught in his thoughts to realise she would participate.

"I broke my am when I was twelve, falling out of a tree my brother dared me to climb. My parents didn't take me to the hospital for hours because I was too embarrassed to tell them my arm hurt"

She paused, but Jack stayed silent.

"I love the movie Singin' in the Rain. I always have"

She paused and waited for him to realise that for all his faults she could find one of her own. For all his quirks, she had two. They watched each other for a moment, analysing the way that the other person dismissed a flaw without a second thought.

"I love thunderstorms", she said, finding it the most mundane yet intriguing thing about herself.

"So do it"

She smiled, her full and cheesy, patented smile. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Well… that's one thing we've got", she said.

Jack pulled her under his arm and kissed the top of her head. Her arm snaked across his belly.

"I know this is going to be hard. But don't you think we should enjoy it? Getting to know each other?" asked Sam, her head resting on his chest.

Jack kissed the top of her head again in response. "Yeah. I'd like that"

They went back to watching the flames, a ritual that had developed since Christmas.

"Can you believe it's only been a week since Christmas?"

Sam sighed with contentment and settled further into his side. "Can you believe we've still got months before we go home?"

Her tone wasn't mournful. It wasn't even sad. It was, if anything, happy. And Jack knew why. They had months to get to know each other. Months to figure out the little quirks that they didn't already know. Months to bask in the glow of their newfound romance before they had to face reality.

"Well then… shall we?" asked Jack, gesturing to the bedroom door his a cocky eyebrow.

Sam could only untangle herself in response and all but drag him there, finding warmth in his laughter.

More to come straight after this short commercial break. And the next chapter shall once again be M, just to be safe…

Please let me know what you thought =D