I thought about breaking this last chapter up into two, but I decided not to do that to you guys. I hope you like the ending.
Thank you so much for your reviews everybody, especially those of you who reviewed after every chapter. Without you guys, I would have never finished this story.
Keep an eye out for a sequel. I'm thinking...wedding? Ha ha we'll see. Thanks again for reading!
-Lillie
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
The drive home felt longer than usual, and Sam sighed, leaning back in the driver's seat and wishing she wasn't going home alone.
She'd spent the night on the base, only going to sleep after the doc assured her that she didn't have a concussion. It was a rough night, and she'd awakened more than once from a series of bad dreams. Daniel advised her to go home as soon as she was allowed, but it wasn't until the following evening that she was finally released. Not ready to go home, she stopped for groceries, roaming around the store until her tired body told her that she needed rest. So here she was, driving back to her empty house with a car full of groceries and a heavy heart.
Sam hadn't heard anything from Jack since he'd left her office the day before. She knew he'd left for D.C. sometime later, and probably wouldn't be back until late. She was eager to hear how his meeting with Hammond had gone, and it made her nervous that he hadn't called.
Maybe Hammond said no.
Even worse, Sam feared that Jack had decided not to bring up the subject at all. Maybe he was afraid of the consequences, or maybe he'd changed his mind. Sam's mind darted about, spinning all kinds of frightening possibilities.
She had been trying all day to keep Jack off her mind, with little success. She knew that the moment she stepped into her empty living room, she would feel the aching loss of his company, and she wished for the hundredth time that she didn't have to be there alone.
It was almost dark when she finally got home and pulled her car up to the curb. She sighed and stepped out, shutting the door behind her and making her way around to the passenger side to unload her groceries. It wasn't until she stepped onto the sidewalk that she saw him.
Jack had been sitting in one of the chairs on her porch, clearly bored out of his mind. Sam turned and looked around for his truck, almost laughing at how unobservant she'd been when she saw it parked directly across the street. He rose up out of the chair and made his way over to her. He always looked so strange to Sam in his dress uniform, almost intimidating, but his posture was anything but formal. He kicked at the sidewalk as he walked, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and Sam had to bite down on her lip to try to hide the huge grin that threatened to spread across her face. She had never been so happy to see him.
"Hey," he said cheerfully, passing between the hedges and stopping a few feet away from her. "I was starting to get worried."
She gave him an uncomfortable smile, wondering how long he'd been waiting. It had been some time since she left the base.
"Sorry, sir. I didn't really want to come home. If I had known you were waiting-"
Jack held up his hand and shook his head. "Forget about it. You want help with those?" He pointed to the plastic bags in her back seat. She nodded and passed him a few, taking the last two in her left hand and locking up the car. He waited on the porch while she fished for her key.
"How did the meeting with Hammond go?" she asked him, fitting the key in the lock and stepping inside. The hallway was dark, and Jack followed her blindly down it and into her kitchen. She switched on the lights and gestured for him to set the groceries on the counter. He sat down in one of the chairs facing the bar as she rooted through the plastic bags, pulling out a jug of milk and carton of eggs.
"It went fine," Jack said, finally getting around to answering her question. "He…um…" Jack cleared his throat and suddenly seemed to be very interested in the dish towel draped over the chair next to him, picking at a loose thread in its seam. "He said I'm being transferred to D.C."
Sam paused, holding the fridge door open for a few seconds before the chill reminded her to close it.
"What?" She tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she could tell by Jack's face that she had failed. He looked pained for a moment, and then he tried to smile.
"This could be a good thing, Carter."
Without a word, Sam abandoned the groceries left on the counter and stormed into the living room, plopping down on the couch and crossing her arms. She needed a second to breathe. The last thing she wanted was for her and Jack to get into a fight, and if she didn't stop herself, that's exactly where they would be headed.
A good thing?
After a moment, O'Neill slid out of his chair and slowly walked over to the couch, moving a pile of pillows over and settling next to her, just out of her reach. Sam took a few more breaths, and then trusted herself enough to speak.
"How could this be a good thing, sir? I thought the entire point of my taking the position at Area 51 was so that you and I could see more of each other? That's going to be hard enough with me in Nevada. How is it going to work with you in Washington?"
He was smiling, and Sam felt frustration gnawing at her. How could he be so calm? She clenched her teeth and pulled her feet up on the couch, slipping her shoes off and tucking her knees under her chin.
"Look, Carter, I know it's not ideal, but this could work." Jack stretched his arm over the back of the couch, his fingers inches away from her face. She ran her eyes over the nicks and cuts on his skin, the anger inside of her beginning to fade into disappointment and hurt.
"Besides," Jack was saying. "There are some perks with this job that I could never have at the SGC."
Sam didn't care about the perks of his new job. She felt betrayed. He had practically kicked her off of SG1 so that she would no longer be under his command, and here he was leaving her. She did her best to keep the tears back and listen to what he was telling her.
"I mean, we're talking about a promotion to Major General, not to mention a higher salary…" Sam tried to keep the disgusted look off of her face.
"…you and I could get married if we wanted, I'd have a bigger office-"
"Wait," Sam stopped him, her mind suddenly switching gears and her hopeful heart starting to beat just a little bit faster. He'd said the words so casually, she assumed she must have heard him wrong. "What did you just say?"
He looked blankly at her. "A bigger office. At least, I think it's bigger. I haven't exactly measured, but-"
"Before that." She tried to keep her voice even, and Jack tilted his head sideways at her, a small smile on his lips.
"Oh, that." He shrugged. "My timing stinks, I know. I mean, I realize you just took off one ring, and you're probably not ready to put on another one…"
Sam was starting to feel a little dizzy. She tried taking a deep breath, but it didn't seem to help.
"Did you say 'ring'?"
Jack raised his eyebrows as if he'd remembered something, and he reached into his coat pocket. "Oh, yeah. Here."
He handed her a small, grey box, and Sam felt her stomach tie itself into all kinds of crazy knots. She slid her legs down off the couch and popped open the lid, trying to remember to breathe. The ring inside was completely different from the one Pete had chosen for her. She pulled it out of the box and held it between her fingers. Instead of a large diamond in the center, the silver band was lined halfway with smaller ones covering three sides, and the shape immediately reminded Sam of a stargate. She knew that it was exactly what she would have chosen herself. It was simple. It was beautiful.
It was perfect.
"No pressure, Carter," Jack said, when it seemed apparent that she wasn't going to say anything. "I kept the receipt."
She ignored the comment and stared at him. "Sir," she said quietly, unable to believe this was really happening. "Are you proposing?"
He shifted nervously, and his words came out almost defensive.
"Sort of."
She continued to stare, and Jack started to look worried. "I mean, we can start slower if you want. We could go to dinner instead, or maybe just drinks. Why don't we go out for drinks?"
Sam felt panicked, afraid that he was withdrawing his offer. "Yes!" she said, a little too enthusiastically.
Jack furrowed his eyebrows, a look of uncertainty on his face. "Yes to drinks?"
Sam was a little confused, no longer sure what it was that he was asking her. Just to cover her bases, she said quickly, "Yes to anything. Yes to everything!" She was suddenly laughing, and felt tears threatening to spill over. Jack looked relieved, and he spun his hat around in his hands as she struggled to get the ring on her trembling fingers.
"Just to be clear," he said carefully. "You actually want to be my wife?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir. Of course I do!"
He watched her sliding the ring on her hand. "Huh," was all he said. Sam laughed again and wiped her eyes.
"Not the answer you wanted?" she teased.
Jack cocked his head sideways and smiled at her. "Just not the one I was expecting."
She could tell he was trying to restrain himself from scooting closer to her. His eyes kept running over her face and down her body, and he shifted a bit against the cushions. Sam was grateful for his self-control. She was extremely nervous, now that all of her negative emotions had dissipated. There was no one in the next room, no reason to hide or keep quiet. There would be no one to stop them once they got started, and that terrified her. She certainly didn't trust herself, and was glad that O'Neill wasn't rushing her.
"You got permission for this?" she asked, holding her hand up to admire her ring.
"Well, let's just say it's pending approval," he answered. When she raised her eyebrows, he explained, "If we keep it quiet, and if we both take these reassignments, I don't see it being a problem."
She smiled and rested her hand on her knee, enjoying the glimmer of the small gems.
I must be dreaming.
He watched her for a while, and finally he cleared his throat. She looked up and saw him gesture with a slight jerk of his head for her to come closer. When she looked uncertain, he sighed.
"Carter, my arms feel a little too empty for a guy who just got engaged. C'mere."
She hesitantly scooted over, bending her knees up to rest them on his thigh. He laughed a little and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in one swift motion onto his lap. Sam let out a little cry of protest, but after a moment of shifting around, she found herself extremely comfortable, her knees curled up against his chest and both his arms around her. She sighed against him, and he twisted two fingers around a lock of her hair.
"We won't be able to live together," she said sadly. She mentally calculated the distance from Groom Lake to Washington D.C., and she didn't like what she came up with.
"Eh, you don't want to live with me anyway, Carter," Jack countered. "I'm a slob."
She laughed, raising her head to look into his eyes. "Yes, sir. You are." She brushed her lips lightly against his, enjoying the warm look in his eyes when she leaned back. "I wouldn't mind."
They both knew it wasn't true, but it didn't really matter. In a way, she wondered if things would work out better with them having to live apart. She imagined how elated she would be every time they got a weekend off together, how it would be hard for her to ever take him for granted, and vice versa. She thought of what a weight off her mind it would be to know that he was hers forever, and to never have to worry about another woman sneaking in and stealing him away.
This could work.
Jack was staring pretty intensely at her now, and his hands weren't quite as still as they had been. She had to bite her tongue to keep an automatic objection from escaping her lips as his fingers roamed over her skin.
"You're going to have to learn to call me something other than 'sir'."
Jack's voice sounded thick and strange to Sam, and she closed her eyes and let out a soft moan as he slipped his hands up underneath her t-shirt.
"I can do that," she sighed.
He rested his hands on her back, and Sam knew that he was going to wait for her before he went any further, just to make sure it was what she really wanted. She reached her hand up to slowly trace his jawline with one finger, watching the flames growing in his eyes as she ran her thumb over his lips. She was relieved that Jack understood why she was hesitant, and somehow that knowledge made all of her reluctance start to dissolve.
She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to decide how to proceed. After a moment, she reached up and grabbed his shoulders for balance. Jack just watched her with a patient smile, and Sam gave him a questioning look, checking for permission before she continued. It was simply habit, but he humored her by nodding. She shifted her position to rest her bent knees on either side of his waist, settling against him with her arms around his neck. His eyebrows shot up, but the cocky grin on his face told Sam that he was hardly objecting.
"What's this?" he asked, running his hands from her knees up to her waist. She shivered and rested her forehead against his. "Are you coming onto me, Carter?"
She laughed a little, trying to stop the trembling that was spreading through her body. She wanted this so much, and she ached to feel him hold her. She tried to squeeze a little closer to him and spoke playfully.
"You're going to have to learn to call me something other than 'Carter'."
Jack tugged slightly, pulling her hips closer to him and leaning up to speak softly in her ear, his scratchy cheek rubbing against her jaw. She closed her eyes and let his voice seep into her.
"Sam."
She had never known that something as simple as hearing her name on his lips could send such a heat wave rushing through her body. Sam pulled him back and pressed her mouth against his, amazed at how easily her inhibitions vanished at his touch. She kissed him with every fiber of her being, allowing each wasted moment and all of the fierce longing she had bottled up inside of her to fuel her intense passion. Jack didn't appear to know what to do with her in this state, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself. Sam wondered if he was trying to slow her down with his warm, lazy kisses, but she wouldn't have it. The longer her lips moved against his, the more desperate she felt. She tugged at his coat, eager to get it out of her way, and Jack pulled back, panting slightly and reaching up to hold her shoulders.
"Okay, okay," he said with a grin. "Definitely coming onto me."
She blinked a few times and tried to regain control. "Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to get carried away."
Jack rolled his eyes. "For crying out loud, Carter, don't apologize." He pressed lightly on her shoulders, pushing her up and holding her there. "I just want to make sure…you're sure." He frowned as if those weren't really the words he wanted. "I mean, you seem to kind of…uh…"
"Get carried away," she said again, finishing his thought for him. Her cheeks burned from embarrassment, but she was having a hard time keeping her hands from running up and down his arms.
"Right."
Thinking for a moment, Sam pulled herself off of Jack's lap and sat back on her knees next to him. She could see how he might feel a little hesitant to seemingly take advantage of her. Maybe he thought it was just an attraction. Maybe underneath all of that assuredness, Jack actually doubted that she truly wanted to belong to him. Feeling a sudden desire to make him understand, Sam took a deep breath and ran her fingers over the ring on her left hand.
"Jack O'Neill," she said, struggling to steady her voice. "I want you, and only you. I've wanted you for so long, I've forgotten what it feels like to not want you. I will want you tomorrow, I will want you next Tuesday. I will want you for the rest of my life. I am very, very sure."
Jack was silent and still, taking in her words with an extremely serious expression. For a moment, Sam was afraid that he might be about to cry, but instead, a wide grin spread across his face. Sam saw in that smile the release of eight years' worth of pain, yearning, and frustration. She thought of how long it had taken them to get here. She thought of how easily they could have missed this one last chance, and how thankful she was that things finally fell into place. She watched Jack's eyes light up, and he reached over, pulling her back onto his lap. She laughed as he placed her arms around his neck and tugged her close to him.
"Well then, what are you waiting for? By all means, get carried away!"