Chapter Twenty-one

Ashley had gone to bed earlier than usual, since she wanted to get an early start at Daniel's in the morning. She was just climbing into bed when she heard what sounded like Jack's truck. She went to her bedroom window, which looked out on the large front lawn. She could see his truck sitting in the drive way, but she couldn't see the front door. She just assumed that Jack and Sam had decided to spend the rest of their evening, and maybe the night, together here at Sam's house.

But suddenly she saw the truck backing down the driveway. Jack was leaving? Why would he be leaving so early? It was only nine o'clock.

Ashley felt like she'd be prying if she went out and asked Sam what had caused Jack to leave so early. But her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to make a foray into the kitchen on the pretense of getting a bottle of water. As she passed Katie's room, she saw Sam standing by the crib, looking down at her daughter.

Ashley walked on by and went on to the kitchen. She deliberately made sounds loud enough that she knew Sam would hear. Maybe Sam would join her, and then Ashley could ask her how the date went. That wouldn't be too nosy, would it, she reasoned. She was just getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator, when Sam came into the room. She turned and took one look at Sam's face, and that was enough to tell her that the date had not gone as Sam had hoped.

"Sam! I didn't expect you until later."

"Yeah, I didn't expect to be home till much later," Sam said, the disappointment evident in her voice.

Sam walked up and grabbed the refrigerator door handle before it shut, and then she took out of bottle of water and began unscrewing the cap. Ashley bent over the counter, pen in hand, as she pretended to be adding something to the shopping list that she had removed from the refrigerator door. Damn it, she wished Sam would say something. But when she just stood there drinking the water, Ashley couldn't stand the suspense any longer.

"So...why are you home so early?"

Ashley waited impatiently for Sam's response, hoping it was not bad news. She knew that Sam and Jack had been dancing around each other for years, and she thought it was about time they both got what they really wanted, even if it meant she wouldn't. She knew she had almost ruined things for them, but she honestly thought they had gotten past that. So what went wrong?

"We...we had a very nice time, Ashley. He just...he got some news that kind of upset him is all," Sam said. She had been the one to insist Ashley not tell Jack her real age, and then she had gone and let it slip.

"Oh? Is everything okay at the base?"

"Yes, everything's fine at the base. I'm tired, Ashley, so I'm going to bed now," Sam told her. And without really answering Ashley's question, Sam went to her bedroom.

Ashley just stood there staring at the spot where Sam had been. There was definitely something wrong, and she wanted to know...no, she needed to know what it was! These two people had become very important to her, and not just because of what they could mean to her unborn child!

Ashley rubbed an affectionate hand over her belly. She still wasn't showing, but she figured it wouldn't be long before she was as big as a cow. She wasn't looking forward to the months she'd be unable to fit in to all of her pretty clothes. Buying clothes was her only real vice, and most of them had been bought during her time as a dancer, when she had the extra money and the body for them.

Now she couldn't justify spending money on anything she didn't really need. A few maternity tops and maybe some Jeans were the only articles of clothing she intended to buy with Jack's money, and even purchasing those would make her feel guilty.

Ashley decided that since it was still early she would phone Jack and ask him what was wrong. Ashley sat on the sofa in the formal living room, the only light filtering in from the foyer. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello."

"Hi, Jack! It's me, Ashley."

"What do you want? It's late," he said in a clipped, gruff voice.

"Oh, sorry! It's not ten yet, so I thought..."

Jack interrupted her, and she immediately heard the anger in his voice.

"What do you want, Ashley?"

"I...I just wondered what was wrong, Jack? Sam and you came back awfully early, and she said you were upset...that you'd gotten some bad news," she said, wishing she hadn't phoned him at all. "But...never mind. I can tell you're not in the mood to talk right now. I'll call you some other time."

"No, I don't think you should call me. If you've got anything to tell me...about the baby...just have Sam or Daniel relay the message to me."

Then he was silent for a couple of beats before he spoke again. Ashley had no idea how to respond anyway, so she patiently waited for him to continue. But when he did, her stomach lurched and she thought she would throw up.

"Sam told me your real age, Ashley. Why in the hell did you lie to me?"

And there it was, the yelling and the angry shouting that she couldn't bear to hear coming from someone she loved and respected. Never the less she was able to rattle off a bunch of excuses, her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest.

"Jack, I'm really very sorry I lied to you. But by the time I met you, lying about my age had become a habit. I changed my age when I left home. I was still only seventeen at the time. I had to lie Jack, or go on making $2.00 an hour as a waitress. Being a dancer enabled me to pay for school and to have a nice place to live. And none of the club managers would have even talked to me, if they suspected I was that young. Besides, I never thought we'd get so close. I didn't plan on sleeping with you, when I picked you up that day on the highway, you know."

Jack let out a huge sigh. He knew it couldn't have been easy for her all those years on her own. And no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stay mad at her.

"I'm sorry, honey. I just went kinda crazy when I found out how young you are. I shouldn't take this out on you or on Sam. I wonder if she's still awake," he said, more to himself than to Ashley.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure she is! Would you like to speak to her?"

"Ya, that'd be nice."

"Okay! Don't hang up!"

Ashley literally ran through the big house carrying the handset. She stopped abruptly and knocked on Sam's partially open door.

"Yes?"

Ashley nudged the door open another foot and stuck her head into the room. Sam was sitting up on the left side of her bed, a big book across her lap.

"Sam, Jack's on the phone. He'd like to talk to you," Ashley told her.

"Okay! I'll take the call on the phone in here," she told the girl, and Ashley went back to the kitchen.

At least Jack wasn't as mad at her now, so she thought she'd be able to get to sleep. Ashley took her bottle of water and headed off to bed.

"Hello, Jack?"

"Ya, it's me...the biggest jerk on the face of the earth," he said, and Sam chuckled.

"No, not a big jerk. Just a guy who's entirely too hard on himself," she said, and then her breath caught as she thought about him...hard and all by himself.

"Jack, are you in bed?"

"No, stretched out on the sofa, why?"

"Because I was just thinking that if you were here with me now, we could be...together."

She wanted to say "we could be having sex," but she just couldn't bring herself to say it!

God, would it always be so difficult to talk to this man like a man instead of like her CO!

"We would be together, if I was there with you," he said, in a teasing tone, his smile evident in his voice.

He knew exactly what she was thinking, but he wasn't about to help her overcome her sudden shyness. In fact, the thought of making Samantha Carter squirm was having a very arousing effect on him!

"You know what I mean, Jack," she said quietly, a blush spreading from her breasts, up to her face.

"No, I'm not sure that I do, Sam. Why don't you explain it to me? In great detail."

"Now you're just making fun of me," she complained.

If Jack could have seen her, he would have known that her full lips were puckered in a pout, the likes of which Jack O'Neill had never seen on Sam Carter's face.

"Making fun of you is not what I want to do, Sam."

"What do you want to do, Jack?"

"I would like to make love to you, Sam. But since you're there, and I'm here, what say I tell you what I would do to you, if I were there?"

"Yes, I think that sounds like a plan, S...Jack," Sam said, catching herself before calling him sir.

"Are you lying down on the bed, Sam?"

She quickly pushed the big volume on wormhole physics off her thighs and onto the bed. Then she slid down until she was laying flat on her back, her head on a pillow.

"Yes, I'm lying down."

"Good. What are you wearing, Sam?"

"A pair of pink, flannel shorts and a matching tank top."

"Hmmmm, I like the sound of that, Sam. I want you to slide your hand up under the top and pinch your nipples for me, Sam," he told her, feeling his erection beginning to grow.

Sam switched hands, holding the phone in her left hand, while the right one did exactly as Jack had ordered. She had always been good at following Jack's orders, and now was no different. She had to shove her hand up under the bottom seam of her bra cup before she could reach her tender nubs, but she wasn't going to let the inconvenience of wearing a nursing bra stuffed with pads ruin her fun!

For a couple of minutes she tugged on her nipples and rolled them between her fingers, until eventually rivulets of milk trickled down her breasts and tickled her ribcage. It felt like when Katie was nursing, only better. And although she knew the milk was probably going to leave a mess on the bed, she really didn't care.

"Are your nipples stiff and aching, Sam?"

"Yes, they ache for you, Jack," she choked out, her breathing becoming shallow and fast as she felt herself becoming more and more aroused.

And by this time Jack was feeling plenty aroused himself. He leaned back against a pillow on his sofa and spread his legs wide, one hand finding his hardness inside his sweat pants. He pulled his hand up along the length of his erection and groaned. Sam heard him.

"Jack, are you hard?"

"Yes! God, yes, so hard Sam," he assured her. "Now I want you to use your fingers to get yourself off, Sam. Rub your fingers through your pussy and get them wet. Are you wet Sam?"

The truth was that she was very wet and had been since she first heard his deep, masculine voice. She just closed her eyes and did as he asked. And soon she was rocking her hips and imagining Jack on top of her.

"Yes! Wet for you, Jack. Mmmm, that feels so good, Jack."

"Good! Now take your middle finger and rub your clit, slowly at first. Round and round. Keep wetting it in your juices and then work it. Work your clit for me, baby! Are you feeling it?"

He slid his hand up over the slit in his penis and his hips jerked, as the muscles in his ass flexed and released. Then he spread his pre-cum down the shaft and continued to stroke himself up and down, his head pressing back into the sofa. Jack didn't know for sure how ishe/i was feeling, but he was about to blow!

"Yes! Oh, God! Yes," she hissed, and then she heard Jack's choked reply.

"Sam! Come for me, honey! NOW," he ordered.

And then they both were coming, crying out the other's name. Jack slowly let go of his penis and let his hand rest on his stomach. Sam moaned and brought her hand back up to her breast, giving the nipple one last tug before turning onto her side, knees drawn up to her belly. And as their body's began to calm down, they both felt compelled to tell the other exactly how they felt.

"Sam, I love you, honey! Always have!"

"And I love you, Jack! And I'm so sorry about all this mess!"

"It's okay, Sam. You have nothing to apologize for. Just keep telling me you love me for the rest of my life, will you?"

"I will! I promise!"

"Good-night, sweetheart," Jack whispered into the phone.

"Good-night, Jack," she whispered in return as her eyes closed.

Ashley, who had gotten up to pee, had heard Sam's declaration of love through the partially open doorway. Even though hearing it had hurt her, she was relieved that these two good people would finally have a life together. Sam and Jack would be okay now, and her baby would have a good home with two parents who loved it.

Jack woke up the next morning with a pain in his neck, quite literally! He had fallen asleep on the damned sofa! Then he remembered what had transpired right before he fell asleep, and all thoughts of the pain he had felt quickly disappeared.

"Hot damn," he shouted as he stood up. Then he realized that he was very much in need of a shower, so he went into the bathroom and showered and shampooed his hair. He brushed his teeth and was about to shave, when the doorbell rang.

The chiming brought him running out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his slender hips and shave cream all over his face and down his neck. He wondered who on earth would be coming to visit him early on a Saturday morning.

He was shocked to find a beaming Samantha Carter standing on his doorstep.

"Sam! Eh...as you can see...not expecting company," he said, looking down at himself.

For some reason, seeing her now, just hours after having phone sex with her, was sort of embarrassing!

"Did I interrupt anything," she asked with a mischievous smile on her pretty face, and Jack smiled back, a hole appearing in the white foamy surface that was his face.

"No! I was just finishing up. Come on in! I'll be done in a minute. I just need to shave," he told her, backing up so she could enter.

As she stepped past him and into the entry foyer, she sniffed the air around him, like a bitch in heat, he thought for a split second. And damn it if he wasn't getting turned on!

He quickly closed the door and made a hasty retreat, calling out as he went.

"Just make yourself at home, Sam! I'll be right back!"

"Or I could help you," she called out, and Jack almost slid to a halt on the wooden hallway floor.

He turned around and looked at her. He thought she looked great! But then to him Sam always looked great. She was dressed in an old pair of faded blue jeans and a blouse, sort of like the ones girls used to wear during the seventies. If he remembered correctly, they were called peasant blouses. It was white and filmy with red and blue designs sewn around the neckline and around the short sleeves. And he could see her bra through it.

"Help me? You mean you want to shave me," he asked, trying to force his eyes away from her chest.

"Sure! I know how to shave a man," she told him. And even though he wondered exactly when and who she had shaved, he didn't ask.

"Okay. Come on," he said, and Sam followed him into the bathroom, one soft hand coming to rest in the middle of his bare back.

And now her touch was making him get eve harder. Would she notice? Did he really care if she did?

Sam made him turn around and sit down on the toilet seat lid. Then she began shaving his face, her legs straddling his thighs, a position which made his libido think of nothing else but ripping her jeans off and pulling her down on his erection.

In a couple of minutes she was done. She took a hand towel that was hanging on the towel bar near the sink and wet it. Then she wiped away the excess foam from his face and neck very carefully and lovingly. When she was all finished, she kissed the tip of his nose.

"There! All done."

Jack put both hands on her hips and pulled her down onto his lap, her breasts crushed to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. And now his erection was trapped between their bodies, and Jack was enjoying the pressure immensely!

"Best lookin barber I've ever seen," he said kissing her nose in return.

"I hope so! I mean I would hate to think your barbers were women!"

"Oh, you would, would you? And why is that?"

"Because I don't want any other women touching your face...or any other parts of you! From now on, Jack O'Neill, you are mine to touch, and no one else's," she declared, rocking her hips to and fro.

The little witch obviously knew exactly what she was doing, he thought with delight.

"Is that so? And what gives you the right to..."

But before he could finish his smart-ass comeback, Sam pressed her lips to his, effectively cutting off his words. When they broke to take a breath, Jack still had something to say.

"I could get used to this, Sam," he told her, as she began kissing his face.

"Used to what exactly," she asked, her soft, warm lips leaving a trail of kisses from his mouth, over his nose, around his eyes and across his forehead. Her breath was warm and sweet and tickled his skin enticingly.

"Used to having you in my house, in my bathroom, shaving me...having sex with me in my bed," he said, and her eyebrows rose in a very successful imitation of their old friend Teal'c.

"Having sex with you in your bed? But I haven't had sex with you in your bed."

"No, not yet, but you could."

"Ah...I can't, Jack. At least not for another two weeks," she informed him with a look of disappointment on her face. She had been disappointed when Janet had told her to wait a while longer to give the episiotomy a chance to heal properly.

"Damn! Two more weeks? Well, as I mentioned to you once before, not all sex involves penetration, Sam. And I'm getting kind of uncomfortable here," he said, wagging his eyebrows at her. Suddenly her whole body shuddered as she visualized herself giving him a blow job right there in the bathroom.

"Well...I guess we could fool around a little," she said with a giggle, and Jack smirked back at her.

"Now we're talkin!"

Sam held onto his shoulders as she stood up. Then he stood up and pulled the towel from around his lower half, and Sam just stood there staring down at his beautiful, huge erection.

"Oh, my God," she said quietly.

"You see I have quite a problem," he stated smugly.

"I can see that! Holy Hannah!"

"Still scare you" he asked, pulling her into his arms, so they were literally face to face.

"Yes, a little," she admitted breathlessly, as Jack crushed her to him, pressing his rock-hard shaft between their bodies.

"Then it's a good thing we have to take it slow," he told her, bending down to bite the muscle in her shoulder.

Sam's head automatically bent down toward his, as she moaned low and long.

"Come on, let's get you out of these clothes," he suggested, as he began to lift the loose blouse up and over her head.

He pulled it off and tossed it onto the bathroom counter. Then he turned her around and guided her toward the bedroom, his hands resting at her waist.