A/N: Thank you for your continued interest in the story. This chapter will serve as a transition into the next section of the story and we'll see where it takes us.

OoOoOo

Last time: In the small front sitting room of Father's McShea's cottage, Jack and Sam stood with their witnesses and the retired man of God. And with the sincerity and trust born of true love, they spoke their promises to each other.

REVELATIONS

He'd never been sentimental.

He prided himself on his realistic appraisal of most every situation.

This morning was different. This morning, Jack O'Neill woke a married man for the first time in over thirteen years. Snuggled beside him in his king sized bed was his new wife, Sam Carter, now O'Neill.

From what he could tell, Sam was still fast asleep, her breathing slow and even, her body completely relaxed as he held her. He'd fantasized about this for so long, he had to remind himself he was awake and his dream was finally real.

They'd made love last night for the first time. That surprised him too. Here they were, two middle aged, worldly military officers, waiting till after the wedding. Old fashioned or not, Jack knew it felt right to wait. He'd made love to his wife last night. Not his second-in-command, not a friend, not someone he "was seeing" but the woman he'd promised to love for always. As far as he was concerned that made the experience even more incredible.

He laid holding his wife now, basking in the glory of their love and knowing earlier decisions led them to this sublime happiness. There was a reason they'd denied themselves so long. The fierce devotion he felt welling up in him now was beyond anything he'd felt for Sam in the past. The regulations were there for a reason; Jack knew, feeling how he felt now, he could never send Sam into danger. If anything ever happened to her, a part of him would cease to exist. He knew it.

OoOoOo

She was a rational woman, wedded to science for most of her adult life.

Sure, there had been outbursts of emotion, moments where she'd been in love, felt out of control, given in to feelings, instincts, or needs. There'd been moments, not many, but some, when she'd acted on impulse.

Those moments were different. Everything paled in comparison to this.

This morning, Sam Carter, now O'Neill awoke to the welcome knowledge that she was married to the man she'd loved for years. And finally, she was taking her husband's advice, enjoying the moment and not dwelling on how long it had taken to get here.

She was certain Jack was sleeping. His breathing was even and he was still. So Sam allowed herself to revel in the sensations of being with her husband, lying in his arms, cradled against his body. She loved him, wouldn't change a thing about him. She knew in the depths of her soul that he loved her as well.

Jack's love had always been there, whether or not she'd chosen to see it. Yesterday had been one more confirmation. She knew it was the last reassurance she would ever need. Finally it was clear; Sam Carter was home. She was comfortable with herself and secure in the love of her husband.

Jack was her husband now. That simple, traditional designation put her amazingly at ease. There was no need for excuses, rationalizations, sneaking around with friends, superiors or anyone. They were married. Even the military would recognize their status now, regardless of any future shifts in chain of command.

Tempting fate, Sam risked waking her sleeping lover. She reached up tenderly to stroke his face. She wasn't surprised to find he was already awake, simply waiting for her.

"Good morning," Jack whispered into her hair.

"Good morning, yourself," she answered softly, pulling back to meet his eyes.

"Beautiful ceremony…"

"Beautiful night …"

"Yes," he said, "and it's only the beginning."

OoOoOo

The newlyweds spent another five days at the cabin after the wedding. On the fifth day, they prepared to return to Washington. In the space of two weeks, they'd been able to plan for the future, secure in the knowledge they'd be together, if only in their hearts for awhile. Fortunately, Sam had two more weeks before she was due to return to Atlantis. It wasn't long, but it gave them two more weeks to adjust to life as a married couple and, most importantly spend time with each other.

Before any of that could begin, they needed to navigate their way through the maze that was Dulles International Airport.

Sam and Jack expected to find Derrick waiting for them at the airport with the Towne Car. So after collecting their luggage, the two mildly harried passengers made their way onto the main concourse. There they found myriads of drivers and chauffeurs, many of whom carried placards with the names of their employers. Sure enough, Jack's eagle eye spied the O'Neill surname prominently displayed over to the left of the concourse.

"There he is," Jack cued Sam. "Almost home."

As they approached the driver they assumed was Derrick, it became obvious they'd mistaken the man's identity. Definitely shorter than the General's lanky driver, this man had a build like … it couldn't be, could it? Oh yeah, it was.

"Daniel," Sam all but shouted as she saw her friend. "What are you …?"

Before she could finish, she stopped in her tracks when her eyes caught Daniel's companion.

"T.!" Jack exclaimed, glad to see his good friend, but quickly overcome with a little guilt at the big surprise they had for their friends. "What are you doing here, big fella? You guys don't look like chauffeurs to me."

"Uh, well, we made a little deal with Derrick," Daniel confessed. "You see Teal'c's leaving for home tomorrow and we wanted to spend a few hours with you guys before he leaves."

With that, Sam threw her arms around Daniel, giving him a warm hug. As she did so, Teal'c caught sight of the rings on her finger. Silently, he gave Jack one of his meaningful looks. Jack simply nodded.

A moment later Daniel and Teal'c traded places and Sam proceded to greet Teal'c just as enthusiastically. Bending to pick up Sam's bag, Daniel also caught a glimpse of the telltale rings. As usual, he was not as circumspect as his Jaffa friend.

"Jack ..?"

"Daniel …?"

"Jack …"

"What?"

By now Sam had released Teal'c and the four friends stood facing each other. Jack smiled sheepishly at his friends and pointed at his own set of rings.

OoOoOo

In a small coffee shop, hidden off the beaten track in Dulles, four high-level US military operatives huddled over a corner table. Though serious, this conversation had nothing to do with national security. Instead, two newly married officers did their best to explain their elopement to one very upset friend.

"Jack, all I'm saying is, I wish I had been there," Daniel protested.

"I believe Daniel Jackson feels slighted, O'Neill," Teal'c calmly observed.

"Not you?" Jack asked.

"As always, I understand you sometimes make decisions with which I disagree," Teal'c explained in his most dispassionate manner.

"Et tu, Teal'c?" Jack quipped, feigning hurt.

"Okay, boys, enough," Sam said at last. "Daniel, Teal'c, we really are sorry you weren't there. But we didn't want to wait. You know how something always comes up? Well, this was our time, for once."

"Yeah, what Sam said," Jack added. "Besides, we are going to need a party when Sam gets back from Atlantis next year. We're thinking about getting married again. Consider yourselves the first two invited guests."

OoOoOo

Their slightly humorous, good natured apology morphed into a full fledged luncheon. By the time the commandeered Towne Car made its way into the O'Neill driveway, it was late afternoon. On the way home, Teal'c and Daniel were invited to spend the night; that way the old team would have more time to visit before Teal'c left for an indefinite period of time.

As the arrangements were made, Sam rolled her eyes at her new husband. Jack shrugged in response, but got the message loud and clear. Much as they loved Daniel and Teal'c, this is exactly what would have happened at the cottage. And they had needed the time alone. Much as they felt a bit guilty now, the elopement had been right for them.

In any case, the four friends settled into an easy camaraderie that evening. Rather than cook, once the major unpacking had been done, they ordered out for Chinese food, Jack's idea of course.

As they were waiting for dinner to arrive, Jack excused himself from the group.

"I suppose I'd better check messages," he said, realizing vacation was over. "The world might need saving or something."

"Don't joke about it," Sam replied seriously.

"Point taken," was Jack's equally serious response as he began the playback.

Less than a minute into the messages, Jack hung up the receiver and made his way back to the group. His face told the story.

"What is it?" Sam asked, walking up to him.

"It's Charlie," Jack said, his voice catching. "He's sick. Christina says he's in Pediatric Intensive Care."

TBC

A/N: I wrote this during a miserable week at work – one of the longest ever. It was a good distraction. Hope you enjoyed it. I'm talking with some plot bunnies for the next few chapters.