Hi everyone ! Hope the summer was fine for all of you !

Aliceanjee had been away due to changes in her life. Everything seems to be fine now, and I'm very glad for her ;)

Hope you'll enjoy this chapter she translated as usual so very nicely !


Chapter 52 – Witness

"I have no idea where you get the natural respect people automatically give you, anyway!"

"That's all me, and my charisma, baby!" Jack winked, and Sam burst out laughing again. "No, I really have no clue either, to be honest. I'm just bad-tempered, and I guess it's difficult for people who don't know me to get a read on me, but then again, it serves its purpose!"

"You really hide your emotions well; if I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd say that nothing ever affects you," Sam explained.

"You do know it's not true, right?"

"Yeah, it's just your way of keeping yourself safe, and a strength too rather than a weakness. You never let anyone have the upper hand, that way, the less people know, the less you could get hurt."

"That's right, you're the only one I let get close to me, because I know I'm safe with you, you'd never try to harm me."

"Thank you Jack, I'm honored."

"It's the truth, sweetheart. You're a pure, gentle soul," Jack added, leaning toward her and tenderly pecking Sam's lips.

His wife's light blush of pleasure from both his words and sweet gesture added an extra glow to her complexion.

"You know, I'm glad we met before I joined the SGC. I don't know what our lives would be like otherwise..." Sam said.

"Well, in one of these parallel realities thing, we've been in love with each other, but we've never broken the regs... I think it'd be the worst torture ever, having to wait until we wouldn't be in the same chain of command any longer!"

"How on Earth are they doing it? They must be certifiable, surely!"

Jack laughed, nodding his assent. How could one spend every single day looking at Samantha Carter without ever being able to touch her at night? She was definitely right, they must be insane in that other dimension or whatever. They changed the subject, and Jack spent the better part of the evening making Sam laugh.

SJSJSJ

Jack had let his guard down after they'd entered the restaurant earlier that evening; he hadn't heeded a man they both knew sitting at the bar. That man had been scrutinizing them ever since he'd taken a seat on a barstool; he'd been in the restroom earlier as the couple had taken place at their table, and he'd sat back at the bar as Jack assisted Sam with doffing her jacket. The man had zeroed in on them at that particular moment, noticing the intimacy emitting from the both of them, their gestures conspicuously sweet and genuine, not awkward in the least. He'd heard about the rumors telling of something potentially going on between these two, and this was proof. Of course, a simple dinner in Denver would not be in blatant violation of the frat regs, it was more the feel of their relationship that made him think it was all truth, and maybe more. That was probably the reason why Samantha had always steadfastly, albeit politely, turned him down. He also understood better her unyielding determination in saving, exonerating and recovering O'Neill at each hurdle at the SGC. How could he have ever thought she was single? It was so obvious she'd given him her heart, that he silently berated himself for trying to ask her out. If O'Neill happened to catch wind of this, he'd probably skin him alive. He crossed his fingers, hoping she'd kept mum.

He eyed them throughout the whole meal, sitting at the bar in front of a plate of sirloin steak and fries as O'Neill sipped champagne and Sam a soda. O'Neill let his date take a sip from his flute, looking at her with yearning desire as she licked the champagne off her lips with the tip of her tongue. They'd toasted something, the man did not know what, but it seemed important to them.

As the couple enjoyed their dessert, the man decided to go greet them: they'd have to go past him when they'd leave anyway. NID Special Agent Malcolm Barrett got up, made his way toward the couple and cleared his throat when he found himself a few steps away. Jack felt his look and turned his head, emotions indecipherable on his stony face. Samantha seemed impassive, and Barrett would have been hard-pressed to find out what her feelings were at that moment. "Caught red-handed," the Special Agent thought.

"General O'Neill, Samantha," Barrett greeted as he stopped by their table.

"Samantha?" Jack noted.

"Sorry, old habits. How are you?"

"Very well thank you, Agent Barrett, and you?" Jack asked as Sam remained unresponsive.

"Fine, thank you. I'll not disturb you any longer, I just wanted to come say hi. I hope you have a good evening. Goodbye."

Barrett gave them a farewell nod and made his way toward the exit, as he'd settled his check before coming to talk to them.

"Hmm... that was weird," Jack remarked.

"If you say so. I have no idea who this man is," Sam apologetically said.

"No one," Jack sighed, and proceeded to explain who Malcolm Barrett actually was.

"Ah... a problematic encounter then. What if he spouts off he saw us at the restaurant in Denver?"

"I don't give a rat's ass if he does. I'll think really hard about a solution, 'cause I'm fed up with hiding our relationship. For all the time we've been at the SGC, I believe we've earned the right to be left alone, don't you think?"

Sam gave her husband a beaming smile, and they settled the check before making their way home.