Author's Note: Written for 'Handcuff Day' (20 February).

There is one curse word towards the end of the fic.


Jack lets his head fall back against the metal bars and sighs.

At any other time, he'd love nothing more than to get up close and personal with Carter, but not today. Not when the local villagers have thrown the two of them into a cell that barely has enough standing room for one person. And especially not when both he and his major have been handcuffed. Although, he muses, at least they aren't bound together. He isn't sure his restraint would hold out enough if that was the case.

He feels Sam's upper body press against his a little more and he tenses.

"Sorry, sir," she murmurs.

"S'alright."

"I'm just…" She lets her sentence trail off and Jack risks a glance but all he can see is the top of her head.

A few seconds pass when he hears a grunt, followed by a soft curse, and he frowns.

"Carter, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, sir," she answers quickly and his eyes narrow.

"Carter?"

"Don't move," she whispers. "I'm –"

She accidentally brushes against him again and he hisses at the contact.

"Sam," he huffs out, his breath tickling her cheek and making her movements falter. "For the love of God, can you please stand still?"

"Sorry," she mumbles.

The colonel nods abruptly at her apology but his gaze lands on her face and when he catches the pink blush that now stains her cheeks, he realizes she knows the reason why he's asked her to stop fidgeting. He makes himself focus on a point just over Sam's shoulder and tries to think of anything that won't make his current condition worse. He manages to recite ten gate addresses before Sam dips her shoulder slightly and knocks against his awkwardly.

"Oh!"

Eyes wide, Jack's gaze snaps to hers.

"I think I'm almost there."

"What?"

Sam momentarily freezes at the panic that laces his voice but she just shakes her head.

"Carter!"

"Shush, sir."

Then he hears it. The soft click of metal, right before Sam grins and she wriggles her arms. Before the colonel can ask – again – just what the hell his teammate is doing, her hand appears in front of his face, a pair of handcuffs dangling from her index finger.

"How the hell did you manage that?"

"I used to pick locks as a kid," she shrugs.

"Locks I can understand. Cuffs though? That's kind of kin–"

He stops immediately and swallows hard at the word that was about to leave his lips. "Never mind," he mutters, his voice suddenly rough.

He glances around the small cell, before he decides he's nothing to lose.

"Think you can do me now?"

The silence that falls is deafening, except for the choked noise that escapes Sam.

"I – uh –"

"I can try," she says quietly.

Taking a deep breath, Sam manages to slide her arms between the colonel's and his sides. Her fingers graze his hands, but he isn't prepared for the contact and his hips jerk forward.

"Fuck," he whispers under his breath, but it clearly isn't quiet enough because he sees Sam trying to hide a smirk. He feels the cuffs dig into his skin before it's replaced with the pad of Sam's thumb brushing the inside of his wrist.

"You're gonna have to show me how you do that, you know," he murmurs in her ear before he can stop himself.

Without warning, Sam leans back and meets his eye, and Jack finds his gaze involuntarily flick down to her lips before travelling back up.

"I –"

Suddenly, the outer cell door bangs loudly as it opens, moments before Daniel and Teal'c appear.

"Are you two OK?"

"We're fine, Daniel," he answers after a moment's hesitation. "Just get us out of here, will ya?"

He looks back to Sam as she pulls her arms away from his body, but he can't help noticing how her fingers linger on his sides for a second longer than strictly necessary, or the way there's now a wicked gleam in her eye as she straightens.

"One day, sir," she whispers. "I promise to show you everything I know."