Summary: Jack O'Neill is stuck in Atlantis with Richard Woolsey, under attack from Replicators, and counting down the days until his own standing orders ensure that a nuclear weapon is dropped on his head. Sam Carter is a galaxy away counting down the days until Jack returns from negotiations with the Ancients so they can finally go on a long-awaited vacation. When she stumbles upon John Sheppard and Carson Beckett attempting to steal anti-replicator weapons and hears about the replicator attack, she doesn't hesitate to join them and rescue the man she loves.
Author's note: This is a reimagining of The Return (Parts 1 & 2) if Sam Carter actually had participated in the rescue. Chapters will be from the POVs of Sam Carter, Jack O'Neill, and John Sheppard. Sam/Jack established relationship.
O'NEILL: Hey, you came back to rescue me.
WEIR: Hmm! Yes, we did.
O'NEILL: Of course, next time, consider bringing Carter with you.
~The Return, Part 2 (Stargate Atlantis)
"You're pouting," Sam said. "And not that I don't think it's a little adorable, but I don't want you to be in a bad mood on our trip."
Jack O'Neill added another t-shirt to his suitcase. "I'm not pouting."
Sam grabbed both their toothbrushes from the bathroom and handed his over before putting hers in her suitcase. "Sulking, then."
She went to grab underwear and her swimming suit out of the dresser before adding them to her luggage.
Jack continued packing, with a haphazard lack of efficiency he only ever demonstrated for non-work trips.
"I just can't believe that man said that I was no longer a test pilot."
Sam managed to hold in the laugh, but couldn't quite stop the smile.
"That man is the President of the United States."
Jack scoffed, as if the title meant nothing to him.
"I never should have voted for him."
Sam walked over, took the t-shirt from Jack's hand and threw it on the bed, and then placed her arms around his waist. He paused a moment before returning the embrace.
"Jack, you know why John Sheppard was chosen for the maiden voyage of the Gate Bridge."
He tightened his hold, just a bit.
"Because he's even more of a pain in the ass than me?"
She laughed, just a little.
"No, because he's on active duty. He's still in the field."
She knew that Jack missed his time out in the field. For all the terrible things they'd gone through, he thrived out there the way few people did. Flying a desk had been one frustrating challenge for him after another.
He was still good at it and the best person for the job, but she knew it wore on him.
"I hate my job," he complained.
She hugged him tight and placed a kiss over his heart. "Good thing we're going on vacation."
"Good thing." He leaned down and pulled her into a long, slow kiss. "I have lots of plans for this vacation. We have our very own maiden voyage to the Bahamas to worry about."
They had been trying to plan a real, warm weather vacation for a long time and she was glad they were finally going to manage it.
"Just think, if you were John Sheppard, you wouldn't be going to the beach with me in eight hours."
A grin spread across his face. "You make a very good point, Carter. I always said you were smart."
One of his hands slid under the fabric of her top to rest low on her back. His fingers ran across the skin just under the waistband of her jeans.
"Also," Sam added as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, "The President doesn't realize that once you're a test pilot you're always a test pilot. And lucky for you, I'm really into test pilots."
His free hand moved to the front of her jeans and popped the button loose. Then he slowly lowered the zipper.
"Imagine that," Jack replied, his voice a low rumble, "me too."
Sam finished unbuttoning his shirt and placed a kiss right at the spot where his neck met his collarbone. Her tongue dipped out to taste him before she pulled back and refocused on tugging his undershirt out of his pants.
Jack's hand dipped below her underwear and he felt exactly how much one particular test pilot did it for her.
He groaned her name into her ear and began to move his fingers in a steady rhythm. She tried to focus on undoing his jeans.
When she spoke, her voice came out almost breathless.
"Want to go for a test flight, General?"
She felt his quick intake of breath against her neck.
"When you're my co-pilot, Sam?" he answered. "Always."
She pulled back her head and adjusted the angle so she could capture his lips in a heated kiss.
Their suitcases were pushed to the floor in a hurry as they cleared the bed and shed their clothes. After all, they figured they deserved a break before they finished packing.
Sam's original goal had been to cheer Jack up, but he was so focused on making her feel good that she wasn't sure how much help she actually was.
She had never appreciated until they got together how many of his skills in the field could translate to the bedroom.
Those same hands that were steady enough to play with explosives and powerful enough to take down an enemy ran along the scars on her skin with a delicate touch and pulled her to him with a firm grip.
The ability to read her with a quick glance kept him adaptable and working towards their common goal.
The close combat experience made it easy for him to flip their positions to his advantage.
That sense of strategy that once kept them alive now left her moaning and gasping for air as he mapped his way across her body with his lips and fingertips, always one step ahead.
His attention to detail told him what it meant when her hand clenched against his shoulders and her fingers tugged on his hair.
The years of giving orders kept his whispered instructions clipped and concise.
"Look at me, Sam."
Years of following orders left him with no hesitation when she pleaded, "Jack, now."
They moved together with a sense of rightness that still surprised her.
Sex with Jack was always great. But sex with Jack when he felt like he had something to prove was a whole other level.
It took her a while to catch her breath afterwards.
"You can fly my plane anytime, O'Neill."
He laughed loud and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. "God, I love you."
They were laying there, naked and comfortable, her body curled up against his, when his cell phone rang.
"I'm not going to answer it," he said, low voice brushing against her hair. "I'm off duty."
"It might be an emergency," she pointed out, running a hand along his shoulder and down his arm.
"Don't care," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"It might be the end of the world."
He laughed and pulled back, laying his head back against the pillow and running a hand over his face. "You know, someone else should start figuring out how to fix those problems. It shouldn't always be us. I wanna play hooky."
The phone rang again and it sounded more insistent this time.
"I'll still be here when you get back."
Jack leaned up until he was sitting on the bed. He reached behind him for the cell phone, but kept looking at her.
"Will you really?"
They still had these moments sometimes, where one or the other of them would realize how fragile their relationship could become if they weren't careful.
They had a solid foundation, but lived in metaphorical earthquake territory. The ground was always shifting beneath them.
"No place else I'd rather be," she admitted.
Jack pulled her forward for a brief, loving kiss before answering the call.
Sam watched as he got dressed while he spoke on the phone, awkwardly repositioning his grip as he pulled on an undershirt and dress shirt. He almost tripped when trying to put on a clean pair of underwear so she grabbed his phone and held it up against his ear.
He mouthed the word "thank you" in her direction and got briefly distracted by her lack of clothing as she kneeled before him on the bed before the phone conversation regained his attention. He gave brief, brusque answers as he finished dressing and eventually grabbed the phone out of her grip, turning to face the window.
She pulled one of his t-shirts out of the dresser and put it on. Being naked around him was less fun when she knew nothing was going to come of it.
A couple minutes later, Jack got off the phone and turned back around to face her. As she suspected, the call came from Landry. Apparently Jack needed to go to Atlantis because Sheppard and McKay had stumbled upon an Ancient ship with a full crew in stasis.
"According to Elizabeth Weir, the Ancients asked to talk to the person who can speak for all of Earth," he told her, shaking his head at the description.
"You've come so far," she teased. "First a test pilot and now Earth spokesman."
He looked over at her, vague discomfort in his expression, as he put his tie on and tied it.
"The IOA is also sending Richard Woolsey."
He opened his suitcase, dumped the contents on the floor on his side of the bed, and started packing with military precision for this impromptu trip to Atlantis.
"Maybe it won't be so bad?" she said, hoping to help him stay positive.
Jack shot her a glare that told her exactly what he thought about spending time with Richard Woolsey in the Pegasus galaxy.
"It'll probably only be a day or two, but we should reschedule our vacation plans. I don't want you waiting on me in case I have to stay longer."
She wanted to argue that it would be fine if they left on vacation a couple days late, but she knew Jack was right. Real live Ancients were in Atlantis. This would be a flexible situation and he couldn't make any guarantees.
"Okay," she agreed.
"Two days max," he told her, leaning forward to press a kiss against her forehead. "Unfortunately, given this new situation, I'll probably have to fly directly back to Washington to meet with the President afterward."
Just like that, their two weeks of planned vacation together had been cut down to zero. Sam decided that she'd cancel her leave all together.
She slid her hand down to grasp his, not ready to let him go just yet.
"When are you going to be back out here?"
She didn't ask when they would be able to reschedule their trip because she didn't want him to feel worse than he already did.
"I'll have to check my calendar, but I think about three weeks."
She leaned against Jack and he wrapped his free arm around her.
"We could try the trip again then," she suggested.
It wouldn't be the first time they'd needed to adjust their plans because of work. It just happened to be the first time with a traditional beach vacation planned where flights and hotel reservations were involved.
"I like that idea."
He turned her slightly and cupped her cheeks with his palms.
"Three weeks, Carter. You, me, sun, surf, and sand. I promise."
They shared a smile and Sam leaned into his kiss. She felt a little light-headed when he eventually pulled away.
"I'll hold you to that," she replied. "Now go save a galaxy."
"Yes, ma'am."
It was her turn now to wait while he kept the universe on the right track. A part of her couldn't help wishing that he'd never picked up the phone.