A/N: Thanks, everyone, for the following favs and reviews. I actually changed this chapter is way more S/J, and I wanted to ease into that a little more slowly. I hope you enjoy it.
It was the end of November, and it had been a month since the last adventure Sam had taken the team on. The snow was piling on, and Colorado had always seemed to be the coldest place she had ever lived. She wanted a weekend getaway. She thought of all the things the foursome could do when it clicked. She quickly made a few calls and was excited to hear there was space for them on a hop. She quickly confirmed with the guys that this weekend was doable, and when they all agreed, she made the arrangements.
"Meet me at the airport at 8 pm," Sam stated.
They all looked at her oddly, shaking their heads.
"We'll be back Sunday afternoon," Sam exclaimed.
Jack had barely made it home to pack before taking off to the airport. Teal'c had always been ready to go at a moment's notice, and Daniel had prepared a weekend bag in advance.
They follow Sam through security and show their IDs they get to the gate.
"You're kidding," Jack claims.
"Nope," Sam claimed.
Jack shook his head at the video board reading: Las Vegas (LAS)
They get on the plane. The short 2 hours non-stop flight seemed to go by quickly
"Any idea's on where to stay?" Jack asked.
"Have you been here before?" Sam asks.
"A time or two," Jack stated.
Daniel shook his head no.
"Why not get a suite at the Bellagio," Sam claims.
"That's a little pricey." Jack forewarned.
"I'll get it comped," Sam claimed.
"You don't know that," Jack claims.
"Yes, I do, and if not, I'll pay for it myself," Sam claimed.
Jack looks at her and nods his head.
They take a taxi to the Bellagio, and the fountains are doing their dance as they pull in.
Teal'c is looking all around, confused by this strange city. He had heard of this city and read some articles, not quite sure how spending currency for entertainment could be considered fun, but he was already taking in the views.
Sam leads the men to the front desk and asks for any available suites, which they have several. She asks for the 2 bedroom suite. It was priced high but in the middle as far as suite rates go. She puts her credit card on file, and they head up to the room.
They walk in, and Jack is speechless.
"Carter, this is bigger than my house," Jack claimed.
Sam smiles, and all three of the guys are walking over the place, taking in the views. Sam had always wanted to stay here, and after so many years with the SGC, she's figured the best time to do things is in the present.
Sam wonders if she wants a room to herself with no window or to share the master bedroom with a beautiful view of the strip.
She decides she came out here to enjoy the sun and heat and that she would share the room. She picked the bed closest to the window and told the guys she didn't care who she shared it with.
Teal'c assures that the living area will suffice and is already setting candles on the coffee table.
Jack and Daniel flip a coin, Daniel winning the bedroom to himself.
Jack walks in, takes the other bed, and watches Sam unpack as he simply puts his feet up.
"This is a spectacular view," Jack claimed.
"Isn't it," Sam asked as she closed the drawer.
"You can't see all of it from your viewpoint, but yeah," Jack claimed.
Sam looked oddly at him, not sure what he meant, but stepped back looked again. The sun had already set, and the bright lights were something that always took her breath away.
"This was a good idea, Carter," Jack stated.
"Yeah?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Jack claims.
Sam smiled and looked at Jack, and went back to the living area, Sam suggested the group go to the casino floor, and they all explained to Teal'c the slot machines, they'd played poker on multiple occasions, They had played Black Jack as well but not with so many decks of cards. The group of four sit at the slot machines. Sam picked the .25 cent machine, knowing the low chance of winning and putting $20 in the machine. The guys followed. It seemed Teal'c had won. Jack won a few dollars and quit while he was ahead, ordering drinks for the group. The bell on Teal'c's machine kept going, and he had won S1,000. Sam laughed and told Teal'c how much he had won, and it looked like Teal'c may be the one paying for the suite. Jack shook his head, and Daniel looked surprised.
Jack and Sam had decided to play poker together, Daniel knew how to play but wasn't willing to risk the buy-in, and Teal'c had felt he should quit while he was ahead. Daniel and Teal'c had decided to get some food.
It was a few hours later when Sam and Jack had come back up to the room, Daniel and Teal'c were watching TV, it was late, but Sam had indeed got a discount on the room while it wasn't free it was a considerable amount. Both Sam and Jack had been drinking, both were tipsy, but they had been able to have a short conversation with Teal'c and Daniel before heading to the master bedroom.
"Sleep, or are you are showering?" Jack asks.
"Mmm, a hot shower sounds nice, but I'm so tired," Sam claimed as she cola
"Sleep it is. I'll see you in the morning," Jack stated and started unbuttoning his shirt and pulling off the jeans he was wearing. Sam knew she should have turned and given him a bit of privacy, but she didn't. Jack seemed not to be paying much attention and didn't say anything, getting under the covers quickly.
Sam got on pajamas, on Jack was facing away from her, giving her the privacy she didn't give him moments earlier.
"Jack?" Sam asked.
"Carter?" Jack turned over and looked at her. She was standing at the window.
Jack realized she had stopped the words from coming out of her mouth.
He stood up and walked over to her.
"What is it," Jack asked.
"I'm drunk; it was just a thought," Sam said honestly.
Jack looked at her. "You can tell me anything," Jack claimed. He got back out of bed and came towards her.
She looked up at him and bit her lip. She shook her head no, but he brought her in, and she allowed him to hold her for a while.
"You know they say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," Jack claimed.
Sam looked at him and smiled.
"I'm sorry we left it in the room. I wish… but….." Sam stated.
"I know Carter, I know," Jack claimed and pulled her back into his chest and kissed her hair, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.
"Goodnight, Sam." Jack finally said.
Sam pulled the curtains.
"Goodnight," Sam stated and crawled into bed, turning off the lamp making the room pitch black.
The next morning, neither Sam nor Jack mentioned anything of the night before. They took their turn showering and getting dressed in the bathroom. Sam insisted on room service. The large bar and living room area were perfect for their meal. Then, it was out to show both Daniel and Teal'c the town, deciding to head downtown to "old Las Vegas" and spent some time on Freemont street. Teal'c was surprised by the number of women not wearing tops and what Jack called Pasties covering their nipples. No one really explained more about the situation. Teal'c had asked a lot about the advertisements, and Sam was ready to go to a magic show or Blue Man Group. What she was not expecting was Teal'c wanting to go to a burlesque show. Daniel and Jack had attempted to talk Teal'c out of it, explaining that it was sexual in nature, but Teal'c didn't see it sexual at all and was utterly confused by the team's abrasiveness to go. Sam finally agreed that it was a good choice, not her first or second or 23rd choice, but it wasn't like she had ever been to one herself, and she was slightly curious. So she went and bought tickets for that night's early show.
Jack pulled Sam aside.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jack asked.
"Honestly, I am a bit curious myself," Sam claimed.
Jack grinned.
"Well then, as long as you're alright with it." Jack smiled.
They decided to take the bus to the Stratosphere Hotel and go up to the observation deck. It was beautiful. The whole strip could be seen, the mountains, downtown, it felt strange seeing so much difference in a small amount of space. They decided to walk their way down the strip to Circus Circus, playing carnival-style games. Teal'c even won a bear and some candy with the tickets he had won. They then walked further to the Mirage, looking at the volcano, but it was too early in the day to watch it erupt. They then walked further down to Caesar's Palace and roaming around the area. It was a massive expanse that none of them realized how big it was. They found lunch there and went back out to their own Hotel, watching the fountains. They walked down the strip opting for the tram, taking them to Mandalay Bay. They decided to go to the Shark exhibit and stayed there for a while, looking around.
They had decided to walk back to the Flamingo where their show was and would stop every so often for free plays on slots and other things, trying to entice them to come in. Sam mentioned food should be their next concern, and they looked around, finally eating at a tapas restaurant, their table covered in small dishes to share.
When they finally made it back to the Flamingo for the 8 pm show, Sam wasn't sure what to expect. She had been to some strip clubs plenty of times, when most of your friends were male, at the academy, you sort of wound up at a club a time or two. Sam didn't pay too much attention to the girls dancing.
Sam, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c were sitting in the middle left of center seats, and Sam insisted on sitting on the end beside Teal'c leaving Daniel and Jack to sit next to each other. Daniel and Jack instantly looked away from each other as the show started.
Jack and Daniel didn't say a word to each other. Every once in a while, Sam would check in with Teal'c, asking if the show was okay and if this was what he expected. He told her it was very exceptionable but not what he had thought. Jack was having some other issues, the seating was packed tight, and the woman next to him had no qualms of flirting with him and touching his leg. He had been more than kind when asking that she keep her limbs confined to her space, sometimes it was purely accidental as there wasn't much room, but other times, he knew it was obvious.
He had asked Teal'c to trade places with him when the comedian came on, and Teal'c agreed.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked, knowing Jack's look in his eyes.
"That lady over there has a thing for me and is touching me way too much. I figure T over there might be a better situation, Sam looked at the woman in question, a lady similar in age to Jack, and she looked pissed he had moved. She glared at the woman, and their eyes met, and Sam giving the best "back off" glance she could. The woman just gave her a dirty look back.
The comedian started, and she was funny, Sam Jack and Daniel were all laughing, Teal'c time to time as well when he got the joke. Then the ladies retook the stage, and Sam watched in awe as they danced. Jack had seen Sam smile at the routine and looked at her face more than he did the act, shocked that Sam Carter was actually into this. Sam had actually put her hand on his arm and at one point told him: "The stage is up there."
Jack blushed and pointed his head to the dancers. Every so often, Sam would put her hand on his though, grazing it, giving him goosebumps, the first time, he thought it was an accident but noticed she was doing frequently enough, it wasn't. Sam's hand and the girl's routine had been a bit too much for him. He thanked God the lights were low enough that Sam hadn't seen the results forming in his pants.
"Carter, can you stop, please." Jack finally hissed.
She pulled away quickly, apologizing, blushing for him.
"Well, that was something," Daniel stated.
"I very much enjoyed the show, Daniel Jackson. What did you think, O'Neill." Teal'c asked.
"It was wonderful," Jack said sarcastically.
"Samantha, what did you think of it," Teal'c asked.
Sam smiled up at Teal'c, "It was enjoyable." Sam claimed.
Daniel shot her a look, wondering if she was lying.
"What, I can't enjoy a burlesque show?" Sam asked.
"No, no, I just wasn't sure if you were trying to be nice," Daniel claimed.
Sam just shook her head and walked up to the bar, grabbing a Jack Daniels.
Daniel looked over at her. "Are you sure everything is okay?" Daniel asked.
"Everything is fine," Sam insisted.
She poured herself a drink and got some ice. She wondered if this was a good idea at all.
"I'm just going to get some pajamas," Sam claimed.
She quickly changed in a t-shirt and lounge pants and went back to the living area with Daniel and Teal'c.
"So is there anything else you want to see Teal'c?" Sam asked.
Teal'c shook his head no.
"Actually, I would enjoy one of the history displays they have at the Luxor right now," Daniel claimed.
Sam looked at her hopeful friend. Well, it's either tonight or in the morning, you're choice." Sam claimed.
"Morning would be best," Daniel claimed.
Sam nodded and went back to the window in the living area, looking over the town.
Teal'c and Daniel go through the countless magazines and brochures to see if they can do anything late that night or before their flight at 2:30 pm.
Hey, we can go see this, Daniel claimed. Sam looked at the brochure "Midnight magic." An hour-long late-night magic show fun for all ages. It was right off the strip, and Sam agrees, but they would have to leave in the next 30 minutes, so Sam quickly goes and changes back into jeans before they head back out. The streets look more crowded at night compared to this morning. They find their way to an older building with people lined up to get in. They get in to find themselves seated in the middle. The magician was doing all kinds of tricks, and Daniel, Jack, and Teal'c all suddenly acted if Sam had a Ph.D. in magic instead of science, asking her how he did certain things. Sam just shrugged her shoulders despite knowing how most of the tricks were done. It was enjoyable and funny as well. The group was tired but glad they had stayed out late. When they came back through the casino to get to their rooms, you would never know it was 1:20 am. People were all over the place gambling.
When they get back to the room, they're all tired but, Jack grabbed a beer from the bar and asked Daniel or Teal'c if they wanted anything, Daniel declined, and the group set watching the hotel channel, Jack or Sam explaining some of the entertainment they'd seen in the past.
"You know we should really do a buffet," Jack claimed.
"The Wynn is the best," Sam claimed.
"The Wynn it is, for lunch before take off," Jack claimed.
Daniel smiled and nodded.
"Well, the exhibit at the Luxor opens at 9 am so, is there anything else we want to do?" Jack asked.
They all look at each other, no one says a word, and they feel satisfied with their weekend getaway.
Sam goes to bed early, staring out the window, not even closing it to the bright lights. Jack comes in a short while later, closing the curtains wishing Sam a goodnight and falling asleep.