Sam fished the balls out of the pockets of the pool table and slid them across the surface. Trying not to look like she was looking, she surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder at Jack who had turned around and was talking to the bartender. She blew out a long, slow breath as she slowly arranged the balls in the triangular rack.
Jack walked back over to her and handed her another beer. The room was warm and her head already felt pleasantly fuzzy. She knew her limit and she was pretty sure one more might just push her over. She should politely decline. Instead she murmured thanks, reached out and took it. Her fingers brushed ever so lightly against his, burning heat rushed through them against the frosty cold of the glass bottle.
What is wrong with you tonight? The voice was practically screaming inside her head. But finally, this time, she ignored it. At least for tonight she was done being the level headed, logical Colonel. Her good sense seemed to have washed away. Caught up in a tide of the General's tilted smile and in his smell. The scent of fresh soap mixed with leather. He's so close now it fills her head and she almost closes her eyes to take a deep breath, to savor it.
He steps away towards the table and she feels his absence stronger than she expected. The air feels cold swirling through the space where his warm presence just inhabited. She cleared her throat and took a long deep sip of the beer. Enjoying the way the icy cold bubbles slide down her throat.
"Want to flip for the break sir?" She asked, as soon as she could trust herself to speak.
"Sure thing," he grinned and fished a quarter out of his pants pocket. "Call it in the air."
He flicked it up and she followed it with her eyes as it turned end over end.
"Heads."
He caught it and turned it over onto the back of his hand. "Awe, so sorry Carter, tails," he said, clicking his tongue.
"Are you sure?" She asked skeptically.
"Are you saying you don't trust me?" he asked in a mock wounded voice, as he slid the coin back into his pocket.
"Not when it comes to coin tosses!" She said. "But I'll let you have this one."
"Oh," he smirked wickedly. "So nice of you to give me this one Colonel."
"I figured you need all the help you can get, sir," she teased lightly.
"Hand me a stick," he answered.
"A cue?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, whatever," he said, taking a long swallow of his own beer before setting it down on a nearby table.
She pulled a cue out of the rack behind her and handed it to him as he walked around the table examining the balls. He picked up the cue ball and set it on the table. "So I just hit this one at the other ones right?" He asked.
She tilted her head slightly to the side. "You have played pool before, right sir?"
In answer he quickly took aim and broke the racked balls, sending them flying across the table and dropping three of them neatly into the pockets.
She couldn't help it, her mouth fell open.
"Solids," he said, straightening up and turning to look at her with an expression of utmost smugness on his face. "What Colonel?" He said, taking in her shocked expression. "You didn't really think I couldn't play pool did you?"
"Why didn't you ever play with us?" She asked, finally finding her voice.
"Oh come now Colonel," he said, taking a step closer to her and forcing her to look up at him. "I didn't think you'd want anyone to know there's actually something I can do better than you."
Her heart had started hammering at his proximity and she fought to regain her composure. "Well," she said, her voice taking on just the edge of a taunt. "I think that's yet to be determined, don't you, General?" She grinned back up at him and side stepped away, looking at the striped balls on the table and mentally working out her shot. She could feel his eyes yet again on her but she forced herself to ignore it as she leaned over the table.
She blew out a long breath and tried to focus. Usually when she played pool she slipped into a sense of calm. She could see the angles in her mind. Sine and cosines danced across the table in a beautiful mathematical ballet. Now it was just a jumble of numbers and equations roaring through the voices arguing in her mind. The rational one still questioned every decision she made this evening. However, it was being drowned out by a much louder voice. This one was being fueled by the alcohol and was calling for her to just grab the General by the front of his jacket. Pull them both backwards toward the pool table. He'd push her back over it. She'd pull him down on top. The balls would scatter. He'd slide his hands up under her shirt and…
She blinked, trying to pull her mind back to the game before she completely dissolved into fantasy. She shot but her aim was off by a fraction of an inch and she completely missed the ball she was targeting and scratched instead.
"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She didn't want to turn around and face him but she didn't have a choice.
He was shaking his head ever so slightly and grinning his superior grin that simultaneously infuriated her and made her want to melt into a puddle. "We should have put money on this game."
Her competitive nature kicked into place. Heart stopping smile or not, there was no way she was letting him win. "I'm just luring you into a false sense of security, sir."
"Sure Carter. But since you seem so confident, why don't we make a wager."
"Sorry sir, that last game I played cleaned me out."
"That's okay, you can owe me."
She grinned. "Still sure you'll win?"
"Completely, but you can owe me something else. A favor, if you will."
"Sir," she sighed, having a feeling where this was heading, "you know I really am not supposed to be doing your paperwork for you."
He held up a hand, "I didn't say anything about paperwork!"
She studied him for a moment, the urge to take his face in her hands was stronger than it had been all night and it was making it difficult to think. "Fine, but when I win I want the same."
"Fair enough." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Unless you want to cash in to try and get yourself and Daniel to Atlantis. Because I said no Carter. N..O!"
She let out a small laugh, "alright then, Atlantis is off the table. Anything else?"
"Anything else," he confirmed.
"Well then, your move sir."
He sent another ball sailing into the pocket, but missed his second shot. She blew out a silent sigh of relief. He had set her up perfectly. She eyeballed the angle, calculated it in her head, and knocked two into one pocket, cutting into his lead.
"Guess I won't be doing your paperwork after all sir," she said, her confidence returning.
"Plenty of time Carter," he said lazily.
A few shots later and they were both down to one ball each. She had been so distracted she didn't realize how quiet the restaurant was until she looked around and realized there was no one in sight.
"Sir," she asked looking at her watch, "do you know what time they close?"
"Oh we're good Carter, we can stay as late as we want."
"Are you sure? Doesn't the staff want to go home?"
"The owner and I go way back, we can just let ourselves out when we're done."
Tealc's words at dinner, about what the General had done, came rushing back and she couldn't help herself. "Why did you do it sir?" she heard herself blurt out.
His forehead creased in confusion. "Do what?"
"This," she said vaguely, waving a hand at the restaurant. "Why did you pay for all the repairs? Why didn't you tell Daniel and I? We would have helped out too."
He was silent for a long time, and she was beginning to think that he simply wasn't going to answer her. "Because," he finally said, avoiding looking directly into her eyes. "I know it's your favorite restaurant and I wanted you to be able to come back whenever you wanted. Just like it always was. Without it, you know, being weird or anything."
For the first time that evening some of his swagger had gone. He looked slightly apprehensive, as if he didn't know how she'd react.
Her brain was spinning so hard she couldn't seem to land on anything to say. He had done this for her?
"How did you know?" She asked. "How did you know it was my favorite restaurant?
He looked at her with his intense gaze. The one that always seemed to see right past whatever mask she had pasted on and seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. What she was feeling.
"I just knew."
She tilted her head to the side, "Sir…" she started.
"It's not really a big deal Carter," he said, cutting her off and sounding slightly embarrassed. "I was going to bring you here afterwards and tell you, but then…" he trailed off, leaving her guessing about which "but then" it was. The hundreds of buts, not nows and if onlys that had led them to this moment over the years. She had always thought maybe, someday there would be a way for them. But then… The wording on the invitation flashed into her mind again, "request the honor of your presence at their marriage".
Now she was the one closing the door, extinguishing the last of the flame, instead of just covering it up. Her mouth felt dry and she could feel her chest tightening around her heart.
"It's your turn," he said quietly.
She nodded, trying to blow slowly out her mouth and keep herself from descending into full blown panic. Even though the icy fingers clawing the inside of her brain she recognized the irony. She'd faced down megalomaniac aliens, flown across the galaxy, been shot at, and possessed. But this, the stack of cards and envelopes sitting in her office across town was causing her to spiral.
She had no chance, her hands were shaking, her head pounding and the cue ball passed inches away from her final striped ball. It came to a slow rest against the side of the table. She backed away, not bothering to say anything. It was the General's game. It would be a tricky shot to pull off to get his last ball in, but far from impossible. And he'd already proved he was more than competent.
He eyed the table for a long moment, then leaned over and gave the cue a quick, sharp rap. It missed his final solid ball, ricocheted off the side, and neatly knocked the black eight ball into the pocket. Her mouth dropped open.
"Damn," he said lightly, standing up. "Hell of a shot to miss." He turned to face her. "Alright Carter, you win. What will it be?"
She opened her mouth to argue. To say it wasn't fair, that there was no way he hadn't thrown the game on purpose. Instead, without thinking, without meaning to, the words tumbled out of her mouth.
"Kiss me."