AN: So crickets huh? Coward. Brave enough to repeatedly ream out an author you've never spoken to before but don't have the courage to stand up in front of a plethora of military people's replies and admit you were mistaken. That's ok. It's easy to be a jerk. Hard is admitting you were wrong to be a jerk. That's what makes SG-1 ethical. not who they kill or why or if they do one thing or not do that one thing, but the ability to step back and admit to the person they didn't listen to that they were wrong. Jack in the space Nazis episode comes to mind. THAT is what makes him an ethical man. The ability to admit he's wrong. It's what made my dad an ethical man too. My dad was a lot like Jack so when I'm not sure what Jack would do I think about what my dad would have done and why and usually it's in character. And my dad believed in calculated risk. Just like Jack does. And yah I know I just gave away the plot to anyone that knows me fairly well but I doubt little miss Karen the reader is still with us. I'm disappointed s/he's not. I'd hoped s/he had some ethics of his/her own after making such a hubbub about Jack's.

Chapter 4

Sam kissed Lisa's forehead affectionately as she tucked her in. "Get some rest."

"I will, Auntie Sam."

"I love you." Sam said to the seven year old.

"Love you too." Lisa said sleepily.

Sam smiled softly and turned off the light and backed out of the room, leaving the door partially ajar so the light from the hallway would reassure the girl, and into her commanding officer. It was a testament to her level of control that she didn't jump or make any noise when her back hit a solid wall of chest. "Sir." she said softy. "You startled me." She admonished him.

"Sorry, Carter. Didn't mean to." He said as his arm wrapped around her and fought off the urge to nuzzle the tantalizing column of neck directly under his nose. "We should probably go to bed." He said and tried to banish visions of going to bed with Sam from his mind rather unsuccessfully.

She turned and looked up at him.

Jack's eyes softened and his free hand came up to stroke her arm then cup her chin as he leaned in and brushed her lips with his own.

Sam was started for only a moment then melted into his kiss. "Jack." She breathed

"We're being watched." He murmured against her neck before tangling his fingers with hers and drawing her away from the door to Lisa's room.

Sam would have turned to look but Jack had pulled her away to their bedroom with a small shake of his head.

In her room, Lisa smiled. Grandpa was right about Uncle Jack.

Meanwhile in Sam and Jack's room, Jack was having a very hard time reminding himself this was just a mission… one the woman he's in love with happens to be wearing the family wedding ring for. Why hadn't he just grabbed the cheap simple bands you keep in your kit? He asked himself again. They could have told Lisa they got married in Vegas, for cryin' out loud… except a broken engagement was easier to explain then a fake divorce.

Sam came out of the bathroom. "It's all yours." She said, oblivious to the internal struggle regarding herself.

Jack just nodded and walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"What's eating him?" Sam wondered but got into bed and settled with a trashy romance novel she figured Jack would tease her about but she didn't want the distraction of reading anything that required much thought about the plot while on this mission. Maybe it would get her into the spirit of things she figured.

Jack returned in a pair of boxers and a white tank top. After their first night of waking up drenched in sweat because New Mexico was warmer than either of them was used to after years of Colorado's climate, they both laughed at their attempt to be modest, all things considered and agreed they could handle seeing each other's arms and legs.

Jack crawled into bed and flopped around a little until he was comfortable. "Might be nice if they sent us decent beds instead of ones that have been in storage for fifty years." He grumbled. "My back is going to hate me."

Sam snickered. "Sorry. I don't have control over the things they send us or I'd have rejected that hideous green and gold lamp in the living room."

"Hey, I like that lamp." Jack objected in an injured tone.

"You would." Sam said, chuckling.

"What'cha readin'?" Jack asked and tried to peek at her book.

Sam rolled her eyes and turned it so he couldn't see the cover where a space pirate stood in a classic gunslinger pose with a limpid eyed blond woman with torn clothing clutched at his side. "Random trash. Janet loaned it to me."

"Any good?"

Sam shrugged. "It's not the worst I've read."

Jack's eyes finally caught the writing on the spine. "Sarah Silver, huh? Sara used to read her. There's some weird fan theory that the author is really a guy."

"Why would you know that?" Sam asked him in surprise.

"Hey. I read books." Jack grumbled. "Not those books but, yah, I read books."

Sam grinned. "Would these books you read happen to be the Ernest Pratt novels in your bookcase behind the astronomy books by chance?"

"You went through my books?" Jack asked, a little unnerved.

"Mmm hmmm… including the suspiciously large selection of science fiction you keep telling Daniel and I you have no interest in." She said mildly without looking at him.

"Do'h." Jack said and winced.

Sam giggled. "Why do you do that anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Pretend you don't enjoy using your brain."

Jack shrugged and sighed. "Do you have any idea how much more the lab geeks would occupy my time if they knew I like Star Trek?"

Sam thought for a moment. Most of her staff already monopolized him when he wasn't hiding in her lab or Daniel's. She supposed if anyone but her knew they would probably want to talk shop with him as it was... And their life was pretty much a TV show… or should be. "Okay… so what will my silence buy?"

"My undying love and devotion?" Jack said hopefully.

Sam just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Nuts." Was all Jack said. She didn't have to say it. She already knew she had that anyway. "Okay, fine. When this op is over, I'll take you and Cassie to Disney."

"And?"

"And ride the roller coasters with you."

"Because?"

"Because even though it's nowhere near the thrill of being behind the stick of a fighter jet, it's still fun." Jack replied in a long-suffering tone.

"Okay." Sam said and flashed him a grin before going back to her book.

"The things I do for you." He muttered and rolled away from her on his side and tried to get comfortable on the lumpy vintage mattress.

Sam rolled her eyes again in amusement and went back to reading about time traveling space pirates with a heart of gold and the woman from the old West who could shoot a whisker off a pole cat from a hundred yards.

The next morning Sam woke to a warm familiar pair of arms wrapped around her and that was definitely not his side arm pressed against her backside. When she tried to move away though his arm tightened around her and warm lips nuzzled her neck.

Sam closed her eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the feel of him holding her. He wasn't awake enough to really realize what he was doing. She figured and what did it hurt anyway? There was no one there to say anything about the situation.

When his lips hit the particularly sensitive spot on her neck that made her melt, she ground her hips against his which elicited a groan of needy pleasure from Jack. "We should probably stop before this goes too far." He said against her neck. His fingers had worked under the loose shirt she wore and were gently stroking the underside of her breast.

"I don't want to stop." Sam complained, her voice breathy. Her free hand had sought out the long bare length of his thigh and was raking her nails gently through the hair on the side.

Jack groaned. "I don't either,'' he admitted and rolled her under him before claiming her mouth urgently.

"Auntie Sam, Uncle Jack, can I watch cartoons?" asked Lisa from the foot of the bed. She'd walked in entirely unnoticed when Jack had Sam's full attention while he kissed her.

Jack's head dipped into Sam's shoulder in defeat. "Sure, kiddo." Jack said.

Under him, Sam was trying desperately not to laugh but she couldn't stop the escape of an occasional snicker.

"No giggling, Carter." Jack grumbled.

"Uncle Jack, will you make omelets this morning? Auntie Sam says you make the best omelets."

"Sure thing." Jack said, shaking his head in amusement.

Sam smirked and tried not laugh when Jack mumbled against her neck. "I'm just going to take care of this problem I have first." That only made Sam giggle more.

"Not a word, Carter." He admonished her sulkily. "Not a word."

Groaning, Jack got out of the bed as soon as Lisa was out of the room and hurried towards the bathroom. After Jack closed the bathroom door, he could hear Sam laughing on the other side. His shoulders sagged. He supposed he was glad one of them could find the humor in this. Unhappily, he turned on the shower and stepped under the cold water.

A few minutes later he returned to an empty bedroom. He'd almost hoped she'd lock the bedroom door and join him in the shower but she hadn't even come in to brush her teeth while he showered. Their schedules and the lack of bathrooms might make their morning routine cozy during this op now that he thought about it. They were going to see a lot of each other in their underwear. Sooner or later, that was going to become an irresistible situation for one or both of them. Probably sooner if this morning was any indication.

He wandered down the hall barefoot in sweatpants and a 'Go Navy' shirt Daniel had bought him as a joke one year. Sam and Lisa were in the tiny den together apparently working on a picture puzzle.

"Hi Uncle Jack." Lisa said cheerfully.

"Hey kiddo. You sure you want omelets?" He asked, hoping to get out of cooking.

"I'm starrvvinnggg.." Lisa said dramatically.

"Right. Omelets." Jack huffed and scrubbed at his hair as he walked down the hall and hoped he'd be able to find anything useful as an omelet pan in the small kitchen.

A bit later as he's expertly folding the first omelet in the pan, Sam comes up behind him and wraps her arms around him. "Hey." He says to her softly surprised by her open affection.

"Hey." She said and rested her cheek on his back.

"Everything okay?"

"Mm hm." she agreed.

Jack stilled for a moment and set down his flipper before turning in her arms. "Something on your mind?" he asked, his expression perplexed.

"Just glad it's you." She admitted.

Jack gave her a quizzical look.

Sam shrugged. "It would have been a lot harder to pretend to be in a relationship with Daniel." She finally said.

Jack nodded slowly. He supposed actually being in love with each other made the situation more believable. "I wasn't trying to pressure you into anything earlier, Sam. This has always been up to you."

She nodded. "We'll talk about it later." She said softly, worried Lisa might overhear the conversation about what might not be staying in the room anymore and suspect there was something up. Her behavior needed to be believable. Sam and Jack were used to lying about their job daily. Lisa was just a kid and shouldn't have to lie to people nor would she be any good at it.

"Right." He agreed absently. He wanted to hope she was willing to compromise on her earlier decision but he didn't trust himself to hope either. The smell of burnt eggs made him whip back around. "Shit." He said and moved the eggs off the burner.

"That one's yours." Sam said, giggling.

"Yah yah. I don't see you making breakfast." He grumbled good naturedly. "And I happen to know you lied to Daniel about not knowing how to cook." He said and booped her on the nose affectionately.

"Who told?" She asked him in a scandalized voice.

"Siler ratted you out."

"See if I let him help me repair my bike again." She grumbled.

Jack chuckled, stole a quick kiss, and went to the fridge to grab more eggs before scraping his burnt omelet onto a plate.

"Try to go for not crunchy on the next two." Sam suggested.

"Perhaps my hot fiancée needs to mind her own business and stop tempting me with kisses." He teased back.

"Where's the fun in that?" She gave him a dimpled grin.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. They really didn't have to be this way but something told him the only way they were going to navigate this is just treat it like it really was real. "What time do we have to take Lisa over for orientation?" They were inserting the start of the first semester of school but the other kids had been in class for a couple of weeks already so Lisa was getting a separate orientation today after lunch then going meet her teachers as they had time.

"Thir… One o'clock." She corrected herself and smiled sheepishly.

"Don't let her wear any of that Happy Bunny crap to school." Jack admonished Sam about the t-shirts that said things like 'I hate Everyone' and 'Stop breathing'. "Someone will think we're terrible parents if you do."

Sam shook her head. "I had no idea it said that. Cassie was more into trying to look like everyone else."

Jack chuckled. "Every family has one." He grinned at Sam. "I was mine."

"You don't talk about them much."

Jack sighed. "Yah well… there isn't much to say." He said sadly as he cracked eggs into a bowl for another omelet.

"I know it's just…"

Jack nodded. "I don't like how it makes me feel."

Sam nodded in understanding. Everyone had tried to make him talk after Charlie and wouldn't just give him peace to process his feelings. It had driven him to a dark enough place that he was willing to end his own life to stop the anguish. She wouldn't push him about anything until he was ready. Not as his friend. Not as anything else. Whatever that 'else' was. She reached out and squeezed his arm gently before turning and leaving the kitchen. The words unspoken but understood, nevertheless.

Jack went back to cooking eggs.

.