Chapter 10
"Lots of trees here." Sam said dryly as she stepped out of Jack's SUV. It had taken
them over 16 hours of near continuous driving to get up the cabin, but Sam had to
admit it was sure beautiful.
"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Jack quipped as he blissfully released his legs
from the driver's seat. It had been his great idea to try and make it up here in one
day. Hindsight dictated that this wasn't one of his better ones. Although he and Sam
HAD shared the driving time, he was still pretty damn wiped out. **Getting old
Jack.**
Sam couldn't believe she was actually here. Had it really taken her 5 years?! She
had wanted to come up before now but was just too fearful that a rustic cabin, a
good bottle of wine and Jack O'Neill would lead to very unwholesome thoughts. No-
they were wholesome all right, just not appropriate. Thank god they didn't have to
hide anything anymore! She was actually allowed and even ENCOURAGED to hang
out with Colonel Jack O'Neill. Go figure.
"Lemme give you the big tour." Jack said walking around the car and putting his
arm around Sam's waist. Sam instinctively stiffened (against her will dammit!) and
pulled slightly away. She reached down to take Jack's hand in an attempt to cover it
up. Jack wasn't fooled in the slightest.
It had been 5 days now since '415 and Sam and Jack's sex life left something to be
desired. Five days wasn't anything to be worried about for a normal couple, but
after over 3 years of unresolved sexual tension, 'normal' for Jack and Sam was at
LEAST once a day (when they weren't off-world that is). Jack had been quite smug
after the first month. Not bad for a guy in his mid 40's eh?
But not now. Jack had no illusions that making love wasn't something they would do
anytime soon, but he did hope she would at least take comfort in his physical
presence. Sam had begun wearing long sleeve pajama tops and bottoms to bed.
Not exactly a sign that she was coming to grips with things. Her previous sleeping
attire consisted of a pair of his boxers and nothing else. And though she DID still
like to cuddle and always fell asleep tightly spooned against Jack's body, there had
been no additional physical contact.
The night before Jack had accidentally (on purpose) reached under her silken top to
lightly touch her waist. Sam had surprised both of them by bolting straight up and
scrambling out of bed. She had made some remark about being really thirsty but no
one was fooled. For nearly 20 minutes Sam had sat on the cold kitchen floor cursing
the Goa'ulds and the Khans and wishing she could just stop feeling this way. She
was thankful Jack was giving her space but wondered how long even he could keep
this up.
Silently Sam had padded back to the bedroom and slid under the covers. Jack had
pretended to be asleep when she came back to bed and although he had desperately
wanted to talk to her about it- kept quiet. It was obvious she wasn't ready yet.
Sam molded herself tightly against Jack's body and kissed him softly on the neck.
"I love you Jack O'Neill."
In the darkness Jack had allowed himself a small smile. At least Sam still loved him;
she might not allow him to touch her at the moment, but knowing that she still loved
him went a long ways towards making things better. There were no nightmares for
either one of them that night.
The sound of a small splash snapped Jack back the here and now.
"Teal'c tells me there aren't any fish in here." Sam said picking up another small
stone and throwing it into the water.
"I think I saw a carp last year." Jack countered with a smile. He hoped it wasn't his
imagination- Sam DID look more relaxed up here. Jack was happy to see her lean
legs again. The shorts might be walking shorts, but they were still a step in the right
direction.
"Planning on doing a spot of fishing Sir?"
"Sir?!" Jack said with a frown. "You are SO not allowed to call me Sir while at this
cabin!" He might have been worried if he hadn't seen Sam trying to hide a smile.
"Ahh, but I haven't shown you the inside of the cabin so you are forgiven." Now it
was Sam's turn to be confused. What was Jack up too?
He opened the front door and pointed to a sign nailed to one of the rafters above
their head. "Abandon Ranks all ye who Enter."
"Cute." Sam said with a grin.
"I thought so."
Jack continued showing Sam around the place. The cabin had begun its life as a
small, single bedroom shack on a 10-acre lot. Over the years Jack had gutted and
rebuilt the inside, added an additional floor that included two bedrooms and a second
bathroom, and most recently built a rooftop deck. Taking Sam's hand, Jack helped
her up the spiral staircase that ran up through a small loft/attic and onto the roof.
"To the north there is the Chippewa National Forest." Jack said pointing at the
heavily forested land straight ahead. "And although you can't see it from here, Lake
Superior is out there somewhere to the east."
"It's funny how different this really is than all those planets we tromp across. I don't
know what it is Jack, but I can always tell when we're home. A planet might have
nearly the same kind of Douglas Fir or Alder tree, but it just isn't home, ya know?"
Sam took a deep breath of the fresh.
Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know." They stood there in quiet contemplation
for several long moments before Jack suddenly snapped his fingers. "Be right back!"
He ran down the stairs and returned with a rather large telescope. His telescope
from home in fact. "And wait until you see the stars Sam! It's incredible the sheer
number you can see out here!" Sam couldn't help but share Jack's enthusiasm.
She smiled wholeheartedly alongside him.
"Can't wait!"
They brought in the rest of the groceries and luggage and Jack quickly shooed Sam
out of the kitchen insisting he wanted to make her a meal on his own. Sam didn't
put up much of a fight and quietly retreated to the living room where she wrapped
herself in one of the afghan blankets lying around and curled up on the couch to read
a book.
Jack poked his head out 40 minutes later to find Sam fast asleep. A book on
wormhole physics lay on her stomach. Jack smiled as he put the cork back in the
wine bottle and set the oven on low. Dinner could wait until later.
Sam woke up several hours later to find the sun had set and the local crickets
putting on a symphony outside their cabin.
"Noisy aren't they?" Jack asked from across the room. He had just finished making
a fire.
"How long was I out for?"
"Three hours."
"Jack! You should have woken me up!" Sam said irritated. "Now I'll never fall back
to sleep."
Jack smiled at the image of Sam with her hair in disarray and faint pillow creases on
her left cheek. "As your commanding officer, I thought you needed the sleep. And
as a guy who loves you very much…" Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "I just liked
watching you sleep." Sam blushed slightly and ran her fingers through her hair in an
attempt to tame the 'bed head' look she was sure she had.
"Hungry?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I think I am." Sam said surprising herself. She hadn't been eating too well
and knew Janet had mentioned something to Jack. Sometimes it truly sucked having
your CO be the guy your dating. A NORMAL boyfriend wouldn't have noticed her lack
of appetite. And even if he had his suspicions, he wouldn't have known for sure
because her doctor sure as hell wouldn't have mentioned it to him. Of course, a
NORMAL boyfriend was something Samantha Carter hadn't experienced in over a
decade. She shook her head in disbelief as she stood up and stretched. The nap
had felt good.
They ate a slow and leisurely meal and then afterwards went for a walk along the
lakeside. They couldn't see much, but the sounds of the forest at night were
soothing. Later they made their way up to the roof and spent a good hour looking at
stars and trying to figure out which ones they had visited. Jack was feeling pretty
damn good about everything as they got ready for bed. He was a little bummed
when Sam put on her silk pajamas, but couldn't help but smile as one of Sam's
hands found its way under his t-shirt to rest atop his stomach. She idly played with
the small patch of hair around his belly button. He might not be able to touch her
yet, but she was beginning to touch him and that was a wonderful thing.
Both of them fell asleep rather quickly and for Jack O'Neill there were no dreams
what so ever. Unfortunately Sam wasn't so lucky. Her nightmare gripped her with
such force that she awoke shaking like a leaf with a scream lodged tight in her
throat. Before Jack could offer any words of comfort she bolted from the bed to the
bathroom and became violently ill. Jack was by her side in moments rubbing her
back and whispering comforting words. He offered her a cool washcloth after she
was done and stayed with her as she silently brushed her teeth and splashed water
on her face. Together they returned to the bed but for the first time in five nights,
Sam turned away from Jack and curled herself into a tight ball on the far edge of the
mattress. She might have been physically only a few feet away but her body
screamed at Jack to stay away. And he did.
The next morning Jack awoke before Sam and spent several long minutes watching
her sleep. Sam lay on her right side with her knees bent and a pillow clasped tightly
against her chest; she didn't look restful at all. Jack sighed quietly and ran a hand
tenderly across her face. Sam murmured in her sleep but didn't wake up. Jack
quietly left the bedroom and made his way towards the kitchen. He took his time
brewing a fresh pot of coffee and mentally inventorying ingredients he would still
need to pick up in town later that day. Coffee in hand Jack grabbed his cell phone
and stepped out onto the front porch. The sun was just rising and the myriad of
colors amongst the clouds always managed to leave him a little awe-struck. He sat
on the swinging chair for several minutes debating whether or not to make the call.
His concern over Sam won out over the potential backlash.
"Dr. Janet Frasier please." Jack said to the SGC switchboard operator.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tbc….
Notes: I have no idea where Jack's cabin is—I just did a basic "mapquest" query for
distance/time from central CO to central MN. The Chippewa forest is real though.
"Lots of trees here." Sam said dryly as she stepped out of Jack's SUV. It had taken
them over 16 hours of near continuous driving to get up the cabin, but Sam had to
admit it was sure beautiful.
"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" Jack quipped as he blissfully released his legs
from the driver's seat. It had been his great idea to try and make it up here in one
day. Hindsight dictated that this wasn't one of his better ones. Although he and Sam
HAD shared the driving time, he was still pretty damn wiped out. **Getting old
Jack.**
Sam couldn't believe she was actually here. Had it really taken her 5 years?! She
had wanted to come up before now but was just too fearful that a rustic cabin, a
good bottle of wine and Jack O'Neill would lead to very unwholesome thoughts. No-
they were wholesome all right, just not appropriate. Thank god they didn't have to
hide anything anymore! She was actually allowed and even ENCOURAGED to hang
out with Colonel Jack O'Neill. Go figure.
"Lemme give you the big tour." Jack said walking around the car and putting his
arm around Sam's waist. Sam instinctively stiffened (against her will dammit!) and
pulled slightly away. She reached down to take Jack's hand in an attempt to cover it
up. Jack wasn't fooled in the slightest.
It had been 5 days now since '415 and Sam and Jack's sex life left something to be
desired. Five days wasn't anything to be worried about for a normal couple, but
after over 3 years of unresolved sexual tension, 'normal' for Jack and Sam was at
LEAST once a day (when they weren't off-world that is). Jack had been quite smug
after the first month. Not bad for a guy in his mid 40's eh?
But not now. Jack had no illusions that making love wasn't something they would do
anytime soon, but he did hope she would at least take comfort in his physical
presence. Sam had begun wearing long sleeve pajama tops and bottoms to bed.
Not exactly a sign that she was coming to grips with things. Her previous sleeping
attire consisted of a pair of his boxers and nothing else. And though she DID still
like to cuddle and always fell asleep tightly spooned against Jack's body, there had
been no additional physical contact.
The night before Jack had accidentally (on purpose) reached under her silken top to
lightly touch her waist. Sam had surprised both of them by bolting straight up and
scrambling out of bed. She had made some remark about being really thirsty but no
one was fooled. For nearly 20 minutes Sam had sat on the cold kitchen floor cursing
the Goa'ulds and the Khans and wishing she could just stop feeling this way. She
was thankful Jack was giving her space but wondered how long even he could keep
this up.
Silently Sam had padded back to the bedroom and slid under the covers. Jack had
pretended to be asleep when she came back to bed and although he had desperately
wanted to talk to her about it- kept quiet. It was obvious she wasn't ready yet.
Sam molded herself tightly against Jack's body and kissed him softly on the neck.
"I love you Jack O'Neill."
In the darkness Jack had allowed himself a small smile. At least Sam still loved him;
she might not allow him to touch her at the moment, but knowing that she still loved
him went a long ways towards making things better. There were no nightmares for
either one of them that night.
The sound of a small splash snapped Jack back the here and now.
"Teal'c tells me there aren't any fish in here." Sam said picking up another small
stone and throwing it into the water.
"I think I saw a carp last year." Jack countered with a smile. He hoped it wasn't his
imagination- Sam DID look more relaxed up here. Jack was happy to see her lean
legs again. The shorts might be walking shorts, but they were still a step in the right
direction.
"Planning on doing a spot of fishing Sir?"
"Sir?!" Jack said with a frown. "You are SO not allowed to call me Sir while at this
cabin!" He might have been worried if he hadn't seen Sam trying to hide a smile.
"Ahh, but I haven't shown you the inside of the cabin so you are forgiven." Now it
was Sam's turn to be confused. What was Jack up too?
He opened the front door and pointed to a sign nailed to one of the rafters above
their head. "Abandon Ranks all ye who Enter."
"Cute." Sam said with a grin.
"I thought so."
Jack continued showing Sam around the place. The cabin had begun its life as a
small, single bedroom shack on a 10-acre lot. Over the years Jack had gutted and
rebuilt the inside, added an additional floor that included two bedrooms and a second
bathroom, and most recently built a rooftop deck. Taking Sam's hand, Jack helped
her up the spiral staircase that ran up through a small loft/attic and onto the roof.
"To the north there is the Chippewa National Forest." Jack said pointing at the
heavily forested land straight ahead. "And although you can't see it from here, Lake
Superior is out there somewhere to the east."
"It's funny how different this really is than all those planets we tromp across. I don't
know what it is Jack, but I can always tell when we're home. A planet might have
nearly the same kind of Douglas Fir or Alder tree, but it just isn't home, ya know?"
Sam took a deep breath of the fresh.
Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know." They stood there in quiet contemplation
for several long moments before Jack suddenly snapped his fingers. "Be right back!"
He ran down the stairs and returned with a rather large telescope. His telescope
from home in fact. "And wait until you see the stars Sam! It's incredible the sheer
number you can see out here!" Sam couldn't help but share Jack's enthusiasm.
She smiled wholeheartedly alongside him.
"Can't wait!"
They brought in the rest of the groceries and luggage and Jack quickly shooed Sam
out of the kitchen insisting he wanted to make her a meal on his own. Sam didn't
put up much of a fight and quietly retreated to the living room where she wrapped
herself in one of the afghan blankets lying around and curled up on the couch to read
a book.
Jack poked his head out 40 minutes later to find Sam fast asleep. A book on
wormhole physics lay on her stomach. Jack smiled as he put the cork back in the
wine bottle and set the oven on low. Dinner could wait until later.
Sam woke up several hours later to find the sun had set and the local crickets
putting on a symphony outside their cabin.
"Noisy aren't they?" Jack asked from across the room. He had just finished making
a fire.
"How long was I out for?"
"Three hours."
"Jack! You should have woken me up!" Sam said irritated. "Now I'll never fall back
to sleep."
Jack smiled at the image of Sam with her hair in disarray and faint pillow creases on
her left cheek. "As your commanding officer, I thought you needed the sleep. And
as a guy who loves you very much…" Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "I just liked
watching you sleep." Sam blushed slightly and ran her fingers through her hair in an
attempt to tame the 'bed head' look she was sure she had.
"Hungry?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I think I am." Sam said surprising herself. She hadn't been eating too well
and knew Janet had mentioned something to Jack. Sometimes it truly sucked having
your CO be the guy your dating. A NORMAL boyfriend wouldn't have noticed her lack
of appetite. And even if he had his suspicions, he wouldn't have known for sure
because her doctor sure as hell wouldn't have mentioned it to him. Of course, a
NORMAL boyfriend was something Samantha Carter hadn't experienced in over a
decade. She shook her head in disbelief as she stood up and stretched. The nap
had felt good.
They ate a slow and leisurely meal and then afterwards went for a walk along the
lakeside. They couldn't see much, but the sounds of the forest at night were
soothing. Later they made their way up to the roof and spent a good hour looking at
stars and trying to figure out which ones they had visited. Jack was feeling pretty
damn good about everything as they got ready for bed. He was a little bummed
when Sam put on her silk pajamas, but couldn't help but smile as one of Sam's
hands found its way under his t-shirt to rest atop his stomach. She idly played with
the small patch of hair around his belly button. He might not be able to touch her
yet, but she was beginning to touch him and that was a wonderful thing.
Both of them fell asleep rather quickly and for Jack O'Neill there were no dreams
what so ever. Unfortunately Sam wasn't so lucky. Her nightmare gripped her with
such force that she awoke shaking like a leaf with a scream lodged tight in her
throat. Before Jack could offer any words of comfort she bolted from the bed to the
bathroom and became violently ill. Jack was by her side in moments rubbing her
back and whispering comforting words. He offered her a cool washcloth after she
was done and stayed with her as she silently brushed her teeth and splashed water
on her face. Together they returned to the bed but for the first time in five nights,
Sam turned away from Jack and curled herself into a tight ball on the far edge of the
mattress. She might have been physically only a few feet away but her body
screamed at Jack to stay away. And he did.
The next morning Jack awoke before Sam and spent several long minutes watching
her sleep. Sam lay on her right side with her knees bent and a pillow clasped tightly
against her chest; she didn't look restful at all. Jack sighed quietly and ran a hand
tenderly across her face. Sam murmured in her sleep but didn't wake up. Jack
quietly left the bedroom and made his way towards the kitchen. He took his time
brewing a fresh pot of coffee and mentally inventorying ingredients he would still
need to pick up in town later that day. Coffee in hand Jack grabbed his cell phone
and stepped out onto the front porch. The sun was just rising and the myriad of
colors amongst the clouds always managed to leave him a little awe-struck. He sat
on the swinging chair for several minutes debating whether or not to make the call.
His concern over Sam won out over the potential backlash.
"Dr. Janet Frasier please." Jack said to the SGC switchboard operator.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tbc….
Notes: I have no idea where Jack's cabin is—I just did a basic "mapquest" query for
distance/time from central CO to central MN. The Chippewa forest is real though.