Carter shut the door as quietly as possible; it was three o'clock in the morning and the sound of the door opening was a sure-fire way to get the old soldier O'Neill out of bed, and *very* angry. She couldn't sleep and she had found night-time walks in the forest helped her doze off.
Jack O'Neill surfaced from the deep fathoms of sleep, most disgruntled about the fact his particularly pleasant dream involving Sam Carter and rose petals; perhaps watching the American Beauty DVD sent by Daniel two nights ago with Sam had been a bad id-
His brain caught up with his ears. Someone had very carefully closed the front door. Somehow he couldn't imagine a burglar in Eden, but all the same every nerve was tingling as he crept out of his bedroom and down the corridor. "Sam?" There was no answer, even though her bedroom door was ajar.
His brain appeared to reach a conclusion without consulting his consciousness, he slipped on his shoes and crept out of the door. He looked down, scanning the forest floor for anything odd. A shaft of moonlight through the branches of the trees gleamed on blonde hair as Carter picked her way carefully through the wood. O'Neill watched her move from his aerial vantage point, transfixed by the vaguely angelic figure moving away from him.
As if acting on instructions he started to follow her, she obviously knew where she was heading and he was contented to trail her, trying to keep out of sight behind the ghostly grey trunks.
Carter was leading him far away from the camp, in a direction O'Neill had never explored before. The trees were growing thicker here, the undergrowth snagging against his bare legs and making him wince, regretting that his preparations for this night time expedition had not included pulling on some trousers over his boxer shorts.
Quite suddenly the undergrowth thinned, they had reached a clearing. There were standing stones dotted about in a sort of vague circle; Carter sat down with her back against one, picking small flowers out of the mossy grass. O'Neill stepped into the circle of moonlight and Sam glanced up at him, startled.
"Jack," she said, apologetically, "Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Yeah," he admitted, rubbing his sleep mussed hair with his right hand, "You come here often?"
She nodded almost ashamedly. "When I can't sleep."
"Why can't you sleep?" he asked, dropping down on the grass beside her.
"Just thinking about my life really. What's going to happen to me stuck here forever, working on a problem I can't solve, all my friends on another planet..." She registered the hurt look on Jack's face rather too late. "I'm sorry Jack."
"No. It's fine!" he said, rolling onto his stomach away from her.
He felt her cool fingers touch his bare shoulder in an attempt to re-engage him in conversation but he managed to ignore it. "I like it here," he said vehemently, "I have everything I've ever wanted. You, for one thing. Daniel and Teal'c can come and visit. No more drama, no more go'ulds... just fun. Playtime. Every day."
"It's not that I don't appreciate that!" she squeaked, "But I also feel a little regretful that my career, gate travel has all been cut short." She kissed his shoulder. "I enjoy being with you."
He turned over to look at her, breathless as he stared at her unique brand of not-so-fragile beauty in the moonlight, pale skin almost glowing silver, but underneath it all a tenacity that burned brighter than everything else like a flame. "But do you enjoy it enough?"
His liquid brown eyes seemed to be boring into her skull, smouldering with a fierce intensity she had rarely seen before. His skin was warm beneath her hands and she smiled. "Yeah." She let herself be pulled into his embrace, accepted and reciprocated his kisses until-
- without any prompting Jack stopped kissing her and stood up, stretching in the silvery light. Sam's stomach did a double flip; she didn't want to stop just at that moment, moonlight kisses in an ancient stone circle... how could she not find that appealing? Jack held out his hand to help her up and she stood next to him. He offered her his arm. "Home?" he asked.
She nodded. "Time for bed."
O'Neill shivered as they walked back through the forest; Sam felt the quiver run through his body. "I should have pulled on some pants before I followed you. I must be mad."
She snorted with laughter. "Probably."
They walked on in companionable silence for some time, climbing the stairs to home. "Night," Jack said, kissing her cheek, before returning to his own room, obviously tired.
"Night," she whispered, but although she re-dressed for bed it was a while before she finally dropped off to sleep. She was too busy thinking.
Eden was paradise, and although she regretted the curtailment of her career she couldn't not enjoy her new surroundings; they were dreamlike.
Dreamlike, yes, that was the root of all her problems... living in Eden with Jack was like a childish fantasy. The longer she stayed the more she tried to perpetuate the childishness of her situation, even her relationship with Jack. Teenage dates; movies, walks, kisses, games. No real commitment, nothing too adult. And Jack was happy to play along with her, his immaturity a defence mechanism. But for how long?
How long could *she* live like this?
Tomorrow, she decided, she would do something about it all tomorrow... tomorrow... tomo-
She fell asleep.
*
O'Neill left Sam wallowing in sleep the following morning, he went to do some more carpentry. When he returned in the afternoon Carter had disappeared. Slightly disappointed he picked up a book, started to thumb through it... he snorted awake nearly four hours later having fallen asleep over the pages; Carter was still occupied with whatever unconventional expedition she was involved in. He picked up a pair of glasses that were lying on the side. Daniel had sent them last weeks, the lenses were simply tinted, apparently they were supposed to promote concentration.
"Hey!" The sound of the door shutting coincided with Carter's shout.
"I'm reading!" Jack called from the living room. She came in, her face streaked with dirt and clothes sweat-soaked. Was it so terribly wrong, Jack wondered, to find that attractive?
Carter laughed at his glasses. "You look very intellectual Jack," she smiled.
"Thank you," he replied, very sarcastically. "You look like you need a shower. Want me to make you a drink for when you come out?"
"Thanks," she said, retreating to the bathroom.
Some time later Jack knocked on the bathroom door. "Sam? Are you alright? You've been in there for nearly two hours!"
"Hang on a minute Jack!"
"Hurry up! We'll miss the evening sing-along!" he shouted back.
"I was kind of hoping for an evening in tonight!" she called.
"No argument here," he muttered under his breath, "Well, your tea's gone cold, that's all. I'll make you another cup!" he said louder.
Carter surfaced nearly twenty minutes later, when O'Neill had become engrossed in his book once more. "Hey," she said quietly.
"You look nice," he said, truthfully.
"Come on. Roasted fruit sounds appealing, I'm hungry."
"I thought you wanted an evening in?" he asked, confused.
"Yeah, I just want to eat something first."
"I'm not arguing, I'm just-"
"Stop being defensive Jack. Are you coming or not?" she said.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he replied, jumping to his feet to follow her.
*
It was late when they eventually arrived home, whatever Carter's plans for their evening had been they had been disrupted by the general merriment of the camp fire party. Jack opened the door, glanced at his watch and gave her a brief peck on the cheek. "Night Sam," he said, moving to go to bed as he had done every night since he had asked her to 'go out with him' exactly thirteen days, four hours and... he glanced at his watch again... fifty three minutes ago.
She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go."
He stopped dead. "Pardon?"
She didn't answer him, just looked at him; they had long ago perfected the art of communicating without speaking and he read from her eyes and the set of her jaw exactly what she meant.
He swallowed.
He hadn't been this nervous since he was seventeen.
Then he grinned, he wouldn't be O'Neill if he just left it at that. "My room's bigger," he said, smile broadening.
"Mines closer," she replied, raising an eyebrow in a far-too-suggestive manner.
"Oo-er, Mabel," he replied as she grabbed his collar, making her laugh.
"You really are quite mad, aren't you?"
"Oh yeah," he replied.