STARGATE SG-1: The Nearness of You.
Summary: SGC have a big party for their five-year anniversary. Sam and Jack have a 'moment'.
Category: Romance/FLUFF!
Rating: whatever the show is. There's nothing adult in it.
Season: Future.
Warning: none but it is VERY fluffy in places!
Spoilers: none that I can think of. If you find any, please let me know.
Pairing: Jack/Sam (big time!)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it and didn't get permission to use the song lyrics either. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Just wanted to re-post this because of the appalling formatting the first time around. I've also made a few changes to when it is set. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES TOTALLY DISREGARD THE POSSIBILITY OF JACK'S PROMOTION AND HAMMOND'S REMOVAL FROM THE PROGRAMME. So R&R as usual. Thanx! Also thanx to Shona for finally persuading me to put this on the site. xxx
The Nearness of You.
Twice a year – though it seemed more often to Jack – the entirety of the SGC (from General to Janitor) was invited to official White House parties. They were basically excuses for Congress to blow the million or so bucks left over from the budget on free booze and a dance – all in the name of politics, of course. This years events had been scheduled as with nine years before – one at Christmas and one in summer.
The one that was vastly approaching them now was the latter. This event was going to be different though. On May 22nd, the SGC was celebrating its tenth year in full operation under the command of General Hammond. To mark the occasion, the President was set to make an appearance (along with a long and tedious speech) and promote him from a four star to a five star General. Hammond, of course, had no idea of the addition to the evening.
Also because of the special anniversary, the party was being held in open air – weather permitting. The whole base was transported, by plane, from Montana to the Waldorf Estoria in New York, where the entire hotel had been rented out to them for a week. The party itself was being held in Senator Ainsley's back garden. Ainsley lived in one of the 'cottages' on Long Island and his garden just happened to span about five acres of land and overlooked the New York skyline.
The night came around and was as clear and warm as anyone could have asked for.
Jack stood by the bar, running his fingers around the rim of his half drunk Champagne glass listening to its high pitched note. This was a trick he used to relax himself at functions such as this. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy them; it was more ... well ... OK, yeah. He hated them! But only because of how tense they made him feel. There was something about a Tuxedo that made him think he was out of place in one. He was much more used to Fatigues or jeans and a T-shirt. It was almost unnatural for him to look so smart.
The fact that four the last for years, every conversation he had been dragged into left him baffled didn't help either.
Just because he worked at the SGC, attended Military Academy and even went into space once (though, granted it was by accident), he was hailed as some sort of genius by all prying strangers. What was worse was when he told them he didn't have the faintest idea what they were barking at, they would turn their noses up at him as if he was suddenly unfit for their company.
No, he definitely preferred to stay in the shadows at these events. So, hear he stood and here he planned to stay until it was safe enough for him to slip into the background unnoticed.
"Trust you to find the alcohol," said a familiar voice through the murmur of revellers.
Jack looked up to see Janet stood in front of him, leaning on the bar, much as he was.
"Janet," he acknowledged. He glanced over her briefly. "You look beautiful!" he exclaimed.
Janet made a short curtsey of appreciation and beamed warmly.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she said not able to resist the urge to straighten up his tie for him.
People were still slowly flowing into the party that was yet to get started. Over by the entrance, Janet spotted Daniel and Teal'c. She waved them over and awaited their approach with a glass of Champagne for each of them.
Jack greeted them politely but went back to watching everyone arrive, only half listening to their conversation.
"Oh, come on Teal'c, just one. As your doctor, you know I'm telling you the truth when I say one glass won't kill you!" Janet was saying to persuade Teal'c to accept the Champagne she had procured for him.
"I believe that to be true, Doctor Fraiser. Unfortunately, I am inclined to decline as ever, though I do appreciate the gesture," he replied.
'Ever the smoothy!' Jack thought.
He had just emptied his glass when a person caught his attention by the entrance.
From what he could see at a distance, she wore a silver dress, quite simple in design, not much decoration, just long, elegant and very alluring. From the way it moved against her skin, the material seemed to be quite weighty – maybe a cross between a heavy velvet and satin. The skirt of the dress flowed like mercury as she walked. As she made her way towards him, someone else stepped into her path to exchange a greeting with her. She turned her back to Jack momentarily; revealing there was little back to the dress. It just plunged straight from her shoulders to her lower back where it scooped across her.
The dress was complimented by the elbow length gloves that envelopped her forearms, making her elegant, nimble looking fingers look almost like the talons on the tail of an exotic bird.
The overall look was breathtaking.
She continued her journey towards him.
Jack could still hear Janet negotiating with Teal'c beside him.
"Err, Janet. If he doesn't want it, I'll have it!" he said quickly.
Janet muttered something to Teal'c as she handed Jack the glass of Champagne. It was lost on Jack as he couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his own heart. He downed the Champagne in one long gulp.
"You OK, Colonel?" Janet puzzled.
Daniel caught sight of what he was gaping at. He gently turned Janet's head round to face the direction of his gaze.
Her eyes widened considerably.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "Sam, you look ... WOW!"
"Thank you," Sam said. She picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
Daniel, who had walked all around her to better take in her appearance, came back to stand next to Janet.
"You know, Sam," he said in a worrying tone. "I hope you didn't pay full price for that dress."
Sam's eyebrows creased with concern. She quickly checked her back.
"Why?" she asked, still checking.
"'Cause there's the biggest rip in it – shoulder to lower back. I'm telling you, you should get your money back!"
Sam began to hit him wildly.
"I'm kidding!" he said, nearly stepping back into Jack – who was by now on his forth glass of Champagne.
"Sam, you look great!" Daniel finished, pulling her into a gentle hug.
Over his shoulder, Sam caught sight of Jack watching her.
"Colonel," she greeted him.
Jack was thankful for the formalities. If they had been on a first name basis tonight, he would have needed to be hit – literally – over the head with the regulation book to stop himself from repeating the event from when they were looping.
"Major," he replied, relieved his voice was holding out.
There was pause in the conversation as both Jack and Sam took in everything about the other.
Close-up, Jack discovered the straps of Sam's dress were shaped almost like Ivy that spilled into the rest of her dress, in a tangle of silver foliage that thinned the further down the dress you went.
Sam's eyes traced over Jack, enjoying and savouring every inch of him. She had always thought that Roger Moore looked great in a Tux from his Bond- days, but looking at her CO now ... he completely reset the scale!
These looks weren't lost on the rest of their company, who exchanged glances of their own – though not of the same variety.
"Shouldn't we find our table?" Janet voiced, breaking Jack and Sam from their moment.
"Yeah," Jack replied not taking his eyes from the beauty before him.
He offered Sam his arm and guided her through the crowds of people to their table. All the anxiety and nerves left him and instead, he was left in total awe of how amazing the woman he was escorting looked.
They hadn't been settled long when the train of men all bidding for Sam to dance with them picked up. Jack wasn't exactly wanting for partners himself, which annoyed him as all he wanted to do was sweep his 2IC completely off her feet.
The night drew on and was, surprisingly, still enjoyable for Jack. He finished his dance with the Senator's daughter and excused himself to the bar.
Stood with yet another glass of Champagne, Jack searched for Sam in the crowd. For the first time that night, she wasn't on the dance floor. Becoming more frantic in his search, he stepped away form the bar and weaved his way through the swathes of people in front of him.
She stood alone, away from the commotion of the party, staring out into the night sky that melted seamlessly into the New York skyline and reflected, like shards of diamonds in the sea. She leaned against the wall in front of her and ran her finger round the rim of her glass.
Jack smiled as he spotted her. He approached as silently as he could, descending the marbley stairs leading to the paved area where she stood.
"You know, the worst thing to happen to the night sky was the electric light bulb," he said as if it were a perfectly normal conversation opener.
Sam looked around to see him walking towards her, silhouetted slightly by the star-like lights behind him.
"Sir?" she queried, not understanding his comment.
"Light Pollution," he said, drawing level with her and leaning against the wall. "I mean, if you go out to somewhere like the Rockies, there's about a million more stars visible."
Not far away, the sound of people laughing, dancing and drinking caught their attention. Sam could just see Daniel offering Janet his hand for a dance.
"Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves, at least," she said turning back to the stars.
"You not a big fan of these things either?" Jack said, hoisting himself up onto the wall.
"Oh, it's not that it's just –"
"– Not your thing? Same difference."
There was a pause making the soft wash of music more obvious to them.
"So what is it about these things you don't like. I mean, you have to have liked your high school Prom. Hell! Even I dug my Prom!"
Sam laughed, making Jack smile. He loved the sound of her laugh.
"I think it was my Prom that put me off things like this," she said turning to face the party again. She leaned her elbows back on the wall, causing her back to arch and her cleavage even more apparent. Jack swallowed hard.
"How come? Did your date run off with someone else?" He was fighting so hard to keep his mind on the conversation and not on less ... professional matters.
"No. I didn't actually have a date." Jack was so surprised at this that he nearly fell off the wall. "WHAT! You didn't get asked!?"
"No, no. I got asked ... by the nerd kid in science club!"
A smile flashed through Jack's eyes. "So, that wasn't you already?!"
Sam whipped her head round and met his mischievous gaze. Instead of the pre-meditated scolding she wanted to give him, she found her entire resolve being melted by his chocolatey, seductive eyes. She could do nothing but smile back.
Finally pulling herself out of the gaze, she finished her story.
"On the actual night, I was one left with nothing but finger food for company."
The note of self-pity in her voice stunned Jack.
"You mean you didn't get a single dance?" he said sympathetically.
"Not even a one."
She could feel his eyes on her and realised how pitying she sounded in her account.
"I didn't mind, though," she added.
"How come?"
"Mom."
Jack reeled at the brevity of her response. He rarely heard her talk about her mother. He said nothing to pry into this painful subject, but she continued anyway.
"She was always so good at these things. Always centre on the dance floor with dad." She paused for a moment. "I always complained about having to go because none of the other General's kids went. It was the dress more than anything I hated. Mom would pick it out. They were nice enough and everything but I just wanted a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at that age. I tried my damdest to stay in the shadows at them, which is harder than you'd think!"
Jack smiled and nodded at her comment. He could relate – boy could he ever!
"When she died, I was just thinking about going to the Prom. When no-one asked me but Chris, I seriously considered not going but dad persuaded me to go anyway. So I went and the whole night sucked!
"Anyway, the last few months, I started going through some of her stuff that was in storage during my downtime. There was a whole box of dresses she used to wear to big parties. This was always my favourite," she said tugging at her dress.
She caught sight of Jack's face – broken with a mixture of sorry and pity. She could barely stand it.
"So," she said, deliberately trying to lighten her tone. She cocked her head to one side in a sort of dramatically ironic, 'that's life' kind of way.
Jack picked up on her attempt to change the conversation and went with it.
After a pause to take in what she had said before he said: "But, seriously, not one single dance!?"
It had worked. Her sombre face split as her enchanting smile returned.
Jack jumped down from the wall and was about to ask her to dance with him when the Master of Ceremonies announced the President was going to give his speech. All over the party, people milled around to find their seats again. Silently, Jack and Sam found their table, with Daniel, Teal'c and Janet, and waited for the President to step up to the Podium.
Jack heard very little of what was said. He spent the whole speech staring at Sam. What was surprising was that, most of the time, she was looking straight back at him. They were completely lost in each other's eyes and didn't care who knew it.
"... And so, it gives me great pleasure to award General George Hammond his third star of office!"
The party erupted in applause as Hammond stepped up, saluted, and proudly stood as his star was fixed to his uniform. Jack, Sam and the rest of their table started a standing ovation that quickly spread to all those present.
Once the rapturous applause had died down and Hammond had returned to his seat, the Master of Ceremonies returned to announce the buffet was open.
The next hour or so was filled with the soft clicking of metal against porcelain as they all ate what had been set out for them.
As the band had dispersed for a well-earned break, a CD rolled over in its machine filling the air with soft Jazz classics. Towards the end of the album were a few, more contemporary, songs by a woman Jack didn't recognise. She was good, though; a gentle blend of classic Jazz with a Country rhythm to it. He could tell Sam was enjoying it too as she swayed in time to it, almost hypnotising Jack in the process. As the last track began to play, Jack listened carefully to the words.
It's not the pale moon, that excites me, That thrills and delights me. Oh no, It's just the nearness of you.
He looked at Sam who looked back. Silently, he stood up and held his hand out to her. Keeping his gaze, Sam placed her hand in his and let herself be lifted out of her chair and lead to the completely empty dance floor.
It isn't your sweet conversation, That brings this sensation. Oh no, It's just the nearness of you.
Jack took hold of her in his arms and slid his hand around her back, enjoying the sensation of her soft skin beneath it. They began to move slowly in time with the music that lulled and caressed them into a sort of trance that left the whole world behind them.
For some reason, no-one followed suit. They just sat and watched the idyllic couple instead.
When you're in my arms, And I feel you so close to me. All my wildest dreams came true.
Gently, Sam rested her head on Jack's chest as his chin fell neatly on to the top of it. He inhaled slowly, taking in the sweet scent of her perfumed hair.
Sam could feel her pounding heart begin to relent as she listened to his calming breathing.
I need no soft lights to enchant me, If you would only grant, The right, To hold you ever so tight, And to feel in the night, The nearness of you.
The song ended, but for a moment, their dance didn't. They stayed exactly where they were, only to be pulled back into to the world when their unintended audience applauded.
They broke apart, slightly alarmed at how intimately the song had affected them both. They headed back to their table as the band regrouped and began playing.
"Colonel, could I have this dance?" said a female voice to Jack's right.
Jack turned away from Sam to see Amy – Senator Ainsley's daughter with whom he had danced before.
Not wanting to offend, he accepted and headed away from where he really wanted to be.
Every-so-often, he would glance back at his table to see Sam fiddling with her Champagne glass out of shear boredom. His view was rudely blocked by Janet and Teal'c as they danced. When they finally moved, so had Sam. She was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, the music changed and Jack excused himself once again before going off in search of Sam. He was beginning to feel like Prince Charming after Cinderella had disappeared at midnight.
He was walking back to his favourite haunt of the bar when a hand appeared from a hedge and pulled him towards it. Nearly losing his footing, Jack drew breath to protest but was stopped by one of the briefest, most passionate kisses of his existence.
He pulled back to find himself staring into Sam's deep sapphire eyes that glistened with the lights of a thousand smiles.
With no further words, as none were needed now, Jack folded his arms around her waist, forcing her to step closer to him. In response, she ran her hands up his arms, around his shoulders and began stroking the back of his neck. The emotions this small gesture evoked drove Jack crazy with a longing for her.
He bent his head down and kissed her again. This time harder. As it deepened, their hold on each other tightened until they could feel every movement of the other.
Gradually, Jack began to caress Sam's neck with the tenderest kisses. A moan of pleasure escaped Sam's mouth sending a shiver of desire through Jack. He hadn't felt like this about anyone for a long time. Now he had her, he wasn't going to let her go.
He covered her mouth with his once more and savoured every scent and taste that entered him.
He could remember all the previous functions he had watched her move gracefully around the dance floor with every man in the SGC but him. He could see from his vantage-point in the shadows how much she enjoyed herself, only to discover tonight that it wasn't quite as easy for her as she made it seem.
And to be holding her now, so near to himself! The both of them concealed in the darkness of the starry night, not wishing to move but in each other's arms – it was like some wild dream.
Just to hold the one he had loved for so long and kiss her so passionately was what Jack had wanted for some time now. And yes, he definitely preferred to stay in the shadows at this event.
*****
Author's Note: OK, I'm happy now. Please R&R!
Summary: SGC have a big party for their five-year anniversary. Sam and Jack have a 'moment'.
Category: Romance/FLUFF!
Rating: whatever the show is. There's nothing adult in it.
Season: Future.
Warning: none but it is VERY fluffy in places!
Spoilers: none that I can think of. If you find any, please let me know.
Pairing: Jack/Sam (big time!)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it and didn't get permission to use the song lyrics either. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: Just wanted to re-post this because of the appalling formatting the first time around. I've also made a few changes to when it is set. PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE CHANGES TOTALLY DISREGARD THE POSSIBILITY OF JACK'S PROMOTION AND HAMMOND'S REMOVAL FROM THE PROGRAMME. So R&R as usual. Thanx! Also thanx to Shona for finally persuading me to put this on the site. xxx
The Nearness of You.
Twice a year – though it seemed more often to Jack – the entirety of the SGC (from General to Janitor) was invited to official White House parties. They were basically excuses for Congress to blow the million or so bucks left over from the budget on free booze and a dance – all in the name of politics, of course. This years events had been scheduled as with nine years before – one at Christmas and one in summer.
The one that was vastly approaching them now was the latter. This event was going to be different though. On May 22nd, the SGC was celebrating its tenth year in full operation under the command of General Hammond. To mark the occasion, the President was set to make an appearance (along with a long and tedious speech) and promote him from a four star to a five star General. Hammond, of course, had no idea of the addition to the evening.
Also because of the special anniversary, the party was being held in open air – weather permitting. The whole base was transported, by plane, from Montana to the Waldorf Estoria in New York, where the entire hotel had been rented out to them for a week. The party itself was being held in Senator Ainsley's back garden. Ainsley lived in one of the 'cottages' on Long Island and his garden just happened to span about five acres of land and overlooked the New York skyline.
The night came around and was as clear and warm as anyone could have asked for.
Jack stood by the bar, running his fingers around the rim of his half drunk Champagne glass listening to its high pitched note. This was a trick he used to relax himself at functions such as this. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy them; it was more ... well ... OK, yeah. He hated them! But only because of how tense they made him feel. There was something about a Tuxedo that made him think he was out of place in one. He was much more used to Fatigues or jeans and a T-shirt. It was almost unnatural for him to look so smart.
The fact that four the last for years, every conversation he had been dragged into left him baffled didn't help either.
Just because he worked at the SGC, attended Military Academy and even went into space once (though, granted it was by accident), he was hailed as some sort of genius by all prying strangers. What was worse was when he told them he didn't have the faintest idea what they were barking at, they would turn their noses up at him as if he was suddenly unfit for their company.
No, he definitely preferred to stay in the shadows at these events. So, hear he stood and here he planned to stay until it was safe enough for him to slip into the background unnoticed.
"Trust you to find the alcohol," said a familiar voice through the murmur of revellers.
Jack looked up to see Janet stood in front of him, leaning on the bar, much as he was.
"Janet," he acknowledged. He glanced over her briefly. "You look beautiful!" he exclaimed.
Janet made a short curtsey of appreciation and beamed warmly.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she said not able to resist the urge to straighten up his tie for him.
People were still slowly flowing into the party that was yet to get started. Over by the entrance, Janet spotted Daniel and Teal'c. She waved them over and awaited their approach with a glass of Champagne for each of them.
Jack greeted them politely but went back to watching everyone arrive, only half listening to their conversation.
"Oh, come on Teal'c, just one. As your doctor, you know I'm telling you the truth when I say one glass won't kill you!" Janet was saying to persuade Teal'c to accept the Champagne she had procured for him.
"I believe that to be true, Doctor Fraiser. Unfortunately, I am inclined to decline as ever, though I do appreciate the gesture," he replied.
'Ever the smoothy!' Jack thought.
He had just emptied his glass when a person caught his attention by the entrance.
From what he could see at a distance, she wore a silver dress, quite simple in design, not much decoration, just long, elegant and very alluring. From the way it moved against her skin, the material seemed to be quite weighty – maybe a cross between a heavy velvet and satin. The skirt of the dress flowed like mercury as she walked. As she made her way towards him, someone else stepped into her path to exchange a greeting with her. She turned her back to Jack momentarily; revealing there was little back to the dress. It just plunged straight from her shoulders to her lower back where it scooped across her.
The dress was complimented by the elbow length gloves that envelopped her forearms, making her elegant, nimble looking fingers look almost like the talons on the tail of an exotic bird.
The overall look was breathtaking.
She continued her journey towards him.
Jack could still hear Janet negotiating with Teal'c beside him.
"Err, Janet. If he doesn't want it, I'll have it!" he said quickly.
Janet muttered something to Teal'c as she handed Jack the glass of Champagne. It was lost on Jack as he couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his own heart. He downed the Champagne in one long gulp.
"You OK, Colonel?" Janet puzzled.
Daniel caught sight of what he was gaping at. He gently turned Janet's head round to face the direction of his gaze.
Her eyes widened considerably.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "Sam, you look ... WOW!"
"Thank you," Sam said. She picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
Daniel, who had walked all around her to better take in her appearance, came back to stand next to Janet.
"You know, Sam," he said in a worrying tone. "I hope you didn't pay full price for that dress."
Sam's eyebrows creased with concern. She quickly checked her back.
"Why?" she asked, still checking.
"'Cause there's the biggest rip in it – shoulder to lower back. I'm telling you, you should get your money back!"
Sam began to hit him wildly.
"I'm kidding!" he said, nearly stepping back into Jack – who was by now on his forth glass of Champagne.
"Sam, you look great!" Daniel finished, pulling her into a gentle hug.
Over his shoulder, Sam caught sight of Jack watching her.
"Colonel," she greeted him.
Jack was thankful for the formalities. If they had been on a first name basis tonight, he would have needed to be hit – literally – over the head with the regulation book to stop himself from repeating the event from when they were looping.
"Major," he replied, relieved his voice was holding out.
There was pause in the conversation as both Jack and Sam took in everything about the other.
Close-up, Jack discovered the straps of Sam's dress were shaped almost like Ivy that spilled into the rest of her dress, in a tangle of silver foliage that thinned the further down the dress you went.
Sam's eyes traced over Jack, enjoying and savouring every inch of him. She had always thought that Roger Moore looked great in a Tux from his Bond- days, but looking at her CO now ... he completely reset the scale!
These looks weren't lost on the rest of their company, who exchanged glances of their own – though not of the same variety.
"Shouldn't we find our table?" Janet voiced, breaking Jack and Sam from their moment.
"Yeah," Jack replied not taking his eyes from the beauty before him.
He offered Sam his arm and guided her through the crowds of people to their table. All the anxiety and nerves left him and instead, he was left in total awe of how amazing the woman he was escorting looked.
They hadn't been settled long when the train of men all bidding for Sam to dance with them picked up. Jack wasn't exactly wanting for partners himself, which annoyed him as all he wanted to do was sweep his 2IC completely off her feet.
The night drew on and was, surprisingly, still enjoyable for Jack. He finished his dance with the Senator's daughter and excused himself to the bar.
Stood with yet another glass of Champagne, Jack searched for Sam in the crowd. For the first time that night, she wasn't on the dance floor. Becoming more frantic in his search, he stepped away form the bar and weaved his way through the swathes of people in front of him.
She stood alone, away from the commotion of the party, staring out into the night sky that melted seamlessly into the New York skyline and reflected, like shards of diamonds in the sea. She leaned against the wall in front of her and ran her finger round the rim of her glass.
Jack smiled as he spotted her. He approached as silently as he could, descending the marbley stairs leading to the paved area where she stood.
"You know, the worst thing to happen to the night sky was the electric light bulb," he said as if it were a perfectly normal conversation opener.
Sam looked around to see him walking towards her, silhouetted slightly by the star-like lights behind him.
"Sir?" she queried, not understanding his comment.
"Light Pollution," he said, drawing level with her and leaning against the wall. "I mean, if you go out to somewhere like the Rockies, there's about a million more stars visible."
Not far away, the sound of people laughing, dancing and drinking caught their attention. Sam could just see Daniel offering Janet his hand for a dance.
"Well, they seem to be enjoying themselves, at least," she said turning back to the stars.
"You not a big fan of these things either?" Jack said, hoisting himself up onto the wall.
"Oh, it's not that it's just –"
"– Not your thing? Same difference."
There was a pause making the soft wash of music more obvious to them.
"So what is it about these things you don't like. I mean, you have to have liked your high school Prom. Hell! Even I dug my Prom!"
Sam laughed, making Jack smile. He loved the sound of her laugh.
"I think it was my Prom that put me off things like this," she said turning to face the party again. She leaned her elbows back on the wall, causing her back to arch and her cleavage even more apparent. Jack swallowed hard.
"How come? Did your date run off with someone else?" He was fighting so hard to keep his mind on the conversation and not on less ... professional matters.
"No. I didn't actually have a date." Jack was so surprised at this that he nearly fell off the wall. "WHAT! You didn't get asked!?"
"No, no. I got asked ... by the nerd kid in science club!"
A smile flashed through Jack's eyes. "So, that wasn't you already?!"
Sam whipped her head round and met his mischievous gaze. Instead of the pre-meditated scolding she wanted to give him, she found her entire resolve being melted by his chocolatey, seductive eyes. She could do nothing but smile back.
Finally pulling herself out of the gaze, she finished her story.
"On the actual night, I was one left with nothing but finger food for company."
The note of self-pity in her voice stunned Jack.
"You mean you didn't get a single dance?" he said sympathetically.
"Not even a one."
She could feel his eyes on her and realised how pitying she sounded in her account.
"I didn't mind, though," she added.
"How come?"
"Mom."
Jack reeled at the brevity of her response. He rarely heard her talk about her mother. He said nothing to pry into this painful subject, but she continued anyway.
"She was always so good at these things. Always centre on the dance floor with dad." She paused for a moment. "I always complained about having to go because none of the other General's kids went. It was the dress more than anything I hated. Mom would pick it out. They were nice enough and everything but I just wanted a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at that age. I tried my damdest to stay in the shadows at them, which is harder than you'd think!"
Jack smiled and nodded at her comment. He could relate – boy could he ever!
"When she died, I was just thinking about going to the Prom. When no-one asked me but Chris, I seriously considered not going but dad persuaded me to go anyway. So I went and the whole night sucked!
"Anyway, the last few months, I started going through some of her stuff that was in storage during my downtime. There was a whole box of dresses she used to wear to big parties. This was always my favourite," she said tugging at her dress.
She caught sight of Jack's face – broken with a mixture of sorry and pity. She could barely stand it.
"So," she said, deliberately trying to lighten her tone. She cocked her head to one side in a sort of dramatically ironic, 'that's life' kind of way.
Jack picked up on her attempt to change the conversation and went with it.
After a pause to take in what she had said before he said: "But, seriously, not one single dance!?"
It had worked. Her sombre face split as her enchanting smile returned.
Jack jumped down from the wall and was about to ask her to dance with him when the Master of Ceremonies announced the President was going to give his speech. All over the party, people milled around to find their seats again. Silently, Jack and Sam found their table, with Daniel, Teal'c and Janet, and waited for the President to step up to the Podium.
Jack heard very little of what was said. He spent the whole speech staring at Sam. What was surprising was that, most of the time, she was looking straight back at him. They were completely lost in each other's eyes and didn't care who knew it.
"... And so, it gives me great pleasure to award General George Hammond his third star of office!"
The party erupted in applause as Hammond stepped up, saluted, and proudly stood as his star was fixed to his uniform. Jack, Sam and the rest of their table started a standing ovation that quickly spread to all those present.
Once the rapturous applause had died down and Hammond had returned to his seat, the Master of Ceremonies returned to announce the buffet was open.
The next hour or so was filled with the soft clicking of metal against porcelain as they all ate what had been set out for them.
As the band had dispersed for a well-earned break, a CD rolled over in its machine filling the air with soft Jazz classics. Towards the end of the album were a few, more contemporary, songs by a woman Jack didn't recognise. She was good, though; a gentle blend of classic Jazz with a Country rhythm to it. He could tell Sam was enjoying it too as she swayed in time to it, almost hypnotising Jack in the process. As the last track began to play, Jack listened carefully to the words.
It's not the pale moon, that excites me, That thrills and delights me. Oh no, It's just the nearness of you.
He looked at Sam who looked back. Silently, he stood up and held his hand out to her. Keeping his gaze, Sam placed her hand in his and let herself be lifted out of her chair and lead to the completely empty dance floor.
It isn't your sweet conversation, That brings this sensation. Oh no, It's just the nearness of you.
Jack took hold of her in his arms and slid his hand around her back, enjoying the sensation of her soft skin beneath it. They began to move slowly in time with the music that lulled and caressed them into a sort of trance that left the whole world behind them.
For some reason, no-one followed suit. They just sat and watched the idyllic couple instead.
When you're in my arms, And I feel you so close to me. All my wildest dreams came true.
Gently, Sam rested her head on Jack's chest as his chin fell neatly on to the top of it. He inhaled slowly, taking in the sweet scent of her perfumed hair.
Sam could feel her pounding heart begin to relent as she listened to his calming breathing.
I need no soft lights to enchant me, If you would only grant, The right, To hold you ever so tight, And to feel in the night, The nearness of you.
The song ended, but for a moment, their dance didn't. They stayed exactly where they were, only to be pulled back into to the world when their unintended audience applauded.
They broke apart, slightly alarmed at how intimately the song had affected them both. They headed back to their table as the band regrouped and began playing.
"Colonel, could I have this dance?" said a female voice to Jack's right.
Jack turned away from Sam to see Amy – Senator Ainsley's daughter with whom he had danced before.
Not wanting to offend, he accepted and headed away from where he really wanted to be.
Every-so-often, he would glance back at his table to see Sam fiddling with her Champagne glass out of shear boredom. His view was rudely blocked by Janet and Teal'c as they danced. When they finally moved, so had Sam. She was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, the music changed and Jack excused himself once again before going off in search of Sam. He was beginning to feel like Prince Charming after Cinderella had disappeared at midnight.
He was walking back to his favourite haunt of the bar when a hand appeared from a hedge and pulled him towards it. Nearly losing his footing, Jack drew breath to protest but was stopped by one of the briefest, most passionate kisses of his existence.
He pulled back to find himself staring into Sam's deep sapphire eyes that glistened with the lights of a thousand smiles.
With no further words, as none were needed now, Jack folded his arms around her waist, forcing her to step closer to him. In response, she ran her hands up his arms, around his shoulders and began stroking the back of his neck. The emotions this small gesture evoked drove Jack crazy with a longing for her.
He bent his head down and kissed her again. This time harder. As it deepened, their hold on each other tightened until they could feel every movement of the other.
Gradually, Jack began to caress Sam's neck with the tenderest kisses. A moan of pleasure escaped Sam's mouth sending a shiver of desire through Jack. He hadn't felt like this about anyone for a long time. Now he had her, he wasn't going to let her go.
He covered her mouth with his once more and savoured every scent and taste that entered him.
He could remember all the previous functions he had watched her move gracefully around the dance floor with every man in the SGC but him. He could see from his vantage-point in the shadows how much she enjoyed herself, only to discover tonight that it wasn't quite as easy for her as she made it seem.
And to be holding her now, so near to himself! The both of them concealed in the darkness of the starry night, not wishing to move but in each other's arms – it was like some wild dream.
Just to hold the one he had loved for so long and kiss her so passionately was what Jack had wanted for some time now. And yes, he definitely preferred to stay in the shadows at this event.
*****
Author's Note: OK, I'm happy now. Please R&R!