Author's note: Thank you all for the emails! Feedback is very important,
and the lack of review viewing is driving me crazy!
~~*~~*~
"Sir?"
The voice was Carter's, and even though it was soft, it woke him immediately. He opened his eyes, and looked right into her very lovely blue gaze.
"Carter? What time is it? Where are the boys?" He looked around. He was lying in his bunk, but the rest of the cabin was empty, and silent.
"It's dinner time, Sir," Carter told him, looking down at his bare chest and wincing. "The boys and Daniel and Teal'c are all down eating. They said they didn't want to wake you."
When he and Teal'c had returned to the cabin, still with their shirts off and looking so battered, Jack had spent a long time reassuring the boys that they'd be fine. Then a couple of them had run off to get he and the Jaffa icepacks for their bruises. After that, he'd decided he was going to lie in his bunk and be miserable for a while, and had done just that. He'd fallen asleep almost immediately.
"That was nice of them. I didn't even hear them leaving."
Carter smiled, and reached out and touched his cheek gently. "They said they were really quiet."
"They must have been." He hadn't even felt a draft when the door opened.
"They told me what happened."
"It wasn't my fault."
She laughed, "I know." Her hand moved from his cheek to his chest, and she examined the bruising with a wince. Jack held still, enjoying her gentle touch, even though it was hardly the time or the place to think of such things.
"So... what are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, mind you. Shouldn't you be eating dinner, too?"
"I brought you something to eat. And I wanted to see for myself how you were doing."
"I'm not really hurt all that bad, Carter." He assured her. "It could have been really bad. The whole damned rock could have come down on one of them kids."
"I know. Teal'c told me." She smiled. "Shawn was telling me how you pushed him out of the way, too. Just like in the movies, he said."
O'Neill shrugged, which hurt, and then winced, which caused Sam to wince as well, which caused Jack to scowl. "I wasn't sure how far away he had to be to be safe, I just knew he was too close. I'm glad he's not upset about it. I didn't really give him any warning."
"He's not upset at all. He's telling everyone you saved his life."
"That's probably an exaggeration."
She leaned over and kissed him, gently and tenderly.
"I think it's adorable."
"Adorable?" Jack smiled and kissed her back, hoping that dinner had just started. "I've saved your life before, and you never kissed me like that."
"New tradition, maybe?"
Jack shook his head. "No way. As I recall, I've saved Daniel's life before, too, and I don't want him doing what you just did."
Her hand trailed from his chest down to his belly, and Jack felt himself tensing.
"Breathe, Jack," Sam told him, grinning at the way he suddenly stilled so completely. God, she loved him!
"I'm breathing."
"Uh huh." Sam kissed him again, then sat next to him on his bunk, and reached for the plate of dinner she'd brought him. "Dinner time. You'd better eat, so the kids won't worry about you."
He sighed, and sat up next to her, not at all interested in food when she was so close.
"You're really bruised up, you know?" She said, putting the plate in his lap and handing him a fork.
"Yeah, I feel them all."
"At least you didn't get hit in the head."
"True."
Dinner was good, but the company was even better, and Jack and Sam chatted affably while he ate his dinner. She told him about the ropes course, which had been the activity France had had that afternoon, and Jack told her about the climb.
"What's on the schedule for tonight?" Jack asked her. Now that he'd had something to eat and a nap, he was feeling ready to face the world again.
"Camp games." He groaned, and she laughed.
"You and Teal'c are excused from them, but Teal'c says he's fine and will participate."
"Of course he's fine. Damn snake."
Sam laughed, and ran her fingers through his hair lightly, enjoying the knowledge that for now, at least, she could touch him at will. O'Neill obviously felt the same, since he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.
They were like that for a long moment before Carter sighed, and kissed him again, then moved away.
"We'd better get going, if you're feeling up to it, Jack. Otherwise, they'll come looking for us, and we wouldn't want to get caught in any compromising position."
"I know." He hesitated, taking her hand, and kissing the palm softly. "I love you... you know that, right?"
She colored brilliantly, and nodded, speechless that he'd mention it so openly. It wasn't his style to be so open about anything that had to do with feelings. Maybe he HAD been hit on the head?
"And I just embarrassed you..."
"Nah, I'm not embarrassed." She smiled and took his plate from his lap and stood up. "I'm just surprised that you said it. So... publicly."
He looked around, saying without words that there wasn't anyone to hear him, but her, and Sam smiled. "You know what I mean."
"Yeah... well... it needed to be said. And I wanted to say it."
She handed him a sweatshirt, figuring it would be easier for him to get on. "Thank you, Jack... I wanted to hear it."
They closed that subject, then, as he struggled into his shirt and stood up, but he still put his arm around her as they walked down the hill towards the main building, and Sam rested her head against his unbruised shoulder, enjoying the rare opportunity to be alone with him.
~~*~~*~
"Sir?"
The voice was Carter's, and even though it was soft, it woke him immediately. He opened his eyes, and looked right into her very lovely blue gaze.
"Carter? What time is it? Where are the boys?" He looked around. He was lying in his bunk, but the rest of the cabin was empty, and silent.
"It's dinner time, Sir," Carter told him, looking down at his bare chest and wincing. "The boys and Daniel and Teal'c are all down eating. They said they didn't want to wake you."
When he and Teal'c had returned to the cabin, still with their shirts off and looking so battered, Jack had spent a long time reassuring the boys that they'd be fine. Then a couple of them had run off to get he and the Jaffa icepacks for their bruises. After that, he'd decided he was going to lie in his bunk and be miserable for a while, and had done just that. He'd fallen asleep almost immediately.
"That was nice of them. I didn't even hear them leaving."
Carter smiled, and reached out and touched his cheek gently. "They said they were really quiet."
"They must have been." He hadn't even felt a draft when the door opened.
"They told me what happened."
"It wasn't my fault."
She laughed, "I know." Her hand moved from his cheek to his chest, and she examined the bruising with a wince. Jack held still, enjoying her gentle touch, even though it was hardly the time or the place to think of such things.
"So... what are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, mind you. Shouldn't you be eating dinner, too?"
"I brought you something to eat. And I wanted to see for myself how you were doing."
"I'm not really hurt all that bad, Carter." He assured her. "It could have been really bad. The whole damned rock could have come down on one of them kids."
"I know. Teal'c told me." She smiled. "Shawn was telling me how you pushed him out of the way, too. Just like in the movies, he said."
O'Neill shrugged, which hurt, and then winced, which caused Sam to wince as well, which caused Jack to scowl. "I wasn't sure how far away he had to be to be safe, I just knew he was too close. I'm glad he's not upset about it. I didn't really give him any warning."
"He's not upset at all. He's telling everyone you saved his life."
"That's probably an exaggeration."
She leaned over and kissed him, gently and tenderly.
"I think it's adorable."
"Adorable?" Jack smiled and kissed her back, hoping that dinner had just started. "I've saved your life before, and you never kissed me like that."
"New tradition, maybe?"
Jack shook his head. "No way. As I recall, I've saved Daniel's life before, too, and I don't want him doing what you just did."
Her hand trailed from his chest down to his belly, and Jack felt himself tensing.
"Breathe, Jack," Sam told him, grinning at the way he suddenly stilled so completely. God, she loved him!
"I'm breathing."
"Uh huh." Sam kissed him again, then sat next to him on his bunk, and reached for the plate of dinner she'd brought him. "Dinner time. You'd better eat, so the kids won't worry about you."
He sighed, and sat up next to her, not at all interested in food when she was so close.
"You're really bruised up, you know?" She said, putting the plate in his lap and handing him a fork.
"Yeah, I feel them all."
"At least you didn't get hit in the head."
"True."
Dinner was good, but the company was even better, and Jack and Sam chatted affably while he ate his dinner. She told him about the ropes course, which had been the activity France had had that afternoon, and Jack told her about the climb.
"What's on the schedule for tonight?" Jack asked her. Now that he'd had something to eat and a nap, he was feeling ready to face the world again.
"Camp games." He groaned, and she laughed.
"You and Teal'c are excused from them, but Teal'c says he's fine and will participate."
"Of course he's fine. Damn snake."
Sam laughed, and ran her fingers through his hair lightly, enjoying the knowledge that for now, at least, she could touch him at will. O'Neill obviously felt the same, since he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes.
They were like that for a long moment before Carter sighed, and kissed him again, then moved away.
"We'd better get going, if you're feeling up to it, Jack. Otherwise, they'll come looking for us, and we wouldn't want to get caught in any compromising position."
"I know." He hesitated, taking her hand, and kissing the palm softly. "I love you... you know that, right?"
She colored brilliantly, and nodded, speechless that he'd mention it so openly. It wasn't his style to be so open about anything that had to do with feelings. Maybe he HAD been hit on the head?
"And I just embarrassed you..."
"Nah, I'm not embarrassed." She smiled and took his plate from his lap and stood up. "I'm just surprised that you said it. So... publicly."
He looked around, saying without words that there wasn't anyone to hear him, but her, and Sam smiled. "You know what I mean."
"Yeah... well... it needed to be said. And I wanted to say it."
She handed him a sweatshirt, figuring it would be easier for him to get on. "Thank you, Jack... I wanted to hear it."
They closed that subject, then, as he struggled into his shirt and stood up, but he still put his arm around her as they walked down the hill towards the main building, and Sam rested her head against his unbruised shoulder, enjoying the rare opportunity to be alone with him.