My muse went on strike. That's my excuse for not having a story up in a long time. : ) You like it? I thought of that one ALL BY MYSELF! Go me! : ) : ) (double smiles! Oh yeah.)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Stargate or any of the characters.

SPOILERS: A Hundred Days

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*~Feels Like A Hundred Days~*

Jack looked up as Sam entered his office. She looked nervous, an emotion that he rarely ever noticed crossing Sam's face.

"Hey, Carter! What can I do you for?"

She twisted her hands together, making little shapes with her fingers. Not looking up, she spoke to the floor, pushing the toe of her boot into it.

"Umm, sir, I um have a question to um ask you."

"Carter, speak up and look at me. What's wrong?" He looked concerned at her.

She glanced up, and seeing that his gaze was on her, she immediately looked down again.

"Nothing's wrong, sir. I was just coming here to ask you a question, but seeing as the fact that you're busy. . " she turned to leave, hoping to escape the stare that bored right to her soul from the man she loved.

Jack stood up quickly and grabbed her arm just as placed her hand on the door knob.

"Sam."

Jack's voice entered her deeply complex thoughts. She snapped around, not realizing how close of a proximity she was to him; their faces touched, each was breathing deeply, breaths coming rapid and quick, their lips coming closer together.

Sam turned her head.

"Sir, we shouldn't. . . "

"Dammit, Carter!" Jack slammed his fist into the door behind her head. "Just tell me what the f****n problem is already!"

He looked down into her scared face, tears forming in his eyes to match the ones already in Carter's.

Lifting the clenched fist off the door, he stroked her tear-stained cheeks, her head hung in shame. He lifted her chin up with a strangely gentle touch.

"Why can't you tell me, Sam? Please. . " Jack pleaded with her guiltily, "I've always been here for you. Why can't you let me be here for you now?"

She responded in a voice that cracked, bringing more tears to Jack's eyes and wrenching his gut with guilt, "S- Jack, what. . . "

Jack looked patiently down at Carter, expecting her answer when she felt ready enough to give it to him.

"What happened with you and Laira on Edora?"

Jack sucked in a deep breath of air, turning his head so he didn't cough in Sam's face. Hacks racked his body and Carter put her arms around him, guiding Jack to his chair by his desk. She sat him down, then reached for the bottle of water that he always kept nearby. Sam made Jack take a swig of the water, then began to walk to the other side of his desk so she could sit across from him.

Jack reached out with surprising swiftness for his age and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him. She slowly sat down on his lap, feeling like this was something that she did every day.

"Jack," Sam said, turning to face him, "You know we shouldn't be doing this."

"Carter," Jack stroked her cheek, pale from concern for him, "we shouldn't be in love with each other, but we are anyway."

No response came from the petite woman who claimed Jack's lap as her throne for life.

"Sam, look at me." She turned her head upwards, meeting Jack's gaze head on with her aqua eyes. "I love you, and I would never, ever, do anything to hurt you. Nothing happened between Laira and me. Do you believe this?"

She nodded her head slightly.

"Sam. . . "

"Then why did you kiss her? Leaving me behind with Teal'c and Daniel. . . why?"

Jack leaned back in his chair, forcing Sam to reposition herself. He looked up at her, and sighed.

"I wish I could answer that. I really wish I could. There's nothing I could say that would change what happened. I did kiss Laira. And I did leave the group to say goodbye to her. What I did was inexcusable. But that does NOT change the way I feel about you, Sam. Nothing ever will."

She lifted up her hand and rubbed Jack's rugged face. She leaned against him, her head on his chest. She played with the buttons on his shirt.

"Jack. . ."

"What, Sam?" His deep voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating through her body.

"Did you mean what you said? That you love me? Do you really love me, Jack?"

Jack lifted up her chin and kissed her gently on her full lips.

"I will love you, now and forever, Sam. Even when it feels like a hundred days have gone by without us together, I will still love you."

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Tacky, I know, but it was on the list of stories to write, so give me a break.