Chapter 18.

The sun had set hours before and everyone was sitting around a small bonfire that Teal'c and his son had made. Jack was clearing away the paper- plates left over from the barbeque and getting more drinks for everyone.

Paige and Sam were sitting on one of those swinging seats for three, well Sam was sitting, Paige was fast asleep taking up the rest of the room that was vacated moments before by Jack.

"Hey!" Jack cried as he went back to sit down. "Daniel can't you control your daughter?"

"Sorry Jack, it's been a long day." He pointed at Cassie the other side of Janet who was nodding off as well.

"Cassie, it's time for bed." Jack said.

"No," She opened her eyes. "I want to stay out here."

"Cassie." Janet warned.

"Okay, good night everyone." She sighed and made her way to the cabin. Daniel followed her with Paige asleep in his arms.

Jack sat down next to Sam and handed her a beer. When Daniel got back she proposed a toast.

"To Georges retirement!" She held up her beer bottle.

"Way!!!" All parties, slightly tipsy agreed.

"To Jack's promotion!" Daniel called. "And the down fall of the SGC in the near distant future!"

"Way!!!"

"Hey, I'm not that bad."

"Sure you're not Jack." Jacob grinned.

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Everyone had gone to bed and were asleep. Jack rolled over to find that something was wrong-Sam was gone; he was alone in the tent. Silently he opened the tent door and creeped out.

He saw a silhouette sitting on the small wooden dock, dangling their legs in the water. The moon reflected off the persons golden hair. He walked over silently and sat next to her.

"It's beautiful." Sam whispered still looking out at the lake.

"It is. I bet you wished you'd come fishing with me now." He smiled at her.

"I always wish I could go fishing with you." She turned her head to look at him.

"Why can't you?"

"You know as well as I do." She smiled and looked back out at the shimmering water and the ripples her feet were making.

"There's nothing stopping two friends going fishing together."

"Two male friends maybe..." She trailed off. "Remember when Daniel had appendicitis and you asked me? Well I was going to say yes."

"Why didn't you?"

She looked into his eyes. "Because I love you and coming here with you alone would kill me because I knew that nothing could ever happen. Not going at all would mean I could bury myself in work and forget about you, not that that ever worked." Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Sam," He stroked her cheek expecting her to shy away, but she didn't. "I love you too, more than you will ever know. It kills me everyday to wake up on my own without you, to go to work and you'll be there and there's nothing I can do to right the situation."

He moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders. They sat there in silence, neither one knowing what to say.

"I wish...I wish that one day we could be together but I don't see how." Sam said.

Jack turned her head slowly and kissed her, not fast or passionately but savouring every last moment of it.

"That's a promise," He said pulling away. "A promise that when I retire or the rules change, when we defeat the Goa'uld that I am yours and only yours."

Sam pulled him back into the kiss. "That's my promise to you, that there will never be anyone else."

She rested her head in the crock of his shoulder and they sat there, in that position until the sun came up. Okay so they were slumped together asleep, but they stayed there all night.

Jack and Sam slept through Breakfast in that position, they even slept through the rest of Jack's guests setting up the chairs behind them.

Jack was the first one to wake up, he stretched and yawned and woke Sam up quietly.

They were blissfully unaware of their audience until Jacob coughed. The pair spun around and stared at their friends.

"W...wha...?" Jack managed to stammer.

"We were just about to ask you the same thing." Janet said trying to quell the urge to grin.

"I...uh...we...um..." Sam started.

"Yeah...you see...it was...what I mean is..."

"Oh shut up both of you!" George ordered throwing a book at them.

Jack picked it up. "What's this?"

"Oh, just a little something we have put together for your promotion." Paige grinned.

"Dear Jack aka the General and Sam," Jack read. "Congratulations on the promotion, we have compiled a list of people and their views from the SGC and other friends, family, politicians etc... We hope you enjoy. From everyone."

"A list of what views?" Sam asked.

"Read and find out." Cassie urged.

Jack opened the book to the first page. It was full of names of the people they knew, it looked strangely like a petition. He turned the page to find a certificate:

This is to certify that the

President of the United States of America

Has agreed to the petition started by the members of the

USAF of the SGC

Allowing officers and Air Force personnel in special military bases where work is strictly classified leading to a difficult social life outside of their work to fraternize as long as they maintain strict professionalism in
their work and do not let personal problems hinder their performance.

Jack reread the last paragraph again, not wanting to make a mistake. He dropped the book and pulled Sam into a hug, which turned into a kiss.

Everyone else was clapping and cheering. Hammond had managed to find a bottle of champagne and several glasses and was passing them around.

Jack looked into Sam's eyes and wiped a tear away. "Hang on." He grinned and walked up to Jacob.

"General Carter, do I have permission to ask for your daughters hand in marriage?"

"Jack, I have been waiting for you to ask her for six years, now you can have her you ask me first? Are you mad? Of course you can-I get $100 and you get my daughter, I think that's fair."

"You bet on us?" Sam asked shocked.

"Yeah, by the way could I borrow $10, I owe Manners." Paige asked Jack.

"Who?"

"The air man that stands at the entrance of Cheyenne Mountain and signs you in everyday. Honestly!" She huffed over to where Cassie was explaining to Ry'ac the complicated relationship Jack and Sam had before the regs were changed.