Author's Note: I know, it's been a while since I updated. I started two, count em, TWO, new jobs this week and they've kept me very busy and very tired. Here's the next part though. The first part of this comes from a random piece I wrote years ago, some of which appears in another incarnation in a General Hospital-related fic I wrote. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Macisgate for being such a great (and prompt) beta!
Disclaimers/Spoilers: See pervious chapters. Nothing's changed.
He was utterly mesmerized by the sight of her sleeping. His eyes were transfixed on her lovely body as he felt it warm his own. He had been so cold, in so many ways, for so long. But she gave to his life a warmth he had never known. Remembering how he had been so cold for so long, he held her more tightly to him. He buried his face in her hair and listened to the gentle sounds of her breathing, his arms wrapped firmly and lovingly around her, feeling her breasts rise as fall rhythmically with each breath she took. He loved watching her sleep, watching her dream, blissfully unaware he was mesmerized by her. That he had always been mesmerized by her sleeping form. Whenever they'd had overnights off-world and slept without tents, he spent a portion of his watch watching her sleep. It was a ritual. He was perfectly aware of the noises going on around them, and yet he always allowed himself twenty minutes of watching her sleep.
He wondered now if she could feel him holding her; feel him lightly caressing her skin virtually the entire night. He ran his fingers up and down the smooth expanse of her back, over the neck and shoulders, down her arms, across her hips and stomach. He brushed his fingers lightly over her lips and outlined the features of her face before gently dipping down to lightly kiss her shoulder and once again nuzzling his face into her neck.
He couldn't believe how much he felt for her. After living his life in an emotional void for so long, keeping anything he felt bottled up and hidden away, convinced it was better to be numb than to feel, it shocked him how many emotions swelled within him at the thought of her. He had been lost, and she had found him. He had hidden, and she had searched for him, and they both knew he always had and always would do the same for her. He was amazed she had the patience to look and to fight for him for as long as she did. He was amazed how much he wanted her, needed her, how the thought of touching her made him feel things he didn't think possible.
In her sleep, she sighed and rolled over, resting her head against his chest, her breath hot on his skin. She threw one arm across his stomach and waist and tucked the other underneath her body and against his. His kissed her forehead and drew her close, feeling her heartbeat in musical rhythm. He rested his chin atop her and whispered, "I never expected you to wait for me, but I'm glad you did. And now that we have this last chance, I don't want to lose you. Not again." He felt her stir slightly and wondered if she was awake.
Sam came to consciousness lightly, gently, feeling happier than she had in months. What a strange, amazing, incredible dream she'd had! Jack had brought her Jell-O, they'd talked, held each other, and he'd promised her that they could be together, in spite of the regs. And then they'd made love, slowly, tenderly. "So beautiful," he'd murmured in her ear, reverently. After, she'd fallen asleep in his arms, her back pressed against his chest, his breathing in her ear, lulling her to sleep.
Of course, she'd had the dream--sans the Jell-O part--a million times since she'd joined the SGC. Her heart tugged as she remember that he was gone, that she was now in command of SG-1. She sighed forlornly and opened her eyes.
"Good morning, you faker," he jested, kissing her forehead. "I wondered if you were awake." His voice was light and happy, his eyes shining. Sam's eyes widened in shock. Jack laughed. "Lemme guess--you thought you were dreaming." He grinned boyishly, propped up on one elbow over her.
In an instant, it all came rushing back to her. Everything she remembered about last night was real. The Jell-O. His promises.
They had made love.
Their first time had been quiet, languid, gentle and loving, full of exploration. It was as though they'd tried to memorize every square inch of each other's bodies, in the event it all turned out to be but a dream. He had been so tender with her, treating her as though she were glass, breakable.
Sam smiled. "It was real. I know." She stifled a yawn and propped herself up so that they were looking into each other's eyes. The fact that he was here, lying beside her, wanting her, overwhelmed her. "I almost gave up," she confessed, her gaze unwavering, captivating. "I looked for your cure for so long, but it was so hard. Too hard. I thought I'd lost you. That I would never have a chance to tell you--" She smiled, silenced as he cupped her cheek with his palm and she nuzzled his warm flesh, inhaling his scent.
"No more hiding," he promised, cradling her head against his shoulder. She threw a leg across his, tangling their limbs, and squeezed his waist before closing her eyes and reveling in the feel of him.
"Thank you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his bicep.
He stopped running his fingers through her hair. "For what?"
She shrugged drowsily, "I don't know. Last night, maybe? The last eight years?"
He smiled, "Well whatever it is, you're more than welcome."
They lay in silence for a while, partially unsure of what to say, mostly enjoying the feel of each other.
"So what happened to you not planning to seduce me?" She asked a little while later, absently playing with the hem of the sheet in which they were tangled. She loved the feeling of being in his arms, her head resting on her shoulder, her bare back pressed against his solid chest. Part of her brain still was disbelieving, still thought there was going to be hell to pay when they returned to the real world. But the rest of her over ruled, allowing them to have at least, here, now.
"Excuse me?" He said innocently, feigning shock. "I believe it was you who started it, Ms. Carter." He dropped a kiss to her shoulder, pulling the blanket up to cover them both.
"I suppose," she admitted, with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She grinned devilishly. "It was fun."
"Fun?" Jack repeated, aghast. "You and I dance around this for eight years, I spent six months doing my best imitation of a popsicle, and all you can say is 'fun'?"
Sam laughed, turning in his arms to face him. "I'm sorry, General, did I offend your delicate male ego by not posturing enough?"
He arched a brow. "'Posturing', Colonel? That's what you call it?"
"Well," she said playfully. "I could also say amazing, incredible, or mind-blowing, but I wouldn't want to inflate your ego too much."
"Is that so?" He said, a gleam in his eye. "Well, I'm going to have to teach you what happens when I'm not properly inflated."
Sam laughed at his choice of words, but then began scrambling to get away when she realized he was about to launch a tickle attack on her. "Jack, no! Jack! Jack! No, please! Come on, no! Jack!" She screamed with laughter as he mercilessly tickled her, tears screaming down her face.
Just then, the door to her bedroom burst open, and Cassie, dressed for her traditional morning run, burst though, looking alarmed. "Sam, are you ok? I heard---oh my god." She stopped dead at the sight before her. Jack and Sam. In bed. In Jack's bed. Naked. Jack. Sam. Jack. Not dead, not frozen, here Jack.
"Jack?" Cassie whispered in disbelief. "Oh my god. You and Sam...oh my god! You're here, alive....oh my god!" She was in shock, her voice changing from elated to horrified and confused.
Jack and Sam had frozen the minute Cassie had burst through the door. They held the sheet over themselves, embarrassed at being caught, both feeling like hell that the young woman had found out this way. They had wanted to tell her another way.
"Cassie," Jack began, reaching blindly for his shirt and boxers, which were somewhere in the sheets or in the immediate vicinity of the floor.
"I--I---I.." Cassie stammered, her face pale, her eyes filled with tears.
"Honey," Sam began, pulling the sheet up for coverage, eyes quickly spying her clothes in a pile on the floor. "Honey, we were going to tell you when you woke up."
Cassie shook her head. "No, it's cool...I'm just...." Her eyes darted about frantically, as though she was an animal trapped in a cage. "I'm just....gonna go....running....I'll, uh, be back later." She wiped the tears from her eyes. Smiling weakly she said, "Welcome back, Jack," before turning quickly and dashing from the house.
"Cassie!" Jack yelled after her, but she would not stop. As he pulled on his shorts and T-shirt, he watched her through the window as she ran from the cabin. "Dammit!" He hollered.
"Go after her Jack," Sam said, her voice eerily calm. "She needs you."
"She's in shock," Jack said, pulling his pants on.
"Yeah she is," Sam agreed, getting out of bed, still nude. He stopped, briefly, awed by her beauty and by the implicit trust between them, that last night had ascended to a whole new level. As she began pulling on her own clothes, Sam said, "Jack, she's not just shocked by finding us in bed. She lost you so soon after losing her mother. It was too soon for all of us, but after your..." She couldn't say 'death'. "After what happened to you, it was like she was orphaned. God knows I wasn't there for her like I should have been. These last few weeks here have been hard. I've just been trying to give her space, hoping she'd come to me when she was ready."
Fully dressed, he crossed the room, and stood before his barely dressed lover. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"
She reached out, laying a hand along his cheek. "Just be there for her. She needs you, needs to know you're real, that you're not going to leave her."
He nodded. "Where would she go?"
Sam paused for a moment. "She usually goes for a run around the lake, but this time...." She frowned, biting her lip, a gesture he found wildly sexy. "The bluffs. We've gone hiking there a few times. She likes it. She says it helps her think."
"Okey dokey, then," he said. "The bluffs it is."
"Don't let her shut you out, Jack," Sam advised. "We all shut each other out for too long. Don't let her hide within herself."
"I won't," he promised, stepping in to kiss her. As their lips touched, he brought his hands up to hold her face. "I love you," he whispered, their foreheads touching.
"I love you too," she replied, her eyes happy, shining, telling him all he needed to know, and more. "Now go. Find her. I'll be here waiting."
"I know," he said, stealing another kiss before leaving the room. She crossed to the bedroom window and watched him jog from the cabin, heading for the bluffs. "Help them, Janet," Sam whispered prayerfully, her heart aching for her best friend. "Help them both."
Disclaimers/Spoilers: See pervious chapters. Nothing's changed.
He was utterly mesmerized by the sight of her sleeping. His eyes were transfixed on her lovely body as he felt it warm his own. He had been so cold, in so many ways, for so long. But she gave to his life a warmth he had never known. Remembering how he had been so cold for so long, he held her more tightly to him. He buried his face in her hair and listened to the gentle sounds of her breathing, his arms wrapped firmly and lovingly around her, feeling her breasts rise as fall rhythmically with each breath she took. He loved watching her sleep, watching her dream, blissfully unaware he was mesmerized by her. That he had always been mesmerized by her sleeping form. Whenever they'd had overnights off-world and slept without tents, he spent a portion of his watch watching her sleep. It was a ritual. He was perfectly aware of the noises going on around them, and yet he always allowed himself twenty minutes of watching her sleep.
He wondered now if she could feel him holding her; feel him lightly caressing her skin virtually the entire night. He ran his fingers up and down the smooth expanse of her back, over the neck and shoulders, down her arms, across her hips and stomach. He brushed his fingers lightly over her lips and outlined the features of her face before gently dipping down to lightly kiss her shoulder and once again nuzzling his face into her neck.
He couldn't believe how much he felt for her. After living his life in an emotional void for so long, keeping anything he felt bottled up and hidden away, convinced it was better to be numb than to feel, it shocked him how many emotions swelled within him at the thought of her. He had been lost, and she had found him. He had hidden, and she had searched for him, and they both knew he always had and always would do the same for her. He was amazed she had the patience to look and to fight for him for as long as she did. He was amazed how much he wanted her, needed her, how the thought of touching her made him feel things he didn't think possible.
In her sleep, she sighed and rolled over, resting her head against his chest, her breath hot on his skin. She threw one arm across his stomach and waist and tucked the other underneath her body and against his. His kissed her forehead and drew her close, feeling her heartbeat in musical rhythm. He rested his chin atop her and whispered, "I never expected you to wait for me, but I'm glad you did. And now that we have this last chance, I don't want to lose you. Not again." He felt her stir slightly and wondered if she was awake.
Sam came to consciousness lightly, gently, feeling happier than she had in months. What a strange, amazing, incredible dream she'd had! Jack had brought her Jell-O, they'd talked, held each other, and he'd promised her that they could be together, in spite of the regs. And then they'd made love, slowly, tenderly. "So beautiful," he'd murmured in her ear, reverently. After, she'd fallen asleep in his arms, her back pressed against his chest, his breathing in her ear, lulling her to sleep.
Of course, she'd had the dream--sans the Jell-O part--a million times since she'd joined the SGC. Her heart tugged as she remember that he was gone, that she was now in command of SG-1. She sighed forlornly and opened her eyes.
"Good morning, you faker," he jested, kissing her forehead. "I wondered if you were awake." His voice was light and happy, his eyes shining. Sam's eyes widened in shock. Jack laughed. "Lemme guess--you thought you were dreaming." He grinned boyishly, propped up on one elbow over her.
In an instant, it all came rushing back to her. Everything she remembered about last night was real. The Jell-O. His promises.
They had made love.
Their first time had been quiet, languid, gentle and loving, full of exploration. It was as though they'd tried to memorize every square inch of each other's bodies, in the event it all turned out to be but a dream. He had been so tender with her, treating her as though she were glass, breakable.
Sam smiled. "It was real. I know." She stifled a yawn and propped herself up so that they were looking into each other's eyes. The fact that he was here, lying beside her, wanting her, overwhelmed her. "I almost gave up," she confessed, her gaze unwavering, captivating. "I looked for your cure for so long, but it was so hard. Too hard. I thought I'd lost you. That I would never have a chance to tell you--" She smiled, silenced as he cupped her cheek with his palm and she nuzzled his warm flesh, inhaling his scent.
"No more hiding," he promised, cradling her head against his shoulder. She threw a leg across his, tangling their limbs, and squeezed his waist before closing her eyes and reveling in the feel of him.
"Thank you," she whispered, pressing a kiss to his bicep.
He stopped running his fingers through her hair. "For what?"
She shrugged drowsily, "I don't know. Last night, maybe? The last eight years?"
He smiled, "Well whatever it is, you're more than welcome."
They lay in silence for a while, partially unsure of what to say, mostly enjoying the feel of each other.
"So what happened to you not planning to seduce me?" She asked a little while later, absently playing with the hem of the sheet in which they were tangled. She loved the feeling of being in his arms, her head resting on her shoulder, her bare back pressed against his solid chest. Part of her brain still was disbelieving, still thought there was going to be hell to pay when they returned to the real world. But the rest of her over ruled, allowing them to have at least, here, now.
"Excuse me?" He said innocently, feigning shock. "I believe it was you who started it, Ms. Carter." He dropped a kiss to her shoulder, pulling the blanket up to cover them both.
"I suppose," she admitted, with a slight shrug of her shoulders. She grinned devilishly. "It was fun."
"Fun?" Jack repeated, aghast. "You and I dance around this for eight years, I spent six months doing my best imitation of a popsicle, and all you can say is 'fun'?"
Sam laughed, turning in his arms to face him. "I'm sorry, General, did I offend your delicate male ego by not posturing enough?"
He arched a brow. "'Posturing', Colonel? That's what you call it?"
"Well," she said playfully. "I could also say amazing, incredible, or mind-blowing, but I wouldn't want to inflate your ego too much."
"Is that so?" He said, a gleam in his eye. "Well, I'm going to have to teach you what happens when I'm not properly inflated."
Sam laughed at his choice of words, but then began scrambling to get away when she realized he was about to launch a tickle attack on her. "Jack, no! Jack! Jack! No, please! Come on, no! Jack!" She screamed with laughter as he mercilessly tickled her, tears screaming down her face.
Just then, the door to her bedroom burst open, and Cassie, dressed for her traditional morning run, burst though, looking alarmed. "Sam, are you ok? I heard---oh my god." She stopped dead at the sight before her. Jack and Sam. In bed. In Jack's bed. Naked. Jack. Sam. Jack. Not dead, not frozen, here Jack.
"Jack?" Cassie whispered in disbelief. "Oh my god. You and Sam...oh my god! You're here, alive....oh my god!" She was in shock, her voice changing from elated to horrified and confused.
Jack and Sam had frozen the minute Cassie had burst through the door. They held the sheet over themselves, embarrassed at being caught, both feeling like hell that the young woman had found out this way. They had wanted to tell her another way.
"Cassie," Jack began, reaching blindly for his shirt and boxers, which were somewhere in the sheets or in the immediate vicinity of the floor.
"I--I---I.." Cassie stammered, her face pale, her eyes filled with tears.
"Honey," Sam began, pulling the sheet up for coverage, eyes quickly spying her clothes in a pile on the floor. "Honey, we were going to tell you when you woke up."
Cassie shook her head. "No, it's cool...I'm just...." Her eyes darted about frantically, as though she was an animal trapped in a cage. "I'm just....gonna go....running....I'll, uh, be back later." She wiped the tears from her eyes. Smiling weakly she said, "Welcome back, Jack," before turning quickly and dashing from the house.
"Cassie!" Jack yelled after her, but she would not stop. As he pulled on his shorts and T-shirt, he watched her through the window as she ran from the cabin. "Dammit!" He hollered.
"Go after her Jack," Sam said, her voice eerily calm. "She needs you."
"She's in shock," Jack said, pulling his pants on.
"Yeah she is," Sam agreed, getting out of bed, still nude. He stopped, briefly, awed by her beauty and by the implicit trust between them, that last night had ascended to a whole new level. As she began pulling on her own clothes, Sam said, "Jack, she's not just shocked by finding us in bed. She lost you so soon after losing her mother. It was too soon for all of us, but after your..." She couldn't say 'death'. "After what happened to you, it was like she was orphaned. God knows I wasn't there for her like I should have been. These last few weeks here have been hard. I've just been trying to give her space, hoping she'd come to me when she was ready."
Fully dressed, he crossed the room, and stood before his barely dressed lover. "This is going to be hard, isn't it?"
She reached out, laying a hand along his cheek. "Just be there for her. She needs you, needs to know you're real, that you're not going to leave her."
He nodded. "Where would she go?"
Sam paused for a moment. "She usually goes for a run around the lake, but this time...." She frowned, biting her lip, a gesture he found wildly sexy. "The bluffs. We've gone hiking there a few times. She likes it. She says it helps her think."
"Okey dokey, then," he said. "The bluffs it is."
"Don't let her shut you out, Jack," Sam advised. "We all shut each other out for too long. Don't let her hide within herself."
"I won't," he promised, stepping in to kiss her. As their lips touched, he brought his hands up to hold her face. "I love you," he whispered, their foreheads touching.
"I love you too," she replied, her eyes happy, shining, telling him all he needed to know, and more. "Now go. Find her. I'll be here waiting."
"I know," he said, stealing another kiss before leaving the room. She crossed to the bedroom window and watched him jog from the cabin, heading for the bluffs. "Help them, Janet," Sam whispered prayerfully, her heart aching for her best friend. "Help them both."