Jack nuzzled his nose against the back of Sam's neck, moving her hair aside to expose the skin beneath. He pressed his lips to the small bump of her spine, rubbing the tip of his tongue over the softness.

Sam hummed softly and shifted her body closer, her bottom settling against his lap as his legs found their home along the back of her own. He moved his hand beneath the heavy quilt and found the curve of her waist, exploring with his hands what the blankets hid. Jack worked her hair away from her neck and shoulders with his chin, finding the spot beneath her ear that made her groan when he sucked gently on it the night before.

Sam groaned.

Jack smiled.

"Your nose is cold," she said softly as she rolled onto her back and scooted around to find space for both of them on the small bed.

The cramped space was fine with him. It just meant that more of his skin was touching more of her skin. Sam's skin. Sam's warm, soft, naked skin. In his bed. Under his blankets. Sighing at the touch of his hands. He pushed up on one elbow with his fist against his temple so he could look down on her. Her cheeks were rosy from sleep, and her eyelids still hung heavily over her blue eyes. Jack slid his hand up her body, enjoying every part he encountered, and leaned in for a long, deep, good morning kiss.

"I guess someone forgot to stoke the fire last night," he said against her lips. "Must have had other things on their mind."

"Must have..." Her hand came out from beneath the covers to lace into the hair at the nape of his neck, and pulled him closer. Her leg bent and nestled against his hip, her ankle hooking around his thigh to bring him even closer.

"Ah, damn!" Jack cursed, pulling back.

"What?"

He looked to the window that sat center between their two beds. The sun was already up, and the light streamed through the window. "Aaroon and Ebresh are coming here this morning. We're going up into the hills to do some hunting."

Her fingertips danced around his ear and along his jaw, dipping down to trace his collarbone. "Will you be back tonight?"

Jack smiled wide, and kissed her again. "You betcha. Undomesticated Equines couldn't keep me away."

Sam smiled at the inside joke. Jack knew he should get out of the warm bed, but after eight years of wanting this very thing -- Samantha Carter in his arms -- it was a hard thing to move away from. He settled back down into the bed, just for another minute, resting his cheek on her breast. Beneath his ear, he could hear the steady rhythm of her heart. Her fingers stroked his hair, and Jack knew this just had to be heaven.

With a groan of protest, he forced himself from the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Stay right there until the fire is going again."

Sam nodded, brushing a blonde bit of hair from her cheek. Jack reached out and curled it behind her ear. Then he stood and pulled on his pants before throwing several logs on the fire. He glanced over to the bed once, after putting a pot of coffee on the cook stove and getting that fire started as well. Sam had closed her eyes again, and Jack found himself watching her sleep.

Damn, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

He finished with the coffee, took a few minutes to wash up and shave with cold water from the pump because there was no time to heat it, and pulled on a clean shirt. Just as he finished lacing his shoes, there was soft knock at the door. Jack glanced at the bed to see if Sam had woken, and jogged to the door.

Aaroon and Ebresh were on the porch, bow and arrows in hand. Jack saw that Ebresh carried a second bow for him.

"Good day, Jack. Ready to leave?"

"Yeah, sure," he said just louder than a whisper. "I'll -- ah -- I'll be right out. Just stay right here."

He shut the door again and went back to the bed, sitting down on the edge near Sam's hip. "Sam," he said softly, touching her hair and cheek.

She drew in a long breath and opened her eyes. "Hey."

"Aaroon and Ebresh are here. I'll be home some time after dark. Don't stay up if you get tired."

Sam nodded and reached out to run her hand down his arm. "Be careful."

"We're going with bows and arrows. How dangerous can that be?"

Sam smiled and Jack leaned over for a kiss. Before he could stand and walk away, Sam grabbed his hand. Jack crouched down beside the bed, bringing himself to eye level with her.

"What?"

Her expression turned serious and she touched his cheek. "I love you, Jack."

Jack brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Get some more sleep. I'll see you tonight." He brushed one more kiss across her forehead as he stood. "I love you, too."

Never in his life had he wanted to spend the day in bed like he did right then. Damn hunting! Damn need to eat! Damn!

"This is the first tolerable day we've had in nearly two moons," Sarai said as she motioned for the children to play in the yard. "After so long in the house, they are ready to drive me mad."

"Cabin fever," Sam said with a chuckle.

"Is that what you call it? Sounds more like a disease to be treated with a strong poultice and weak tea."

Both women laughed, and Sam sat down on the front step of Sarai and Aaroon's home. The children played in the yard, running out all the energy they had been forced to hold in during the coldest of the 'rest' season. Sarai held Raeya against her chest, wrapped in a warm knit blanket.

"You seem happy today, Samantha. It would seem the sunshine is doing you some good, as well."

Sam smiled. Oh, it was more than sunshine. Much, much more. "I guess it does feel good to be out in the open."

"I'm glad you came today. I often spend my days worrying when Aaroon goes hunting. Although he has always come home safe, it still troubles me. With you here for company, at least part of the day will go by without me sitting by the fire waiting."

Sam spent a good portion of the day with Sarai, enjoying talking to another woman. Janet had been gone over a year, and her absence still left a hole in Sam's heart. In Sarai, she found someone she could talk to almost as easily. But still unaccustomed with their beliefs and customs, Sam wasn't sure what would be acceptable to say or not. Not that she planned on confessing to the woman that she now had carnal knowledge of her commanding officer.

No! She couldn't think of him like that anymore! It would drive her insane. He was Jack. Had to be Jack. Earth – and the consequences of their decision – was too far away for her to worry about it. When the time came, she would face whatever changes they faced. But right here, right now, being with him was the only thing she cared about.

As the sun began to set, Sam said her good-byes to the children and headed for the door for her twenty minute walk home. Sarai walked with her, and when they reached the door, she handed Sam a folded blanket.

"What's this?" Sam asked.

"It's a larger quilt. I sent the two smaller ones before, but I thought you might need a larger one... now..." Sarai smiled, a mischievous and knowing grin, as Sam took the blanket.

Sam's cheeks burned, but she smiled in return. Was she that obvious? Good Lord, they'd be through the Gate three seconds before Daniel and Teal'c knew!

"Thank you, Sarai." She hugged the woman and held the quilt to her chest as she left.

The cabin was empty and chilly when she opened the door. Part of her hoped he would be home when she got there, but she hadn't really expected it. She stoked the fire and put a log in the stove, trying to decide what to make to eat. There was some ham left from the night before, and she had brought in some eggs from the barn that morning. Not exactly a typical dinner choice, but an omelet didn't sound half bad.

But as she gathered the ingredients, her gaze moved from the folded quilt where it sat on the table to the two small beds on the other side of the room. Forgetting dinner, she set to work.

Jack came through the door just as she finished smoothing the new quilt over the now double size bed. It was no King, but pretty close to a Queen size at home. Jack paused in the doorway, his hand on the latch, and Sam straightened from her bent position.

A small smile tugged at his lips as he shut the door. "Whatcha doin?"

"I think that's obvious, don't you? Jack?" She made sure to emphasize his name with an extra breath.

"Trying to save space in here? Do you plan on moving in more furniture?"

Sam shook her head and smiled at the subtle sarcasm in his voice. "More like I don't want to fall out of bed in the middle of the night."

He walked to her, and with each step that brought him closer, Sam felt her heartbeat speed up until he stood right in front of her, the heat of his body emanating outward. Jack reached up to touch her hair, flipping it behind her ear. The simple act sent shock waves through her body.

"I don't know. I kinda liked the tight quarters." His fingers trailed down her neck to the dip at her collar, following the edge of the fabric down to the valley between her breasts.

Sam's body was in overdrive. "Yeah, but this gives us more... uh..." His fingers released the first button of her blouse. "More maneuverability."

"Ah, hell," Jack whispered before his open mouth covered hers.

Hunger and need and eight years of catching up swept over them both like a tidal wave. As Jack lowered her onto the bed, the omelet was forgotten. Who needed to eat anyway. Jack's hand was ... oh, wow...

Daniel sat at his computer, staring at the cataloging of artifacts he had left incomplete the day before when they left for P9X-4EV. He idly typed in stock numbers and bin locations, tapping his pen in a steady rhythm on the edge of the monitor. It was busy work. Keeping him occupied while Harriman dialed the Gate, and Reynolds called Hammond.

A shadow fell across his door, and he looked up. "Hey, Teal'c."

Teal'c walked into the room, his hands tucked behind his back. "Colonel Reynolds has asked me to inform you that General Hammond had departed Washington and will arrive within the next few hours."

"Thanks. Has anyone made any progress on the Gate?"

"No, they have not."

Daniel nodded and stared at his monitor, not really seeing the data anymore. "Hey, Teal'c. Do you think we should be worried that we can't connect?"

"P9X-4EV is a beautiful planet."

Daniel looked up, studying the Jaffa. "But that wasn't the question." He paused. "So, you'd be a lot more worried if it were -- say -- a desert planet, or an ice planet."

Teal'c slowly bowed his head.

"So, what you're saying is let Jack have this little vacation and stop worrying about it so damn much?" Teal'c smiled and bowed his head again. Daniel chuckled. "Okay, I get it. And I suppose if he's going to get stuck on a peaceful planet where there is plenty of cake and food, who better than Sam to be with him? Oh, wait... I don't know if that is a good thing, or not."

"There could be no better choice."

Daniel slowly sat forward, his chair thunking down into its upright position again. "Teal'c, did you know something like this might happen?"

"No, I did not, Daniel Jackson."

"And yet... you don't seem surprised."

"I have seen instances when the Chaapa'I system have temporarily malfunctioned when attempting to connect to certain worlds. The malfunction usually passes."

"Malfunctions like this one?"

"Of varying kinds."

"Teal'c... you've never lied to me, right?"

"No, Daniel Jackson."

"So, you didn't somehow manage to work it out that Sam and Jack would be left behind?"

"No, Daniel Jackson. But had the Gate not malfunctioned, I may not have been able to properly restore my supply of Tretonin to return to the planet as quickly as you desired." Teal'c expression didn't change, but even in the dim light, Daniel swore he saw a spark in the big man's eyes.

Daniel smiled. "You sly devil. You don't like him either, do you?"

"To whom do you refer?"

"Shanahan. You don't like him any more than I do."

"Pete Shanahan is not a suitable match for Colonel Carter."

"And Jack is?"

Teal'c arched one eyebrow and met Daniel's stare. He neither flinched, nor nodded or looked away. After several minutes, Daniel chuckled and went back to his artifact cataloguing.