A/N: Luckily for all who are reading, I literally have had no idea where this story was going until each session of sitting down at the keyboard to write it. This means I can't leave a cliffhanger for very long, because I want to know what happens next! So, here you go…

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Chapter 11

The touch of her lips was gentle, sweet and endearingly uncertain. Sam clearly wanted to make her intentions known, but in typical, Carter-like fashion, she was unwilling to risk being overly bold. She made just one, whisper-soft contact between her mouth and his. Then she hesitantly pulled back and looked into his eyes.

The question in her gaze was undeniable. Was that okay? They'd both been so careful of the indelible line between 'friends' and 'more-than-friends' during their many years of working together. She knew that with her one, simple kiss, she'd undeniably blown past that boundary. There were no excuses this time. No alien drugs, no forgetting good intentions in the heat of the moment. She'd planned on kissing him from the instant she'd walked through his door, and they both knew it.

Jack took in her shy demeanor and uncertain posture. Did she really not know how he felt about her? Could she actually be afraid he'd reject her? By the look in her eyes, he could tell that, yes, she was absolutely terrified of just that.

Feeling something that he'd long since believed he wasn't capable of, Jack flashed her his trademark O'Neill half-grin. He knew he could never reassure her in words, but he was pretty sure he knew just which actions would do the trick.

Sam watched in breathless anticipation as Jack absorbed her kiss. Oh, God, she thought frantically, please say I didn't just screw this up. It was truth time. She knew, without a doubt, that he cared about her. What she didn't know was if he was willing to open up and share those feelings with her, or if he'd prefer they keep going on as before, each locked into their own private well of emotions. Heaven help her, but she had no idea what she'd do if it was the latter. The look on his face was no help. He appeared a little surprised, but otherwise the emotions in his eyes were a complete mystery to her.

And that's when he smiled.

Sam's breath caught in her throat. She'd seen that smile often enough to know exactly what it meant. It was the very same grin he'd flash right before jumping headfirst into a potentially disastrous situation. And woe be to anyone who got in his way. Sam had learned one thing long ago. That smile meant business.

And, oh, did he ever mean business this time. In an instant, Jack's hand was weaving into her hair, gently cradling the back of her head. Then, with blinding intensity, his mouth crashed down on hers in a searing mark of possession. Blood pounding in her ears, Sam surrendered to the embrace. Wrapping her arms around him, she allowed years of pent-up emotions to explode in a dizzying display of passion.

Jack's tenuous grip on control snapped. In less than a heartbeat, he abandoned any thought of fighting his desire for this amazing woman, and simply allowed himself to be washed away by the sheer delight of his mouth on hers. To hell with the details. It was well past time to let this happen.

As the kiss deepened, their emotions seemed to take on a life of their own. The untold moments of longing, the countless times each had faced losing the other forever… all the power of their restrained feelings seemed to explode. The force of the release was nearly physical.

Jack lost track of everything except the feel of her, the taste of her. The whole world seemed to melt away, leaving him with nothing but her presence and the pounding of his own heart.

Actually, his heart was pounding pretty loudly.

He tried to push the thought away, especially when one of Sam's hands began tugging his shirt from the waistband of his pants. But the nagging sensation just wouldn't stop.

Wait a minute. That wasn't his heart pounding. That was the door.

With a force of will unequalled by any he'd ever exerted in his life, Jack tore his mouth away from Sam's. The tiny whimper of displeasure she emitted nearly did him in, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and gently extricate himself from her embrace.

Sam's eyes reluctantly fluttered open. The look of anxiety on her face was heartbreaking. She clearly thought he'd changed his mind.

Jack bit back a curse. "Sam, it's okay. There's just someone at the door."

As if emerging from a dream, she straightened and glanced around. This time, when the pounding resumed, she clearly heard it. Looking relieved, if a bit annoyed, she smiled. "Oh. Good. I thought maybe–"

He cut her off with a swift, firm kiss that ended before it had even begun. He smiled reassuringly at her. "I know. But it's just the door. Let me send whoever it is away, and we'll pick this back up in a second, okay?"

Blushing slightly, she smiled shyly and nodded.

Jack quickly got up and made his way to the door. Muttering curses under his breath, he practically flung it open.

"Hey, Jack!" Daniel didn't wait for an invitation. He stepped past his friend, ignoring the obvious glare being directed at him. Teal'c also stepped past Jack, nodding silently as he entered. Smiling brightly, Daniel continued as if O'Neill was actually welcoming them into his home. "I know you said you didn't want company, but I called Teal'c, and he agreed. You definitely shouldn't be alone tonight." It was then Daniel caught sight of Sam. A quick appraisal of the situation stopped him dead in his tracks. Jack's shirt was untucked. Sam's hair was a mess. And, most telling of all, Sam's understated lip gloss was hardly visible on her own mouth, but pretty obvious on Jack's. Daniel winced. "And, clearly, you're not alone." Without hesitating, he turned around and walked right back out the door, dragging a surprised Teal'c behind him.

With a nod of satisfaction, O'Neill slammed the door and started walking back into the living room.

"Jack!" Sam's voice was clearly appalled. "What are you doing?" She quickly jumped up off the couch and hurried to the door.

Jack looked exasperated. "Just what I said I was going to do – getting rid of my pesky visitors so I can devote my whole attention to you." Sam didn't even hesitate, just continued her beeline toward the door. "Besides," he added desperately, "You heard the man. He just wanted me to have company, which I clearly already have."

Completely ignoring him, Sam opened the door. "Daniel! Teal'c! Come back here!"

Daniel stopped, looking unsure of himself. Teal'c, who had obviously not seen Sam on his first foray into the house, suddenly displayed a look of understanding.

Seeing that neither of them was going to move, Sam tried again. "Where are you going? You just got here."

Teal'c then glanced behind her and noticed the murderous look on Jack's face. Stifling a smile, he spoke swiftly. "Samantha, we did not wish to intrude. It is obvious now that we should have called O'Neill before our arrival."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

Behind her, Jack muttered under his breath, "No, please. Be ridiculous." When she whirled around and fixed him with a stern glare, he sighed. "Sam," he whispered. "Come on, we can talk to them later."

Just as quietly, if somewhat more intensely, she hissed a reply. "Jack, don't you think they deserve a little hospitality? They've been tiptoeing around us both for weeks, trying to keep things on an even keel. Daniel literally offered to sacrifice his own future for the sake of our careers, and Teal'c hasn't stopped worrying about you for five minutes since this all started. The least we can do is show them that we're not going to exclude them from our lives. We'll have plenty of time to ourselves in the future. But they're here now."

Suddenly, Jack felt a little ashamed of himself. She was absolutely right. Their whole tight-knit group had taken a hit in the wake of the scandal. Prior to the events on P6Y-441, Jack would have bet that nothing could shake the foundations of their friendship. Unfortunately, he may have been a little overconfident. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was offend Daniel or Teal'c. Especially since they had both put themselves and their careers on the line to help him and Sam.

Jack looked down at her and nodded, relaxing slightly. Then he turned and held open the door. "Come on in, guys." Seeing that neither of his friends was moving, he rolled his eyes. "Really, it's okay. I mean it." Still nothing. All right, one more try. "Guys, Carter isn't going to give me any pizza if I don't convince you to come back in here, so you'd better hurry up. I'm hungry."

Daniel examined Jack's face, and exchanged a quick look with Teal'c. "If you're sure…? Because, we can just come back tomorrow."

Jack just shook his head. "Nah, we're sure. I just hope you brought something to drink besides diet soda." He made a face.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh, quit whining. Besides, didn't anyone ever tell you that it's not wise to mess with the cravings of a pregnant woman?"

Daniel and Teal'c walked back into the house, clearly relieved by the familiar banter between the pair. In no time, the pizza and diet cola was passed around, and the four were talking and laughing like nothing odd had ever happened.

Glancing at the three faces around her, Sam abruptly swallowed a lump of emotion back down her throat. These men, who were each so very dear to her, seemed to take every bizarre, uncomfortable and dangerous situation thrown at them without missing a beat. She supposed that, compared to some of what they'd encountered in the line of duty, unplanned twins and a budding romance were hardly worth noting. Still, there was no doubt that her whole world would have been upside-down without these brave men beside her. She blinked the moisture from her eyes and tried to concentrate on her pizza, lest she make anyone uncomfortable with her sentimentality.

Jack noticed that Sam had grown quiet during one of Daniel's rambling stories. Glancing at her, he was surprised to see the sheen of tears in her big, blue eyes. Shooting her a look of concern, he was unprepared for the blinding smile she sent his way. Clearly, these were happy tears. Jack smiled back at her, acknowledging the sentiment and silently agreeing.

The four finished the pizza and continued conversing into the wee hours of the morning. Finally, at around 1:00 a.m., Daniel stood, stretching. "I think I'd better be getting home. I'm beat."

Teal'c also stood, nodding. "Indeed. This has been a rather long day."

Jack reached up and traced the darkening bruise on his cheek. "You don't have to remind me," he said dryly.

Sam groaned and buried her head in her hands. "Oh, God. I'm so embarrassed at my father's behavior."

Jack stood and followed Daniel and Teal'c to the door. "Eh, don't worry about it, Carter. I'm sure he didn't do any lasting damage."

Reaching the exit, Daniel turned to Jack and clapped a hand on his shoulder. Quietly, so that Sam wouldn't overhear, he spoke with a smile. "Glad to see things are working out." Then, loudly, he called out, "Night, Sam!"

Teal'c conveyed a similar farewell, and suddenly the house was empty again, except for Sam and Jack.

Shutting the door, he turned and looked at her, sitting snugly on his sofa. "Hey, Sam?" he said softly.

"Yeah?" Her eyes glowed with affection.

"Thanks for making them stay."

She smiled. "No problem. I'm glad you're not mad."

Walking slowly back into the room, he never let his eyes waver from her face. "Nope. Not mad at all." Settling down beside her, he gently reached over and pulled her against his side. Then, sighing, he grew serious. "I hate to bring up a touchy subject, but have you given any thought to what Hammond and the Joint Chiefs are deciding about us?"

Sam sagged against him. "Oh yeah." Closing her eyes, she turned and buried her face into his chest.

Jack chuckled. "I take it that means you don't want to talk about it." Leaning down, he gently placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "You know what? You're right. Let's just let tonight end happily."

Turning her face up toward his, Sam opened her eyes and met his gaze. "Would you mind if I…" She stopped. "I mean, would it be okay if I…" Again, she stalled mid-sentence. She smiled uncomfortably and winced. "I don't know how to say this without sounding forward."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, by all means. Go ahead and sound forward."

She laughed, blushing. "I just wanted to know if I could stay here tonight." She rushed on, explaining herself. "Not stay here, stay here. Just sleep here, stay here. I'm really beat, and don't want to drive home."

Jack grinned. "Sam, you're welcome to sleep in my bed anytime." Then he winked. "If you ask really nicely, I won't even make you share it with me."

Sam had to bite her tongue. The sheer exhaustion of pregnancy was going to keep one Jack O'Neill fantasy from coming true tonight, and she appreciated his understanding. Still, part of her wondered if morning light would break the spell of intimacy around them. She wondered what might have happened if Daniel and Teal'c had not come to visit. Well, actually, that was a lie. She didn't have to wonder, she knew what would have happened. But maybe their seemingly-untimely arrival would work out to be a good thing. She'd hate to rush Jack into something he wasn't ready for. She'd much rather take her time and create something lasting.

In just a moment, she decided, she'd get up off the couch and take Jack up on his offer to sleep in his bed. For now, however, she was enjoying the solid warmth of him just a little too much to move.

Jack heard Sam's breathing become slow and even. He knew she was asleep, and contemplated moving her. Then, with a sigh of contented resignation, he stretched out on the sofa, pulling her snugly beside him. Though there was barely enough room for them both, she only stirred slightly before wrapping an arm around him and settling in. Giving in to the drowsiness that was sneaking up on him, Jack revised one of his opinions.

This had been a really, really great day.