A/N: Thank you SO much for the glowing reviews. I can't believe how well-received this piece has been. I'm having a blast! Sorry this is a little short, but it's a transitional chapter. More to come, I promise!

Chapter 14

For a moment, the room was silent. The four colleagues exchanged looks, each understanding the importance of the discovery, while also experiencing the frustration of being powerless to do anything about it.

Sam spoke first. "We have to tell someone about this."

Jack grimaced. "Like hell we do. The whats-it has sat in your lab for weeks now. It can continue to sit there until we get back."

Daniel sighed. "Assuming that we do get back."

Sam looked at him, a shocked expression on her face. "Daniel, of course they'll let us back. I mean, yeah, they might demote us. Or even make one of us resign from the military. But they wouldn't actually lose any of us over one little mistake." She swallowed. "Would they?" Her features began to register concern.

Jack shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Beats the hell outta me, Sam. General Hammond said he'd go to bat for us, but who knows how much influence he'll have."

Daniel nodded. "I hate to be a pessimist, but Jack's right. We've made some pretty powerful enemies over the years. Now that they have ammo against us, we really have no idea what's going to happen."

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c spoke with his usual calm reserve. "I must say, the Tauri have some very odd customs concerning the relations between men and women. I find it difficult to comprehend that all this commotion has been caused by one act of–"

Jack interrupted by clearing his throat. "Yeah, well, the folks on Chulak have a few weird hang-ups, too."

Teal'c inclined his head. "That is true, O'Neill. But this would not be the first time you have had intimate relations resulting from alien influence. Do you not remember Argos, when you had personal contact with a young female? You became infected with nanocytes and began to age rapidly."

Jack winced, trying very hard to not look at Sam. "I was sorta hoping you might not bring that up right now."

Daniel glanced at Sam to gauge her reaction. To his relief, she merely looked amused at Jack's discomfort, and not at all hurt by the reminder of his past exploits. When she caught Daniel's gaze, he couldn't help smiling back. It was funny to hear Teal'c's innocent assessment of the situation. Sometimes he wondered if Teal'c was as clueless as he seemed, or if he occasionally used his alien status to poke fun at those around him.

Sam's eye twinkled as she responded. "Of course, Teal'c, how could we forget that mission? I remember something about a problem with Jack's prostate…" O'Neill turned and shot her a wry glare, causing her to erupt in chuckles.

Jumping in, Daniel answered Teal'c's question. "I think the real issue isn't so much the events that took place on P6Y-441, but the fact that we covered them up. Maybe, if we'd come forward with it right away, and made it very clear that the incident was not fraternization, we could have gotten the support of the military. But, by hiding the whole episode, we made ourselves look guilty."

The laughter faded out of Sam's eyes. Seeing her crestfallen expression, Jack reached over and took her hand. "Maybe you're right and maybe you're not. I think that if they really wanted to string us up, they'd have done it no matter what. Anyway, it's done now. And I still think we should just keep our discoveries to ourselves until we're brought back in. If they reinstate us, great. We can jump on in and figure it out. And if not, we can pass along the info to whoever is in charge."

Daniel looked thoughtful. "All right. I can live with that. Everyone else agree?" Seeing nods all around, he folded up the picture of the mini-device and put it back in his pocket. "So, what kind of pizza did you get?"

Jack wrinkled his nose. "Half of it is pepperoni and sausage. The other half is mushroom, green pepper and anchovies." He shuddered. "Pregnancy cravings. That's what you scientific types should really try to figure out."

Teal'c shrugged, and reached for a piece of the anchovy side. "Perhaps it is just me, O'Neill, but pepperoni and sausage do not seem terribly odd for pizza toppings."

Jack, Daniel and Sam exchanged looks and burst into peals of laughter.

Jack lay in the predawn darkness, listening to the sounds of Sam's slow, even breathing beside him. It had been two days since Daniel's revelations, and he knew his secluded time with her would be ending very soon. He had an itch between his shoulder blades – a soldier's hunch – telling him that the action was about to start up again. He knew Hammond would be eager to get things at the SGC back to normal. It had been a total of five days since they'd revised their mission briefs. The other shoe would be dropping soon.

His heart constricted with dread when he considered the possible outcomes of the situation. None of them was very pleasant. He had no idea if Sam would continue to gaze at him so adoringly once she realized that their relationship had effectively ended her career. Strange, but the loss of her affections frightened him far more than the loss of any military rank or standing.

Staring at the ceiling, Jack closed his eyes and tried to memorize the sound of her breath and the feel of her warmth. He knew how quickly life could shatter happiness. There had been a time he'd been blissfully ignorant of that lesson, but he'd learned it the hard way after Charlie's death. In these few, fleeting moments, he knew he held something precious. Tomorrow might see the end of it, and there was little he could do to change that fact. Raging against the fates was a waste of energy. Instead, he absorbed every sensation, every memory, and held them in his heart for safekeeping.

In the thinnest threads of a whisper, Jack gave voice to the emotions that had so quietly crept up on him. He knew she was asleep, but he also knew lacked the courage to tell her any other way. Her heart would hear him, of that he was certain.

"I love you Samantha."

She was turned away from him, so Jack never saw the tear of joy that slipped from beneath her thick lashes.

The phone rang.

Sam and Jack were lying in bed, quietly laughing and talking in the grand tradition set by countless other lovers through the ages. The conversation was light and unimportant, but the deep affection between them was not. It was, therefore, something of a rude awakening when the shrill peal of the telephone interrupted their reverie.

They looked at each other, each knowing what the sound meant. Not breaking eye contact, Jack reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" His voice was calm and commanding. Sam felt a swell of pride at the complete control and acceptance he'd exhibited throughout this ordeal. He might not have been the most obvious choice for an Air Force general, but she had no doubt he was the best choice.

"Yes sir." His eyes told her all she needed to know. It was time. "No, sir. I'll tell them." A pause. "I'll see you then."

He hung up the phone, eyes never leaving hers. Wordlessly, she leaned over and kissed him softly, then began to climb out of bed. Reaching out, he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. Desperately, he pressed his lips to hers, tangling his hand in her hair. Deadlines and protocol be damned. He was going to have her one more time.

Tomorrow would bring God-only-knew-what, but he could still hold her now.