Ah… What The Hell?
"JACK!" Daniel screamed, standing outside Jack's home.
"For cryin out loud Daniel, what?!" Jack replied, annoyance clearly in his voice. Daniel had been pounding on his door for the last 20 minutes, obviously convinced that Jack was there, even though Jack had turned off all his lights but forgot to pull his truck into the garage. "Daniel go home, I'm not going!" he yelled while opening the door.
He moved around Jack and sat down on his living room couch. "Oh come on Jack, you know you want to go! I know for a fact that Jamie has a crush on a certain Colonel..." he stopped speaking after seeing Jack's puzzled expression. "Jamie, you know she's the new nurse in working with Janet. Come on Jack you can not tell me that you haven't noticed her the way she looks at you!" Jack came and stood in front of Daniel.
"Oh yeah that nurse, sorry Daniel if I don't spend as much time in the infirmary as you do to know the nurses by name"
"Haha, very funny. Seriously though Jack, you deserve to have fun, just say you'll come if only for an hour." Daniel paused for a second, "There is going to be beer there, and who can throw away the opportunity for have free drinks?"
"Daniel, if there's going to be beer and you in the same room that's not making me want to go even more. Remember the last banquet the SGC held? You got so plastered you ended up groping Janet right there in the middle of the dance floor!"
"Okay so I'm not the best person to drink with but come on! Sam said she wouldn't come unless I could get all of SG-1 to go, and obviously I'm going and Teal'c doesn't need any convincing to go somewhere where he will be able to dance. Please Jack."
"God damn it, FINE I'll go... when is this thing supposed to start?" Jack said while pushing Daniel towards the door.
"Yeah I knew you wanted to go!" he stopped right in the doorway while Jack opened the door.
"Daniel just tell me when it starts, then get the hell out of my house!"
"8 o'clock sharp!" Daniel screamed through the door that was just shut in his face.
After Jack was sure Daniel was gone he went into his room to find something to wear. 'Stupid dress code, why wont they let us just wear our blues!' he thought. He finally decided on a plain black suit with a silk silver tie that matched well with his graying hair. He started to undress to get into the shower, when it hit him. Sam. Sam wouldn't go without him. 'No O'Neill, don't be stupid Daniel said she would go without SG-1, and Sam is still with that Paul guy. Damn it, Carter is still with that Paul guy.' he reprimanded himself, as he stepped into the shower. 'Oh this is gonna make for one interesting night'.
Jack arrived at 8:05 only to be greeted by an angry Daniel and a very Saturday-night-fever looking Teal'c. "Nice suit T."
"Thank-you O'Neill."
"Jack you're late!"
"Daniel, I'm five freakin minutes late. Calm down. So is Carter here yet?" he said while a taxi pulled up right next to them and out stepped Sam. All three of the men's jaws dropped at the sight before them. Sam stood in a sapphire blue gown that accentuated her figure and stopped right at the top of her feet. The neckline of her dress went right down to the tops of her breasts, and the back or lack thereof stopped right above her butt.
"Oh my, Sam you look beautiful."
"You look very lovely tonight Major Carter."
"Nice dress Carter." all three men said in unison.
"Thanks guys" she blushed. "Shall we go?" she said while grabbing Teal'c and Daniel's offered arms, walking in front of Jack, leaving him to admire her from behind. 'An interesting night indeed' he thought.
They walked into the banquet hall that the SGC rented out every year, and quickly went to mingle. It wasn't long before Jack had separated himself from the group and was standing in a corner talking to General Hammond.
"So they DID manage to get you here."
"Yes, no offense sir, but why couldn't we just wear our dress blues?"
"Well because, well actually I dunno really." slurring his words together, proving to Jack that Hammond had already visited the bar. Hammond thought for a minute "Maybe the organizers thought that, that would just be too easy."
"Sir, once again, take no offense to this, but aren't you one of the organizers?"
"Yup." He said matter-of-factly "Jack enough, no more 'sirs' or 'generals' tonight, this is supposed to be fun."
"Oh yeah, fun indeed." Jack looked around seeking out the rest of his team, finding Daniel talking to Janet, 'Figures it would only be a matter of time before he found her, poor woman'. He thought. Teal'c was, of course, on the dance floor dancing with a young group of SF's who were almost rolling on the floor laughing at the sight of the stoic Teal'c dancing. Then he saw her, she was dancing with Siler, 'Lucky bastard '. Hammond followed his 2IC gaze and almost spit out his drink.
"That reminds me Jack, here." He said while handing him an envelope.
"What's this George?" he questioned.
"Just read it son."
'This cant be for real…. can it' Jack thought. "Um, sir this isn't a joke right? Cause this would be a horrible joke to play on me!"
"No son, go."
With that Jack went out onto the dance floor just as the song to an end. He tapped Siler on the back and cut in. "Hey Sam," she looked confused at him calling her by her first name, "read this." He handed her the envelope, as the songs changed.
"Sir," he shook his head "Jack, is this for real?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Well, where do we go now." She asked, slightly blushing.
"Sam, ive waited for so long to be able to be with you without any damn regulations and ill be damned if I let this opportunity to slip through my fingers." He was amazed at how easy it was for him to be that open with her.
"Jack, I know but us being together would change everything, everything at the SGC, everything with SG-1, there's a reason why those rules were in place."
"I know but finally they realized that there was a reason for them but not to us, not to the ones that could die any time trying to save people who don't even know about the threats out there."
"I know but there's Pete, and," her words drifted off as she noticed the hurt in his eyes, his eyes that were usually so guarded. But not now he let his walls down for her, and only her to see. "Please sir, I need time to think about this." Everything hit her at full force. She was free to love a man that up until now she wasn't sure if she loved. But she did have Pete, she loved Pete but she was in love with the man holding her. She was now holding back tears.
'Ah that's right Pete I knew there was a reason I hated that name… how could I forget a person named Pete' Jack thought.
He wasn't sure if he was more hurt at the mention of Pete or her calling him 'sir' again. "Sure Carter, ill give you time." He pulled away from there dance, but she tugged him back. She then realized how much it would hurt to go back to 'Carter' and 'Sir'.
"No Jack, I need time to think, but I need this. Please can we just have one more dance?" She said as one single tear fell from her eyes. He wiped it away gently.
"Sure thing Sam, whatever you need, I will always be there for you." He pulled her into his chest as he wrapped his arms behind her back. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
"I know, that's the only thing I've always known."
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
Jack started singing softly with the song, barely audible but loud enough that she could hear the sincerity in every line he sung, making it sound as if he wrote it just for her. With every word his breath tingled on her neck. She marveled in the fact that they could finally be this intimate. They didn't have to fight their feelings for each other, but she knew it couldn't be this easy. One piece of paper, signed by one man, could that really change everything she'd been thinking and holding back for what seemed for ever just suddenly be okay. She decided it was better to stop thinking. 'Don't ruin this Sam, you've wanted this for god knows how long, why are you fighting?!' she screamed at herself. Finally giving into the request that was given to her so many times by her CO, she stopped thinking and she let herself once again listen to the man who was singing to her. A man that right now she didn't have to think of as her CO, this man was a different man. She could love this man.
When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
He stopped singing for a couple seconds while the conversation in his head was taking up most of his attention now. 'Damn it Jack, she has that look on her face, what have you screwed up now' He reprimanded himself. 'She's thinking about something. She always has that face when she's trying to figure something out. Probably how to get out of this without hurting your pride too much.' But then she relaxed just a bit in his arms, and his doubts were pushed to the back of his mind, and he started to sing again.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
Ive known if from the moment that we met
Theres no doubt in my mind where you belong
She listened to the words being sang by him and she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She finally gave into her emotions and just simply cried. At the feeling of the first tear on his neck he held her tighter but kept on singing. He had to make her know that he loved her. 'Whoa loved, where did that come from?' he knew he liked her "a lot more then im supposed to" but damn, somewhere along the line he fell in love with this woman. A woman that could kick almost any Goa'ulds ass, and look sexy in anything from ripped up BDU's to the finest blue dress she was wearing now. He loved Samantha Carter. He loved just thinking it …
Id go hungry id go black and blue
Id go crawling down the avenue
There aint nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on a rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
You aint see nothing like me yet
There aint nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love
They broke apart when the song was coming to an end. He held her at shoulder length, "I love you Sam" She gasped, "I'm not expecting you to say anything, but please don't walk away from me. I don't think I could live without you in my life now knowing that we could've been together but you chose someone else over me." She tried to say something but he cut her off. "No let me finish, I'm not good with words never have been but please let me say this, I could live if I knew it was just the regs standing in our way, but they aren't there any more, and well I love you and I need you. I know I probably sound like a walking cliché and you know how much I hate them but ever since I first saw you there was something about you that I knew I wouldn't be able to live without, and now I know it wasn't something about you it was just plain and simply you. Just you, and I can't live without you. Please Sam, just don't walk away, not now." He finally stopped and took a deep breath, fearing the next words out of her mouth.
"Jack, I love you too. I don't know what to say but I hope this is enough." She smiled and kissed him. They kissed passionately, both unaware of anything else going on around them. Finally they broke apart for air, and they walked hand in hand off the dance floor. They walked out of the room and went to the women's bathroom.
"I'll be right out, I have to fix my make-up."
"Okay but you don't even need the make-up, you're beautiful Sam." She kissed him again. This time the kiss was even more passionate, to both their surprises.
"Make love to me Jack, please." She pleaded.
"Okay but I don't think your dad would be happy seeing that, especially here outside a bathroom." He chuckled as she playfully hit him. Then it hit her.
"Oh my god! I forgot my dad was even here! He probably saw us kissing out there" she was rambling on and Jack wasn't really paying attention because he loved when she rambled, she looks so cute when she rambles. He held a finger to her lips.
"Sam, I saw him before I came out to dance with you. I saw Hammond taking him away from the bar. Dad gets kinda out of control when he drinks too much." both laughing remembering the Christmas dinner two years ago. "I'll be right back. Go do whatever women always do when they go into the bathroom for fifteen minutes." She nodded and gave him a quick peck on the cheek and went into the bathroom.