Always Part 9 of 11

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Jack woke up drawing a slow breath in through his nose, releasing it as a yawn. He stayed lying on his back with his eyes closed, enjoying the last few minutes of rest before he had to climb out of bed. Then his other senses began to slowly wake up.

And he realized he was just a wee bit chilly.

He opened his eyes and blinked against the sunlight coming through the window beside his bed, and realized he was on the wrong side of the bed. And his hip was hanging off the edge.

A soft sound came from beside him, muffled by the pile of blankets. Apparently, that was why he was so cold. Someone wasn't sharing . . .

Jack rolled onto his side, curling his fist against his temple to support his head and tugged a corner of the sheet over just enough to cover his lower half. The shift in blankets revealed Sam's face, her eyes closed and her cheeks flushed pink from sleep.

Jack smiled. Hot damn! It wasn't a dream after all.

She drew in a breath, and the softest snore vibrated through her throat. Well, no wonder . . . she also had all the pillows.

Jack reached out and carefully rubbed the tip of his finger beneath her ear. She twitched, moaned softly, but didn't move. He tried not to laugh, and reached out again. This time, when he tickled the spot, Sam did as she had done for the last eight years. She rolled to face him.

But this time, her eyes blinked open and she looked at him.

"Good morning," he said in a low voice.

Sam pulled some of the blankets down from her face, revealing her smile, and she tipped her lips up to him for a sweet, long kiss. "Good morning," she answered when she reclined back on the pillows.

Jack was staring – knew he was staring – but didn't really care. Samantha Carter was in his bed. Naked. And they so made love last night. The memory of each moment was fresh in his mind, and he grinned.

"What?"

"'What' what . . .?"

"What are you smiling at?" Sam asked.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, then just smiled again. "Nothin'."

Sam's eyes narrowed, and her hand slipped out from beneath the blankets to touch him. Her fingers played along his skin, scratching and curling in the hairs on his chest. Heat curled out from the contact, and certain other parts of Jack's anatomy started to wake up and shout Good Morning!

"Sam, we have to talk."

Her eyes darted up to his for just a moment, then she looked away again. "No talk. Sleep . . . "

"Oh, no. This is serious." Jack reached out and gave the blankets a sharp tug, pulling enough off her to finally cover himself. "You are a blanket stealer, a pillow thief, and a serious bed hog. And you are sleeping on my side of the bed."

"No, this is my side of the bed. And if you want the blankets, you're just going to have to sleep closer to me."

Jack rolled her onto her back, covering her mouth with a searing kiss that coaxed a deep, throaty purr from his blonde lover. Her arms snaked out from beneath the blankets and circled his shoulders as he tugged and pulled them out of the way until finally – ah! – skin met skin.

The phone beside the bed rang, and only shifting his head away from the exploration of her neck enough to look at the clock, Jack stifled a groan. It was after nine, and unfortunately, it was only Wednesday. He heard Sam's small moan of protest.

"Shhhh," he whispered. Jack rose up on he elbows, reaching for the phone as it rang again. "Yeah."

"General, it's Sergeant Harriman."

"Yes, Walter. I know. I'm running late this morning." He kept his gaze on Sam.

"Yes, Sir. Should I reschedule the 0930 debriefing with the SG-7 science team?"

Jack had to bite down hard to stifle a groan as Sam moved her lips along his throat, nipping and nibbling at his skin.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Walter," Jack managed to grind out. "That would be a good idea."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, General."

Jack turned off the phone and dropped it on the floor beside the bed. "That was just plain evil . . . " He grabbed her hips and shifted his weight over her.

Sam gasped. "Jack!"

God, he loved it when she called his name!

SJXSJXSJXSJXSJXSJXSJXSJXSJXSJX

"I snagged one of your tee shirts. That okay?"

Jack paused in pouring their coffee to look over his shoulder. Sam padded into the kitchen in her stocking feet, wearing the same incredible jeans from the night before but with one of his gray Air Force tee shirts . . . and most definitely without a bra.

"Oh, yeah . . . ab – so – lutely."

Jack stole a quick glance at the clock. Almost ten. Just how long could he hold off Walter before they sent out a search party?

Her hair was still damp from her shower, and her skin had a dewy glow. As she fluffed her hair with her fingers, Jack found himself mesmerized by the way her breasts shifted beneath the cotton with each movement. Sam paused, her hands pushed into her hair, looking at him.

"What?"

Jack put the pot of coffee down, and without a word, turned and crossed the kitchen in three strides to haul her against him and bury his face against the side of her throat with a growl.

"A man could get used to this," he said, pulling back to kiss her lips and look into her face.

Sam smiled up at him, her hands resting on his arms as he held her. "So could a woman."

"Coffee?"

"Please."

Jack reluctantly let her go to finish pouring their coffees. He took a spoon from the strainer beside the sink and scooped two hearty spoonfuls of sugar into each cup, stirring before he handed one to her. She took the mug, and sipped from it with a blissful sigh.

"Mmmmm, that's good."

"What time do you have to report today?" Jack asked.

"Not until 1330. I had the morning off."

Jack winced. Ah, damn. That's right. She needed it of to . . . what was it? Meet with the photographer. So not a topic he wanted to talk about after the amazing night they spent together. Eventually, maybe . . . just, not right now.

Jack leaned into the corner of his counter, one arm crossed over his chest with his coffee in the other hand. Sam stood beside him, facing the sink so the morning sun came through the window to hit her face. She held the mug near her nose so the steam curled up and she inhaled it with each breath, her eyes closed. As small, dare he call it blissful, smile bowed her lips.

He watched her for several moments, enjoying the simple fact that he could, and still trying to really accept the fact that she was here. That she had spent the night in his bed, in his arms, and she was beside him when he woke up.

Jack reached out and gripped her arm. Sam's eyes opened in surprise, but she didn't fight as he took the mug from her hand and set it on the counter, pulling her towards him. After shifting to spread his feet apart, he drew her into the space between his legs so he could hold her against his chest. Sam smiled and laid her cheek over his heart and wrapped her arms around his body and he did the same, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Getting your snuggle time in while you can?" Sam asked, her voice light with teasing.

Jack squinted and shuddered. "Do you have to call it snuggle time?"

She chuckled softly, then snuggled closer to him. In the years since he had finally admitted to himself how deep his feelings for his 2IC ran, Jack had let himself fantasize many times about nights like the one they had just spent. But he had never pictured a moment like this . . . just holding her in his kitchen, surrounded by the smell of fresh coffee and morning air.

The sex was amazing . . . but so was this.

Speaking of sex . . .

"Wanna see how strong this counter is?" he whispered in her ear.

"Is that all you're going to think about now?" Sam asked, her eyes sparkling and her smile bright.

Jack shrugged. "Let's face it. I'm not that complex."

He moved to kiss her, but caught the shift in her expression to one he immediately recognized, one he had seen many times in eight years. She was trying to remember something, grasp some fact that dangled in the back of her mind that probably would solve whatever dilemma they faced or somehow save the entire planet. Since the planet wasn't in immediate danger, Jack hoped it wasn't anything quite so serious.

"Sam . . ?"

"You've said that to me before," she said, her voice distant.

He arched an eyebrow. "O . . . kay."

"When I was stuck on the Prometheus."

Jack brought one hand up to lay his palm against her cheek. "Sam, you were alone on the Prometheus. I was here. Trust me, I remember. Nearly drove me nuts trying to find you."

Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, I know you weren't there. But . . . I saw you. Not just you. I saw Daniel, and Teal'c and my father, too. And this little girl . . . "

"Was there a scarecrow and tin man, too?"

"Jack!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. You did come back with a nasty concussion. So, if you were seeing things . . . Wait a minute! I don't remember seeing anything in your report about this."

She was avoiding looking at him, shaking her head. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

"I will not. Sam . . ."

But she had already retreated into deep thought again, staring past him to some insignificant point over his shoulder, and he could almost hear the wheels and cogs churning in her head. He laced his fingers behind her back, watching her for several minutes – the slight shifts in her expression and squint of her eyes. Finally, he leaned close to her ear.

"Helleeewwww . . ."

Sam blinked slowly, and turned to look at him, but her attention still seemed to be a galaxy away on the Prometheus. Jack studied her face, trying to read her expression.

"Sam, what?"

"My father told me to let go of whatever prevented me from being happy. That kept me from finding love. Being loved."

"Before he died?"

She shook her head. "No, on the Prometheus," she huffed, sounding frustrated that he couldn't follow her train of thought.

Jack nodded slowly. "The hallucination of Jacob."

"Yes. But . . . I think I misunderstood."

"How?"

Sam twisted her lips, the corners of her eyes squinting slightly. She was still deliberating, calculating, thinking it out. "I thought he meant I had to let you go."

Jack shifted his weight, pulling her closer into the space between his thighs. With this stance, he and Sam were eye to eye, and he made sure to hold her gaze with his own.

"So, you hooked up with Pete?"

She nodded.

"Maybe he meant let go of your clothes," Jack said with a shrug.

Sam tilted her head. "Excuse me?"

Jack let his gaze slide down her body, remembering exactly how every curve and swell beneath her clothing looked as he made love to her. "I'm thinkin' that would have been a quick way to find happiness . . . I know it would have been for me, anyway."

Sam laughed, her face lighting up again in the smile he loved so much, and she pushed against his shoulder. "Jack!"

"I'm just saying . . . "

Sam shook her head and stepped out of his embrace, picking up her coffee again. She went to the refrigerator and opened the door, looking inside as Jack admired her backside with a wicked grin.

"So, what else did I say?"

"What's that? Jack, you have nothing in here but beer, eggs and bread."

"I asked what else I said, and that right there is the start of a great breakfast."

Sam closed the refrigerator and turned back to him. "Don't you have to go to work?"

He wagged a finger at her. "Nope. Not getting out of it. What did I say in this little fantasy of yours?"

"It wasn't a fantasy!"

"And I'm supposed to believe you?"

Her mouth opened to protest, but bright color flashed in her cheeks. Jack pointed a finger at her. "Aha! I knew it!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Jack smirked. "Was it as good as last night?"

A slow, sexy smile curved Sam's lips and she leaned her hip into the counter edge, crossing her arms over her body. The action only succeeded in pushing her unrestrained breasts against the thin cotton of the tee shirt, creating an arousing effect. "No fantasy was ever as good as last night."

Jack stifled his groan and shifted his stance. He swallowed hard. "Okay, so . . . what else did I supposedly say?"

Sam smiled a wicked grin, and he knew she knew what she was doing to him. "Okay, fine. Um . . . you did what you usually do. You told me to figure it out, and said you knew I could."

"That's what friends are for, right?" She shot him a look that made him pop his eyebrows up. "Something I said?"

"That's what you said. That's what friends are for."

"Well, Sam . . . we are friends."

"Yeah, but . . . on the ship . . . you said that's all we were."

"I did?"

"Well, not in so many words."

Jack smirked and stepped away from the counter, moving to her. He set one hand on the edge of the stove, leaning in until their faces were just a few inches apart. "What exactly did I say, Sam?"

Sam was smiling, and he hoped she was having as hard a time focusing on the conversation as he was. Her gaze shifted to his mouth and back to his eyes. "You were the only hallucination that acted like you knew that's what you were. You said that this was my head, my mind, so we might as well be honest. So, I asked you . . . "

"Asked me what?"

He watched her swallow, her gaze dropping away again, but this time off to the side. Jack touched her chin with his fingertip, urging her to look back into his eyes.

"I asked if it would make a difference if I quit the Air Force. Or, was it just and excuse."

"And what did I say?"

"You said you would never ask me to give up my career."

Jack stroked her chin with his thumb, rubbing her lower lip, and enjoying the fact that he could. "And I won't."

"I didn't think that was much of an answer. I asked if it was because you didn't feel anything for me. And told you I would give you up if you didn't."

"I think we both know that isn't the case," he said, moving his hand from her jaw to her shoulder and slid his knuckles down the front of her shirt over the swell of her breasts. Her breath hitched and her nipples pressed against the fabric.

"And obviously, I didn't give you up." Her voice was heavy as she moved into his touch. "But it was then that you told me I was the problem, that you weren't that complex."

"Well, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"How do you figure?"

"Jack! You're like . . . like binary code. You're intricate in your simplicity."

Jack tried to look disgusted. "Excuse me?"

"All Binary Code is made up of is a series of zeroes and ones . . . simple. But when combined in thousands of combinations those codes can control the world with their complexity!"

He leaned closer, letting just his nose and the barest touch of his lips brush her throat as his fingers found and toyed with her nipple. "Have I ever told you how hot you are when you talk science?"

He felt her swallow, her low moan vibrating against his skin. Jack went back to running his knuckles over her breasts, stroking along the sides and beneath. "What else did I say, Sam?"

"That as long as I thought about you, then I wouldn't find someone else."

"If I said that, I'm an idiot."

Her hands touched his arms, and the heat nearly scorched his skin as she slid her palms up to the sleeves of his tee shirt. She leaned into him as he ran his tongue along her throat and pulled her earlobe into his mouth. "You – you didn't say it . . . " she tried to say, her breath hitched and short. "You just . . . "

"Didn't disagree?"

She nodded, and he slid his hand beneath the tee shirt to fill it with her breast. Sam moaned.

"Tell me what I did say, Sam," he demanded, as his fingers slid along the waistband of her jeans towards the snap. He leaned back to look into her face.

Her eyes were dark with arousal, her lips parted as she tried to breathe. Sam licked her lips, her hand slipping beneath his tee shirt. "You told me you'd always be here for me. No matter what."

"Now that I believe."

She smiled, and Jack coved her mouth with his own. He turned them together, and was about to test his theory on the strength of his counter when his phone rang. He moaned loudly, and Sam laughed as he moved back across the kitchen to take the phone off the wall.

"Yes, Walter. I'm coming!"

"I'm sorry, General. Teal'c has made contact again, and will be returning to the SGC shortly. He stated it was important you be here upon his return."

"Okay. I'll be there in fifteen."

He hung up the phone, and turned around, but Sam was gone. Jack went into the foyer and found her sitting on the steps leading to the living room, tying her sneakers.

"Problems?"

"Not sure," Jack answered. "Teal'c is on his way back."

She nodded and stood. "You go. I'm going to run home and grab a change of clothes. I'll be twenty minutes behind you."

Sam picked her bag up off the floor where she had left it the night before, and headed for the door. But Jack grabbed her arm, turning her back to him. Before she could say a word, he covered her mouth for a long, deep, breath-stealing kiss. When he broke away, Sam gasped for air.

"Wow!"

Jack grinned. "See you at work . . . honey."