AN: Sorry for the delay... RL reared its ugly head last week and I spent most of the week traveling. Hopefully this will be wrapped up in another part.

Chapter Eleven

Jack's feet landed noisily on the familiar ramp. He smiled as he looked around, noticing no changes to the gate room as far as he could tell. Walter was staring down at him from the control room, but no one else appeared to be around. Making his way upstairs, he figured he could bully Walter into giving him the information he needed.

The poor man looked horribly confused as Jack approached. "Sir? Weren't you just in your office?"

"What day is it?" Since Walter wasn't concerned that he'd been missing, he must have gotten back before he left. So much for those precise calculations.

"It's Wednesday, sir."

It had been Thursday when he left. He hoped it was only a day off. He could avoid himself for a day. He also wouldn't complain if Sam's math was only off by a day - it had been the first time she'd ever seen anything of the sort. He glanced around, paranoid that someone would overhear him. "What's the date, Walter?"

Walter looked confused again and his eyes darted around. As opposed to Jack, he was hoping someone would wander in to help him. "It's the thirteenth, sir." He paused; Jack waited. "Of July, sir." He hesitated again and looked for all the world like he thought he was about to say the wrong thing. "2005, sir. It's Wednesday, July 13, 2005."

Jack nodded. "Good answer, Walter. I was just checking." He turned and left without another word. He had to get off the base before he accidentally ran into his other self. He knew the base well, probably better than anyone else, but he still counted himself lucky when he made it to the surface without incident. According to the clock he'd seen on the wall of the control room, he had just over twelve hours to burn before his little trip to visit Carter's past. He walked the quiet streets, realizing for the first time how hard it was to just wait without having anywhere to go or anything to watch for. Twelve hours wasn't that long, he tried to reason. Twelve hours before he could return to the SGC. Twelve hours before he could tell Carter to forget the negotiation and order her home. Twelve hours before he could tell her things were going to change. He groaned in agony; he wouldn't survive that long. He wouldn't survive twelve minutes.

He grinned as the idea came to him. It was the night before a mission. Carter always tried to go home and get a good night's sleep the night before a mission. He broke into a run, ignoring his knee's cries of protest, not slowing down until he reached her door. He pounded on it as hard as he could, not caring that he was waking her. He heard movement from inside, but the door didn't open. He realized she was probably in the hallway and checking for a car out front.

"It's me, Sam." He hollered loud enough for her to hear even if she was in bed with a pillow over her head.

The door opened only a crack, revealing the chain lock that was still fastened. "Sam, sir?"

He rolled his eyes, proud of himself for not admitting how good it was to see her face. "Carter, open the door."

She stared at him, openly suspicious. "It's one A.M."

"You know that without checking your watch?" Jack knew she had plenty of amazing talents, but that was the first he'd discovered of her telling time without a watch.

"No, sir, I looked to see what time it was when someone started banging on my door."

"Remind me not to wake you up ever. You're awfully grouchy, Sam."

"What do you want, Jack?" The emphasis she put on his name, the fact that she'd even used it at all, spoke volumes about her mood.

He didn't care. "I want you to open the door." He grinned when she pushed the door closed to slide off the lock. No, he didn't care the least bit that she was upset; he was just so damn happy to see her.

As soon as she opened the door, Jack pushed inside, slamming the door closed behind him and grabbing her in one swift motion. Well, he thought it was swift, but judging from Sam's dismayed yelp and the fight she was putting up, he knew she didn't exactly see it that way. His hand found the back of her head and he pressed her face to his in an attempt to soothe her. "Shh, Sam, it's ok." She continued to struggle so he released her. He didn't want to freak her out, although it appeared that he already had.

She darted away from him at the first opportunity, taking refuge on the opposite side of several pieces of furniture. She narrowed her eyes at him and seemed to be analyzing every move he made. With her history, he knew she even questioned that it was really him. "What's going on, sir?"

Jack shrugged as fear crept into him. Maybe things were different with Sam. But if he'd changed things, wouldn't he know that? His headache started to come back. He sighed and collapsed back against the wall. Of all the things he'd imagined happening when he reached for her, he'd never once considered that she'd push him away and run across the room like she had. "Nothing, Carter. Nothing's going on."

She chanced a few steps toward him. "Have you been drinking, sir?"

"No."

Apparently she decided he wasn't going to attack her and approached him. "Is something wrong, sir?"

He winced openly at the word 'sir' and touched a finger to her lips before she could say it again. "I just wanted to see you."

She smiled slightly. "And you couldn't wait six hours?" She tried to sound annoyed, but Jack could hear something else in her voice. She was flattered, touched. It still amazed him that a little attention from him could matter so much to her. The thought caused those feelings to constrict in his chest again, threatening to choke him if he didn't confess.

"God, Sam." He reached out, sliding his fingers across her cheeks and back into her hair. Tugging hard, he pulled her off balance. Her body crashed into his; her hands braced against his chest. His lips captured hers in a sudden, possessive manner, hopefully dispelling any questions she had about his feelings for her. He deepened the kiss, wondering how he'd gone so long without her and barely noticing when her hands moved to his back to hold him close. It only took a few seconds before he was out of breath. His lips drifted over her skin, brushing her forehead, her cheeks, her neck. He breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent. "I've waited so long for this, Sam."

She pulled back to smile at him. "Not as long as I have."

He grinned, recognizing that arrogant smirk from her teenage self. "No, I guess not." He brought his hands to her face; holding her in front of him. "I love you, Samantha Carter."

Her eyes filled with tears and she hugged him fiercely. Her face turned in to whisper against his ear. "I've always loved you, Jack. I thought you'd moved on."

"Never." He held her eyes to convince her it was true, but he couldn't stay away for long. He wanted to taste every inch of her and he fully intended to do so right then. He moved in, closing his mouth over hers, and found no resistance. She led him into her bedroom without once breaking their kiss and he knew she had no question about what they were doing. She'd had nearly twenty years to think about it.

He'd never experienced anything like that night. He'd been with his share of women in his time; he'd been married. Being with Sam was beyond anything he'd ever imagined possible. She snuggled in close and fell asleep with her head resting against his chest. He sighed contentedly and let his fingers lightly trail across her back. He was definitely a happy camper and drifted to sleep with a smile on his face.