A/N: Hullo... I finished Chapter three... finally. I'm sorry it took me so long. I hope you like it. R&R please! I want to thank those who already reviewed! Thank you so much!

So, now let's get it started.

Oh, and...I forgot the disclaimers... nothing mine... I just borrowed the SG1 stuff... yadda yadda...!

CHAPTER THREE

Some weeks passed and my feelings did eventually, too. At least that was what I thought. No, what I wanted my brain so desperately to believe. That are entirely different things if you make your brain believe something or if you simply know. I didn't know. I wanted to believe.

And you know what I discovered then?

Fate's a bitch! Of course things do not happen the way you want them to. Of course you meet the one person you don't want to meet. And of course you meet that person in a Bar. A Bar. Okay, I spell it out for you. B A R.

A Bar is really the last place where you want to meet the man you feel attracted to although you really, really want to forget this attraction. A Bar's atmosphere is toxin to a intend like that. The air is thick with smoke and strange odors, pheromones of both sexes. Alcohol is available till you die if you like. Soft music, slow, sensual rhythms, play in the background, invading your mind slowly but steadily.

You get the idea? Not the place to meet Jack again.

But eventually I did. Because it was my lucky day... or not.

Me and my girls were out on a "Ladies Nite". We celebrate these nights because all of us have jobs which are very time-consuming. In order to stay in contact we go out once or twice a month to feel good, take a look at the boys in town and get maybe a little, tiny little bit drunk.

We were looking hot, like we always did when we were going out like that, tight jeans, push-ups and high heels. We'd maybe overdo it, but hell... we didn't care.

We arrived at "The BAR" round 10 P.M. and started catching up, gossiping and goggle, at men and their butts of course.

And then the door opened, cold air blew around my legs and I found me staring into these damn, deep brown eyes. It felt as if all the already consumed alcohol was drained from my brain, I was sober within a millisecond and gone, too. I fled to the Ladies Room. The last resort for women only.

Well, women only my ass. Because his colleague, girlfriend, friend, blonde or what ever she was came in right behind me only a few seconds later. What a fortuity.

I leaned with my head against the door of one of the cabins, slightly bumping my forehead on it.

On second thoughts maybe not the most hygienic course of action.

"Hey, don't I know you?" the woman asked.

I took a long breath and hoped that she would go away if I just didn't answer.

In the end she didn't. She began to wash her hands and kept asking:

"You've been at Jack's Party, right?"

I looked up and turned to look at her friendly, nice smiling face through the mirror. I nodded. She had been the woman who called Jack away that evening. Have I mentioned that I don't like her?

"I'm Sam." she said and reached her hand out for greeting manners. I shook her hand, reluctantly. She was nice, why did she had to be nice? She seemed very close to Jack and I wanted to hate her for that, but I couldn't.

"Hannah!" I replied.

"I know." she said, her grin growing wider. "He told me about your early years."

"It could have only been embarrassing. For me." I mumbled.

"Well, see you!" she said and left.

I returned to my cabin door and started again to bang my head against it.

Yack!

After another ten minutes of considering whether to climb through the toilet window or drown myself in one of the toilets I decided to face the inevitable.

I returned to the main room and found Daniel, T. (?), Sam and of course Jack sitting closely, shoulder to shoulder around our table.

"Yo, Hannah. I didn't know you know these gorgeous men... and woman of course." Becca exclaimed as she saw me approaching.

"Yeah, Hannah. Why didn't you tell?" Jack copied Rebeccas tone.

His voice was friendly, ironic. But his eyes. When I saw the look in his eyes though I felt that he knew that my disappearance tonight and at his party had something to do with him. And being a good Air-force Colonel he was determined to find out what it was.

"Must have slipped my mind." I said under my breath and sat down, next to Jack. I brushed his shoulder and instantly the weird feelings returned. Damn, weeks of denying... all for nothing.

This was going to be a very long night. I just knew it.

"So," I started, scratching my head nervous. "What are you guys doing here?"

"This is our favorite bar and then I saw you leaving these incredible charming ladies." My friends all began to snicker.

Mean traitors.

God, this was awful.

"And I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to expand our social interactions." Come on, as if. This was so overdone.

He looked at me once more, as if telling me that if I spilt it now everything would be over.

But how could I possibly, without embarrassing myself to the bones, admit that I felt attracted to him. That a corner in this barely lit room would be just perfect for a making out session. It would just be too awkward afterwards between the two of us, and I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

So I simply started to talk to Daniel... and ended up talking vividly with, guess who, Jack. Of course. Everyone at the table had after some time found someone to talk to. It was funny to observe how little groups formed and divided, according to the subject.

But Jack and I kept talking the whole time. Letting the others be. We talked about just everything. It was so strange, but I could just do that. It was something I didn't do with every person I met. Becca was one of these persons and now seemingly Jack. He told me about his time after he got divorced from Sarah. I told him about my problems after we moved to San Francisco and my trouble in finding and trusting new friends.

Why certainly he couldn't tell me about about his job but all the more I was able to tell him about all the wonderful places I've already been. About India, Australia, France, Brasilia and many more.

We got to know each other. Yeah, I know we knew each other but we didn't really know each other. You know what I mean?

And all the while he talked I caught myself looking at his lips, at his eyes and how they shone and widened when he talked about hockey and fishing, how he gesticulated with his hands wild above his head every now and then.

A while later I wasn't able to deny my growing feelings for this man. I didn't even try. There was no use to do so. Now he did not only attract me physically but emotionally and hear, hear intellectual.

He didn't show his intellect like Daniel, it was hidden in small comments or in the way he listened. Sometimes he asked a question but I had the impression it was for my sake only, to let me talk a little more about something I felt comfortable with.

I was bewitched. I couldn't help it any longer.

We kept talking until: "We're closing!" rang through the empty bar.

I turned and realized that all the others were gone. It was now slightly after 3 A.M. in the morning. They left an hour ago, maybe or earlier. I remembered that the others said their goodbyes sometime ago but I didn't really registered it.

This was new to me. I was so immersed in my conversation with Jack that the world outside ceased to exist. That is so tawdry, I know. But what can I do?

So more or less willingly we left the bar.

"So what are we going to do now?" I asked, burying my hands in my coat and my face in my shawl, mumbling the main part of my question.

He slung his jacket around himself and turned to me slightly to answer my question: "Dunno."

And with that a very uncomfortable silence hung between us. We walked along the still and quiet streets of Colorado Springs, along closed stores. We met no one, the streets were empty and even the wind seemed to leave us alone. The sky was clear and the stars could be seen once again.

"Uhm... I really enjoyed tonight!" I offered.

"Yeah, me too." And then again... nothing. We returned to our strolling.

I was dead tired and hungry but I wasn't ready to go home just yet. I knew I wouldn't do me any good by not leaving now but somewhere along this evening my heart took control over my actions. Bad, I know. Too bad. But this whole Jack situation was doomed from the start, I realized sometime through our conversation in the bar. I should have known the moment I heard his voice in the mall.

Over and over we closed the distance between us and our arms and hands brushed now and again and every time my heart began to race. Once or twice I provoked a bumping against him and he did nothing to stop me.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" he said quietly and I didn't know whether it would be safer to say "Yes" or "No". So I decided for: "N... Yes!"

Foolish girl, I told myself.

"What have I done at my party that you fled like... that?"

Oh no. Damn, I knew I should have said no!

"Nothing, I just had to get out early the next day. Nothing more, nothing less."

He turned his head to look at me, I could feel his eyes observing me for any hints if I lied or not. Well, seemingly he was quite the observer for he stopped and placed a hand on my arm (shiver!) to get me to stop, too.

"Come on."

"No, Jack. This night was so great. I really had fun. Just let's not do anything to make this awkward." I rambled and gestured between us. This conversation made me nervous beyond all measures.

"You mean more awkward than this currently is?"

Touché.

"So I did something to..."

"No!" I stopped him. "You haven't done anything." I muttered.

And did I already mention that his hand still lay on my arm? Did I mention that he had started to stroke it softly with his thumb? Hello, dizziness!

"So, what's wrong?" he asked and leaned down, his voice barely above a whisper. His breath brushed my face, crawled down my neck and sent a shiver down my spine. I took a deep breath in, trying to steady my weak knees and calming my heart that was about to break trough my chest.

I looked up and found him watching me. His eyes wandered over my face from my eyes, over my cheeks to my mouth where they remained for a moment too long for a casual survey.

And then I did something very, very wrong. Very wrong. I wasn't thinking properly, my brain was fogged with hormones and want and his breath on my skin so I did what I was thinking about since I was at the party.

Slowly I lay my hand on the back of his neck, driving my fingers through his silvery grey hair and pulled him closer to me until I only needed to cross an inch to touch his lips. He didn't resist, I actually saw him wet his lips.

I was scared though anxious to kiss him. I feared the consequences but didn't mind them right now.

I placed my lips on his. Ever so lightly, giving me and him the chance to back off immediately if one of us changed their mind.

But neither of us did. The hand that still lay on my arm tightened it's grip on me and the other wound around my waist to pull me closer to him. Now I was the one who didn't resist.

I felt dizzy, light headed, excited, everything you should feel while getting your first kiss. No, before you ask. It was not my first kiss, and not my second either. Thanks. But my first kiss was a disaster, too wet and from Martin Baker. Three words: Truth or dare... a game that needs to be forbidden.

But this was good, better. I wanted it to never end. But nothing lasts forever, not even the best things. Too bad.

We stood there for a while, pressed against each other, lips locked.

But then I needed oxygen and broke the contact, hardly moving my face away from his.

"This was..." I started but just couldn't for the life of me find the word to describe how I felt about the kiss. Because one: It happened scarcely seconds ago and I was still drugged with the feeling of his lips on mine. And two: I didn't want to think about it right now, because I knew that I would panic if I did.

"Nice!" he finished my sentence and I nodded while I swallowed hard.

"But this is so..." I breathed, slowly but steadily coming to my senses. Unfortunately, because... panic!

"Weird?" He suggested and I again nodded in agreement. He nodded too, deep in thought.

Luckily it wasn't "I-just-kissed-my-father-weird" but "This-is-Jack-O'Neill-grey-hair-makes-him-even-more-sexy-and-by-the-way-father-of-my-dead-best-friend-weird".

That was the moment my brain kicked in and I took a step back out of his firm embrace.

Yeah, I regretted doing this only... instantly but I really needed my mind to work in normal parameters and in his proximity that was definitely impossible. Because the brain is rational. You can't trust the heart but the brain, right? No?

And then my mind really started to work. I mean really!

Everything came crashing down on me. The kiss, every touch, every smile I gave him and he returned. That was so wrong. At least my brain told me so.

He was the only real father figure I ever had. I had spent so much time at his house. That was so against everything I believed the past years. Gosh, this was wrong!

My breathing increased and... tada... the panic was there and my mind began to race. I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact of the thoughts to come.

What about Charlie? God, Charlie. I felt as if I was betraying him. As if we were betraying him. And that felt unbearable. This was his dad. The dad he loved and admired. Wasn't it normal to have at least second thoughts?

Jack seemed to notice the change in me because he came rushing over to me.

"Hannah, hey." he said in a low, calm voice and laid a hand under my chin to make me look at him. Reluctant I obeyed and rose my eyes.

"Please, just... don't think now. Okay. Don't overanalyze this. I'm hangin' around with scientists too much already." He tried a smile but failed.

"I'm leaving in two days for a month..." I started.

"Hannah. No." He shook his head, his eyes sad. "About to run again?"

"... to Malaysia." I went on as if I hadn't heard him. But I did and I saw the desperate yet resigning expression on his face.

"Jack, I need time to think. This is so confusing. Please give me this time. Don't you feel confused?"

"Damn, I don't want this to be over before it even started." He closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose. "And you start to think already, I know you're the thinking type. It's always a bad sign. I know those! And a month,... Hannah, you won't even talk to me when you come back..."

"I'm leaving no matter what, Jack! It's a job." I interrupted his rambling. Did Jack ramble? I never noticed.

"Oh."

"I just wanted to tell you that I want to use the time to think about this and that you better do the same."

"Oh." His voice subdued, visibly embarrassed about his outburst. He scratched the back of his head.

Okay, I didn't tell him that I probably would think about it 24/7 but wanted me not to. That I probably would force me not to call him when I come back. That I would try everything human possible not to care for him, this cute wrinkles at his eyes that appeared when he was laughing and his big brown eyes. What am I doing? Chatter on about how cute he is... aww...I'm doing it again.

Damn his eyes!

After a few minutes of silence I left.

"See you in a month." he promised, his voice firm, determined and I didn't doubt his words. I knew he would be there.

I hoped he would be there...