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Chapter 8

It was almost noon when the ringing phone roused Jack slightly from his restful sleep. He reached absent-mindedly for the offending object, wanting only to stop the ringing. He fumbled with the buttons and then answered groggily, "O'Neill."

There was a long, silent pause and then the caller ventured "Jack?" Daniel's voice was filled with surprise as he heard Jack answer in his typical military fashion.

"What?"

It was obvious to Daniel that the call had awakened Jack as he listened intently to the confusion in Jack's voice, at least he thought it was confusion….

"Uh, sorry, I meant to dial Sam."

He was sure he had and his own confusion created lines on his forehead as he spoke.

"Good-bye, Daniel."

Sleepy, maybe a little hung over, but definitely Jack.

"Sorr..."

Jack pressed the button again, groaned and shook his head slowly, wondering at the man's timing. Before he could get past that thought, the phone in his hand rang again.

"Gawd!"

He turned and put his hand on Sam's shoulder, shaking her none too gently.

"Sam? Sam, wake up. Your phone..."

She groaned and snuggled closer to him, obviously not anxious for a phone call. Jack smiled at her tousled hair and sleepy face as he looked down at the phone.

"What time it is?" She grumbled.

"Uh, I don't know. Come on, you awake? It's Daniel."

"How do you know it's Daniel?" Slight aggravation tinted her voice as she tried to wake up.

"He called already, I answered."

"You what?" She jumped up then, shaking her head, trying to clear her head. "Damn!"

"Take it easy. He thinks he dialed my number instead of yours." He couldn't help smiling at the startled look on her face and leaned over to place a quick kiss on her pouting lips. "So…phone's still ringing...want to talk to him?"

"Not really."

He cocked his head to one side and looked at her thoughtfully.

"Ok, but you know Daniel. He's an archeologist not a mathematician. He can add two and two and come up with five hundred and thirty nine! Do you really want to answer all those questions?"

"He'll ask them anyway and you know it! Oh, God! Sure! Why not?"

She reached for the phone in Jack's hand and tried to answer in a normal tone.

"Carter."

"Hey, Sam! Did I wake you?"

"Yes, Daniel, you did."

"Oh! Sorry! I thought you'd be up by now."

"Yeah, well I do sleep in occasionally, you know. What is it? Did you need something?"

Jack had lain back on the pillows and was smiling up at her obviously aggravated features as she talked to Daniel.

"Ah, Teal'c and I were going to the park for the nostalgia movies tonight and thought you might like to join us. Oh, and maybe a late supper afterwards."

"Sounds like fun. What's showing?"

"A Cary Grant movie…"Male War Bride"…or something like that anyway. They show the black and white classics outdoors on the lawn. It's great really! You just lie back on the grass and enjoy."

"Sounds like fun. What time?"

"Well, since it's outside it doesn't start until dark…so we could pick you up about 8:00, uh, 20:00 hours. The movie should last about an hour and a half and then we'll go for a late supper, O'Malley's maybe…but it'll be late so if you're hungry…."

"Got it, Daniel I'll see you then."

She was almost breathing a sigh of relief when Daniel spoke up again.

"Uh, Sam? Have you talked to Jack?"

"Yeah, last night. We watched a movie at my house. Remember?"

"Uh, no…that's not…um. never mind, we'll talk later."

"Ok…I guess."

Sam sounded as if she didn't know what Daniel was talking about but she was all too afraid that she did.

"Oh, yeah, it's ok to bring Pete." He scrunched his face as he made the obligatory offer.

Sam shot a concerned look at Jack who looked back at her, puzzled at the sudden change.

"He's not in town, Daniel, but thanks anyway."

"Oh!" Daniel's response was quick and sharp as if someone had poked him suddenly in the ribs. "Well, then, I think I'll call Jack."

"Ok. See you at 20:00 hours. Bye."

Sam quickly hung up the phone and started relaying the conversation for Jack's benefit. She was still talking when they heard his cell phone start to ring.

Jack cocked his head and grinned.

"He's persistent, I'll give him that." Crawling over her to the other side of the bed he finally pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket and flipped it open. "O'Neill."

"Hey, Jack, it's Daniel."

"Daniel! Are you really calling me this time?" He winked at Sam devilishly.

"Yeah…"

Daniel repeated the conversation that he'd just had with Sam as Jack listened and nuzzled Sam's neck.

"Um huh. Right. I'll need to finish up some things here first, then shower and change, how 'bout I meet you guys there?" He paused listening to Daniel on the other end of the line.

"Ok, Danny…What? Oh, yeah, well you know…we'd had a few beers…No, Daniel."

His voice suddenly became very stern and Sam's eyes widened wondering what Daniel had asked.

"Yeah, well. We discussed this already, didn't we…I'll see you tonight and I don't want to hear anymore about this, understood? Good." He snapped the phone shut and laid it on Sam's nightstand.

"Well?" She asked anxiously.

He shrugged his shoulders and leaned in to kiss her neck.

"Jack? What did Daniel say?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Sam. Ummm." He moaned softly as he kissed her neck and ear.

"Ok. So you're going to the movies with us?"

"Yeah. That's ok isn't it?"

"Ummmm…. yeah, that's fine. I need to get up."

"In a minute." He replied lightly, still kissing the soft skin of her neck.

"Jack." She put both hands on his chest and pushed him away. "Some things can't wait."

She slipped out of bed and walked towards the bathroom. Jack watched until she closed the door then fell limply back on the pillows. In a few minutes she was back in his arms.

"Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere."

Jack stroked her arm as she lay close against him, his mind still wondering about the boxes in her guest room.

"So...you packed up all that stuff...to seduce me?"

Sam giggled against his skin. "Good idea, but...no."

"Sam?" His voice was a little more insistent this time and he heard her sigh slightly.

"I'm, uh, moving."

She felt Jack go very still and knew what he was thinking. She just didn't want to explain the whole thing with Pete yet. She didn't want to lie and it was too early to tell him the truth.

"So?"

"So...we have a few more hours before we have to get ready. What do you want to do?"

"Oh...I can think of a few things..."

A couple of hours later Jack awoke again. He turned his head to look at the clock on the nightstand. Sam lay sprawled across him, her head on his chest and her long legs peeking out from beneath the sheets. Jack stroked her back gently with his open hand and she stirred slightly.

"Hey."

"Hmmm?" She stretched and then curled back against him.

"Time to get up." He whispered.

She moved but only enough to bring her head to rest on his shoulder.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Sam?"

"Ummmm, not yet. Can't we just stay here awhile?"

"I'd love to, but we have to get up eventually. You hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Come on, then. Let's get a shower and something to eat."

"Ok."

Sam was reluctant to move from her bed. She was afraid of all the things they would both start thinking once they left this room and went back to "normal." She was afraid of losing Jack.

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Jack was replacing the spilled contents of his pockets as he finished dressing. He could hear Sam rummaging around in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes from their late brunch. Somehow, this all seemed natural to him - as if they'd done it a thousand times before. They were good together. They would be good together. And for the first time, Jack allowed himself to actually think they might have a chance of a future together.

He patted his pockets, searching for something. "Cell phone." he was thinking, "where's my damn cell phone?" Suddenly remembering, he walked around the bed and reached down to pick up the phone. His hand froze. A glint of metal caught his eye and he reached for it instead. A cuff link. Pete's cuff link. Damn! He really hadn't needed to see that. He tossed it angrily back onto the nightstand, picked up his cell phone and walked out of the room.

Jack stopped in the kitchen doorway as Sam placed the last of the items in the dishwasher and turned to him smiling.

"Hey!"

"Hey. Gotta go." He crossed the room and hugged her in his arms, kissing her softly. "I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok."

Jack walked down the hallway, opened the door and down the steps to his truck. He stepped in behind the wheel and looked back at the house. For a moment he just sat there staring. Then he pounded his head against the wheel and said aloud, "Shit, O'Neill! Now look what you've done!"