CHAPTER 16

A/N: If you are not a Sam/Jack shipper don't read this chapter. It doesn't really stay in cannon with the TV show. On the show Sam and Jack would just go back to normal with no problems or repercussions from what they experienced. I don't think that is realistic so this chapter is how they resolve their issues about having been forced to become lovers on P3X-071.

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Jack had been ordered to come and see Doctor Fraiser the next day at 1100 hours. As he arrived at the infirmary, Sam was just leaving.

"Hey, I thought you were ordered to go home and not play with the doohickeys in your lab."

"I was, but I was also ordered to see Janet at ten hundred this morning."

"Ah." He said. "So, you going to play with your doohickeys now?"

"Yeah, for awhile. It takes my mind off...stuff..."

"Right. Well, see ya later, Carter."

Jack's counseling session consisted mostly of Janet talking and Jack playing with a pen and not listening. During his "visit" with Janet, after she had reminded him that he currently wasn't Sam's CO, an idea began to form in Jack's mind. When the session was over, Jack went right to his office and got on the internet. He booked a deluxe room at the 5 star Broadmoor Hotel. Then, knowing Sam as he did, he went directly to her lab and found her staring at some contraption, lost in thought

"Hey, Carter."

"Uh, Sir,... Hi."

"Whatcha doin'?"

"I just wanted to get a look at this Ancient Medical Device we brought back from P3X-071 before it gets sent to the scientists at Area 51."

He nodded. "I thought you were suppose to be on leave."

"I thought you were too, Sir."

"Yeah..." He looked down at her workbench and found some fascinating thingamabob to play with.

After having a silent argument with himself for a few moments Colonel O'Neill finally said "Look, we've both been ordered to take some leave and I..."

She cut him off "Sir, I don't want to go back to my house and sit there all alone. It's just, well... I'm fine. I want to come back to work and I just don't want to be alone."

"I don't want to be alone either, Carter, so I booked us a room at the Broadmoor Hotel."

"What? The Broadmoor! You mean that five star resort where rooms start at $400 a night!"

"Yeah."

"But, Sir I really don't think this is the right thing to do, I mean..."

"Carter, General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser are both on my case. They say we have to 'talk'. Look, we just spent 79 days on a planet where we're still considered ...um, married. Now I don't know about you, but I'm not ok with this."

"No, I'm not either." she said softly.

"Look, I'm not your CO anymore, I've been reassigned to SG11,..."

"Yeah, I know, General Hammond told me..."

"However, I am still a Colonel and you're still a Major, so don't make me order you to do this."

She was staring down at the medical device in her hands and refused to look at him.

Finally, in a softer voice he said "Sam, we can't talk here so, let's talk at the Broadmoor. Go home, pack some stuff and I'll pick you up in a couple hours. Ok?"

He didn't wait for her reply. He just put down the doohickey he had been toying with and left her lab.

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At 1500 hours Jack pulled his pickup into Sam's driveway, got out and went to her door. He rang the bell and did not have to wait long for Sam to answer.

"You ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said as she picked up a small black suitcase.

Jack took the suitcase from her when they reached his truck and tossed it in the back seat with his overnight bag.

Sam got in the truck and the two SG1 officers rode in uncomfortable silence for about an hour until they reached the Broadmoor Resort.

Sam and Jack walked up to the registration counter in the hotel's lobby.

"Registration for Jack O'Neill, two L's." He said to the young lady behind the counter.

She made a few key strokes on her computer and said "Deluxe room, two guests, two nights?"

"Yes." Jack replied as he handed her a credit card.

"Sir..."

"Carter." He used his warning tone.

He knew she was going to say something about him spending close to a thousand dollars for a two night stay in a hotel, but he didn't want to hear it.

After they were checked in and had their room keys in hand, the desk clerk sent a bell hop to get Sam and Jack's luggage and take them to their room.

Once the bell hop had left, Sam stood in the middle of the room, just taking in the luxurious view. The large, opulent room had a king size bed covered in a colorful blue and red duvet. Sliding glass doors opened on to a private balcony with a breathtaking view of the mountains.

"Sir, ..." Sam was about to mention the cost of the room again and Jack knew it.

"Sam, you have just spent three months as a slave living in a cave for cryin' out loud! Now, I don't know about you, but I basically haven't had any living expenses for the past three months and the Air Force continued to pay me. Not only can I afford it, but I think we deserve a couple nights in a place like this."

"Yes, Sir."

Sam busied herself with unpacking and then went outside to stand on the balcony and take in the view.

Jack joined her on the balcony and said "So, dinner and dancing in the Star Light Lounge or should I have room service send up a couple bowls of stew?"

She laughed at that and the tension was broken.

"I don't think I'll ever eat stew again." She said.

They stood side by side on the balcony in silence for a few moments, taking in the awe-inspiring view of the snow capped mountains. The sun was warm on their faces and they realized how much they had missed the sun and fresh air.

At length Jack said softly "Sam, I'm sorry."

She turned to look him in the eyes. "Sorry for what?" she asked gently.

He puffed his cheeks as he blew out a breath. Then he looked down at his shoes and said, so quietly she could barely hear him, "For raping you."

Sam's eyes got big as saucers. "Is that what you think happened there!"

"Well, isn't it?"

"God, no! I mean, is that all it was to you!" She was angry now. She was having uncontrollable feelings of love for her CO and it was just meaningless sex to him?

He stood there looking at her for a moment, not sure what to say.

She continued "I made love to you and you just had meaningless sex with me?"

'Oh, boy, is she pissed. This isn't the reaction I expected from her at all.' Thought Jack.

"No, it wasn't meaningless! I know you didn't want to do it, you were forced to do it. That's rape, Sam."

"Its not that I didn't want to do it, its against the regulations!" she nearly shouted.

"Damn the regulations to hell, Sam!" then in a somewhat less angry tone he said "Sam, you didn't choose to have sex with me, you were forced to. It was either Dra'coe or me, now in my book that's rape."

"I wanted to make love to you," she began, "but now I'm afraid they'll take me off SG1 because of it."

"Sam, the president has already, ah,...'pardoned' us..."

"That's not what I mean, Sir." She turned to look out at the mountains again, putting her fist to her forehead, fighting to hold in the tears. Refusing to look at him, she said "My feelings for you are stronger than ever, but if I can't leave what happened there in those caves, in the caves, General Hammond will have no choice but to take me off SG1." In a more gentle tone of voice she said. "I don't want to be on an SG team without you."

"Sam, I ...well, I live for the smiles, the innuendoes, and the little touches we can get away with, and I would rather have that than be put on separate teams. It would kill me to know you were off world and there was nothing I could do to protect you. Until the Goa'uld are no longer a threat, I'm willing to live with the promise of what the future might hold for us as long as we can be together on SG1."

She turned to look at him, hope in her eyes. "So, we're ok with this? I mean we can go back to the way things were and pretend we didn't..." She asked.

"Sam, I can't live with what I did to you on P3X-071 and I can't pretend it didn't happen. You say the only reason you didn't want to have sex with me was because of the regulations, and I say I raped you..."

She put her hand on his arm to stop him "Jack, please stop saying that."

"I'm not your CO right now, we have no regulations stopping us, so give me a chance to set things right. When we were on P3X-071 I told you I would make it up to you. If you want to make love to me here we can, it's your choice, if you don't want to that's fine too,..." He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, not knowing what to say to make her understand how he felt.

She looked at him, unshed tears in her eyes. "Jack, I do want to make love to you, but will it be possible to go back to being CO and 2IC again?"

"If you choose to make love to me here, I won't go back and pretend it never happened."

"But, we can't tell anyone, and we can't show our feelings either."

"I know. But, we'll know the truth. It'll be something to hold on to until we can be together with no regulations. A beautiful memory, not the memory of what happened in those dirty mines."

Sam felt tears burning in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. Suddenly she felt his arms around her, holding her tight.

"So whadda ya say, Sam, make love to me?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes, Jack." she said softly. "And, about that shower we were going to take together..."

Finé