It was dark by the time they reached the parking lot.
"Well" Jack said, when they reached their vehicles.
"I had a good time" Sam said smiling.
"Yeah" Jack smiled back at her crookedly.
"Um" Sam began hesitantly. "You've never seen my new place have you? After I got back from Area 51?"
"Noooo" Jack drew the word out as he stood with his hands in his pockets.
Sam jangled her keys in her hand in what would have been a pretty fair impression of Jack. "So, do you want to come over?" she asked him. Jack looked a little surprised at the offer. "For an hour…or…something" Sam added, not wanting him to think she was trying to 'pick him up' or anything.
"I should probably get back" Jack reluctantly declined. "Cassie's expecting me"
"Okay" Sam unlocked her car door and started to open it. "I'll see you around then?"
"About that" Jack started slowly.
Sam sighed, letting go of her door handle, and faced him. She hadn't heard that tone in two years, but she remembered it, and it usually meant she wasn't going to like what came next.
"You know that Cass is leaving tomorrow for spring break, so I'd planned on leaving tomorrow."
"Oh" Sam didn't hide her disappointment.
Jack rested a hand on the car and started drumming his finger on the roof. "What if I decided to stick around for a while?" Jack proposed. "I could hang out, see the sights, soak up the Colorado sunshine. It's been raining in Minnesota."
"It has?" Sam had watched the Weather Channel and the last three days had shown clear skies and sunshine in northern Minnesota. Not that she cared about the weather there…
"So I've heard" Jack shrugged. "And you know how fish are when it's raining…"
"Well, I worked long hours last week. If I leave early a couple days this week nobody'll care."
"The world won't end if you're not there?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I'll leave things in the hands of my very capable assistant."
"I thought you said he was incompetent?" Jack asked, remembering hoe she'd complained about him earlier.
"Well I don't care that he doesn't accomplish anything while I'm gone as long as he doesn't blow up my lab." Sam remarked.
"Small victories right?" Jack joked.
"Right" Sam smiled at him. "Small victories"
Jack cleared his throat "See you tomorrow?"
"I could stop by the apartment"
Jack hesitated. "I haven't said anything to Cass, about…"
"Me neither"
"I mean, there's no reason not to" except that for some reason he just didn't want her knowing about this.
"We could see her separately" Sam suggested, knowing Cassandra would probably find out about them sooner or later. But if she was leaving tomorrow that might give them some time before Nikki had a chance to spill the beans. Some time to figure out what they were doing before they had to explain it to someone else.
"We could meet back here after she's gone."
"Okay, sounds good"
"Good" Jack started drumming his fingers on the car again. Neither of them was eager to say goodnight. They'd spent the whole evening not knowing how much time they'd have together. Now they'd progressed from a few hours to 'a while'. However long that was.
Jack exhaled and looked up at the same time as if waking from a trance. "I'd better go"
Sam nodded.
"Night" Jack grinned at her as he as he moved toward his truck.
"Goodnight" Sam hesitated beside her car. Jack was about to get into his truck when Sam called his name. "Jack"
"Yeah?" he turned around.
"I was thinking, eventually, after you have to go back to Minnesota." She stopped.
"Yes?" Jack raised and eyebrow at Sam's sudden lack of nerve.
"It's just that, I have some leave coming."
"You mean to tell me you'd consider actually leaving?"
Sam swallowed. "Maybe"
"Well then" Jack said "I can't wait to see that"