Carter raised herself cautiously on her elbow and tried to orientate herself in the dim light filtering into the room they were in. She felt dazed and unable to concentrate on the problem at hand. They had got themselves into a real pickle this time and she couldn't seem to think of a way out of it. She could see O'Neill lying near her and gave an exasperated snort as she realised he was asleep. He was curled on his side facing her and his lips were curved in a ridiculous smile. She couldn't believe he could be asleep at a time like this.
Memories of a few hours ago came flooding back. They had let their guard down badly to get caught in this situation. There were extenuating circumstances, not that a court martial panel would see it like that, but then would they be able to tell a court martial that only this morning their best friend had been returned naked to the base by the ancients after rejecting life as an ascended being? That they were beginning to think that he was lost to them, again, and that his return was miraculous. That they had finally defeated two enemies, one who would have enslaved the people of earth; the other would have destroyed them. That even as they celebrated their victory, her Dad and Selmak had died leaving her bereft of all joy in their achievement. More complicated and less extenuating, that she had broken off her engagement because she realised that the man she really loved was worth waiting for and fighting for.
That morning they had found Daniel some clothes and listened to his story, finally making sense of their own experiences. He had spent most of the rest of the day in the infirmary as the doctors ran test after test, confirming that he was indeed Daniel Jackson and that he was free of any contagions, parasites, implants and otherwise healthy. He was finally cleared to leave the base early in the evening. Jack, Sam and Teal'c had never been far from his side or each other during the day, the old team dynamic kicking into place, the infirmary being the natural place for that to happen.
At some time in the afternoon, Daniel had asked a question about the wedding and Sam told them that she had broken up with Pete. O'Neill didn't say anything, his face a mask. Daniel started to make the usual socially acceptable noises and Teal'c, being Teal'c just said what they were all thinking anyway. "I am glad to hear that ColonelCarter. I did not think that PeteShanahan was a wise choice for your husband. It is better that this marriage will not take place." Sam didn't miss the nod of approval from O'Neill as Teal'c spoke.
O'Neill announced it was team night at his place and they all agreed. He and Daniel and Teal'c had gone straight there but Sam had decided to go home and change into something more celebratory instead. She was rewarded with compliments from Daniel and Teal'c and a succinct "Wow" from O'Neill when she arrived. It's possible the dress could also prejudice her defence. The night followed the same pattern as all the others that they had spent with each other. Beer and takeout and lots of rambling conversations.
Finally Teal'c announced that he was taking Daniel home then returning to the base. The two said their goodbyes and left. Sam stood up.
"I should go." She grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
"No." Carter turned in surprise
"Stay, don't go."
She stared at him, open-mouthed. Her heart started to beat a little faster and she felt a sudden unexpected spurt of anger.
"What are we talking here? Stay and help clean up? Stay the night? Or stay with me always?" She wondered briefly whether she had been taken as a host. She could hear the words coming from her mouth but she couldn't believe she was saying them out loud. She saw O'Neill was looking at her with his confused, baffled, 'I don't know what the hell I'm saying here' look. Finally he blurted out:
"All three?"
Sam felt the little spike of anger again as she dropped her bag back to the floor. All those months she was with Pete and he had never said a word, even though she'd more than once given him the opening. Of course, she knew that while she was with Pete he would never have said anything but still… Thinking of Pete reminded her of something else.
"What about Kerry?"
He had the grace to look uncomfortable. "She dumped me"
"She what? Is she an idiot? Why?"
"Kerry wanted out because she knows I love you and she didn't want to be in the middle of that. I think that makes her way smarter than either of us." He suddenly seemed very sure of himself, displaying the same calm resolve he had before they went into action. He crossed the room and placed his hand on her cheek caressing it gently with his thumb. "Stay?" She nodded her head slightly and he kissed her, gently at first and then with increasing intensity as she returned the kiss.
That's how they'd ended up here, naked and in his bed. She couldn't believe that years of self-restraint had evaporated so quickly. There'd been times when they'd been facing certain death and they hadn't been able to say how they felt and now one kiss and they'd given in completely. Cliches were swirling through her mind and she couldn't seem to focus her thoughts but she kept coming back to one thing. "This is right".
It was 3am and she really needed to talk to him. Sam poked him in the shoulder, repeatedly until he woke up. Sort of woke up. He reached out and pulled her in close to him and made a contented purring sound, something she never expected to hear from him. As his hands and lips started to move again she was tempted to give in and go with the flow. Very tempted. With a sigh she stilled his wandering hands and drew back from his lips. As he opened his eyes and looked at her in reproach she said, "We need to talk".
He gave an exaggerated sigh and pouted. "Why? We waited until the Goa'uld weren't a threat, we destroyed the replicators. We both tried to get a life without each other, it didn't work. We found each other again, we are together. What's there to talk about?" His heart leapt as he saw a grin he hadn't seen for a long time, one of his favourites, the 'I love how you make me laugh'.
"What about, how do we avoid a court martial? I want to be with you and I don't want to sneak and hide and lie. Last time I checked you were still my CO."
Jack gave her a self-satisfied smirk. "Just for once, I'm way ahead of you. Yes, technically right now I am still you CO. However, things can change in the next few days, if you want. The guys at Area 51 have requested that you be seconded there for a few months now that there is no immediate threat and you don't need to go off world so much. I thought you could spend more time with Cassie that way too." She started to protest but he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Hear me out. Things are going to change anyway. I found out today I'm going to be transferred to Washington, very soon. I figured if you're not going on missions all the time it should be easier for us to meet up. It's not perfect, I know, but I figure it's better than we could have hoped for."
Sam stared at him in amazement. He had all this thought out. Jack O'Neill the great deny-er had spent the last few days working out what he needed to do so that they could be together. Or apart, she realised. This plan would have worked if she had stayed with Pete too. She let go of that thought. They were together and she could live with a few days of keeping that quiet if it meant they could both keep their careers.
Jack watched her processing what he had just told her, rightly assuming that she was surprised that he had thought this through. He was insanely calm considering that her answer held the key to his happiness. If she felt even half as… centred, as he felt now he knew she'd do what ever they had to, to be together. He knew the moment she decided and felt a surge of elation when he saw the gleam in her eyes. He closed the gap between them to kiss her again and was surprised when she pulled back saying "Hold on there mister!"
He stilled and questioned her with his eyes, puzzled but not alarmed.
"There's still one thing you need to ask"
His mind raced though all the possibilities; there had been quite a few breathless declarations of undying love earlier in the evening so that couldn't be it, he didn't think she was demanding marriage and it was so not the right time to be talking about kids… He saw the small smile playing around her mouth and it clicked.
"You know Carter, I know this lake in Minnesota that has absolutely no fish in it…"
That's the whole deal folks, including the steak knives.
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