It's been sooo long I know! I'm honestly sorry about how long its taken - but hey I'm back at uni now and I seem to write more when I'm here so hopefully more Circles and So They Say as soon as poss!

So They Say

Chapter 2 – New Places

As Jack pondered the last few arguably relaxing days, he studied his fianc's sleeping face. He'd been trying to assess whether her bout of flu had genuinely improved, or whether she'd just become more adept at hiding the symptoms. There was only another six weeks until the wedding, which left no more chances to introduce Sam to his brothers and extended family if they did cancel this weekend. As much as abandoning the trip appealed to Jack, he knew it would make Sam happier if she didn't have to go through first impressions on her big day.

Sam shifted her head from her pillow to his shoulder, making a slight mumbling noise that Jack had learned was her way of warning him she wasn't ready to wake up yet. He pulled her a little closer in a tight hug, content to watch her until she woke. Moving his hand up to the back of her head, he combed through her blonde locks, gently spreading a wave of gold over his shoulder. The length of it was nearly past her shoulders now, longer than he'd ever seen her wear her hair – with the exception of the alternate reality Sam.

A violent sneeze pulled him from his thoughts and he rubbed his hand over her back soothingly. She sneezed a second time, before bleary sapphire eyes looked up to catch his.

"Not the nicest way to wake yourself up." He smiled sympathetically, continuing to move his hand over her back soothingly.

She managed to smile weakly at him, hooking her right arm across his waist and readjusting her head on his shoulder before closing her eyes again.

"You feel any better?" Jack asked quietly.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" Her sleepy voice countered.

"Way to dodge the question, Carter." Jack chided her as he kissed her forehead affectionately.

"How long do we have before the flight?"

He noticed her carefully controlled neutral expression, as if asking a perfectly innocent question, and saw straight through it. "Well that depends…"

Blue eyes looked up at him, a cheeky smile breaking free before she could stop herself. "And just what does it depend on Colonel?"

"On how much energy you have, Carter. And how fast you can pack for this trip." Jack shot her a lazy grin; his hand dropping to the curve of her waist where she lay on her side, fingers toying with the hem of the pale green tank top she'd worn to bed.

"I've spent an entire weekend being waited on by my boyfriend and nearly a week doing absolutely nothing," Sam told him sweetly, her smile becoming devilish. "I'm nothing but energy this morning."

Jack grinned back at her, leaning down to press a searing kiss to her lips before pulling away long enough to say; "That's what I was hoping you'd say."

It was nearly eight in the evening when they stepped off the plane, due to their connecting flight having been delayed by an hour. Thankful that he'd declined his younger brothers offer to pick them up at the airport, Jack clasped Sam's hand in his as they headed to the taxi rank out front. The humid weather had cooled a little, but Sam was glad of the flowered sundress she'd worn instead of jeans, her hair pulled up in a clasp away from her face. A smiling middle-aged man greeted the two of them as they approached, gesturing to one of the parked cars next to him. He took their suitcase from Jack, who gave the man the name of their hotel, much to Sam's surprise.

"I thought we were staying with your brother?"

"We were. Then it occurred to me there'd be no escape from Alison." Jack explained dramatically, and then he grinned. "There's a pool, and a hot tub and lots of other cool stuff."

"No fishing?" She grinned playfully at him. Jack placed a hand on her thigh and squeezed, making her laugh.

"So where are you folks from?" The driver asked as he pulled out of the airport onto the main road.

"Colorado Springs. Here on vacation." Jack answered good-naturedly.

"You picked a great time of year to visit, the weather's lovely in the spring."

The fifteen-minute ride was over quickly due to their driver turned tour-guide, and the couple were soon standing in their hotel reception. Sam was trying to stifle a yawn when Jack asked her if she was feeling okay, wrapping his arm around her. She had to admit the urge to crawl into a lovely warm bed next to Jack was sounding very appealing after the hours waiting around an airport or on their flight.

After leaving their luggage in their room, they walked around the large complex, taking in the views from the poolside that overlooked the beach. A cool breeze was piercing the humidity of the night, the sky completely clear to let the stars shine. Sam stood in front of him as Jack encircled his arms around her, pointing out a few of the constellations that were easy to see that evening. She smiled and nodded as he pointed to each one, but her quiet was always a sign she was feeling lethargic and didn't want to admit it. He moved in front of her, leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips.

"Can I buy you a drink, gorgeous, or are you ready to crash?"

She gave him a tired smile, looking over to the piano bar they'd passed on their way out to the pool. "Lets have a drink and get an early night."

Jack went to the bar to order their drinks whilst Sam found them a table, spotting an invitingly deep comfy sofa along one side of the room. It was a nice atmosphere within the bar, soft piano music playing on stage and gentle chatter amongst other guests making it cosy and warm. She smiled as Jack placed two bottle on the table and sat down next to her, resting arm across the back of the sofa so his hand rested on her opposite shoulder.

"Its nice in here." Sam remarked, resting her head against his shoulder as she sipped her beer.

"Yeah, shame about the lack of fish."

Sam elbowed him and he smirked at her. "So what is it you don't like about your sister-in-law?"

"Alison?" He asked, not sure how she'd jumped to that topic so suddenly. "Well you know how people don't warm to me."

She laughed at his dramatics, turning her head so she could see his face. "Just a personality clash then?"

"I suppose. She's not the nicest of people, always putting down anyone she doesn't know or dislikes. At least I had some hope she'd change after college when she and Dave were getting serious, but once they got married it was obvious she was whom she was."

"I don't have much hope then do I?"

Jack looked at her with a serious expression. "Sam, whether she says anything or not, don't take anything to heart, okay? I know Dave will like you, and Tom will. A little too much most likely."

"It'll be nice to finally meet them." She replied sincerely.

"We can have the morning to ourselves, then head over there about two thirty."

"What are their kids like?"

"I think they're eighteen and twenty now. Cal just started this year at university and Karen is nearly finished her fashion degree."

"So they'll be there tomorrow?" Sam asked, finishing her beer and placing the empty bottle on the table.

Jack nodded. "That was the other reason for the hotel, it would be a pretty packed house with Alison's two sisters staying there too."

"And you decided to surprise me?" She asked with a suspicious grin.

"Well…to be honest I thought I'd have to cancel the booking along with the flights up until yesterday." He explained, having been definite that she shouldn't travel when she was ill, until she'd convinced him she wasn't nearly as bad and it was just a cold. He still wasn't 100 convinced she was over the flu, but she was a lot better than the week before.

Sam cuddled into him a little more, settling her arm around his waist. She noticed a young couple smile at them as they walked past their table, and she returned the gesture before settling her eyes on Jack again. "Can we go to bed now?"

He grinned lazily. "I didn't wear you out enough this morning?"

Sam smirked back. "Some of us like beds for sleeping, Jack." She stood up, looping her arm around him as they walked to the elevators. Once they reached room 409, Sam pulled out the key-card to let them in. The sight of the large double bed was a very welcome one after what seemed to have been a very long day. She lay down wearily and watched Jack disappear into the bathroom to brush his teeth. Reluctantly she forced herself to sit up again so she could kick off her sandals, crossing her arms to pull the summer dress over her head.

"Now there's a sight every guy at the SGC dreams about." The bed dipped as he sat behind her, chuckling at the disbelieving glare she threw over her shoulder before she slipped a tank top on. "I'm not kidding."

Jack grinned again at her, knowing she had no idea how many hearts she'd inadvertently broken over her eight-year stint at the SGC.

"C'mere."

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her with a passion of a man who'd not been able to kiss his girlfriend properly all day and wanted to make up for it. She pulled back with a smile, resting her forehead against his, studying his brown eyes as his hands played over her lengthening hair. She'd told him she wanted curls in her hair on their wedding day not long after they'd gotten engaged, that her mother had always told her how pretty she was with her hair set in long ringlets that she'd worn as a bridesmaid when she was eleven. As they'd watched the bride and her new husband, her mother had said one day she'd be just like her one day, wearing a long white dress with her hair in curls and gushing with excitement. Sam had told him how much she wished her mother could see them when they got married, breaking his heart at the tears that welled in her eyes as he'd hugged her.

He gave her a long, loving kiss, then smiled at her. They pulled the light sheets back, climbing in and turning the lights off before returning to each other's arms. Sam found her familiar position, using his shoulder as her pillow as she felt his hand drawing circles on her back. "I love you." She breathed sleepily, the steady thud of his heart drawing her into unconsciousness a few seconds after his returned, "I love you."

Jack felt her breathing even out long before he stopped the soothing shapes his hand made on her back. Bending his neck, he pressed a soft kiss to her hair.

"Night, beautiful."