As promised from the last chapter, here comes the 8th Wonder of the World...Jack O'Neill in Spandex Latin Hot Pants (what my friends and I call them). Yee-haw! As for the Review Button Wars...whatever. You say periwinkle, I say lilac, let's call the whole thing off... and a picture of Jack O'Neill in the LHP...Photoshop, where are you in my hour of need! Whoever can tell me what movie Tina Sparkle is from gets an extra special dance cookie.

The next day, Jack and Sam made their way into the dance studio to find it converted into a minature costume workshop. Nick and Lena were hard at work, making sure everything was double and triple stitched so nobody would be doing a "flash" dance during the compitition.

"Okay you two, we're done." Nick said cheerfully. His normally open face looked slightly pinched and tired, but triumphant. His eyes were red and Sam wondered how late he'd been up.

"When did you go to bed, Nick?" she asked.

"Oh, I didn't...I LOVE 24 hour a day Starbucks."

Lena shot Nick a glare. "You told me you slept, you dingo!"

Her husband gave her a pleading look. "I wanted to make sure that the costumes were perfect, so I went back and re-did part of the stitching on the pinstripe suit." he admitted.

She sighed, and lightly smacked him on the back. "You're sleeping tonight...or else! We can't have you tired for our demonstration tomorrow!"

"Demonstration?" Jack queried.

Nick nodded. "The organizers of the competition called us last night and asked if we would be willing to do a Fox Trot demonstration."

Jack was impressed. Nick and Lena were known for their Fox Trot and he knew that seeing them dance together would be an eye opening experience for Sam.

Rising to his feet and stretching gracefully, Nick went to get the CD player ready for the music. "Get your swing costumes on!" Lena announced, shoving various items of clothing at them.

Sam went behind a room divider and changed into the swirly green dress she'd picked out of Lena's designs. She was surprised at how nice she looked in it and walked out. Jack was there, waiting for Nick to find him his jacket and his eyes widened.

"Geez Sam, you look great!"

"Thanks." she replied, giving him a sultry look over her shoulder.

Nick snickered as he walked away. Jack was smitten and it was SO obvious. "Close your mouth Jonathan...birds will nest in it!"

Jack glared at Nick's retreating back.

"Ummm...I'm going to go put my suit on." Jack said hurriedly and walked away.

Sam smiled triumphantly. I'm getting to him she smirked.

Jack emerged, dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit complete with fedora on his head. Sam and Lena both gave him appreciative glances.

"Wow..." Sam whispered.

"Mmm hmm!" Lena agreed.

"You're married!"

Looking at her student, Lena chuckled. "I may be married, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate what's in front of me!"

Jack stood there proudly, basking in the admiring glances of the girls and poor Nick came out to see what was going on. Much to his dismay, he found both women drooling.

"Lena..." he said warningly.

She didn't even hear him.

"LENA!" he shouted.

She jerked and looked at him. "Sorry..."

His jaw tightened slightly. "I'm going to go call Tina Sparkle and tell her I'm looking for a new dance partner if you don't behave..." he complained jokingly.

"I'm sorry Nick..."

The swing went off without a single hitch and Nick reflected that it had been a stroke of genius to have them dancing to "Mr. Pinstripe Suit".

Next to come were the Smooth costumes. Sam zipped herself up in the blue dress, looked in the mirror and gasped. She had thought that the green dress was beautiful, but the blue outshone it. "This is great!" she said.

Lena grinned cheekily. "You can thank Nick for this one...he modeled it off of the one Charlotte Jorgensen wore for her Quickstep during Dancing With The Stars." Raising her voice slightly. she continued. "Nick has a little thing for her..."

"I do NOT!" came the protesting voice of her husband.

"Oh I know...Jack does too."

"No I don't!"

"Then how come you wore a shirt that said "Vote For Charlotte" instead of "Vote For John?", hmmm?"

There was a snicker from Nick, a smack, then silence.

"You did NOT just smack the emperor of ballroom!" Sam said, laughing.

Lena snorted as Jack replied, "And if I did?"

There was the sound of a box opening, rustling of papers, then came a loud "OWWW!" from Jack.

"I KNEW these new dance shoes would come in handy!" Nick crowed.

"Meany."

"YOU'RE the mean one." said Nick. "I was smacked for no reason!"

"No reason my foot." Lena muttered.

"I heard that, my love..."

"Look, behave or I'll put you BOTH in time out!" Lena threatened. "We don't exactly have time for this today!"

While Nick and Jack began to pout at the injustice of it all, the women exchanged knowing glances and said no more.

Jack and Nick were both awestruck by the sight of Sam in her blue gown and Lena had to smack both of them; however, Nick got to do some damage control of his own when Jack appeared in his tails. They danced the Quickstep flawlessly, and both the Kosovichs thought the choice of "Let's Face The Music And Dance" was oddly appropriate for them.

Next up was what both Nick and Lena were looking forward to...the Latin outfits. Jack bust out laughing when a cry of "I'm NOT wearing that!" came from Sam.

Lena rolled her eyes and went back behind to room divider to console Sam. "Samantha, if you'll just calm down look at it closely, you'd see that there's lot of flesh colored material inserted so that it looks like there's a lot more of you than there actually is."

"Scared of a little dress, Carter?" Jack asked tauntingly.

"Oh, give me that!" Sam spat as Lena quickly handed her the dress. "I'll show him..." she muttered as she pulled on the slinky red dress.

As she emerged, Jack and Nick were both struck absolutely dumb. Lena walked up behind them and knocked their heads together.

"Ouch!" Nick complained. Lena gave him a look, and he said, "I was just admiring your work dear!"

"Yeah, right!"

Jack rubbed his head and gave her a glare. "Pick on your own man!"

"Okay Jonathan, go get your costume on!" Nick said gleefully.

He nodded and went to pull on the Latin Hot Pants and his shirt. The pants were alright, but the shirt made his eyes go wide. "NICK!" he roared.

"Yes, oh student of mine?"

Jack waved the shirt in front of him. "You never told me the neckline was going to be THIS low!" he whispered.

Nick shrugged. "That's Latin, my friend...trust me when I say that unlike SOME of the people who are going to be competing, you can actually pull this look off."

Sighing, Jack relented and pulled the shirt on, feeling oddly exposed. When he came out from behind the partition, Lena and Sam were both drooling.

"Nice..." Sam said, literally feeling weak in the knees. The sight of Jack's well muscled chest was more than slightly overwhelming to her system.

"No kidding, sister." Lena remarked.

Jack saw a marking pencil lying on the ground and bent over to pick it up. Lena wished she had the Polaroid camera for that sight!

Nick gave her a look she didn't even see, then decided to go put his Fox Trot costume on. They could use some practice while Jack and Sam were at lunch after they performed the Rhumba

Lena finally snapped out of it and told Sam to go put her costume back on so she and Jack could do their Rhumba. Looking around, she wondered where Nick was. Then, she glanced up and saw him descending down the stairs wearing his tight black suit pants, white shirt and open black suit jacket. She only had eyes for him.

Sam turned around and was pretty impressed by Nick. He's not ugly...she thought. Ugh! Sam, that's your teacher! Get over it!

Before allowing them to dance, Nick said evilly, "You have to say your mantras to each other."

"Oh no! Anything but that..." Sam groaned.

"Nick, that's just plain cruel!" Jack complained.

"No, Nick is right. You have to convince each other of the roles you are playing in this dance. Samantha, you are a lovely, sultry woman who can have anyone and you know it. You are toying with Jonathan. By the same token, Jonathan is a strong, sexy man who can see right through the game and knows he has what it takes to win you."

"Ladies first!" Nick said.

"I'mahotmammacita." Sam muttered it so quickly it came out like one long unintelligible word.

"Come on, Carter...I KNOW you can do better than that." Jack teased.

She fixed him with her best sassy look. "I am a hot mammacita." she said.

Jack tugged at the collar of his shirt and cleared his throat a few time. He had turned a very interesting shade of red.

Nick, who was not thinking, replied, "Oh yes you are."

Lena smacked him on the arm and glared fiercely at him.

"What! It's the truth?"

Before blood could be spilled, Sam said quickly, "Okay Jack...your turn."

Taking a deep breath, Jack drew his shoulders back and pulled himself up to his full height, allowing one hand to rest on his right hip. He gave her his little smile that he privately reserved for her only. "I am dead sexy."

"No kidding!" Lena commented.

"And you smacked ME for saying something." Nick growled.

Sam couldn't look at Jack any more, so she did a quick ceiling check in order to allow herself a moment to get her raging desires under control.

"Ready?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah." Jack said.

As the song played and they danced, Nick noticed something odd...there were no words. Understanding dawned on him. "Lena! You didn't let them hear the words!" he hissed.

"Nope."

"Oh boy." Nick groaned, smacking his forehead with his palm. Dancing to "The Look of Love" with a live singer was going to be VERY interesting come Dance Day!

They went through the Rhumba again after Sam lost a few sequins halfway through. Lena made sure they were REALLY sewed on tight this time and the dancers watched their students with pride.

"I think they're going to be just fine." Lena commented.

"I completely agree, my dear."

Jack and Sam returned after lunch to see the final pose of Nick and Lena's Fox Trot.

"Wow, they're good!" Sam remarked.

You have no idea...just wait until you see them do an entire dance tomorrow. Jack thought.

They went through all of their dances a few more times and Nick pronounced them ready. "You guys are going to do really well tomorrow...you've worked extremely hard and I must say, it has been an honor instructing you."

"The same goes for me...I wish most of the students I teach were half as receptive as you two were. We consider you to be a part of the Kosovich family now, especially with how much Nicky likes you both. Raddeus tells me that he's begun referring to you as "Uncle Jonathan" and "Aunt Samantha"." Lena said with a smile.

Sam's eyes widened as she processed this information and her mind went down a VERY interesting path! She turned beet red, and Jack noticed.

"Hey, are you okay with that? You've already got nieces and nephews." he said.

Lena grinned. "Somehow Jonathan, I DON'T think that's where her mind was..."

"Lena! Can it!" Sam hissed, rolling her eyes. The woman was sometimes too perceptive for her own good!

Nick gave Jack a meaningful look, and understanding dawned in his eyes. He smiled, and Nick rubbed his hands together. It looked like he would be the one winning the bet...

An elbow connected with his side. "You're looking smug again..." Lena said in a low voice.

"Why not? It looks like I'll be getting my 50 dollars and my autographed picture from John and Charlotte." Nick replied, wiggling his eyebrows at his wife.

She glared at him. "Are you sure it's not just one of Charlotte?"

"I could go for that..." Nick sighed.

"Oh no...if, and ONLY if you win, it's going to be of BOTH of them!"

Jack and Sam watched their dance teachers, shaking their heads. Lena was glaring up at her taller husband, and he was looking down at her, Suddenly, Nick reached up and ran a hand through his hair. Closing her eyes, Lena tried not to think about how hot her husband was when he did that. She cracked open her eyes and groaned aloud when he did it again, this time with both hands.

"Nick, stop that!" she said, trying to maintain her mock anger.

"Why?" he asked stepping closer to her. "I thought you liked it."

"I do, but not right now..."

She backed away from him and he kept following her. Turning to the stereo, Jack decided to help and found a tango. He put it on. Immediately, Sam understood what was going on. They were facing off with each other, ballroom style. As they came together and danced, Lena tried to pull away but everytime, Nick would bring her back into his hold.

"This is why people suggest you dance when you're angry with your partner." Jack said in a low voice. "Usually it helps to relieve tension and create better relations between partners and let's face it; nobody can do an angry tango better than people who are married!"

Sam watched intently and thought, I wonder if one day I'LL get to do an angry tango of my own...Stop it Sam, this is a dangerous route to be on!

The tango ended with Lena looking down at Nick who was on one knee before her before she sank down ever so slowly onto his other knee and sat there. They remained like that for a few moments before Lena got up and he popped up with a speed Jack envied. They shared a loving glance that made Jack go, "Awww..."

Nick gave him a look and waved a dance shoe at him. Jack stepped behind Sam and the Kosovichs chuckled.

"You guys are going to have full day tomorrow, so try to get an early night if you can." Lena suggested, still a little breathless from the tango. Nick came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on top of her head.

"This is going to be great...trust me, I've seen some of the other people that are competiting." Nick said, snickering.

Lena twisted out of his grasp. "Nick, you promised me...NO spying!"

"No...I just said I wouldn't get caught this time! Besides, we've had people spying on us so turnabout is fair play. Jack showed me tricks to avoid detection."

Sam turned to find Jack conducting an extremely intense ceiling check.

"So...you think we're going to win?" Lena asked.

"Oh yeah...especially the Latin round. I don't know WHO picked these people but when some of the women spin, they are going to get knocked out by their own bazoomas!" he cackled.

"You did NOT just say that!" Sam sputtered.

"What? It's kinda like the scene in "Shall We Dance" when the girl tells Richard Gere to stop looking at her butt and its so...unavoidable that he replies, "I'll try." Same situation applies." Nick said, shuddering slightly.

Lena closed her eyes. "I think I know what you mean."

Jack and Sam looked at each other.

"See you guys tomorrow!" the Kosovichs called.

As they entered the lobby of the hotel, Jack turned to Sam. "Hey, would you like to watch a movie in my room tonight?" he asked.

"What movie?"

A grin spread over his face. "Shall We Dance?"

Sam laughed. "I love that movie. Sure."

"We can see if you find Nick! He's got a small part in it."

"Really?" Sam asked. "That should be intresting...the dance version of Where's Waldo? What time should I be there?"

"Dress up a little and be at my room by 6 o'clock." Jack said over his shoulder.

She was puzzled by this, but shrugged. She'd find out soon enough.

Sam stood outside Jack's door and took a deep breath before knocking. The door opened immediately to reveal Jack in a classic black tux. She was VERY glad she'd decided to wear the little black dress she'd packed on a whim.

"Come in." he said.

She entered to find a table set for two with some delicious smelling food. There were candles practically everywhere and she turned to look at him. "Candles?" she asked.

"I got special permission..." he began.

"I like them...it's very romantic."

Jack smiled. "That's what I was going for."

Her eyes widened slightly at this enigmatic remark as she allowed Jack to seat her.

They ate in companionable silence before Jack finally set his fork and knife down and looked across the table at her. "Sam, there's something I've been wanting to ask you for awhile now..."

Hee hee hee hee hee...(imagine this soundinglike the Wicked Witch of the West cackle). I know this is cruel and unusual punishment and I'm probably going to be getting some death threats for this, but I'm leaving it right there for now. Hit the lilac button (Yes, it's lilac...) or else General Hammond is going to do a country two step on you with his cowboy boots, and I won't write anymore of it! I thrive on your comments.